Haunted Universal Studios

by Brian Clune, Bob Davis

Talented entrepreneur Carl Laemmle led and won the fight against Thomas Edison's filming monopoly and built Universal City out of the dirt of Hollywood. He created a place of wonder and imagination, and now, decades later, Universal Studios is filled with rumors of ghosts. Frank Stites, an aviator killed while performing stunts during the grand opening celebrations in 1915, is said to still roam the backlot. Lon Chaney, a silent film actor, plagues sound stage no. 28, while Alfred Hitchcock haunts Steven Spielberg's office. Lucille Ball has been spotted more than once long after her death. Authors Brian Clune and Bob Davis explore the eerie and haunting history behind this entertaining façade.

Genres: Paranormal, History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2018

Reviews

[Nicole Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was disappointing. Lots of repetition and not written well.

[Cynthia Boris]

I am a huge fan of Universal Studios Hollywood and I love the paranormal, so this book was the perfect combo for me. At first, I was a big surprised by the number of pages devoted to Universal history with barely a mention of a ghost. Still, I really enjoyed the author's conversational writing style and the way he presented the history. I was pretty familiar with the background on the studio but there were still some tidbits I'd never heard before.

The second half of the book is devoted entirely to the ghost stories and here's where I was a little disappointed - though granted, I'm not sure what I expected. Most of the stories are the typical tales from employees about guests that disappear and objects that move during the night. The Back to the Future ghost girl and the boy in the Mummy ride seem to be the most "popular" stories with more than a few people chiming in to say they've seen them. I was also a little put off by the retelling of two recent acts of violence that happened on the studio grounds in the past few years.

I guess I was expecting to hear more historical tales that actually relate to the history of studio. There is a fun bit about Hitchcock and Spielberg and the doomed pilot who wandered through Halloween Horror Nights. But for a studio with such a rich history, I suppose I thought there would be more stories about Hollywood stars.

That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I did. As a Universal fan, it was a nice trip through my favorite movie studio.

[Kasey S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

This was the most boring of the “Haunted” series. Half the book (60 something pages) were about the history of Universal Studios. Then when I FINALLY got the the spirits, the stories were weak. Very disappointed.

[Jacquelin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not an all together bad book. But it wasn't good either. While the author has knowledge that speaks to having worked at Universal studios, his information is spotted with some obvious errors and a few errors that would be known to universal hardcore fans and employees only. For example, he refers to the performers who work Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) as scare actors. When in reality, the employees who work behind the scenes of HHN at the second HHN Event ever, dubbed them Scharacters (pronounced just like "characters" but with an S at the beginning), as in characters who scare. Also, at Universal there are a series of escalators that lead guests to the Studio Center that he calls the Universal Stairway. When in reality it's called the Universal Starway. The list goes on but I won't bore you with more Universal nerd facts. Suffice it to say that, as one such nerd, these many discrepancies were very distracting. The only real interesting parts of the book was in the background history he gives you, which is extensive and entertaining. But the ghost stories are bland. And worst of all, the book just ends. Abruptly. No summation, no funny anicdotes, nothing. It just ends. Very disappointing.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the book was devoted to the founding of Universal Studios and its founder, Carl Laemmle. The ghost stories were a little disappointing...retold accountings of employees' tales of encounters with ghosts. I guess there really is no way to flesh out these stories and they just have to be told as they were told to the authors. I do love old Hollywood, though, so I found the book interesting.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but took way too long getting to the ghosts.

Excellent book, but I felt like it was more about the history of Universal Studios with a few ghost stories thrown in. So it was a great and interesting read, but not what I was expecting. In all blunt honesty, I was just looking for the ghost stories. Very well written though and a wonderful read for anyone who wants to know the history of Universal Studios.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book was a history of Carl Laemmle and the founding of Universal Studios. This would be a great book by itself, a fascinating look at the man and the early history of the studio. The latter half contained stories of some hauntings at Universal, there were fewer than expected and not frightening. While we know the authors love Universal Studios, it is not Disneyland or Walt Disney World. They are the premier class of theme park entertainment.

[Cheri Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible history/ghost book!

Extremely enjoyable and very educational. I loved the history of Universal Studios Hollywood. Although when I downloaded it I thought it was about the Universal here in Florida. I enjoyed the ghost stories & especially the ones about Lucille Ball. I love watching all the reruns. This really was an extraordinary book!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed the first half of the book better than the second; the second being the actual ghost stories of the park. The first half was dedicated to the history of how Universal Studios as a company came to be and the important actors of the era that made it a success, and I found the history to be extremely interesting, all ghost stories aside.

[David Cowpar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ghost stories part of the book could be a short pamphlet. But the addition of the history of Universal Hollywood helps ground the book in reality before launching into what could be called the fanciful. Very interesting studio history, very exciting ghost stories. Glad I read this.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Universal Studios could open up an after hours haunted tour. Very interesting history of Universal as well.

[Taisynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting read. It has a really long build up to get to anything paranormal. The first 50% of the book is dedicated to the history of Carl Laemmle’s, the founder of Universal City, and how it became the theme park we now know and love. This text is more-than-half history and movie trivia, and half paranormal tales that are quite fascinating.

Honestly, I wish the author would write a biography of Carl Laemmle. The information and history of the founding of Universal City could have been it’s very own book. I was inspired not just by Laemmle’s ingenuity, but also his love for his German homeland even when he was no longer welcomed there. He pleaded with many of Hollywood’s wealthy elite to sponsor Jews over to America during World War II. Even after he was ousted from Universal, he lived a very interesting life.

The paranormal part of the book was quite fun. I have been to Universal and taken the tram tour, and I learned quite a bit from this book! I could imagine all the places and it’s fun to know my favorite rides are haunted. I wish there was more information to flush out the haunts and the spirit’s supposed identities, but details are very vague. Otherwise, I did enjoy this book.

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of Universal Studios was interesting. The paranormal stories all seemed to be the same, just different people and locations. A short read.

[Jennifer Hernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a pass holder at Universal Studios here in Southern California and a big fan of Lucille Ball so naturally this book did not disappoint! Very informative!

[Rachel Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

50% history, 40% haunted, 10% travel ad for Universal. A fun read that was surprisingly informative about the history of Universal and development of film and television in the 20th century.

[Peter Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m heading to Universal Studios Hollywood in April and thought it would be fun to read this book to amp up my excitement. The stories were interesting, but I think the history of the studios was far more interesting

[Isis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not that this wasn't interesting, but when I purchased the book, I didn't expect half of it to be the history of Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios. I expected more ghost stories than were included in the book.

2022 update: I honestly didn’t recall that I apparently own this book when I borrowed it from the library. This time around, I deeply appreciated the history of Universal Studios being explained before getting into the ghost stories. That being said, I’m changing my rating to 4 stars from the 3 I previously gave the book.

[Peter J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just about half of the book is a basic history of universal. The rest is a couple of interest or spooky stories interspersed with very repetitive ones.

[Hannah | Reading Under Covers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would’ve been a 5 if they kept the history to a maximum of one chapter. The ghost stuff gave me chills and was very enjoyable!

[Pamela Howell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of book w3as history of Universal Studios.
Vague references to hauntings.
Then it finally went back & gave some details on hauntings.