Some people dream of having a beach front properties, but when actor Nicolas Cage bought a haunted mansion in Louisiana, all he could think about was having a 'ghost-front' property.
As someone who has previously ridden around on a motorbike with a head made of flames, it seems pretty clear that Cage isn't really scared of anything.
He's played Dracula in Renfield and travelled into the creepy depths of a church for the sake of some National Treasure, so when the opportunity arose for him to be the owner the LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans, Cage just couldn't resist.
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According to historian Robert Cangelosi, of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, the LaLaurie house was bought by Dr. and Mrs. Louis LaLaurie in 1831.
Three years later, the cook in the home started a fire which destroyed much of the property.
And the parts that weren't destroyed sadly revealed the truth about horrific treatment slaves had faced inside the walls of the home.
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In 1838, a new home was built on the remains of the mansion which served various purposes over the years, but ghost tours in the city share how spirits tormented by Madame LaLaurie refuse to leave the mansion.
Paranormal investigators claim to have heard ghostly voices and captured photos of specters, earning the house the title of one of the most haunted places in New Orleans.
The LaLaurie Mansion is now one of the most popular stops for ghost tours, and even inspired season three of American Horror Story, in which Kathy Bates played Madame LaLaurie.
So, where does Nicolas Cage come in to all of this?
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Well, Cage became the proud owner of the mansion in 2006, when he forked out $3.4 million for the property.
The actor has made clear his love for New Orleans in the past, saying it's 'not like anywhere else in the world', so the dark history of the LaLaurie Mansion obviously wasn't going to put him off.
Speaking to the New York Daily News in 2009, he explained: "It was indeed considered the "haunted mansion" in New Orleans.
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"You know, other people have beachfront property; I have ghost front property - that's what I always say."
Cage went on to claim he had 'not experienced anything' in the home - though, one tour guide has allegedly refuted that in the past, claiming that the actor became so unnerved by unusual happenings at the home that he decided to rent somewhere across the street to stay after just one night there.
Lance Zaal, the founder of US Ghost Adventures, isn't so convinced about that claim however.
He told UNILAD: "For the time [Cage] did own it, contrary to popular stories, he actually did not experience any hauntings inside the house.
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"He purchased the home because, like me, he loved visiting Disneyland as a kid and was enamored by the Haunted Mansion. So, he always wanted to own a 'haunted house'.
"Many like to associate a curse and other rumors of hauntings in the home as a result of it's horrifying past, but the rumors around Mr. Cage aren't true."
Cage himself also corroborated Zaal's comments to the NY Daily News, saying: “I'm a child of California and I would go to Disneyland quite a bit - I consider myself something of a ‘Son of Walt’ and those memories had an impact on me.
"One of the greatest memories would be the haunted mansion at Anaheim, in New Orleans Square, no less. So for me to have the actual thing was the childhood fantasy come true.’’
Still, whether Cage wanted to admit to experiencing any paranormal activity or not, the actor made clear that he likes the 'mystery' surrounding the home.
"The house has such a mystery to it. Some of the stories about it are pretty horrific," he said.
Unfortunately, Cage lost the property in 2009 when he ran into financial troubles, but considering the LaLaurie Mansion doesn't seem like the most welcoming of homes, it was probably for the best.
Topics: Celebrity, Nicolas Cage, US News
Emily Brown