- published: 23 Jun 2016
- views: 304601
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property. Parapsychologists attribute haunting to the spirits of the dead and the effect of violent or tragic events in the building's past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide. More parsimonious explanations for the perception that a house is haunted include misinterpreting noises naturally present in structures, waking dreams, suggestibility, and the effect of toxic substances in environments that can cause hallucinations.
In 2005, Gallup polls conducted in three countries—the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom—showed that more people believe in haunted houses than any of the other paranormal items tested, with 37% of Americans, 28% of Canadians, and 40% of Britons believing.
In the case Stambovsky v. Ackley, the Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division ruled in 1991 that a seller must disclose that a house has a reputation for being haunted when there is a fiduciary relationship or in cases of fraud or misrepresentation, because such a reputation impairs the value of the house:
I just moved in the new house today moving was hard but I got spread away
Bell started ringin' and changin' that loud I knew I moved that haunted house
Still it made up my mind to stay and nothin' was a gonna drive me away
And then I seen somethin' give me the creeps and one big eye and two big feet
I stood right still and I did it free and it is stored up to me
He said to me now you better run (and don't be here when the morning comes)
I said yes I'll be here when the morning comes I'll be right here and I ain't gonna run
Well I thought this house now you know I'm boss ain't no hate gonna run me off
In the kitchen was store was blazing hot the coffee was boiled in the cup
Grease had melted in the pan I had a hunk o' meat in my hand
For I'm as fast as I'm a man I'm a half sober with pots and pens
Say that hot I began to shout he dran a hot coffee right from the spot
He ain't draw me right from my hand let me drank a hot grease from flyin' pan
He said to me now you better run...
I said yes I'll be here when the morning comes...