Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Haunted projection rooms

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Posted by Danny Hart (Member # 659) on 10-22-2001, 08:28 AM:

I used to work at a cinema which really gave me the creeps. I’ve worked at a few places, but this one particular projection room freaked me out regularly. I could hear a kind of growling or snoring sound coming from a sealed-off ventilation shaft; a clock would frequently stop at 4.10am and it DID get VERY cold in certain spots, so much so that you could see your breath before you. I often showed these goings-on to managers and floor staff to back me up.

None of which bothered me very much, until I discovered an electrician had been killed in the building whilst working overnight about 40 years ago...

Posted by Don Sneed (Member # 955) on 10-22-2001, 09:09 AM:

Hey Danny, this is your twin brother, we sure look alike....I had the same at a 6-screen theatre I service in Houston Texas, but without the cold !! The theatre (now close due to shootings), The booth had wooden floors covered with carpet, everytime you walk the floor would creek, I be the only person in the building....as I would walk to another projector to start the PM, I would hear walking behind me (the floor creeking) I check, and no one would be there, this happen several times durning different visits working all night and alone....one night the strangest thing happen, I couldn't find a screwdriver that I know I just laid down next to me, I found it next to a different projector, I never walked into that section of the booth, when I pick up the screwdriver, I heard the floor creek beside me...whooooaaa weeee the hair on my arms stood up, the strangest feeling I had, but no one was there, the time 4 am.....at that point I called it a night, pack the tools & only did PM call in the daylight with an operator.....scared, you might say at age 37 back then....you bet !! I was never service that theatre again at night...I was glad to see it closed !!!

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 10-22-2001, 11:53 AM:

Where was that Danny?? When I was in the Orient, Dunfermline, we had wierd noises late at night, and once the manager swore she saw someone cross the foyer on the CCTV, yet the building was empty and locked up, save for her and myself!

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 10-22-2001, 11:58 AM:

I think every booth has a ghost. OK, maybe not really, but you know what I'm talking about. While I have never been as freaked out as you guys have, I have had some wierd things happen. I could swear I would see shadows out of the corner of my eye when there was no one in the booth. And there is something comforting about the quiet hum of all the rectifiers, even when the projectors are not running, but durring a blackout when there is no power to anything, it is downright FREAKY in the dead silence! I always run downstairs until the power comes back!

Posted by Alan Plester (Member # 852) on 10-22-2001, 12:14 PM:

When shutting up at the end of the night, I was checking the toilets which wer`e then, situated inside the theatres,having just come out of the gent`s, I noticed someone sitting in the middle row of seats, it was smoking a pipe and wore glasses, then vanished. Rushing to the booth to tell my boss, I related what I had just seen, he told me that, that was Frank, the old chief projectionist who had died from a heart attack, and swore he would haunt the place, yes he did wear glasses, and smoke a pipe.

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 10-22-2001, 12:27 PM:

Hey Don,

Which Theatre was that in Houston? Southmore 6, Missouri City 6? or Goose Creek 6? Maybe it could go as far back as the old AMC Shamrock 6, but I forgot what part of Houston that theatre was in. Would like to try and find it next time I am that way. Those are the only theatres that I can think of off hand. Maybe I need to get a 1984 Newspaper ad for theatres in Houston to see if I can actually peg it down. Let me know as I am curoius now. Now I have heard that Walter has appeared in various places at the Paramount Theatre here in Austin since his death in the booth in May of 2000.

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 10-22-2001, 03:13 PM:

Thanks for that "wonderful" picture! OK, so I'll send ya one!

Fun topic--haunted booths! The theater where I worked is only a few years old. Rumor had it that on old lady-patron-died as a result of a heart attack not soon after the theater was opened! I had never heard about this or did I ever see anything--especially since I was quite often working on the equipment deep night. But the ghost story rumor was widly circulating among the teeny-bopper floor staff, and it was fun to ocassionally mess with them! Especially since in certain areas natural occurance could be mistaken for ghosts etc, and it was fun to take advantage of the situation!

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 10-22-2001, 04:37 PM:

Will - which theatre is that? El Con? If it's a Century Theatre -- I wanna know -- I don't wanna be counting somewhere in one of those places without any warning of ghostly happenings...

Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 10-22-2001, 04:45 PM:

I can't say my booth is haunted, but I must admit things feel creepy when I am the only one around while locking up, the theater is dark, and I just finished running The Exorcist.

Posted by Don Sneed (Member # 955) on 10-22-2001, 06:23 PM:

Hey William, wow I service those theatres you mention at lease once or twice, the one I was talking about was the Northwood-6, on the east side of Houston on Hwy 59 North, the theatre was built in 1977 I believe or around that date, was sold 4-times,then closed in 1995. Had too many street gangs hanging out, shooting at each other, ran off the family business (that would do it !!) it was a Dollar house when closed....but a very spooky place to be at night...one last thing, I'm coming to Dallas to do a service call soon, I'll e-mail you when I get there, I'm in Japan now....sorry Brad, I chatted when I shouldn't...won't happen again....

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 10-22-2001, 07:08 PM:

I would like to hear Bob Maar's haunted stories! I'm sure he has to have some! Maybe Bob can tell us about some of the stuff that was done by exhibitors in the 1950's like putting little buuzzers in the chairs during a horror flic?!

Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 10-22-2001, 09:47 PM:

I once heard stories about a booth that people truly believed was haunted. This was when I was with Silver Cinemas. Booth techs and district managers would tell me these stories about a haunted booth at "Shamed?" Don't know if that is how you spell it. I believe it was in Louisianna.

Posted by Matthew Bailey (Member # 601) on 10-22-2001, 11:09 PM:

I was just reading a magazine article on haunted movie theatres
It mentioned six theatres in the US that are haunted.
Three particular theatres I remember are the Pacific-closed-
the Vogue-operating-& the Kimo-operating-.
The ghost of one of the four Warner Brothers resides in the Pacific
in CA. He apparently died in a hospital on the night of the first
premiere of the Jazz Singer. The Pacific's grand opening was
not on time for the the movie to premiere that night due to
unfinished remaining construction of it that went past that deadline.
At the Vogue Theatre,several years ago a projectionist had a heart
attack during a matinee when it was a changeover theatre.
Another theatre,the Kimo several years ago, was involved in a water heater explosion that killed a boy & injured seven.
The boy was running down the steps from the balcony when the water
heater under the steps exploded.

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 10-23-2001, 02:41 AM:

The theater I used to work at (and Anthony is still at now) is haunted. Too many things have happened to convince me so, the platter would star spinning on its own, there would be LOUD bangs throughout one of the autitoriums, the thermostat would randomly be turned down (after I had just turned it up), wierd feelings, cold spots, chairs will randomly go into the reclined position (right in front of my eyes), and alot more!

Anthony has actually walked into the theater (he was alone) and everything was off, he walked in to turn on the circut breakers in the booth and they were on! He walked out to the theater and the lights were all on....

Me and 2 other of the old employees actually have seen an outline of a man in the front of one of the autotoriums. We believe that it is the old owner of a used car dealership that was there before the theater (same building, remodeled).

Posted by Kyle Abel (Member # 819) on 10-23-2001, 02:59 AM:

My story is along the lines of Don's. I was working late one night (isn't that how it always starts) at an 8-plex in Lewisville. I was changing out diodes at their #2 projector, which is in it's own wing of the booth. I was sitting on the floor working with my socket wrench. I put the wrench inside the console to switch out the sockets. I did not stand up, but just turned to get the new socket, and when I turned back, the wrench was gone. I tore that projector and surrounding area apart but didn't find it. A few days later I was working on the gate with a screwdriver at the same projector in the same end of the hallway. I placed the screwdriver on top of the projector, hand-tightened a screw, reached up for the screwdriver and it was gone (about 5 seconds went by). Again, I tore apart the projector and surrounding areas, but nothing. I went around the whole booth looking everywhere, then came back to the original projector half an hour later, and the screwdriver was sitting on top of the projector where I originally placed it. I was the only one in the building, so I packed up my stuff and high-tailed it out of there. I rarely go back, and when I do, I NEVER bring my own tools...

------------------
Kyle Abel
General Manager
Plano Movies 10

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-23-2001, 03:04 AM:

Awww, it's just the ghosts having their fun. They're dead! They have to have their kicks somehow!!!

Seriously though, why is it that when people die, their ghosts are always trapped in the location of the place where they died? Seems like they would travel.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 10-23-2001, 09:41 AM:

If ghosts of people were always trapped in the place where they died, you'd think that hospitals would be the most haunted places, but I don't believe I've ever heard of a haunted hospital. I wonder if the ghosts just travel to the place where they previously lived or worked, since those places were where they felt most comfortable? From what I hear here, theatre booths are frequently haunted, so that means that people that work in theatre booths feel comfortable there. I assume that many of the ghosts that haunt booths and other locations did not actually die on location. Comments?

I've never seen a ghost, but I've talked to way too many people that I know and trust that have seen [or encountered] things of this nature.

------------------
Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Information Site

Posted by Danny Hart (Member # 659) on 10-23-2001, 05:02 PM:

Pete, I’m not sure about the naming of companies in this forum, so I will say it was supposedly where Oscar Deutsch Entertained Our Nation in their doomed occupance in Hamilton, just before it was due to close and all their projectionists had buggered off sharpish. I was working for the company and was asked to do a bit of relief there.

I was making up our print of "The Others" today and the splicer kept on opening and closing all by itself... only joking.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 10-23-2001, 08:17 PM:

In 1954 I attended a seance in Aurora, Ontario, It was a clear August night and there were eight of us holding hands around a large oval table. Strange things happened on that night over several hours. Some of the people sitting at the table spoke with people beyond through the medium. It was absolutely frightening.

The medium told me that I would marry a person with the initials VK. So when In 1958 when I met the beautiful Vallery King I thought this was it. However in 1965 I married the absolutly Georgeous Virginia Kennedy and we are still married.

You tell me did I marry her because of the initials? I don't think so...There is something to these Ghost Stories.

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 10-23-2001, 09:00 PM:

If there are ghosts in our booths ding weird things (like turning on platters and moving tools), why can't they do something useful?

Start each projector at the excat time it is supposed to, making sure it is in focus and in frame?
Hold propper tension when breaking down on Strong platters?
Since they're already dead and have nothing to loose, they can change the xeonon bulbs and not have to worry about that stupid anoying safety gear! etc....

Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 10-23-2001, 09:40 PM:

Ken - Why do you think so many films start out of frame and out of focus? These guys are union. They want you to earn your keep.

Bob - Seances, ouiji boards are scary stuff. Being a sceptic on ouiji boards, I did an experiment where other people were controlling the puck (or whatever it is called) and I asked the questions *without actually saying anything or indicating what I had asked.* (This was in the lobby of a theatre, BTW.)
In cases where I thought questions where there should have been numerical answers, it went straight to the numbers. In cases where letters were required, it went there. I don't know what was happening, but given the number of successful tries, something out of the ordinary was occuring. I never went near a board again after that experience.

Evans:
Hospital haunting
Another
Another, and a theatre

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 10-24-2001, 01:42 AM:

I just read a pretty good story about a haunted theater called the Lyric in Blacksburg, Virginia. Its long so make sure you have time. http://www.furrs.org/writing/ghosts.htm

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 10-24-2001, 02:42 AM:

I think I know where you mean Danny, I just wandered if it was any of the places I'd worked! Actually I did work for the same outfit for a short while.

Posted by Randy Loy (Member # 112) on 10-24-2001, 03:10 PM:

A long-time exhibitor who also runs a cinema equipment and service business related a story to me a few years ago that is right on topic. I can't recall the name or exact location of the theatre, although I know it was in North or South Carolina where he does most of his work. I do remember that the theatre is in a 1940's era shopping center.

Anyhow, the guy was doing service work in the booth which has a single projector and a platter system. Suddenly, he realized that he could hear a projector running somewhere (it certainly wasn't the one he was working on), then he heard a second projector power up and go through the normal sounds of making a changeover.

Later, when he mentioned the occurrence to the theatre's staff, he was told that many years earlier a projectionist had died there when he was electrocuted in the booth. At the time of his death the booth had different equipment and was a changeover operation.

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 10-24-2001, 05:53 PM:

I used to have a lot of fun "haunting" this one booth

I worked as a projectionist at this 20 plex with 2 large booths of 10 screens each. The booth was so large that a certain area was used for concession storage. Some of the projectors were located near the concession storage and more than once I was working on this equipment when when snak bar people would come up to get their stuff. Anyhow, chances were that they would not see me and would consequently jump a little when I stepped away from the projector !

Posted by Colin Wiseley (Member # 247) on 10-25-2001, 12:04 PM:

quote:
I just read a pretty good story about a haunted theater called the Lyric in Blacksburg, Virginia. Its long so make sure you have time. http://www.furrs.org/writing/ghosts.htm

If you want to see pictures of the places that Joel is talking about in his story, check out our web tour at:
http://www.thelyric.com/webtour/start.php3

------------------
Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com

Posted by Larry Shaw (Member # 388) on 10-25-2001, 08:43 PM:

Here in Boston there were 2 "haunted" theatres, The Exeter St. Theatre and the Cinema 57.

The Exeter (1 screen, 3 Super Simplex on WE Universal Bases, Ashcraft D's) was built in the sanctuary of the former "First Spiritualist Temple of Boston", a now tiny religion that had services in which they supposedly communicated with the dead. A big movement in the mid 1800's. This is a big structure, maybe 500 seats, and the words "First Spiritualist Temple of Boston" are still in the stonework today. No longer a theatre. We always heard strange noises there, often like someone was coming up the stairs. They had a hard time keeping projectionists, except one old guy, Steve, who was a minister in the Spiritualist religion, and had preached there. He had a Spiritualist radio show on a local station (at like 3 AM Sunday), and we sold him some production equipment for it. One time, pulling speaker wires in the attic, we found a bunch of old "orders of service" describing who they were going to be contacting that Sunday. They ran "Rocky Horror" at midnite for years, with a dressed-up, reciting-the-lines crowd. Once they had us put brand new Ballantyne PRO 70's in (never ran 70 though), then had us put the earlier described equipment back because the picture was more stable. Now a book superstore.

Cinema 57 (2 screens, 4 AA-II, Xenith 4000's), particularly the large house, is built on the exact site of the infamous "Coconut Grove" nightclub fire of 1942. http://www.ezl.com/~fireball/Disaster21.htm This is located in Boston's old filmrow district. The fire was the reason for many of the theatre fire codes now in existence. The theatre always gave me the creeps big time, even before I discovered it was built on that site. Now a hotel function room. I'm glad it's gone. Many fire victims died from inhaled fumes from nitrate film, interwall spaces were filled with nitrate because film exchange on 2nd floor had the editors shove the trimmings in holes in the wall to save on trash fees. Also would have made it burn nastily. The now defunct Capitol Theatre Supply office and shop was used as the temporary morgue.

------------------
Larry Shaw
Boston Light & Sound, Inc.
North American Distributor of Kinoton GmbH
290 North Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02135-1990
Tel: 617-787-3131 x104 Fax: 617-787-4257
E-Mail: larry@blsi.com
Web site: http://www.blsi.com/kinoton

Posted by Larry Shaw (Member # 388) on 10-26-2001, 11:05 AM:

A couple more Cocoanut Grove links:
http://www.mindspring.com/~emzeman/Disaster13.htm http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/terms15.htm

The second one features cowboy actor Buck Jones, who was killed in the fire.