Aminuddin (centre) signing his name on a poster to commemorate the launching of the Kellie's Castle Paranormal Night Tour as Perak Tourism director Ibrahim Seddiqi Talib (right) looks on.
WHETHER or not there are real ghosts, the Kellie’s Castle Paranormal Night Tour is not for the faint-hearted.
Launched last month, the tour takes horror fans through the hallways and empty living quarters of the abandoned mansion in Batu Gajah built by Scottish planter William Kellie Smith for his wife.
Creative writer Wan Ahmad Syahir Wan Ahmad Basharuddin, who was among the first to go on the tour, said it was an eerie experience although he did not “feel” the presence of other beings at the mansion.
“A guide took us on a tour of the mansion and told us about its history.
“After that, we were divided into groups and were put in a dark room for about 15 minutes to get a feel of what goes on inside.
“I did not feel or sense any spirits though there were one or two who swore they felt someone or something blowing into their ears,” said Wan Ahmad Syahir, 26, from Kuala Lumpur.
The history of Kellie’s Castle is in itself shrouded in mystery and filled with disaster.
Perched atop a hill near a rubber estate, work on the mansion bearing Moorish designs had started in 1915.
Unfortunately for Smith, tragedy, one after another, struck soon after construction of the mansion began.
First, a virulent strain of the Spanish flu killed many of the workers in Smith’s Kellas Estate.
Then, another 70 workers constructing his dream castle also became victims of the flu.
Smith himself died of pneumonia during a short trip to Portugal in 1926, resulting in construction of the mansion coming to a halt.
It is said that apparitions of the Smith family have been seen wandering throughout the mansion, even though they have never lived in the mansion.
To this day, many ghost hunters and paranormal investigators, fascinated by the mansion, still go there to conduct studies.
Zamari Muhyi, general manager of Le Shuttle (M) Sdn Bhd that manages Kellie’s Castle, said the tour was the first of its kind in Malaysia.
“Kellie’s Castle has been categorised as among the five scariest places in Malaysia by international paranormal investigators and the Expedia travel portal.
“As such, we expect the paranormal tour to bring in more visitors to Kellie’s Castle,” he said.
The tour, he added, would be conducted on the first and fourth Friday and Saturday of the month, with each tour lasting 30 to 45 minutes.
Zamari, however, cautioned that the tour was only open to those aged 17 and above and in good health.
Entry is priced at RM80 per person.
For details, email kelliescastle1108@yahoo.com.my or call 05-365 3381.
