It’s one thing when your neighbors suck — it’s another when they’re invisible, angry, and possibly from hell. This week, we’re talking the Smurl haunting and those nightmare-fuel Black-Eyed Children who don’t understand the concept of the word “no.” Buckle up, witches — this one’s pure chaos, so grab your champagne and lets dive in!
Champagne Pairing: Luc Belaire Luxe
A little dramatic, a little supernatural. Glossy black bottle, gold lettering — perfect for an episode that goes from haunted houses to black-eyed horrors.
Wikipedia — Smurl Haunting
All That’s Interesting — The Smurl Haunting: One Family’s Nightmare
Times Leader — “Demon in Home Grabs Our Attention”
Brian Fanelli — “Revisiting the Smurl Story and The Haunted (1991)”
People — Where Is the Smurl Family Now?
IMDb — The Haunted (1991)
Pocono Record — Jack Smurl Obituary & Retrospective
Brian Bethel, Abilene Reporter-News: “Brian Bethel recounts his possible paranormal encounter with ‘BEKs’.” https://goo.gl/BNe9Y9
Wikipedia — Black-eyed children: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-eyed_children
Snopes — Fact Check: Black-eyed children: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/black-eyed-children/
Atlas Obscura — Death as a Child: The Modern Legend of the Black-Eyed Children: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/black-eyed-children-urban-legend
The Guardian — Black-eyed ghosts and giant mutant rats: the scare stories…: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/dec/30/black-eyed-ghosts-killer-cats-terrifying-nearly-brought-britain-to-knees
ITV News — Return of The Black-Eyed Child ghost in Staffordshire: https://www.itv.com/news/central/update/2014-09-30/return-of-the-black-eyed-child-ghost-in-staffordshire/
Reddit (community encounters): https://www.reddit.com/r/ParanormalEncounters/comments/1edemv5/are_black_eyed_children_real/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mrballen/comments/1ie5c9b/brian_bethel_and_the_blackeyed_kids/