Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Highlights from June's SWS


Thank you to everyone, who made the trek out to Monrovia to visit the haunted Aztec Hotel. It was the biggest turnout for one of our gatherings yet (I stopped counting at 75 attendees). Also a special thank you to the owner and staff of this famous roadside attraction for their gracious invitation to our group.

In the haunted room #120, apparently a group of people (on the tour) heard a voice coming from the restroom. When the door was opened to investigate the sounds, the person holding the door knob was shocked (with the possible ambient electricity in the room). It's interesting to note that an paranormal investigation was conducted in that room a couple of weeks before our event, and they concluded that that bathroom was very active. The ghost-hunting team even heard the toilet flush on its own. Is there an "other-worldly occupant" in bathroom, or is it just faulty plumbing? You decide.

We would also like to thank GHOULA-member Damon, who parked his hearse in front (pictured above) as well as the bands that performed that night (Hexam Heads, Future Ghost, and Lost Lake). GHOULA is also working on putting together another ghost-themed concert in the near future.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

REAL GHOSTS with REEL GHOSTS

THE DATE: June 11th (Friday)
THE TIME: 8:00pm
THE PLACE: The site of... THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL
(3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles) Map
THE MOVIE: “The Decay of Fiction”(1984)
THE ADMISSION PRICE: Free

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, the staff at this event may not wish to discuss this landmark's haunted history.

Here's your chance to see this movie about ghosts in an (formerly) haunted location!

The Ambassador Hotel was said to be the haunted by a woman leaning out a window...(read more)

FILMMOBILE SUMMER SCREENING SERIES:

THE DECAY OF FICTION

Angelenos are invited to discover and explore their changing urban landscape when the Film mobile projects an array of classic films at(actual or implied) cinematic locations across the city. The 2010 EPFC Film mobile Summer Screening Series kicks off with The Decay of Fiction, Pat O’Neill’s haunting meditation on The Ambassador Hotel. “If there were more experimental films as entertaining as “The Decay of Fiction,”Pat O’Neill’s luminous Hollywood ghost story, the notion of a thriving avant-garde cinema might not be so intimidating to the movie-going public. The 73-minute movie is a semi abstract film noir shot largely in the empty corridors and bare peeling rooms of the Ambassador, once-grand Los Angeles hotel that went spectacularly to seed after closing in 1989. The Ambassador was the site of some of the early Academy Awards ceremonies in the 1930’s and of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. But instead of concentrating on that public history, the film uses the building, emptied of its furnishings, to imagine its mythical shadow history and its status as a metaphor for old Hollywood, in all its fabulous glamour and corruption.” — Stephen Holden, The New York Times

INTRODUCTION BY FILMMAKER PAT O’NEILL!

CALL, EMAIL OR FOLLOW @EPFCFILMMOBILE ON TWITTER FOR LOCATION!
http://www.echoparkfilmcenter.org/

Free (Haunted) House Tour


The Date: June 6, 2010

200 East Avenue 43, Los Angeles [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):

It is said that Hitler gave orders not to touch the Jewish ghetto in Prague (the only such place not destroyed by the SS). The reason this community was spared was because Hitler was planning to build a museum for "the extinct race" there. Obviously, Hitler never succeeded. However, Charles Lummis did build the American equivalent of that idea (even if this was not its intended purpose), when he started the South West Museum (built not far from his house) using his collection of Native American artifacts.

Although, Charles Lummis was a tireless activist for "Indian" rights, his collection and that museum, sadly is both a treasure trove and a sterile reminder of a culture that really doesn't exist outside of these exhibits (especially back in the museum's hey-day back before the collection was broken up). Legend has it that Native American belongings that were sold to collectors out of desperation, carry with them a curse. Therefore, is it any wonder that this Museum has had a very troubled history of safety issues (located on top of a hill), money issues, and management issues?

Is it also any wonder that both the museum, and the nearby Lummis House are said to have ghosts? Dark figures are said to walk around both properties. The Lummis House was built between 1898-1910, using stones found on the riverbed in the Arroyo Seco. This strange almost folk art-like house is said to be a precursor to the "craftsman" movement in local Architecture. Among the many curiosities of this odd "castle" are the "photo negative" windows, the inaccessible second floor (no stairs or fixed ladders), and the haunted basement (where most of the sighting occur).