If you're planning to spend the night indulging in some Halloween fun with the family, spare a thought for one family who claimed their life was turned upside down by a malevolent spirit.
In the mid-1980s, the Liverpool ECHO ran a front page story on one terrified family after it was reported they had been forced to leave a 'house of evil'. The house, on Conleach Road in Speke, was supposedly the scene of poltergeist activity which terrorised a mum and her teenage daughter.
'Poltergeist' is a German word for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit". Some believe reports of the phenomena to be a type of ghost capable of causing physical disturbances, such as loud noises and even moving or destroying objects.
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A series of disturbing events were said to have begun on the morning of Wednesday, July 23, 1986. Witnesses reported seeing furniture and objects flung across a room in the family home by a sinister unseen force.
A neighbour recalled being alerted after the mum ran screaming from the home. He told the ECHO : "I asked her who was wrecking the house and she said, 'Nobody, it is the house that has gone berserk'.
"She said there were cups and ornaments flying everywhere. She rang the police and I went into the house with her.
"If you had asked me this before Wednesday I would have said I never would have believed it. Suddenly a vase came from the kitchen and flew across the room and exploded in the corner like a firecracker.
"There was nobody whatsoever in the back kitchen who could have thrown it. Then a cup of tea just lifted off the table in the back kitchen and flew across the living room at a terrific speed.
"It smashed through the window and landed in the front garden. Four police officers came and they were very sceptical and said the damage must have been caused by somebody.
"Suddenly an umbrella came from around a corner in the back kitchen and was flying towards a police woman. She had to duck to miss it hitting her. It was one of those fold-up ladies umbrellas.
"The police woman said, 'I'm going.' I think she was frightened and I can understand why.
"Other police officers came and objects continued to fly all day." The neighbour said a priest had been called to say prayers and bless the kitchen with holy water while the shocked neighbours and police looked on.
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He added: "Nothing happened and he left the room to go upstairs, there was a flash in the kitchen where we all were and everything in the room just shook. He came running down the stairs, gave us the holy water and said, 'I'm off."
Throughout the day, it was reported, objects continued to move of their own accord, including heavy cabinets and a television. At one point, a dog was said to have been brought into the home but growled and refused to go into an empty bedroom.
After abandoning their home in Speke, the family took refuge in a relative's home in nearby Garston. But much like the events of the classic horror film Poltergeist, the terror didn't stop for the family even when they left the house.
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The neighbour said when the mum and daughter made their escape, the spiteful apparition followed them. As soon as they arrived, an ash tray was said to have risen before crashing to the floor, and a vase was sent crashing across the room of the relative's home.
A second neighbour on Conleach Road also said they had witnessed the events. The ECHO reported that senior detectives visited the house and spoke with the family, adding: "They and churchmen believe it is the work of a poltergeist."
Speaking to the ECHO at the time, Father Paul Montgomery, the priest that was called to bless the 'house of horrors', said: "They are not Catholics, but I blessed the house before leaving. I did not exorcise the house. I am not allowed to.
He added: "I do not know if something was present. One never knows about these things."
Over the next few days, the home became a ghoulish attraction and police had to be called to move on gangs of "chanting" children who had gathered outside. Neighbours even reported seeing journalists from foreign media agencies descending on the suburban street.
Does this story awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
The family, accompanied by relatives, returned to the house in the days after the event. No more disturbances were reported following the priest's blessing.
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