All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
If that sounds familiar, then you remember what it felt like watching The Shining for the first time and seeing poor Wendy Torrance discover the pages of her mad husband's novel for the first time. It's an unsettling scene, one of the creepiest ever filmed.
If you've read the novel as well as watched the movie, then you know the hotel––and it's ghostly inhabitants––drove Jack Torrance insane. After Redditor theoriginaltommygirl asked the online community, "People of Reddit who work in 'haunted hotels,' what are your stories?" people from several different professions came forward with the tales that still send chills up their spines.
"The place was starting to show its age..."
My grandmother worked as a night time cleaning lady for an older historic hotel in her hometown for a while in the early 80's.
The place was starting to show its age, and it glory days (1890's-1920's) were certainly behind it. During prohibition there had been a speakeasy in the basement only the movers and shakers in town had been able to get into. No real scary stories in it's past, save for one suicide. It was just a large, old hotel.
Anyway, there was a man that she saw several times. A figure other people had seen as well. The earliest sightings started in at least in the 60's.
Each floor, the elevator was at the end of a long, straight hallway. On the third, there were times when people would come out of a room and see a man in a long coat and hat carrying a small dog under his arm either heading towards the elevator and disappearing, or they would catch a glimpse of him on the elevator as the door closed.
No one really knew who he was supposed to be. It wasn't the suicide. It wasn't the original owner, not one of the staff anyone could remember. No one was really scared of him. It was sort of a right of passage working there to finally see him.
"When he brought it up with his manager..."
My brother did housecleaning at an historic inn downtown. He would see shapes dart out of the corner of his eye when he looked in mirrors, and the beds would untuck themselves after he'd made crisp corners. Some days he heard footsteps up behind him on the narrow stairs, and his hair stood on end.
Add to that his vacuum being constantly unplugged when the cord was completely slack and toilets flushing themselves.
When he brought it up with his manager, she said, "Oh, don't mind that. It's happened since I can remember."
I worked in IT for a guy named Mike Milken and every year he puts on this huge conference that brings world leaders and billionaires together for, uhh, conferencing, called, Global Conference...
https://milkeninstitute.org/events/global-conference-2020
We would rent out pretty much all of the Beverly Hilton for a full 7 days. You can go to this if you like, it just costs thousands of dollars to do so.
I, like OP, also am interested in hotel staff and hauntings so I asked every staff member I could about any other worldly experiences. I heard a couple of people talk about Merv Griffin, the Game Show Creator/Host/Composer. He bought the place in the 80's and loved to hang out there after he retired. After he died, the staff said they would see him, not as a ghostly shape, but as actual Merv, walking down one of the hallways near the kitchens occasionally.
Ultimately though, the cleaning staff was terrified of the 8th floor. It's not a tall hotel, and the 8th floor was a party type room. It was a medium sized banquet type area with a low ceiling. It has a bathroom and a view of Beverly Hills with rounded red leather couches and maroon velour sided walls. There is a curved bar and glass tables with razor blade marks on them from the copious amounts of cocaine that had been chopped up for consumption. I know you see this room in your head skull right now.
The story goes that there was a lady that would go up there and clean the place by herself after the parties were over. One night she was almost done and finishing up in the bathrooms cleaning the sinks. She heard a girl behind her, then something brush across her shoulder. She turned quickly around and no one was there. She turned back to the sink and there was a piece of gum where there had previously been none.
She swore there was no gum in the sink prior as she was cleaning the sink when it happened so that was her focus. After that the cleaning staff would not go up there unless they had to at night, and then they would go in doubles. They also started to clean the floor in the morning, again with two people.
My buddy/co-worker and I had to go up and check this out. We were getting chills listening to the story and had to see for ourselves. So, at about 9pm we went up there as it was vacant for the night and we pretty much had run of the hotel.
Right before we went up though, we saw one of the cleaning staff, and told him we were going up. And he got this look like, "you're an idiot."
We head up, check the whole room out and take it in like I described above. We go over to the little bathroom where the gum incident happened, and we recreated the scene.
I stood at the sink, my buddy brushed my shoulder and I turned around. Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. We didn't feel coldness or freakiness, just plain old us on the top floor.
We were a bit disappointed and were saying things like, "What did we expect?" type conversation. We noticed the weird music on the speaker in the elevator that we hadn't noticed coming up. It was a girl kind of singing/laughing, very eclectic stuff.
When we got off we saw the cleaning dude from earlier and told him that we saw nothing. There was no ghost up there.
Then my buddy mentioned the interesting choice of music in the elevator. The cleaning guy said, "What music?" And we replied, "The music in the elevator..."
He then pointed out that there is no speaker in the elevator, never has been.........
We s*** our pants, went back into the elevator, cautiously, because we couldn't believe that what we were hearing was not coming from a speaker. Being "IT experts" we knew how to look for wires and speaker covers and such, and there were none. It was an old elevator that just wasn't wired for that.
We noped the hell outta that elevator and tried to avoid it the rest of the time we worked there.
"One time..."
I work in a haunted house during Halloween time. One time one of the actors had a heart attack and died and everybody thought the body was supposed to be there. We didn't find out what had happened until we were closing for the day.
"I worked in a hotel..."
I worked in a hotel and we used to joke about the 3rd floor being haunted. Then one day I was assigned rooms on the 3rd floor and while cleaning had the TV in one of the rooms turn on by itself.
"There's so many stories I could tell..."
I worked as a housekeeper at a 'haunted hotel' for about a year.
There's many stories I could tell but there was this one room that f*cked me up mentally for months, still have nightmares about it now.
So the hotel is a grade two listed building, a Manor House that was converted into a hotel. It's said that the family who built and lived there had their bedrooms where room 1,2 and 3 now are. The rooms are out of the way and down a dark corridor which gives them an eerie feeling but they're decent rooms. Number 2 is one of the biggest and luxurious rooms to stay in.
However, it's rumoured that when the house was being converted that the builders found a skeleton of a child in the fireplace, the fireplace that's still in that room. The room opens up to a long corridor, the bathroom on the left and a super king bed in a huge living area looking over the gardens.
I never felt right in there, but things got worse a few months in when I started having nightmares that I was being chased down the rooms corridor. I'd never see what was chasing me but I'd be filled with terror. The corridor would just keep going for what seemed like forever but when I'd reach the door, there'd be no handle. I had that dream every night for months, my teeth got damaged from all the grinding and so exhausted that I could barely do the job. In the end the place got me so depressed I was self harming again, something I'd been clean of since I was a teen.
Since quitting the job that dream and my mental health improving, the dream became much less frequent but I still get it from time to time when things are bad. The whole hotel is toxic but that one room still continues to haunt me.
"I noticed all the internals..."
Worked in a "haunted" hotel for about 3 months. I noticed all the internals were from the time the house was built, which is why there's occasionally issues with electrical equipment or a sense of unease, the building itself is generating a small electromagnetic force, but apparently explaining that to people is grounds for getting fired.
"The dog walked all the way down the corridor..."
My aunt lives on the Isle of Arran, a small island in Scotland. She used to work in Brodick castle and everyone who works or has worked there will tell you it's haunted, and you get told all the classics like hearing footsteps and seeing doors slam. One story always stuck out to me about a dog and its owner staying the night.
The owner wakes up realising the dog isn't in the room, so the owner runs out into the hallway to find the dog calming walking down the dark stretch of hallway of the castle, but the dog was looking up at nothing while strolling as if it was side by side with someone and looking up at them. The dog walked all the way down the corridor completely ignoring it's owner. Just seeing your dog walk into pitch black with this invisible entity gets me creeped.
I've been to that castle myself and it's hella spooky.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
- The 6 Most Haunted Places in Savannah That You Can Actually Visit ›
- 19 Spookiest Haunted Hotels in America Will Give You the Chills ›
- 30 Most Haunted Hotels in the World - Scary Real Haunted Hotels ›
- 15 Haunted Hotels in the U.S. - Spookiest Hotels ›
- 21 of the Spookiest Haunted Hotels in America | TravelPulse ›
Some people will just believe anything.
And if you call a statement a fact long enough, many people take it as gospel.
Some facts are absolute truths, others can be malleable.
Science changes.
History evolves.
Lies are exposed.
And research is an actual art form.
Redditor OfficialVickiLuv wanted to share the truths we need to know, so they asked:
"What is a common 'fact' that you know is bulls**t?"
There is no such thing as an alternative fact.
So let's start there.
Not a Forest
"Shaving makes your hair grow back thicker."
Heavy_Educator9822
"I used to believe this one. I was very disappointed when I learned it was BS."
leebon427
Both Sides
"There are two kinds of thinkers: Right brain people are who are creative, and the people that use the left side who can do math."
Beaver_Buster
"Try telling that to psychologists/psychiatrists who do research/clinical studies/trials. I’ve been denied dozens of times to partake in research studies revolving around mental health, specifically depression, and anxiety."
"Why did they deny me [even tho I was a perfect candidate]? Because I write with my left hand. And apparently it would make their study 'invalid' because they 'don’t want to interfere with results.'"
"Please tell me how excluding a large amount of people from a research study would somehow give you the correct answer for treating mental health for everybody?"
asianstyleicecream
Find them...
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Zatiebars
"Especially with children, the quicker the police can get to the 'crime' scene the fresher the evidence and easier to follow leads. I used crime in quotes because there could have been a crime or the kid might have just wandered off."
"But it's not just for kids though... If you know someone is a home body and never leaves home and you know something has happened, by all means call the police. Even if they like to take random trips, it never hurts to inform the law."
Zatiebars
Crackle... Pop
"Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis."
Famous-Background329
"Probably just normal. Cracks are just little bubbles of nitrogen that settle where there's space. They don't build up over time, once the space is occupied by a little bubble then no more can join it. A knuckle that hasn't been cracked in 50 years is the same as a knuckle that hasn't been cracked in a few hours."
ConstantSignal
Give a Howl
"Alpha wolves being real. The guy who did the original study disproved his one study and gets mad when people get it wrong now... lol."
Silverj0
"Came looking for this, also extrapolating this BS to human beings and 'sigma,' go read. The articles are all available. It's nonsense that people still believe s* like this with access to everything in their hands."
artemispock
The wolf pack is always ready.
Trivia
"A 'factoid' is an often repeated statement that isn't true, but is now believed to be true due to people saying it all the time. Its not a mini fact, or like, fun piece of trivia."
JackofScarlets
Breakfast Companies
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The quote was made by Kellogg's to make people buy more cereal. If you search up articles that say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, most are sponsored by Kellogg's."
Jazzlike-Caramel7103
"I’m not sure Kellogg’s made it up. In my country there’s a saying that’s been around forever that alludes to the importance of breakfast that goes 'have breakfast like a king and dinner like a poor person.' Kellogg’s might’ve simply exploited an existing popular belief."
kaleidoscopichazard
Hey Stumpy
"Caffeine makes you short."
CForey62
"This one makes me laugh. I've been drinking coffee since I was like 9 years old and turned out 190cm tall."
TurquoiseBeetle67
Spuds
"Potatoes absorb toxins. The amount of people that believe putting potato slices in your shoes or wear them around your neck as a holistic medical treatment is shockingly high. It’s just oxidation."
wheresmychin
"I recall seeing a antivaxx meme that said if you had to get a COVID shot to put a potato slice at the injection site to absorb all the toxins. I’m all for sharing that idea if it makes people get vaccinated."
OrangeTree81
Look Out
"Bats are blind."
IWantOneSpatula
"I remember getting into a really stupid argument shortly after high school with a friend over this who just couldn't believe that bats weren't actually blind."
__M-E-O-W__
"Fine. Bats are legally blind."
shifty_coder
Now I've learned more.
Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below.
People Explain Which Movie Scenes They Have An Incredibly Difficult Time Watching
Movies can mold who we are.
Some stories caught on film leave an impression that we take with us through our dying breaths.
That's why the arts and artists are so vital.
But there are some movies and specifically movie moments that can be to much to rewatch.
We may love the movie, but a certain scene may always be on the fast forward list.
Sometimes it's all too real.
Redditor KentuckyFriedEel wondered what movie moments have left scars for life, so they asked:
"Which movie scene is really hard to sit through and watch?"
The death of Artax in 'The Neverending Story.'
Scared me for life.
Stop Dialing
"Swingers. Mike calling and leaving messages over and over for the girl whose phone number he got at the bar."
Careless-Ground-7349
"Never. Call. Me. Again."
playblu
Look Away
"Trainspotting. Specifically the scene where they wake up from their drug induced haze to find the dead baby. The decomposition effect made to look like they neglected to check on her for DAYS... Then their best and only response is to shoot up and get high again. Dull the pain. Just tragic."
SqAznPersuasion
INTENSE
"A very good portion of the original French version of Martyrs."
"That movie is both the definition of gore porn, but also a solid story that makes sitting through how uncomfortable it is completely worth it. It’s unfortunate that Hollywood somehow made a mostly shot for shot remake and completely ruined the movie."
egnards
"My housemate and I watched Martyrs and spent like the next three days talking about it, that movie was INTENSE."
raz0rflea
Too Dark
"Green Mile. I leave when Mr Jingles chases the thread bobbin, and again for the execution scene gone wrong. I've seen both scenes once. Don't need to see that again."
Publandlady
"The book is as heart-wrenching as the movie. It's my all-time favorite Stephen King book, but it's tough to get through."
F**kImCold
"When I saw that execution scene as a kid I was at a friend's house and decided to go home right there. Came back next day to finish it though cause didn't wanna get made fun of."
canadianclassic308
Just No!
"Annihilation. The bear quietly screaming. ‘Help me.'"
"Absolutely not, thank you."
HaunterUsedLick
Never saw that one. Maybe I'll take a peek.
Too Tough
"Hereditary. Watching the kid just pull up to the bed is pretty tough to watch. The scream by the mom the next morning is also pretty tough."
happymyself
Shiny Trauma
"I've never gone back and watched it again, because it skeeved me out so much, but that scene in Dr. Sleep, where the Shine Vampires are stealing all the shine from that kid through pain was ROUGH."
Horknut1
"I came here to say this. Jacob Tremblay practiced for months before the scene to be sure he could get it right. When the time came to shoot it he did so well that all the Shine Vampires forgot their lines and struggled to finish the scene. The first time I saw it was pretty traumatizing."
Capteverard
True Pain
"The shower scene in Schindlers List. It took me years to get through it, even though it ends up just being a shower and not a gas chamber. Also the Tony episode on the new Dahmer series. I was hysterical watching it and feel sick thinking about how much real people suffered because of him."
ashleylauren3
"I watched Schindlers List for the first and only time a few years ago and couldn't stop crying after."
wearyomask
Dried Up
"The scene in the SpongeBob movie where SpongeBob and Patrick dry up."
crossbowman44
"I know this guy that loved movies and would give me all these high brow recommendations. One Saturday morning, I decided I wanted to watch a movie and was considering one of his recommendations. I watched the SpongeBob movie instead. And I made the right choice. Saturday morning is for cartoons."
Brawndo91
War Crimes
"Saving Private Ryan - when the German soldier is plunging the knife into Mellish."
LackOfStack
"For me it is when the medic is dying after attacking the machine gun nest. All those soldiers standing around absolutely helpless."
DramaticWesley
"Oh God don't get me started. Only scene from a movie that gets my physically angry."
crispycritter909
All good movies. All to never watch again.
Every person, and every relationship, is unique, and that includes what makes each partner deeply and truly happy, or annoyed.
Since all of us have our little quirks, it makes sense that our partners would enjoy some of them but not others.
But it's hard to tell how each behavior will be received.
Redditor HotWife_Aisha asked:
"What quirky thing does your partner do?"
Nightly Comfort
"She makes this cute nasally 'hmm' when I get in bed after she's asleep. I don't know why but it makes me happy."
- cranberrystew99
It's the Effort That Counts
"My wife never screws a lid back on a jar. She just gives the lid a 1/100th of a turn so that it just sort of, kind of, possibly latches just long enough to make it halfway from the counter to the fridge."
- EconomistOpposite908
Unexpected Collections
"She hoards gas station cups. The disposable ones. That most people would throw away."
"She's not re-using them, either. She just empties them in the sink and then leaves them next to the sink."
"I regularly go in and throw them away, but I think my record disposal at one time was like 15. Just chillin' in our bathroom."
- ThePhiff
What Personal Space?
"My wife is native Italian."
"Italians are weird. It's like they have ZERO concept of personal space."
"I, am a New Yorker. Personal space, is our thing. You don't get too close... you don't rub up on people on the Subways... you leave a little space between the person you are talking to."
"Italians, will get up like nose to nose with you. Stand RIGHT behind you. Like leaving NO space."
"Often I will be in the kitchen, making tea or something and I turn around and BAM, it's like my wife wants to stand in my shadow. Or I am getting something out of the closet, and back up, and BAM, she is like right there... trying to become ONE with me or something... instead of walking around, and just leaving that inch or two of personal space to allow movement."
"All her relatives are like this too. When they talk to me, it's like they are standing on my toes... that close. Like, back the f**k up a step or two. D**n, it's creepy."
- The_REAL_McWeasel
It Gets Better Before It Gets Worse
"Any recently decluttered area becomes new grounds for more cluttering."
- CriticalStation595
His Version is Better
"He cannot properly remember the lyrics to any song. And he insists on singing it his way even after he’s been corrected about the lyric."
- bambi__eyed
Personal Dictionary
"He stutters for a word, and when I give him the word he's looking for, he says, 'YES! THAT!' and goes on with what he was saying."
- harmicistt
Sharply Endearing
"She literally cannot stop dropping and breaking things like plates, sunglasses, etc."
"She's a really talented athlete and smart to boot but oddly clumsy. I think it's cute... But it gets expensive."
- Agreeable-Change-400
Make It an Experience
"He likes a special kind of spoon for his coffee."
"About two years ago, when I realized that our set of cutlery was missing several parts (where the h**l do they go?!) I bought a new one, but since the old cutlery was alright, just incomplete, I didn't throw it away. Now we have two sets of cutlery in the drawer, but always use matching ones for the table."
"Before that, my husband had complained that sometimes he won't find a clean teaspoon because they were either dirty or in the dishwasher, so I bought a separate set of six teaspoons that look different from both of our cutlery sets."
"We have also a few of these teaspoons that you sometimes find in the big teabag boxes of Ahmad Tea, which I drink daily, as a freebie. So all in all, there are four different kinds of teaspoons in our household."
"He only uses the fancier ones from the second set of cutlery for his coffee, because they look nicer, he says."
"He's never asked me for it, but he did mention it once when he was making coffee for himself."
"Since then, every time I bring him coffee, I make sure that it's served with his favorite kind of spoon. He's over 60 and some would regard it childish, but what's the harm in considering his preference?"
- Halazoonam
Surprise Kisses
"One day I went to kiss my wife and she just started breaking out laughing. She tried and tried to keep a straight face to kiss me back but couldn’t."
"When she could finally contain her laughter enough to talk, she asked, 'What if I just blew into your mouth when you tried to kiss me?'"
"Just the thought alone had her in stitches for a solid minute. Predictably, she blew into my mouth when I went to kiss her after this exchange. That was a couple of years ago and she still does it here and there, but not often enough that I keep my guard up. It catches me off guard every. Single. Time."
"Anyway, she’s hilarious and I love that she keeps me on my toes!"
- Puzzleheaded_Ad6097
Comfy Blanket Burritos
"She wraps herself in a blanket and adorably says that she’s a burrito."
- kvndubbb
Cute Ulterior Motive
"Every time SHE wants to do something, she will say it in the form of a question directed towards me."
"Like, 'Hey, do YOU want to have a bite of one of these cookies?'"
"Or, 'Babe, do YOU want to try this wine?'"
"I don’t actually think she realizes she does it every time."
"To clarify, this isn’t a bad thing. It just makes me laugh every time before I inevitably say, 'Yeah, sure.'"
- camehereforfriends
That One Time...
"When she’s telling a story and says 'the other day,' it can mean any time from this morning to five years ago."
- Hotel_Porcelain95
Internal Dialogue
"He talks to himself. Homeboy's internal monologue is external."
"It's kinda nice never having to wonder what he's thinking."
- insertcaffeine
The Good Outweighs the Bad
"The annoying thing: uses every knob as a hanger for some bag or kitchen towel. Every time I have to use a drawer, I have to move something."
"The cute thing: she is very excited about the little things in life. We went on a walk today with rain boots to jump in each puddle on the way."
- jbensh
Every person has their own little set of quirks that makes them truly themselves.
Some of these actions might prove to be annoying to some people, but to just the right person, it might prove to be their favorite thing about their other half.
The amount of shows that have aired in the history of television is a lengthy one, and the ones we know of are the ones that have been picked up by the networks.
There are tons of other ideas that have been pitched that have not seen the light of day and some that have been produced and presented as pilot episodes but eventually scrapped due to a variety of reasons.
The ones that have come to fruition but caused an uproar were mentioned when Redditor Future-Game asked:
"What is the most controversial TV shows of all time?"
Shows pushing the envelope were so risqué. Some aged well over time. Others didn't.
Taboo Topics
"I don't know about all time but the time it aired here in Canada, the original Degrassi High series. They covered so many topics that weren't really covered on mainstream shows back then. Even still somewhat taboo today. And everyone my age watched it and talked about it the next day."
– YEGMusic43
Outing Ellen
"When Ellen Degeneres's character came out as gay on her sitcom, there was a f'king firestorm."
– seanofkelley
Tame Drama
"Believe it or not the comedy SOAP was highly controversial when it premiered in the late 70s. It's done by the same people who did GOLDEN GIRLS. SOAP is so tame by today's standards a ten year old could watch it."
– ComedianRepulsive955
Chappelle's Show.
"I like South Park as an answer, but if we are talking about pushing boundaries, Chappelle's show at least deserves a mention. The Black, White Supremacist alone was wild to see on TV, and it was the first episode of the show to air."
– WaKa_
Reality bites. So did these reality competition shows.
Trash Talk Show
"Jerry springer, what a sh*t show."
– Jok3r609
When Looks Are Everything
"The Swan - a show about generally average, everyday women with low self esteem (due to a variety of factors), receiving plastic surgery and whole makeovers. Every episode would feature two ladies and a "winner" would be decided between them. At the end of the season, all of the winners would be put in a pageant to compete and see who would be dubbed 'The Swan'"
– DungeonFam30
Questionably Racist
"Takeshi's Castle / MXC wasn't exactly controversial at the time, but the production of that show seems awfully exploitative by today's standards (and for the English dub, horribly stereotypical and downright racist at times). We've since watered it down severely with versions like Wipeout, but the real ones know what the lineage of shows like that is."
– plasma_dan
Ultimate Exploitation Of Privacy
"Big Brother. How about we mix the worst people with the most exploitative form of entertainment whilst also casually normalising invasion of privacy."
– JFSOCC
Just because it was family friendly didn't mean everyone approved.
Representation Matters
"Sesame Street - When this show debuted in 1969, TV channels in the southern US refused to air it because it’s racially mixed group of children playing together was too controversial."
– virago72
Beavis And Butt-Head
"Surprised I haven't seen Beavis and Butt-Head on this list yet. When it came out everyone was freaking out."
– l06ic
Swearing
"Southpark, we went from outrage at Bart saying "eat my shorts" to Cartman feeding children their parents."
"I mean swearing on TV was less prominent , then Southpark pushed that forward quickly as well, all of a sudden "A**" and "Bullsh*t" were on standard TV."
– nonaestet
Every now and then a show comes out and sends audiences clutching their pearls.
But sometimes, even an episode from a relatively tame TV show can send viewers reeling with topical moments.
Examples of this include the much-hyped same-sex kiss on Melrose Place in the 90s that was ultimately edited to imply the act and the One Tree Hill arc that explored school shootings–which was considered daring and admirable at the time for addressing a malaise that continues plaguing the US today.