Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, lived here from July 12 to August 2, 1946. Read more
Amnesiacs, hoaxes, and homicide cover-ups at the La Brea Tar Pits
A few years ago, I was giving an out of town friend the nickel tour of Los Angeles, which always must include a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits. As visitors tend to do, he pointed out what I normally overlooked: the sheer volumes of “Missing Dog” leaflets affixed […] Read more
The Strange Case of Victor Kilian and the Ghost of the Chinese Theatre
When two octogenarian actors died within a week of each other in March, 1979, it could have been seen as coincidence. That both actors, Charles Wagenheim and Victor Kilian, had acted in the same episode of “All In the Family” would have only seemed slightly eerie, but not terribly unusual. […] Read more
The Jigsaw Ghost of Marion Parker
Los Angeles has had its share of gruesome killings: the severing of the Black Dahlia, Manson family mass murders, and the Menendez brothers double homicide among them. But the kidnapping and slaughter of a 12 year old Marion Parker may be the most horrifying L.A. crime of all. On December 15, […] Read more
Jackson Family Home – 4641 Hayvenhurst Ave., Encino
Sister LaToya has said that she has felt Michael’s presence, and that security guards have reported the sound of tap dancing coming from Michael’s room. From Curbed: The home was bought by Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, at the height of the Jackson 5’s popularity in 1971, and subsequently puchased by […] Read more
The Michael Jackson “Thriller” Tour of Los Angeles
A tour of the physical locations and real murder houses that were fodder for the 2011 Emmy nominated series. Read more
Green Apple Market – 300 East 5th Street, Los Angeles
Not only was the pool hall scene in Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” shot here, the Doors used it for photos used on their “Morrison Hotel” album jacket. Location hound blogger “I Am Not A Stalker” has a great writeup about the space. Read more
Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Glendale
Among this cemetery’s most famous permanent residents: Michael Jackson, Walt Disney, Lon Chaney, Humphrey Bogart, Mary Pickford, and Errol Flynn. Michael Jackson is in the Holly Terrace Mausoleum here, which is closed to the public. Read more
Is this East Hollywood self storage building the real Tower of Terror?
The story behind the Disneyworld’s Tower Terror goes something like this: on Halloween night, 1939, four guests and one bellhop were aboard an elevator at the Hollywood Tower Hotel when the building was struck by lighting. They were never seen from again. Guests who now visit the Hollywood Tower are able to […] Read more
Hollywood Tower (formerly the La Belle Tour) – 6200 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles
Built in 1929 under the name La Belle Tour, this 56 unit apartment building appears to be an inspiration for Disneyworld’s “Tower of Terror” in both look and name. Also, it happens to be haunted. The Hollywood Reporter listed this among LA’s most haunted locations, writing: Spectral Residents: “There are […] Read more
