Haunted Objects: Stories of Ghosts on Your Shelf by Christopher Balzano, Tim Weisberg Page B
Authors: Christopher Balzano, Tim Weisberg
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Assonet Ledge in Freetown, Massachusetts. Known as a “body dump” for murderers and famous for its numerous suicides, it was a quarry until a lethal accident forced the business to close. In addition to the countless paranormal experiences people have had there, many buildings made from the stone are reported to be haunted as well.
Some cars can carry a curse.
In some cases, the whole is destroyed, but some of the parts continue to disturb people. People have blamed curses, bad luck, and spirits; others simply shake their heads and know it is only an urban legend. You’re forced to ask questions whenever you hear a story like this, but the answers are never easy.
The Urban Legend
There may be nothing more American than our cars. From an early age, children, especially boys, are given toy cars to play with. Getting a driver’s license becomes a rite of adulthood. Before we make an automotive purchase, we spend time choosing which car best reflects who we are—or who we want the world to think we are. Whether they are lemons or classics, we are connected to them. It’s no wonder that so many ghostly experiences and spooky legends involve cars.
Perhaps the most bizarre of these is the cursed car, doomed to doom its owners through accidents and unusual experiences. There are two versions that have made the rounds most often, identical in theme, but different in the details. Here’s a riddle: What does a Hollywood icon and a prince who threw the world into war have in common? Both took a wrong turn.
In his day, no person played the part of the rebel better than James Dean. In fact, he still exists in our modern times as the man who lived the life people secretly want and fear at the same time. No one was cooler. For five years, he was the most wanted man in Hollywood. He embodied the idea of living fast, dying young, and leaving a good-looking corpse—until the day he did die and left behind nothing but a corpse and two legends. One legend involves the man himself and the stamp he put on our ideas of the young, troubled rogue; the other has to do with the way he died and the car that might have survived after he died.
You never know if someone with haunted wheels will be on the road.
It all supposedly started with a life lesson all people need to heed: Listen to Obi-Wan Kenobi .
As part of his fast-paced and dangerous reputation, Dean spent much of his time acquiring and racing fast cars. His favorite became a rare Porsche 550 Spyder he had customized and detailed to his specifications. In what would become a series of fateful moments, the car he originally wanted was delayed, and the Porsche was only supposed to be driven in the interim. It was nicknamed Little Bastard and according to sources, Alec Guinness (best known as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy) warned Dean a week before his death to get rid of the car or risk dying in it.
Seven days later, Dean was dead. On the afternoon of Sept. 30, 1955, shortly after being ticketed for speeding, James Dean collided head-on with a car going the other way on Route 446 in San Luis Obispo County, California. All others involved in the crash survived, but the legendary rebel expired before he reached the hospital. Since then, his image has appeared time and time again as an example of wasted youth and suave uncaring. Stories of that crash have grown as well.
The original rumors began with a common motif in urban legends: James Dean still alive but so disfigured by the accident he dare not show his face and limit the potential earning power of his image. Similar things have been said about Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur, and Heath Ledger, who, along with Dean, is on the short list of actors to receive an Academy Award nomination after his death.
The story that has persisted is more about the car, the murderous “Christine” of its time (some say the Little Bastard inspired Stephen King’s tale of a killer car). It was salvaged by a used car dealer
Some cars can carry a curse.
In some cases, the whole is destroyed, but some of the parts continue to disturb people. People have blamed curses, bad luck, and spirits; others simply shake their heads and know it is only an urban legend. You’re forced to ask questions whenever you hear a story like this, but the answers are never easy.
The Urban Legend
There may be nothing more American than our cars. From an early age, children, especially boys, are given toy cars to play with. Getting a driver’s license becomes a rite of adulthood. Before we make an automotive purchase, we spend time choosing which car best reflects who we are—or who we want the world to think we are. Whether they are lemons or classics, we are connected to them. It’s no wonder that so many ghostly experiences and spooky legends involve cars.
Perhaps the most bizarre of these is the cursed car, doomed to doom its owners through accidents and unusual experiences. There are two versions that have made the rounds most often, identical in theme, but different in the details. Here’s a riddle: What does a Hollywood icon and a prince who threw the world into war have in common? Both took a wrong turn.
In his day, no person played the part of the rebel better than James Dean. In fact, he still exists in our modern times as the man who lived the life people secretly want and fear at the same time. No one was cooler. For five years, he was the most wanted man in Hollywood. He embodied the idea of living fast, dying young, and leaving a good-looking corpse—until the day he did die and left behind nothing but a corpse and two legends. One legend involves the man himself and the stamp he put on our ideas of the young, troubled rogue; the other has to do with the way he died and the car that might have survived after he died.
You never know if someone with haunted wheels will be on the road.
It all supposedly started with a life lesson all people need to heed: Listen to Obi-Wan Kenobi .
As part of his fast-paced and dangerous reputation, Dean spent much of his time acquiring and racing fast cars. His favorite became a rare Porsche 550 Spyder he had customized and detailed to his specifications. In what would become a series of fateful moments, the car he originally wanted was delayed, and the Porsche was only supposed to be driven in the interim. It was nicknamed Little Bastard and according to sources, Alec Guinness (best known as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy) warned Dean a week before his death to get rid of the car or risk dying in it.
Seven days later, Dean was dead. On the afternoon of Sept. 30, 1955, shortly after being ticketed for speeding, James Dean collided head-on with a car going the other way on Route 446 in San Luis Obispo County, California. All others involved in the crash survived, but the legendary rebel expired before he reached the hospital. Since then, his image has appeared time and time again as an example of wasted youth and suave uncaring. Stories of that crash have grown as well.
The original rumors began with a common motif in urban legends: James Dean still alive but so disfigured by the accident he dare not show his face and limit the potential earning power of his image. Similar things have been said about Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur, and Heath Ledger, who, along with Dean, is on the short list of actors to receive an Academy Award nomination after his death.
The story that has persisted is more about the car, the murderous “Christine” of its time (some say the Little Bastard inspired Stephen King’s tale of a killer car). It was salvaged by a used car dealer
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