The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House

The Uninvited #1

by Steven LaChance

What kind of evil lives at the Union Screaming House?

In this true and terrifying firsthand account, Steven LaChance reveals how he and his three children were driven from their Union, Missouri, home by demonic attackers.

LaChance chronicles how the house's relentless supernatural predators infest those around them. He consults paranormal investigators, psychics, and priests, but the demonic attacks--screams, growls, putrid odors, invisible shoves, bites, and other physical violations--only grow worse. The entities clearly demonstrate their wrath and power: killing family pets, sexually assaulting individuals, even causing two people to be institutionalized.

The demons' next target is the current homeowner, Helen. When the entities take possession and urge Helen toward murder and madness, LaChance must engage in a hair-raising battle for her soul.

Selected as one of the Best Books of 2008 by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Nonfiction, Ghosts, Memoir, Supernatural, Halloween

264 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Steven LaChance has been called one of the most prolific supernatural writers of this generation. In 2007, he released the bestselling non-fiction, The Uninvited, which detailed the true story of his own personal haunting living in the infamous Screaming House. In 2010, he released the ground breaking short story collection, Crazy. In 2014, Steven released the long awaited sequel to, The Uninvited, which completed the two book Screaming House series, titled Blessed are the Wicked.

Crazy: A Prayer for the Dead, is the full length version of the Truck Stop Hell story from the short story collection. It was released for Halloween 2016 and immediately gained a large cult following.

On February 8, 2017, Steven published his long awaited book on the 1949 St. Louis Exorcism case, the same case the blockbuster film, The Exorcist, was based upon. Confrontation with Evil, was one of the most anticipated true life paranormal books of 2017. The book was based upon Steven's over a decade of research into this horrifying case and will reveal new insight and evidence never before shared with the public.It won numerous awards and was featured in the New York Post and The Sun. St. Louis GO Magazine voted the book the best of 2018. The book recently was released in a Special Edition which includes new information and photos.

Steven has appeared on numerous television, film and radio programs worldwide. He has been featured on NBC News, CBS News, Travel Channel, Chiller, CNN, Destination America, the Discovery Channel, Warner Brothers, Universal, Sony plus many more. Steven has also worked on the popular television series, Supernatural. You can currently see Steven in the Discovery+ documentary, The Exorcism of Roland Doe.

Reviews

[Mauoijenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man! This was a let down. I had hoped for a real fast paced scary read that would make me leave the bedroom light on all-night. Nope. Not this one. :(

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not be concerned if you're reading this book alone on a dark, stormy night: you'll only be facing mundane details and useless anecdotes with just a few "spooky" moments spaced across them. You may have to end up sleeping with the light on, however, but only because this book will put you to sleep.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possible Triggers: Supposedly true horror; Animal Killings
It began in May 2001. From the book:"Having been cramped in a small apartment with his children for a while, LaChance was eager to stretch out. His lease was up anyway and fearing homelessness he looked at every classified ad for a possible lead. So, when an opportunity arose to look at a real house for rent in Union, Missouri he jumped at the chance. Not only was it big, but it also had a yard and quiet neighborhood. Or so he thought. Moving day came on a Friday and nothing of note happened inside the house, however, a local pulled up to the curb and said something odd: “Hope you get along okay here.” LaChance consults paranormal investigators, psychics, and priests, but the demonic attacks, screams, growls, putrid odors, invisible shoves, bites, and other physical violations only grow worse. The entities clearly demonstrate their wrath and power: killing family pets, sexually assaulting individuals, even causing two people to be institutionalized." Shortly after moving in he began to watch how his neighbors reacted to the house. He noticed that people would NEVER walk in front of the house...instead they went out of their way to cross the street...even in bad weather where walking in from of the house side would have offered a shorter route. The author and his three children soon found out that they weren't dealing with "Casper the Friendly Ghost".... this, entity was evil incarnated...what his son had labeled the "Basement Monster" ...a thing possibly from the bowels of Hell whose only form seemed to be oily black fog and mist. They had watched in horror as it would drift through the house as if searching for them. They had heard as it screamed either in pain or rage or a hellish combination of both; plenty of time as had other people in the neighborhood including all the dogs in a four-block radius. The author and his children finally saw its face for the first and last time, as they fled the house leaving most of their belongings behind, mere weeks after moving in. Is it true or is it a work of fiction? I don't know and I'm certainly not willing to put it a test. It doesn't really matter rather you read this as fiction or as the truth in which it's told, but please treat the authors feelings with delicacy. This is the story of people who glimpsed Hell and lived to talk about it. I have wondered why they didn't burn the thing and salt the Earth it stood on. I believe there is a sequel to this book.

[Lanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

two stars because the first time I read this I was so freaked out that I didn't want to go outside even though I had to bring my dog inside. the my danged mother turned the porch light off on me trying to explain that the dark is nothing to be afraid of.

fuck that. I am not - repeat, NOT - afraid of the dark. I'm afraid of what can be hiding in the dark. totally different. like people aren't afraid of heights. they're scared of falling.

Anyway, yeah the first go round was scary. I was so young and naive then. the second. . . .I wanted to throw the book at the wall. but I want to finish my reading challenge so I struggled my way through it. :( waste of my valuable time.

the writing is choppy and badly edited. our narrator repeats himself a lot and it drove me nuts. and it was always "nothing could have prepared us for what would happen next." Just written in different forms. god, it was like reading a 6th grader's English papers.

And the main man character steven. is so damned full of himself. this house is full of fucking demons. he leaves. good for him. . . . then he goes back. the god damned stupid bastard keeps going back. because he's under some impression that he needs to help this Helen chick.

No. just no. he's a fucking idiot with an insane delusion that he needs to help everybody. that he's the ONLY one that really understands what Helen is going through. that he's so heroic and brave for continually returning to the house. and of course we're told at least a couple of times that the freaking demonic spirits still have hold of him and are drawing him back to the union house. so which is it, buddy? ghosts making you do shit you don't wanna, or a mad need to help a random lady stupid enough to answer and ad that's to good to be true?

And all this supposedly happened over a few year period were this supposedly wonderfully loving, loyal daddy was supposed to be raising his three kids all by his lonesome. all I picked up was that this guy neglected his babies to play hero to some random ass crazy lady who refused to move until the demons drove her into a fucking mental institution.

Again, just no. you just can't take this man seriously. he came across as a complete attention whore. I can't take a guy willing to ignore self-preservation and parental insticts seriously. just can't. I wanted to jump in the book and slap him. and on top of it all he has no fucking clue how to characterize anyone. everyone is either wonderful and loving and perfect. like his friends and family. or evil. like mr. winters. or to stupid to understand hauntings, people who think its all a joke. like all the investigators. I don't believe for a second that all those people behaved so childishly.

this book was a joke!

p.s. sorry for the swearing. it couldn't be helped. I'm that pissed. (See?) >:(

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book isn't really about a haunted house. It's really about what an amazing guy/ hero/ martyr, LaChance is. It starts off kind creepily enough, and then LaChance moves out of the haunted house. The rest of the book is actually about incidents that happen to the woman who then moves into the house. As LaChance will tell you, those events were EXTREMELY HARD on him, Steven LaChance. At one point, he describes some absolutely crazy ghost photos that were supposedly taken at the house, but they aren't shown in the book. I guess we're all supposed to take his word? Also, demons will take your job and can be blamed for pretty much everything bad that's ever happened. But don't worry, he's the hero in the end and he saves everybody! Yay!

[Allison Bean]

DNF, but for GOOD REASON! It spooked me too much and I realized I couldn’t read it anymore if I wanted to sleep. So I also couldn’t rate it!

[Emily Kestrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always take “true” haunting stories with a huge grain of salt, but this one didn’t even try to be believable. It’s like the author took all the most popular horror tropes and whizzed them up in a blender. We have demons, evil clowns, insane asylums, spectral rape, voodoo, you name it. Even that old chestnut, the “Indian burial ground,” gets a brief shout out. It was a lot.

I’m giving it two stars because it was mildly entertaining in parts. The writing style was clunky but serviceable.

The author seemed a bit oblivious to his own short comings. He describes suffering a nasty divorce, getting fired from his job and being endlessly surrounded by incompetent and spiteful people. Is he truly blameless in all this? Are his woes caused by demons?

At one point, he triumphantly describes his parting words to an angry neighbor as “Fuck you, fat boy.” Maybe it’s this sort of attitude that leads to all his problems?

Final impression: if you are a paranormal addict like myself and can get this from the library, it might be worth a read. Otherwise, skip it, unless you really love the Ed and Lorraine Warren-style OTT “spiritual warfare” tale.

[Unsolved ☕︎ Mystery · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems forever and a day since I read a horror book; I've missed it.

Anyway, This was a pretty creepy read. The demons/ghosts weren't ones I'd want over for dinner, that's for sure!

Its supposed to be true; it became unbelievable towards the middle part and the end.

The timelines, inconsistencies and how the book read more like a book than an actual account of someone's real life event.

I found out that he wrote a sequel. I'll get to reading it, eventually.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book’s frightening cover drove me to pick it up, and I quickly recognized this story from one featured on the Discovery Channel’s A Haunting program. While this wasn’t the most frightening story featured on that show (that dubious honor goes to the episode with that little boy and his imaginary “friend” named Man), it was a memorable one, so I decided to get the “behind-the-scenes” scoop by reading LaChance’s memoir. Told from his perspective (but with the help of an English teacher), this basically relayed the same story as the hour long television show (and takes about the same amount of time to read it). In place of the over-the-top reenactments, the language used added a very melodramatic flavor.

There were some glaring inaccuracies (one phrase particularly stood out that begins with: “I failed to notice that the lights had turned on” - unsure how you can tell a story that contains elements that you didn’t even know about...) that broke the realistic, true-life confessional style and replaced with downright silliness.

But it was more entertaining than I thought it would be - and certainly fast-paced. But as the book shifted away from the haunted activity and into the more spiritual side, it became increasingly vague. It really required a huge suspense of disbelief. The inclusion of some thinly veiled personal digs made me laugh though - but it also made me even more curious about hearing a fuller, and more complete version. The cartoonish villainly of the landlord really needed to be investigated more, I thought - and the abrupt ending summary did not provide many answers, which left it feeling rather incomplete.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself was interesting, as I love a good haunt. However, the writing was awful. At the end of each chapter, the author would say something along the lines - "I didn't know what I was in for next," or "the nightmare was just beginning," or "I had to hurry and save her or I was going to lose her." It was redundantly redundant! And at one point, when the woman is overcome by the house and goes to try and kill her husband, then calls to tell the author all about it... his response - "sit tight, I will come and get you - tomorrow afternoon!" What? All the other times he would run straight to her house when the house would act up, but here she is acting on the influences of the house and actually attacked her husband with a knife and he's like "lah-di-dah, oh, I'll be there for you tomorrow when things are more convenient." That part I just didn't understand.

The whole idea of this book is creepy, and Lachance's website has removed a lot of the EVPs they caught because of the effect it had on the listeners. I don't get scared by books, but since I believe this to be a true story, unlike Stephen King and Dean Koontz books, this is one of those rare instances where I had a hard time sleeping after I finished the story...

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, despite it giving me the major creeps. I've had some paranormal experiences myself and when reading about what Steven's family went through, it was easy to imagine myself in their place. It was cool reading a first hand account of something that happened locally that I'd been hearing tales of for quite some time. In the book, Steve and Helen also visit the Lemp mansion in St. Louis, a place I've always found fascinating. It also made me wonder if perhaps I had met Helen or her daughter before because they ended up living in the tiny town of Gerald where I grew up. In that town, everybody knows everybody, so its very possible.

I won't really get in to the plot, as it is a pretty standard story of a haunting and demonic posession. I was surprised by some of these reviews that claimed The Uninvited wasn't remotely scary, but I guess if one was reading it as a purely fictional work, maybe it would seem that way. When I was reading this, I was reading it as a true account of real events, and that made it terrifying.

I can't wait to pass this book on to my mom and sisters, who also have an interest in the paranormal and the Union screaming house!

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever lived in a haunted house? A house that it was not the spirits of those who had passed there, but something else that was never human?

Steven LaChance has.

I first heard Steven LaChance's story on a episode of A Haunting. The episode is called Fear House, and is actually one of my favorite episodes from the show.

Steven LaChance and his children moved into what seemed like the perfect home. But it turned into a nightmare.

Whatever is in the Union house is not friendly; it wants to harm. Steven LaChance and his children learned that. That's why they moved.

But, when Steven was contacted by the friend of a woman who moved in that same house with her family, Steven knew he had to help her.

Both Steven LaChance and Helen lived through a nightmare, one that took years to recover from. And I know Steven has shared his story on A Haunting. His story, the very short version of it, was in the book Weird Hauntings, which I have recently read.

But if you have seen his story on A Haunting, or read it online, or in another book, those barely scrape the surface on everything that happened. This book has all the details, and there is a lot that happened. A lot that couldn't be covered in a one hour TV show.

I only found out last year that Steven LaChance had even written a book. I just had to read it, but no libraries near me had it. When I had the money to buy it, I did. And I am glad that I did.

Some people might not believe Steven LaChance; they may think he is lying. But, I believe what happened to him. I've had paranormal experiences since I was a kid, I became a paranormal investigator and my mom grew up in a house haunted by a negative spirit. These type of hauntings, the kind Steven experienced, are definitely real.

And they are terrifying as well as traumatizing.

I'm sure the book was hard for Steven LaChance to write. I'm sure it was hard to write all the horrible things that happened to him. But I thought it was a great book. Steven LaChance has an easy writing style. I was hooked from the first few pages and I just couldn't put the book down.

I'm glad Steven LaChance has shared his story and that he continues to help people who are going through experiences similar to his own. Not every paranormal investigates negative hauntings. It can be dangerous and I understand why there are many who choose not to investigate such hauntings. But I am glad there are people like Steven LaChance, John Zaffis and others who will help those that need it.

This is a great book and I really want to read Steven LaChance's next book.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read a few books on this subject now. Many have a tremendous amount of typos, terrible grammar, and argue in favor of highly improbable events using insane logic.

They were all better than this book, because at least those authors were true believers. From the first page this book reeks of hyperbole and outright fabrication. Every person is a saint or a sinner, a paper-thin characterization of a real person. Either they are the author's salvation or damnation, he sees everyone (usually) as an enemy or (occasionally) as the best person in the world. Whether it's his racist boss, "hillbilly" neighbors, or overtly evil landlord, every person depicted in this book is a poorly conceived work of fiction.

As for the haunting? It's got everything you could want. Creepy clowns, dead babies, feral children, demon rape ... Photographic proof of otherworldly crucifixions in the basement (that the author fails to print in his book even though they would prove his story) ... It's all bullshit.

Seems silly to say, but other haunting stories may be untrue but the storytellers seem to believe it. Steven LaChance comes across as a manipulative liar and a horrible writer.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

the house seller described in his blog in 2004 differs vastly from the book version. In 2004, it was a she, but 4 years later in the book, she is transformed into a strange old man who maybe sacrifices children to the house.

LaChance is a good writer, having gone on to write for horror TV shows like Supernatural, but if he is willing to embellish so much, who can know what's true in what he says

[Glen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pathetic...poorly written, sparse details, didn't "close" the case, people still live in the house w/ children -- even though it was his "mission" to never let it happen again. Thank you for making this only 236 pages with lots of blank space.

I should've stopped reading at this line: "As I drove away, I didn't notice that the lights in the house were coming on, one by one."

[Emmett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright, this book started out more toward 4 stars, but rapidly declined to 2. I've never really read a horror novel before, much less a "true story" one. I have, however, watched plenty of those haunted house and possession TV shows on the Discovery channel or whatnot that made me want to read this. (Not to mention the cover of the book is EXCELLENT. Kudos to whoever designed it...)

As a result of this book,
1) I am wary of more novels in this genre.
2) I had the urge and went out and bought a box of cookie crisp.
3) I had to watch the new Evil Dead to put more horror into my life.

How are these a result of reading the novel, you ask? Well firstly... it's not that scary and the way the author writes does not make it any more terrifying. When other people write in their reviews that he writes like a kid in middle school... believe them. Not that I expected it to be exceedingly well-written, but I'm not just talking about grammar, vocabulary, and structure. He doesn't focus very well on the story that the reader is actually interested in and injects SO MUCH of his personal life into it that it almost reads like an autobiography rather than a story about a haunting. Which is how we get to the cookie crisp. He mentions feeding his children cookie crisp for breakfast (Mmm, cookie crisp). I actually have no problem with this, as I went out and bought a box later in the day because I had been thinking about it.

Also, most of the things in the book happen to other people but the author still always manages to make himself out to be the VICTIM. It is seriously PATHETIC and I caught myself, on more than one occasion, thinking "What a PUSSY!" while reading. He seriously always finds a way to whine about something or turn something that's TERRIBLE happening to one of his kids or his friends into something about him.

Like I said, this story started out strong and I was really into it, but it just really fell off and rapidly declined halfway through. The author just whines so much that it is impossible to feel sympathy for him, not to mention all of his beliefs and viewpoints about different things in the story are clearly stated (possibly to the reader's dismay, as you might happen not to be Catholic or believe certain people should be judged for their habits, as he does). LaChance mentions living in an apartment building where his neighbors downstairs are always smoking THE POT, with its sickeningly sweet odor... Well I would recommend if you're going to read this book, you roll a joint before doing so, because the 2/3 that I read stoned were invariably more enjoyable and spooky than the part I read without it. Like my mom always says, " If you have to get stoned to enjoy a book, it's probably not really great in the first place " Well... my Mom doesn't actually say that. Anyway, if anyone reading this review can point me in the direction of some truly bone-chilling tales, whether they be "fact" or fiction, I would really appreciate it!

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the beginning there was an author, and he was so terrible, and such a drama queen, and such a terrible father, that he just kept fighting demons instead of taking his kids away from a haunted house, and protecting them from a supposedly violent and evil entity. "Oh poor me, I'm a single dad, Oh poor me, I'm such a martyr for the cause." I've known the author in person, and he IS a drama queen. There's a reason his wife left him and his kids, and I don't think it was solely because she wanted to leave her kids either. He's not the hero he makes himself out to be, and this is the most boring and inane book on the subject of hauntings ever written. It's difficult to make a salad taste bad, really--you throw some things together, like lettuce, onion, tomato, dressing. Likewise, it's difficult to make a good horror not even frightening at all--just by repeating yourself ad nauseum and how DRAMATIC everything is,
but you.just.have.to.keep.living.there.and.going.through.it.all.with.the.kids.you're.supposed.to.love.... Don't waste your hard earned $$$, this book is crap.

[Susan Jo Grassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very interested in the paranormal and have taken courses in investigation and research, joined groups, gone on several investigations, taking some fascinating pictures and EVPs, felt the bone chilling cold in the middle of a hot summer evening and even felt the paralyzing touch of extreme evil.

I must admit that I started this book with the intention of scoffing at this "true account" but became so interested that I actually did some research on the house and many of the people mentioned in the book.

Whether or not you are believer, I think you will find this book interesting. You might, however, if you are of a sensitive nature, want to read it only during the day and place it face down with something heavy or religious on top so nothing escapes during the night.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, easy, terrifying read. Obviously his first effort based on the writing, but a worthwhile read. Could have used another heavy edit, the pacing was a bit off and there were more than a few jarring moments. I personally would have taken a more psychological and scientific route in the wrap up, but that's my opinion, not a true critique. This fits the genre well, is really a nice read overall and I look forward to the next offering, hopefully one with a stronger edit and more practiced style.

[Sabrina Rutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever know your in the house alone and feel like someone is watching you? Ever see something out of the corner of your eye, and when you look nothing is there? You look for rational explanations to these things, but for some it becomes clear that this is not something that can be easily explained away; which is exaclty what happened to Steven LaChance when he moved his family into what he thought was the right house for the right price.

[Kelly W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and often painful story that is told with sincerity. The writing style gets a bit annoying at times (e.g., he describes at least 3 people as "walking to the beat of their own drum" and uses cheap page-turner tactics), so you kind of have to imagine it as someone telling you a verbal story rather than interpreting it as a written gem. Nonetheless, I read it all in two sittings since it was extremely compelling to me as a fan of "true haunting" stories.

[Diedre Poellnitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dives into a story which from outside is so unbelievable as you read each page. To face something that you can't see is so unsettling to even comprehend but it happens everyday to many...it just makes you think that it is not only the physical dangers you have to worry about but what is hidden in the shadows....this story takes you to a place where you will feel unnerved but a story I think is important everyone to be aware of the unclean invading the good souls in this world.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont generally get "freaked out" by very much, I love everything paranormal and it takes quite a bit to get me feeling a bit uneasy... well this book did it for me, I read it on my Kobo with the lights out.... well that lasted about 5 minutes before I had to turn the lights on.

This story is well written, Steven really gets into your mind and gets it racing.

I would recommend this to anyone who'd like a good "creepy" read!

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do I even begin...Oh yeah!

BOOM! SCREAM! BOOM! SCREAM!
(the sound of my heart the beat goes on and on).

Nothing could have prepared me. It only got harder from here. This was the last easiest night we had...even though we had a few more of those same easiest last nights after he said it the first time. Honestly though nothing could’ve prepared me for how god awful this book was.

First thing that really put me off was him telling me what I should be doing while I read. Let’s be completely honest that first part could’ve been cut. There really was no need for it. After that the story about his wife I really liked and was into it. The tone set a really creepy and sad vibe. I was digging It...after that I have no idea what happened.

He reads as a complete asshole who is scared to death of losing his god almighty masculinity. The part where he talks about how he can’t talk to women... was really off putting. He definitely could have written that better or really just have not been a douchebag. Then the whole scene of how he could of laughed at this women who was overweight. That wasn’t funny it just further showed how much of a dick he was.

Second, his style of writing was extremely jarring. There were times where the story was going at a great pace and then something weird was said that threw off the whole thing. It might have been all the screaming and booming...or the telling instead of showing and then the repeating of the telling in a dialogue.

Third, there are so many loopholes/plot holes that my Swiss cheese looks more wholesome than him. For some reason he decided that he would give himself the omniscient narrator voice...while telling a true story with parts that he couldn’t have possibly known. I drove away and I would never know the lights turned on... okay so then how are you telling us?

On top of that, it seemed like he we went in repeated circles. He left the house and then came back, left the house and came back, left the house for good decided he didn’t have enough scary BOOM! SCREAMS! And came back to be the white knight for some other lady, of which he knew all the details of. (By the way...can we talk about how he’s so shocked the lady had kids when he saw kids move into the house when they were selling it?). It went from spirits to wolf beasts and it was so much and all over the place that I don’t think this guy even knew what he wanted to write. Maybe he experienced something chilling in real life, but it wasn’t enough for him so he embellished... a lot.

Overall, I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis. It seemed like a decent haunting story that I could vibe with... however, after getting a few chapters in I realized I had to go read The Exorcist because he makes a ton of half-assed comparisons and half-ass doctor visits that try to sound like he’s experiencing the same shit he read in The Exorcist. The end was a build up of probably every scary thing he could think of. Not only that but this book is sometimes the biggest tangent I ever read, especially the end. It seemed he had absolutely no direction in how or what to end with. He’s a big dramatic fraud and I’m really disappointed I even got excited to read the sequel to this book.

The only thing that kept me from
DNFing this was how absurd the book was getting. I really wanted to read the rest of it to see how much worse it could get and how many more times I could NEVER BE PREPARED FOR WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

This is so harsh but honestly...come on.

[Amy Pagel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the book however there were many places in near the beginning and middle that were so redundant I almost put it down. The writing style seemed kind of immature. The thing is I couldn't put it down. I needed to finish. I don't usually read that fast and I read this in under two days.

[Ange · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was tough to rate this book two stars because while I was intensely interested in the "true story" presented here, the author left some holes and gaps that really took away from my trust as a reader. I had been looking forward to reading this book for a couple of years, but hadn't had the time to get to it until now. What had potential to be a truly scary read (coming from the girl who was reading Stephen King books at 10 years old) turned out to be weakened by some of the things that don't quite add up. The biggest loophole is that as a single father of three, he took every action to leave this allegedly haunted house but then dives right back into it by befriending the next tenant to move into the house. I won't dispute any of the observations that were made or experiences that he claimed to have had/witnessed, but every time I was getting really into it, there was a rough transition and we were on to the next thing. A for-instance is the description of his friend Helen going from partially possessed to no longer possessed in a gradual process that took a couple of years to complete, but there isn't any detail or insight into that. The burden of proof when trying to build a case for paranormal phenomenon is great and anyone claiming a true story would do well to provide a thorough explanation, a cohesive, complete story and any supporting evidence possible. This book was not a great example of a well-documented and effective retelling of a true story.

[Danny Raye · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Uninvited is by far the most horrifying novel you'll ever read. The true story of the Union Screaming House survivors is not told lightly. The raw events of the haunting and demonic oppression expose how Satan mutilates our sanity and cripples us with fear, and the ending expresses just how powerful faith in the Lord truly is. Without all the smoke and lights or theatrics. Without an overwhelming amount of unnecessary detail. Without anything but the truth, this book WILL keep you up at night, and what Steven and Helen suffered will make you grateful you get to live your days without brushing against the border to Hell.

Spiritual warfare is the most trying of all warfare a human can face because it tests more than your mind and body, it attacks your SOUL. So, rather you read this as fiction (not believing in demons, the Devil, or God) or as the truth in which it's told, read with delicacy. This is the story of two people who glimpsed Hell and ran to the Cross and survived. Not everyone who faces the Devil is spiritually strong enough to live to talk about it.

A great journey to spiritual salvation, but definitely not a story for the lighthearted. A flawlessly-written horror novel with unspeakable acts of violence and unbelievable living nightmares.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty scary book. It had me looking over my shoulder every once in a while. I got the book from the library and my wife borrowed it the first day. She read the first 70 pages in one sitting. I came in to our bedroom and she gave me this look, like a “your nuts” look. She said “That is one of the scariest things I have ever read. You sure you wanna read it?” It is coming up on Halloween, of course ;-)

The book deals with a rental property in Union Missouri that is haunted. Many people have rented the house without the property owner / manager disclosing that it is haunted. He knows it is and willingly rents the place to families with little kids. Dirtbag. Anyhow, the book goes into detail about what happens in the house, the noises they hear, the things (and spirits) they see, strange occurrences with possible possession. Crazy stuff. The author and his children moved out of the house but subsequently he returns to help another tenant deal with the paranormal experiences she witnesses.

If you enjoy ghosts, paranormal, or just plain scary stuff you will enjoy the book.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

LaChance's narration of the events surrounding his time at the Union House is a terrific paragon of how to write a haunting novel. LaChance keeps the chapters short, relevant and on point. Every word from page 1 has importance and relevance. He doesn't fill the book with filler or irrelevant information. Everything comes full circle into the story of the haunting. The tales of the haunting are the vast majority of the book, which is to be expected. Kermeen's Myrtles Plantation felt, when I read it, as though it was a biography that was occasionally interrupted by ghost stories. LaChance stays on target through the whole prose. I was all in all impressed with the presentation, it felt at times as though I was watching a horror movie or a ghost investigation show rather than reading the book which drew me in and made me read past my bedtime. The book was good though the epilogue could have had a few more details, and some of the houses story could have been fleshed out a bit more but I'm just knit picking. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a book about ghosts and hauntings based on real world events.

[Twisted sister paranormal Lady Book Voodoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Zombie Journal Review

Steven Lachance was this nice guy who ran in to a crap load of some case of what I like to call crap luck (This is putting it mildly).Here this poor guy thought he was coming home to his bestfriend/wife and 3 kids.Home to his happy and content life. Only to find her ,his wife packed and ready to leave. When she told him ,I'm sorry Steven .Its not you ,its me. I told you that I didnt want to be a mother. Here this heartless woman leaves this man heart broken,to raise there 3 kids alone. And drains his account and says that she hasnt paid the rent in 6 months and the lights will be off by tomorrow . Just heart wrenching !! So steve picks the pieces up from his life and quicly puts them back togther . (For the childrens sake) He finds them this home in Union Missouri . Only to find it haunted by demons.

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