The Snedeker Family! Ep.75

[00:00:10] Right then guys, welcome back into The Spooky Shed. This is your go-to place for conversations around all things weird, scary and of course spooky. And you'll never fucking guess what listeners, he's only fucking back again. Billy you twat, where the hell have you been? Hello! I have been busy. I'm busy mate. As per usual. But I'm here, I'm here. I'm here for a good few episodes and hopefully all the rest that remain.

[00:00:39] Fingers fucking crossed. Yeah, we had a bit of mishap with Wi-Fi installation and all that shite and Mrs. has been struggling and all the rest of it. So yeah, if you listened to the last podcast, I probably explained the same situation then so it's not far away from that. But I'm here, I'm here. And you're in the shed for the very first time. And I'm in the spooky shed for the very first time. What do you reckon? I love it mate, I love it. I don't like the idea that there's going to be spiders in here at some point.

[00:01:08] No, I'll be fine, don't worry about it. It won't be fine if they're in here. I'll have to bring a citronella candle with me every time I arrive. No, you're not bringing any of that shit in here. Fucking am, or I'll do it through you out the window. No, but I like it. I think it's good. No, it is nice. It's a nice space as well. It's not like a tight little shed. Exactly. It's a good size. And yeah, you've already got some bits up. Aye. Yeah, it's looking good mate. Happy days, happy days. Well you can put some bloody money into it now and buy a few decorations.

[00:01:35] Yeah, well I want to mate. I've been looking at it the whole time thinking, I want to put that there, I want to put this here. Right mate, I've got a joke for you. Oh dear. Why do demons and ghouls always hang out together? Because demons are a ghoul's best friend. It's such a... That's perfect humour for you guys. It's so shit it's funny.

[00:02:04] See, ghouls best friend. Make from that what you will people. That is Liam's humour in a nutshell for you. Oh yeah, I should probably say something though, shouldn't I? Right then mate, so today we're... It's not an old school episode really, because obviously I've been doing a lot of guest episodes without you. So this is just going to be me telling you about a story. Oh, that's cute. Aye, well it's not. Not what happens in it anyway. So have you heard of the Snedeker family?

[00:02:34] The what? Snedeker family. Snedeker family. Aye. Can't say that. Have you seen the film The Haunting in Connecticut? Yes. Awful. I enjoyed it. I thought it was dog shit. The newer one? No, it was like 2009 or something. I mean, yeah, but there was one that was a lot older than that, wasn't there? I don't know, wasn't there? Yeah. Fair play. Nice to me. All I know is it was shit. I didn't mind it, to be honest. I wasn't a fucking fan of it, to be perfectly honest with you.

[00:03:00] Basically, I'm going to tell you the true story of that, because the film was nothing like what actually happened. Yeah, yeah. I mean, obviously there was some similar ones. I think I know quite a bit about this, to be fair, so this will be interesting. Right then, mate. So we're going back to 1986. So the Snedeker family moved into their new home in Southington, Connecticut. But two years later, the family would leave the house telling stories of shocking paranormal activity.

[00:03:23] The Snedekers were desperately searching for a home to rent in the area so their son Philip could receive treatment for his Hodgkin's lymphoma. At the nearby Yukon Hospital. The house on Meridian Avenue seemed like a perfect fit and the Snedekers rushed to move in. What seemed like a lucky and quick find turned into a nightmare once the family began experiencing paranormal activity. They reported seeing and hearing unknown forces being attacked in their sleep and even experiencing violent personality changes.

[00:03:56] That's one we haven't come across a lot, really. What's that? The experience? Personality changes. Yeah, so, I mean, it's one of the defining factors that normally happens before possession. Yeah, but that's what I was just going to say. That's more along the lines of possession, I think. Yeah, yeah. But, I mean, I see it like, for example, when we did Kirky, I think you had a massive personality change. Massive. You were a lot more open because you were exposed, in a sense.

[00:04:25] Not maybe a violent one, which is a good thing. Well, no more than I already am. No, no more than you already am. I can't speak, but yes. But yeah, no, I've heard of that. Yeah. Right there, mate. So, this is the true story that inspired a terrifying Hollywood film. Well, it wasn't terrifying because like I've just said, it was shit. Really didn't like that movie, did you? No, bollocks. Absolute horse shit. Right then, so the Snedeker family were like any other middle class American family.

[00:04:53] They were comprised of Carmen Reed, her husband, Alan Snedeker and their four children. Philip Bradley, Alan Junior. Never understand that. If you're a bloke and you want to name a son after yourself, don't wait until the third one. For God's sake. And then Dr. Jennifer. Right, yeah. And Carmen's niece, Tammy, also lived with the family. At a young age, Philip was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the body's lymphatic system.

[00:05:21] I'd have loved to have seen you try to say that. Because of Philip's diagnosis, the Snedeker family often had to travel long distances from their home to the Yukon Hospital for treatment. Eventually, the family felt that it would be better to move closer to the hospital so that Philip would not have to suffer through long and often painful car rides. The search began for a home large enough to house the Snedeker family and soon they found what they were looking for at 208 Meridian Avenue.

[00:05:50] The five bedroom, two bathroom home provided plenty of space for the family and so on June 30th, 1986, the Snedeker signed the lease and moved into the home. Right then, mate. So, the disturbing history of the Southington home. So, the moving process seemed seamless for the Snedekers. The children picked their bedrooms with minimal arguments and the family loaded their belongings into the house smoothly. Everything seemed normal until Carmen made the disturbing discovery in the home's basement.

[00:06:21] I want to recall, I just want to check if I've got this right and if I've got the right story here. This involves slavery, doesn't it? Going back to those times. No, I think that was just what they'd done in the film because it was shit. So, it's not based on the real events? It's one of them, it's loosely, isn't it? Right, okay. It's like curl runnings. Yeah, yeah. The only thing true about curl runnings is that there was a Jamaican bobsled team. Anything else that happened in that film did not happen. Yeah. Apart from there was a bobsled team from Jamaica and they crashed.

[00:06:51] Yeah, fair. There was no kissing lucky eggs in a note. And again, I'd like a basement. Just because I enjoy the word, I've said it before, I don't know why. Oh, right, okay, yeah, that's different. I thought it was going to be the space and the spooky element. Oh, it would be, but I like the word. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I don't know why. I have a basement. Yeah, exactly. Where are you going? I'm just going down the basement. Serial killer.

[00:07:19] No, I'm not killing anyone down there. Just, I don't know. I'm just going to the basement. Exactly. It's just a sentence I'd like to say at one point in my life. Fair enough. Fair enough. And actually do it. You can make one. Okay. You own your home. Dig the house up. Just do one in the garden. Bunker. Anyway. Bunker. Laying among dusty boxes and old furniture were, oh for fuck's sake, here we go. Now I can't even say this word. Funeral items. All right, okay, yeah.

[00:07:50] It doesn't say that, but that's what it means. Right, okay. Yeah, so the, Jesus Christ. The family claimed that the basement had embalming equipment, is a hard word to say, and other materials necessary to run a mortuary. According to the 2002 documentary about the case, A Haunted in Connecticut, Catterman stated that she had no idea that the home had once been a funeral parlour. Partly weird. I don't like the word parlour for funeral place. Okay.

[00:08:19] There's a joke for you. When passed their funeral home today, there was a queue outside. People are dying to get in there. Fucking hell. That's what I should have done. That's a better one, mate. Yeah, that is a better one. Anyway. When she toured the home, Carmen said that she was unable to enter the basement because renovators had blocked the doorway with materials. We'll just ask them to move it then, love. Yeah. Can you just move these for a second, lads? Just so I can have a look in here. How hard's that? Yeah.

[00:08:49] Anyway. Carmen confirmed that the house was once a funeral home by contacting Daryl Kern. The home's owner. Kern stated that the property was once the Hallahan Funeral Home. Why is so many American stuff hard to say? It's just... They have so many bizarre words. Anyway. So, yeah.

[00:09:13] So, the funeral home had been in operation for decades, though he claimed that he told the family about this before they moved in, as per a 1992 piece in the Hartford Summit. It's a newspaper. Right. Yeah. Again, can't say the bloody word. This disturbing fact did not prevent Carmen's son, Philip and Bradley, from claiming the basement as their own bedroom.

[00:09:36] As the older Snedeker children, Philip and Bradley wanted a private space of their own, and the basement was spacious compared to the smaller rooms on the upper floors. Philip and Bradley reportedly slept in the casket display room down the hall from the embalming room. See, this is what I don't like about these sort of stories straight off the bat. You know, we talk about all this residual energy shite. And, you know what I mean? You're going in there, you know exactly what was there.

[00:10:05] So, naturally, you're going to be wary. It gets to a night. It's going to be more spooky. You know that place house dead bodies and what have you. So, I mean, it would have been a better story had they not had a fucking clue and kept seeing dead people, and then all of a sudden they told that down the line. Do you know what I mean? They're the ones I prefer. Sorry. No, sort of. I know what you mean. I know what you're saying, but... That would be residual energy, whereas they... Yeah, yeah, because obviously that's the argument me and you always have about. Yes. Yeah. No, but they didn't know at first. That's the point.

[00:10:33] No, but they were told before they moved in, though. No, she's claiming they weren't. Well, she's talking shite. That's what I just said to you. She made a fucking story out of it. That's what I just said to you. Anyway. Right, anyway. In addition to mortuary equipment, the Snedekers also found images of the deceased on the property. Carmen Snedeker said, There were a couple of photos in the home, but there were many toe tags and a head tag. Fucking hell. What the hell's a head tag? Is that when someone's got no feet, so they've got to put a tag around the red?

[00:11:04] Maybe, anyway. There were other personal items of the deceased. That's fucked. That's just been left in there. Yeah, I know. Fucking hell. Especially if they had writing on them. They had names and shit on them. Yeah, yeah. You've created a personal connection there. If they were just blank, then they'd be like, oh, shut up. Yeah, yeah. They've just left over tags that haven't been used, but yeah, fucking hell. Weird. Right then, so the Snedeker family's terrifying experiences.

[00:11:31] So the most horrifying aspects of the true story of the haunting of Connecticut dealt with intense and often violent interactions the Snedekers said they had with the paranormal. The paranormal activity in the home started the night the family moved into the home and targeted Philip more than any other family member. My son started seeing this young man with long black hair down all the way to his hips, Calvin stated. He would talk to my son every day. Sometimes he would threaten him.

[00:11:58] Other times he would stand there and just say his name, which was enough to scare him. Well, I mean, it would be just someone going, Philip, Philip, Philip. I don't know whether that would terrify me. It would probably just annoy me. See, I've read that wrong there. When you read it out to me, I'm thinking, is he saying his own name? Like the dead person. But if he's saying Philip, then yeah. I feel like if he was saying his own name, it would be scary, wouldn't it? Depends what his name is. Cedric. They're definitely not there. Diggory.

[00:12:28] Sorry. That's my boy. Any Harry Potter fans will understand that. Yes. However, the spooky happening slowly spread to other family members and escalated in intensity. Carmen claimed that while mopping the floor, the water turned into blood and gave off an acidic smell. I know how to say that. Resemnant of something like that. But it resembled rotten flesh, the smell. Oh, right. Okay.

[00:12:57] That'd be a fucking office. Mopping the floor and then you've got a bucket of blood. Yeah. Yeah. Well, is that what she's claiming? Yeah, yeah. So she said, proof, the fucker doesn't listen. No, I am listening. While mopping the floor, the water turned into blood and gave off an acidic smell that resembled rotting flesh. Right, so she said the water's turned into blood. Okay. Yeah. No, no, no. I'm not going to be sceptical. I am going to be sceptical at the same time. I have to be. Water into blood. Great. Yeah.

[00:13:28] I'm better than watering to wine like Jesus. The mop water was blood red. I mean a deep, deep red. It made my skin crawl. I started getting nervous that I was ruining the flop. Great. I wasn't expecting that. No, I mean, surely that's the last thing you're going to worry about in that situation. Shit, I'm going to have to pay the landlord extra. Fucking hell, man. But yeah. Jesus Christ. Oh, God.

[00:13:57] So, Carmen said in the 2002 documentary, Most shocking was the claim from both Carmen and Alan that unknown forces had raped and sodomised them. Now we're getting dark. Yeah. Yeah. That just came out of nowhere. Yeah, I know. That's what I mean. Well, usually, yeah. While unknown forces physically tormented the adults in the family, they seemed to take a deeper interest in Philip than ever before. The Snedeker started to worry when Philip's personality began to change.

[00:14:23] He became irritable and reckless, often inflicting cruel punishments on his younger siblings. On one occasion, Philip placed Bradley on a gurney and spun him around until the younger boy begged him to stop. He also locked his brother in a chest and walked away. See, to me, like, fair enough if Philip was, like, you know, a really, really nice kid before and everything. But to me, that's just what siblings do. Yeah. Yeah. I broke my brother's fingers before. Yeah. On the door just for a laugh. Some siblings are like that.

[00:14:53] I mean, I never had siblings growing up, so I wouldn't know. But, yeah, no, it does make sense. I know, but you've got Dala's sister who feels like a sister and she's got a pet goldfish as a cousin. Yeah. It's involved with a fish. Exactly. Anyway, so he spun him around. He's locked him in a chest. The worst incident came after Philip attacked his cousin Tammy and was consequently forced to spend 45 days in a hospital. Annoyingly, he doesn't say what he'd done to her.

[00:15:22] I think he might have just kicked her head in or something. Go on. You were going to say something. Yeah. No, it was just an humble statement, really. Again, unless that's... Right. So he's obviously a bit of a violent person. Well, now he is, yeah. This is what I'm saying. The fact that it's come out of nowhere. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I suppose there's a little more substance to it. Mm-hmm. Right.

[00:15:50] Anyway, so the doctors eventually diagnosed Philip with a schizophrenia after he told them about the entities he saw regularly. Oh, well, there you go. On the regular. I can't say that word. What word? Regular. Regular with L-Y on the end. Regularly. That's the fella. I can't say it. It's like... The opposite one. The opposite of maximum. Minimum. Can't say it. It doesn't happen.

[00:16:21] Right, anyway. So they noted that the medication he was on to treat his cancer could not give him hallucinations or triggered any dormant schizophrenic illness. So straight away, that's weird. Yeah. But then again, I mean, schizophrenia, obviously, I mean, it can just sort of... I mean, obviously, we're not fucking doctors in any kind of sense, but I don't think it's something that you're born with. No, yeah. It can just sort of... Develops. Develops, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so I mean, I don't know. Weird.

[00:16:51] So the Snedeker family decided it was best to send Philip to live with relatives. Wow. Let's get rid of him. Just hoar him off, yeah. Got cancer, schizophrenic, oh, fucking get rid of him. Jesus wept. Exactly. And reportedly, Philip stopped hearing voices and seeing spirits after this. So that's weird as well. I just don't think he liked mum and dad. I can't imagine why. They just go, little is problem there, fuck him off. Exactly. With such strong indications of paranormal activity, the Snedeker family contacted...

[00:17:20] Ed and Lorraine Warren. Yes, they did. They did. Two paranormal investigators, as well as a priest, to do an exorcism on the house. See, we need to do an episode on them two twats. A hundred percent. That is my episode. Yeah. That could be a joint effort. Yeah. September 6th, 1988. A priest performed an exorcism on the house, and the family reported that the paranormal activity suddenly disappeared.

[00:17:45] Later that year, they moved out of the house and never returned, thus making an end to the supposed true story of the Horns Inn in Connecticut. Hmm. Weird. Yeah, very weird. It's a shame that we don't hear more from... Do you see why they went with the whole stupid stuff in the film right now? Because obviously that's a very basic ending. Yeah, yeah. Because it was nowhere near what I thought was going to come. There was going to be this. With his bodies in the walls and everything.

[00:18:13] Yeah, as soon as you mentioned Ed and Lorraine Warren as well, I thought, here we go. This is where things... So they're not in the film, are they? No, not at all. Not at all. Which confused me. Yeah, which is weird, isn't it? Yeah. With them being so high profile in the paranormal world. That film came out... Their sort of fame, so to say, really started to kick off with The Conjuring, the first Conjuring film, didn't it? Yes, but nowadays, yeah, definitely. Yeah, yeah. Obviously, back in their day, they were fucking... That's what I'm saying.

[00:18:39] In 2009, with the film, there wasn't really too much talk. They were just, you know... Right then, so casting a bit of doubt on things then. So with the Snedeker's fantastical claims of violent paranormal experiences, some people doubted their validity. Validity. There you go. Right then, the Snedeker... Oh, fuck off. Sorry.

[00:19:03] The Snedeker family went public with their experiences prior to leaving the residence, and Daryl Kern noted that in 1992, from the Hartford, whatever that newspaper's called, that the reported paranormal activity seemed to escalate when the family was behind on the rent. Hmm. So you know what it's like to say. We're getting tortured here. Bit of discount. Yeah. Hmm. Fuck off. Exactly. It's a scheme to make money, Kern said.

[00:19:32] Even the family's neighbour, Catherine... Oh, I don't even know. Allopmus, believed that the whole thing was a hoax. I think they had this planned right from when they moved in, she said, to the same newspaper piece. Oh, yeah. Son, just go and fucking beat your sister to a pulp and put her in a hospital for 45 days, then it's believable. Yeah, exactly. Great. So the same neighbour noted that the family always appeared jovial when they were outside, not acting like a terrified family.

[00:20:00] Friends of Philip even stated that they too didn't believe the story, given his personality. Oh, that's not looking good. Yeah, I know, but I suppose it's one of them, isn't it? There's always going to be those people, though, isn't there? It makes sense. Yeah, but it's also a case, like, what I think is... With these stories where, like, is it the house that taunted other people? Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Then when you're not in the house, you're going to be all right. Yeah. Sort of thing. So it's always a strange one, that.

[00:20:28] The thing is with me is there's not much on Ed and Lorraine Warren's aspect of it. And I know so much about these two. I've seen countless documentaries and watched them in interviews. And never once do they really ever talk about the haunting in Connecticut, which is, like, you'd think... You know, if it's this haunted and it's causing this much aggression, they're going to... Oh, them two would be all over it. Yeah, yeah, because they are. Let's not, you know, downplay her by any means of the word. They are over the top when they're going.

[00:20:57] But, I mean, fair play. You know, look at the life that they've built together. But they don't say that everywhere they went was massive. You know, they've got... Yes, they've got a fair few stories. But this one is... It's a good story. I mean, they've missed out... If it is made up, they've missed out on a catch quite a few times there. I mean, saying a bucket of water turned blood and she was worried about the floor. That's... Yeah. It's not a statement you want to make.

[00:21:28] Exactly. Neither is the fact that this guy said it was a funeral home beforehand. Yeah. One of them. Right then. So, two weeks prior to the Hollywood film's release in 2009, more people spoke out against the family's claims, including the new owner of the supposed haunted house. We've lived in the house for ten years. Our house is wonderful, said Susan Trotter-Smith. The owner of the house in 2009 told NBC Connecticut. This is all Hollywood foolishness. The stories are all ludicrous.

[00:21:58] While people debate whether the story behind one of Hollywood's most spine-tingling horror films is true or not, the true story of the haunting in Connecticut and the Snedeker family has certainly solidified itself as one of the greatest ghost stories in American history. Right then, Billy, what do we reckon? Genuine or utter harsh shit? I think it's shit. Unfortunately, because as I said, I enjoyed the film. Yeah.

[00:22:27] However, I'm wrong. I didn't know the full story. I thought I did, but I didn't. And it's... Yeah, it's not great. There's too much missing from... If you've got Ed and Lorraine Warren there, you'd think there'd be more word on it from them at least. Yeah. And I think down the career, the further they got in their career, the more they would just say, oh yeah, that place is bad kind of thing.

[00:22:54] It annoys me because it's one of those things. I know I'm a believer, but I'm also a realist. A realist. Yeah, which is sort of where I am now. Yeah. Obviously with it all. Yeah. Yeah. And what have you. But I don't know. I mean... My head wants to tell me that it's bollocks, but I'm at the point now where my heart wants to tell me that it's real. Yeah. Because you're going through that stage where you're starting to hear shit and you've seen your own shit, you've experienced your own shit, where it's made you far more open. Yeah.

[00:23:24] But I think there's just... It all adds up too well to it being a story that they needed at that moment in time. And you do hear that quite often, unfortunately, where families are going through a bit of an issue and they think, all right, let's do a story out of this. It's when someone's got everything already and then it kind of happens out of nowhere. Like one of my favourite ones is the Omittable house. Amittable. Amittable. Amittable. I've always called it the Omittable. Shit. That's just my accent, that bit.

[00:23:54] Bollocks. You're sort of fucking dyslexic to answer. Amittable. No, because like... Obviously, without you, I was on the Cosmic Peach podcast and we spoke about that. That's a fucking great name. Yeah, I know. That is a great name. I know. We spoke about that because it's a very interesting one. It's one we're going to have to do because it's two stories combined into one. Yeah. Quite literally, yeah. So... But yeah. Yeah, that's it, mate. Did you ever see the second film? Because they made a second one, weirdly. No.

[00:24:24] I've never seen it. I don't like it when they do shit like that. Not unless it's like the Connery and how they did it was good because... Debatable. No, no, no. The second film, I'm not saying, was good because it didn't live anywhere near up to the first one. It was okay, but I'm not a big fan of the Enfield Connery in the first place. And then when you put a stupid nun in there... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I completely am with you on that. But what I'm saying is the way that the franchise did it is correct. They're not going on the same house and it's like episode two of that house. Yeah, yeah. Whereas The Haunting in Connecticut, surely it is just that house again with another story.

[00:24:54] Well, I don't know. That's what I mean. Yeah, no, I haven't seen it, mate. I've only seen that 2009 one. Which, again, I did enjoy. Let me have a quick gander. It's not in my top fucking 10, 15 or 20, by all means, but I enjoyed it. The Haunting in Connecticut 2, Ghosts of Georgia, it's called. All right, okay. Yeah, so it says that it follows a family that moves into a historic home in rural Georgia only to discover dark supernatural forces tied to the home's history.

[00:25:25] But then it also says there that it got really fucking... Well, there you go. Really bad reviews? Yeah. Yeah. That's why I've never heard of it, mate. Well, I mean, to be honest with you, mate, you probably won't like this, but I don't think the first one got great reviews. It's not that I don't like it. I could probably see why. I mean, I watched that when I was quite young, so that might be why. I'm sure if I watched it now, I'd be like, well, fuck's this piece of shit. But it's one of them. At the time, I enjoyed it, and if I watch it again, it's probably going to kill it for me soon.

[00:25:53] There's some films like that where you just know you can't watch it again. Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of films like that, mate. Yeah. Some still hold up, like Toy Story. Yes. Bang in the film. The Invisible Man. I might receive a lot of shit for this, but I enjoyed it the first time I watched it, and I watched it the second time. I don't know. It was a bit like, what the fuck is this? Nah, it's a good film, though. Yeah, it is a good film, but how many times have you watched it? Twice. Oh, have you? Yeah. All right, okay. Fair enough. Fuck you. That's just me then.

[00:26:23] Right there, mate. I think we'll end it there. Yeah? Yeah? No, I'm happy with that. All right, Billy, it's a pleasure having you back. So do you want to say your line before we go? Good to be back, and of course I will. Hope you guys have enjoyed this episode, and I hope you guys are happy that I'm actually back, and take care.

[00:26:49] This podcast is part of Podomity, the UK's podcast comedy network. Why not laugh at what else we've got? Visit Podomity.com.