Despite the obvious stress surrounding it, buying a house should be an exciting time for any couple. But one pair were left shaking when they discovered they had accidentally moved into a real-lie horror house.
Danielle Witt and Ben Rockey-Harris recently purchased a new home in Cottage City, just outside Washington, D.C., which they picked up for an absolute steal at just $377,000 (£278,000) - over $50,000 below the market value.
However, while they thought it was the perfect spot for them, they soon found out that it had a sinister past - a very sinister past.
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After a quick Google of the area, Danielle was horrified to discover that their new home had been the spot where a Catholic priest carried out the exorcism of a teenage boy in 1949. Gulp.
And it was this exact event that inspired the iconic horror novel The Exorcist.
Danielle told NPR: "Literally, that evening, when our realtor called us and told us we got it, I Googled it - and that I think I screamed."
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At the time of the exorcism, a news report, titled 'Priest frees Mt. Rainier boy reported held in devil's grip', explained what had happened.
In the article, it said that the priest had to perform 20 or 30 rituals in order to 'finally cast the devil out of the boy'.
Despite the initial shock, though, Danielle said she and Ben aren't letting the dark past of the property get to them.
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She said: "You know, demons are not attached to locations. They're attached to people. They're things that wander.
"I feel somewhat ridiculous even saying this. But thinking about it and thinking about how is a demonic possession was like, well, demons don't usually attach themselves to houses.
"And frankly, the way that I view it is that, you know, my house has odds of a demonic possession that are just as equal as anybody else's house.
"And to me, that was always the scariest part of the movie The Exorcist - is that this could happen to anybody."
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And with Halloween coming up, Ben says he is seriously considering diving headfirst into the Exorcist vibe.
"I'm thinking I'm going to get a Catholic priest Halloween costume this year and get an amplified speaker and have The Exorcist soundtrack just playing on a loop on our front porch for trick-or-treaters.," he said.
The positive financial benefits of living in a house of horrors also haven't escaped the couple.
They told the radio station they believe that the story of the young boy and the exorcism could very well be the reason why they were able to snap the property up at such a low price.
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Danielle added: "I do strongly think that's why we got it for under ask, which is unheard of in this market."
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.Topics: Couple, Horror, Property, US News, halloween