Being a century old, Loyola University is renowned for its rich history; however, a darker, unsettling story lurks beneath the surface of its halls. Room 813 in Buddig Hall has earned a reputation as the university’s most haunted location, with roots in the alleged occult exorcism in 1968, unbeknownst by many students. According to an article published in 1974 by The Maroon, and according to Ghost City Tours, The Ghosts of Loyola University interviewed students had an explanation for the hauntings: a Ouija board.
It all began with a Ouija board–a setting familiar in fictional horror films. In room 813, then freshman sisters Marie and Brenda, started using a Ouija board in the late 1960s. Occasionally, they would communicate with a ghost named Hazel, a local Creole woman, who revealed that her husband had died in prison for a crime she had committed. Hazel’s stories had a strange level of credibility, since she provided particular dates and facts about her life. However, the spirit world was unpredictable, and their contact quickly became more sinister.
During one Ouija session, the sisters invited their friend Neil, who lived nearby at Biever Hall. When Neil made fun of the spirit Hazel, the board ominously read: “Cut stomach, Kill Neil.”
The following day, Neil fainted in the cafeteria and was brought to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with appendicitis. Whether this was a coincidence or a hex is unknown, but it only fueled the girls’ desire to continue their Ouija board experiments. They soon convinced themselves that they had invited Satan himself rather than Hazel.
To confirm they were speaking with a satanic presence, they requested the Ouija board for a sign. The girls switched out the light, and all they saw was Brenda’s face with blue features and a devilish, wide grin. They sought out Reverend Harold Cohen for help in their paranormal experience, to which, according to Brenda, he “made [them] promise not to play with the Ouija anymore. But [they] walked out the office and said, ‘Let’s go see what it has to say.’”
Several weeks later at 2 a.m. Marie and Brenda awoke to their furniture shifting on its own, a poster ripped from the wall, and all of the objects on their shelves rearranged. In a state of fear, they called Father Cohen from Campus Ministry at 3:30 a.m. He arrived later that morning, and what happened next confirmed the room’s haunted reputation, according to Ghost City Tours.
Father Cohen performed an exorcism in Room 813, spraying holy water on the beds and throughout the dorm while praying in Latin. The girls stood in formation with others and joined the priest in praying the “Our Father.” According to them, the bewitching ceased, but many questions remained. The university’s demonologist, Rev. Louis Lambert, dismissed the experiences as simple teenage imagination, while Father McGill warned Ouija boards lend to hallucinations.
However, the exorcism was not the end of the haunting of Room 813. Students have often reported odd events in Buddig Hall throughout decades, including unexplained object movements and out-of-place noises. A deep, guttural growl was purportedly captured during a 2010 séance in Buddig Hall’s Room 1108 when the spirit was asked if they meant to hurt the girls during the 1968 exorcisms. Some students worry that the spirit at Buddig Hall might be something dangerous, while others think it might just be fun. The haunting of Room 813, whether real or imagined, has been ingrained in Loyola University mythology and serves as a terrifying reminder of the dangers that may occur when students’ curiosity pushes them to explore the unknown.
