Some Halloween thrill-seekers are looking beyond staged haunted houses and theatrical jump scares. A new Associated Press report explores two unusual destinations catering to paranormal enthusiasts: Eloise Asylum in Westland, Michigan, and Mortuary Manor in Toledo, Ohio.
According to Eloise Asylum's tour operator, Justin Cox, paranormal investigators have reported numerous unsettling encounters at the former psychiatric hospital, whose history stretches back to the 19th century. Visitors have experienced mysterious touches, felt themselves being grabbed, discovered handprints on their clothing, and even been whistled at by unseen presences. Investigators use spirit boxes to scan radio frequencies for possible messages from the dead and electromagnetic field meters to detect unexplained fluctuations.
Meanwhile, about 50 miles to the south, the Mortuary Manor invites the curious into a former funeral home dating back to the 1920s, where visitors can explore embalming and autopsy rooms, investigate the morgue, and even spend the night. Guests routinely pose for photographs lying on a slab extending from a basement wall. And in a fittingly spooky twist, Mortuary Manor is preparing to host its first wedding on Friday the 13th this November, proving that for some couples, “till death do us part” deserves a suitably haunted setting.
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