~ Natalia Radcliffe ~

Do you believe in ghosts? Sometimes we experience things that we just can’t quite explain, the reasoning being just out of reach.

Could the explanation be there, somewhere to be found, or is it something more…paranormal?

That is the question everyone asks.

They do say that Halloween is a time when the border between the living and the dead is much thinner. Something could slip through…

But it’s all just hearsay.

So, get comfy. Light a candle. Set your jack-o-lantern outside. Put on some spooky music, and curl up under a blanket with some candy and hot coco and enjoy these four urban legends that have a home right here in LA and Ventura County.

The Haunted Pacific Coast Highway

The Pacific Coast Highway is a beautiful ride that takes you right along California’s coastline, spanning over 600 miles long. It’s a popular location for a road trip, as you get to see the beautiful blue ocean expanse as you’re traveling to your destination.

But this highway isn’t just known for the views. It’s also gained a bit of a reputation for a ghostly seafarer who wanders along the highway.

Legend says that a pirate named Blackheart Jack buried his treasure somewhere along the California coast, and that his ghost still searches for it to this day. Some versions of the legend even say you can summon him by flashing your headlights three times, but be warned if you do so: it might be your last.

The Legend of the Charred Man

Camp County Comfort Park. Sounds like a peaceful place nestled in Ventura County, a staple for outdoor enthusiasts with its many trials of varying levels of difficulty. Come on, it has the word comfort right in it.

But things aren’t always as they seem. We don’t recommend going into the woods too much. You might run into….unfriendly characters.

Ever heard of the Charred Man? He is rumored to wander around the area, particularly favoring the woods. Consider yourself lucky if you never see him. For those that have had the unfortunate experience, the figure is described to be barely human-looking, long disfigured from being burned until the point of no recognition. It’s a figure that looks so incredibly wrong. If he sees you, RUN. Don’t look back, just jump in your car and get out of there. For if he sees you, he may come charging out of the woods to kill you, a terrifying raging inferno, seeking to curse you to a miserable death of being burned alive.

Don’t believe us? People who have claimed to see this horrifying creature and have miraculously gotten away have reported marks and dents on their cars, a reminder of what their fate could have been.

The Hollywood Sign

Did you know that Prospector Ranch is only a little over an hour’s drive from Hollywood? We’re so close to what many have viewed over the years as one of the hearts of the entertainment industry. For decades, it’s been a place that hopeful budding entertainers have flocked to, praying for their big break, an opportunity that will cement them in the annals of entertainment history. We can think of so many successful entertainers in decades gone by, their names still remembered even if they have since passed away from this life. What if that next person could be you?

Peg Entwistle thought so. She was a young woman in her twenties who came from a Broadway background, and dreamed of becoming the next movie star. You see, in her time, movies with sound were just making it to the big screen. Before, you had silent films, in which a story was played out solely through people’s gestures, behaviors, and physical reactions to situations. Then, a movie called the Jazz Singer came out in 1927.

For one of the first times, people could hear audio in a movie. And this changed everything. Now, people with a background in stage with strong voices could have a chance at the silver screen.

And this was Peg Entwistle’s exact thoughts. She moved all the way from New York to Hollywood, staying with her uncle. The house sat all but in the shadow of the Hollywood Sign. A promising start, right?

It was. Until it wasn’t.

She worked hard, auditioning for roles, hoping someone would see her and give her a chance. But no one did. The summer of 1932 was rough for her, as she did her best to put her name out there and land that dream role that would propel her to stardom. But it never came.

Then fall came around. On a mundane day in September of 1932, she left her house, telling her uncle she was going to meet up with some friends at a local nearby store. That would be the last thing she would tell him. For, you see, that was not her destination.

Instead, she made her way to the Hollywood sign, making the long trek up to the hill where the letters stood tall and intimidating. Using a workman’s ladder that was nearby, Peg Entwistle climbed up the 50 foot tall H, feeling the breeze ruffle her hair, looking out at the expanse of the scenery all the way down below. She stood there for just a moment. And then threw herself from the sign, plunging to her death.

Legend goes that the day after she died, a letter arrived for her, from the Beverly Hills Playhouse. It was an offer to star in the lead role of a play, a chance to make it and become famous! The character she would play was just like her too….a woman driven to suicide.

To this day, people still claim to smell her perfume and see her ghost, with a forlorn look on her face, wandering around the Hollywood sign, only to vanish as soon as you try to talk to her. The many disappearances around the sign and the site for various other suicides certainly adds to the spooky feeling.

California State University Channel Islands

*Original Image:* *https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSUCI-camarillo_state_hospital_bell_tower-schafphoto_%28cropped%29.jpg* *Edited by Natalia Radcliffe*

The final legend we have for you surrounds a local university. California State University Channel Islands to be exact.

What is so special about CSU Channel Islands, you may ask? Well, for one, it was featured, they say, in a little song called Hotel California by the Eagles.

No? Well, it could be its history.

You see, the university wasn’t always an academic institution. Originally, it was a psychiatric hospital known as Camarillo State Hospital, first opened in 1936. Thousands of patients, as well as doctors, nurses, and other staff, lived there. In fact, at one point during its operation, it was the largest hospital to the west of Chicago.

Now, when you first think of psychiatric hospitals, especially in the context of urban legends, your first thought may be of horrific living conditions, of poor patients going insane, all alone, locked away in their rooms. We all have seen the haunted houses or horror movies about those subjects. But this legend has a little different background. Outdoor activities were actually incorporated into treatment programs. Patients were encouraged to grow their own food and look after a herd of cows, known by locals today as the “Scary Dairy”. In fact, to this day, you can still find old, crumbling buildings left over from its time as a hospital.

If you happen to be on campus late at night, you might run into one of these ghosts from the past, of lonely patients still trying to figure out how to function in a world that just seems right out of their reach. There have been many reports by both students and faculty who have encountered these ghosts. If you stand still and listen, you might just hear the faint whispers of patients and staff from years past. Just be careful to not be too influenced by the site’s history and have your mind pulled by the ghosts of the past.

Information obtained from:

https://theparanormalplayground.co/haunted-roads-southern-california/

https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-california-stories-legends/laura-allan

https://venturacountycoast.com/haunts-and-jaunts-in-ventura-county-coast/

https://theparanormalplayground.co/the-haunted-hollywood-sign-and-the-ghost-of-peg-entwistle/

https://www.hollywoodsign.org/history/sign-of-the-times-tragic-suicide-off-the-h