Haunted Hollywood-Part Two

*Years ago I originally wrote the post below as part of my past blog Joy DeVivre Design. In the spirit of the season, I thought it fun to include it here for a new audience to discover! 

In the spirit of Halloween I love a good ghost story…or several. Hollywood is a place in which there is never a shortage of ghostly tales. You can spend hours just visiting the infamous and haunted sites. In fact, that is what I do each time I make a visit there. I originally wrote a post on Haunted Hollywood where you can read about many of the famous spooky landmarks, but I wanted to do an update so as to add some new info.

 

The Los Feliz Murder Mansion

Haunted Halloween
2475 Glendower Place, Los Angeles

 Seeing what could be a gorgeous Spanish revival style home falling into disrepair is odd in the Los Feliz area, where you are more likely to see a random starlet’s multimillion dollar mansion. But with what is known as the Los Feliz Murder Mansion odd isn’t the half of it.

This was once home to the Perelson family, which consisted of Dr. and Mrs. Perelson and their three children. On December 6, 1959, life as the family knew it came to a gruesome halt. Dr. Harold Perelson murdered his wife and severely beat their 18-year-old daughter. The daughter was able to escape the home and ran for help. Help wasn’t needed, however, to stop her father’s wrath as he had helped himself to a bottle of acid and killed himself. The two youngest children, who were also in the house at the time, were unharmed.

 Being that it was Christmastime, like many families, before that fateful night, the Perelson’s had been preparing for the holiday. A Christmas tree was put up. Presents were already being wrapped. But for the family, there would be no celebration.
 

After this horrific crime, it was reported that the children all moved across the country to be with family. The home was sold the following year to Julian and Emily Enriquez. This is the point where the story gets downright peculiar. After purchasing this house the couple never moved in. They also never leased it out and according to many articles written on the home, never took the Perelson’s belongings out. There were reports that for years the Christmas tree was still visible through a window as well as wrapping paper and gifts on a table. After the Enriquez couple passed away the home was left to their son Rudy…who also apparently has left it vacant.

This story leaves so many questions…Why has a home that has been estimated to be worth over $2 million sit completely empty for over 50 years? Why leave the home for years as if the Perelson’s were going to walk back in and get back to their Christmas preparations? Were the Enriquez family too spooked to stay there?

 While visiting Los Angeles in May my husband and I met up with our friend Nikki, fellow Texan and ghost enthusiast. We set out to see the Los Feliz Murder Mansion for ourselves. Once there, Nikki and I were all for running past the tight security, aka a tiny one-inch thick chain across the driveway, to take a peek in the window and get better pictures. Unfortunately, there was a vehicle parked near the garage so we had to deter from our plan. This made my husband happy. He already had written a horror movie in his head in which we were abducted, taken to the house and tortured with meat cleavers. I am not sure how he came up with that scenario, but needless to say, he was relieved that we didn’t play amateur ghostbusters.
 Haunted Hollywood
 

Ennis House

Haunted Hollywood Ennis House
2655 Glendower Ave, Los Angeles

 Directly behind the murder house is the Ennis House. While I have read no reports of this home being haunted, it is of importance to horror movie buffs as the exterior of the home was used for the 1959 film “House on Haunted Hill”. It is also of importance for architecture buffs as it was a fantastic example of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work.

 

Michael Jackson’s Last Residence 

Haunted Hollywood
100 North Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills

Does this gate look familiar? Look closely, because it is likely that on June 25, 2009, you saw this home plastered all over the news. This was the home in which Michael Jackson passed away. If you would like to visit this site it is directly off of Sunset Blvd, which I found strange as I would have expected Michael Jackson to stay far off the beaten path.

Greystone Mansion

haunted Hollywood
905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills

This Tudor-style home, built in the 1920’s was once home to the extremely wealthy Doheny family. With a fortune made from oil, the family was very powerful and apparently just as corrupt. Twisting tales were told of government officials being bribed and then caught for giving the Doheny’s drilling rights to government land, indictments of the Secretary of Interiors, family members fearing having to testify. Then…a murder/suicide of the only Doheny son and heir to their fortune and his best friend in the home on February 16, 1929. The web this story weaves leaves this home shrouded in mystery and some say haunted. 

Haunted Hollywood

 The home is now the property of the city of Los Angeles. The grounds are open to the public daily free of charge. It is a great way to spend an afternoon. Wandering around the manicured lawns you feel like Alice in Wonderland. Then you realize that for many of the wealthy who live in this type of home wonderland can be more secluded and lonely than the lives us regular humans lead. There is a sadness there, perhaps of lost dreams and lives that put money above all else and subsequently lost everything.
 

If you would like to read more about the Greystone Mansion I found a couple articles of interest online here and here.

Haunted Hollywood

The Hollywood Sign

Haunted Hollywood

For a full story on the haunting of the Hollywood sign please see my original post here.

For the purpose of this update, I wanted to fill you in on a viewing location that I never knew about for the sign. I had long heard that one of the best public viewing locations for the sign was the Griffith Observatory. That is a good view, but you can do much better! In fact, wear your hiking shoes and you can get right up to the fence that protects the sign from trespassers.

To get there take Deronda Drive all the way up the mountain until you get to Mt. Lee, (or on your GPS just type in the intersection of the two and it will lead you straight there).  This is a residential area and you will have to find a place on the street to park. Once you are at the intersection you will see an arch over a pathway. Go through it and that will lead you to the trail going up to the sign. If you aren’t wishing to hike the full distance there are great photo opportunities right from the start of the path which is where this photo was taken. If you do want to  do the hike up be careful of snakes as I have heard they are often seen on the trail.

Haunted Hollywood Have you visited any of these sites?  If you know of any places that I have left off the two lists please do fill me in!

62 thoughts on “Haunted Hollywood-Part Two”

  1. Um – this would TOTALLY be something I would do. AND love. Anything with “real” claims of being haunted totally intrigues me! So spooky and fascinating, right?

  2. I love fun tours like this. LA would be a fun spot for it. Savannah has a famous ghost tour too. It’s a fun way to celebrate the time of year.

    1. Kim I have heard that Savannah is a great place for ghost tours. I would love to check that out one day! LA is really great for it as well. There are so many places to see there!

  3. Oh my gosh, months ago I read about the Los Feliz Murder Mansion and how it was for sale. I read about the murder and I remember thinking how no one would buy the house. Fast forward to a few months ago and someone purchased it! Can you imagine?! FREAKY!

    1. Kiley I saw that too!! I could never live there, but I would love to see the inside of the home! I can’t wait to go back and see what they do with the house!

  4. What fun! I loved reading these stories. I used to work with LA schools in the 90s and I know I saw some of these homes. I can’t wait to go back.

  5. I love houses with a history like this, way better than fake haunted houses! Real stories live on with a house long after the residents are gone…

    1. Jena I agree! The real stories intrigue me. I want to know how it is possible for people to still be there after they have passed!

    1. Heather so funny! I am the same way! My friends and I always say the day we find a ghost is the day our ghost hunting stops!

    1. They are super creepy! As you can see we went to see them during the day! Lol! Not brave enough to visit at night!

  6. Oooo just loving all of your pics!!! Hollywood definitely has some neat building with even more neat history to them!

    1. Thank you Courtney!! There is such a rich history in Hollywood that it definitely makes the buildings have their share of stories!

  7. I love this post! Thank you for sharing all of the fascinating Hollywood Info. I have not been there, but hope to make it there some day 🙂

  8. I’m definitely one for scary movies, but this would terrify me! I don’t think I’d be able to survive an experience in one of these places! I’d give myself a panic attack! HA!

  9. That is a tragic story of The Los Feliz Murder Mansion, and also creepy by the fact that nobody leaves in the house for so long. I wonder if you see something spooky from the house when you did the visiting.

  10. I have always found that mansion to have an interesting story behind it. I would love to make the rounds of the Hollywood tour.

    1. There are so many places Robin! We have made up our own ghost tours several times there and there are still plenty of places we have yet to check out!

  11. Being able to see the sights for free in the Greystone Mansion is pretty cool. I am loving all of the different stories.

    1. Thank you Krystle! The Greystone Mansion is one of my favorite sites there. The views are gorgeous and where else in LA can you find something to do for free!? Not may places!

  12. I have never visited any of these locations, but I’d love to visit the Ennis House someday. Especially since it was the exact house used for the classic horror film.

    1. You would love the Ennis House. It was so funny because the first time I found it I was out looking for another Frank Lloyd Wright home and just happened to stumble upon the Ennis House!

    1. Thank you Mandy! If you ever get out there and need any tips feel free to email. There are so many fun places out there.

    1. There are so many stories there. I often wonder if it is due to the fact that so many people go there with such high hopes, only to often be disappointed when their career in the entertainment business doesn’t take off.

  13. Uh, creepy!!!! I’ve never been to this site or the one in your last post, but it’s so creepy!!! Interesting to know a little history/legend on these landmarks!

    1. It is Renee! My friend and I have said we wish we could make a scary movie out of its’ story! With Hollywood remaking the same movies over and over I really don’t know why someone hasn’t thought of making an original movie based on the mansion.

  14. This looks like something I would do visit haunted houses 🙂 It’s scary when you hear the stories behind each home and why they are said to be haunted. Very cool thanks for sharing this!!

    xoxo

    1. Leslie thank you for stopping by! I agree. It is creepy to know why these places are said to be haunted. It really makes me want to understand.

  15. no way no chance! couldn’t pay me to walk into a ‘haunted’ house! my husband though — he’s a different story! i just can’t do the scaries!

    1. Arin funny! You sound like the opposite of my husband and I. He is the one who would rather stay away from those places!

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