True Haunting star who was ‘attacked in shower’ by ghost details ‘terrifying’ encounter

The real-life man whose story is at the centre of Netflix's True Haunting has detailed his most terrifying encounter with a ghost.

For those who are yet to watch, the chilling new TV series blends immersive reenactments and present-day interviews to detail paranormal encounters from the viewpoint of those who lived them.

The terrifying docuseries, which dropped just in time for Halloween and has left people unable to sleep, delves into two terrifying tales across its five episodes: 'Eerie Hall' and 'This House Murdered Me'.

Tyla spoke with Chris Di Cesare, whose story is told in the former episodes, following him as he moves to a small upstate New York college in the 1980s.

Like many college students, he was ready to explore the world and find himself, but Chris and his dorm-mates soon discovered there was something wicked stalking the halls of their accommodation.

Chris claims to have been tormented by a malevolent force that sent him into an emotional and mental spiral, leaving him too afraid to sleep in his own room.

Tyla spoke with the star of Netflix's True Haunting, Chris Di Cesare (Netflix)

Following the reaction to the series, Tyla spoke with Chris about his spine-chilling experiences in Erie Hall, so buckle in, it's about to get seriously spooky.

As we say, Chris moved into SUNY (State University of New York) Geneseo's Erie Hall, in dorm room C2D1, with his roommate, Paul, in the 1980s.

His trouble began when he started hearing a disembodied voice, which, understandably, led him to think he was losing his mind.

However, from there things only got worse and Chris claims to have been plagued by full-bodied apparitions, voices, physical attacks and other spine-chilling encounters, including seeing a ghost with a 'tilted head'.

Chris told Tyla he still 'can't sleep without the light on' and admitted the 'psychological damage' he was left with will likely never go away.

When asked about his most terrifying encounter, Chris recalled the moment he was 'attacked in the shower' by a ghost.

He explained that a priest had already been over to bless the room and and so the activity seemed to quiet for a time - or so they thought.

Chris recalled: "I returned to my dorm after winning a mile race on campus, and stepped into the suite’s bathroom shower to rinse off the sweat from the race.

Forty years on from his terrifying paranormal encounters, the memories are still fresh in Chris' mind (Netflix)

"As I stood under the water, I saw a human-shaped shadow – with a tilted head like the ghost had – on the ceiling above me.

"I ran out into the middle of the bathroom, almost falling because of my wet feet, but no one was there but me. Then, I realised that there could be no human shadow on the ceiling, because that’s where the room’s sole light source was."

He explained: "My own shadow was on the floor, spreading off from my feet. I decided that I was going to call the priest back. But, first, I walked back into the shower stall to turnoff the water, to prevent the bathroom from possibly flooding.

"It was then that the attack occurred."

Chris continued: "It felt as though I had been stabbed in the back with a knife. I turned to defend myself and blindly punched into the area where I thought the assailant would be.

"I tore the shower curtain off the rod, and saw that I was still alone in the room. That’s when I looked over at the mirrors above the sinks to see that my back had three long scratches on it. Terrifying."

As viewers of the docuseries will have seen, theories for who the supposed spirit could be include a boy named Tommy, who allegedly hanged himself on the Geneseo campus.

The Netflix series includes both real-life interviews and dramatic re-enactments (Netflix)

Chris and his roommate also came to the conclusion that the ghost could be that of Thomas Boyd, a Revolutionary War soldier, based on an eerie connection they discovered between their own ancestor and the discovery of Boyd's body.

He learned that it was one of his mother's ancestors who discovered the lieutenant's mutilated remains.

Four decades after the life-altering paranormal experience, Chris now works as a social studies teacher - and has done for the past 26 years.

However, he can't help but worry that the ghost will come back one day.

Chris said: "I wonder to myself, each and every day, if today will be the day that ‘that thing’ comes back.

"It has been 40 years since the events at Erie Hall took place, and logic suggests that it is now all over, but my mind cannot help but go back to the thought that it happened once, so it can happen again."