News

Ruins of Aleister Crowley’s Boleskine House Up for Sale

Published

5 years ago

April 22, 2019

Boleskine House at Loch Ness, once owned by Aleister Crowley and used for a particularly nasty conjuring, is up for sale. The house was gutted by fire several years ago according to the BBC, but selling agents from Gailbraiths insist that the structure is still in good condition for restoration.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I start looking for property for sale, one of my first questions is “Is it haunted?” Unlike most, however, a positive answer to this question isn’t a deterrent.

As a matter of fact, if a property has a colorful history and a couple of ghosts attached, I’m ready to buy. But even I would have to sit down and have a think before I signed the paperwork on this one.

Boleskine House in the early 20th Century

You see, while Crowley and his rituals were certainly dark enough, the property has a history that would make even the most die hard horror fan consider carefully.

In the 1600s, a minister named Thomas Houston was said to have waged spiritual warfare with a necromantic wizard on the property who was intent on raising the dead buried in the parish cemetery.

It was said that even after the wizard was sent packing, the bones of the dead would be found lying atop the graves rather than in the ground where they belonged.

The church on the location later burned and Boleskine House was built on its remains. Though it was the center of much upheaval during the Jacobite Rebellion, the house remained in the Fraser family until 1899 when a young Crowley came to call.

He bought the house specifically because its architecture lent itself well to a ritual the magician intended to perform, which he had found in The Book of Abramelin the Mage, a text that supposedly dated back to the teachings of an ancient Egyptian mage.

The Abramelin Operation, is a long-form ritual that takes months to perform including the summoning of 115 separate and specific spirits that will open a gateway for the magician to converse with his or her Guardian Angel.

After contact is made with the Angel and knowledge is received, they must then raise the 12 Kings and Dukes of Hell and bind them. This gives the magician power over them and also removes these dark entities’ influence from their lives.

It was said that Crowley had nearly completed the ritual when he was suddenly called away by the current leader of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which he was a member. Crowley had to leave so quickly that he was unable to banish the spirits that he’d called up and thus they were trapped within the structure and able to cause whatever havoc they wished.

Aleister Crowley was only 23 years old when he purchased the Boleskine House.

It wasn’t long before strange occurrences began to take place with people associated with the property. Crowley himself, was said to have bragged about a man who, after years of abstinence, had suddenly gotten drunk one night and attempted to murder his wife and children.

Two other children associated with the property also died quite suddenly and mysteriously, one at her school desk and another suddenly overtaken by seizures while sitting on her mother’s knee.

Crowley later sold the house and a few decades later, the owner of the home killed himself with a shotgun in what had been Crowley’s bedroom.

Guitarist Jimmy Page bought the home in 1970, but while he owned it for two decades, he reportedly only spent a combined six weeks on the property.

After he sold the property, it went through several owners before mysteriously catching fire in 2015, and all the while, it seemed to serve as a pilgrimage site for those who followed Crowley and his teachings with multiple owners reporting strange visitors showing up at all hours of the day or night, some demanding entrance and other merely wishing to see the home and feel its energies.

The home and its 22 acres are currently listed at $662K American.

What say you, horror fans? Would you like to buy and restore the house? LEt us know what you think down in the comments below!

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Movies

‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

Published

17 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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Movies

‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

Published

19 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

^{Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott}

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

_{Great Movie Ride}

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

_{Alien Romulus}

^{Alien (1979)}

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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News

Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

Published

21 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.