Deadly Possessions (2016) s01e05 Episode Script
Ed Geins Cauldron and the Crying Boy Paintings
1 So, you knew about this curse? Yeah.
She put the gun right to him and said, "Get out of here or die.
" That's when all five of those family members apparently passed away.
-Wow.
Body parts, entrails stored in it.
My first question was, "Did he cook people in it?" ZAK: Since I was a young boy, I've been collecting haunted tiarfacts, drawn to the dark and mysterious energy they carry.
The Manson murders will go down as one of the most heinous crimes of all time.
Through my career as a paranormal investigator, I've been able to build my collection.
Now I'm building a museum.
MAN: The Conjure Chest is one of the deadliest haunted artifacts in existence.
WOMAN: Robert the Doll.
He has affected thousands of people.
ZAK: and providing a place for people to bring their haunted items and hear their stories.
We aid people into coming into the world.
Why can't we aid them in exiting the world? These are my deadly possessions.
Ladies and gentlemen, you're witnessing the first time that I have seen an item that belongs to me.
Ed Gein, inspired psycho, used to keta body parts of his victims He would take skin off of these bodies and even bodies that he would dig up from local cemeteries and he would tan and peel off the skin.
He would make furniture out of body parts, and Ed Gein apparently used this cauldron to store entrails.
And many believe would cook them in this cauldron.
A few months ago, I bought this at an auction in Wisconsin where Ed Gein was from.
A piece of property once owned by one of Wisconsin's most notorious criminals was sold this past weekend to the TV host of "Ghost Adventures" on the Travel Channel.
I never met the person who owned this.
His name's Dan and, uh, look at it.
I'm -- I'm literally shaking right now because I can feel the energy coming off of this cauldron.
I bought this, and I bought a shovel.
And the only details that I know is that Dan somehow, some way -- his grandmother was able to buy this in the 1950s at Ed Gein's farmhouse.
But there's many details that I don't know that I'm about to find out.
And it is every bit terrifying in person as it is when I saw it in the photos.
My name is Dan McIntyre from Grand Marsh, Wisconsin.
I sold Zak a cauldron that used to belong to Ed Gein, one of the most infamous serial killers of all time.
I'm curious to see what Zak thinks of the energy surrounding the cauldron.
ZAK: How you doing? Look like you're about to dig a grave.
Are you Dan? -Yes, sir.
Hey, I finally get to meet you.
-Hi.
-How you doing? I'm gonna grab that.
Ooh.
This is the shovel I bought from you also.
Oh, yeah.
-How'st igoing? -Good.
Nice to meet you.
So, this is interesting.
Usually people bring objects with them and I hear about them, I see them for the first time.
This -- I just saw this for the first time.
It's been on the crate ever since it was shipped to me 'cause I wanted to see it for the first time when you were here -- the person who has this story.
I just want to know deeper, the deeper secrets of how the cauldron affected you and other people around you.
And more importantly, I want to know if the cauldron has some type of a curse, some dark energy that is inside of it.
So tell me how you acquired this.
My grandmother was an antique dealer and collector and would go to auctions.
And this was one of the things that she acquired at o onef her auctions.
So this shovel, this cauldron came from Ed Gein's house.
Yes.
Was there a neighbor that you had that was -- I believe his name was Hollis? -Yes, yeah.
-Tell me about that.
He was a neighbor of Ed Gein's.
And when the discovery of the murders were made, the police were very sick to their stomachs.
[ Retches .]
And they couldn't remove the bodies from whe re they were hanging, and they had to go get a couple neighbors.
One of them was Hollis.
No way.
So the police were too sick to their stomachs to cut down the bodies.
Yep, they knew the people.
Everybody knew each other, so they knew the people.
So, it's like you're watching your friend hanging dead.
You know, I mean, "Oh, my gosh.
" So you're telling me that Hollis went down there to help them cut down the bodies.
Mm-hmm, yep.
And he positively identified the cauldron during that time.
Mm-hmm.
He told me that he's seen that cauldron before, and I go, "What do you mean you've seen it before?" He says, "It belongs to Ed Gein, and that's not the first time I've seen it.
" He goes, "That's his cauldron.
" So I go, "How do you know?" He said, "Because I used to, with Ed Gein's parents, cook hog fat in it.
And he would lift it to take it out of the shed.
" I go, "How can you be sure that that's the same one?" He pulled up his arm sleeve, he goes look at my hair.
And his hair was standing straight up his arm.
First time I've ever seen that.
He was, like, "I can't get near it.
" He goes, "I get to close to it --" He goes, "I just got to get away from it.
" So Hollis says he just seen something that he wishedha tt he had seen for the last time long ago -- that, you know, he was hoping he'd never have to see again.
I remember my first experiences with it as a little boy.
Probably 6, 8 years old, you know, when I was told that it belonged to a mass murderer or a killer.
And, you know, as a young boy, "What's a mass murderer? What's a killer?" Those arthe ings that are in newspapers or on the news.
It's not real life, you know, for a kid.
My grandmother was planting flowers in it.
Your grandmother was planting flowers in Ed Gein's cauldron.
Why would your grandmother, knowing who Ed Gein was, want to buy this? Knowing that body parts were presumably cooked inside of it, entrails stored in it.
Why would your grandmother want to buy this thing? I don't know.
She never had a lot of things that we erin the macabre or mysterious.
My first question was, "Did he cook people in it?" She didn't know if anyone was really cooked in it.
When it was in o gurarage, I would get a creepy feeling from it.
I never felt like I was alone.
You know, you walk past it and, you know, it wasn't a welcoming feeling -- not a warm feeling.
It's more or less a creepy feeling.
ZAK: Although Hollis Brown, the man who personally removed the diboes from Gein's house has since passed away, his son, Carneth, is here who got first-hand accounts of his father's gruesome experience.
Come on in, sir.
Have a seat.
How you doing? I'm doing pretty good.
-My name's Zak.
-It's good to meet you, man.
-Yeah, how's it going? -All good.
Do you know if your dad ever told you about this cauldron or Yes, he did, when it was at my neighbor's -- Daniel McIntyre's.
My dad realized who's it was and where itam ce from and the hair on his arms and his neck just stood right up.
Can I ask, when did your father ps?as How long ago? He passed January of 2012.
-January of 2012? -Yes.
You said that your father would -- his hairs would stand up after talking about this and seeing it in Dan's garage.
He could still vividly remember back to that day when they found Mrs.
Worden's body.
And they had to take her down.
And your father had to help cut the bodies down? Yes.
And that imprinted in his mind and disturbed him still 50 years later, 60 years later? Yes, it did.
Can you tell me about -- your grandmother had a run in wi Ethd Gein personally.
Yeah, 'cause he was trying to take one of my aunts who was, you know, quite on the heavy side.
But my grandma faced him down with a shotgun.
Ed Gein? Yeah, she put the gun right to him and said, "Get out of here or die.
" [ Gun cocks .]
Do you think Ed Gein would've possibly tried to kill your aunt? As crazy as he was, I think he would've.
And your grandmother took a shotgun, aimed it at Ed Gein, and chased him off.
Yes.
[ Sighs .]
I said, "Tell me everything you saw.
" d Anhe told me things.
He said it looked like, in the barrels, there was definitely blood and guts.
ZAK: I am speaking with Dan McIntyre, the man I bought the Ed Gein cauldron from.
We are discussing the deranged details of a neighbor's first-hand account of what was found inside Ed Gein's home.
I said, "Tell me everything you saw.
" And he told me things that he saw that, you know, I couldn't believe.
He said there was a body hanging.
Next to the body, there were two barrels, and on the other side of the barrels was the cauldron.
So there was the body, a barrel, a barrel, and the cauldron.
He said it looked like, in the barrels, there was definitely blood and guts.
I know he was an expert in tanning human skin.
So I know that he would skin the bodies, take the skin, and make things.
This is a list of what the police found on Ed Gein's property when they went to arrest him.
They found whole human bones and fragments, a waste basket made of human skin, skulls on his bed post, a corset made from a female torso skinned from shoulders to waist.
He had a suit made from women's skin so that he could wear it and become his mother.
Bernice Worden's entire head in a burlap sack, Bernice Worden's heart in a plastic bag in front of Gein's pot-bellied stove, a belt made from female human nipples.
Nipples, yes.
Hollis told me he seen that.
A pair of lips on a window shade drawstring, a lampshade made from the skin of a human face.
This dude wames ssed up.
Yeah, there was a couple more things Hollis told me that's not on the list.
The first thing he noticed was a nipple doorbell.
Now that's a piece of information that he told me that I have not read anywhere.
My father cleaned the garage out and there was quite a few people that helped him.
Hollis was one of them, my brother-in-law, mcoy usin.
[ Clears throat .]
You okay, Dan? Yeah.
-What's wrong? -Um, nothing.
No, nothing's really wrong but, it's perhaps coincidental.
But everyone that cleaned that garage out I'd say, at 18 months, was dead.
Some of them could be explained.
My father was old, you know? But Hollis died of cancer.
My brother-in-law, Bruce, died walking up the steps.
That -- he was -- died before his time.
And then, my cousin, Don, he died from a -- I say, surgery complications.
And my mother died -- fell out of a wheelchair and died 10 days later.
I don't know if that energy has anything to do with it, but it's kind of a scary thought.
Was this in the garage when they all cleaned it out? Mm-hmm.
You owkn, it was there.
I didn't want to even talk about it 'cause I don't want to give that thought any energy.
Yeah, you don't want to empower it.
Do you think I can be dinanger from owning this? I think you're knocking on the devil's door, and don't be surprised if he answers.
Do you like being around that cauldron? Does it bother you or no? Umyes and no at the same time.
Why yes? Yes, it bothers because of what happened to those women, and that should've never pphaened.
But no, on the other hand, because I try to, you know keep a level head about stuff.
You know Dan.
How long have you known Dan for? I've known Dan and his family for 30 years.
Do you think that Dan had an effect from this? Oh, yes, I know he did, 'cause he was quite ill for quite a long time.
You believe that he got ill from this? Could be from the negative energy that was coming off of it.
-Mm-hmm.
Are you happy to see Dan not have this anymore? Yes, he's doing a lot better.
There ain't as much negative energy as there was.
-When this was at his house? -Yes.
Dan got really choked up when he started telling me that his family members were cleaning out his garage one day.
Kind of unearthed this from being buried in the garage, and then some things had happened to his family after that.
Yes, his brother-in-law, Bruce, his faerth, and even my father had passed on almost one after the other.
What do you think Ed Gein used this cauldron for? He would use it to take the hearts and livers, blood.
He was known to cook that up for himself.
Mm-hmm.
What is it like now when anybody mentions Ed Gein there? There is still a lot of bitter feelings.
So, talking about him there is not a good thing.
Yeah, 'cause we're always -- we're always joking around that anybody that says anything in Plainfield about him has got a death wish.
Wow.
It's okay to talk about him here though? Yes.
It's possibly because Ed wants us.
Uh [ Sighs .]
ZAK: I just got disturbing news that there has been a last minute emergency with my next guests.
They were supposed to come on the show to talk about a pair of skis that once belonged to Ed Gein, but they cannot make it and have sent their daughter and her boyfriend instead.
How you doing? I'm Zak.
-Hi, Zak.
I'm Derek.
-Nice to meet you.
-Courtney.
-Hey.
So, what the heck is going on here? All that I know is that I was actually supposed to be interviewing your parents.
Yep, my dad and my stepmom, Leslie, weren't able to make it 'cause my sister ended up having a stroke.
So instead of them coming up, they sent us up instead.
-Well, I'm sorry to hear that.
-Yep, thank you.
Do your parents believe that your sister had a stroke in part of why they were coming out here? They think it's 'cause of the skis.
Mm-hmm.
I think it's possibly because Ed wants us.
Uh [ Sighs .]
You mean, Ed wants us to tell hists ory? Yeah.
That's what I feel like.
Well, uh, this is a parallel, because Dan, he's the guy who sold us this stuff -- the cauldron, the skis, the shovel.
When he got the cauldron, he had five family members help him clean out his garage.
When they had all touched it and dragged it out, that's when all five of those family members apparently passed away one after the other.
Wow.
I wasn't aware of that.
That's shocking.
Like, it's crazy to know that just owning an object, you know -- it's, like, we can't definitively scientifically prove this is correct.
Mm-hmm.
But, man, you start adding up all the stories and the timing and then weird things that happen around the objects.
I'm getting into this pretty heavy, you know, with, like, this.
I've always collected things like this, but it's starting to get a little creepy.
You know? Man, how do you -- how do you store something like this? -House the energy.
-Yeah.
Why did your parents still send you? Was it important to them that you told me? Yes, they wanted -- basically, they're giving you the skis.
They don't want them anymore.
-Really? Yeah, they're sending them up here.
I just said, "As long as it's not on my plane, I'm good.
" They're gonna mail them up, and theye 'ryours.
-Really? -Yeah.
They don't want them anymore.
ZAK: I am now told by Courtney and Derek that they have been going to Ed Gein's property and trying to contact his spirit.
DYAR: When we first did any Ed Gein investigations, we took some pictures.
And I had snapped a few shots of Derek.
I asked Ed to stand next to Derek to take a picture with him.
He had felt something come near him.
I'm kneeling on the ground and Derek's just standing up.
What'd you feel, Derek? A presence.
Like, before she took a picture, I'm like, "Courtney, I feel a presence coming on my right side.
" So you two go to Ed Gein's property? Mm-hmm.
You physically call out Ed Gein -- his spirit? And then you feel his spirit? I had captured a mist on camera.
It moves across from one side of Derek to the other.
And then we had turned and took a picture towards the road, and there's the mist.
I jumped 3 feet in the air, screaming, "Oh my god! I seen it with my own eyes!" And it was like Ed had came next to me to see his picture.
Do you regret going to his property and calling him out? -No.
-No? So what do you think this stigma is? Where do you think it's from? Where is that energy coming from, these skis? I find it a strange coincidence to be honest -- going there, getting evidence.
And it's kind of weird how this has all come together.
It's almost hard to puzzle piece in our mind -- like, why us? We've been out to Ed's a couple times.
A couple times? Yeah, every time we're up that way, we go there.
Yeah, we go there.
It's like a religious thing to visit.
And every time you go out there, you're calling his spirit out? Yeah.
Have you ever seen the cauldron? Mnh-mnh.
Well, I wouldn't want to put you guys in further harms way, but it seems multiple times at Ed Gein's house and you say you communicate with spirits and you believe Ed Gein has come through to you.
What would you say if I invited you to go look at the cauldron Let's go.
and also maybe even use the spirit box? I'm down.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
And I don't mean thiths e wrong way.
I just kind of want to see if something is attached.
We'll go, and I'll introduce you to the cauldron.
I think this is all meant to come together right now in this moment.
Let's give it a try.
-Okay.
-Are you ready? -Yeah.
Let's find out.
-Whoa.
-Jay, huy rrup.
ZAK: While we are still setting up for our investigation, I begin receiving massive, unexplained spikes on my EMF detector as soon as I bring it near Ed Gein's cauldron.
Right now, we're getting some crazy spikes in the electromagnetic field all around this.
That's crazy, dude.
Lookit.
It's just pegged.
-It's by his stuff.
-There's a lot.
There's just -- look at that.
That was just an 11-milligauss spike.
That was just an 11 -- ooh, there's another one.
Another 11 milligauss -- let's see wife go away from it.
You getting that, Jay? Just baseline zero, baseline zero, baseline zero.
Put it back over here, and it just goes crazy.
-It's all around the cauldron.
-That is just crazy.
Look at that.
There's an electrognmaetic field all around this cauldron.
All right, this is a good time.
Bring them in.
ZAK: I immediately bring Courtney and Derek into the room so that we can attempt to establish communication with whatever is causing these massive EMF spikes around the cauldron.
We want to try to get some answers.
Let's just go.
Aaron has the SB7.
I want you guys to ask some questions.
I'll ask some questions to Aaron.
Ask some questions.
Let's see if something aisttached to this.
First off, Ed Gein, if you're here, if you're a victim of Ed Gein, we're about to turn on a device that'll allow us to hear your voice.
Do you recognize anyone in here? [ Oscillating static .]
"I'm here, come here --" something like that.
Do you recognize anyone in here? [ Oscillating static .]
I heard a lady say, "I'm here.
" Try it again.
Let's see.
And then you guys ask questions, too.
-Okay.
-This is a microphone that I'm wearing -- a wireless mike.
So I just want to use this to make sure we got good audio with this.
Ed, do you remember me? [ Oscillating static .]
What do you want to happen to the people that own your stuff? Evil.
[ Thud .]
Should we blow the candles out? No, I think we're safe.
We'll keep an eye on things.
Okay.
ZAK: We are with Courtney Dyer and Derek Wagner using the SB7 to try and communicate with the spirit of Ed Gein.
The negative energy that we believe is attached to this cauldron is so serious that Courtney believes it has something to do with her sister's medical emergency.
What do you want to happen to the people that own your stuff? Evil.
[ Thud .]
That was in here, bro.
That was loud.
Whatever that was, it sounded like it was something getting slammed in one of these rooms.
It felt like a door shut or something.
Let's continue.
Hey, did you hear the word evil in there? I did.
What do you want to happen to the people that own your stuff? Evil.
Evil.
ZAK: Is the entity that just said "evil" through our spirit box also the one making this violent, unexplained door slam? What is attached to this cauldron? [ Oscillating static .]
Death.
I heard, "Death.
" It said, "Death.
" -I heard that.
Straight up "death" in that voice! -Yeah, same voice.
-In that same surreal voice.
What is attached to this cauldron? [ Oscillating static .]
Death.
I heard, "Death.
" It said, "Death.
" -I heard that.
-That was crazy.
-That was crazy.
That was crazy, right? Death.
-I got goosebumps.
-Yeah, me too.
What's crazy is is this -- I'm getting chills now.
This is the same female that's come through every single time.
We've had females -- when we went to his property, a female kept coming through to us.
What I'm concerned about is is that Ed Gein used to make female skin suits and wear them to become a female.
So is Ed Gein disguising himself as a female, right? Do you like the fact that other people own your items? [ Oscillating static .]
Can you tell us what state your -- No.
-It said, "No.
" -It said, "No.
" Can you tell us what state your -- No.
-It said, "No.
" -It said, "No.
" It's the same female every single time.
Now e thnext -- the next thing that's happening with these items, it's going to something new -- thisre aa.
Do you like the fact that it's gonna be in this building and a new owner? [ Distorted voice .]
Oh my go dd,ude.
Oh, shit, dude, did you hear that? It goes, "Yes.
" Right after I asked.
Do you like the fact that it's gonna be in this building and a new owner? You're shaking.
I'm starting to get shaky, dude.
I'm starting to shake.
My tailbone hurts.
Feels like I fell on mtay ilbone.
What was interesting to me is how intelligent.
We were getting a lot of intelligent responses.
I want to listen -- And that one voice was intelligent.
It was the same female, but it was answering.
There was that -- you okay, Courtney? Yeah, I just feel sometnghi behind me.
Togeth erwith the EMF readings That was wei.
rd and the EMF readings were centered right here.
Not over here and not over here.
Something is around this cauldron.
And the voices, to me, that validates it.
ZAK: Now that the cauldron will permanently be on display at my museum, I'll be sure to keep a close watch on any paranormal activity surrounding it.
Not only do I like to hear about other peop'sle experiences with haunted items, I also like to share my own.
My museum gives people the opportunity toom ce share personal stories and hear mine.
How's everybody doing? Good? Welcome.
So, we decided to do a little show-and-tell ourselves.
This is an object that I do not keep in my house anymore for good reason.
So, we were filming "Ghost Adventures" at the most haunted house in England called The Ancient Ram Inn.
This very old man, he's in his 90s.
How are you, sir? -Welcome to my home.
When we were there filming, there was a giant fireplace.
MAN: Look at the wall on the left-hand side, you will see the hole where I found the devil worship.
He found a bunch of satanic worship artifacts in the fireplace.
This was sitting in the fireplace, as well.
And so I saw it, and I had to have it.
So I took this, put it in my suitcase, and brought it back to my house -- bad idea.
I put it on a glass case like this down in my basement.
I was upstairs.
I heard a very, very loud crash.
I go downstairs.
This is in 1000 pieces all over my floor.
Something took this thing and slammed it onto the ground.
And it broke into a thousand pieces.
It's all been uegld back together by my mother.
This is just one of many objects that I had inside my house that spirits were attached to it.
This skull, I brought into my house.
Two days later, I got dragged out of my bed.
My left leg raised up, and something was pulling on it.
I was fearful.
I was frozen.
I couldn't move.
There was something doing this.
And a sick part of me was just enjoying it.
After I was terrified, I was like, you know what? I don't think I'm gonna die, but this is amazing.
Here, yes.
I don't wear this at home.
I wear it when I'm here, because I know a lot of these objects.
Yeah, whenever we go and film "Ghost Adventures," I always look around 'cause I collect these objects.
And when we were at the Silver Queen This is Connie, the Silver Queen.
Hi, Connie.
-Hi! she gave me this and she said that this was so cursed that the family that gave it to her, they could not take it anymore.
And so I didn't know what was inside of it.
So, I want somebody to raise your hand, and you get to open this up.
You're first.
What's your name? -Alia.
ci -Alicia.
Okay, do you want to wear this? -No, I wear mine, too.
-Okay, cool.
Okay, we're protected.
So, go ahead and open it nice and slowly.
-Oh, my god! -You jumped.
What it is is we guesstimate around the mid-1900s.
Apparently, somebody took a real human skull and made it into a Halloween decoration.
And I firmly believe that whatever spirit is attached to their skulls are still with them unfortunately.
So, in all reality, this wasn't a show and tell.
This was just an experiment because I wanted to see, when this opened, which one of you the spirit's gonna follow home this evening.
[ Lahtuger .]
So call us tomorrow if you brought home a friend and then come back with your friend.
Thank you all.
-Thank you.
-Thank you, guys.
Feel free to walk around.
My name's Tina Booth.
I'm from Clevedon, England, and I'm the owner of the Crying Boy painting.
I heard the legends of these paintings, never believed them until it happened to me.
It caused two fires in my home, and I'm gonna fly halfway across the world to get rid of the painting.
There'll be no better home than Zak's museum.
I'm guessi ng that you have artwork he.
I do.
Ah.
-The Crying Boy.
-Yep.
Of course it's the Crying Boy.
I'm Zak.
Nice to meet you.
-Hello, Zak.
I'm Tina.
Crying B poyainting -- I've heard about this.
Is our a museum fireproofed? Isn't that what goes on with this? Well, it certainly happened to me, yeah.
You caught on fire? Yeah, my house did.
This is fascinating -- the Crying Boy paintings.
Legend states anybody that has the paintings and put it in their homes, the houses would catch on fire but the patiinngs wouldn't.
That's just about right.
Should we blow the candles out? No, I think we're safe.
We'll keep an eye on things.
Okay, If these cursed painngtis start fires Yeah, you don't want to risk it.
and the painting's aimed at a bunch of fire, are we gonna be baecrbued? Well, if we stay in the room, we should be safe.
Tell me your story.
So, I have a company.
It sells vintage goods online.
And going around the vintage markets, I was talking to my daughter about the myths around it.
So, wait a minute.
So you knew about this curse? I did.
Then you set out looking for the painting.
-Yeah.
-Are you crazy? [ Laughs .]
It's inteserting, isn't it? You know, people like it.
Yeah, people like it until your house getcas ught on fire.
Yeah, that's the only fly in the ointment really, isn't it? Yeah.
So, you go find the second demon boy.
Yeah.
I'm gonna get in trouble for all this -- what I'm saying about it, aren't I? Yeah.
ZAK: The Crying Boy paintings are iconic pieces of paranormal history.
I want to learn more about how this curse started, so I've asked a local art expert to come talk to me about the history.
Brett, you are an art expert here in Las Vegas.
To your right sits the Crying Boy.
-Mm-hmm.
-Okay.
Are you familiar with the Crying Boy? I am, I am.
What's interesting to me is that it's not just the original painting that was infected with the curse, it was these prints that were made back in the '40s and '50s.
Is that right? -Right.
What the legend was the urchin was actually a young orphan whose parents had died tragically in a fire that had been given the unfortunate nickname of Diablo, because everywhere he went, these unusual fires seemed to follow.
Shortly after him sitting for the artist in a studio, the studio burned down under very suspect circumstances.
A lot of people believe that's when the curse was evoked.
If this little boy had the power to start fires, the nickname Diablo, meaning devil, would insinuate that this little boy was possessed by some type of dem oonr Satan or something.
Could be.
There was a house fire in 1985 in England where the entire home was decimated with the exception of this painting.
But I think a turning point in this really, I think, shocked all of Britain is exactly what you said.
It's what made the 1985 newspaper article -- is how entire houses were destroyed, and amongst the ashes, you would see the Crying Boy painting sitting there with not a burn mark on it.
-Right, right.
-And that was, like, "Whoa.
What the hell is going on here?" You collect all different types of art, and I'm sure you have many, many expensive pieces at your gallery.
Yes.
Would you display this in your gallery? Serious question.
-Sure.
-I want a serious answer.
-Sure.
Would you display this in your gallery and leave it there overnight? No.
No.
We wouldn't take that chance.
Your house had a fire? Yes.
Yeah, as I was working with the picture.
-Working with it? -Yeah.
What do you mean working thwi it? I buy my merchandise, photograph it, do research.
So, you put it in your house.
Tell me what happens.
I'd had set up some tea lights in my bedroom, and I was working downstairs on the computer.
And I heard banging from upstairs.
You heard a ngbaing upstairs? Yeah, yeah.
It was, like, a thump.
And then another thump and then another thump.
And I thought, "What on Earth is that?" So, of course, I went up to investigate.
And as I got to the top of the stairs, I could smell smoke.
So, I knew something was on fire at that point.
And I opened up the door, and it was my cat throwing himself at the door to try and get out.
-Are you serious? -Yeah.
So he was running against the door and throwing himself against the door to try and get out.
And what did you find in the bedroom? Oh, it was just completely thick, black smoke down to the floor, and all I could see in the corner -- the whole corner of the room was a light.
It was just plumg ineverywhere.
All the smoke was everywhere.
But it was the fact that I was working on this particular picture at that time.
Same exact time.
And I can remember thinngki in my head, "What terrible pictures.
" I was kind of -- in my head, I was dissing it, you know? -Oh, like ugly? -Yeah.
-Like, just plain and ugly.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
"Why would you have that?" So, you were thinking this in your mind? Yeah, and then I heard the banging and obviously discovered the fire.
ZAK: I wt anto get another perspective on these events from a skeptic.
So I'm bringing in Tina's daughter, Maggie, to see if she feels the events in question were actually unexplainable.
I'm all right.
-Yeah.
-How are you? Let me ask you a couple questions, okay? Are you familiar with the Crying Boy? Oh, yeah autbo the Crying Boy painting.
Mm-hmm, do you like the painting? No.
I mean, they freak me out.
I want you to tell me why.
Well, I didn't like it at all firstly because it was just -- it's just not pretty.
Uh, no.
Don't.
I know you -- just say -- we're gonna say that you were just talking about me.
-Yeah.
-I'm not pretty.
And I dot n'-- I want to say that in seriousness, because -- -Mm-hmm.
-Do you know what I'm saying? -Yeah, yh.
ea -Okay.
Tell me, like, what happened? Well, when I was loading it, she heard a lot of banging upstairs, which turned out to be my cat trying to get out of the room because our room had caught on fire.
Did you ever feel the presence of something? I did feel a bit, like, heavy in the room.
Mm-hmm, so the environment just changed in that moment like something was there.
Yeah.
So, you dissed the painting.
I did diss the painting.
You kind of were making fun of it.
Yeah, that came obviously down off the wall straight away.
I was silly enough to go back and buy another one from a vintage market.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Stop.
Hold on.
You buy the first little boy.
-Yeah.
He nearly buedrn your entire house down.
Yeah.
"Oh, I want gtoo buy a second.
" Yeah.
On behalf of everybody watching, why? They're just rare, aren't they? You know, you see something like this -- they don't come up very often.
And I couldn't pass it by.
This may be the first time where I reject an object.
ZAK: I am speaking with Tina Booth, who believes the curse of the Crying Boy nearly killed her.
So you go find the sendco demon boy.
TINA: Yeah.
And I'm gonna get in trouble for all this -- what I'm saying it about it, aren't I? Yeah.
Less than 2 weeks after buying him, I was in exactly the same situation.
I was writing about him and thinking exactly the same thing -- like, "I don't understand why people like that picture in the first place.
" -Same thing? -Yeah.
So, now you're just waiting for it.
Yeah, but unfortunately my iMac at that particular time blew up.
What? Are you serious? Yeah, that was it.
As you were working on the second one thinking the same thing.
Yeah, it just literally blown from behind.
That was the end of the computer.
wSohat are the odds in that happening twice doing the same thing with the same painting that has the same curse affected to it? Yeah.
That's crazy.
Yeah.
MAGGIE: It was like we did kind of think, "Oh, well, that's a bit of a coincidence, you know?" But as soon as the second one happened, it was just, "Oh.
" So, we did -- I did connect with it.
And It's very unnerving.
Did you ever have anything paranormal happen in the house that you can remember when the paintings came into the house? After the fires, I did.
I did have a few nightmares about, like, fires and things like that, t bunever something you could probably point out.
Mm-hmm, what were your nightmares about? Oh, just about my room being on fire.
Interesting.
What do you ntwa your mom to do with the Crying Boy? Get rid of them.
Did your mom believe all this was real when she originally bought it? No, not when she originally bought it.
I think she's a bit more -- I think she does a bit now.
But she's not one to kind of admit that.
Right, right.
So you're now a full believer in this curse? Yep.
This little boy has not taken his eyes off me since he's sat right there.
-No, he doesn't.
And I've made a few comments to him, and I hope that my building doesn't catch on fire.
And I'm gonna leave the painting with you.
Pardon me? I'm gonna leave the paintings.
Oh, I'm not taking them back.
JAY: You always say you want all the objects.
Here you go.
Oh, I'm -- I'm, uh I don't know what emotion I'm feeling right now.
I appreciate the gift, but how many countless people's houses caught fire from these? -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't know if I'm excited about this 'cause throughout th eisntire building, I have priceless artifacts, objects.
This is a serious moment of hesitation right now.
This may be the first time where I reject -- yeah, an object.
I think it fits so well in your museum.
And you justai sd that you're not leaving No.
with this back to Britain? No, thank you.
It's that serious? Yeah.
ZAK: Billy, I swear to god, watch every single room in this builngdi while we're doing these interviews.
Yeah.
Any little piece of smoke, any little flame that's not a candle, you buzz that red alarm right there -- that red light bulb.
Listen, Crying Boy, I just want to alopogize when I made the little jokes.
Okay, I want to keep you here in this building of mine.
I'm gonna give you your own little room.
I want to make it nice for you.
I want to make it cozy.
Just please, do not light anything in here on fire.
All right.
we'll see if thawot rks.
She put the gun right to him and said, "Get out of here or die.
" That's when all five of those family members apparently passed away.
-Wow.
Body parts, entrails stored in it.
My first question was, "Did he cook people in it?" ZAK: Since I was a young boy, I've been collecting haunted tiarfacts, drawn to the dark and mysterious energy they carry.
The Manson murders will go down as one of the most heinous crimes of all time.
Through my career as a paranormal investigator, I've been able to build my collection.
Now I'm building a museum.
MAN: The Conjure Chest is one of the deadliest haunted artifacts in existence.
WOMAN: Robert the Doll.
He has affected thousands of people.
ZAK: and providing a place for people to bring their haunted items and hear their stories.
We aid people into coming into the world.
Why can't we aid them in exiting the world? These are my deadly possessions.
Ladies and gentlemen, you're witnessing the first time that I have seen an item that belongs to me.
Ed Gein, inspired psycho, used to keta body parts of his victims He would take skin off of these bodies and even bodies that he would dig up from local cemeteries and he would tan and peel off the skin.
He would make furniture out of body parts, and Ed Gein apparently used this cauldron to store entrails.
And many believe would cook them in this cauldron.
A few months ago, I bought this at an auction in Wisconsin where Ed Gein was from.
A piece of property once owned by one of Wisconsin's most notorious criminals was sold this past weekend to the TV host of "Ghost Adventures" on the Travel Channel.
I never met the person who owned this.
His name's Dan and, uh, look at it.
I'm -- I'm literally shaking right now because I can feel the energy coming off of this cauldron.
I bought this, and I bought a shovel.
And the only details that I know is that Dan somehow, some way -- his grandmother was able to buy this in the 1950s at Ed Gein's farmhouse.
But there's many details that I don't know that I'm about to find out.
And it is every bit terrifying in person as it is when I saw it in the photos.
My name is Dan McIntyre from Grand Marsh, Wisconsin.
I sold Zak a cauldron that used to belong to Ed Gein, one of the most infamous serial killers of all time.
I'm curious to see what Zak thinks of the energy surrounding the cauldron.
ZAK: How you doing? Look like you're about to dig a grave.
Are you Dan? -Yes, sir.
Hey, I finally get to meet you.
-Hi.
-How you doing? I'm gonna grab that.
Ooh.
This is the shovel I bought from you also.
Oh, yeah.
-How'st igoing? -Good.
Nice to meet you.
So, this is interesting.
Usually people bring objects with them and I hear about them, I see them for the first time.
This -- I just saw this for the first time.
It's been on the crate ever since it was shipped to me 'cause I wanted to see it for the first time when you were here -- the person who has this story.
I just want to know deeper, the deeper secrets of how the cauldron affected you and other people around you.
And more importantly, I want to know if the cauldron has some type of a curse, some dark energy that is inside of it.
So tell me how you acquired this.
My grandmother was an antique dealer and collector and would go to auctions.
And this was one of the things that she acquired at o onef her auctions.
So this shovel, this cauldron came from Ed Gein's house.
Yes.
Was there a neighbor that you had that was -- I believe his name was Hollis? -Yes, yeah.
-Tell me about that.
He was a neighbor of Ed Gein's.
And when the discovery of the murders were made, the police were very sick to their stomachs.
[ Retches .]
And they couldn't remove the bodies from whe re they were hanging, and they had to go get a couple neighbors.
One of them was Hollis.
No way.
So the police were too sick to their stomachs to cut down the bodies.
Yep, they knew the people.
Everybody knew each other, so they knew the people.
So, it's like you're watching your friend hanging dead.
You know, I mean, "Oh, my gosh.
" So you're telling me that Hollis went down there to help them cut down the bodies.
Mm-hmm, yep.
And he positively identified the cauldron during that time.
Mm-hmm.
He told me that he's seen that cauldron before, and I go, "What do you mean you've seen it before?" He says, "It belongs to Ed Gein, and that's not the first time I've seen it.
" He goes, "That's his cauldron.
" So I go, "How do you know?" He said, "Because I used to, with Ed Gein's parents, cook hog fat in it.
And he would lift it to take it out of the shed.
" I go, "How can you be sure that that's the same one?" He pulled up his arm sleeve, he goes look at my hair.
And his hair was standing straight up his arm.
First time I've ever seen that.
He was, like, "I can't get near it.
" He goes, "I get to close to it --" He goes, "I just got to get away from it.
" So Hollis says he just seen something that he wishedha tt he had seen for the last time long ago -- that, you know, he was hoping he'd never have to see again.
I remember my first experiences with it as a little boy.
Probably 6, 8 years old, you know, when I was told that it belonged to a mass murderer or a killer.
And, you know, as a young boy, "What's a mass murderer? What's a killer?" Those arthe ings that are in newspapers or on the news.
It's not real life, you know, for a kid.
My grandmother was planting flowers in it.
Your grandmother was planting flowers in Ed Gein's cauldron.
Why would your grandmother, knowing who Ed Gein was, want to buy this? Knowing that body parts were presumably cooked inside of it, entrails stored in it.
Why would your grandmother want to buy this thing? I don't know.
She never had a lot of things that we erin the macabre or mysterious.
My first question was, "Did he cook people in it?" She didn't know if anyone was really cooked in it.
When it was in o gurarage, I would get a creepy feeling from it.
I never felt like I was alone.
You know, you walk past it and, you know, it wasn't a welcoming feeling -- not a warm feeling.
It's more or less a creepy feeling.
ZAK: Although Hollis Brown, the man who personally removed the diboes from Gein's house has since passed away, his son, Carneth, is here who got first-hand accounts of his father's gruesome experience.
Come on in, sir.
Have a seat.
How you doing? I'm doing pretty good.
-My name's Zak.
-It's good to meet you, man.
-Yeah, how's it going? -All good.
Do you know if your dad ever told you about this cauldron or Yes, he did, when it was at my neighbor's -- Daniel McIntyre's.
My dad realized who's it was and where itam ce from and the hair on his arms and his neck just stood right up.
Can I ask, when did your father ps?as How long ago? He passed January of 2012.
-January of 2012? -Yes.
You said that your father would -- his hairs would stand up after talking about this and seeing it in Dan's garage.
He could still vividly remember back to that day when they found Mrs.
Worden's body.
And they had to take her down.
And your father had to help cut the bodies down? Yes.
And that imprinted in his mind and disturbed him still 50 years later, 60 years later? Yes, it did.
Can you tell me about -- your grandmother had a run in wi Ethd Gein personally.
Yeah, 'cause he was trying to take one of my aunts who was, you know, quite on the heavy side.
But my grandma faced him down with a shotgun.
Ed Gein? Yeah, she put the gun right to him and said, "Get out of here or die.
" [ Gun cocks .]
Do you think Ed Gein would've possibly tried to kill your aunt? As crazy as he was, I think he would've.
And your grandmother took a shotgun, aimed it at Ed Gein, and chased him off.
Yes.
[ Sighs .]
I said, "Tell me everything you saw.
" d Anhe told me things.
He said it looked like, in the barrels, there was definitely blood and guts.
ZAK: I am speaking with Dan McIntyre, the man I bought the Ed Gein cauldron from.
We are discussing the deranged details of a neighbor's first-hand account of what was found inside Ed Gein's home.
I said, "Tell me everything you saw.
" And he told me things that he saw that, you know, I couldn't believe.
He said there was a body hanging.
Next to the body, there were two barrels, and on the other side of the barrels was the cauldron.
So there was the body, a barrel, a barrel, and the cauldron.
He said it looked like, in the barrels, there was definitely blood and guts.
I know he was an expert in tanning human skin.
So I know that he would skin the bodies, take the skin, and make things.
This is a list of what the police found on Ed Gein's property when they went to arrest him.
They found whole human bones and fragments, a waste basket made of human skin, skulls on his bed post, a corset made from a female torso skinned from shoulders to waist.
He had a suit made from women's skin so that he could wear it and become his mother.
Bernice Worden's entire head in a burlap sack, Bernice Worden's heart in a plastic bag in front of Gein's pot-bellied stove, a belt made from female human nipples.
Nipples, yes.
Hollis told me he seen that.
A pair of lips on a window shade drawstring, a lampshade made from the skin of a human face.
This dude wames ssed up.
Yeah, there was a couple more things Hollis told me that's not on the list.
The first thing he noticed was a nipple doorbell.
Now that's a piece of information that he told me that I have not read anywhere.
My father cleaned the garage out and there was quite a few people that helped him.
Hollis was one of them, my brother-in-law, mcoy usin.
[ Clears throat .]
You okay, Dan? Yeah.
-What's wrong? -Um, nothing.
No, nothing's really wrong but, it's perhaps coincidental.
But everyone that cleaned that garage out I'd say, at 18 months, was dead.
Some of them could be explained.
My father was old, you know? But Hollis died of cancer.
My brother-in-law, Bruce, died walking up the steps.
That -- he was -- died before his time.
And then, my cousin, Don, he died from a -- I say, surgery complications.
And my mother died -- fell out of a wheelchair and died 10 days later.
I don't know if that energy has anything to do with it, but it's kind of a scary thought.
Was this in the garage when they all cleaned it out? Mm-hmm.
You owkn, it was there.
I didn't want to even talk about it 'cause I don't want to give that thought any energy.
Yeah, you don't want to empower it.
Do you think I can be dinanger from owning this? I think you're knocking on the devil's door, and don't be surprised if he answers.
Do you like being around that cauldron? Does it bother you or no? Umyes and no at the same time.
Why yes? Yes, it bothers because of what happened to those women, and that should've never pphaened.
But no, on the other hand, because I try to, you know keep a level head about stuff.
You know Dan.
How long have you known Dan for? I've known Dan and his family for 30 years.
Do you think that Dan had an effect from this? Oh, yes, I know he did, 'cause he was quite ill for quite a long time.
You believe that he got ill from this? Could be from the negative energy that was coming off of it.
-Mm-hmm.
Are you happy to see Dan not have this anymore? Yes, he's doing a lot better.
There ain't as much negative energy as there was.
-When this was at his house? -Yes.
Dan got really choked up when he started telling me that his family members were cleaning out his garage one day.
Kind of unearthed this from being buried in the garage, and then some things had happened to his family after that.
Yes, his brother-in-law, Bruce, his faerth, and even my father had passed on almost one after the other.
What do you think Ed Gein used this cauldron for? He would use it to take the hearts and livers, blood.
He was known to cook that up for himself.
Mm-hmm.
What is it like now when anybody mentions Ed Gein there? There is still a lot of bitter feelings.
So, talking about him there is not a good thing.
Yeah, 'cause we're always -- we're always joking around that anybody that says anything in Plainfield about him has got a death wish.
Wow.
It's okay to talk about him here though? Yes.
It's possibly because Ed wants us.
Uh [ Sighs .]
ZAK: I just got disturbing news that there has been a last minute emergency with my next guests.
They were supposed to come on the show to talk about a pair of skis that once belonged to Ed Gein, but they cannot make it and have sent their daughter and her boyfriend instead.
How you doing? I'm Zak.
-Hi, Zak.
I'm Derek.
-Nice to meet you.
-Courtney.
-Hey.
So, what the heck is going on here? All that I know is that I was actually supposed to be interviewing your parents.
Yep, my dad and my stepmom, Leslie, weren't able to make it 'cause my sister ended up having a stroke.
So instead of them coming up, they sent us up instead.
-Well, I'm sorry to hear that.
-Yep, thank you.
Do your parents believe that your sister had a stroke in part of why they were coming out here? They think it's 'cause of the skis.
Mm-hmm.
I think it's possibly because Ed wants us.
Uh [ Sighs .]
You mean, Ed wants us to tell hists ory? Yeah.
That's what I feel like.
Well, uh, this is a parallel, because Dan, he's the guy who sold us this stuff -- the cauldron, the skis, the shovel.
When he got the cauldron, he had five family members help him clean out his garage.
When they had all touched it and dragged it out, that's when all five of those family members apparently passed away one after the other.
Wow.
I wasn't aware of that.
That's shocking.
Like, it's crazy to know that just owning an object, you know -- it's, like, we can't definitively scientifically prove this is correct.
Mm-hmm.
But, man, you start adding up all the stories and the timing and then weird things that happen around the objects.
I'm getting into this pretty heavy, you know, with, like, this.
I've always collected things like this, but it's starting to get a little creepy.
You know? Man, how do you -- how do you store something like this? -House the energy.
-Yeah.
Why did your parents still send you? Was it important to them that you told me? Yes, they wanted -- basically, they're giving you the skis.
They don't want them anymore.
-Really? Yeah, they're sending them up here.
I just said, "As long as it's not on my plane, I'm good.
" They're gonna mail them up, and theye 'ryours.
-Really? -Yeah.
They don't want them anymore.
ZAK: I am now told by Courtney and Derek that they have been going to Ed Gein's property and trying to contact his spirit.
DYAR: When we first did any Ed Gein investigations, we took some pictures.
And I had snapped a few shots of Derek.
I asked Ed to stand next to Derek to take a picture with him.
He had felt something come near him.
I'm kneeling on the ground and Derek's just standing up.
What'd you feel, Derek? A presence.
Like, before she took a picture, I'm like, "Courtney, I feel a presence coming on my right side.
" So you two go to Ed Gein's property? Mm-hmm.
You physically call out Ed Gein -- his spirit? And then you feel his spirit? I had captured a mist on camera.
It moves across from one side of Derek to the other.
And then we had turned and took a picture towards the road, and there's the mist.
I jumped 3 feet in the air, screaming, "Oh my god! I seen it with my own eyes!" And it was like Ed had came next to me to see his picture.
Do you regret going to his property and calling him out? -No.
-No? So what do you think this stigma is? Where do you think it's from? Where is that energy coming from, these skis? I find it a strange coincidence to be honest -- going there, getting evidence.
And it's kind of weird how this has all come together.
It's almost hard to puzzle piece in our mind -- like, why us? We've been out to Ed's a couple times.
A couple times? Yeah, every time we're up that way, we go there.
Yeah, we go there.
It's like a religious thing to visit.
And every time you go out there, you're calling his spirit out? Yeah.
Have you ever seen the cauldron? Mnh-mnh.
Well, I wouldn't want to put you guys in further harms way, but it seems multiple times at Ed Gein's house and you say you communicate with spirits and you believe Ed Gein has come through to you.
What would you say if I invited you to go look at the cauldron Let's go.
and also maybe even use the spirit box? I'm down.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
And I don't mean thiths e wrong way.
I just kind of want to see if something is attached.
We'll go, and I'll introduce you to the cauldron.
I think this is all meant to come together right now in this moment.
Let's give it a try.
-Okay.
-Are you ready? -Yeah.
Let's find out.
-Whoa.
-Jay, huy rrup.
ZAK: While we are still setting up for our investigation, I begin receiving massive, unexplained spikes on my EMF detector as soon as I bring it near Ed Gein's cauldron.
Right now, we're getting some crazy spikes in the electromagnetic field all around this.
That's crazy, dude.
Lookit.
It's just pegged.
-It's by his stuff.
-There's a lot.
There's just -- look at that.
That was just an 11-milligauss spike.
That was just an 11 -- ooh, there's another one.
Another 11 milligauss -- let's see wife go away from it.
You getting that, Jay? Just baseline zero, baseline zero, baseline zero.
Put it back over here, and it just goes crazy.
-It's all around the cauldron.
-That is just crazy.
Look at that.
There's an electrognmaetic field all around this cauldron.
All right, this is a good time.
Bring them in.
ZAK: I immediately bring Courtney and Derek into the room so that we can attempt to establish communication with whatever is causing these massive EMF spikes around the cauldron.
We want to try to get some answers.
Let's just go.
Aaron has the SB7.
I want you guys to ask some questions.
I'll ask some questions to Aaron.
Ask some questions.
Let's see if something aisttached to this.
First off, Ed Gein, if you're here, if you're a victim of Ed Gein, we're about to turn on a device that'll allow us to hear your voice.
Do you recognize anyone in here? [ Oscillating static .]
"I'm here, come here --" something like that.
Do you recognize anyone in here? [ Oscillating static .]
I heard a lady say, "I'm here.
" Try it again.
Let's see.
And then you guys ask questions, too.
-Okay.
-This is a microphone that I'm wearing -- a wireless mike.
So I just want to use this to make sure we got good audio with this.
Ed, do you remember me? [ Oscillating static .]
What do you want to happen to the people that own your stuff? Evil.
[ Thud .]
Should we blow the candles out? No, I think we're safe.
We'll keep an eye on things.
Okay.
ZAK: We are with Courtney Dyer and Derek Wagner using the SB7 to try and communicate with the spirit of Ed Gein.
The negative energy that we believe is attached to this cauldron is so serious that Courtney believes it has something to do with her sister's medical emergency.
What do you want to happen to the people that own your stuff? Evil.
[ Thud .]
That was in here, bro.
That was loud.
Whatever that was, it sounded like it was something getting slammed in one of these rooms.
It felt like a door shut or something.
Let's continue.
Hey, did you hear the word evil in there? I did.
What do you want to happen to the people that own your stuff? Evil.
Evil.
ZAK: Is the entity that just said "evil" through our spirit box also the one making this violent, unexplained door slam? What is attached to this cauldron? [ Oscillating static .]
Death.
I heard, "Death.
" It said, "Death.
" -I heard that.
Straight up "death" in that voice! -Yeah, same voice.
-In that same surreal voice.
What is attached to this cauldron? [ Oscillating static .]
Death.
I heard, "Death.
" It said, "Death.
" -I heard that.
-That was crazy.
-That was crazy.
That was crazy, right? Death.
-I got goosebumps.
-Yeah, me too.
What's crazy is is this -- I'm getting chills now.
This is the same female that's come through every single time.
We've had females -- when we went to his property, a female kept coming through to us.
What I'm concerned about is is that Ed Gein used to make female skin suits and wear them to become a female.
So is Ed Gein disguising himself as a female, right? Do you like the fact that other people own your items? [ Oscillating static .]
Can you tell us what state your -- No.
-It said, "No.
" -It said, "No.
" Can you tell us what state your -- No.
-It said, "No.
" -It said, "No.
" It's the same female every single time.
Now e thnext -- the next thing that's happening with these items, it's going to something new -- thisre aa.
Do you like the fact that it's gonna be in this building and a new owner? [ Distorted voice .]
Oh my go dd,ude.
Oh, shit, dude, did you hear that? It goes, "Yes.
" Right after I asked.
Do you like the fact that it's gonna be in this building and a new owner? You're shaking.
I'm starting to get shaky, dude.
I'm starting to shake.
My tailbone hurts.
Feels like I fell on mtay ilbone.
What was interesting to me is how intelligent.
We were getting a lot of intelligent responses.
I want to listen -- And that one voice was intelligent.
It was the same female, but it was answering.
There was that -- you okay, Courtney? Yeah, I just feel sometnghi behind me.
Togeth erwith the EMF readings That was wei.
rd and the EMF readings were centered right here.
Not over here and not over here.
Something is around this cauldron.
And the voices, to me, that validates it.
ZAK: Now that the cauldron will permanently be on display at my museum, I'll be sure to keep a close watch on any paranormal activity surrounding it.
Not only do I like to hear about other peop'sle experiences with haunted items, I also like to share my own.
My museum gives people the opportunity toom ce share personal stories and hear mine.
How's everybody doing? Good? Welcome.
So, we decided to do a little show-and-tell ourselves.
This is an object that I do not keep in my house anymore for good reason.
So, we were filming "Ghost Adventures" at the most haunted house in England called The Ancient Ram Inn.
This very old man, he's in his 90s.
How are you, sir? -Welcome to my home.
When we were there filming, there was a giant fireplace.
MAN: Look at the wall on the left-hand side, you will see the hole where I found the devil worship.
He found a bunch of satanic worship artifacts in the fireplace.
This was sitting in the fireplace, as well.
And so I saw it, and I had to have it.
So I took this, put it in my suitcase, and brought it back to my house -- bad idea.
I put it on a glass case like this down in my basement.
I was upstairs.
I heard a very, very loud crash.
I go downstairs.
This is in 1000 pieces all over my floor.
Something took this thing and slammed it onto the ground.
And it broke into a thousand pieces.
It's all been uegld back together by my mother.
This is just one of many objects that I had inside my house that spirits were attached to it.
This skull, I brought into my house.
Two days later, I got dragged out of my bed.
My left leg raised up, and something was pulling on it.
I was fearful.
I was frozen.
I couldn't move.
There was something doing this.
And a sick part of me was just enjoying it.
After I was terrified, I was like, you know what? I don't think I'm gonna die, but this is amazing.
Here, yes.
I don't wear this at home.
I wear it when I'm here, because I know a lot of these objects.
Yeah, whenever we go and film "Ghost Adventures," I always look around 'cause I collect these objects.
And when we were at the Silver Queen This is Connie, the Silver Queen.
Hi, Connie.
-Hi! she gave me this and she said that this was so cursed that the family that gave it to her, they could not take it anymore.
And so I didn't know what was inside of it.
So, I want somebody to raise your hand, and you get to open this up.
You're first.
What's your name? -Alia.
ci -Alicia.
Okay, do you want to wear this? -No, I wear mine, too.
-Okay, cool.
Okay, we're protected.
So, go ahead and open it nice and slowly.
-Oh, my god! -You jumped.
What it is is we guesstimate around the mid-1900s.
Apparently, somebody took a real human skull and made it into a Halloween decoration.
And I firmly believe that whatever spirit is attached to their skulls are still with them unfortunately.
So, in all reality, this wasn't a show and tell.
This was just an experiment because I wanted to see, when this opened, which one of you the spirit's gonna follow home this evening.
[ Lahtuger .]
So call us tomorrow if you brought home a friend and then come back with your friend.
Thank you all.
-Thank you.
-Thank you, guys.
Feel free to walk around.
My name's Tina Booth.
I'm from Clevedon, England, and I'm the owner of the Crying Boy painting.
I heard the legends of these paintings, never believed them until it happened to me.
It caused two fires in my home, and I'm gonna fly halfway across the world to get rid of the painting.
There'll be no better home than Zak's museum.
I'm guessi ng that you have artwork he.
I do.
Ah.
-The Crying Boy.
-Yep.
Of course it's the Crying Boy.
I'm Zak.
Nice to meet you.
-Hello, Zak.
I'm Tina.
Crying B poyainting -- I've heard about this.
Is our a museum fireproofed? Isn't that what goes on with this? Well, it certainly happened to me, yeah.
You caught on fire? Yeah, my house did.
This is fascinating -- the Crying Boy paintings.
Legend states anybody that has the paintings and put it in their homes, the houses would catch on fire but the patiinngs wouldn't.
That's just about right.
Should we blow the candles out? No, I think we're safe.
We'll keep an eye on things.
Okay, If these cursed painngtis start fires Yeah, you don't want to risk it.
and the painting's aimed at a bunch of fire, are we gonna be baecrbued? Well, if we stay in the room, we should be safe.
Tell me your story.
So, I have a company.
It sells vintage goods online.
And going around the vintage markets, I was talking to my daughter about the myths around it.
So, wait a minute.
So you knew about this curse? I did.
Then you set out looking for the painting.
-Yeah.
-Are you crazy? [ Laughs .]
It's inteserting, isn't it? You know, people like it.
Yeah, people like it until your house getcas ught on fire.
Yeah, that's the only fly in the ointment really, isn't it? Yeah.
So, you go find the second demon boy.
Yeah.
I'm gonna get in trouble for all this -- what I'm saying about it, aren't I? Yeah.
ZAK: The Crying Boy paintings are iconic pieces of paranormal history.
I want to learn more about how this curse started, so I've asked a local art expert to come talk to me about the history.
Brett, you are an art expert here in Las Vegas.
To your right sits the Crying Boy.
-Mm-hmm.
-Okay.
Are you familiar with the Crying Boy? I am, I am.
What's interesting to me is that it's not just the original painting that was infected with the curse, it was these prints that were made back in the '40s and '50s.
Is that right? -Right.
What the legend was the urchin was actually a young orphan whose parents had died tragically in a fire that had been given the unfortunate nickname of Diablo, because everywhere he went, these unusual fires seemed to follow.
Shortly after him sitting for the artist in a studio, the studio burned down under very suspect circumstances.
A lot of people believe that's when the curse was evoked.
If this little boy had the power to start fires, the nickname Diablo, meaning devil, would insinuate that this little boy was possessed by some type of dem oonr Satan or something.
Could be.
There was a house fire in 1985 in England where the entire home was decimated with the exception of this painting.
But I think a turning point in this really, I think, shocked all of Britain is exactly what you said.
It's what made the 1985 newspaper article -- is how entire houses were destroyed, and amongst the ashes, you would see the Crying Boy painting sitting there with not a burn mark on it.
-Right, right.
-And that was, like, "Whoa.
What the hell is going on here?" You collect all different types of art, and I'm sure you have many, many expensive pieces at your gallery.
Yes.
Would you display this in your gallery? Serious question.
-Sure.
-I want a serious answer.
-Sure.
Would you display this in your gallery and leave it there overnight? No.
No.
We wouldn't take that chance.
Your house had a fire? Yes.
Yeah, as I was working with the picture.
-Working with it? -Yeah.
What do you mean working thwi it? I buy my merchandise, photograph it, do research.
So, you put it in your house.
Tell me what happens.
I'd had set up some tea lights in my bedroom, and I was working downstairs on the computer.
And I heard banging from upstairs.
You heard a ngbaing upstairs? Yeah, yeah.
It was, like, a thump.
And then another thump and then another thump.
And I thought, "What on Earth is that?" So, of course, I went up to investigate.
And as I got to the top of the stairs, I could smell smoke.
So, I knew something was on fire at that point.
And I opened up the door, and it was my cat throwing himself at the door to try and get out.
-Are you serious? -Yeah.
So he was running against the door and throwing himself against the door to try and get out.
And what did you find in the bedroom? Oh, it was just completely thick, black smoke down to the floor, and all I could see in the corner -- the whole corner of the room was a light.
It was just plumg ineverywhere.
All the smoke was everywhere.
But it was the fact that I was working on this particular picture at that time.
Same exact time.
And I can remember thinngki in my head, "What terrible pictures.
" I was kind of -- in my head, I was dissing it, you know? -Oh, like ugly? -Yeah.
-Like, just plain and ugly.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
"Why would you have that?" So, you were thinking this in your mind? Yeah, and then I heard the banging and obviously discovered the fire.
ZAK: I wt anto get another perspective on these events from a skeptic.
So I'm bringing in Tina's daughter, Maggie, to see if she feels the events in question were actually unexplainable.
I'm all right.
-Yeah.
-How are you? Let me ask you a couple questions, okay? Are you familiar with the Crying Boy? Oh, yeah autbo the Crying Boy painting.
Mm-hmm, do you like the painting? No.
I mean, they freak me out.
I want you to tell me why.
Well, I didn't like it at all firstly because it was just -- it's just not pretty.
Uh, no.
Don't.
I know you -- just say -- we're gonna say that you were just talking about me.
-Yeah.
-I'm not pretty.
And I dot n'-- I want to say that in seriousness, because -- -Mm-hmm.
-Do you know what I'm saying? -Yeah, yh.
ea -Okay.
Tell me, like, what happened? Well, when I was loading it, she heard a lot of banging upstairs, which turned out to be my cat trying to get out of the room because our room had caught on fire.
Did you ever feel the presence of something? I did feel a bit, like, heavy in the room.
Mm-hmm, so the environment just changed in that moment like something was there.
Yeah.
So, you dissed the painting.
I did diss the painting.
You kind of were making fun of it.
Yeah, that came obviously down off the wall straight away.
I was silly enough to go back and buy another one from a vintage market.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Stop.
Hold on.
You buy the first little boy.
-Yeah.
He nearly buedrn your entire house down.
Yeah.
"Oh, I want gtoo buy a second.
" Yeah.
On behalf of everybody watching, why? They're just rare, aren't they? You know, you see something like this -- they don't come up very often.
And I couldn't pass it by.
This may be the first time where I reject an object.
ZAK: I am speaking with Tina Booth, who believes the curse of the Crying Boy nearly killed her.
So you go find the sendco demon boy.
TINA: Yeah.
And I'm gonna get in trouble for all this -- what I'm saying it about it, aren't I? Yeah.
Less than 2 weeks after buying him, I was in exactly the same situation.
I was writing about him and thinking exactly the same thing -- like, "I don't understand why people like that picture in the first place.
" -Same thing? -Yeah.
So, now you're just waiting for it.
Yeah, but unfortunately my iMac at that particular time blew up.
What? Are you serious? Yeah, that was it.
As you were working on the second one thinking the same thing.
Yeah, it just literally blown from behind.
That was the end of the computer.
wSohat are the odds in that happening twice doing the same thing with the same painting that has the same curse affected to it? Yeah.
That's crazy.
Yeah.
MAGGIE: It was like we did kind of think, "Oh, well, that's a bit of a coincidence, you know?" But as soon as the second one happened, it was just, "Oh.
" So, we did -- I did connect with it.
And It's very unnerving.
Did you ever have anything paranormal happen in the house that you can remember when the paintings came into the house? After the fires, I did.
I did have a few nightmares about, like, fires and things like that, t bunever something you could probably point out.
Mm-hmm, what were your nightmares about? Oh, just about my room being on fire.
Interesting.
What do you ntwa your mom to do with the Crying Boy? Get rid of them.
Did your mom believe all this was real when she originally bought it? No, not when she originally bought it.
I think she's a bit more -- I think she does a bit now.
But she's not one to kind of admit that.
Right, right.
So you're now a full believer in this curse? Yep.
This little boy has not taken his eyes off me since he's sat right there.
-No, he doesn't.
And I've made a few comments to him, and I hope that my building doesn't catch on fire.
And I'm gonna leave the painting with you.
Pardon me? I'm gonna leave the paintings.
Oh, I'm not taking them back.
JAY: You always say you want all the objects.
Here you go.
Oh, I'm -- I'm, uh I don't know what emotion I'm feeling right now.
I appreciate the gift, but how many countless people's houses caught fire from these? -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't know if I'm excited about this 'cause throughout th eisntire building, I have priceless artifacts, objects.
This is a serious moment of hesitation right now.
This may be the first time where I reject -- yeah, an object.
I think it fits so well in your museum.
And you justai sd that you're not leaving No.
with this back to Britain? No, thank you.
It's that serious? Yeah.
ZAK: Billy, I swear to god, watch every single room in this builngdi while we're doing these interviews.
Yeah.
Any little piece of smoke, any little flame that's not a candle, you buzz that red alarm right there -- that red light bulb.
Listen, Crying Boy, I just want to alopogize when I made the little jokes.
Okay, I want to keep you here in this building of mine.
I'm gonna give you your own little room.
I want to make it nice for you.
I want to make it cozy.
Just please, do not light anything in here on fire.
All right.
we'll see if thawot rks.