Halloween Horror: A Story of Unexplained Moaning and Laughing

Over 40 years ago, Anne and her friend were having a peaceful and enjoyable Halloween night — until the unexplained moaning and laughing began. Four decades later, Anne can recall that night of terror as if it happened yesterday.

Ghosts and Supernatural Creatures

Some people believe that October 31st, Halloween or All Hallow's Eve, is a time when the space that separates our reality from the dimension of ghosts and the supernatural is at its thinnest. That is why this time of year is given to the obsession and experience with spirits, hauntings, unnatural creatures, and other elements that remain unexplained in our reality.

It Started on Halloween Day

In 1973, when Anne was 16, her younger sister, dad, and she had just moved into a new house that Anne's dad built in a remote area near Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. In this area, there was only one other house a few lots away from them, when they moved in on Halloween.

Anne's dad had to leave town for a little while and gave her sister and Anne a key with the instructions to move their stuff in. None of Anne's dad's belongings were there yet, except for some furniture. Anne got ready to go to a costume party with her older sister, who didn't live with them at the time. She picked Anne up at about 7 p.m. just as it began to snow.

The Halloween Party

Anne met a friend at the party, Jay, and was enjoying his company so much that she decided to continue the conversation with him at her house. They got there at about 1:30 a.m. after realizing they didn't win the costume contest for Anne dressed up as a witch.

Anne and her sister had their own domain downstairs, as the house was huge with two kitchens and more. Jay and Anne were sitting downstairs in the large living room that had windows all around, right at ground level. Where Anne and Jay were sitting, they could see the driveway and the front door. They had one lamp on, and the light at the front door was shining and illuminating the driveway and the room.

It was about 2:30 a.m., and they were sitting on a love seat chatting away. At no time did they discuss anything Halloween related, like the supernatural or paranormal.

The Voice

Suddenly, they heard a voice. First, Anne noticed the tone of the voice was like no other she had ever heard before. Then, Anne noticed what the voice was vocalizing. To her absolute horror, this voice was moaning in a pathetic and horrible way, filled with loud pain and suffering.

Anne remembers marveling at the tone of the voice. It was so different and seemed to come from everywhere at once. Then, just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, it went from this horrible moan to this insane, maniacal laughter. It was absolutely horrifying. Then, it went back down to a moan, back to a laugh, then back to a moan again, before stopping.

Jay and Anne looked at each other wide-eyed and mouths open. "It has to be a Halloween trick someone is playing on us," Anne said.

"Yeah," Jay replied, hesitatingly.

"Let's search around and see if we can find out what's going on," Anne suggested. Jay agreed, so they both went toward the hallway. Jay took the stairs up to the foyer, and Anne continued down the hallway to her little sister's room. Anne opened her door and noticed that her sister was truly asleep. Anne woke her up anyway and asked her if she knew anything about what was going on, or if she heard it. Anne's sister was irritated with her for waking her up but said she heard nothing, which was mystifying considering the volume.

Anne went back to the hallway, toward the living room, as Jay was coming down the stairs. He was as white as a sheet. "I heard it again up there," he said.

"No way," Anne replied. "I wasn't that far away. I should have heard it, too," Anne said. Neither of them found anything to explain it.

No Joke

Anne and Jay went back to the living room and sat again on the love seat. They talked about what happened and affirmed that they both experienced the same exact thing. Then, they changed the subject and tried to forget about it when it happened again. This time, though, the sound seemed to permeate their very souls. Anne and Jay suddenly felt very sad. When the moaning and laughter stopped this time, they both knew this wasn't a joke of any kind, but they weren't ready to admit it to each other.

"Okay," Anne said, "The search is on. We find out who the prankster is or else die trying, right?"

Anne and Jay searched every inch of that house. Outside, no one had come near the house in hours; Anne could tell by the new layer of undisturbed snow. They spent 45 minutes looking in ovens, freezers, lamps, under every table in the house, under every couch, and in every couch, around every chair and corner, and ultimately throughout every inch of that property.

They found nothing and no one, and Anne knew of no one who would even think of such a Halloween prank, let alone who could execute it with such professionalism. Anne described the sound as the most frightening voice she has ever heard, and if by some horrible misfortune she was to hear it again, she swears her heart would stop instantly.

Yet, her Halloween horror wasn't over yet.

Despair and Evil

Anne and Jay finished their search and went back downstairs. They started to discuss the possibility that something supernatural was happening, but then they brushed it off. In some kind of crazy delusion, they wanted to believe that it was really just a joke somehow.

This illusion would soon be crushed. The eerie voice began again. Only this time, it was nothing like the other times. Now, it permeated them completely. Anne and Jay were both completely filled with feelings of despair, hopelessness, helplessness, and pointlessness.

Anne struggled to say something, but couldn't manage it. It felt pointless to think at all. Tears were streaming from their eyes. They both experienced the sensation of their skin crawling.

Anne truly believes that she and Jay were in the presence of pure evil, and on a personal level. When she and Jay snapped out of it, they looked at each other and saw the tears on their faces. When their eyes met, Anne knew that Jay knew exactly what she experienced and vice versa.

A Night of Fear

They also were convinced that this was no prank. By now, it was close to 4 a.m., and they were literally exhausted. Jay refused to leave Anne and her sister there alone, so he slept on the couch and Anne went to her room. Anne spent a night of terror in fear. She was worried about going near the bedroom door because of the image of a creature waiting to kill her on the other side. She felt this was not coming from her mind, though, but rather, it was coming to her from somewhere else.

Anne laid awake until the sun was up and heard Jay awake out in the living room. It was a horrifying experience that she did forget and remembers like yesterday.