Photo: Instagram
Do you think he ever ghosts his romantic prospects?
By Leah Scher — Written on Jul 28, 2019
Zak Bagans is the paranormal investigator and host of Ghost Adventures, a TV series where he leads a team of co-investigators Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin through haunted locations in America and abroad to uncover paranormal mysteries. He interviews locals about alleged hauntings, faces the supernatural entities themselves (also allegedly), and then the three of them hold a “dusk-to-dawn lockdown” to try to obtain physical evidence of the paranormal activity. How fitting, then, that he just bought the famous site of the LaBianca murders—the first murders that kicked off the Helter Skelter period of Manson Family killings.
Who is this occult-inclined man? Who is Zak Bagans? Read on for new details on the star who just bought the Manson Murder House.
1. He already has a huge collection of oddities.
According to his bio, Bagans started developing his interest in the paranormal when he was only 10-years-old. He would scour nearby garage sales with his mom in search of odd and spooky collectibles. His fascination “evolved into a life-long pursuit for answers about the afterlife, not merely through the study of earth-bound energy, but also through years of science-based research using a multitude of specially engineered equipment to measure fluctuations in the environment…more specifically, to communicate with the dead.” He now considers himself a pioneer in the paranormal field, and he built a haunted Museum to share the chilling experience with the rest of the world.
2. The house was owned by Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, a couple brutally murdered by Manson family members in 1969.
On August 10th, 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca went to bed after learning of the disturbing news of a violent murder across town. The murderers had left the house full of corpses and the word “PIG” written in blood across a wall. The couple drove back to their Los Angeles home at 3301 Waverly Drive in the Los Feliz neighborhood just south of Griffith Park after a day spent with Rosemary’s children, Frank and Suzan. They had moved in the year before—it was Leno’s childhood home. Charles Manson and his right-hand man, Charles “Tex” Watson, entered their house, subdued them by promising that they wouldn’t be hurt or killed (only robbed), and then proceeded to stab them repeatedly. The LaBiancas weren’t Hollywood famous like the first victims, Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, and Abigail Folger. Leno was the owner of a chain of supermarkets. Rosemary owned a successful clothing company.
3. Bagans, a collector of dark culture, was drawn to the home's history.
He won't say what he plans to do with the house, but he did disclose that it has a history beyond just the Manson murders. Dogs have mysteriously disappeared from the property and occupants have been freaked out over what he calls paranormal activity.
4. He jumped at the opportunity when he heard the home was up for sale for $1.98 million.
He literally ran to check out the house, TMZ says, and made a close-to-asking offer, which closes in early September. Zak reported that almost everything in the house is original, which is one of the main things that attracted him. He told Newsweek that he was “drawn to its history, the spectacular views and energy [he] felt while there.” The structure is 1,600 square feet and has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths—not to mention some incredible city views. It was on the market for $1.98 million. It last sold in 1998 for $375,000.
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5. This isn’t the only haunted house he’s sought after.
Begans owns a “Demon House,” which is said to be demonically possessed and is located in Gary, Indiana. He and his crew made an in-depth documentary in March of 2018 called—you guessed it—“Demon House,” where he documents “the most authenticated case of possession in American history in this edge-of-your-seat demonic thrill ride.” He later decided to tear down the house because of the wild hauntings. Parts of the home are now in his Haunted Museum.
6. He just takes life day by day.
In an interview with Aaron Sagers, Bagans was asked where he sees himself in the next five years. He said, "I don’t like to foresee the future, unless I have a goal to accomplish. And I feel like I’ve accomplished my goal. Right now I’m just living in this day, in this moment, spending my energy focusing on tomorrow not five years from now. That was what I did 10 years ago, 6 years ago, whatever. Just like in the world of the paranormal, everything is unexplained and unpredictable. Those adjectives explain my life right now."
Keep doing you, Bagans. Right on.
Leah Scher is an ENFP finishing her degree at Brandeis University. She's an alumna of the Kenyon Review Young Writer's Workshop the Iowa Young Writers' Studio. She's passionate about Judaism, poetry, film, satire, astrology, spirituality, and sexual health.