00:00In the heart of Portland's Hawthorne District stands one of the city's most iconic and mysterious
00:04buildings, the Baghdad Theatre. It opened its doors in the year 1927, built by Universal Studios
00:12as a grand space for both silent films and live vaudeville shows. Designed by architect
00:19Learden Thomas, the building was made to stand out. He gave it a unique Middle Eastern look,
00:25with terracotta walls and a large stucco exterior, making it feel more like a palace than a regular
00:31movie theatre. From the very beginning, the Baghdad was more than just a place to watch films.
00:37It was an experience. Before the theatre existed, the land held a cider house and later a church.
00:45But both buildings were eventually torn down to make room for the new cinema.
00:49Who took their place became one of the largest theatres in Portland. In its early years,
00:55the Baghdad hosted everything from silent films and stage shows to big Hollywood events.
01:01One of its most famous nights came in the year 1975, when actors Jack Nicholson and Michael
01:08Douglas visited for the premiere of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The theatre was buzzing
01:14with excitement, but some believe the energy inside has never quite left. Over the years,
01:21the Baghdad theatre stayed active, drawing in locals and visitors alike. But behind the curtains
01:27and under the bright lights, strange things were quietly building. Staff began to whisper about odd
01:33noises, strange cold spots, and a feeling that someone, or something, was always watching.
01:42As time passed, stories of hauntings started to grow, and the Baghdad theatre earned a reputation
01:49for being more than just a beautiful place. It became known as one of the most haunted spots in
01:54Portland. But before getting into the ghost stories, and the spirits that linger in the shadows of this
02:00historic building, it's important to understand how the theatre's long and sometimes tragic history
02:06may have opened the door to the paranormal. What began as a grand stage for entertainment has now
02:12become a gathering place for something much more eerie, and much harder to explain. As the years passed,
02:20and the Baghdad theatre continued its run as a local landmark, stories of strange activity inside the
02:27building began to spread. Longtime employees and frequent guests started to notice things that didn't quite
02:34make sense. Unexplained footsteps, flickering lights, and doors that opened or slammed shut without a
02:41breeze in sight. Though some tried to brush it off as quirks of an old building, others became convinced
02:47that something unseen was sharing the space with them. Many believe the Baghdad is haunted by several
02:53spirits, and not all of them seem to be at peace. One spirit often talked about is that of a
02:58stagehand who once
03:00worked in the theatre. It is said that he wanted to be on stage, not behind it. Sadly, he never
03:07got the
03:07chance. His death took place somewhere behind the scenes. And now, those who walk near the screen
03:15sometimes report seeing a shadowy figure, pass across it, or hearing faint whispers coming from the
03:21curtains. There is a quiet sadness to his presence, as if he is still longing for the spotlight he never
03:28got.
03:29Another spirit, very different in nature, appears to take a more hands-on approach. Known for quietly
03:37overseeing the theatre's staff, this ghost is said to move cleaning supplies around, shift papers on
03:43desks, and even open the swinging kitchen doors, as if walking through them. Workers have described the
03:50feeling of being followed while closing up for the night, their footsteps echoed by ones that aren't their
03:55own. Even though this spirit doesn't cause harm, the feeling it leaves behind is hard to shake. Some of
04:03the most unsettling moments have come from reports of cold spots, sudden drops in temperature in certain
04:09parts of the building, with no clear cause. These moments are often followed by a sense of being watched,
04:16or the faint smell of something unexpected, like a man's cologne, even when no one else is nearby.
04:24People who have felt this presence describe it as quiet but strong, like someone is standing just
04:30behind them, silently observing. One area where strange experiences are especially common is the
04:38women's restroom. Visitors have shared stories of feeling someone breathing on their neck, only to
04:45turn around and find no one there. Others have seen fleeting shadows in the mirrors or even full body
04:52apparitions that vanish in seconds. These moments are quick, but the fear they leave behind is long-lasting.
05:01These encounters, from quiet whispers to physical sensations, have helped cement the Baghdad Theatre's
05:08place as one of the most haunted buildings in the city. But what makes these stories more believable
05:14is the number of people who have experienced them without knowing the building's ghostly reputation
05:20beforehand. For many, their first sign that the Baghdad might be haunted comes not from a story,
05:27but from a chilling experience they can't explain. Some of the most chilling reports, tied to the Baghdad
05:35Theatre, focus on two very different, but equally eerie locations within the building, the basement and
05:41the balcony. These areas are generally off-limits to the public, but for those who have worked in the
05:47theatre or been allowed inside, the experiences are hard to forget. The basement is used mainly for storage.
05:54Over the decades, it has developed a strong reputation among employees as the most unsettling place in
06:00the building. Workers who have gone down alone to retrieve supplies have returned pale and shaken,
06:06often refusing to go back. They describe a heavy pressing silence that seems to grow the longer they stay.
06:13Some have heard strange knocking sounds on the walls, even when no one else is in the building.
06:19Others have reported equipment mysteriously unplugging itself or being moved between visits.
06:26One staff member claimed to see a figure standing at the far end of the room, only for it to
06:32vanish as
06:34soon as they looked straight at it. Motion sensors, installed for security purposes, have reportedly gone off
06:41in the basement when the area was locked and empty. In some cases, footage from the cameras shows brief
06:47glitches or shadows darting past the lens, never clear but never fully explainable either. Up in the balcony, a
06:56different kind of presence has been felt. While the main auditorium is often full of guests, the upper seating
07:02areas are less used today. Several guests sitting below have reported looking up and seeing someone
07:07watching them from above. A person standing still in the balcony long after the area was supposed to be
07:13empty. When staff are sent to check, they often find no one there. One incident documented by an employee in
07:22the
07:22early 2000s involved a group of friends who claimed they saw a woman in a vintage dress walk along the
07:27balcony aisle and disappear into a wall. That sighting occurred during a matinee showing, when the balcony
07:34was locked to the public. A technician, who was once in charge of lighting adjustments, shared that during
07:41late-night maintenance, the balcony often felt unnaturally cold, even in the middle of summer. He claimed to
07:49have heard faint music, not from the speakers, but something older, like a melody from the early 20th
07:56century. The music seemed to come from nowhere and stopped as soon as he moved to investigate.
08:02The projection booth has also had its share of strange activity. One former projectionist said
08:07that reels would sometimes unspool on their own, even when the equipment was powered off. On more than one
08:13occasion, the projector light would flicker or pulse without being touched. Technicians who later inspected
08:20the machines found no electrical issues to explain the behavior. These separate locations, the basement,
08:27the balcony, and the booth share a strange pattern. The disturbances are never loud or violent. Instead,
08:37they're subtle and unsettling, relying on quiet movement, small changes, and the powerful feeling
08:44that someone else is there. And yet, no two reports are exactly alike, adding to the mystery surrounding what
08:53might truly be haunting the Baghdad Theatre. The Baghdad Theatre's haunted reputation has not gone unnoticed by
09:02professionals and investigators over the years. Several paranormal research groups have visited the site
09:09quietly, usually after hours, with the permission of management. These investigations have led to a number
09:16of strange and unexplainable findings, though none have ever provided definitive proof of a haunting.
09:23One group that conducted an overnight investigation in the year 2009 reported experiencing sudden
09:30temperature drops in specific areas, particularly near the old stage curtains and the stairwell behind the
09:36screen. Their instruments picked up fluctuating electromagnetic fields, which could not be traced to any known
09:43sources. Audio recordings taken throughout the night reportedly captured brief, whisper-like voices.
09:50The voices were faint, but one phrase, repeated several times, was interpreted by investigators as the word
09:56stay. That same team also noted an unusual energy spike when walking through the side hallway that leads
10:05toward the original dressing rooms. While this area is no longer used in the same way it once was,
10:11the structural layout has remained mostly unchanged since the building opened. Investigators found that
10:18certain sections of this hallway seemed to interfere with their electronic devices. Batteries drained
10:24rapidly, and static appeared on digital screens. Another unexplained occurrence took place in the early 2010s,
10:32when a local radio host conducted a live Halloween broadcast from the theatre. During the broadcast,
10:38some of the equipment malfunctioned repeatedly. Microphones picked up static bursts, and several unexplained
10:45noises were recorded in the background. The theatre was otherwise closed to the public that night, with only the
10:52radio team and one theatre representative present. After reviewing the footage, one technician claimed that a dark
10:59shape briefly passed behind the host during the recording, though it was not seen at the time.
11:06Over the years, countless employees have chosen not to speak publicly about their experiences,
11:12afraid of being dismissed or ridiculed. But some have kept private journals or shared their stories with
11:18co-workers in hushed tones. These personal accounts, though not officially documented, have added depth to the
11:25mystery. One former staff member described the feeling of being watched every time she closed alone at night,
11:32often hearing light footsteps behind her as she walked toward the exits. Even with the expansion of the
11:38property and the introduction of new technologies, the unexplained activity has never fully stopped.
11:46The theatre has undergone maintenance and structural updates, but these changes have not erased the strange
11:53feelings or unusual sightings. The Baghdad Theatre's legacy as a haunted location is not built on a single
12:01story or event. Instead, it is a long thread of personal encounters, subtle phenomena, and odd experiences
12:10that continue to this day. There has never been a confirmed explanation, no historical record of a specific tragic
12:18event tied to the building, and no official acknowledgement from the current owners beyond
12:23casual mentions during Halloween. But for many who have worked inside its walls, or visited late at night,
12:30the question lingers. Whether rooted in something paranormal, or simply the power of suggestion, amplified by
12:38the theatre's age and atmosphere, the Baghdad Theatre remains one of Portland's most quietly chilling landmarks,
12:44a place where silence, shadows, and the unexplained all seem to belong.
12:49of a large-income person. The man in the archive was the most part of the world's-the-art-lustre
12:49-isle-friend.
