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America’s Most Haunted House Isn’t in Amityville

Published

3 years ago

March 22, 2023

There is a haunted house in Bridgeport, Connecticut that doesn’t get the attention the one in Amityville does, but in 1974 it caused a media stir that captivated the country, and nobody ever talks about it, not even genre movie folks.

By the end of this story, you–like the many witnesses in 1974–will wonder what’s real and what isn’t.

What did happened inside this tiny house in the middle of the block on Lindley Street?

www.iamnotastalker.com

The Conjuring

Before we get to that, let’s talk about the recent upswing in ghost story cinema and celebrity paranormal investigations, starting with James Wan’s Conjuring universe (a fourth film is currently in the works).

The Conjuring franchise has given us some great scares over the last decade. These “based-on-a-true-story” earmarks on haunted America, and across the pond, have re-invigorated the poltergeist pop culture phenomena that was so popular in the 70s.

Based on the real-life case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring cinematic universe started with the Perron family in Rhode Island.

Lorraine Warren & Vera Farmiga. Photo by Michael Tackett

Although Mr. Warren died in 2006, Lorraine served as a consultant to The Conjuring. She maintained before her death in 2019 that she didn’t allow the filmmakers to take too much creative license. She asserted everything you see on screen is actually how it happened.

The sequel, Conjuring 2 moved to Britain and documented the famous Enfield haunting. That case involved two young sisters who were tormented by a ghost that threw things, spoke by way of possession and was just an overall supernatural baddie. Cops, priests and social workers went on record to confirm the reports. Lorraine also helped with that case.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S., the Lutz family was battling their own demons on a now-famous lot in Amityville. Again, the Warrens were on hand to assist.

966 Lindley Street

But there is another chilling tale that the Warrens were involved in that nobody talks about. It took place in Bridgeport at 966 Lindley Street in 1974 and it caused such a media circus the neighborhood would go on lock-down.

Reporters, witnesses, and other professionals would go on record saying they saw furniture move without provocation, hovering refrigerators, and physical attacks.

In the book “The World’s Most Haunted House,” writer Bill Hall takes a deep-dive into this case. What’s staggering is not only the bizarre happenings that took place, but they were so well documented by so many trusted sources.

Respected Witnesses Document Their Experiences

Firefighters and law enforcement agents have gone on record to say they witnessed everything from chairs moving on their own, crucifixes being ejected from their wall anchors, and knives being thrown by an invisible force. The activity seemed to center around a little girl.

Gerard and Laura Goodin lived in the small bungalow when they adopted their young daughter Marcia in 1968. It wasn’t long before strange things began to happen in the house–little things that people usually ignore. Still, the activity was strong enough to captivate the family.

People said when Marcia was around the events would intensify but even when she was gone things could get crazy.

The Goodin’s were subject to a loud rhythmic pounding in their walls, the source could never be located. Items would disappear from where they were left, only to be found in another spot in the house. Doors would slam. Police investigated the incidents but even they were perplexed after finding nothing.

The Media Frenzy

In 1974 the property was a hotbed of activity not only from the poltergeist but media attention. The Warrens were called in as was the American Society for Psychical Research and the Psychical Research Foundation.

Police were on hand 24 hours a day and interviewed the family. At that time there were reports of TVs being pushed from their stands, window blinds snapping up and down and shelves falling off the walls.

The public frenzy had started too. Onlookers would crowd the street in front of the haunted house to see if they could witness something for themselves. One citizen even tried to burn the house down. The entire street had to eventually be cordoned off.

At this time the entity reportedly showed itself. According to Hall’s book, it “resembled a large, cohesive assemblage of smoky yellowish-white ‘gauzy’ mist.”

The Cat Talks

Not only were there physical manipulations there were also audio phenomena. People reported hearing Sam the family cat say weird things like “Jingle Bells,” and “Bye Bye.” Outside plastic garden swans reportedly made frightening noises too.

The website Damned Connecticut also wrote about this story. In their comments section one person, Nelson P., claims to have worked in City Hall in 1974 in the records room of the Bridgepoint Police Department. They had this to say:

“…we gained a copy of a written report by an officer who was present when the paranormal s*it hit the fan on Lindley St. The most chilling account was when in his writing ‘and the cat said to the officer “How’s your brother Bill doing?, and the officer looked down and replied “My brother’s dead.” The cat then scowled “I know” swearing repeatedly at the officer then ran off. Other visual events in the report include a levitating refrigerator and an armchair that flipped over and could not be lifted back into place by the officers. One officer who witnessed it all took an immediate leave of absence having been that shaken by the experience. I today firmly believe these events took place in the home.”

Newspaper clipping of haunted house in Connecticut

A Hoax?

Levitating Frigidaires and creepy cats aside, the whole thing came to an abrupt halt when a police officer allegedly saw Marcia try to tip over a television set with her foot when she thought no one was looking.

After questioning, Marcia eventually admitted to doing everything in the house on her own and the case was closed; deemed a hoax. Or was it?

Although her parents disputed the claim, Marcia was quick to admit her part in the “haunting.” But questions remained about how she could be in two places at once.

How respected witnesses saw things happen when Marcia wasn’t even in the house and why things continued to happen even after her confession.

The case was eventually forgotten and regarded as fraud.

Bill Hall’s book “The World’s Most Haunted House,” is the quintessential story about the Lindley haunting. His book includes unprecedented interviews from firefighters and other reputable witnesses who were there. They speak about their experiences and what they saw.

It’s been reported that Marcia, the girl behind the haunting, died in 2015 at the age of 51.

Still Standing

The house still stands in the same spot it did over 40 years ago and looks the same as it did back then. You can visit it personally. You can also type it into Google Maps.

But instead of bothering the current residents keep a safe distance away if you decide to go.

Haunted house in Connecticut?

Whatever you believe, this haunted house case was definitely one for the history books if only for the attention it got from the public and the details professional eyewitnesses documented as it happened.

This story has been updated. It was originally posted in March 2020.

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News

Horror Has a New Obsession With Inde Navarrette

Published

5 hours ago

May 18, 2026

Luna Gray

Obsession opened nationwide May 15, 2026, and it did not sneak up on anyone. Director Curry Barker sold the film out of TIFF’s Midnight Madness section for a reported $15 million after a bidding war, on a production budget of $1 million. The film opened to a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore. None of that is the story people are actually talking about.

Deadline is running headlines about sequels and anthology spinoffs. The horror internet has a different priority.

Inde Navarrette is the story.

Who She Is

Navarrette is twenty-five, from Tucson, and has been working professionally since her teens. Genre audiences have had eyes on her for a while. Three seasons as Sarah Cushing in Superman & Lois, an arc as Estela de la Cruz in 13 Reasons Why. She was building a resume that said she could carry emotional weight. Obsession confirmed she can carry a demon. Girl has range.

What the Film Asks

Bear (Michael Johnston), a lonely man pining for his childhood friend, gets his hands on something called a One Wish Willow. He uses it and Nikki finally loves him back. What that looks like on screen is Navarrette’s problem to solve for the next 109 minutes.

She does it across three registers without losing the thread of any of them. There is the Stepford version of Nikki, smiling too wide, giving Bear exactly what he wished for. There is the screaming version, a full unraveling that I promise is unlike anything you have ever seen. And there is the third one, the depleted shell, the one that shows up when the other two have burned through everything. Most performers can do one convincingly. Navarrette rotates through all three within one scenes worth of dialog.

The Work

Deadline named her as having solidified scream queen status. The Hollywood Reporter ran a full breakdown with her on what the ending demanded. Navarrette on the subject of her genre future was brief and direct: “If horror will have me, I will stick in horror for a while.”

Horror will have her. Obviously.

News

This Week in Horror: Black Phone 2, The Backrooms, and the Return of Scary Movie

Published

3 days ago

May 15, 2026

Luna Gray

A release week. Something in theaters today, something on Netflix tomorrow, a trailer that is going to divide people cleanly down the middle, and a Kane Pixels situation that is either the most exciting thing to happen to A24 horror in years or a complete disaster, and we are about to find out which in two weeks. Here is everything.

Obsession Opens Today

Obsession is in theaters today. Curry Barker directed, Inde Navarrette stars, and the premise involves a supernatural toy called One Wish Willow that does not appear to grant wishes in a way that works out well for anyone. Barker is coming off solid work in the short horror space and this is his feature debut.

The Black Phone 2 Hits Netflix Tomorrow

The Black Phone 2 streams on Netflix starting May 16. Scott Derrickson directed both, Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames are back, and the first one did $132 million on a budget that did not require $132 million to recoup, so this sequel had time to actually be made right instead of being rushed out.

The first Black Phone is one of the better supernatural thrillers of the decade, and the ending left enough room that a sequel is not a stretch. The thing I want to know is whether Derrickson is doing something with that space or just filling it. Tomorrow we find out.

The Scary Movie Trailer Is Here

The Scary Movie trailer is out and June 12 is the release date. Michael Tiddes directs. Anna Faris is back. Regina Hall is back. Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans are back. The whole thing looks exactly as chaotic as you would expect from a Scary Movie film in 2026, which will either be a feature or a problem depending entirely on how you feel about the franchise.

The original Scary Movie came out in 2000 and it was funny. Some of the sequels were funny. I am genuinely not sure what this one is going to be, and I mean that in a way that is not entirely negative. Faris has not been in a wide release in a while. Seeing her back in the thing she was genuinely great at is enough to make me curious even if the whole rest of the movie turns out to be a mess.

Insidious: Out of the Further Gets an August Date

The sixth Insidious film has been officially dated for August 21. Jacob Chase directs, Amelia Eve leads, and Brandon Perea and Lin Shaye are back in the cast. The trailer showed at CinemaCon in April and the response was apparently positive enough that the August date got locked in immediately after.

Shaye has been the connective tissue of this franchise since the beginning and the decision to keep her involved in whatever direction the series goes next is the right one. She is also just an extremely good horror actor who does not get enough credit for how much work she has done making these films feel like they are about something beyond the haunted house mechanics. August 21.

The Backrooms Movie Is a Month Away

The Backrooms opens in theaters May 29 through A24. Kane Parsons directed it. He is 20 years old. He is the Kane Pixels person, which means he built an entire mythology from scratch in YouTube shorts and did it well enough that A24 hired him to make a theatrical feature before he could legally rent a car in most states.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve star. James Wan and Shawn Levy are producing. The budget exists. The question that has been hanging over this project since it was announced is whether a feature-length Backrooms works or whether the whole thing depends on the specific intimacy of the short format, and we are two weeks from knowing.

American Horror Story Is Going Back to the Coven

American Horror Story Season 13 is coming in October on FX and Hulu, and it is going back to the Miss Robichaux’s Academy setting from Season 3. Sarah Paulson is back. Evan Peters is back. Angela Bassett is back. Ariana Grande is joining the cast.

The Coven season was the last time the show felt like it had a unified identity, and bringing the whole thing back around to that specific world is a reasonable way to remind people why they liked it before the middle seasons started doing a lot of experimental things that did not always work.

News

Exclusive: ‘Key of Bones’ Reveals New Poster and Cannes Fantastic Pavilion Gala Screening

Published

4 days ago

May 14, 2026

Anthony Pernicka

The curse is heading to Cannes.

iHorror is exclusively revealing the brand-new poster for Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate ahead of the film’s screening this Saturday at the Fantastic Pavilion Gala during the Cannes Film Festival.

The supernatural horror-comedy will screen as part of the Fantastic Pavilion festivities during Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival, marking another major moment for the indie production as momentum continues building toward the film’s Fall release.

*Actor Jeremy King, Actress Gina Vitori, Writer/Director Tony Armer, & Actress Melissa Chick*

Filmed in Key West, Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate follows a local waitress, a ghost tour guide, and an unlucky tourist who accidentally awaken a pirate curse tied to the infamous Anne Bonny. What follows is a wave of ghosts, supernatural chaos, cursed treasure, and paranormal mayhem spreading across the island.

Written and directed by Tony Armer, the film stars Gina Vitori, Melissa Chick, Jeremy King, Chad Newman, Benjamin Healy, Ty Spann, Kitty Clements and Vincent De Paul.

*Gina Vitori as Mary Read* *& Jeremy King as Christie*

Key of Bones also marks one of the first feature film productions connected to iHorror, expanding the brand beyond horror coverage and into original filmmaking.

The newly released poster leans into the film’s mix of pirate mythology, paranormal horror, cursed treasure, and the eerie atmosphere of real haunted locations in Key West. It offers another glimpse into the movie’s supernatural adventure, comedy, and ghostly chaos.

If you’re attending events in Cannes this weekend and would like to catch the screening of Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate, visit Fantastic Pavilion for event schedules and screening information.

For more on the film, visit www.KeyOfBones.com