Sunday, September 2, 2012

Secondhand Scares: Have You Been Haunted?


As many of you might know, I'm a big fan of horror movies. From cult classics and 70s slashers to the supernatural, I love the adrenaline rush of a good scare. (Or at the very least, a good laugh from an impeccably baaaaaaddddd horror movie. And there are many titles that fall into the latter).

But this weekend, a new horror movie hit the theaters, one which I am really intrigued by and am eager to watch. The Possession is the story of a young girl plagued by demonic spirits after buying a mysterious box. And while I was originally skeptical of the often-used tagline, "Based on a true story," I did my homework. And the described events that inspired The Possession are disturbing. 

Now. Before I lose my core readership, let me just point out that in both the backstory of events surrounding the "dibbuk box" and in the inspired movie that resulted...the supernatural experiences were provoked by a...secondhand purchase.

While I try not to let my open-mindedness cloud my better judgment in matters such as these, I have to to admit a personally long-held theory when it comes to shopping secondhand. 

I believe relics of the past hold a personal history. They are a token of a time and a place. But I also believe these items have an imprint from the previous owner and that my new ownership is just resuscitating a life that was already lived in that item. I'm not sure if that makes sense to anyone other than myself. But, hey! That's me.

But all that being said, is it possible to go to a flea market or a thrift store or an estate sale and bring back more than a memento from the past? Is it possible to bring back something...ominous? Something haunted? 

What do you think? Have you ever felt uneasy or even haunted by an item you've bought secondhand? 



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10 comments:

Peace said...

First, I totally get what you're saying about objects having their own imprinted 'auras', and I agree. There have been things that I felt WANTED me to bring them home, and things I've bought that have some spooky appeal to me. I once left behind a chalkware dog that someone had written 'Dad's last trip to the cabin' on. I loved it, but it felt like DAD was hangin' around it a bit too much. I have a Bradley seated pose doll that seems full of life, but in a warmer, sweeter way. I bought a pair of big-eyed kid paintings..only wanted the boy but the girl felt like she'd haunt me in my dreams if I left her there. My daughter already refers to my thrifted items as "dead people's things", and hates pretty much everything from there due to creepiness, so this is a terrible bit of PR. I told her I don't buy things that feel haunted...in a BAD way. hehe.

Eartha Kitsch said...

I definitely think that people's energy can imprint on things. I bought a haunted chair once. No joke. In the middle of the first night, that thing was out on the curb. Shook me up like nobody's business.

Jackie Jardine said...

@ Peace: It's nice to buy things that speak to you...in a good way, that is. And I'm glad someone else out there gets me on the whole previous-owner-imprint thing. I love that your daughter calls your finds "dead people's things." It's a bit morbid. But maybe one day she'll appreciate thrifting for it's non-creepy finds!

Jackie Jardine said...

@ Eartha: A haunted chair, you say? That's pretty interesting. Of course, this is coming from an outside observer. If it were me with a haunted chair it would be a lot less interesting and lot more horrifying.

By the by...was it a rocking chair? I always feel like those have a touch of haunt in them regardless of where they're purchased.

<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting!

Sir Thrift-A-Lot said...

I am "have to see/experience it to believe it" kind of guy, so no, at this point in my life I do not believe objects can be haunted. I do believe some peoples imaginations can get carried away... sometimes QUITE carried away.

If I did buy a rocking chair & found it to be haunted, I would certainly keep it for the company. I get quite lonely sometimes.

Jackie Jardine said...

To each his or her own, I say. Some people are skeptical of the whole supernatural thing. Some people are more open to the idea. I'm not sure where I stand. I've never been especially creeped-out by a thrift find to lead me to believe it was haunted or anything. But I'm not totally opposed to the possibility. Let's say that I'm ghost-free, for now at least!

<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting!

Rae - Say It Aint So said...

i am a big scaredy cat and can't handle most scary movies! people have asked me about being worried about buying something haunted and while I don't really believe in that, i think that there can be energy from the previous owner that lives on in their objects. I have definitely passed on a few things that just felt "wrong" to me, and I don't like antique mirrors.

Jackie Jardine said...

That's kind of funny, Rae. Antique mirrors...they're gorgeous. But if anything were to become possessed by the spirit of the previous owner, it would be the antique mirrors.

I do love horror movies though. Can't get enough of those.

<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting!

Vanessa said...

You know me, I'm a huge horror geek. I play horror games, read horror books, and watch horror movies as often as possible. I've never experienced haunted items and am dubious if it's possible for a spirit or imprint to inhabit something material...doesn't seem to make sense to me. But I've had supernatural experiences and don't doubt the possibility of it.

Not scared to thrift, though. I actually have some friends who are scared to bring in haunted items.

Jackie Jardine said...

It's always good to know there are other horror-freaks like myself! Ya know, the the thought of haunted items did not cross my mind until seeing previews for this movie, The Possession.

I've had a longstanding belief that owning previously loved items from yesteryear, to me, means something of a connection across time. It's not literal, of course. Though time travel via thrifted items would be something...!

As far as thrift-haunts are concerned, I've never met anyone with genuine fear of the possibility.

<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting!