The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson tells the story of several people in one of the most haunted houses in the country. The novel has recently been reworked as a hit series on Netflix; reports of viewers passing out with fear from watching the show have circulated.

SEE ALSO: 10 Truly Creepy Demonic Hauntings

The horror Jackson’s characters witnessed is a work of fiction. However, the following families all experienced something that felt very much real to them. These families were driven from their own homes, leaving behind a legacy of pure fear.

10 The Smurl Family

When Janet and Jack Smurl first moved into their family home on Chase Street in West Pittson, Pennsylvania, they knew it was a fixer-upper. The property needed repainting and refixing, but what they didn’t know was that the renovations would be the least of their problems.

Over a period of 13 years, they were tormented by the ghosts that haunted the place. Janet also believed she was molested in her sleep by a demon, and Jack said he was sexually attacked by an unknown force as he watched a baseball game on TV. They also witnessed the family dog being thrown violently against the wall.

Demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren identified four ghosts at the property—a harmless old lady, a violent young girl, a man who had died in the home, and a demon who controlled the other three spirits. In 1987, the Smurl family had had enough of the attacks, and they fled their home with no intention to return.^[1]

9 The Perron Family

The real-life haunting of the Perron family was so terrifying it inspired the 2013 horror film The Conjuring. In 1970, Carolyn and Roger Perron, along with their five young children, moved into a farmhouse in Rhode Island known as the Old Arnold Estate, built in 1736. The previous occupant issued them a cold warning: “For the sake of your family, leave the lights on at night!”

The disturbances began almost immediately. Carolyn was awoken in the middle of the night by the ghost of an old, gray lady named Bathsheba, whose head hung loosely. The apparition warned the family to leave. The children also bonded with the spirit of a little boy they affectionately named “Manny,” who watched them through the windows as they played outside. Then there were the malevolent spirits that tossed them out of bed, pulled at their legs, and filled the house with the smell of rotting flesh many mornings at 5:15 AM.

To this day, the Perron family struggle to talk about what happened. Andrea Perron, now a grown woman, said, “Let’s just say there was a very bad male spirit in the home—with five little girls.”^[2]

8 The Enfield Poltergeist

Between 1977 and 1979, there was one ghost story that gripped the world—the Enfield Poltergeist. At 284 Green Street in Enfield, England, sat a suburban family home on a quiet street. Within this home, single mother Peggy Hodgson and her two young daughters were tormented by a violent poltergeist.

Sisters 13-year-old Margaret and 11-year-old Janet complained of menacing voices, loud banging, and chairs being overturned in the house. Janet would also become possessed and speak in a deep, demon-like voice belonging to 72-year-old Bill Wilkins, who had previously died at the house.

Press photographer Graham Morris, who was asked to report on the disturbances, recalled, “I thought it was an ordinary job until I walked into the house.” Morris managed to capture a famous photograph of young Janet purportedly levitating out of her bed as her face twists in horror.^[3]

7 The Lemp Family Curse

Built in 1868, the Lemp Mansion in Benton Park, St. Louis, Missouri, boasted a cave where the Lamp family brewed their own beer. In 1901, William J. Lemp was left devastated when his fourth son Frederick Lemp died of ill health. In 1904, William committed suicide by gunshot, and William J. “Billy” Lemp, Jr. took over the family business.

In 1920, Elsa Lemp Wright, the youngest Lemp child, shot herself following her divorce. As a result of Prohibition, the family brewery was sold at auction after hitting hard times, and Billy Jr. also shot himself in 1922. Years later, in 1949, Charles Lemp, the third son, shot himself in the head after killing the dog. The only surviving son, Edwin Lemp, died of natural causes, and his dying wish was for every family heirloom to be destroyed.

Not surprisingly, the Lemp Mansion, now a restaurant and inn, is said to be haunted.^[4] One legend is that there was another Lemp son who was born deformed and hidden away in the attic—his spirit is believed to haunt and torment the house.

6 The Snedeker Family

The Snedeker House inspired the book and horror film The Haunting in Connecticut due to its chilling legacy. In 1986, the Snedeker family—Allen and Carmen, their three sons and daughter, and two nieces—moved into the house on Meriden Avenue, Southington, Connecticut. While exploring their new home, Carmen found mortician’s tools in the basement, and she soon discovered that the property was once a funeral home.

It wasn’t long before their eldest son experienced visions of evil spirits, and both parents claimed to have been sexually attacked by demons. Demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren agreed that the Snedeker house was infested with demons. Since the family moved from the home, there have been no further reports of any paranormal activity; it is believed that the evil within was drawn to the family rather than the house itself.^[5]

5 The McPike Mansion

Alton in Madison County, Illinois, is considered one of the most haunted places in the United States, as many ghost stories plague this town. However, one building stands out among the rest—the McPike Mansion. Businessman Henry McPike built the 16-bedroom mansion on Alby Street for his family in 1869.

In the 1900s, the mansion was sold to Paul Laichinger, who rented the rooms to boarders. However, those who did stay here soon began to hear strange noises, including children talking and laughing together, although children weren’t on the grounds.

Following the death of Laichinger in 1945, the mansion sat vacant until 1994, when Sharyn and George Luedke purchased the property as a restoration project. Sharyn soon noticed that a ghost-like man would stare at her from the window as she was gardening. Other disturbances included orbs being caught on camera and heavy metal doors opening on their own. Ghost hunters have confirmed that the most paranormally active room in the house is the wine cellar.^[6]

4 The Sprague Mansion

In the mid-1800s, Lucy Chase Sprague lost her fortune and died penniless at the Sprague Mansion on Cranston Street in Cranston, Rhode Island. The property has stood with a dark cloud over it ever since. In 1967, Robert and Viola Lynch moved into the 28-bedrooom mansion that featured its very own creepy Doll Room.

In the late 1960s, night watchman Bob Lynch Jr. and a few of his friends had the blankets thrown off their beds. Using a makeshift Ouija board, they contacted a ghost that spelled out: “Tell my story!” Another entity that haunts the place is a ghost by the name of Amasa Sprague, whose body was discovered bludgeoned to death close to the house in 1843.

Since the Lynch family moved away, paranormal experts who have visited the mansion captured the dolls’ eyes in the Doll Room moving on camera. The wine cellar is also a place of much paranormal activity, including orbs and unexplained lights.^[7]

3 The Danny LaPlante Killings

In January 1987, teenagers Annie and Jessica Andrews heard loud knocking sounds coming from their bedroom walls. They also found blood-red writing on the walls: “I’m back. Find me if you can.” The girls had recently lost their mother and believed there was a spirit trying to make contact. When the girl’s father found a young boy standing in the house wearing a dress belonging to his deceased wife and holding a hatchet, he chased him from the house. Police later found a crawl space in the house and that the “ghost” was 17-year-old Daniel LaPlante.

Following a short sentence in a juvenile detention center, La Plante was released, and he turned his attention to a different family. On December 1, 1987, he assaulted and shot 33-year-old Priscilla Gustafson and then drowned her children, seven-year-old Abigail and five-year-old William, in their family home in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. He was sentenced to life behind bars for his horrendous, deplorable actions.^[8]

2 The Lutz Family

On November 13, 1974, at 112 Ocean Drive, Amityville, Long Island, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents, two brothers, and two sisters with a .35-caliber rifle while they slept peacefully in their beds. Butch claimed he was tormented by voices that ordered him to kill his family.

A year later, George and Kathleen Lutz moved into the Amityville house with their three children after purchasing the five-bedroom property for a low price. George reportedly then began to awaken at 3:15 AM every day—around the time Butch was known to have massacred his family. They also saw a pig-like creature with red eyes staring from the windows of the house, and the young children would levitate from their beds.

Both George and Kathleen passed lie detector tests about what they experienced in the home, and eventually, they fled from the property. 112 Ocean Drive is still known as one of the most haunted houses in America.^[9]

1 The Winchester Mystery House

Located at 525 South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, California, is the Winchester House, which was first built in 1884. Following the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, and with a $1,000-a-day inheritance at hand (the average daily wage at the time was $1.50), Sarah Winchester sought the help of a spiritualist to deal with her grief. Sarah had also lost her only daughter when she was just six weeks old.

The spiritualist warned Sarah that she was cursed and advised her to “build a home for [herself] and for the spirits.” The spirits in question were said to be those killed by Winchester rifles. Sarah sold her home in New Haven, Connecticut, and began work on the Winchester House. “If you continue building, you will live. Stop and you will die,” advised the spiritualist.

Every day for 38 years, Sarah continued building.^[10] The property ended up with 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces, trap doors, secret passages, and staircases that lead to nowhere. The labyrinth-like mansion attracts paranormal experts from all around the world.

Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. Can either be found at house parties telling everyone Charles Manson was only 5’2″ or at home reading true crime magazines.
Twitter: @thecheish

Family is the most amazing thing in the world. Our family members around care about us more than anyone else in the world. We all think that our families are the most weird in the world. But every now and then we realize that we are as normal as everyone else. However, these 10 families will make your family look like the most conventional in the entire world. Some are too large to be called a family, while some do things we wouldn’t even dream of doing. Here is the list of 10 Most unbelievable families in the world.

Unbelievable Families; Here below is a list of ten weirdest families you won’t believe actually exist.

10. The Duggar family (1 Couple 19 Children)

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are parents of 9 girls and 10 boys, making them parents of 19 kids in total. They did a reality TV show named 19 kids and counting.

The reason for them having so many kids is simple, they refuse to take any sort of contraceptive due to their religious faith. They are devout Baptists and frequently discuss values of purity, modesty, and faith in God.

9. The Chana Family (1 Man 39 Wives)

If Duggar family was a grand family for you, how about a man named Ziona Chana who married 39 women, fathered 94 children, have 14 daughters-in- laws and 34 grandchildren, bringing family to 180 members in total. He holds the Guinness world record for being the head of the largest existing family in the world.

See Also; Top 10 Men You Won’t Believe Are Real.

8. The Marshall Family (Fake Boob Family)

Meet the mother and daughters all of whom have gone through knife to gain fake breasts. All of these ladies have very large boobs except for one girl named Britney Marshall. She’s the only one in her family who yet to have a surgery to look like the rest of her sisters. No doubt, one of the most unbelievable families in the world.

See Also; Top Ten Most Unbelievable Women.

7. The Manson Family (Family Of Psychopaths)

Charles Manson is probably the most notorious and popular serial killer in history. A musician turned criminal is infamous for his series of murders from 1969 to 1971. Charles, who strongly implied himself to be Christ and expected to bring an apocalyptic race war by killing people, is clearly an insane person. The Manson which isn’t really a family is a group of criminals who have committed many crimes.

6. Lia and Aro (Vempire Couple)

Meet Lia Benninghoff and Aro Draven, two love birds who drink blood of each other once in a week, disgusting isn’t it? They believe that blood will hold them together forever. They released a graphic video on internet in which both of them are cutting themselves while the other drinks blood. This certainly makes them one of the weirdest families in the world.

Also See; 10 Most Unique Couples In The World.

5. Theresa Knorr And Children (Psycho Mother)

Theresa Knorr a mother of 6 kids was abusive towards her children physically, verbally and psychologically. She married 4 men and got divorced them within short period of time, probably due to her unstable mind. After fourth divorce she became even more abusive, and started drinking tremendous amount of alcohol. In that time, gained a lot of weight and became short tempered.

See Also; 10 Mothers Who Killed Their Kids Brutally.

Reports suggest, she disconnected all of her children from the rest of the world. She wouldn’t allow them to go out and contact anyone even on the phone. For many years, Knorr tortured her children in various ways including forced feeding, beating with objects, burning them with cigarettes, throwing knives at them and threatening them with a gun. Her abuse was more focused on the two eldest sisters, and she used other kids to help her to torture little girls. She believed that her eldest daughter Suesan was a witch. After one severe beating Suesan ran away from home for help. But police sent her back to her mother after Knorr convinced them that Suesan was mentally unstable. Suesan was tortured again by Knorr and ultimately was shot in the chest by a 22- caliber pistol. Theresa Knorr has been sentenced to life in prison.

4. The Podkopaev Family (Family Of Serial Killers)

A Russian family consisting husband and wife and two daughters, all of whom murdered at least 30 people including women and children. She did countless number of robberies and tortured many victims before killing them. However, their daughter Victoria wasn’t so lucky as she was stabbed to death by one of their victims. Eventually the entire family met with their fate. Unfortunately though, 30 men, women and children were already dead until then.

See Also; 10 Most Evil Women in History.

3. The Fritzl Family (The Psycho Father, Foolish Mother and Unlucky Daughter)

Fritzl case received worldwide attention in 2008, when Elisabeth Fritzl told local police of Austria that she was held captive by her father Josef Fritzl for 24 years. He not only locked her in basement but also tortured and raped her for 24 years.

But wait it gets even worse. The sexual abuse by her father resulted in the birth of 7 children. Four of whom joined their mother, one died within few days due to breathing problem. Remaining 3 children were brought up by Josef Fritzl and his wife. When the eldest daughter named Kerstin, became seriously ill, Josef allowed Elizabeth to take her to a hospital, triggering a series of events that eventually led to their discovery.

2. The Gray Clan (Outlaw Family)

The Gray Clan consist more than a dozen men and women living in a small town, all of whom are gun-holding and government-hating outlaws. Led by the grandfather John Joe Gray, the Clan is on war with the local sheriffs and federal agencies for more than 15 years. They say that “we fear no man and believe in eye for eye”.

They grow their own food and don’t let any officer enter in their property. John Joe Gray has become the longest-running law enforcement standoff in American history, lasting a few days short of 15 years, before the district attorney dropped the charges.

1. Colt Clan (Incest Family)

Some people might get uncomfortable reading this case as it involves the sexual relationships within the family, so if you don’t wanna read simply skip.

The Colt Clan is an Australian family discovered in 2013 that consists nearly 40 members ranging from grandparents to mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, nephews, brothers and sisters all engaging in various forms of incest. The case was so bizarre that Australian government’s move of making it public shocked everyone.

The incest started with two emigrated brother and sister, and continued for 4 generations. Entire family was living in horrible conditions, the house was made of tin roof with no supply of water or electricity. Various members suffered deformities because engaging Incest is scientifically a terrible idea.

The family was debunked when a child overheard the girl saying that one of her sisters was pregnant and they did not know which of her brothers was the father.