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Synopsis

In his tenth and most accomplished book, The Scream of the Haunted House, paranormal author Maxim W. Furek ventures into the dark, uninviting crawlspaces in search of ghosts, spirits, and demons. Despite the belief that demonic infestation is rare, the author probes the most terrifying possibilities: Are ghost hunters disturbing things that should be left alone? Are they conceivable targets of demonic wrath? And has Dark Tourism knowingly opened the profane cash registers of Hell? Furek’s groundbreaking book reveals the haunted house as a prison of despair, where earthbound spirits cry for tranquility and tears are shed, not from the eyes, but from the soul.

The author asks: Is spirit behavior something we can comprehend, or are we only repeating narratives whispered throughout history, murky, repetitive folklore breathing in the ether of mythology, religion, and popular culture? Can we really know how ghosts feel or think, or have positioned themselves? Or are we mere gamblers at the Kentucky Derby, in cheap seats swilling cheap whiskey, and betting on a 12-to-1 long shot?

If ghosts can feel, Furek asks, “Can we assume they feel loss, pain, and despair?” Being exiled from our tribe is among the worst punishments. Cold and heartless, it is the opposite of love and inclusion, hurting at the most intimate level for both ghosts and individuals like NormaDesmond, the silent-film star of Sunset Boulevard, who was driven mad by faded celebrity and a psychotic break. Picture the delusional Norma Desmond in her final iconic scene, walking down the stairwell, mistaking news cameras for a film crew, and proclaiming, “Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” It’s a close-up that never comes, an invitation scorned, a relationship discarded.

Norma Desmond’s despondency may be the closest we will ever get to understanding the ghost mentality. With chapters including “When the dead cross into the mist,” “Summoning the dead,” “Do some ghost hunters have psychic abilities?”, “Understanding the rules of ghost hunting,” “Protected by the Light,” and “Ghost Hunting: Hazardous to Your Health?”, the author offers a comprehensive examination of the afterlife. Exploring the most infamous haunted locations-the Conjuring House, Amityville, the Sallie House, the Lizzie Borden House, the Stanley Hotel, Pennhurst Asylum, the Smurl House, the Mansfield Reformatory, and countless others-this is the comprehensive text ghost hunters have long been hungering for.

Hangar 1 Publishing claims that Scream represents the author’s most in-depth research and makes an important contribution to paranormal literature. Furek interviewed over 100 ghost hunters, paranormal experts, and kindred spirits, all of whom contributed their unique perspectives to his work, helping expand Furek’s narrative into a broader, more inclusive picture of what they believe the spirit world to be. 

Extract

Some researchers acknowledge that what goes around comes around. Perhaps that is the esoteric secret ghost hunters share: the therapeutic bridge between spirits and humans, and the opportunity to raise our mutual awareness. In a shared, respectful rapport, we can help spirits move on, as they help us confront our most primordial fear—our innate fear of death. We all know it is coming. Despite the uncertainty and inconvenience, we all have an expiration date, gently nagging at us and reflecting our conscious or unconscious apprehension about our demise. Ghosts can act as mirrors of our souls, representing the monsters under our beds and the boogeyman in our closets. They reflect what we fear and force us to confront the fears we would rather padlock away in some cerebral lockbox. 

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