The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Michael Myers to stalk castle on fright night
On-screen killer will feel right at home with the ghouls at Glamis
Masked killer Michael Myers will leave Haddonfield behind for a Halloween visit to a haunted Angus castle.
The escaped mental patient who kills teenage babysitters will likely feel right at home at Glamis Castle, as it has played host to its fair share of stories of ghouls and paranormal phenomena over the centuries.
A mischievous servant boy tripping up guests, a gambler playing cards for all eternity, a tongueless woman and a Grey Lady are all said to be among the longterm residents of the late Queen Mother’s childhood home.
Blue Monkey Events will be screening the 1978 horror film Halloween in the grounds of the castle to give movie-goers an open-air fright night.
The franchise was started in part by John Carpenter and Moustapha Akkad in 1978 and has led to 10 films that have grossed nearly $400 million worldwide.
The original Halloween follows Myers as he stalks and kills teenage babysitters on Halloween night after escaping from a sanitarium.
A spokeswoman for Glamis Castle said: “Given the castle’s history, it’s fair to say Michael Myers will feel right at home at Glamis alongside some of our long-term residents.”
Castle general manager Tommy Baxter has always wanted to screen the movie at Glamis on Halloween and will get his wish on October 31.
The 1993 comedy film Hocus Pocus will be shown two days before and has already sold out with tickets for Halloween flying out of the door.
Glamis Castle has been home to the Bowes-Lyons Family since the land was presented to them as a gift by Robert the Bruce in 1372.
According to legend, the castle is haunted because of an ancient curse brought on the family by Sir John Lyon, who removed an ancestral chalice from their seat at Forteviot, where it was supposed to reside forever.
The Grey Lady of Glamis is believed to be Lady Janet Douglas, burned at the stake as a witch in 1537, and who has haunted the castle grounds ever since.
The most famous legend connected with the castle is that of the Monster of Glamis, a hideously deformed child born to the family.
In the story, the monster was kept in the castle all his life and his suite of rooms bricked up after his death.
Earl Beardie is one of the most notorious ghosts of Glamis Castle.
He wanted to play cards on the Sabbath and declared that he was prepared to play with the Devil himself if nobody joined him.
The Devil obliged, proposing rather high stakes.