The Spookiest House of All Time is Now For Sale
Names like Sleepy Hollow and the nebulously located Elm Street usually come to mind when thinking of notoriously spooky destinations, not Magill, a leafy suburb of Adelaide, Australia. But a massive house in Magill that’s for sale has been making the rounds on the internet this week, and it might be the creepiest home we’ve ever seen. And not in an “awwww, cute, that house is HAUNTED!” way, but like “holy fuck, is an actual axe murderer selling this thing?”
The for sale listing of the property starts out innocently enough: a gorgeous, two-story stone house with a wraparound porch, exquisite tile work, plenty of greenery on the property, wood floors, a deck, a pool… ya know, a regular house, albeit a very large and luxurious one.
But then shit goes haywire starting with photo 11 in the gallery, which shows a room containing several long-haired skull mannequins all dressed in cloaks, including one in a devil mask and one that appears to be a woman passed out on a recliner, surrounded by spiders, bats and bloodied bricks. The 13th frame seems innocent enough at first glance — it’s the hearth room, nice fireplace! — but a framed painting of Alice Cooper on the wall portends what this house is really all about. In what appears to be a cellar, another creepy skull-faced mannequin stares down a raggety doll slumping in a red children’s chair. Not disturbing at all! Guess my invite to the seance got lost in the mail.
The listing for the house boasts “mystery and intrigue” and warns “brave people only, leave the kids at home or keep them supervised,” somewhat sheepishly offering “it’s not for the faint hearted.”
A bit of history on the property:
“Magnificent bluestone Mansion of the 1800’s era, built by William Uren, who arrived eight years earlier from Helston Cornwall. He chose this foothills location for its fertile soil and beautiful creek setting. A viewing deck atop the second storey of the home allowed William to see the ships arriving at Port Adelaide his leather goods he was importing.
…
“The home is now in need of lots of attention. It remained in the Uren family and later by marriage to the Nightingale family, until the current owners acquired the property. Around the 1860’s a further section on the eastern side was extended to provide the Butler’s pantry and kitchen.”
Perhaps the strangest thing about this listing is how it switches back and forth between normal house and axe murderer lair photos like they’re no big deal. Just, “Oh, hey, this is our kitchen, this is where we murder children, and next check out a photo of our dining room!” Even the “regular” photos have an air of creepiness about them, with Shining-like floor-to-ceiling wallpaper and beds that feature ornate steel headboards and footboards. There’s even an old claw-foot bathtub with a friggin’ candelabra above it, and all of these things come with the house.
You’ve really got to see the listing for yourself. The house is up for auction so there’s no knowing how much money it would set you back, but Anthony Toop is the guy to contact if you’re interested in attending the auction this Saturday, September 14. As they say on eBay, happy bidding.
