Customer Reviews

The Black Hope Horror: The True Story of a Haunting

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
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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.

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.

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.

This book is very good and will give you the creeps!
I do believe this story to be true.
I saw the movie on tv and patty Duke did a great job playing Jean Williams. This is a story about houses built over a graveyard but the people that bought these houses did not know it at the time.
A lot of very scary things happen to them.
I read this book over the weekend and could not put it down.
anyone that wants to read a true ghost story this is it.
A very good read.the movie is called Grave Secrets and it is very good also!

This chilling true story of a haunting will change the way you look at life, death, and life after death. The Williams' family shares their experiences with the supernatural, from the mildly annoying (toilets flushing by themselves) to complete terror. Read this book with the lights on!!

I loved this book!!! You know a book is good when you can't put it down and you bug everyone you know to read it. :) This book hits home for anyone who has experienced similar situations or know of someone who has. Now that I've purchased the book, I am trying to find the t.v. movie that was made..... Thanks!

This one is guaranteed to frighten you!!! I not only read the book, I saw the movie, and the segment on Unsolved Mysteries. I truly believe this is a very true story. This is one that I may even read again.

I have not read the book yet, but I'm planning on it. My grandparents lived in this neighborhood for 10 years and I remember them talking about this family's house. My grandparents are very conservative and old fashioned born and raised in the east. This is not the kind of thing they would usually even give a moment of their time to, unless it held some definite truth and weight to it. They did take it very serious and felt awful for the family. I didn't know a book had been written, I was just browsing through other various books on haunted houses when a reviewer suggested this book. Strange coincidence.

First, let me say that I love that so many of the reviewers for this book were actually local to this area and could contribute additional information. I think that's pretty cool.

Quality-wise, Black Hope certainly ranks up there (and probably exceeds) the gold-standard haunting book, The Amityville Horror. It is full of suspense and excitement, full of terrifying detail and nervewracking uncertainties. Read late at night, it will have you turning all the lights on on the way to the bathroom. Family relationships can get a little confusing at times, as they are introduced in large blocks at once, but persistence in reading will help straighten that out.

I think the book deserves a somewhat skeptical approach, however. The story is set in the early 80's. During that time, the Houston economy was dying its own grizzly death as the "Oil Bust" killed off jobs and crushed the local real estate market. The author mentions the family's heavy debt load - it's not hard to imagine the family taking a unique approach to getting off the hook for an upside-down mortgage. Also, even after the family is seemingly convinced that the evil spirits are able to produce cancer in family members, their daughter brings her infant to the house for daily daycare? It seems she would keep the baby far, far away from the house, no matter what.

Like all good ghost stories, Black Hope Horror provides plenty of chills and thrills while serving as a great critical-thinking exercise.

Shortly after reading this book me and my husband at the time went to visit the Newport Subdivision. After we went to see where all this took place my husband's mother died suddenly, we ended up divorced and my car (that we drove thru this subdivision) ended up with a cracked block and my mother died the same year 6 months later. Coincidence? - Dunno but my advice is to read the book but go nowhere near this place. We saw the water tank and the woods and during broad daylight that place was dismal and very, very depressing and spooky.