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The True Story of Bluebeard

Posted by Thrillvania in Haunted House News on October 4th, 2018

Many adaptations of Bluebeard have been created over the years, and you’ll hear his name used in multiple movies and books, usually ones about pirates. But who was Bluebeard? And what is the true story behind the fairy tale?

The tale of Bluebeard is far more grim than most people remember. It begins with a noble Frenchman, whose beard is so black it looks slightly blue, that has had a series of wives who suffered unfortunate deaths. Bluebeard is a wealthy man with a marvelous castle, and in most stories claims that his wives died of various illnesses. It is not until his new wife, the youngest of all, is left alone in their home that the truth is uncovered.

Bluebeard, who was leaving to go off to war, left this wife with the keys to his castle. He instructed her to invite over whoever she please, and that she can access any room in the house with the keys. He tells her, though, of one small door at the end of the corridor that she must never enter unless she wishes to meet his wrath and rage.

Of course, this comment left her curious, and long after he left for war she unlocked the door to tame her curiosity. When she ventured into the basement, she found the bodies of Bluebeard’s previous wives hanging from hooks on the wall. She’s so shocked by her discovery that she drops his keys into the puddles of blood at her feet. Later, she desperately tries to clean the key, but it’s magical and does not rinse clean.

Bluebeard returns and finds the blood on the key and becomes enraged. He is set to kill his wife by cutting off her head with his blade, but her brothers rush in and kill him to save their sister’s life.

Now, Charles Perrault was known for his eerie stories, but many people think that Bluebeard was based on a real person, which makes the fairy tale far more creepy.

Many accounts say that Bluebeard himself is based on Conomor the Accursed, Prince of Pohor. Now, Conomor lived in the 4th century, so many details of his life have been passed down by oral tale. These stories say that he was a wealthy, powerful man who owned a large piece of property as well as a lavish mansion. Eventually, Conomor acquired many surrounding lands, killing one King and then marrying his widow.

This widow fears him and manages to escape, so King Conomor sets after another young woman’s hand in marriage, St. Trephine. Eventually, the marriage is arranged and the young woman is begrudgingly married to the ghastly Frenchman. However, Conomor was told by a prophet that he would be killed by his own son, so when she found out she was pregnant, she feared for her own life.

shade photo of woman

In an attempt to find a way to escape his castle, she ventured into the royal crypt. Here she finds five caskets, each filled with a woman’s body who was suspected to be one of King Conomor’s past wives. There is also another coffin, empty, which she suspects is meant for her.

Later, King Conomor learns of his wife’s discovery and cuts off her head. There are definitely some similarities between Bluebeard and King Conomor. The idea that this grim fairy tale may have roots in historical truth definitely adds a certain chill factor.

Of course, if this isn’t quite scary enough to satisfy your hunger for true fear this Halloween, a visit to the one of the best haunted house in Texas may be just what you need. Thrillvania Haunted House Park has all the spooks and scares you need to make this Halloween season a truly frightening one, so pick up your haunted house tickets today.

Scariest Haunted Houses in Film & Television

Looking to experience the scariest haunted houses this Halloween? There’s no shortage of scary movies and TV shows to choose from when Halloween rolls around. Slasher flicks. Tales about demonic possession. And don’t forget about zombies, vampires, and werewolves! But what’s Halloween without some haunted houses thrown into the mix? Film and television has long depicted stories about haunted places. But which fictional places hosted the scariest hauntings of all time? Here’s a countdown to the scariest haunted houses in film and television!

The Amityville Horror

If there’s one haunted house story that first comes to mind, The Amityville Horror takes the win. The arguably true story of the Amityville haunting inspired a long line of films in the last 40 years. And out of all the sequels, the original 1979 film goes down as the scariest. Based on true events depicted in Jay Anson’s book, The Amityville Horror tells the story of the Lutzes. The Lutz family moves into 112 Ocean Avenue only a year after the brutal murder of the previous family. Almost immediately, they begin to experience paranormal activities. The story itself makes people question the origins of haunted houses. It always seems like paranormal energy arises in places where trauma – and evil – occurred. You could read Anson’s book, watch the 1979 film, the 2005 adaptation… or even research the real-life accounts from the Lutz family. But one thing is certain: You’ll question whether or not you’re a believer in the paranormal afterwards.

Poltergeist

Poltergeist came out only a couple years after The Amityville Horror. And though it wasn’t based off real events, the film depicted one of the scariest haunted houses nonetheless. The Freeling family lives happily in their development home somewhere in suburban California. Unbeknownst to them, their entire neighborhood rests on an old cemetery. The spirits inhabiting the Freeling home are not at rest… and they take young Carol Anne into their dimension. In the film, the Freeling family and a team of parapsychologists attempt to rescue Carol Anne. Their communications with the little girl across dimensions were not only haunting. It made audiences question how spirits feed off negative energy… even after their death.

American Horror Story: Murder House

FX’s American Horror Story has touched on lots of freaky concepts over the years. Freak shows. Cults. Insane asylums. Cults. But the iconic horror TV show made its debut with the Murder House season. And it became one of TV’s most loved and scariest haunted houses ever. Murder House tells the story of the troubled Harmon family’s downfall after moving to LA. They begin to occupy a home with an extensive – and violent – history. And being present in the home seems to seal their already doomed fate as a family. The spirits of those who die at the house can never leave. Some of the ghosts are kind and watch out for the Harmon’s. But the others intentionally try to cause harm – and succeed at doing so. Towards the end of the season, it’s revealed that this haunted house will bear true evil. And it got so complicated that the story reappears in the show’s eighth season. So, if you’re thinking of starting American Horror Story, be sure to start from the very beginning.

It

Stephen King is quite literally the king of horror. He’s written dozens of horror novels, with many spawning film and television adaptations. Perhaps the scariest adaptation came in the form of It, a 1990 supernatural miniseries based off the novel of the same name (there’s also the 2017 film adaptation). It tells the story of a shape shifting entity that terrorizes a group of Maine kids in the 1960’s. The story also follows the characters in the 1990’s when they’re adults. It can take on any form it chooses… it’s capable of playing on its victims’ worst fears. It’s most notable form comes as Pennywise, a bestial, murdering clown. In the miniseries, the children encounter It at an abandoned house on 29 Neibolt Street. They learn quickly that they can summon It by entering the premises. Yet, this doesn’t stop them from entering it again and again in attempt to put an end to It’s madness. It deviates away from traditional stories of haunted places – in both the 1990 and 2017 adaptations. After all, it’s not necessarily occupied by ghosts. Rather, it’s occupied by something that people can’t pinpoint or explain… and that’s terrifying in itself. If you shudder at the thought of clowns – beware!

Paranormal Activity

What’s scarier than stories of haunted houses? How about actual film footage of real-life haunted places? Paranormal activity shows have certainly raised questions regarding their authenticity. But what we do know is this: Hauntings – rather fictionalized or real – are terrifying when told as documentaries. And no film did a better job with this than 2007’s Paranormal Activity. Told through a series of VHS tapes, Paranormal Activity is about a couple haunted in their home. Unlike Poltergeist and The Amityville Horror, there are no frills. The acting is so authentic that the characters remind you of yourself. And the film is one of the finest examples of jump scares you’ll ever find in cinema.

Experience the Scariest Haunted Houses This Halloween

There are real-life haunted houses where paranormal activity occurs. Maybe visiting these haunted places isn’t on your Halloween to-do list. But that’s okay! You can still experience the thrills with these films and TV shows. And if you’re looking forward to binging on horror films this Halloween, don’t forget to add haunted attractions to the list. Thrillvania is open for the Halloween season! With three horror attractions to experience, you won’t want to miss out. Buy your tickets today!

The True (and Gruesome) Story of Little Red Riding Hood

Posted by Thrillvania in Haunted House Stories on September 27th, 2018

Like most of our modern fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood has been recreated to be an appropriate bedtime story for our youth. But the original story is far more grim than you would have imagined, which is no surprise when you look at the other original stories in Charles Perrault’s Mother Goose Tales. Some sources say that Perrault was not the author, but rather the first to write the oral legend down. Others say the story could be a result of the “werewolf trials” taking place at the time of its origin. Of course, the story has been altered a number of times to fit the manuscript of the ages. Each culture has its own tale of the Little Red Riding Hood, and the most optimistic versions involve a young naive girl who can’t tell the difference in her own grandmother and a wolf in a night bonnet. In these versions, the little girl always escapes in the end, but this isn’t quite how the story goes.

In the original, much more gruesome versions of the story, the wolf is quite horrid. He arrives early at the scene, slaughters grandma, and prepares her body to wait for the little girl in the red hood. He dices her flesh and sets it upon a silver platter. He drains her blood into a wine bottle, placing both the “wine” and the meat into the cupboard. Once the young girl arrives, he orders her to strip, throw her clothes (apron, stockings, petticoat and all) into the fire, and climb into bed with him. At this point, she notices something isn’t quite right with Grandma, but she is apparently none the wiser because she carries on conversation with the wolf while he enjoys Grandma’s bread and milk.

Eventually Little Red Riding Hood is hungry, to which the wolf commands that she feed herself the meat and wine from the cupboard. Little does she know that she is dining on the own flesh and blood of her unfortunate grandmother. The girl doesn’t complain, though, and in some versions even remarks that it is a marvelous feast.

In most versions of the story, Little Red Riding Hood never discovers the wolf’s true identity, and eventually is gobbled up alongside her grandmothers remains. However, one version does end in the little girl outsmarting the wolf. She tells the wolf she must go poop, and needs to relieve herself in the woods. The wolf ties a string to her so she cannot escape, but she slips it over a branch and carries on her way.

As you can see, there are many reasons that the story has been changed so many times. What a fright it must have been for 17th century kids to hear the tales cannibalism and an imposter wolf that gobbles up children!

The new age story may be designed for the fainthearted, but if you are looking for a real thrill this Halloween, grab your haunted house tickets for one of the scariest haunted houses in Dallas area. We might not have a wolf in grandma’s clothing, but at Thrillvania Haunted House Park, we have a few sights that will scare your stockings off, too!