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The Faceless Ghost of Previous Waialae Drive-In Theater


A specific faceless ghost was stated to hang-out the Previous Waialae Drive-In Theater in Honolulu. Even after it was closed down, individuals have talked and whispered in regards to the ghost that appeared within the girls’s lavatory. 

In vibrant Honolulu, Hawaii, on the intersection of Waialae Avenue and twenty first Avenue, stood the Previous Waialae Drive-In Theater—a cherished leisure spot that opened on Might 24, 1956. Operated by Royal Theatres, this outside cinema had a capability of 790 automobiles and rapidly grew to become a preferred vacation spot for households and movie lovers. Its grand opening featured classics like “Elephant Stroll” starring Elizabeth Taylor and James Stewart’s “The Bare Spur,” heralding a brand new period of leisure and leisure locally.

Learn Extra: Try all ghost tales from the USA

For 3 many years, the Previous Waialae Drive-In thrived, providing the magic of the silver display below the Hawaiian stars. Nevertheless, because the years handed, the theater started to indicate indicators of age and, by January 1986, it performed its closing movie, “Younger Sherlock Holmes.” The beloved drive-in then closed its gates perpetually, making approach for an upscale subdivision throughout from Kahala Mall. But, lengthy earlier than its demolition, the Previous Waialae Drive-In was recognized not only for its cinematic attraction however for its eerie, unexplained phenomena that haunted the premises, notably within the girls’s restroom.

Native legend tells of a ghostly presence that lurked within the girls’ room—a faceless lady with lengthy, flowing hair. This apparition was stated to hang-out the restroom stalls, making a spine-chilling ambiance that left many guests unnerved. Witnesses recounted listening to frantic pounding on stall doorways and seeing the spectral determine seem within the restroom mirror, her clean face a terrifying void.

Encounters with the Unknown

Tales of encounters with the faceless lady unfold rapidly among the many patrons and workers, and it even reached the newspapers on Might 19 in 1959

A woman left her automotive round midnight to repair her lipstick within the restroom. She appeared into the mirror and noticed a determine standing behind her, describing the ghost with lengthy hair, however having no face to look again at her. The ghost had no legs, and solely a torso, floating above the bottom. 

Learn Extra: Try all haunted theaters

When she circled, there was nobody there. The door immediately slammed shut and the lock turned by an unseen drive. The lady, scared out of her thoughts, fainted and needed to recuperate from the shock in a hospital. 

This isn’t the one model of the story that was informed throughout this time although. In line with different sources the lady had come into the restroom and seen a lady standing in entrance of the mirror, combing her lengthy hair. When she approached and stated one thing, the lady turned to her, revealing she had no face. Additionally this model ended with the lady who encountered the ghost ending up in a hospital due to the shock. 

The Drive-In’s Darkish Legacy

The Previous Waialae Drive-In’s proximity to an previous cemetery solely fueled the chilling tales. Some believed the faceless lady was a stressed spirit from the graveyard, searching for solace or maybe revenge. Others speculated she is likely to be the ghost of a lady who had met a tragic finish close by and buried there, her spirit perpetually sure to the place of her premature demise and the theater constructed on prime of it. No matter her origin, the faceless lady’s presence was an indelible a part of the theater’s lore.

Regardless of these ghostly encounters, the Previous Waialae Drive-In remained a beloved native landmark till its closure. Actually, when the frenzy of the ghost tales unfold, it was reported that folks flocked to the theater, and enterprise was booming of individuals making an attempt to look at a film in addition to in search of the ghost.

However how actual it was. In line with Albert Silva who labored because the supervisor for the Drive-in, he had by no means heard individuals speak about ghosts earlier than this occurred. He additionally talked about that there was once a lady coming to the place usually to play pranks on individuals within the restroom. May this have been the tip of it?

The Legend Resurface at Previous Waialae Drive-In

It was not the tip of the tales of the faceless lady within the restroom. Additionally in 1982 the story began spreading once more, sounding similar to the one informed in 1959. May the ghost have made a brand new look? She was additionally reported to have appeared in 1992.

Added to the story from 1959, some variations inform of seeing a fireball after seeing the ghost in 1969. In line with the tales it was a three-foot vast ball of fireside that flew about thirty toes into the air earlier than hurling into the display of the Previous Waialae Drive-In.

There have additionally been talks about her banging on the lavatory doorways when individuals are inside and showing virtually like she is sick or drunk. Generally her hair is black, generally it’s crimson. 

In line with Glen Grant who wrote the Obake Recordsdata in 1996, there have been additionally tales about three those that had seen her who died later, though there actually aren’t any tales in regards to the ghost really harming them apart from giving them an actual fright. 

Traces of the Legend different Locations

So what sort of ghost are we actually speaking about right here haunting the Previous Waialae Drive-In? In line with Grant and lots of others, he attracts the strains on what was informed about on the Drive-In to ghost tales from Japan. There actually aren’t many ghost tales involving faceless ghosts in Polynesian or Western tradition, however there definitely is in Japanese folklore, and Japanese immigration to Hawaii is definitely seen in lots of points of the storytelling from the islands. 

Learn Additionally: Verify additionally out The Haunting of Kaimuki Home: A Story of Terror and Tragedy additionally stated to be a ghost story impressed by Japanese mythology.

Many describe the ghost on this story as a Mujina. The Mujina ghost is a widely known determine in Japanese folklore, which means badger, usually depicted as a shapeshifting spirit or yōkai able to taking up numerous kinds, together with that of a faceless lady. 

However does the Mujina sort of ghost actually match although? They’re definitely usually used interchangeably, however are sometimes seen as extra like a creature just like the Kitsune than a ghost. Though, the Mujina has tales about omitting a ghost-fire, maybe just like the fireball reported on. 

One other sort of ghost from Japanese folklore is the Noppera-bō, or faceless ghost, is a creature from Japanese folklore recognized for its eerie capability to look human till it reveals its clean, clean face devoid of eyes, nostril, or mouth. The Noppera-bō are also known as a mujina by mistake. These yōkai, usually encountered in abandoned or secluded areas akin to roadsides, forests, or quiet city settings, usually startle their victims by first showing as extraordinary individuals. They may even have interaction in dialog earlier than their facial options immediately vanish, leaving a clean visage that evokes shock and terror. 

A particular faceless ghost was said to haunt the Old Waialae Drive-In Theater in Honolulu. Even after it was closed down, people have talked and whispered about the ghost that appeared in the women’s bathroom. A particular faceless ghost was said to haunt the Old Waialae Drive-In Theater in Honolulu. Even after it was closed down, people have talked and whispered about the ghost that appeared in the women’s bathroom. 
Japanese Noppera-bō Supply

The Cinema with the Identical Haunted Story

Along with the previous traces of Japanese folklore, the place has an eerie resemblance to a different theater the place the identical sort of story circulated. The previous East City Theatre in Hong Kong additionally had a narrative much like this. A woman went into the lavatory there and brushed her hair in entrance of the mirror. Though on this cinema, the ghost took her head off to brush the hair within the sink. Some additionally say the ghost was simply standing there, no point out of it being faceless. In line with this story although, the lady ran out from the lavatory, however fell over and died after the encounter. 

To learn extra about this story and the opposite ghost tales from this place, head over to the Film Watching Ghosts at East City Theatre. One other element about this haunted cinema, was that this too was rumored to be constructed on prime of an previous funeral parlor. May the 2 theaters have related tales, or maybe been impressed by one another, regardless of being oceans aside?

The Legacy of the Drive-In

The haunting of the Previous Waialae Drive-In Theater remains to be informed, even after the place was torn down in 1986 and there may be now a housing growth of the Nohona Kahala gated neighborhood throughout from the Kahala Mall as a substitute. Are there nonetheless individuals who declare to see the faceless lady roaming about? In November 1989, three years after the Previous Waialae Drive-in had been torn down, the faceless lady appeared within the basement of a hospital in Honolulu

Is she nonetheless seen although? This as soon as well-liked story appears to have died down within the final many years. Those that bear in mind the theater can’t assist however surprise in regards to the faceless lady’s destiny and whether or not her spirit nonetheless roams, perpetually tied to the recollections of the previous drive-in that after stood at Waialae Avenue and twenty first Avenue.

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References:

Waialae Drive-In in Honolulu, HI – Cinema Treasures 

https://www.newspapers.com/picture/258231972/?clipping_id=10984210&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjI1ODIzMTk3MiwiaWF0IjoxNzIxODk0MTgxLCJleHAiOjE3MjE5ODA1ODF9.7MbdbgWE509sM220lD6YVUzNJr0agXinL2qoyJD-CQE

Looking out the Residence of Mujina: For Glen Grant – Half 1 

The Faceless Lady of Oahu | Monsters Right here & There

Mujina – Wikipedia 

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