We’re always on the lookout for strange and macabre stories, but we’re especially fond of them in October. Finding true tales of terror during the spooky season enhances our enjoyment of Halloween. Usually. Every once in a while we learn about an event that is too awful for even us to savor, because it leaves a bad taste in our mouths. And in this case, we mean that literally because we can taste this nightmare. A family in Iowa discovered their home’s basement filled with animal blood—real animal blood, but things are somehow much worse than they sound.
WHO NBC in Central Iowa reported on the unfathomable catastrophe that has struck the Lestina family in Bagley, Iowa. Right before they were set to put their house up for sale, they discovered their basement had been flooded with five-inches of animal blood, bones, and fat, something you would only expect to happen at the Overlook. They live next to Dahl’s Meat Market, which had disposed of pig and cow parts via its floor drain. The shop shares a pipe with the Lestina home, and despite a decade without any issues, the pipes backed up, resulting in the animal remains and blood filling the family’s basement.
Warning: Don’t watch this video while eating… or thinking about eating… and maybe don’t watch it ever because it’s very, very gross.
While the family’s belongings that were stored in the basement were destroyed, that would seem to pale in comparison to the problems this will pose for them as they try and sell their home. Not only has there been horrible damage (what will it take to get rid of the smell), how can anyone be certain it won’t happen again? And how many people will want to live in the house that once doubled as a pig and cow blood pool?
That’s a very specific, very narrow group of weird potential buyers. It’s not like many people watch this scene and think, “You know, we should do a long weekend at the hotel where blood comes out of the elevators.”
Featured Image: WHO NBC