A haunted haunted house

Fake and real ghosts scare visitors of The 13th Door Haunted House in Tigard

By Elena Boryczka

The Beaverton Valley Times, Oct 26, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

JONATHAN HOUSE / THE TIMES

Todd and Martina Baker didn't let the paranormal activity at The 13th Door stop them from showing visitors a frighteningly good time during Saturday's ghost tours.

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Those of you considering visiting the 13th Door Haunted House because you think it’s just another cheesy Halloween attraction may want to think again.

Why?

Because it’s really haunted.

At least that’s what Todd and Martina Baker of the Pacific Paranormal Research Society believe.

“There is so much stuff … this is one of the most haunted places in the area,” Martina said. “We could write a book about this place. You’ve got a haunted house that’s haunted.”

Her husband seconded that.

“There are four or five ghosts that we know of for sure,” Todd said.

These ghosts include a little girl, a woman who committed suicide while on drugs, an older man and a black cat.

Martina said visitors of the old Regal theater near Washington Square see the girl a lot, and she is most often described as 9 or 10 years old, with brown hair in pigtails and wearing a pioneer-era dress. Sometimes people hear music box-type melodies when they see her, and she is often seen playing with the cat.

A teenager who went through the house when it first opened for the year saw the girl but thought she was just one of the actors. Martina said he remarked to her how cool the little girl was, and he wondered how they made her so ghost-like; even though she knew there were no actors who fit that description, Martina didn’t have the heart to tell the teen that he had actually seen a ghost.

“She loves to haunt, apparently,” Todd said. “We don’t know how she got here.”

The ghost of the older man, whom they call Frank, likes to haunt the theater one area. Martina said none of the actors will stay in that area alone for more than 30 minutes because Frank scares them so much. He also dislikes women, and back when the building was still a movie theater, a female employee was shoved down the stairs and broke her leg.

Martina said she isn’t afraid to be in the building, which, along with the nearby T.G.I. Friday’s and Bank of America, is set to be torn down at the end of the year, but some areas of it make her a little uneasy.

“… I don’t like being in theater one,” she said. “It’s a little unnerving sometimes.”

With this information at the front of my mind, I decided to swallow my fear and brave the 15,000-square-foot building that loomed before me. As I was ushered to the front of the line of eager visitors, I kept asking myself what I was doing there. Why didn’t I do a Halloween article on a pumpkin patch or a costume shop? There are plenty of other ways to celebrate the holiday that don’t involve me getting scared half to death. As I was frantically trying to figure out a way to sneak out of line without anyone noticing, the gate in front of me was opened up and I heard the two words that struck absolute fear in my heart: “Go ahead.”

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