The Anguished Man: a Haunted Painting

The Anguished Man haunted painting
Sean Robinson

The continuing story of an eerie painting that the owner says is the focus of strange and unnerving paranormal activity

Sean Robinson sent in this story to Your True Tales:

The Backstory in Northern England

"My grandmother had this painting in her attic for 25 years. She said it was evil. She told us she used to see the dark figure of a man around the house and at night she heard strange noises and crying. She told me the artist committed suicide shortly after finishing it and that he had used his own blood mixed in with the oils.

"After she died we got the painting; it is currently in our basement. Shortly after we got the painting, various members of the family started seeing the dark figure of a man. At night, we began hearing noises and just recently we have heard crying and moaning.

"The painting is still in our house, and although I never believed in the supernatural, I am now convinced there is something evil about this painting. A video of the painting can be seen here."

A few weeks later, Sean sent this update:

Noises, Crying and a Dark Figure 

"The noises have been getting worse. We have heard crying coming from the corner of our bedroom. We started seeing the dark figure standing at the bottom of the bed, just staring at us. It seems to be a middle-aged man, but his features are not very clear.

"As a former skeptic, I'm very curious so I'm moving the painting into our bedroom. Previously it's been in a cupboard downstairs. I'm feeling apprehensive and a little scared... I'll keep updating."

A year later, there was this update:

Strange Happenings With the Painting 

"I set the camera up once more in the spare bedroom. The painting has been stored away since the last recording. I recorded over three nights for approximately four hours per night, between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. I recorded the usual banging noises, but on the second night at approximately 3.25 a.m. I recorded the painting suddenly falling over and immediately afterward a small orb is visible just above the painting.

"There were no drafts in the room and the painting was stood at an angle against the wall so it should not have been able to tip over by itself. I also experienced the strange mist again at the top of the stairs, it was like I was suddenly surrounded by smoke and I became very cold, but then it just vanished as quickly as it came."

Here is the video.

And two years later, this update:

A Paranormal Investigation 

"I have recently temporarily moved in with my parents and obviously took the painting with me. It was only in the house for a few days when the noises started -- the same noises I had previously experienced. Then on the third night, my father fell down the stairs, the same as my son did at the other house. Thankfully, he was unhurt, but I have now moved the painting back into storage.

"I have been working closely with John Blackburn and Ian Lawman of the Mysteria Paranormal group, taking the painting to some of the allegedly most haunted locations in the U.K., including 35 Stonegate at York and Chillingham Castle in Northumberland.

"It was on the evening of 18 May 2013 at Chillingham Castle that a group of people experienced events that were both terrifying and unexplained. None of the guests were prepared for what was about happen in the early hours of Sunday morning. The room went icy cold when a large, dark figure appeared in the middle of the séance circle.

A large wooden bench banged on the floor of its own accord in response to John Blackburn's questions to the painting, then suddenly the bench was flipped upside-down violently by what was believed to be John Sage, one of Chillingham Castle's resident powerful spirits, who we think was showing his anger to a foreign, uninvited spirit to his castle.

"John Blackburn stated it was the strangest experience in all his years of investigation. there were a least 20 witnesses to these events."

And here is one of Sean's most recent updates