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Hell House

 Hell House
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 Hell House
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Hell House
 Hell House
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HellHouse
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Hell House is a horror thriller novel written in 1971 by Richard Matheson. It was adapted to film as The Legend of Hell House in 1973.A dying millionaire offers a huge reward to a group of researchers to provide him with definitive proof that there is life after death. He has bought the Belasco mansion, the "Mount Everest" of haunted houses, as the site of their investigations. A parapsychologist, his wife, a Christian medium, and the only survivor of an earlier failed attempt to investigate the haunting all have one week to determine what, if anything, inhabits the mansion.Not related to the later Fighting Fantasy Gamebook House of Hell
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2023-04-16T03:43:10Z
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DBTropes
 Hell House / int_19851b86
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The Sociopath
 Hell House / int_19851b86
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The Sociopath: Belasco was this in his life.
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 Hell House / int_1ad42ecd
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The Glasses Come Off
 Hell House / int_1ad42ecd
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The Glasses Come Off: Ben removes his glasses whenever the time comes to take charge. Uniquely for this trope, he still wears them realistically throughout the film.
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 Hell House / int_31bace22
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Rape and Switch
 Hell House / int_31bace22
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Rape and Switch: Belasco taunts Edith with the idea that her father’s attempted sexual abuse means she’s not attracted to men. (For bonus evil points he does this in Florence’s body).
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 Hell House / int_33ba37ca
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Out with a Bang
 Hell House / int_33ba37ca
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Out with a Bang: Florence dies shortly after allowing Belasco's spirit to have sex with her.
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 Hell House / int_373283c9
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This Cannot Be!
 Hell House / int_373283c9
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This Cannot Be!: Barrett has this reaction after his machine seemingly cleanses the house of supernatural energy, but then starts detecting something again. In the film he actually says, "No! I do not accept this!"
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 Hell House / int_3ae6199a
type
Psychopathic Manchild
 Hell House / int_3ae6199a
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Psychopathic Manchild: Belasco, despite the air of diabolical evil and cold, calculated menace he shrouded himself with, reveals himself to be this. When he personally torments the protagonists, he mockingly mimics his victims' words of anguish, fear and despair repeatedly, like a schoolyard bully.
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 Hell House / int_3ed17fe0
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Wide-Eyed Idealist
 Hell House / int_3ed17fe0
comment
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Florence at first. She believes the spirit can be removed from the house by love.
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 Hell House / int_4b316d47
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Break the Cutie
 Hell House / int_4b316d47
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Break the Cutie: Both Edith and Florence
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 Hell House / int_511728ae
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Magic Versus Science
 Hell House / int_511728ae
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Magic Versus Science: Of a sort. On the "magic" side there's Florence the spiritualist who believes ardently in the supernatural and claims to be a true medium in touch with the spirits in the house; on the other is Dr. Barrett, a Flat-Earth Atheist who is determined to use his machine to either debunk the haunting or end it by purging the house of its electromagnetic energy. In the end it turns out they're both right and wrong: it's strongly suggested at least some of Florence's medium act is a hoax and/or drawing upon repressed portions of her personality, but she genuinely is contacted by Belasco's ghost (albeit in disguise as his supposedly-tormented son), and while the house is truly haunted and it seems as if Barrett's machine doesn't work, it turns out Belasco was one step ahead having sealed his body and thus his ghost in a lead-lined room, thus protecting it from the machine. Also unusually, both apologists in this debate end up dying because of their dedication to their erroneous beliefs.
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 Hell House / int_5735378d
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Haunted House Historian
 Hell House / int_5735378d
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Haunted House Historian: Ben Fischer is sole survivor of a previous investigative team, provides the backstory of the Belasco House, called the "Mount Everest of haunted houses." He relates the evil debauchery that started it all, as well as the dire fates of his colleagues on the earlier mission. Fischer advised the others on the team to do nothing to provoke the forces in the house and wait for the week to pass so they can live and collect their fees. As the casualties mount, Fischer is persuaded/forced by circumstances to take action.
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 Hell House / int_6d332aea
type
Driven to Suicide
 Hell House / int_6d332aea
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Driven to Suicide: When Benjamin investigated the house the first time, a medium named Grace cut her own throat after three days. And Florence slits her wrists with a nail from the profane cross after becoming possessed.
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 Hell House / int_6d89ad1a
type
The Ophelia
 Hell House / int_6d89ad1a
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The Ophelia: Both Ann and Florence in the film take turns with this, both getting the chance to wander around the mansion in their nightgowns - accompanied with loose hair and paranoid ramblings.
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 Hell House / int_85debad9
type
Plucky Girl
 Hell House / int_85debad9
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Plucky Girl: Florence from the start is determined to stop the hauntings and lay the spirits to rest.
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 Hell House / int_8658cd14
type
Agent Scully
 Hell House / int_8658cd14
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Agent Scully: Mr. Barrett in a sense. He comes at life after death from a scientific point of view, rationalising it as leftover energy. This puts him into contrast with Florence, who believes in spirits with unfinished business.
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 Hell House / int_86d4f985
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Doing In the Wizard
 Hell House / int_86d4f985
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Doing In the Wizard: Dr. Barrett's goal, whether by proving the supernatural does not exist at all or explaining it all away as merely electromagnetic energy.
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 Hell House / int_a3a6fdb2
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Room 101
 Hell House / int_a3a6fdb2
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Room 101: The whole mansion qualifies, but several rooms are particularly dangerous, especially the steam room, the ballroom, and the chapel. Just the chapel in the film. It's described as a "church in hell."
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 Hell House / int_a5921a0a
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Haunted Heroine
 Hell House / int_a5921a0a
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Haunted Heroine: Florence has the most common trappings of this, as Belasco's spirit haunts her personally. Ben may have been a male example in his youth.
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 Hell House / int_adfd3165
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For the Evulz
 Hell House / int_adfd3165
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For the Evulz: Belasco was a murderer, rapist, sadist, bestialiast and pretty much everything else just for this reason.
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 Hell House / int_b0855ef3
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No Historical Figures Were Harmed
 Hell House / int_b0855ef3
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No Historical Figures Were Harmed: The unsettling tales of Emeric Belasco's acts of debauchery and evil at Hell House were loosely based on stories involving occultist Aleister Crowley.
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 Hell House / int_b0a529cb
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Extreme Doormat
 Hell House / int_b0a529cb
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Extreme Doormat: Edith, when it comes to her husband, until her experiences in the house, the death of her husband, and support from Fischer help her grow a backbone. In the film, she is a lot tougher.
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 Hell House / int_b11ac9f5
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Abusive Parents
 Hell House / int_b11ac9f5
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Abusive Parents: Edith's father was an alcoholic who once tried to rape her, and her mother instilled in her the idea that sex is inherently degrading.
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 Hell House / int_bdd027c5
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Den of Iniquity
 Hell House / int_bdd027c5
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Den of Iniquity: Belasco spent his wealth and time hosting elaborate orgies at Hell House for the entertainment of his circle of wealthy, depraved friends. Many unspeakable acts occurred behind its bricked-up windows.
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 Hell House / int_bec0417c
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Happily Married
 Hell House / int_bec0417c
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Happily Married: The Barretts have a loving, supportive relationship.
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 Hell House / int_c3c18143
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Hope Spot
 Hell House / int_c3c18143
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Hope Spot: in the novel, it seems like everyone might get out of Hell House. Florence is sedated and Barrett is calling for an ambulance to pick up Florence and Fischer. But the death of their benefactor leads them to be stranded, leaving Florence easy prey for Belasco.
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 Hell House / int_c660bc15
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Fan Disservice
 Hell House / int_c660bc15
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Fan Disservice: Pamela Franklin shows plenty of skin in the film. But it's only after she's been clawed by a cat and given some nasty scratches.
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 Hell House / int_ccfc0535
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Letting Her Hair Down
 Hell House / int_ccfc0535
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Letting Her Hair Down: Ann and Florence are shown with their hair down more often as the haunting intensifies.
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 Hell House / int_ce6555f0
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Lighter and Softer
 Hell House / int_ce6555f0
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Lighter and Softer: Downplayed. While as scary and dark, the movie is not as openly gruesome and filled with sexual content as the novel.
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 Hell House / int_cf1b706e
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Flat-Earth Atheist
 Hell House / int_cf1b706e
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Flat-Earth Atheist: Both subverted and played straight with Dr. Barrett in the novel. He believes in the haunting, but only as impersonal kinetic forces which react to nearby psychics or mediums. He flat-out refuses to believe in ghosts or possessions though his disbelief in the supernatural ultimately dooms him.
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 Hell House / int_d080f396
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The Napoleon
 Hell House / int_d080f396
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The Napoleon: Emeric Belasco turns out to be this—to the point that he actually had his legs sawed off and replaced with prosthetics to make him appear as an abnormally tall giant instead.
 Hell House / int_d080f396
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 Hell House / int_d08595d3
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Broken Bird
 Hell House / int_d08595d3
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Broken Bird: Florence after going through the horrors of Hell House. Also Fischer, who has returned despite barely surviving Hell House decades earlier.
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 Hell House / int_d0c30f35
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Did I Mention It's Christmas?
 Hell House / int_d0c30f35
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Did I Mention It's Christmas?: Takes place between December 18 and December 24, but the only mention of the holiday comes in the very last sentence of the story, when one of the characters wishes another a merry Christmas. (The film adaptation The Legend of Hell House keeps the same datespan, but omits any reference to Christmas at all.)
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 Hell House / int_d129e13e
type
"Eureka!" Moment
 Hell House / int_d129e13e
comment
"Eureka!" Moment: Fischer figuring out both of Belasco's secrets thanks to some seemingly random words and phrases from a recording of one of Florence's earlier seances.
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 Hell House / int_d794d419
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Slap Yourself Awake
 Hell House / int_d794d419
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Slap Yourself Awake: After Florence Tanner becomes possessed by an evil spirit, she begins biting on her hand so that the pain will allow her to briefly regain control.
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 Hell House / int_da53340
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Religious Horror
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Religious Horror: Invoked with the chapel and particularly with Florence's rather disgusting and audacious fate there.
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 Hell House / int_db71d717
type
Thanatos Gambit
 Hell House / int_db71d717
comment
Thanatos Gambit: Emeric Belasco, the sociopath responsible for the massacre at Hell House and its subsequent haunting for decades, sealed his legacy by forcing himself to die of thirst in a hidden lead-lined chamber, having correctly predicted that this would prevent his spirit from being dispelled by EMP. It's also suggested that dying by sheer willpower in the chamber is how Belasco managed to become such a powerful spirit.
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 Hell House / int_dc057cf3
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Adaptation Name Change
 Hell House / int_dc057cf3
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Adaptation Name Change: Edith in the book becomes Ann in the film.
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 Hell House / int_dda12cb3
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Cat Scare
 Hell House / int_dda12cb3
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Cat Scare: Of course this time the cat is what ends up attacking.
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 Hell House / int_dda99fa8
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Despair Event Horizon
 Hell House / int_dda99fa8
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Despair Event Horizon: Florence passes hers after being possessed by Belasco.
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 Hell House / int_df410b77
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Decoy Protagonist
 Hell House / int_df410b77
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Decoy Protagonist: In the film, There ends up being two: Florence Tanner and Dr. Lionel Barrett. Their conflicting methods of dealing with the spirits put them both at odds, and much of the film seems to be focused on the power struggle between them, and there seems to be a clear course in the film showing us that one is right and one is wrong. When Florence ends up getting assaulted, possessed, and killed, the focus shifts solely onto Barrett's plan, and his machine to clear out the paranormal energy. Also, his plan seems to WORK. Then, as Barrett celebrates his victory and checks his notes by himself, the spirit returns to trigger his equipment and he loudly expresses his disbelief before he winds up getting killed by the spirit as well. The narrative then makes Ann a neutral female and brings Ben Fischer into focus, and after spending the majority of the film closed off to the psychic energy and seemingly there to just collect the paycheck and leave, it's him that finally winds up figuring out Belasco's secret and defeating Belasco's vengeful spirit in a Reason You Suck confrontation. He even notes to Ann after it's over that Florence and Dr. Barrett each had one part of the solution, but not the whole, but says that it was their efforts that helped him come to the complete solution to defeat Belasco.
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 Hell House / int_e34400ab
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Ambiguously Gay
 Hell House / int_e34400ab
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Ambiguously Gay: Edith in the book. While she does genuinely love her husband, the only non-Belasco-induced attraction she experiences is to Florence, and at one point she's afraid that she chose to marry Barrett because she knew he's impotent. Belasco also uses her fear of "having lesbian tendencies" to manipulate her into trying to seduce Ben twice.
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 Hell House / int_e92841f
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Talking the Monster to Death
 Hell House / int_e92841f
comment
Talking the Monster to Death: How Fischer defeats Belasco, by means of a "The Reason You Suck" Speech. Much better and more epic than it sounds.
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 Hell House / int_f33ff01c
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Adaptational Context Change
 Hell House / int_f33ff01c
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Adaptational Context Change: In the book, Edith and Lionel have a Sexless Marriage because he's crippled, and it's suggested Belasco's ghost has her seduce Ben as a way of driving a wedge between her and Lionel. In the film, none of this subtext is there and the Barretts have a happy marriage. It instead looks like Belasco does that to Ann For the Evulz.
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 Hell House / int_f9439c84
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Haunted House
 Hell House / int_f9439c84
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Haunted House: "The Mount Everest of Haunted Houses"
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Hell House

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

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Electromagnetic Ghosts / int_9292ae76
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Room 101 / int_9292ae76
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Sauna of Death / int_9292ae76
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Slap Yourself Awake / int_9292ae76
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Spiritual Adaptation / int_9292ae76
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Thanatos Gambit / int_9292ae76