Torrance High.JPG — Not Your Usual “Haunts”

By Paranormal Expert Brian Clune

As a paranormal researcher and author, this time of year is not only my busiest, but also the most fun. Halloween may not be an official holiday, but throughout the year, folks all over the country wait impatiently for October 31st, buying up decorations for their homes, haunted houses, queuing up horror films both old and new, and boosting retail sales as much, if not more so than at Christmas time. What all of these people have in common, is the desire to have a fun scare and feel their adrenaline surge at the make-believe ghosts and monsters. However, what happens when a real haunted house, store front, or mundane location rests next door to you, or in your neighborhood?

In the South Bay, real haunts are not something that most people think about, yet there are many within plain sight that one could look at, and never realize that strange things might be afoot. One such mundane location in the heart of the City of Torrance, is Torrance High. This high school is famous for producing Medal of Honor recipient Ted Tanouye, Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini, and Buffy Summers…Ok, Buffy was a fictional character who went to Sunnydale (Torrance) High in the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the show, Sunnydale high sat over what was called The Hellmouth, and was the source of numerous, evil manifestations. For those that know the paranormal side of this seemingly innocent place of learning, the Hellmouth may not be so hard to believe…for you see, Torrance High is said to be very haunted.

If you are near this high school late at night, keep an eye out on the track. If you see someone dashing around as if in the heat of a race, take a closer look to make sure this sprinter looks solid or a bit wispy, if the latter, you have just seen one of the spirits that call Torrance High home. No one is sure who this specter might be, and some have said that it is Olympic runner Zamperini himself, yet this ghost had been reported for many years before Mr. Zamperini passed away. Could this spirit be a former student reliving his glory days as a track and field star at the school? Or perhaps the opposite, a sad teen still trying to make the team in death as he failed to do in life? We may never know, but if you see him running the track, cheer him on and give him the accolades that he deserves.

Another spirit duo that is said to haunt Torrance High is a mother and her child. Again, no one is sure where they came from, yet the story goes that they had been murdered on their way home from a football game years ago. Many residents and those that frequent the area, say that these two remain mostly in the school’s Zamperini Field, and it seems the woman is on guard as her child laughs and plays with an unseen playmate. The woman, however never smiles and is constantly scanning the surroundings as if making sure there is no one about who could harm her child. Many people have claimed that this is most likely what is called a residual haunting because the pair is always seen performing the same activity. The one flaw in this theory is that the pair have also been seen in other areas of the school, sometimes just walking, other times glancing into the classrooms, but always with the mother being as alert as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. As with the school’s phantom runner, we may never be sure who these lost souls are, but we can hope that someday, all three will find the eternal rest that they deserve.

Another city in the South Bay that has its fair share of spirits is San Pedro. One place that is not only where the living get-together, but is also a gathering of ghosts, is the Warner Grand Theater on 6th Street and Pacific. Being one of the premier movie palaces from the time it opened in the early 1900s, through its years of almost being torn down and today, reclaiming its past glory of being, as Jack Warner himself said, “The castle of your dreams,” this theater, the last of its kind in California, has had a reputation for being perhaps the most haunted theater in America. It is said that a mysterious gentleman seen in the back row of the upper balcony is none other than Jack Warner himself. The Warner Grand was Jack’s favorite of the three Warner Theaters and he would come here to watch his studio’s films, relax, and get away from the stress and work of being a Hollywood movie executive. Jack would always sit in the balcony in a seat reserved for him, where he could disappear when the lights went down, the same seat where this apparition is always spotted, and who, as soon as the show is finished and the lights come up, fades from view and is gone.

Another spirit that resides in the theater is that of a dedicated projectionist who loved his job so much, that he refuses to give it up even in death. Living projectionists have told about going on break and having to hurry back to the projection booth due to films slipping the reel, jamming, or other mishaps, only to find that before they could fix the problem, the error has already been corrected. One or two of the projectionists have said that looking around, they will see a man in 1930s style work clothes fading from view but who will always tip his hat and flash a quick smile before he is gone. None of the other projectionists are afraid of this spirit and many talk to him during their shifts and always thank him for his help. His name is not known, and unfortunately no one from that time who worked at the Warner Grand are still alive, but the dedication of this gentleman to the Warner theater and her patrons is truly inspiring.

Perhaps the strangest sightings at the Warner Grand are from those who work in the stores and shops surrounding the theater. Going to the movies was once as much about the gathering and being seen by one’s peers as it was about the movie. Women would wear their best gowns and men would don their finest suits for a night out on the town at the theater. As the years passed, it became a place for families to take their kids, teens to hang out with their friends and finally, a place to watch the newest special effects on the “Big Screen.” Let’s face it, everyone loves going to the theater. It would seem that many, even after death, still love a good movie. Reports from locals working nearby have claimed that on many occasions, they have seen large gatherings of people going into the Warner Grand; this may not seem unusual until you find out that the theater is closed, the people are all dressed from different eras in history and that none of the crowd is solid in form. These reports of spirited patrons go back as far as the late 1960s and persist to this day. Let’s hope that the movies coming out of Hollywood are still to their liking!

Palos Verdes is not immune to ghosts and goblins and has a few places that one may wish to visit to see for themselves. One such place is perhaps the most beautiful and scenic church in the entire South Bay, the Wayfarers Chapel. It may seem odd for a church to be populated by ghosts, but when one looks at what is sometimes called the “Glass Church,” it is hard to imagine somewhere more peaceful to spend the afterlife. One such spirit is that of a Native American who has taken it upon himself to tend to the gardens of the chapel. This Native, most likely a Tongva tribesman, has been seen pulling weeds that have begun to choke flowers and shrubs, and tends to the decorative foliage that make the Wayfarers chapel such a serene place to contemplate life. Many witnesses, believing the man to be an employee are startled when they approach him and he vanishes from sight.

There is a giant white owl that has been seen on the grounds which might not be unusual save for the fact it makes no sound what-so-ever. Its wings flap, yet the tell-tale sound of beating wings is unheard, it will land on a branch in front of guests, yet the branch doesn’t move, and when the owl’s beak is seen opening to call, no screech sounds from the majestic bird. The snowy owl will watch guests for a minute or two, and then as silently as it came, it will wing away and out of sight.

Who knows why the Wayfarers Chapel is haunted, it may have something to do with its nearness to the Vanderlip Estate and its oft reported claims of spirit (and equally denied by the family), or perhaps the ghosts of sailors known to haunt Abalone Cove across the street from the church grounds. Whatever the case may be, the spirits at the “Glass Church,” are anything but scary.

As Halloween approaches, and the fun haunted houses spring up for charity and fun, keep in mind that it just may not all be for your entertainment alone, but the actual ghosts of the South Bay may be having a bit of fun themselves at your expense.

Happy Halloween Folks!

For more information on these and other ghostly tales, read Haunted San Pedro, by…me! Available at fine book stores, Amazon and The Grand Emporium on 7th Street in San Pedro. (Buy Local)

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Brian Clune is a historian and the co-founder of Planet Paranormal. His love of history motivated him to volunteer at both the USS Iowa and Fort MacArthur Military Museum. His involvement with Planet Paranormal has led him to work with many TV shows including Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, The Dead Files, and My Ghost Story. He was also the focus of a companion documentary for the film Paranormal Asylum.

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