Mysterious Universe » Dibbuk Box

The Possession

Aaron Wright — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 05:08:32 +0000

Sam Raimi’s new film, The Possession is based on a true life object called the Dibbuk Box and with the release of the film, we thought it was only appropriate that we look back at the history of the Dibbuk Box and its journey with Mysterious Universe.

With each mention of the Dibbuk Box bad luck seems to follow. Many listeners of the Mysterious Universe Podcast have begged and pleaded never to mention its name again, while others have “mocked the box” only to end up meeting its wrath.

Below is just a small selection of the emails we have received, as well as links to each episode the Dibbuk Box has featured on.

Emails

Upon my boyfriend arriving home, and me having nothing to really talk about, I decide to share the story of the dibbuk box… which I am really beginning to wonder if that is what caused me to wake very early in pain.

The following morning (at around 3am). I woke up to a horrible pain in the lower left back of my skull. It was as if someone had hit me with a hard object and there was swelling to compare to the the right side. I had (and am still suffering) headeaches and swelling to this peculiar injury that seems to have developed over night for no reason whatsoever. I had not been out drinking the night before and I never get headaches…I certainly would remember my head getting hit in any case.

This happened while I was asleep. I can’t describe it better than feeling like I was clubbed over the back of the head

~ Michelle

Stop talking about the D-Box!!!

The last time you mentioned it, I and my bf both got a yeast infection, and I’ve had multiple things break down in my house! My only toilet has broken, my only shower is broken, my pool has developed several problems, and WHO KNOWS what will happen now!

~ Pat

The first night I tried listening to your interview on the box, I fell asleep within the first 15 minutes or so (it was a very loooong day at work that day). About 4 hours later, I woke up to complete darkness. My apartment is off busy streets, and it’s facing a wooded park, so there usually isn’t much light… but it was much darker than normal. Pitch black. Come to find out, the entire complex’s power was knocked out. Nebraska summers are a beast, and it was about 85F at 3 am.

The next night, I finally sat down and listened to the entire show. Great interview! Gave me goosebumps just like the first time I heard about the box. Here’s the strange thing, though. I dreamed the Dibbuk box that night.

I don’t really remember much of the dream before the box… but I remember walking into a coffee shop in my dream, and seeing an old woman sitting at a table with the box. She definitely didn’t match the dread-locked horror that others have described. She was a short, stout babushka. She was in one chair, and next to here in the other was the box. The dark brown grapes and vines on the front of the box, the stone tablet and the chalice, the inscription on the back of the box, the wine rack on the inside of the doors… I saw it all. I don’t usually remember dreams, but the box is still crystal clear in my head, weeks later.

I don’t know if I became lucid at that point, but I knew that it wasn’t supposed to be there. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to interact with it or even look at it. The little old lady sat there silently smiling. She didn’t say a word, but it felt like she was trying to give it to me. At that time, I woke up.

I have a background in psychology, so when I woke up, I kept telling myself that I primed myself for that dream by listening to the show about the box. The only problem was…I had never seen the box before, as far as I can remember. That next day, I checked out the websites, and I was blown away. The box from my dream matched the box on the website exactly.

~ Steve

The last week I have been listening to all the Dibbuk box episodes, and yesterday I listened to the episode where the phones cut out while you were interviewing the Dibbuk owners.

At 4am this morning my fiance wakes me up. He had been up since 2am dealing with a severe pain in his lower back. The pain was so bad I could see tears in his eyes and he could barely walk.
I took him to the Emergency Room, and he was diagnosed with kidney stones, or should I say, Dibbuk stones.

~ Ashley

Eventually my curiosity got the better of me and I found the Dibbuk box episode, I was joking with my boyfriend that perhaps I shouldn’t listen to it and risk the bad luck. I was in our room listening to the podcast and he went into the living room. Apparently his x-box broke – it got the dreaded ring of death. He blames me. I blame you.

~ Chloe

I ended up getting sucked into listening to your recent episode when you were talking with the owner of the Dibbuk Box. I’ve purposely not listened to past episodes about it because of all the bad luck stories that seem to coincide with that box, and I’ve had enough bad luck this year.

Anyway, I listened to it and thought if I didn’t think about the box after tuning in I’d forget about it and nothing would happen. I did forget about it, and had a great Friday night out going to dinner and watching a music gig.

My girlfriend hardly ever gets drunk. Out of the 3.5 years we’ve been together, I can only remember one time she has really had a lot to drink. This night was going to be the second time.

Driving home, everything was fine. Part of the way, I pulled over cos she wasn’t feeling that great. So she got out, got some air and got in feeling a bit better.

5 mins from home, on a stretch of road where I couldn’t pull over because I was in the far right lane getting ready to turn, she says I can’t hold it in. I knew what she meant, and I flew across the 3 lanes on the road to pull over where I could but it was to late.

She threw up all over my brand new car…….and herself. The seat, the floor, the inside of the door of my beautiful new car.

The thing is, it was only when I woke up the next morning it hit me, I totally forgot………It was that damn box!

~ Daniel

I was up late as usual one night with nothing better to do than watch Youtube and check Facebook when I recalled I’d been meaning to look further into the Dibbuk box. I read a few articles here and there online, and pretty much dismissed the whole thing, thinking nothing bad has ever come of me not really having any faith in the stories so why believe?

The rest of my night was uneventful and I had all but forgotten about the subject by the next day. The following night however has changed my view completely.

As I slept I had sudden flashes of a face, the very same I’ve heard described in others dreams. A woman with odd grey green skin and ratty hair; her mouth wide open screaming at me. Her face flashed faster and faster until I jerked awake. When I awoke I had the strange feeling she was there, in my room. I shut my eyes and tried to ignore it. But as I did, I could feel a pressure on my neck, not like hands but a pressure full way round my neck holding me down. I pushed with my hands down into my bed to free myself but the force was too great. I tried to yell out but the force on my neck was too great. The womans face once again flashed before my eyes again and again, when all at once it just stopped and I was free. I looked around and my room was empty.

Well the following day I told my girlfriend what had happened. She had never heard of the box and I told her to look it up before I related the story. As she brought up a site on it her computer, it froze and crashed, and when she had restarted it and tried the site again, it would fail to load the site.

If I didn’t think there was anything to the story before, I am now a full believer and will never bash the box again.

~ Matthew

Yesterday I was at University and walking back to my car while telling my friend about the box and the bad luck it can bring. When I got back to my car, I found that someone had reversed right into the rear of my car, leaving a very large dent and several cracks in the rear!

It could be just really bad coincidence, but when I think about how I had been discussing the Box moments before getting to my car (and throughout the day I must admit), and have never had any sort car accident or collision before, I wonder if this is another instance of Dibbuk Box fallout

~ Bradley

Episode 808 – Mysterious Universe

Benjamin Grundy — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:53:19 +0000

The image above is from the upcoming film The Possession which is based on a true story we are well versed on here at Mysterious Universe. If Aaron and Ben survive the recording you may hear some exciting updates on the film and the truth to the destruction of the set.

We also feature brand new Humanoid reports fromt the Rosales database, dimensional slips, and South American monsters.

Read on for show notes, music, books, and more.

Paradigm Symposium • October 18-21, 2012 • Minneapolis, Minnesota

Email us with your Meetup RSVP:

MU Minneapolis Meetup – October 21 (evening)

MU New York City Meetup – October 23 (evening)

Hunt for big cats, including cougars, panthers or pumas, in Victoria begins after decades of reported sightings

Episode 408 – Mysterious Universe – Mike Williams

Victorian Big Cats

Harvard cracks DNA storage, crams 700 terabytes of data into a single gram

Kickstarter: Let’s Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum

Let’s Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum

Complete MSL Curiosity Descent – Full Quality Enhanced 1080p + Heat Shield impact

The Possession Movie

Click here to view the embedded video.

Episode 209 – Mysterious Universe – Jason Haxton Halloween Interview

Episode 524 – Mysterious Universe – Jason Haxton and Kevin Mannis

The Dibbuk Box

Paranormal Witness – Dibbuk Box Episode (August 29)

Humanoid Reports and Other Encounters…2010-August 2012: Part 1

2010 Humanoids – Albert Rosales PDF Report

Plus+ Extension

The Extension of the Show is Exclusive to Plus+ Members. To learn how to join, click HERE.

Shadow Worlds: Monsters in Our Midst

Reddit, what is the creepiest ‘true’ story some one has ever told you?

Biologist Rupert Sheldrake Explains the Ten Dogmas Holding Science Back

Music

Arkist – Fill Your Coffee via Waxhole

Breton – The Commission (Lapaluxs Aquatic Centre Remix) via Potholes in my Blog

Holy Other – Tense Past via Know Phase

Michna – Through The City On The Edge Of Forever via Radio ClubFoot

Woodville – King Of The Waves via Big Echo

Arkist – Two Night Stand via Waxhole

OOFT – Love and Soulsaving (Foto-007) LO RES via Phuture Labs

Von D – Von D ft Phephe-Set Me Free (Stinkahbell Remix) via EARMILK

Episode 524 – Mysterious Universe

Benjamin Grundy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:21:28 +0000

A familiar antique piece and its powerful resident join us along with the current keeper and first buyer. That’s right, we close out Season 5 of Mysterious Universe with none other than the dreaded Dibbuk Box.

Jason Haxton gives us a special preview of his upcoming book on the Box and the first purchaser, Kevin Mannis, presents a unique and personal insight into the terrifying capabilities of the Dibbuk that inhabits it.

Show notes, music, video, and crystal skulls after the jump.

Support MU! Join Plus+ by clicking HERE

See our 2009 Dibbuk Box episode here

The Dibbuk Box

The Dibbuk Box Upcoming Book by Jason Haxton

Chinese City Mirage

Click here to view the embedded video.

Crystal Skull Found at Flea Market

Original London UFO Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

London UFO Follow Up Videos

New Species Discovery – Going into Aaron’s fish tank

Plus+ Content

You can join Plus+ by clicking HERE

The Alien Killed with a Coal Shovel

Ghosts, Flies and Scratches

DNA and Bigfoot

Update on the Erickson Project

– Feature Image background via chulii stock –

Music

Breton – Pace Maker via KEEPREAL

Dela – Smiling From Up Above (An Eternal Soul OST) via earmilk

Dirty Art Club – French Press via Unpiano

FISHING – Watersport via guerolitomusic

George Fitzgerald – Silhouette via Audio Drums

Marcin Krupa and Martin Nowakowski aka… – I Play Disco At Techno Parties (Sasse Remix) via My Life Is Acid

Frenic – Alright via Free Breaks Blog

Yael Naim – Toxic (16 Bit Dubstep Remix) via earmilk

Curses: The Dib***k Box Opening Worldwide for Halloween

Amelia Crater — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 05:51:07 +0000

The accursed creature that haunts “The -Box-We-Must-Not-Name” is about to become a movie star, which certainly makes it not only one of the spookiest, but one of the most successful internet memes to date, and one that has been especially adept at using writers to help cast its evil spell.

As the MU faithful are well aware, the haunted wine box first made headlines in 2003 when it was posted for sale on eBay. However, it wasn’t the object itself but rather the terrifying story of the curse it carried that soon made it an internet sensation.

In 2004, the story was picked up by writer Leslie Gornstein who penned Jinx in a Box for the Los Angeles Times. That article attracted the interest of horror flick phenom Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, SpiderMan), who purchased the rights to the LA Times story and in 2005 announced that it would be the next film made by his production company, Ghost House.

It was not. Not even close. Raimi produced a slough of films and TV series in the intervening years, all the while the Dib***k Box has been trapped in development hell. The story has gone through a whole rehab clinic worth of screenwriters including Steven Susco of Grudge fame, E.L. Katz (Pop Skull, Autopsy) , Moira Buffini (Jane Eyre (2011)), before landing on the desks of writers Juliet Snowden and Stiles White also worked on Knowing and remakes for Poltergeist and The Birds. After six years and nearly as many writers, this writing duo apparently outwitted the demonic Dib**k Box.

Or did they? The script is said to be based on events that actually happened although the story doesn’t sound like the ones found at the website of the D-Box’s current owner Jason Haxton. The film, which is currently shooting in Vancouver, BC, helmed by Danish director Ole Bornedal (Deliver Us From Evil), and starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Losers) and Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) as the divorced parents of two daughters Hannah, 15 and Em, 10. Here’s a synopsis of the plot via Scriptshadow:

Division III basketball coach Clyde Brenek has just moved in to his new home. It’s been bachelor central in Apartmentsville since his wife left him a year ago and in order to make things more comfortable for his daughters, he’s purchased himself a house.

After settling in, Clyde realizes he’s forgotten to buy dishes. So they head over to a nearby yard sale where Em falls in love with a weird European-style box. She asks her dad if he can buy it for her and Clyde can’t break out his wallet fast enough. Hey, when you’re a father fighting for custody, keeping your daughter happy is priority number 1.

Well, it should’ve been priority number nuh-uh. Cause what Clyde doesn’t realize is that he’s just purchased…The Dibbuk Box!

Right on schedule, Em becomes inappropriately attached to the box, whispering and humming to it, becoming all “creepy horror film kid-like” whenever it’s nearby.

Clyde doesn’t think much of it, as he’s more focused on a head coaching job at Division 1 North Carolina. This is that once in a lifetime dream opportunity he’s been waiting for, except he knows that if he takes it, he’ll rarely see his daughters.

Things start getting downright creepy at the house. There’s scratching noises everywhere. A huge roach problem develops. And some rooms are trashed without rhyme or reason….

Actually, it doesn’t sound as creepy or creative as the eBay tale. And maybe that exactly what the D-Box wants. As MU listeners know, the curse of the Box is far more sly and insidious than the antics described above. Indeed, all it takes to catch the curse is say its name, and some will even swear they were afflicted after only hearing the Box discussed on the podcast.

If the D-in-the-Box is half as clever as we give it credit for, its probably written this script to suit its own dark ends. Is the D-Box itself responsible for the many rewrites, casting the curse of rejection on the scripts it deemed unacceptable? Only accepting the draft that seemed sure to lure millions of unsuspecting Halloween revelers to multiplex theaters.

It’s malevolent goal? Millions of innocent ticket-buyers forced to speak “The Name” and thereby spread the DB curse across the globe. The consequences? Stay tuned for Dib**k Box 2, coming soon to a living room near you.

Episode 209 – Mysterious Universe

Benjamin Grundy — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:52:00 +0000

We’ve got quite a treat in store for you this week in the form of a huge two hour Halloween Special.

In the first hour Aaron and I take our chances against an ancient Jewish Curse as Jason Haxton returns to tell his adventures as keeper of this strange artifact. Be warned that strange things can happen to those who are simply around to hear this story.

In our second half we are joined by MU favorite Jason Offutt to discuss his latest book and research on the illusive Shadow People and Old Hag Syndrome. Offutt shares some incredible tales from Darkness Walks and some exclusive, never heard before encounters, for MU listeners.

Read on for book links, recommendations, and Music.

UPDATE:If you were quick to download this episode you may notice a very high frequency (and very annoying) buzz during the interviews. I have since updated the file with a fixed version but there was a period of around 1 hour when early downloaders got the bad version. So if you notice the buzzing sound while listening you may want to re-download the episode. For iTunes users, delete the old episode, then unsubscribe from the podcast, then re-subscribe to trigger the download of the fixed file. Damn Dibbuk Box!

Jason Haxton

Dibbuk Box

Recommended by Jason:

Jason Offutt

From The Shadows

The music played during the Dibbuk Box narration was kindly supplied by Marcello Fracassa and is from his amazing Mars EP.

Marcello Fracassa

Buy the Mars EP from iTunes

OICHO
“Kyuu” (mp3)
from “OICHO”
(WORKHOUSEDIGITAL)

Final Track

Passion Pit – Little Secrets (Hey Champ Remix) via Too Many Sebastians