You won’t see a single mention of it in any building code, but construction contractors know instinctively that any time they put shovel to ground, they’re chipping away at the earthen barrier that separates mere mortals from hell.
We know from experience that most excavations won’t provide passage for demons or other interdimensional entities. However, when a gateway to hell is actually uncovered, it’s typically bad news.
Thankfully, fictionalized motion picture accounts of actual gateways to hell provide lessons in building planning, design and execution.
The Amityville Horror (1979)
The buyers of the now-famous Amityville house might have suspected that a gateway to hell was factored into the low price of the house.
Gateway indicators: black bubbling liquids in plumbing fixtures; room temperatures below ambient; massive incursions of flies along windows; family dog sucked into glowing, slime-filled hole in basement.
Key takeaways: do your research before building — land title search shows that house was owned by devil worshipper and built on ancient burial ground.
The Beyond (1981)
The Seven Doors Hotel in Louisiana happens to sit on one of the seven gateways to hell. Efforts by Joe the plumber to waterproof the basement activate the portal and usher in a plague of the living dead.
Gateway indicators: skeletal hands emerging from walls; River Styx runs through basement.
Key takeaways: a well-documented murder occurred in house. Conduct historical research prior to taking on such projects, then over-bid to ensure that project is awarded to a competitor.
Poltergeist (1982)
Proof that new construction is just as susceptible to the gateway phenomenon, the film chronicles the experience of homeowners beset by vicious otherworld entities.
Gateway indicators: electrical appliances that turn on by themselves; furniture that moves of its own accord; glowing portals inside bedroom closets.
Key takeaway: developer built subdivision on top of cemetery. Contractors should include a cemetery clause in project contract documentation.
The Evil (1978)
A psychology professor wants to fix up the Civil War-era Vargas Mansion to establish a drug rehabilitation centre. The house seals itself, as supernatural phenomena kill the majority of his friends who are volunteering to help him renovate.
Further exploration reveals that the basement contains a portal to hell.
Gateway indicators: house is built in "the Valley of the Devils" on top of sulphur pits; fog shrouded sub-sub-basement.
Key takeaways: perform thorough inspection prior to commencing work, employing a medium if warranted. Haunted houses should only be renovated by certified construction professionals.
The Hole (2009)
A family buys a home that contains a hole that acts as a passageway to hell. Looking into the hole creates nightmares from deep within the viewer’s personal psyche.
Gateway indicators: ancient hatchway in floor sealed with multiple padlocks; a character played by Bruce Dern once owned the house and tells the residents that the "Darkness" living in the house has existed since "the world first screamed."
Key takeaways: general contractors finding bottomless pits on construction sites should take care not to gaze into such holes, instead allowing sub-contractors to have a first look.
Prince of Darkness (1987)
An abandoned Los Angeles church contains a large glass container of swirling liquid that is the embodiment of Satan. Leaking fluid causes deceased occupants to return from the dead with telekinetic powers.
Gateway indicators: did we mention a large glass container of swirling liquid that is the embodiment of Satan?
Key takeaways: avoid all projects involving large swirling glass containers of Satanic fluid.
While the seriousness of building near or overtop a gateway to hell can’t be overemphasized, there are methods by which opening such gateways can be avoided. Contractors have found that a barrier constructed of unbroken 6 mil poly generally does the trick.
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