by Chad Alan

"Rise of Frankenstein: Belgium and Italy"

 

Fortress of Antwerp - Antwerp, Belgium

 

The Fortress of Antwerp was one of the 1st fortresses to be attacked by the Germans in World War I.  Many people died during the battle including 75 soldiers who perished when part of the structure of the fortress collapsed.  The bodies killed in the collapse were never recovered and the wreckage still today lies untouched.  Visitors and curators hear strange banging sounds and disembodied voices.  Full bodied apparitions of soldiers are seen in addition to shadow figures.  The Fort is now partly taken over by Mother Nature and looks forgotten in time.  Army equipment lays spread out in piles in various rooms of the structure and the walls blown out by the Germans still lay unrepaired. 

 

Kris Williams and Barry FitzGerald started out the investigation calling out for one of the soldiers that died during one of the invasions named Alfons, the great grandfather of their tour guide.  They headed right to the area where German grenades collapsed the part of the fortress that took out the 75 soldiers.  Some faint voices got their attention followed by a small light that seemed to flicker. 

 

Paul Bradford and Susan Slaughter set up camp in a hanger filled with army equipment, mostly gasmasks and gas cans.  As they began their EVP session, something pulled at Susan's flashlight twice.  A male disembodied voice seemed to say "Hello" to them and when they headed to that area, Susan noticed a black mass hovering over her head.  They did catch this voice on their audio recorder.  

 

Joe Chin and Scott Tepperman spent their time in the area of a sink hole created by German bombs, where many soldiers are said to have died and were not recovered.  Ghostly apparitions have been reported multiple times in this area.  Joe had a very heavy and sad emotional episode that seemed to come out of nowhere.  The remnants of lost souls apparently had a very strong effect on him.  The two of them would also see strange green lights in the area where the soldiers were buried alive the explosion and wall collapse.  This was caught on their video camera.

 

GHI believed there is paranormal activity occurring in the ruins of the Fort.

 

Villa Di Corliano "Frankenstein's Mansion" - Pisa, Italy

 

Is former owner Teresa Scolastica, who died in 1816, the "dark" spirit guests report seeing or is there something more sinister going on as a result of electrical experiments done on cadavers in the basement catacombs by famed author Mary Shelley as she prepped to write her novel "Frankenstein?"  A woman's voice and apparition seem to be the most common report.  A Chandelier, still hanging from the ceiling, broke apart for no reason and an uncomfortable feeling around the villa causes many to question what is haunting the grounds. 

 

Joe and Scott experienced being touched, heard footsteps, and believe they caught a white apparition in the kitchen/cantina area of the villa. Barry joined them and, while there, something grabbed his ear.  Joe and Scott headed to the catacombs and tried to drill through one of the many walls that had been cemented shut for a reason that could not be explained by the current owner.  The thought was that there may be dead bodies there as a result of Mary Shelley's experiments.  They simply could not dig deep enough into the walls to see if there was anything stored in the once empty catacomb.  Sorry everyone.

 

Barry and Kris continued on to the ballroom where they also believed they saw an apparition followed by what sounded like a footstep, specifically the sound of a high heel on the hard floor.  

 

GHI did not come out and call the villa haunted as there was just not enough evidence but the place itself gets a high rating on the "creepy" scale. 

 

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(Image courtesy of Syfy)

 

Contact Chad Alan at [email protected]