Ghosts attack Delaware 'Ghost Hunters' TV star at his home, he says

A Delaware ghost hunter got his brightest idea in the darkest moment of his life.

But it took about six weeks for Middletown resident Daryl Marston, 51, to wake up from his worst nightmare ever, he said.

Marston, star of the A&E reality show "Ghost Hunters," reveals how a string of these supernatural events almost broke him in his new book, "The Horrors of the House of Wills: A True Story of a Paranormal Investigator's Most Terrifying Case."

Ghost expert feels a touch at haunted funeral home

After getting a tip about a haunted funeral home from his peers, Marston traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to explore The House of Wills in the summer of 2014. He was there with other investigators.

The building is owned by Satanist Eric Freeman, and it formerly belonged to the largest Black funeral home in Ohio, Marston said.

Before his House of Wills mission, the Hodgson Vo-Tech alum conducted over 100 paranormal investigations and had about 10 years of experience in the field, he said.

But Marston wasn't prepared for the suffocating evil that awaited him in the building.

"We saw shadow anomalies, which some people call 'shadow figures.' We had people getting pushed. We had people getting touched," Marston told Delaware Online/The News Journal.

"The energy of the building felt like it was a living organism," he added.

Marston said this was the most activity he ever experienced during an investigation. He claims the darkness in The House of Wills was so heavy that he experienced a loss of memory at various times in the building.

He also developed symptoms of vertigo, which forced him to leave the building multiple times to get fresh air.

Marston admits he was warned about some of that stuff before he explored The House of Wills. "But I didn't believe it because I'm a skeptic."

'Hundreds' of black flies infest his house

Shortly after returning to his family in Delaware, things got worse, he said. Marston could immediately sense the dark energy from The House of Wills in his home.

It included a swarm of bugs in his house.

"All of a sudden we started getting these black flies in the house," he explained. "It's not just one or two — we're talking hundreds."

He said the situation had to be supernatural because he never had an infestation problem.

"There's no reason for it. You'd kill them and then the next day you come back, they're back again," Marston said. He struggled to hold on to his sanity, he explained: "This can't be happening. I'm going crazy."

Evil spirits followed Daryl Marston home

Marston reached out to other investigators for answers about why his home was swarming with bugs.

An investigator told the "Ghost Hunters" star that the spirits from The House of Wills attached themselves to him and followed him to Delaware.

That's when Marston started doing more research on The House of Wills and connected with people who had been at the building to learn about their experiences, in hopes of finding a solution for himself.

The House of Wills has a colorful history

The real-life ghostbuster discovered The House of Wills is highly active with spirits because of its origins. The building was created in the 1800s by a 33rd-degree Freemason, according to The House's Instagram page.

"Masonic architecture is built to harness energy," he said. "That's what these masonic masons do when they build the structure."

The House of Wills was originally used as a German singing society hall in 1899, before transitioning into a Hungarian immigrants' hospital and a Jewish school, according to Cleveland Historical.

From 1941 to 2005, the building was a Black funeral home founded by J. Walter Wills (hence the building's name). The House of Wills was distinguished as the largest Black funeral home in Ohio, per Cleveland Historical.

According to Cleveland.com, the Satanist Freeman purchased the building in 2010 and kept the name of the funeral home. The building is used for tours.

Ghosts made him 'start fighting back'

Marston said the ghosts in his house tormented him and his family for about six weeks. He tried a number of things to ward off the spirits, which included sage.

But nothing worked.

Marston was saddled with guilt because he felt responsible for bringing spirits home to his family, something he'd never experienced prior to visiting The House of Wills, he said.

What broke his heart the most is he believes his son, who was about 2 years old at the time, saw a ghost in their home.

Marston said one day his son hid under the covers in their bedroom. His little boy never explained what happened, but Marston is sure he witnessed a spirit.

That's when the ghost chaser had enough. "That's what really upset me and made me mad and start fighting back."

From darkest hell to brightest idea

Marston had not been religious.

But, "I was at wit's end and something in my head said, 'Man, you need to start praying.'"

He cried out to God for help.

"The darkness that I felt around me and my family kind of lifted. Every day, it got a little bit better," said Marston, who became a follower of Jesus Christ.

Over 400 ghost investigations

Marston now has over 400 paranormal investigations on his résumé, and he's done investigations in almost every state except Hawaii. He's also worked in Canada and the U.K., the spirit chaser said. He's booked about every weekend out of the year.

Marston has been hooked on investigations since he took a paranormal tour of Fort Delaware in 2005 where he witnessed a "half-body apparition," or a spirit with no lower body, he explained.

Finally meeting Satanist Eric Freeman

In a full-circle moment, he finally got to meet the Satanist Freeman, who owns The House of Wills.

They met earlier this month at a book signing for "The House of Wills" at the occult and witchcraft shop Oktober in Ohio. Almost 400 people showed up to the event. The House of Wills' Facebook page shared a photo of Marston and Freeman at the shop.

"I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about it, I'm not gonna lie. I was pleasantly surprised," Marston said. "He's a really good guy."

To this day, Marston maintains The House of Wills is the scariest place he's ever visited.

He's also thankful that good things have come from that experience, including his new book and relationship with God.

With God on his side, Marston said he feels safer in his personal life, and on ghost-hunting missions.

"It's kind of like backup, you know? [God's] always there."

"The Horrors of the House of Wills: A True Story of a Paranormal Investigator's Most Terrifying Case" is available at bookstores and Amazon.

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware 'Ghost Hunters' star Daryl Marston talks new horror book