To this day I still rent scary movies and watch them in the dark, forcing the boyfriend to hold my hand while I scream into his ear when a creature jumps into a frame. Every Halloween I anticipate a good scare, and this year’s search took me to “Walk Among the Shadows” at the Eastern Cemetery (hosted by Spirits Alive).
After researching www.spiritsalive.org, I expected an eerie tour through the cemetery with stories of Portland’s past, complete with character reenactments and “visitors” from the grave. I was excited — cemeteries are scary enough without “dead” people walking around re-telling their stories.
Arriving minutes before the tour, I scoped out the cemetery. The night air was foggy after a rainy day and moonlight crept through just enough to illuminate the tops of the tombstones. To my horror, upon the black metal gates, was a cancellation sign.
What is a girl with a deadline to do? Conjure the dead herself in search of these tales of terror?
Since I didn’t have my handy resurrection kit, I had to go for the next best thing — Christina White, president of the board of Spirits Alive, tells the story this way: “Our “Spirit” leads the way, taking us down a wide, flat path, from one costumed actor to the next. We’re first introduced to convicted shoplifter Hannah Wilson, who emerges from a small Victorian cottage located at the cemetery, to make good on her humiliating, court-ordered public admission of guilt.” (Wow, the 17th century was tough.)
She also described rants of Anti-Corset Society ladies, warnings of a jail break and a thrilling duel between sea captains. You can bet I’ll be going back this weekend. Weather permitting, of course.
Haunted places for hard-core Halloween lovers
Many employees within the Time and Temp building report hearing screaming, elevators functioning on their own, and seeing a red-haired woman with a camel-haired coat. A security guard stated “It’s not the screaming that bothers me. It’s the shadow people.”
The ghost of Captain Asa Clapp reportedly haunts both the Portland Museum of Art and Maine College of Art, locations where the Clapp house once existed. The house was said to be haunted by Asa, the most popular shipbuilder in Maine, who waited 70 years to begin his haunt.
Wood Island Lighthouse, located at the entrance of the Saco River in Biddeford, is haunted by the ghost of a murdered lobsterman who is supposedly responsible for strange events that occur on the island.
In Bucksport Cemetery, the grave of Jonathon Buck is said to have a footprint cracked into the tombstone. Although the stone has been replaced several time, the footprint reappears not long after. The story goes that Buck ordered the death of his mistress, claiming she was a witch. The mistress promised to return and dance on his grave.
Several locations at the University of Farmington are said to be haunted. The auditorium is haunted by the ghost of Lilian Nordica, a famous opera singer, whose name was given to the auditorium. She supposedly roams and sings near the stage. Mallet Hall is supposedly haunted by a little girl ghost who likes to move furniture and other things.
Skowhegan Cinema is regarded as one of the 50 most haunted sites in the US. Experts have recorded handprints found on the movie screen.
The Hillside Dorm of Southern Maine Technical College in South Portland was once a funeral home, a brother and a nursing home. Large groups of people have witnessed a young lady in a long white night gown walking up and down the front stairs. Many have claimed to hear someone walking in the attic, and strange footprints were discovered near animal traps.
Locals report seeing two young girls playing very early in the morning in front of the old Chute Road Cemetery in Windham. Legend has it that two sisters have tombstones there but were not buried there as their bodies were never found after dying in an old well or mine shaft.
The Desert of Maine in Freeport, a tourist attraction, is supposedly the product of the ghost of Thomas Grayson, who angered that his widow did not leave their farm to his son, pushed a ring of sand through the soil near the barn. The sand grew daily and eventually covered the 800 acres of otherwise fertile land.
The Saco River is said to be haunted. Legend has it that in 1675 English settlers were responsible for the drowning of a Sokoki Indian baby and her pregnant mother. The chief cursed the river, commanding it to take the lives of three people every year.
Last-minute costume ideas
Copy a popular character from TV or a film. If you don’t recognize these examples, Google them.
HUMOROUS: Randy from “Trailer Park Boys” — You will need short brown hair, a fat, hairy gut full of cheeseburgers, a walkie talkie attached to excrutiatingly tight white jeans and a black belt. Shoes optional.
Borat from “Borat” — You’ll need a gray suit, black shaggy hair and a large black mustache.
FRIGHTFUL: One of the infected from “28 Days Later” — You can wear anything casual with fake blood soiling the front of the shirt from the neck down and red-colored contacts (optional). Your hands, mouth, chin and teeth must be covered in blood. Make sketchy, quick movements and be sure to growl and attack at will. Maybe purchase one of those fake arms or legs from Spencer’s, stain with fake blood and chew at will.
CLASSIC: The Clown — This also falls under “frightful” to some. Don oversized, mismatched clothing and suspenders (purchase for cheap at a second-hand shop). Paint your nose red and call it a night.