Haunted Objects!
I still get that Christmas morning feeling when I get home to see my Amazon purchase has arrived, all shiny and new. But what about the items that haven’t come straight from the factory line to your living room? What about the products with time and history behind them? Do imprints of the past cling to the fibers, metal and wood of these objects? What makes a creepy item truly “haunted”? In the spirit of Halloween, I’ve researched some objects that multiple people have claimed to hold evil from this world or another. Let’s go!
The Dybbuk Box
Usually when we purchase items, the last thing on our minds is that the object itself can be haunted. This was true when a man picked up a cool looking box up on Ebay in 2003 intended to store bottles of wine. When the owner (an old woman who lived until the age of 103) warned the buyer that it should never be opened, of course he didn’t listen. It was said to house a dybbuk – or an evil demon spirit – that haunted the box and unleashed unspeakable evil. The man gave it to his mother eventually, which immediately caused her to suffer a stroke. He then gave it to his sister who refused to take it permanently after she claims that the box never stayed shut…. He even tried to sell it, but it was returned to his doorstep with a note reading “this has a bad darkness”. Needless to say, it was adopted by a museum in Las Vegas where it sits to this day. Waiting.
Robert the Doll
I actually learned of Robert the Doll on my family trip to Key West when I was in High School. We attended a walking haunted tour and actually stood in front of the house where it lived for years. Robert was given to little 4 year old Gene by a Jamaican house maid. Some say that the maid cursed the doll before handing it over as retribution for the way his parents treated her. Gene’s parents would hear giggling and deep voices in a room where he was only with the doll. Things went missing or broke to which Gene’s only reply was that “Robert did it.”
The doll was eventually banished to the attic where it lived, complete with a miniature bedroom set. Even as an adult living with his wife, the doll stayed. Now he lives in Key West’s For East Martello Museum where you need to ask his permission before snapping a photo. Apparently, he doesn’t like unsolicited photos and will ruin your photos or camera If you don’t.
Anna Baker’s Wedding Dress
Back in 1836, a wealthy man with a wife and two kids had another daughter, Anna. At a young age, Anna, against her father’s wishes, fell in love with a poor steel worker. When he found out, he forbade the marriage from happening. Anna, devastated, was never able to wear the gown she had bought for the wedding. She never married and passed away an old main in 1914. Unworn, the wedding dress remained on display in the historic house museum the Baker Mansion eventually became, and every so often would appear to dance on its own. Apparently, carried away on a non-existent wind. Today, the dress is no longer on display, as the degradation of time has made its permanent mark.
“The Hands Resist Him” Painting
This is also known as the haunted eBay painting. Back in February of 2000, a family claiming that the painting was haunted was sold immediately for $1,025. The owners claimed that the two figures in the painting (1972) often moved….even leaving the painting altogether at times. The artist claims that although the painting is on the creepier side, that he doesn’t believe it to be haunted. Apparently its based off an old photograph of himself and his sister as kids, complete with disembodied hands. He’s since made 3 sequels to the painting in light of it’s popularity in pulp culture. Collect the whole set of terror!
Spooky! Have you ever had an item that gave you the creeps or you refused to have around? Comment below!
