Customer Reviews

The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

First of all, as someone interested in the paranormal for most of my life, I must say that this is a frightening story indeed. However a few things bothered me. This first thing may be small, but I am a stickler for consistency. The eccentric landlord was an old woman in the author's account of his experience when he posted it online. In the book, the landlord is an eccentric old man. Is it a man or a woman?

I looked up this home in some of my most haunted places in America books but none of them contain even a mention of this house. I googled The Screaming House in Union, Missouri among other variations, and the only information that came up was connected to the author and his book or show. DOesn't anyone else know about this? Former tenants who left so fast that their personal belongings had been left there? How about some impartial witnesses outside the author's circle of family & friends? Amazingly, there is absolutely no local lure, like the people that walked on the other side of the road from the house. Did any neighbors hear the loud banging and the screams? Did any neighbors see or hear the hooded dark creatire or the wolf creature? Were the police ever called in to witness any of these phenomena?

I wish the author could have included some photos. Especially when he went back to help the other tenant and put his own fear aside to help her. He spent countless more hours in the house after he moved out and even worked with paranormal researchers - but he did not offer any photos and as far as I can see, did not try to set up a video camera to capture any of these strange creatures.

I applaud the author for getting his kids out of there as soon as he did. He seems like a very good father, and his vulnerability and honesty made him a likeable storyteller. I do believe there was something there, but demonic hauntings need to be dealt with differently than your benign can't-seem-to-cross-to-the-other-side spirits. I thought it was exceedingly dangerous for the author to go back to the house to help the next tenant, even if his intentions were good. Demons like this can attach themselves and go right with you.

I also do not think it was entirely responsible of the author to imply that a person who does not go to church or does not believe in Christianity is more susceptible to be the victim of a demonic haunting. Based on my understanding, it is more a circumstantial event, usually based on something that happened on the property itself in the past as I thought he was getting into as he dug into the history of the location a bit.
The one thing that made me most skeptical however was HOW COULD THE NEW TENANT POSSIBLY STAY AS LONG AS SHE DID?? She too had kids to be responsible for. The brutality of the events - biting, sexual abuse, and extreme dangerous situations, causing eventual possession (and/or mental illness, however you interpret what happened to Helen), would have driven anyone out in days, or weeks, like the author and his family. To stay and endure that sort of haunting for years, and have it destroy your entire family right before your very eyes, is beyond crazy. NO matter how much they "couldn't afford" to move, in my opinion, that family couldn't afford NOT to.

So it was a very intriguing and scary book - but more collaboration with impartial witnesses, as well as possibly some photos or video, would bolster the credibility factor a lot. Three stars.

BOOK REVIEW by Miss Teddy Skyler. www.GhostFIREHaunts.com
THE UNIVITED
By Steven A. LaChance
With Laura Long-Helbig


Before I read this book I had heard it was Terms of Endearment meets Poltergeist. That is a fairly close assessment. It is clear that Mr. LaChance opened his heart when he sat at his computer to write. You clearly see his sincerity and his nature in its reading.

The Preface, which people often skip is not to be missed. It sets the stage for what is to come. It is reminiscent of the campfire stories you hear as a child. and will have you questioning what you think you know. Mr. LaChance writes as if he is speaking sincerely to your soul. The Preface alone draws you in. Skeptics beware! This is a Skeptics story, the story of a haunted survivor.

The story begins as a typical small town story complete with all the trappings of a typical small town life. Childhood dreams of escape give way to marriage, birth, death and divorce. This story is about a single father of young children doing what all single parents do after divorce. They struggle to provide stability to the now rocky foundation of their children's lives, they work to overcome the pain and put their lives back in order. Sometimes it's a very long road. And when you see a light at the end of a tunnel you grab it and think that now, finally, you are on the right track. In this case, it was an ad:

Three bedroom house for rent in Union, Missouri. Full in town living. Near most schools and the city park. Perfect for families. A full country kitchen with up to date amenities. Large living and dining area with original woodwork intact. Two bathrooms with mud room. Full basement with fruit cellar attached. Large front porch and backyard perfect for children. The right house, at the right price, for the right family.

Finally, the break they have been wishing for, a house, with a yard, individual rooms and room enough for everyone to have their own space, a real home. The nightmare started the same day they first stepped foot onto the property. What happens to Mr. LaChance, his children and anyone unfortunate enough to come in contact with the house that is "perfect for children" is nothing short of out and out war . Steven states that hind site is 20/20 and he should have known better, but that was when he was blissfully ignorant of the world of demons, and demonic possession. Once you start The UNIVITED will find yourself amazed at the strength and character of the oldest child, Lydia.

In May of 2001 Steven LaChance stepped from his vehicle along with his young daughter and two sons to appraise the house they sought to call home. The two-story house seemed to be appraising them as well, looking down at the family from behind two sentient oak trees.

... The right house at the right price for the right family...

For the father of three, he certainly hoped so. The spacious three -bedroom home would be a welcome respite from the cramped quarters of the past and the large yard was perfect for his growing and rambunctious boys.

"Now, you do understand the responsibility that comes with living in an old house such as this?" The eclectic landlord posed.

"Oh, yes. I understand. It's beautiful," Steven replied.

But Steven couldn't possibly understand what lay in wait for him and his family, no one could before him and no one did after. For $600 a month the historic Union house was a dream come true... a dream that quickly transformed into a living nightmare within a home owned by the dead...

The Uninvited is the harrowing true story of Steven LaChance, his family's tenure in the Union house and the triumph of a woman who would become a close friend to LaChance and an unwitting victim of the house that screamed.

As a paranormal investigator and collector of books based on first hand accounts of violent hauntings, The Uninvited is one of the most well written and informative tales of such an account put to print today. From the enigmatic history of the town of Union, Missouri to the phenomena experienced by both the author, his children and the family that would occupy the house afterwards, is nothing short of amazing.

The Uninvited and its portent will not be lost of the casual reader or student of paranormal study. From black figures stalking the darkened halls at night to the appearance of phantom wolves, psychological attacks as well as sexual assaults, this book will keep your hands glued to its pages and asking yourself whether or not you turned off that light...

From fear and despair witness first hand the transformation of one man, a loving father of three to a warrior willing to risk his own sanity and emotional wellbeing to wade back into the murky waters of the goings on at the Union house in order to save more than one life...

Arguably one of the most terrifying books written about one of the most vicious hauntings in modern history, The Uninvited is as much about spiritual redemption and responsibility for your fellow man as it is about the evil whose roots burrow deep into the earth beneath the cellar of the Union house...

However, if such "fiction" does not sway you, there is a three-bedroom house freshly painted for rent in Union, Missouri some fifty miles south-west of St. Louis.

...A "lovely home, just full of historic charm."

It is a home most suitable for children.

The elderly landlord will make that clear before you ever sign the lease.

I expected a lot more from this book after reading the description. HOwever, there are many holes left in this story of a haunting. One is a history of the Union HOuse. "It was built in the 1930's" is about all the history we get about it...no historical view of who lived there, who they were, what events transpired to make the home so disturbed.

Secondly - the author never once approached his neighbors in the account to ask them of their impressions of the house - despite watching them cross the street each time they passed the Union HOuse. He lived in it for a few days with his kids and then left (understandably from his accounts of happenings in the home), but never once tried to dig into WHY the place was as it was, and what his neighbors knew...

A spooky read, but I've read far more convincing accounts of the paranormal that research the history of their locations that explain why the place may be disturbed...other than "a vortex in the basement"

Entertaining - yes. Convincing - not 100%.

First off, I want to say that I believe in ghosts and have some some experiences I enjoy reading paranormal books, but this was so over the top, it was kind of comical.

The plot is simple. A guy and his family moves into a "haunted" house, then moves out, and someone else moves in, and the author tries to help them. The author thinks that everything that happens in the book is due to a demon. Not a ghost mind you a demon. First off, demonic hauntings are very very very rare.

As I was reading this, it reminded me of any episode of a TV show called, "A Haunting", and trust me, it's not a good things. I did a amazon search of this book to see if anyone else felt that way, and it turns out it *was* an episode of A Haunting! So right off the bat, it has a major cheese factor to it.

The author claims that he's lived in other haunted houses, but none of it is really explained. As the reader, we're told, "We found out later a woman died in our old house". What? You offer up something like that, and don't add anything to it?? Are you kidding me? Okay, I can deal with it. I had other problems with this book.

The author claims things are "true", even things he's never seen. Here's an example, on page 39 the author states, "As I drove away, I didn't notice that the lights in the house were coming on, one by one." Um...okay....if he didn't notice it (his words) then how did he know it happened? That's kind of hard to do.

Another thing that bothered me about this book is he never really did any investigation on the home, or contact the previous owners. Heck, he didn't even talk to the neighbors. We read that the neighbors wouldn't walk across his house, always crossed the street, and Steven (the author) and his family noticed it, and they don't ask why? Or they don't ask the neighbors what they've heard about the house? It's the first thing I'd do. Steven said that when he did do (a very small) investigation on his house, he said that the courthouse was "hiding things". What on Earth would they do that?? For what purpose? It doesn't make sense for them to do that.

He blamed the fact that he couldn't sleep at night on the house. I feel that it's just the stress and his subconscious comeing through. I mean, he's going through a lot (his sister died, and his wife left him) and he thinks he and his kids are living in a haunted house. Of course it's going to weigh on his mind. That's normal. He even blames "demons".

Okay, he moves out of the house and into a new one, one that's ghost and demon free. Someone then contacts him and said that someone is living in the house and asked if they could drive by their old house. This is that part that just threw me. Why would someone ask for Steven's okay to drive past a house that he moved out of? Okay, so the woman drives by then contacts the new homeowner, and the new owen wants to contact Steven. So Steven calls her and they've had the same stories. He said he's help her out. Then said, "the house drew me back in." No, the house didn't, Steven contacted the owners. The house didn't make him.

I could go on and on about this. It's just pointless. I doubt its' true and things have been blow out of porportion. Heck, this even has demonic possession of 4 people. UG!

The writing is silly at best. On the moving van that Steven and his family rented had a "dinosaur boldly painted on the side." Oh please, give me a break. Oh, I can't forget this jem, "My negativity was my ticket to the dance."

As I said, I could go on and keep talking about how silly this is, but I don't see any need to. Over all skip it. I picked it up at the library, and I still feel cheated borrowing it.

The first two thirds of this book was very interesting for someone like me who's interested in paranormal phenomena. I got a creepy vibe about the relationship between the dad and his daughter, like there was too much of her trying to step in for her absent mother. Those bits could have been left out, but I looked past them, since this family had been through some obvious emotional trauma before even moving into the haunted house.

What got me was by the time Steven and Helen had so many people in and out of the house that got such interesting results, and Helen really started losing touch with reality, that no one thought to get her out of there. It felt like things were purposely strung out for dramatic effect. Once she started cussing around like the girl from the Exorcist movies, I was too overcome by cliches to take things seriously after that. It stops being scary and quickly crosses the line over to stupid. Combine this with the lack of any other evidence about this house, I have a hard time believing that this book isn't in the same vein as many of the recent cases of fraudulent memoirs.

Was the house haunted or possessed? Why aren't there other accounts by other people about this house available? Where is this Mr. White? There's just too many holes to recommend this book to anyone.

Even with a co-author who's supposedly an English instructor at the college level, Mr. LaChance's written story of his encounters with the Union House, are so badly related that this book is a lousy read. There was no real narrative, making the book read like an outline, or a list, that had generic verbs (often not the correct tense) jammed in to make thought points into sentence form.

I was drawn to this book after viewing the episode of "A Haunting" that featured Mr. LaChance's story. I was excited to read the unfiltered, un-dramatized version of the story. It was great to get the real details, but the writing was so poor, I can't give this book more than one star.

Wow.. I have to confess this one left a stain on my brain from the first chapter to the last. Now, I'm not going to mention any details to the story to prevent semi- spoilers, but, I will say that the "Landlord" of the Union House is one of the most creepy characters I've read about in a long time. Steven Lachance offered a very entertaining account of what might of transpired in the Union Screaming House, not only with himself but with the tenant(s) after him.. This one should be read in a quiet, dimly lit room where there are little to no distractions- it's that good. It'll keep you up, and build a slight paranoia that true horror readers exceedingly enjoy. It actually scared me a few times. 5 stars! I think I'll reread this one in a couple of weeks.

~Sot

I was really looking forward to reading this book, what with all the great reviews it received. I was SO disappointed. It is just so hard to believe most of this story. Perhaps in the hands of a better writer...??
I don't know. Everything from the weird and wacky landlord to the wolves with the yellow eyes out in the street to the baby hanging in the tree just doesn't ring true to me.

What is so hard to fathom as well, and what another reviewer mentioned is why would Helen, the second tenant of the "screaming house" stay for heaven's sake? If all these horrifying events were really taking place, would anyone in their right mind stay? Most people would run and they wouldn't care to where as long as they could get away from the place. Not having the money to move is a lame reason when the husband has what sounds like a good job. If I awoke to find myself having a conversation with a black hooded entity, I would get the hell out as soon as possible. Wouldn't you??!

I tried to find the "screaming house" on the web and I also couldn't find any pictures or info on it. If it was so infamous in the neighborhood that everyone who walked by it would cross the street as they passed it, wouldn't there be some pictures, info, etc??? It just led me back to the author's cheesy website.

Not recommended.

I have a tradition of buying and reading a "true ghost story" every year right around Halloween. This was my selection for 2008, and I was not disappointed. I found the first half interesting and scary, as the author and his family move in and start experiencing terrifying events. Once he moves out, things start to get a little silly. The misfit group of paranormal investigators doesn't ring true. His friend Helen's willingness to stay in the house, despite an incredible array of horrifying events really strains credulity. I know that when I buy a "true ghost story," I need to be willing to suspend disbelief a bit. But all of the events involving the subsequent owner make that very difficult. This is made even harder by theatrical elements that have no place in a supposed first-person account. For example, the author goes alone to meet the landlord and sign the lease on the house. That scene concludes (pg. 39 in my copy of the book) with: "As I drove away, I didn't notice that the lights in the house were coming on, one by one." Ok, this might make a creepy scene in a movie, but it doesn't make sense for a lone narrator to be describing something that he doesn't notice.

I'm giving it four stars because I was looking to be scared and entertained and this book delivered on that. If I required it to be a believable first-person account of the paranormal, I would have rated it much lower.