2008 Woodie Awards
St. Louis spooks bring tricks, treats, chills, thrills
By: Leah Merriman
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Lifestyle
The Witching Hour tour is from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and is the same as the Entity Express, but later and creepier. The cost is $45.
Check the Web site for specific dates and reservation information, http//:www.hauntedalton.com.
The Exorcist
As many students already know, the infamous exorcism on which the 1971 book "The Exorcist" by William Peter Blatty was based, happened right here in St. Louis. The book was followed by the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, directed by
William Friedkin.
Many rumors circulate about what exactly happened during the actual exorcism, performed on an 11-year-old boy originally from a suburb of Washington D.C. The family had an uncle in St. Louis, whose house they brought him to in 1949 after he was possessed. The exorcism was performed by Father William S. Bowdem and assisted by Father Walter Halloran.
Here's where the story becomes a little foggy. The boy's exorcism may or may not have occurred in the old Alexian Brothers Hospital, which has now been torn down. It is also said that the event took place on St. Louis University's campus in the DuBourg building, but that the room where it occurred is now boarded up. Some say you can't even go on the floor where the event took place. Despite these rumors, SLU staff refuse to disclose information on the subject. One member claimed if any activity did occur, it wasn't in the DuBourg building, but an undisclosed building. The building and information about it is kept secret from the public, he said.
In October 2006, The Riverfront Times printed an article citing the supposed address of the boy's uncle's house where the exorcism first started taking place, 8435
Roanoke Drive.
Seasonal spooks
The Darkness
1525 South 8th Street
USA Today named this haunted house one of the Top 13 Haunted Houses in the United States in 2006. It features creeps, monsters, blood, gore and robotic effects all within a network of hallways and rooms that must be passed through to reach the outside world once again.
Check the Web site for specific dates and reservation information, http//:www.hauntedalton.com.
The Exorcist
As many students already know, the infamous exorcism on which the 1971 book "The Exorcist" by William Peter Blatty was based, happened right here in St. Louis. The book was followed by the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, directed by
William Friedkin.
Many rumors circulate about what exactly happened during the actual exorcism, performed on an 11-year-old boy originally from a suburb of Washington D.C. The family had an uncle in St. Louis, whose house they brought him to in 1949 after he was possessed. The exorcism was performed by Father William S. Bowdem and assisted by Father Walter Halloran.
Here's where the story becomes a little foggy. The boy's exorcism may or may not have occurred in the old Alexian Brothers Hospital, which has now been torn down. It is also said that the event took place on St. Louis University's campus in the DuBourg building, but that the room where it occurred is now boarded up. Some say you can't even go on the floor where the event took place. Despite these rumors, SLU staff refuse to disclose information on the subject. One member claimed if any activity did occur, it wasn't in the DuBourg building, but an undisclosed building. The building and information about it is kept secret from the public, he said.
In October 2006, The Riverfront Times printed an article citing the supposed address of the boy's uncle's house where the exorcism first started taking place, 8435
Roanoke Drive.
Seasonal spooks
The Darkness
1525 South 8th Street
USA Today named this haunted house one of the Top 13 Haunted Houses in the United States in 2006. It features creeps, monsters, blood, gore and robotic effects all within a network of hallways and rooms that must be passed through to reach the outside world once again.
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