Last Sunday's Screening

Thank you to all, who came out to our "Tormented" (by the She-Ghost of Haunted Island) screening at an actual haunted lighthouse like the one in the movie, and thanks to the audience members who shared their local lighthouse ghost stories, and thanks to Los Angeles' own Zombie Squad (zombiehunters.org) for coming out to our event. And always, thanks to the EPFC Filmmobile for making these site-specific events possible.

The Point Fermin Lighthouse decided to not be involved with our event when they heard about the movie we were screening. They felt that it was not appropriate. Maybe they were correct, since our presence adjacent (just outside the picket fence) to the historic lighthouse seemed to stir up some possibly paranormal activity. While discussing the lighthouse's ghost lore, two strange things happened...

First, the lighthouse's alarm system sounded during the ghost stories. The on-site security guard came over to our group to inquire if we saw anyone walking around the grounds between us and the lighthouse (which we hadn't). He claimed that the sliding window to their gift shop had inexplicably slid open, triggering the alarm. When the police arrived with their flashlights, they could not find any evidence of someone breaking into the gift shop, or (based on the dirt below) someone approaching the window from the outside.

Secondly, just before we talked about the ghosts, the Echo Park Film Center's power shut down. Despite the generator's location being in plain site, the cable mysteriously detached from it, and when it was plugged back in, the generator would simply not work. A quick trip to a nearby gas station revealed that the generator's tank was indeed full as thought, and when it returned to our screening location (after the ghost stories were told) the generator fired up without a problem.

Coincidence? You decide.

(to read about this event's location... )
(to read about the  haunted film screened... )
(to read about this haunted location's ghosts... )

Free (Haunted) Lighthouse Tours (Pt. Fermin)

The Date: Tuesday-Sunday
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm (Guided Tours 1:00pm, 2:00pm, & 3:00pm)
The Location:
Point Fermin Lighthouse Historic Site and Museum
807 W. Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90731
[MAP]

Note: This event is not hosted by GHOULA. This is just a local (ghost related) event that exists independently that GHOULA wants its members to know about. As such, docents and staff at this event may not wish to discuss this landmark's haunted history.

The Ghost(s):

Unfortunately, because the ghost stories from the Point Vincente Lighthouse just eight miles up the road are more well-known, sometimes they get falsely attributed to this historic lighthouse, which predates that newer lighthouse by a half century.

The Point Fermin Lighthouse began its duty of protecting our shores in 1872 (some reports put it at 1974), although some portions of the building may be even older, considering it took about twenty years to build this seemingly simple Victorian home/lighthouse. Given the remote nature of the point it sits on, supplies had to be brought from either the Pacific North West, or the East Coast (around South America's Cape Horn), which made construction a very lengthy process.

Unlike the nearby Point Vicente Lighthouse, which is said to be haunted by a woman longing for her lost husband, this lighthouse appears to be haunted by the inverse, a lonely male lighthouse keeper carrying the torch (literally and figuratively) for his dead wife. When he passed away in October of 1925 (a couple of months after his wife died), the local papers reported he died of a broken heart. Two months after his death, the lighthouse was decommissioned and the grounds turned into a public park. Not only was he the last man to hold that job, some say he never left, and can still be seen (and heard) carrying out his duties, walking around the lighthouse and the lens house.

Although the current lighthouse staff claims that the historic structure is not haunted, they are familiar with the ghost tales, and curiously do not deny them. The explanation they give is that these yarns were originally fabricated by a ranger that used to live in the lighthouse (as caretaker of the building and park) as a means of scaring local children and teens so that they would not try to break in to the spooky old lighthouse or vandalize it. Needless to say, there are many locals that grew up around the lighthouse, who beg to differ.

Interestingly, the ghostly keeper may not be alone there with his feelings of loneliness, sadness, and regret. The adjacent cliff is well known in the area as a favorite spot for suicides (with stories of ghostly figures walking along the cliff's edge or the rocks below.) Also, Point Fermin Park was the site of the great UFO attack of 1942, but that's another story for another time...

http://www.pointferminlighthouse.org//index.htm

(to read about the ghosts of the Point Vincente Lighthouse...)

Sunday's Screening Secret Haunted Location!

Location: Point Fermin Park (Home of the Point Fermin Lighthouse)
807 Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90731(map)

Come out for this year's free outdoor screening tomorrow (Sunday, 0ct 28, @7:00pm) and see "Tormented" (1960) with Richard Carlson at a real haunted lighthouse like the one in the movie.
(For more info about the movie... )

Also, hear about this local landmark's history (and ghost stories).
(for more info about the lighthouse's ghost story... )

All are welcome to this family-friendly event. Don't forget to bring chairs and flashlights. Also, this 140 year old haunted lighthouse is now in the middle of a city park, so please follow all posted rules while in the park.

3rd Annual Haunted Films @ Haunted Places

It's that time again...

...for our annual "Haunted Films at Haunted Places."

In a partnership with the Echo Park Film Center Filmmobile, we present free outdoor screenings of horror films at unusual locations that are said to be haunted, and discuss that ghost lore before showing the film.

Time: 7:00pm
Date: October, 28th (Sunday)
Location: TOP SECRET (revealed 24 hours before screening)
(location info:)
Admission: FREE!

This year we will be screening the Allied Artists masterpiece (about a female ghost that was actually shot in the KCET studios which are said to be haunted by a female ghost) starring the late, great actor/director/ author (and Encino resident) Richard Carlson...

TORMENTED (1960)
(The original title: "Tormented by the She-Ghost of Haunted Island")



Check out the trailer for this creepy classic!