On the Sunset Strip, in the heart of Hollywood, there once was a high class joint called Ciro's.
It offered top entertainment and catered to the rich and famous, being one of the busiest hangouts for successful,
well-known film industry people from both sides of the camera. But beneath the glitter of this place, there lurked beneath its surface, a dark side.
One of the people that also frequented Ciro's was none other than Mickey Cohen, said to be the successor to
Benjamin "Bugsy" Segal.
If people thought that "Bugsy" was a force to be reckoned with, it was even more so with Cohen.
He was said to shake the place down on a weekly basis and those unfortunate enough to cross him usually
were taken down into the basement, beaten to a pulp and then fitted with a new coat of concrete.

Is the place, which is now called "The Comedy Store" haunted? You bet! It is said to be haunted by at least five ghosts which have manifested themselves
by moving chairs, messing with the lights or even appearing to startled employees or patrons.
One comic who had more than one encounter with the ghosts was Sam Kinison.
The ghosts hated him and would do anything they could to disrupt his shows. Loud, ghostly chanting could be heard at times saying,
"It's him! It's him!!! It's him!!! They also messed with the sound system and the lights and such.
One night, Sam got so annoyed with the ghosts that he challenged them to show themselves.
All the lights went out, plunging the place into darkness!

No one goes down into the basement because it is said that something dark and malevolent dwells down there.
A Security Guard once went down there to investigate a noise and heard a low, animalistic growling at around 3AM.
Then, to his astonishment, something hit the basement door so hard from the other side that the door bowed outwards.
The Guard didn't stick around to see what it was. He was off!
The Comedy Store is located at 8433 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood.