Haunted Hollywood Studios

There are celebrities who have passed away and appear to reprise their roles from beyond the grave at the studios where they became famous. Security guards and technicians who had to work at night in some of the older movie studios in Hollywood have had some hair-raising experiences. One such long-time employee said, ”I’ve seen some things here that I wouldn’t want to try and explain to anyone!”

Universal Studios is the place where in the 1930s classic horror films like “Dracula”, “Frankenstein” and “The Mummy” were filmed.

They filmed horror movies that made stars like Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney. Chaney was cast as the star in the 1925 movie classic “The Phantom of the Opera.” The movies became known as his film masterpieces. In 1923 the studio used Stage 28 to build the huge sets for the opera house needed in the film. When filming was over the opera house set stayed on the lot at Universal. Apparently, Chaney enjoyed playing the role of the Phantom since there are those who have seen that he is still around.

Sightings at Stage 28 have included seeing a man dressed in a black cape who appears and disappears without any warning. Those who knew what Chaney looked like have said it is him apparently still in the role of the Phantom. The spirit has also been seen running along the catwalks overhead, while lights turn on and off, and doors open and close even when the stage is empty during the nighttime.

Culver Studios was started by pioneer filmmaker Thomas Ince, who is considered to be the “Father of the Western”. Ince however is remembered more for his scandalous death than for his contribution to the art of filmmaking. Ince died in November of 1924 while celebrating his birthday aboard a yacht owned by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. At the time Hearst was dating actress Marion Davies. Being involved with the actress Hearst established Cosmopolitan Productions just for Davies. She was known for throwing the most extravagant parties at her beach house.

The Oneida, a 280-foot yacht owned by Hearst was another popular place to have a party. On the occasion of the 43rd birthday for Thomas Ince on November 15, 1924, the Oneida was party central for such guests as actor Charlie Chaplin, British author Elinor Glyn, and gossip columnist Louella Parsons, among many others.

Unfortunately, the guest of honor Ince missed the boat when it sailed from San Pedro because he had had to attend the premiere of “The Miracle” his latest film. He took a train to San Diego to meet up with the Oneida. A tragedy occurred aboard the yacht during the party and according to Hearst newspapers Ince died from overeating and drinking. The secret that was being held back was that there were witnesses who saw that as Ince's body was being removed from the yacht a bullet hole gaped in his head.

To better understand what exactly had happened one had to know the real reason for the party on the Oneida. Hearst had become jealous suspecting that Chaplin and Davies had started seeing each other in secret. He wanted to observe in closer quarters how the two actors reacted toward one another. At one point while the party was in full swing Hearst noticed Davies and Chaplin walking off together and later found them on the lower deck. There was a confusing confrontation and the bullet intended for Chaplin wound up in Ince's head. After the funeral, the body was cremated and Hearst was never linked to the death.

There began sightings of Thomas Ince and rumors that Culver Studios was haunted. Ince built the studios in 1918 and it changed hands several times after his death. Cecil B. DeMille, Howard Hughes, David Selznick, Desi Arnaz, and Lucille Ball made significant contributions to film and television history on this lot. Classics like "Gone With the Wind", "King Kong", "The Untouchables", "Lassie", "Batman", and "Citizen Kane" were among the many shot here.

As for the hauntings, employees have reported ghostly figures roaming the lot at night while others have been frightened by the apparition of a woman who appears on the third floor from time to time. She always disappears quickly, leaving a cold spot of a chilling wind behind. The most famous sightings are those of Thomas Ince. Witnesses have reported seeing the entity of a man climbing the stairs in the main administration building, heading for the executive screening room. During his time at the studio, this had been Ince’s private projection room.

When renovations to the studio were done in 1988 it upset Ince’s ghost quite a lot. He would often appear to workmen and once turned and said, “I don’t like what you’re doing to my studio” and then vanished into the wall. Today Culver Studios remains one of the busiest lots in town.

It appears that the most haunted studio is Paramount/RKO Studios. It is the last major studio to be actually located in Hollywood.

It is situated next to Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which serves as the final resting place for stars like Valentino, Fairbanks, and others. The cemetery is located the closest to Stages 29 through 32. The spirits seen entering the studio lot are usually wearing clothing from the 1930s and 40s. The most activity seems to revolve around Stages 31 and 32. At night footsteps are heard and the equipment turns on and off and operates by itself. A well-known fact is that the stage doors make a very loud sound when they are opened or shut.

Three guards had secured Stage 32 for the night. One of the men went outside closing and locking the door behind him. The other two guards looked around the place making sure everything was in order when they heard someone walking behind one of the stage flats. Looking behind the partition they saw that no one was there. Then moments later they heard the stage door being opened. Being convinced that it was the third guard they secured the rest of the stage and went out to find him sitting outside. He had not entered the sound stage.

Another guard experienced something more frightening on this stage. Having secured Stage 32 he turned out the lights and was just leaving when he heard someone walking across the stage. He wondered how they could see in the dark. However, the footsteps continued, crossing the dark stage with no problems. The startled guard turned on his flashlight to check things out and saw no one. Paramount Studios has many entrances and some of them have walk-in gates, like the one at Lemon Grove, which is located just a few feet from the cemetery. Here many entities enter the lot. Heads have been seen to poke through the cemetery wall and then disappear.

One ghost to have walked through the gates has been that of Rudolph Valentino. Valentino died in 1926 at the age of 31 and was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It is said that he was buried in the white costume he wore in the film The Sheik and it is in this costume that his ghost has been seen.

One night working the late shift a veteran security guard noticed an unfamiliar face. He followed the man to the corner of the wall to the cemetery and figured that he had him cornered. The guard waited for the man to come out. After a minute or two the guard looked around the corner and saw the man vanish into the cemetery wall. However, the most haunted site on the studio lot is the Hart Building.

One of the oldest buildings on the lot was once part of the Desilu Studios, owned by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. It is said that the spirit of a woman haunts the upper floors and that she gives off the strong scent of an old, flowery-like perfume. She is mostly seen by men and stories have circulated that she often takes things from desks and private places and throws them onto the floor. A security guard working at night in the Hart building was checking that all the windows and doors were locked. Suddenly a door that is on a hinge that causes it to shut very slowly slammed shut by itself as if somebody had violently pushed against it. There have also been stories about windows and doors to have unlocked by themselves, lights turning on and off and people being touched or tapped on the shoulder.

An actress decided to set up her production offices on the third floor of the Hart building. One day the executive of the company went into the bathroom to wash his hands. He looked into the mirror and saw that his eyes were glowing red. He got frightened and ran into his office. He asked his secretary to look into his eyes. She too saw the red color and began screaming then ran for the door. The executive tried to get up from his chair but claimed to have felt a hand pressing down on his shoulders. Finally, he managed to escape. The production company moved out the next day.

Another incident was recorded on security records on December 30, 1993. It was holiday time and few people were assigned to duty. One person was assigned to the main gate and four others to patrol the lot. That day a trainee worked alongside a veteran officer. They were assigned to cover an area between the Chevalier and Ball buildings. As they were walking between the buildings the trainee noticed someone looking down at them from the second floor of the Ball building but moments later the person was gone. He told his partner and they went to investigate. Having no keys to get to the second floor they called a supervisor. While waiting for the supervisor another guard came over and said he had seen a light come on in the Chevalier Building across the way. The older guard and the third officer went to investigate. They searched the building but found no one. Meanwhile, the supervisor arrived and had the bottom floor checked out while he went to the second floor but the building turned out to be empty.

One other strange incident to have taken place in the Ball building is that late one night, a man and a woman were leaving their office on the second floor. They were convinced that they were the last to leave because the building was empty and quiet. However on the way out they passed an old woman who was walking toward them. Neither recognized her and they thought that perhaps she was lost. Moments after she had passed them, one of them turned to inquire if the lady needed some help but she had disappeared.