RealHorrorStories, Author at Real Horror Stories

Amityville Horror True Story

February 3, 2017 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

The infamous Amityville property is located at 112 Ocean Avenue and became the ideal property for George and Kathleen Lutz who were looking for a fresh beginning after marrying in 1975. Both had previously owned separate homes. They moved into the property on December 19, 1975 and even had the furniture from the previous occupants thrown in for an additional $400.00. Kathy’s three children from a previous marriage also moved in, Daniel 9, Christopher 7 and Melissa 5 as well as the dog who was named Harry. What they did not know was the horrific events that took place at the property prior to it sitting empty for 13 months. A friend of George Lutz had discovered the horrors that had taken place and insisted that George had the house blessed.

So what happened that was so horrific? The house had previously been owned by the DeFeo family, the DeFeo family consisted of Ronald DeFeo, Sr 43, Louise DeFeo, 42 and four children: Ronald DeFeo Jr. 23, Dawn 18, Allison 13, Marc 12 and John Matthew 9. On November 13, 1974, Henry’s Bar in Amityville was visited by a distraught Ronald DeFeo Jr. He told the bar’s occupants that his mother and father had been shot, and when a small group of people attended the property, they saw that the six family members had indeed been slain. They were all found lifeless in their beds and had been shot with Marlin 336c rifle at 3 a.m.

Ronald DeFeo Jr. was known as “Butch” locally and was transported to the local police station for his own safety. He told police that the shootings had been carried out by a mob hit man. However, further questioning revealed a number of inconsistencies with his story. It soon transpired that it was Ronald DeFeo Jr. himself who had carried out the killings and had changed his blood-stained clothes and disposed of them before visiting Henry’s Bar.

DeFeo’s trial began on October 14, 1975 and William Weber, his defence lawyer, mounted a defence of insanity. He said that the reason DeFeo had killed his family due to hearing what he believed were his family’s voices plotting against him. This was supported by Dr. Daniel Schwartz the psychiatrist for the defence. The prosecution psychiatrist, Dr. Harold Zolan, said that although DeFeo had been a long-time user of heroin and LSD, he was well aware of his actions. DeFeo was sentenced to 25 years to life on six counts of second-degree murder.

Police officers and medical examiners had been puzzled by the killing. Questions arose as to why the gunshots did not wake up the other family members, and despite the lack of sedatives, there appeared to be no struggle from the family members. Neighbours had only heard the dog barking, not the gunshots. No suppressor was used when the killings took place.

Following the revelations, George Lutz instructed a Catholic priest, Father Ralph J. Pecorano, to perform a blessing on the property on December 18, 1975. It is reported that he started to flick the holy water a voice was heard saying, “get out!” Following this, Father Ralph J. Pecorano had developed a fever and blisters on his hands that emulated stigmata. It was from here that the Lutz family would discover the real horror stories of the house and started to experience the real Amityville horror.

The oddities would continue for the Lutz family. George Lutz wold wake up each morning at 3.15 a.m. and go and check the boathouse, the same time that the DeFeo killings took place. Kathy Lutz would have detailed dreams about the murders and the order they occurred, while the children began sleeping on their stomachs, the same way the DeFeo family had been found when the murders were discovered.

George Lutz also discovered a hidden room in the Amityville house that was not included in the blueprints of the property. The walls of the room were painted red and the dog, Harry, would cower when he was near it. The youngest family member, Melissa, had also acquired an imaginary friend called “Jodie,” the disturbing factor being that it was a pig-like creature with red eyes.

George and Kathy Lutz attempted a further two blessings on the house, both agitating the presence further. The family finally admitted defeat on January 14, 1976 when they left the house minus their possessions. A mover attended the next day to acquire the Lutz’s possessions, with no paranormal activity experienced.

The Lutz’s experiences led to the writing of “The Amityville Horror: A True Story” by Jay Anson in 1977. The story was then continued by John G. Jones with “The Amityville Horror Part II” and a series of others. A number of movies would also be made. The original “The Amityville Horror” was made in 1979 with a number of sequels occurring through the 1980s and 1990s. All the sequels were works of fiction rather than being based on the real Amityville horror.

Amityville horror true story.

The Amityville Horror is a name that resonates with every horror movie fan. One of the most popular horror media franchises of all time, Amityville has captured the imagination of generations of fans in countries around the world. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it far scarier than a normal horror movie.

The Book

The world first came to know about the Amityville Horror through a book of the same name written by Jay Anson in 1977. The book discussed in detail the paranormal occurrences experienced by the Lutz family at a haunted house in Amityville, which is where Ronald DeFeo, the previous occupant of the house, had shot six of his family members dead. The book was a success and attracted significant mainstream attention, which turned Amityville into a horror media franchise.

<br />

The Movie

The Amityville Horror was released in 1979. Based on Jay Anson’s book, the movie portrayed the supernatural events experienced by the Lutz family in a realistic manner. The movie starts with a couple – George and Kathy Lutz – who purchase a home on 112, Ocean Avenue in Amityville. They ask Father Delaney to bless their new home, but he is not able to do so despite trying. He encounters a room full of flies, suffers from a strange stomach sickness, and develops blisters on his hand. As he tries to warn the Lutz Family, his life takes a turn for the bizarre, and he turns blind and eventually breaks down.

The Lutz Family, in the mean time, begins experiencing a number of strange events. George wakes up at 3:15 AM every day, a black, bubbling substance comes up in the toilet, and Kathy has nightmares about the killings that took place in the house previously. After a point, the family cannot tolerate it anymore and decide to leave the house one night. The film ends with the message that the family never reclaimed their house and possessions and they live in another state now.

What made the movie different from other run-of-the-mill horror movies was the element of realism. Firstly, the pumpkin head appearance of the house, with two quarter round windows, is in itself creepy. Many of the shots in the first 30 minutes of the movie were framed with windows and doors, giving you the feeling that the family was being stalked by an unseen external force. A move that did the trick for sure.

The scene where the priest tries to bless the house is one of the best in the movie. The strange giggling sound, the swarm of flies, and the harsh voice that tells the priest to get out make it an iconic scene. Many other scenes including the appearance of hoof marks, Kathy’s nightmares, and the nun’s reaction to the malevolent presence in the house are intense, grippingly suspenseful, and feel terrifyingly real.

<br />

The Scariest Element in the Movie

Though the plot unfolds like that of any other normal horror movie, the real horror lies in the fact that the movie is based on a true story. The event portrayed in the movie actually happened, which is scary to even think about.

For instance, Jay Anson’s book states that the real George Lutz woke up at 3:15 every day, which was the time of the DeFeo murders. The house was inexplicably plagued by swarms of flies during the whole time the family lived there. They witnessed, at different times, the image of an enormous pig like creature with glowing red eyes. The story goes on and on and on, which makes you wonder how the Lutzes managed to live for 28 days in that Godforsaken house.

Even the DeFeo murders have their own shade of mystery, which is even creepier to think about. Though Ronald DeFeo Jr. has been charged with murdering his entire family and is in a maximum security prison now, there are plenty of unanswered questions about the killings.

The dead bodies of the family members showed absolutely no signs of struggle, which is strange. The post mortem report shows that they were not sedated. So, the sound of a gunshot should have woken them, but somehow it did not. Moreover, the neighbors also claimed at the time that they did not hear any gunshots. Till now, no one has a convincing account as to what really happened on that night in the Amityville house.

The Aftermath of the Movie

The Amityville Horror was a huge commercial success and went on to become one of the most successful independent movies of all time. The success of the book and the movie prompted a series of sequels. In 1979, paranormal researcher Hans Holzer wrote a book named Murder in Amityville and in 1982, John G. Jones wrote The Amityville Horror Part II, as a prequel and sequel to the original book respectively. A number of other books have also been written on the same subject.

Similarly, the tremendous success of the movie resulted in an inevitable sequel – Amityville II: The Possession. The movie, however, was not well received by critics and viewers. That did not, however, stop Hollywood from profiting from the Amityville legacy. Six more films followed, most of which were direct-to-video movies.

In 2005, the Amityville Horror was officially remade with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George. While it failed to achieve critical acclaim, the movie was a box office success. Eight more films followed, most of which had limited theatrical release. Currently, a movie named Amityville: The Awakening is set to release next year, which will be the 17th installment in the Amityville franchise.

The Legacy Lives On

Even after nine books and 17 movies, the legacy of Amityville Horror continues to live on. The original movie is still rated as one of the best horror movies of all time by horror movies fans and the house where the killings took place garnered so much mainstream attention that they had to completely remodel the house and change its appearance in order to sell it. In conclusion, the Amityville Horror is a classic that is not to be missed by any true horror movie fan.

The Iceman: The Ruthless Richard Kuklinski

September 10, 2016 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

The “Iceman” (the Movie)

In the 2012 movie, Richard Kuklinski is a business man with a profitable business, loving family, and a secret life of malevolence and crime.

He marries his wife Barbara in the 1960s and together they have two daughters. Barbara thinks he has a job dubbing movies for children, but in actuality, he dubs porn for the mafia. When Richard Kuklinski’s mob boss decides to shut down his porn pirating business, he offers him a shot performing in a different line of work: murder for hire. Kuklinski passes the initiation by killing a homeless man in cold blood.

richard-kuklinskii-the-iceman-family-portrait

Richard Kuklinski (The Iceman) family portrait.

Violence apparently ran in Kulklinski’s family. His father was extremely abusive to him as a child. His brother was even in prison for raping and murdering an underage girl, another secret he kept from his wife and kids.

While at work, Richard Kuklinski meets a freelance assassin who is contracted by the mafia. After he is fired by his mob boss because he didn’t shoot a teenage witness to a murder, he partners up with the freelancer and helps him run his dirty business.

During his twenty-two-year killing spree, Richard Kulkinski’s family never suspects him of being a murderer. They do bear witness to his violent outbursts and paranoia from time to time. In the movie, Kuklinski ruins his kitchen while arguing with his wife, and gets into a high-speed chase with an irate driver with his family in the car with him. When his daughter is hurt in a hit and run accident he suspects his business partner is behind it and kills him.

After his arrest and conviction, Kuklinski admits to killing over one hundred people. Most were people he was contracted to kill, others he killed out of anger. He says his only regret was hurting his family. He never sees any of them again, following his conviction and he dies suddenly in prison while serving two life sentences. His death was subject for suspicion as it occurred right before he was going to testify against a powerful mob boss in a court case.

Richard Kuklinski – The Real Horror Story

The true story is that Richard Kuklinski was indeed a product of a violent home. Both his mother and father were abusive towards him. He recalls a story in which his mother breaks a broomstick while beating it over him. Kuklinski remembers his father as being a “loudmouth,” something that would be a trigger for him in the future to kill in anger. His father and mother would engage in brutal fights and at one point his mother stabbed his father with a knife. Kuklinski’s father eventually abandoned the family, but the criticism that he faced at home was soon replaced by bullying from neighborhood teenagers. Kuklinski said that one day he had had all he could take of their taunting and surprised the boys that ridiculed him by beating them with a metal closet rod.

https://youtu.be/t98-yitJN5c

Richard Kuklinski’s first murder was unintentional. He had gotten into a fight with a man at a bar after the man had been running his mouth and he beat him with a cue stick. Kuklinski said that he never intended to kill the man, just to hurt him. The man later died after being rushed to the hospital. When he first learned of the man’s death he felt sad about what had happened, but the more time went by he began to feel more and more confident because at last, he was the one in control.This may have been his first time taking a human life, but the violence he displayed as a youth showed he was troubled early on. He confessed to killing animals in fits of boredom, including tying dogs to buses so they were dragged to death and throwing cats in an incinerator.

Kuklinski truly was a family man, but with no high-school diploma, he felt he had no legitimate way to support his wife and three kids. At first, he did work for the mob by pirating pornographic films, but soon would be given a new challenge from his boss. He was asked if he could kill a stranger to prove he would make a great hit-man. Kuklinski obliged and shot a random man walking a dog.

Richard Kuklinski admitted to murdering around two hundred people in total. He killed in a number of different ways, including shooting them, hanging them, beating them, and poisoning them. Though sometimes he saw them suffering, he showed little remorse. One time he and an accomplice shot a man in the throat and took a bet on how long it would take him to die. They both watched as the man choked in agony on his own blood.

This video provides an in-depth reach into the demented mind and ruthless nature of Richard Kuklinski. And amazingly the reason why!

https://youtu.be/jjTYwZKuyBs

After killing the bodies, Kuklinski would dispose of them in different ways, usually according to the mafia’s orders. He would sometimes leave them to be found as a warning to his enemies. Other times he would use a chainsaw to dismantle the corpses and bury them or put them in metal barrels.

The Iceman was given his name because of evidence found in an autopsy of one of his victims. In order to confuse the police, he would sometimes freeze the bodies of his victims for months or years, then leave them where they’d be found. When one the bodies was found with ice inside on a summer’s day, it became apparent what he was doing.

Kuklinski eventually sealed his own fate when talking to a man he thought was a fellow hardcore criminal about assassinations. This new friend turned out to be an undercover agent wearing a wire. He was convicted on two counts of murder on May 25, 1988, and sentenced to life in prison. He was confined to the same prison as his brother, but neither of them made any effort to communicate with each other. He died in 2006 of natural causes; he was seventy years old at the time.

His wife and children maintain that they never knew anything about their husband and father’s murderous lifestyle, though they did witness his angry outbursts and mood swings first hand.

The real life Iceman never expressed much regret for the terrible things he did. He could talk about the murders he committed without any change in disposition including blowing a man’s head off at a stoplight with a sawed-off shotgun and tricking a pharmacist into meeting him with twenty-five thousand dollars in cash. The pharmacist was told Kuklinski could get him his prescriptions for a cheaper price, but when he showed up with the money he was met with a gun. Kuklinski shot him on the spot and stole his money. Still, Kuklinski did have some code of morality. He refused to kill women and children and did his best to shield his own family from outside dangers. Just like in the movie, he says the only thing he is sorry for is hurting his family.

The House on Judith Street – Based on a True Story

October 26, 2015 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

When an author associates his or her story with true events, it immediately sparks our interest. But with this interest comes a certain expectation. In this case the author is Monte Plaisance and his book is entitled “The House on Judith Street”. It was recently reviewed by HorrorPalace.com. You can read the review here.

Slender Man Stabbing – The Story and Court Hearings

July 3, 2015 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

We did it for Slender Man

30 May 2014, in the Milwaukee suburb, Wisconsin, two 12-year-old girls took a friend into the woods and shockingly stabbed her 19 times. The attacked, also 12, crawled to a road and lay on the sidewalk being brutally stabbed in her arms, torso and legs with blood all over her black jacket. She was discovered by a bicyclist who called 911, thereby helping the victim to survive.

According to police, the two accused girls plotted the crime for several months. The girls stated that they did it to prove themselves worthy of an evil character, Slender Man who lives on the Internet.

The Internet today, is flooded with information and great websites for education and entertainment. But, on the other hand, it is also full of wicked and dark stuff that can give mentally ill bad ideas. Wearing a black suit, Slender Man possesses black tentacles emerging from his back. He can extend his arms to shocking lengths and is pictured roaming in leafless forests or behind children.

The accused girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser found the character on Creepypasta Wiki, a site full of horror stories. The girls believed Slender Man was real. Both the girls decided to become as they named “proxies” of Slender Man and exhibit their dedication to him. In order to do that, they needed o kill someone. Thus, in February 2014, they decided to kill someone and stabbed their friend following a sleepover on May 30.

Slender Man Stabbing – Court Hearings

In August 2014, one of the two girls was found incompetent to stand trial, but was ordered to take psychiatric treatment for the same. It was to be determined whether she could understand the attempted murder charges against her and if the trials should be conducted.

According to a psychologist, the girl showed strange behavior during a session in June. She believed in unicorns, Voldemort from “Harry Potter” and the Vulcan “mind meld” from “Star Trek” as well as laughed hysterically. The Waukesha County judge ruled that the Department of Health of the state will inspect the girl and decide whether she needs to be treated in outpatient care or admitted in a hospital.

The case of the second suspect, meanwhile, was set to move forward and the judge ruled in the hearings that the attorney of the second suspect is not allowed to access the medical reports of the first girl. If tried in adult court and found guilty, the accused may spend up to 60 years in prison.

In November 2014, it was testified by an expert that the 12-year-old is now competent to stand trial. The findings enabled a Waukesha County judge to state on whether the case should be allowed to continue.

In March 2015, Michael Bohren, Waukesha County Circuit judge ruled that the girls must stand trial as adults. After spending a month studying the evidence presented during the preliminary trial, the judge decided that the girls must be charged in adult court with attempted first-degree murder. Under Wisconsin law, in severe crimes, suspects over 10 years of age are charged as adults.

However, the defense team states that the girl still lacks the mental capacity to comprehend the charges against her and speak in her own defense. The lawyers of the accused want the case transferred to juvenile court.

12-year-old Payton Leutner was stabbed 19 times by her two friends narrowly escaping death.

Hoia-Baciu Forest Beyond the Legend (Transylvania)

June 29, 2015 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

The Hoia-Baciu Forest is one of the most mysterious places in the world. It is located a few kilometers outside of the city of Cluj-Napoca. The area is most famous for being in the “heart of Transylvania.” Beyond the known legends, locals claim there are strange powers in the Hoia-Baciu Forest.

In the ‘60s biologist Alexandru Sift began studying the phenomena manifested there. In 1968, newspapers around the world published photos of a UFO. Hoias-Baciu Forest still has many secrets that attract, horrify and fascinate.

Independent film maker Paul Dadrian is seeking funds thru IndieGoGo to make a documentary on The Hoia-Baciu Forest. The documentary is being written by Dadrian and Rodica Bretin, a Romanian scientific researcher and award-winning writer.

Filming is scheduled for July 2015 and post-production will be completed in the Fall.

Plans are for the documentary to be screened at several locations in Romania and then making it available for free viewing online, subtitled in English.

For more information or to become a financial contributor see: Hoia-Baciu Forest: Beyond the Legend – Horror

https://youtu.be/B9GdrjrTLrM

The Real Horror Story Behind “247 Degrees Fahrenheit”

December 22, 2014 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

247-degrees-fahrenheit-2011-Christine-Ulloa

Christine Ulloa appears in “247 degrees fahrenheit” much hotter than that!

247 Degrees Fahrenheit hit the theaters back in 2011 and was branded back then as the horror/suspense movie of the year. Whether this Leven Bakhai directed film underperformed or not is a story for another day. Nonetheless, critics still think that the directors had ‘duped’ viewers into anticipating a hair-raising almost zombie-like experience, only to be disappointed by the melodramatic unfolding of events that the movie turned out to be.

The 247 Degrees Fahrenheit stars

The scene before things really begin to heat up.

The most surprising thing, however, is that 247 Degrees Fahrenheit which features horror-film stars such as Scout Taylor-Compton, Travis Van Winkle, and Christine Ulloa was based on a real story. And this time round this wasn’t just a marketing prank to get the film to sell more. The events as scripted in this 2011 film happened in real life, at least to some extent. Nevertheless, the biggest contribution to the success of the movie in transforming the ‘real events’ into such cinematic action, was the fact that the producer was smart enough to include recognizable actors in his cast. Scout Taylor-Compton (who played Jenna ) already had a huge of followers from her act in the “Halloween” remakes. On the hand, many people remember Travis ( who acted as Ian) from the widely acclaimed “Friday the 13th”.

247 Degrees Fahrenheit Movie Trailer

247 Degrees Fahrenheit IMDb Watch Full Movie Free!

The 247 Degrees Fahrenheit script vs. the True Story

Apart from the actors, most other parts of this 90 minutes film are supposedly true. 247 Degrees Fahrenheit revolves around four friends who take a short trip to a lakeside cabin for a getaway weekend. The cabin belongs to one of the cast’s uncle ( Uncle Wade). No sooner had the guests arrived than they began making themselves comfortable. Amid the backdrop of some classical music, the viewers are treated to a short sex romp between Michael (Michael Coupon) and Renee ( Christine Ulloa). In the real version, this most likely happened, considering that the actual characters were then barely out of their teenage years and had a whole cabin by themselves.

Moving on, later that evening, the four guests have dinner with Uncle Wade while getting acquainted with one another. Sitting down with friends and family for dinner is a typical American habit, so it probably also happened in the real story. But then again it could have been that the producer was only trying to expand his script to give it a more logical flow. However, we tracked down the actual characters in Georgia ( where the actual events unfolded) and they seem not to remember exactly whether or not they had dinner earlier that evening. ( Presumably, they still haven’t yet recovered fully from the traumatic experience)

The conversation at the dinner table also leads us to believe that Jenna was still traumatized from the death of her fiancée, that occurred four years earlier. And while this sounds as fictional as it was portrayed at the beginning of the film, the real “Jenna” had actually lost a boyfriend to a grisly road accident, some years back before the shooting of the film. It also indicates that the producer did a good job in tying this real event into the overall scenario as a way of keeping the viewers guessing. If you watch this movie, it’s likely you will be forgiven for expecting Jenna’s dead boyfriend to resurrect at the middle of the film and start haunting the other characters.

247-degrees-fahrenheit-Christine-Ulloa---Scout-Taylor-Compton

Scout Taylor-Compton and Christine Ulloa

After this, the four leave Uncle Wade back at the cabin and head to this party which happens to have a handmade sauna. The events that occur in this party, particularly in the sauna, form the culmination of the story. It begins when Michael and Renee have a heated argument over his drunkenness before he storms off leaving the trio in the sauna. Now, the real characters do confirm that Michael indeed left the party, but not because of any squabble or disagreement. Apparently the real “Michael” left the party to go to the toilet and in the process forgetting he had locked up his friends in the sauna.

The trio is left looking for ways to survive the ordeal after failing dismally in getting any help from outside. Apparently, the sauna was located in a secluded place and thus no one could hear their screams though they did shout at the top of their voices. In the actual story, Ian manages to turn off the heater, just as depicted in the movie. Of the three, he seemed the most collected. Michael, on the other hand, completely forgets about his friends, who therefore, have to spend nearly 10 hours in the slowly cooling sauna before they are found.

Listing 247 Degrees Fahrenheit under the horror category is not really fair (yet the movie is enjoyable to watch), but the real event could have ended really bad.

The Real Horror Story Behind 247 Degrees Fahrenheit

How to Beat The Human Oven

The Real Horror Story behind “The Rite”

December 2, 2014 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

“The Rite” starring Sir Anthony Hopkins was released in 2007 and could be easily mistaken for yet another movie attempting to cash in on the “Exorcist” frenzy that has existed since the 1970s. What you may not know is that the movie was actually based on real events.

There aren’t many priests who are trained as an exorcist, making Father Gary Thomas one of the unique few. Thomas ministers the Sacred Heat Parish in Saratoga, California and after finishing his 12-year term as a pastor of his previous parish. Thomas was preparing for the sabbatical and exorcism wasn’t on the agenda, but it was introduced towards the end of his term, he travelled to Rome in 2005 to undertake the training. He reports the exorcisim training as good, but Thomas felt he would benefit more from hands-on experience. Thomas was taken under the wing of Father Camine De Fliippis, one of the nine exorcists operating in Rome.

There is a high demand for exorcism within the U.S. and Thomas states he receives a new case every couple of days. He recalls one case that involved a married woman called “Lisa” who was in her 20s. The woman was brought to Thomas’ office by her family members as they grew more and more concerned about her unexplainable violent outbursts. Thomas recalls feeling a huge presence in the room, and when he began to pray he recognized that her face had started to become distorted. “Lisa” then started to speak in a language that Thomas did not understand.

Thomas recalls her spitting and hissing while having the look of a serpentine in her eyes, a look that he automatically recognized as demonic possession. As he laid his crucifix on Lisa, she let out a huge scream. Thomas then laid his stole on her, which represents Thomas’ authority within the Catholic Church, and recalls her slipping out of her seat to escape it.

Despite witnessing demonic possession, Thomas does put a lot of his cases down to mental health issues. In this regard, months of both prayers and medical examinations are carried out in order to clarify whether the person is truly possessed, or suffering from mental disorder. If an exorcism is required, it is carried out with the most basic of tools, holy water, a stole, a crucifix and the rite of exorcism.

The Real Horror Story behind “The Rite”

The Real Horror Story of Exploding Heads During Mount Vesuvius Eruption

November 26, 2014 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

From movies to documentaries to pop culture reference; the horrific tales of Pompeii have been told over and over again. The tragedy surrounding Pompeii is truly beyond comparison. It was 79 AD when the city of Pompeii faced the wrath of Mount Vesuvius. Because of the eruption that took place, Pompeii along with the city of Stabiae were buried for almost 1700 years – It was the year 1748 when excavation first began.

Even now, excavation work continues and the historians are thankful for this. These excavations and findings are helping historians learn more about the lifestyle during the Roman Empire. Yes, it is true that Pompeii was a destruction that shocked the entire world, but the events that took place in the city of Herculaneum is something with which Pompeii cannot compete.

Mount Vesuvius the most dangerous volcano of the world

The villain of this sad, but true story is Mount Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius is a volcano situated in southern Italy sitting dormant for centuries. On the fateful day of August 24th,79 AD, a massive eruption occurred causing the destruction of Pompeii and also Herculaneum.

Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano situated in mainland Europe and is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanos of the world. It is a complex stratovolcano, meaning it has low gentler slopes which then rise steeply towards the peak area. Because of this structure the eruptions were explosive and also involved fast moving currents of fluidized gases and rocks (pyroclastic flows).

The fateful day

On 24th August, 79 AD, the eruption started in the morning. The pumice and molten rocks began expelling from the volcano at a rate of 1.5 million tons/second. Rocks and volcanic ash filled the atmosphere in a matter of minutes turning day into night.

According to studies based on the excavations, every hour about 6 inches of ashes fell. It was around midnight when the pyroclastic flow started and by the morning of 25th August, Pompeii was completely covered in a toxic cloud.
The tale of Herculaneum

The nearby city of Herculaneum faced the worst fate bought by the unmerciful Mount Vesuvius. Herculaneum of Italy’s Bay of Naples was a city situated nearby Pompeii, but even closer to Mount Vesuvius. This prosperous seaside city had nothing to do but face the destruction caused by Mount Vesuvius. Within minutes of the eruption, the city and people of Herculaneum faced death in the most gruesome way possible.

The toxic gas and molten rock came into the city resulting in actual explosions of the heads of the city’s dwellers. It was similar to the scene from a movie when a Gremlin exploded in the microwave after reaching a certain temperature or like a scary scene from a cult favorite supernatural movie. But, for Herculaneum it was a sad reality as the temperature of the gas and molten rock was so high it caused people’s heads to explode!

The cloud of toxic gas and flying debris completely covered Herculaneum and reached a temperature of over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Along with exploding heads, the city’s people also experienced vaporizing of their skin within just seconds.

The findings of Herculaneum

Even though forgotten over the years, Herculaneum recently has recently come back into the limelight. Archaeologists are discovering more about the life and death of this city thanks to many recent findings.

Amazingly, the method of destruction allowed the city of Herculaneum to stay intact for 2000 years. Herculaneum is more preserved than Pompeii, giving a better idea about life in the Roman Empire. In certain parts of the city, the layers of the destructive pyroclastic flows have reached 80 feet deep.

From a head of a statue believed to be of an Amazonian warrior to dozen of skeletons lying huddled together, the discoveries made in Herculaneum are incredible. The skeletons found showed signs of thermal shock further confirming the horrible truth- death due to vaporized skins, boiled brains and exploding heads.
Buried Alive

According to estimates, about 5,000 people lived in Herculaneum and around 20,000 lived in Pompeii. Because the eruption was sudden, many failed to escape their unfortunate fate. In fact, the excavations proved that many were buried alive by the ash and molten rocks. According to studies, about 16,000 people were killed.

Pliny’s Letters

Pliny the Younger was a Roman administrator and also a poet who lived during the time when the eruption took place. It was Pliny who was the one responsible for providing a detailed account of the eruption. From afar he watched the horrifying destruction and also questioned all the survivors that came his way. The event was recorded in letters intended for his friend Tacitus. This only eyewitness account was discovered during the 16th century.
A ticking time bomb

Many expert volcanologists and scientists who monitor Mount Vesuvius are sure that there are still signs of unrest in the volcano. The most recent eruption happened in 1944. Even though the last eruption was not as destructive, Mount Vesuvius is a ticking time bomb and definitely a potential danger to the now more than 6 million people living in the area. They might just face the same fate of vaporized skins, boiled brains and exploding heads.

Of course human heads can explode in various ways. The following video depicts quite a few:

https://youtu.be/gG7LoTezLO8

The Real Horror Story of the Zombie Outbreak During The High Renaissance

November 11, 2014 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

Most horror movies can be inspired from a number of events that have occurred in real life, but zombies are merely a work of fiction right? Well to some degree, yes, but there was record of something emulating the closest thing to a zombie outbreak during the High Renaissance era.

Italy was known for its art scene and flamboyant dress sense between the 1490s and 1527, what isn’t documented as much is the major outbreak of syphilis that occurred in 1494. The sexually transmitted disease in a modern day society poses very little threat and can be easily cured with antibiotics, but back in the High Renaissance era antibitotics were far from becoming part of the medical world leaving the disease to unleash devastation.

The disease was thought to have been brought to Italy by the French, and the end result for the Italian people was that their flesh rotted or melted, emulating the “walking dead.” Flesh would fall from victims’ faces and they would normally be dead within a few months. As well as the flesh falling away from the victims’ faces, they would also see destruction of other body parts, such as the nose and genitals.

The comparison to zombies can also be cited to the victims dragging themselves around as body parts fell from them, knowing that within a few months that they would be dead. Victims would also endure a painful few months while waiting for the demise as the disease was slow-acting in consuming the flesh of victims. Amazingly flesh would fall away from the bones, but the victims would still be alive, albeit in excruciating pain. So while not an actual zombie outbreak, it still chilling to know that a disease can create such havoc when it can’t be treated.