The Black Hope Horror: The True Story of a Haunting [Hardcover]

Ben Williams (Author), Jean Williams (Author), John Bruce Shoemaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1991

An account of the haunting of a home describes how Ben and Jean Williams experienced bizarre events--strange markings carved on a tree's trunk, ants, snakes, haywire appliances, and mysterious illnesses--in their new house in Texas. Reprint.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1980 the Williamses, middle-aged parents of three married daughters, bought a lot and built a house in the Newport subdivision of Houston. Soon after they moved in, odd things began to happen, involving not only Ben and Jean Williams but most of those close to them. Besides what could be called poltergeist activity (e.g., the repeated flushing of a toilet), there emerged more serious troubles. Every time they came to visit, the Williams daughters and their husbands, presumably happily married, would quarrel; all three marriages ended in divorce. Five family members died. The Williams' pets behaved strangely, and the family weathered virtual plagues of ants and snakes. Their neighbors, without exception, encountered similar freak events. When it was discovered that their homes were built over a cemetery, some members of the community sued the developer and lost, but the case was recently reopened. For their part, Ben and Jean Williams stayed until 1987, then moved to Montana. Writing here with freelancer Shoemaker, they recreate a bizarre tale that only credulous readers will respond to. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Strange sinkholes opening in the backyard, severe storms confined to one neighborhood, toilets flushing by themselves, televisions turning on while unplugged, poisonous snakes and shadowy images appearing in the darkness--events usually supporting a horror novel but that were daily occurences in the lives of Ben and Jean Williams. At first they loved their newly built retirement home but as the months passed, they became more and more aware that things weren't normal. Marriages in the neighborhood deteriorated, pets died mysteriously, and plants failed to flourish. Most tragically, the Williamses lost three members of their immediate family to cancer and one daughter to a massive heart attack at age 30. Then the couple discovered that their community was built over the Black Hope Cemetery, and they became convinced that spirits were retaliating for the desecration of their graves. The Black Hope Horror is a fascinating and enlightening glimpse into the supernatural--made all the more terrifying because it is a true story. Even the most skeptical readers will be convinced of its authenticity and feel great compassion for these people who survived hell here on Earth. --Katherine Fitch, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA -
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688051766
• ISBN-13: 978-0688051761
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #427,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I live in Crosby, TX and know a little about this, November 1, 2005

By 

Kevin (Crosby, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Hope Horror (Paperback)

The tales are true. poppets way is actually one of the highest spots in the subdivision throughout this district and the black slaves from the cotton plantation in barrett were buried where the "poltergeist house" actually sits. families usually tend to stay there from 6 months to a couple of years and leave becuase of the tales and things theyve experienced while living there. the house is up for sale right now actually. the house next to them dug a underground pool and actually found bones of human skeletons. i recently went to the water plant right next to these houses and there are 8'x3' depressions in the ground where the old graves have sank throughout the years. they have been filled up and have sank time and time again. no lights stay on out there becuase they always burn out. this creepy feeling just comes to me when i see go to the fence. this stuff is true so if u really want to know more about this grab the book and watch house on hauting lane or just ask movie store about the movie made on the newport subdivision in newport.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A tale of high strangeness indeed, March 8, 2003

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Black Hope Horror: The True Story of a Haunting (Hardcover)

There's nothing like a good ghost story, especially when it's a true one, but I must say that The Black Hope Horror is a rather unusual tale full of untraditional, poltergeist-type events. Ben and Jean Williams were the first couple to move into the new Section 8 subdevelopment, but the home of their dreams soon became the home of their darkest nightmares. At first, strangeness came in the form of material things: snakes, many of them poisonous, all over the place (not necessarily unusual), freak rainstorms leaving behind large numbers of huge worms, invasions of giant ants oblivious to hot water cycles of dishwashers, toilets which flushed themselves at all hours of the day and night. Members of the family also often had the feeling they were being watched by someone or something, footsteps began to haunt the halls, and the older and younger members of the family changed significantly in terms of their personalities. Cold spots manifested themselves quite often, and electrical malfunctions of an inexplicable sort began happening. One night, Ben encountered two black forms whose icy, enveloping touch sent him to the hospital with something akin to an asthma attack. Similar events influenced the lives of neighbors as the new community began to grow, although no one communicated their experiences with one another until two decomposed bodies were found buried beneath one neighbor's backyard, thus confirming the Williams' fears about the sinkholes in their own property. The family is shocked to learn that the development was constructed above an old black cemetery.

Assuming this story is true (and handfuls of families don't just leave homes and their investments behind and let their properties be foreclosed upon without good reasons), it is quite an interesting, somewhat nontraditional haunting. Two things about this book pose a small problem in my mind, though. First and foremost is the style of the narrative. This is basically the Williams' story as told to John Bruce Shoemaker, and he writes of these events as if he were there recording everything that happened along the way. Memories, especially negative ones such as these, become distorted rather quickly, and I find the plethora of direct quotations from multiple family members, including some this author never met, somewhat laughable. I think the story would be more believable if it was simply described in standard, objective narrative form. Secondly, there is far too much emphasis placed on peripheral events; I refer especially to the very unusual number of emotional problems, sicknesses, and deaths that affected the Williams' while they lived in the house. I just think too many things are blamed on the "haunting." The fact that a couple visits the house a time or two just doesn't seem to explain the breakup of marriages. While it is quite remarkable to see six close family members die in a period of only three years or so, it does not mean the "things" were causing all of the problems. After all, Jean and Ben never got sick or divorced and they lived in the house for several years.

This is a vivid, sometimes fascinating tale of undeniably bizarre events; there aren't as many goose pimple sections as you might find in a more traditional haunting account, but clearly something of a very unusual nature took place on this area of land that was once Black Hope Cemetery. I don't think this book will change anyone's opinion about ghosts or unduly frighten anyone, but certainly there are elements here of high strangeness that make for a compelling read. Even if you set aside the whole haunting premise, what you have left is a pretty powerful human interest story.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some Scary Stuff!!!!, May 16, 2001

By 

MICHELLE LLORENS (VAN NUYS, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Hope Horror (Paperback)

Okay, this book actually had me spooked! I watch tons of horror movies, and read alot of horror fiction. This is one of creepiest books I've ever read. It's well written and works as a biography of a simple family living in a haunted house. If you are interested in the supernatural in any capacity this is an excellent read.