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The Union Screaming House: Real Terror Lives Inside

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Union Screaming House

Shrieks, bangs and a looming shadow figure torment a single father and his children in this true story of the Union Screaming House located in Missouri.

Steven LaChance was looking to expand his family’s living quarters beyond that of a small apartment and when he finds the perfect home he doesn’t expect to go from skeptic to true believer almost overnight.

LaChance’s story has been well documented. He has given his own account several times and even wrote a book about his experience called “The Uninvited.”

The website Legends of America contains a brief but frightening first-hand account written by LaChance himself.

It all started in May 2001.

Having been cramped in a small apartment with his children for a while, LaChance was eager to stretch out. His lease was up anyway and fearing homelessness he looked at every classified ad for a possible lead.

So when an opportunity arose to look at a real house for rent in Union Missouri he jumped at the chance. Not only was it big, but it also had a yard and quiet neighborhood. Or so he thought.

The House

The landlady scheduled LaChance to view the house on a Sunday. Taking his daughter with him they arrived and entered the home.

“To our surprise, we were standing in a living room with cherubs surrounding the top of the walls all the way around the room. All of the original woodwork was intact and a large wooden pole ran to the ceiling creating a divider which separated the living room from the family room. The house had two floors with three bedrooms, and a large family kitchen with a mudroom that lead to the back door. The upstairs bedrooms had a breezeway that could be accessed from all rooms.”

It was perfect. This would solve many problems including an improvement to the family’s quality of life. The landlady had a few people interested in renting the home. The eager father waited with bated breath for her to make a decision.

“You understand the responsibility that comes with living in an old house such as this?’ she asked. “Oh, yes I understand. It’s beautiful.”, I quickly replied, not really understanding to what I was agreeing to. ‘Well then I will get back to you,’ she said.'”

They Got It!

It took a week, but the she called him back with good news. It was theirs.

Moving day came on a Friday and nothing of note happened inside the house, however, a local pulled up to the curb and said something odd: “Hope you get along okay here.”

The family unpacked their belongings and explored the house in a little more detail. The only thing LaChance found odd was that there were old-fashioned latches on the doors.

“The latches were on the outside of the rooms doors, as if to keep something in,” he recalls. He kept this to himself.

Then something else happened. He was hanging a picture in the living room which would crash to the floor every time he got it hung. Again he dismissed the incident and carried on.

But then there was another neighbor incident which struck him as bizarre. People would not walk in front of his house, they would cross the street instead.

Having to do some yard work because the trees in the front yard were losing their leaves, LaChance asked his son to retrieve the garden hose from the basement. It didn’t go well.

Suddenly from the front yard, LaChance could hear his son screaming at the top of his lungs. The concerned father ran inside.

“‘Something chased me up the basement steps.’ ‘What chased you?’ I asked, already thinking the overactive imagination of a little boy was at play here. ‘I don’t know daddy, but it was big.'”

Despite the few occurrences, their first weekend in the new home came and went. However, LaChance began to notice that whenever he would come home all the lights in the empty house would be on.

Hot & Cold

Soon the temperatures in the house would fluctuate from room to room. One room would be overly warm, but if you stepped into another it would be freezing.

Then one Sunday night LaChance saw it, him.

“The kids had their backs to the living room, for which I am still thankful because the memory of what happened next still haunts my dreams to this day. I noticed it first out of the corner of my eye.

A quick glance. Something moving, standing at the kitchen doorway that led into the family room. Not something – someone. I looked toward it again. It was a dark figure of a man, even though there was full light. He was solid in form except there was a moving, churning, dark gray, black smoke or mist that made up his form.”

A frightened LaChance looked away in disbelief sure that what he was seeing was a figment of his imagination, but when he looked back up it was still there. “He was solid in form except there was a moving, churning, dark gray, black smoke or mist that made up his form.”

Don’t Panic, But Get Out

The entity melted into thin air. LaChance decided for the sake of his children not to panic. Instead, he calmly told them to get in the car; they were going out to get a snack.

“We moved orderly out the front door and I turned to lock the door,  when a loud painful scream of a man came from inside the house. It sounded as if he was screaming in pain, so loud that it could be heard throughout the neighborhood and the dogs began to bark. To hell with orderly, ‘Get in the car!’ I screamed at my children.”

Driving down the street, his son turned around, “Daddy the basement monster is standing in the upstairs window.” LaChance looked too. His son was right.

The Return

The clan stayed at LaChance’s parent’s house while he traveled out of town. The trip gave him an opportunity to rationalize what he saw and also come to the realization they had nowhere else to go. They returned to the house.

The house was quiet for a few days, then all hell broke loose. It started with the doors rattling softly becoming more violent after each interval. Then a stench wafted throughout the house:

In His Own Words

“And then, the screaming started – softly at first, but building in momentum.

I yelled through the phone to my mother to come help – we were getting out. Then the whole house began to shake and come alive.

From the above, I could hear something large coming down the stairs. Boom. Boom! BOOM! The screaming of the man over and over. The screaming of my daughter, ‘Daddy what is happening!’

Along with this came the thought that one of my two bedroom doors connected to the stairs. BOOM! BOOM!

It was coming down those stairs! I had to get to my children! The whole house was alive with noise.

The floor beneath me was shaking as I made my way to the bedroom door.  I felt something behind me and I knew I didn’t want to turnaround to see it! BOOM! SCREAMING!  

A new scream mixed into the man’s scream – this one from a child. BOOM! SCREAMS! BOOM! I made it to my bedroom door but it wouldn’t open.

By this time I, too, am screaming. Throwing myself against the door it still wouldn’t budge. I continued to throw myself against the door again and again until it finally slammed open.”

Scambling to freedom, they made their way to the car hearing the screams still emanating from inside the house.

“‘We could see “it” searching through the house. Searching! Searching for us! It’s blackness moving from room to room methodically.'”

The LaChance’s never returned to the house as a family. Steven made his way back to pack up, but he always brought someone with him.

The Ghost Identified

He later discovered that the man he saw was Captain John T. Crowe.

In the beginning, LaChance wasn’t a believer, but spending the little time he did in the “Screaming House,” made him one.

“‘The breathing you’d hear when you were alone with it in a room. The breathing you would hear when you knew it was there. Heavy. Labored. Breathing. Yes, I do believe in ghosts. I do believe in ghosts. And maybe you should too?'”

You can read LaChance’s full account HERE, or read his book “The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House

Also this Facebook post explains how hard it was for him to write the book.

The Roman Catholic Church released a report on the Haunting. You can read that here.

Want more true haunted house scares, click HERE.

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‘Strange Darling’ Featuring Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald Lands Nationwide Release [Watch Clip]

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Strange Darling Kyle Gallner

‘Strange Darling,’ a standout film featuring Kyle Gallner, who is nominated for an iHorror award for his performance in ‘The Passenger,’ and Willa Fitzgerald, has been acquired for a wide theatrical release in the United States by Magenta Light Studios, a new enterprise from veteran producer Bob Yari. This announcement, brought to us by Variety, follows the film’s successful premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2023, where it was universally praised for its creative storytelling and compelling performances, achieving a perfect score of 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from 14 reviews.

Strange Darling – Movie Clip

Directed by JT Mollner, ‘Strange Darling‘ is a thrilling narrative of a spontaneous hookup that takes an unexpected and terrifying turn. The film is notable for its innovative narrative structure and the exceptional acting of its leads. Mollner, known for his 2016 Sundance entry “Outlaws and Angels,” has once again employed 35mm for this project, cementing his reputation as a filmmaker with a distinct visual and narrative style. He is currently involved in adapting Stephen King’s novel “The Long Walk” in collaboration with director Francis Lawrence.

Bob Yari expressed his enthusiasm for the film’s upcoming release, scheduled for August 23rd, highlighting the unique qualities that make ‘Strange Darling’ a significant addition to the horror genre. “We are thrilled to be bringing nationwide theatrical audiences this unique and exceptional film with terrific performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. This second feature from talented writer-director JT Mollner is destined to become a cult classic that defies conventional storytelling,” Yari told Variety.

Variety’s review of the film from Fantastic Fest lauds Mollner’s approach, saying, “Mollner shows himself to be more forward-thinking than most of his genre peers. He’s clearly a student of the game, one who studied his forebears’ lessons with adroitness to better prepare himself to put his own mark on them.” This praise underlines Mollner’s deliberate and thoughtful engagement with the genre, promising audiences a film that is both reflective and innovative.

Strange Darling

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Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Barbarella’ Revival Forges Ahead

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Sydney Sweeney Barbarella

Sydney Sweeney has confirmed the ongoing progress of the much-anticipated reboot of Barbarella. The project, which sees Sweeney not only starring but also executive producing, aims to breathe new life into the iconic character that first captured audiences’ imaginations in the 1960s. However, amid speculation, Sweeney remains tight-lipped about the possible involvement of celebrated director Edgar Wright in the project.

During her appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Sweeney shared her enthusiasm for the project and the character of Barbarella, stating, “It is. I mean, Barbarella is just such a fun character to explore. She really just embraces her femininity and her sexuality, and I love that. She uses sex as a weapon and I think it’s such an interesting way into a sci-fi world. I’ve always wanted to do sci-fi. So we’ll see what happens.“

Sydney Sweeney confirms her Barbarella reboot is still in the works

Barbarella, originally a creation of Jean-Claude Forest for V Magazine in 1962, was transformed into a cinematic icon by Jane Fonda under the direction of Roger Vardim in 1968. Despite a sequel, Barbarella Goes Down, never seeing the light of day, the character has remained a symbol of sci-fi allure and adventurous spirit.

Over the decades, several high-profile names including Rose McGowan, Halle Berry, and Kate Beckinsale were floated as potential leads for a reboot, with directors Robert Rodriguez and Robert Luketic, and writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade previously attached to revive the franchise. Unfortunately, none of these iterations made it past the conceptual stage.

Barbarella

The film’s progress took a promising turn approximately eighteen months ago when Sony Pictures announced its decision to cast Sydney Sweeney in the titular role, a move that Sweeney herself has suggested was facilitated by her involvement in Madame Web, also under Sony’s banner. This strategic decision was aimed at fostering a beneficial relationship with the studio, specifically with the Barbarella reboot in mind.

When probed about Edgar Wright’s potential directorial role, Sweeney adeptly sidestepped, merely noting that Wright has become an acquaintance. This has left fans and industry watchers speculating about the extent of his involvement, if any, in the project.

Barbarella is known for its adventurous tales of a young woman traversing the galaxy, engaging in escapades that often incorporate elements of sexuality—a theme Sweeney seems eager to explore. Her commitment to reimagining Barbarella for a new generation, while staying true to the character’s original essence, sounds like the making of a great reboot.

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‘The First Omen’ Almost Received an NC-17 Rating

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the first omen trailer

Set for an April 5 theater release, ‘The First Omen’ carries an R-rating, a classification that was almost not achieved. Arkasha Stevenson, in her inaugural feature film directorial role, faced a formidable challenge in securing this rating for the prequel to the esteemed franchise. It seems the filmmakers had to contend with the ratings board to prevent the film from being saddled with an NC-17 rating. In a revealing conversation with Fangoria, Stevenson described the ordeal as ‘a long battle’, one not waged over traditional concerns such as gore. Instead, the crux of the controversy centered around the depiction of the female anatomy.

Stevenson’s vision for “The First Omen” delves deep into the theme of dehumanization, particularly through the lens of forced birthing. “The horror in that situation is how dehumanized that woman is”, Stevenson explains, emphasizing the significance of presenting the female body in a non-sexualized light to address themes of forced reproduction authentically. This commitment to realism nearly landed the film an NC-17 rating, sparking a prolonged negotiation with the MPA. “This has been my life for a year and a half, fighting for the shot. It’s the theme of our film. It’s the female body being violated from the inside outwards”, she states, highlighting the importance of the scene to the film’s core message.

The First Omen Movie Poster – by Creepy Duck Design

Producers David Goyer and Keith Levine supported Stevenson’s battle, encountering what they perceived as a double standard in the ratings process. Levine reveals, “We had to go back and forth with the ratings board five times. Weirdly, avoiding the NC-17 made it more intense”, pointing out how the struggle with the ratings board inadvertently intensified the final product. Goyer adds, “There is more permissiveness when dealing with male protagonists, particularly in body horror”, suggesting a gender bias in how body horror is evaluated.

The film’s bold approach to challenging viewers’ perceptions extends beyond the ratings controversy. Co-writer Tim Smith notes the intention to subvert expectations traditionally associated with The Omen franchise, aiming to surprise audiences with a fresh narrative focus. “One of the big things we were excited to do was to kind of pull the rug out from under people’s expectations”, Smith says, underscoring the creative team’s desire to explore new thematic ground.

Nell Tiger Free, known for her role in “Servant”, leads the cast of “The First Omen”, set for release by 20th Century Studios on April 5. The movie follows a young American woman dispatched to Rome for church service, where she stumbles upon a sinister force that shakes her faith to its core and reveals a chilling plot aimed at summoning evil incarnate.

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