Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Winged 'Gargoyle' Terrorizes SW Puerto Rico

The beast, which some believe to be a chupacabras and others feel is some gargoyle come to life, has attacked animals and at least one human near Guánica. Locals say the nocturnal assailant is a sinister entity that makes its lair within the ruins of an old sugar mill.  According to reports, the creature has been sighted for a number of years in Guánica, San Germán, and even Lajas - "the UFO capital" of Puerto Rico. Lajas has seen so many reports of UFO's that, in 2005, locals such as Reynaldo Ríos wanted to build a "landing strip" in anticipation for a more official alien visitation.

Read More Here

As some of you may be aware, I lived in Puerto Rico for several years. During that time, I researched as much as I could about such myths on the island. This is a new one I had not heard before. However, it shares a great deal in common with more established tales, especially those of the 'Moca Vampire', a legend that antedates the chupacabras phenomena by 20 years but shares many similarities. There are also tales of vampiric birds that cropped up in 1989. In 1995, a federal employee reported a giant bat that landed on the hood of his vehicle as he drove through El Yunque, the island's mountainous rainforest.

Over the years, many various reports have cropped up on this island, but they all share the same components: an otherwordly nocturnal creature (usually winged) that attacks locals for the purpose of feeding on their blood.

Thematically, these may be traced back to mythical monsters found among the indigenous people of the Caribbean, specifically the Tainos, who even then described vampiric entitites.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Strange Roundup

SyFy's Ghost Hunters kicks off their latest season this Wednesday with an investigation of the oldest zoo in the united states.

More "chupacabras" attacks in Mexico's south-central region. Read more here.

Ghost Hunting Theories blog delves into the more macabre statistics surrounding the Empire State Building here.

Did a UFO crash in California's Central Valley? Read more here.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Investigator Strives For Better Interviews

You may not always agree with him, but you will have to concede that Paul Kimball has hit the nail on the head when urging would-be investigators to place a greater importance on proper interview techniques. This failing isn't limited to UFOlogists and can be found in many other paranormal (and non) fields. Take a glance at some of the do's and don'ts outlined on his blog.

Parapsychological Trials Open To The Public

Oklahoma-based paranormal investigators, GHOULI (Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma and Urban Legend Investigations), will soon embark on an ambitious series of cognitive studies to gather data concerning aspects of the paranormal.  To that end, the team is extending an invitation for the public to visit their research site and participate in the study. To learn more about this exciting event, visit their website.

[from the site] Not a “ghost tour” not a “ghost hunt”. G.H.O.U.L.I has developed a real paranormal research project where the general public is involved. If you have participated in the past with our trials we invite you to participate in this project. It’s more fun than a tour, your intelligence is not insulted and nobody is going to scare you or stage “events” to get your blood flowing. This is real research in a location that has not been touched in over 60 years. ADULTS ONLY! If you have ever wanted to participate in a real parapsychology test now is your chance. You will also learn about Oklahoma history and the possibility of a haunting. YOU draw the conclusion and YOU help solve the puzzle. Is it haunted? NO this is NOT for “entertainment only”. This is REAL Paranormal Research and you are involved. September dates & details will be posted soon!

UPDATE:  The team has set the date for their first round of trials, Sept 18, 2010. Visit their website or facebook page for more information.


Sharpen That Bloody Hatchet!!







Click Here To Find Out More!

Return of the RODS

"Fort Worth area resident Lisa Brock-Piekarski is a little freaked out by images she discovered on an infrared camera mounted at her family's favorite hunting spot." [latimes.com]

This recent image calls to mind the famed RODS of a few years ago. These mysterious images that appeared on video cameras everywhere caused quite a stir until it was cleanly silenced by solid investigaton.  The enigmatic RODS were quickly proved to be an artifact of frame rate when filming. To wit, fast moving objects such as insects could appear multiple times on a single frame, creating a bizzare form that seemed comprised of a multi-segmented core wrapped in some blurry undulation.

Without having examined better the evidence presented, I can only speculate. However, to me these seem to be the same videographic artifacts. You can see clearly in this image how the "UFO" seems to have several bright spots shot through by a streaking blur. The bright spots would be the body (a more substantial element) and the streak is the blurring of wings and legs (far less substantial components) as they insect zooms across the frame.

As you can read in the article above, the individual who discovered these images is at least refraining from any wild speculation. It seems more likely others are running fervently with the UFO theory.

Paranormal Photos - Some Good, Some...

Check out this GALLERY of supposed paranormal photos. Many are cheesy, heavy-handed, and obvious fakes. A few are more compelling. If nothing else, you'll definitely get a kick out of them.

The gallery is hosted by 43thespot.com, which runs a paranormal community section to the TV station's webpage.

Mountain Lion Stalks OK Town

Boley, OK - Locals have spotted a mountain lion ranging about the small town in Okfuskee county. Chief of Police Virgil Green has contacted state officials about the situation and is urging residents to be cautious and keep their pets indoors.

While researching my book, Strange State: Mysteries and Legends of Oklahoma, I read scores of accounts and official statements from state wildlife officials who swore these creatures weren't in the eastern part of the state and only rarely penetrated the west. To their understanding, the mountain lion was basically long-gone from Oklahoma.

However, this didn't stop reports from coming in. And a rash of sightings in multiple states over the past couple of years seems to be changing the tunes of officials everywhere. Fewer and fewer reports have been met with a professional but nonetheless condescending dismissal.

If wildlife officials are now taking reports more seriously, this could mean populations of these cats are on the rise. This bodes well for the health of the species, but will doubtlessly pose problems as they continue to cross paths with humans.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

THE BEAST OF WHITEHALL

Marty Paddock and Paul Gosselin were driving through the isolated and swampy woods near Whitehall, NY in late August 1976 when they heard a chilling scream burst from the forest around them. The men stopped suddenly, thinking someone might be in distress. However, when the got out of the truck all was quiet.

The two men drove on a few more minutes before deciding to turn around and go back to that spot for another look. By this time night had fallen. Among the gathered shadows something large moved along the barbed wire fence flanking the road. To the men's recollection, it seemed to tower nearly 7 or 8 feet on two legs.

Suddenly the creature began slowly coming their way.

Gosselin yelled at Paddock, urging him to floor the old truck. The men sped away into the night, leaving a wake of tire tracks and fumes. In short order they arrived a the Whitehall police stataion where they were met with the sort of reticence to investigate one might expect.

Undaunted, the men enlisted the aid of another friend and returned to the site. The trio didn't have long to wait before the creature again emerged in the distance. Now Gosselin and Paddock had another witness and so returned to the police station.

As luck would have it, Paul Gosselin's brother, Officer Brian Gosselin, was on duty when the men returned to the station. This fraternal link, coupled with the fact that theirs was not the first such report, prompted the officer to take the men's story more seriously. His first inclination, as a rational man of the law, was to believe the men either misidentified something more common or were the victims of a prank.

However, upon learning the location was outside Whitehall jurisdiction, Officer Gosselin sent the information along to the State Police who converged at the site and began scouring the locale for clues. He was unable to go himself and regretted this fact later.

One officer's tense words suddenly erupted from the crowd, "What the hell was that?"

All eyes followed his toward the heart-stopping sight of a strange, bipedal form as it sauntered back into the dense brush. Larger than any local bear and walking on two legs, the creature vanished into the night.

The men raced to where it had stood only moments before. They were shocked to discover footprints that, despite being three times larger, were very similar to a man's.

After hearing all this, Officer Gosselin decided to return the next night with state trooper and friend, George Fox. The two scoured the area for some time before deciding on a "stake out" approach. They sat in their respective vehicles with the lights out and the engines off.

The night ticked by painfully slow, broken only by the rustle of trees and the occasional night bird. Officer Gosselin got out to stretch his legs when he heard heavy footfalls from the dark woods beyond. His partner's voice erupted from the CB radio in his car, "Brian, I hear something!"

Gosselin heard something big moving through the trees and tall grass. Gosselin grabbed his .357 Magnum and hid behind his door. Gosselin guessed the thing must have been more than 300 pounds. From head to toe, it was covered in scraggly hair. Its eyes were large and seemed to be possessed of a ruddy glow in the glare of his lamp. Gosselin knew this was no bear. It moved like a man but looked like an ape - and it was headed straight for him.

Suddenly, Gosselin bathed the night with 200,000 candlepower of light from his massively powerful spotlight. Ahead of him, perhaps 50 feet away, the lumbering giant suddenly halted, throwing its arms in front of its eyes and releasing an deafening scream.

Gosselin cocked his gun but held his fire as state trooper Fox came barreling down from the meadow beyond in his vehicle, screaming over the radio the whole time. Fox raced away into the night, leaving Gosselin to fend for himself.

His eyes turned back toward the creature. Somehow though, the officer sensed the beast wasn't intent on harming him. It was frightened by the light. He couldn't bring himself to shoot it. He had a clear shot, but simply couldn't not pull the trigger.

A moment later, the creature was racing back toward the dark woods. In the spotlight, the officer could see clearly the animal's backbone and its buttocks, caked in mud from where it had sat in the earth. Gosselin was left with the impression that he himself was the intruder in the night. That he had transgressed upon something else's turf.

Then it was gone.

Gosselin kept the light on for a bit longer, as he sat in the mud thinking over what had just happened. He pondered if he should have shot the creature; there would at least be proof. He might have been hailed a hero. Or not. If there weren't many of these creatures living in the world, he wouldn't have felt good about taking one down. He was certain of that.

In the intervening time between Fox's abrupt departure and Gosselin arriving home to a phalanx of reporters, word had spread through the area like a wildfire. He ignored the media and locked himself inside.

Later that afternoon, Officer Gosselin returned to the scene to discover many large footprints pressed deeply into the mud. There were no signs of claw marks and the stride was too enormous for a man to have hoaxed.

In the evening papers, Gosselin was made out to be foolish through quotes he had never given. The townsfolk were equally unkind and the upper echelon in the department told officers to keep their mouths shut regarding anything they may have seen.

But just because a town wants to disbelieve something doesn't make it go away. The next day, reports came in of something monstrous repeatedly crossing the nearby Poultney River, which divides New York and Vermont. From it's muddy banks, State Police were able to cast one of the giant footprints.

No conclusion could be reached. Shoddy investigation techniques, coupled with an unwillingness to pursue the truth too far, led to a case that simply dried up beneath the August sun. By September, the furor was subsiding and men like Officer Gosselin kept quiet about what transpired for decades thereafter.

With such formidble trace evidence, multiple law enforcement eyewitnesses, and a highly active site, why couldn't more have been learned from what happened in Whitehall, NY? There was no need for convenient explanations of transdimensional portals to dismiss why the beast remains elusive. This fiasco lies squarely on the shoulders of human failings.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Entries Are Mounting!

Each day sees more entries and contestants trying their hands at successfully fashioning a great paranormal hoax. Why not give it a shot. As evidenced from this entry, you don't need to use a computer at all. There are many ways to skin a cat - or fake paranormal phenomena.

Check it out http://www.flickr.com/groups/ssphotohoax

More Tantalizing Tales of the Texacabra!

THIS just in...

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

P/G Film Raises Questions For Some



This video on YouTube posits that the famed Patterson/Gimlin film of a "Bigfoot" photographed in Northern California in the late 1960's isn't one continuous roll of film, but rather spliced (?) together for some nefarious (but unexplained) reason.

However, I have to point out a few things.

1) This person doesn't understand motion film cameras of the period. They did not auto-adjust for exposure, hue/saturation, or focus. What he thinks are sudden scene changes are not. If you look closely at the individual frames, you'll see the same features. However, the camera is moving and each frame is on a slightly different axis. Furthermore, the frames in question are overexposed, but if you look closely, you can still see the the same trees and logs.

2) The author of this presentation points to a "bloody" hole, which seems a more literal description than a figurative one. What I think he's calling "blood" is actually a color shift in the film. Consumer grade film stock during this period was often uneven in its quality. This combined with inexperience on the part of the operator could explain this color shift toward red. There could also be problems during process, with age as the film sat around for years, etc... That the whole film tends towards exhibiting dominant hues of reds and yellows isn't surprising. It is a hallmark of photography of the late 60's through the 70's that films often shifted to those warmer tones as they aged, in much the same fashion as films from previous decades would lean toward the cooler end of the spectrum. Manufacturers such as Kodak were continually refining the process of color film.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Offutt Continues Push For Black Eyed Kids

Previously, I have written about Jason Offutt and the emerging paranormal motif of "black eyed kids", who seem to be the bastard children of Men in Black and Shadow People. In researching this on the Internet, you may find yourself coming to the same conclusion I have. To wit, BEK's seem to be centered strongly around Offutt.

“The one thing that set these kids apart from other kids, they had deep, completely black eyes,” he said. “This really set me back. I felt like as if they actually were able to see me.” Noetic pushed open the lobby door, ready to tell the boys to leave or he would call the police. He never got the chance. “One kid looked at me and said almost instantly, ‘That will not be necessary sir, we simply need to use your phone, can you let us in?’” Noetic said. “I do not let anyone in.”

Now, this could be that he's the only one chronicling these accounts. However, I have to wonder - given their newness on the scene - if Offutt isn't promulgating these stories, either by inspiration or by crafting some of these tales himself.

Almost without exception, the individuals who have written Offut to share their own encounters with these creepy beings have done so anonymously, vaguely, or solely to this author of such books as "Darkness Walks: The Shadow People Among Us," and “Haunted Missouri: A Ghostly Guide to Missouri's Most Spirited Spots”.

While the authenticity of these accounts might be questioned, their creepiness cannot. Moreover, Offutt doesn't relay witness testimony verbatim. Instead he draws upon his skills as a journalist to craft chilling short tales worthy of any horror collection.

If you would like to see Offutts many entries on this emerging meme, check out his blog(s): From The Shadows

Friday, August 20, 2010

COMING SOON FROM FRESH EIRE DESIGNS

UPCOMING APPEARANCES

I will be onhand selling and signing copies of Strange State at the Chisholm Trail Book Festival in Duncan, OK on Sept. 18, 2010.

You can also catch me at the Enid, OK Public Library on October 9, 2010 and the Boggy Depot Bigfoot Conference October 22 - 23, 2010.

Oklahoma Horror Author Offers Up More Chills

Part Lovecraft, part Bradbury, Oklahoman Michael Vance inarguably crafts chilling masterpieces that have grown steadily in popularity.

Somehow Vance both embraces and transcends the pulp novel, which has long mined Lovecraftian landscapes, to present something that, if not fresh, at least feels somehow more honest. Perhaps it is his heartland roots that pinion his fantastic imagination machine to relatable characters. In writing about the first volume in the Weird Horror Tales trilogy, reviewer Michelle Souliere stated, "His characters are normal, desperate, deranged, owners of strange agendas, people who want basic and harmless lives, and people who want to cause harm to enrich their lives."

His latest installation in the series, "The Feasting", is due out this fall. You can read a press release here

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Hyperbole Beats Its Ruddy Breast Savagely

Cryptomundo, via Jerome Clark, unearths an interesting (if terribly overwrought) tale of what some believe to be an early Bigfoot sighting. The incident took place in northern California in 1891. You can read the purple prose better here.

Details like the charnal house-like cave in which it lived and how the creature beats its gore-splattered chest read like titilating Victoriana, Gothic horror masquerading as journalism. It was a common theme throughout what was termed "Yellow Journalism", an intense newspaper rivalry that manifested fantastic (and often untrue) tales in hopes of gaining the most readers. In many ways, it was not all that dissimilar to how the media frenzy these days has resulted in sensational headlines, manipulative rhetoric, opinion as fact, and the rush to report stories before all the information has been gathered. 

Monday, August 16, 2010

FORM FROM SHADOW

Autum, 1963
Somewhere near Wichita, KS

Annie* recalls a chilling event from her childhood that cannot be explained away.

Annie and her friends would often play at the train yards that lay along the path from their neighborhood to the school house. The would climb the tall piles of gravel, sand, and creosote timbers. Sometimes there were even disused passenger cars for them to explore.

With one exception, all her memories of this industrial landscape are filled with fun and laughter.

It was late one autumn afternoon when Annie left her friends to continue her trek homeward alone. The overcast sky formed a low ceiling of clouds that seemed to hover just above the rooftops of her small town. A light misty fog began to fill the streets, folding young Annie inside a box without form.

Somehow, without looking back, she sensed something following her within this alien dreamscape. Annie quickened her steps as her heart raced. She can hear the soft patter of feet pick up speed behind her.

Risking a glance, Annie turns back to catch fleeting glimpses of several small, gray beings emerging from the gray envelope like form from shadow. They are each lithe and insubstantial with delicate protuberances and vague features. All she can really make out are the large, dark eyes that seem to see everything about her.

Annie turns onto her street, panting from the exertion. Midway down her block, she steals another glance. The forms are gone. They had dissolved back into the gathering mist.

That is where the memory ends, without a clear recollection of what happened next. Doubtlessly she made it home safely, as she live to tell the tale. But she remains haunted to this day by the strange forms that emerged from the fog to chase her briefly and then disappear.

It was years later, as she became aware of such things, just how strikingly similar her experience was to descriptions of what UFOlogists term "Grays". These extraterrestrial entities have become the mainstay of alien morphology: small, delicate bodies surmounted by a head with large dark eyes.

Could her memories have been contaminated by these motifs retroactively, reimagining the circumstances of that afternoon differently with each bit of new information? Or could it be that she did, in fact, see what she describes?

Afterall, why is it that we only challenge memories such as these? I can recall in striking detail seeing a girl hit by a car when I was in the first grade. It was a tragic and traumatizing event, as would be Annie's, yet many will dissect her tale and come to the conclusion that her subconscious has used popular imagery to fashion a mask over events that, while real, were frightening and needed suppression.

I was frightened by the car accident. I saw the girl's head bashed open. It was frightening and repulsive. My mind hasn't fashioned any fantasy to drape over this unseemly memory. Even if it had, would the memory be surpressed by an equally frightening one? Somehow, it lacks a certain logic.

I will leave it to you to decide what you think truly happened to young Annie.
*The name Annie is a pseudonym fashioned to protect the witness' identity.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Pumkinrot Raises Bar For Haunted Houses

Eye Contact
Originally uploaded by pumpkinrot
The twisted genius of pumpkinrot.com is in evidence here. Check out the website or the flickr set. What amazes me isn't just the loving craftsmanship, full of so much detail, but rather the consistent aesthetic found in the work. There is a clear story to these pieces that can be seen individually, yet only appreciated truly as a whole.

You can sense Pumpkinrot doesn't run your typical mish-mashed haunted house where Dracula and the Wolfman run afoul of Jason and Freddy all in the same disused warehouse. Instead, the classic Halloween meme is mined for the purest horror and deconstructed into a fantastically macbre world that is at once frightening and beautiful. Like the eponymous rotting pumpkin, these pieces have taken motifs from a thousand grade school parties and allowed them to fester in the fetid climate of adulthood.

And I think we (and any cut-rate haunted houses out there reading this) are the better off for having seen the artistry of pumpkinrot.com

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Twitching In The Dark Corners Like An Addict Freebasing Pumpkins

As Autumnforest reminds us over at Ghost Hunting Theories blog, Halloween really isn't that far away. In fevered anticipation, she has compiled a list of her favorite Halloween-themed blogs and websites.

If you are anything like us, then you will be equally keen to check out these sites. Several of them feature arts and crafts fashioned by Halloween Cartels, smuggled into this country via 'mules', and peddled on street corners everywhere. God bless 'em.

Prepare Yourself For The Pending Zombie Invasion

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Strange State Paranormal Hoax Photo Contest


Inspiration
Originally uploaded by freshEIRE
Here's your chance to see what it takes to make a successful hoaxed photo. Submit your own shots of a UFO in your backyard, Bigfoot snapped on the family picnic, or that ghostly visitor who wakes you nightly.

Your subject can be most anything, as long as it falls withing the realm of the paranormal, supernatural, or totally strange.

And you needn't a great deal of talent with photoshop or other digital lab software. After all, the Cottingley fairies were little more than paper dolls and they manage to fool Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. There are plenty of books and Internet resources to help you make some pretty awesome old school hoaxes.

Just use your creativy and your imagination and try your hand at really fooling the judges. Now, if it isn't perfectly rendered, don't worry. The judging will be on several factors.

For the complete rules, check out the Flickr page. While you're there, sign up for a basic Flickr account (if you don't have one already). It's easy and it's free. Once you've signed up, just join the Strange State 1st Annual Paranormal Photo Hoax Contest group by following this link: Strange State Photo Contest

Submissions will be officially taken beginning August 15, 2010 and the contest closes midnight October 15, 2010. Judging will take place shortly thereafter by an as yet-decided panel, which will include myself. There are cash prizes for the top 2 winners, but I am looking for sponsors who would wish to donate to the pot. If the prize is large enough, we can really get some interest going in the contest and make it a regular event.

Good luck and I look forward to your submissions.

You Can Never Be Too Frightening Or Too Thin

Man in Black (the second)
"But as strange as this was, this was not what frightened me. What frightened me was that they were absolutely thin. It was like they were as flat as a set of clothes that had been ironed. Their faces and bodies were entirely flat - no contours. The nose did not jut out, nothing."

Generally, I take those "let me tell you what happened to me" stories with a grain of salt. They're often vague and can in no way be confirmed. And while that may be true for the chilling account shared by Lon over at Phantoms and Monsters, the tale of MIB's and mysterious, thin humanoids is at least interesting and fairly well-written. In a note following the submitter's tale, Lon divulges an interesting bit of corroborative evidence.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Some Insight...

You can get some insight into the how's and why's of writing Strange State in a recent interview over at Ghost Hunting Theories.

UPDATE: Changes To Boggy Depot Bigfoot Conference

A snazzy new website includes an ammended lineup as well as new contact information. Check it out.

New Book Explores Tulsa Haunts

"Welcome to a window into the past. Tulsa’s Haunted Memories explores the forgotten history and lost folklore of “America’s Most Beautiful City.” Tulsa’s haunting history will captivate the reader with the secrets it holds from its intriguing past. Mystery and mystique follow Tulsa’s urban legends and prove that truth can be stranger than fiction. Once known as the oil capital of the world, its streets were not only lined in “Black Gold,” but also tales of a time when ruthlessness and lawlessness ruled the city. Discover these places and stories that have left their ghostly impressions on Tulsa."

Teri French has been regailing listeners on haunted tours of Tulsa for some time and now she presents many of those tales in Tulsa's Haunted Memories. Available from Arcadia Publishing October 18, 2010. 

Friday, August 6, 2010

Churchill's UFO Coverup?

"A new report contends that the English Bulldog may have played a part in a UFO cover-up."

Read Up On It

PARAGRAPHIC HOAX CONTEST COMING!!

I am announcing the introduction of something new that, if successful, will be a regular feature of Strange State blog.  I am looking for your best hoaxed photos of various paranormal or supernatural phenomena. This can include ghosts, UFO's, mythical beasts, the exhibition of supernatural talents...

You can use any means at your disposal to produce them. So don't feel like you're stuck if you don't have a great deal of talent with Photoshop or the like. Plenty of books and online resources can show you how to do some pretty cool old school tricks. Judging will be based upon three criteria: execution, creativity, originality. 

Now, there will be a prize but I haven't yet decided what that will be. And there will be a panel of judges, which I have also not selected. This coming week, I will post the official rules and give the deadline. At the moment, I am thinking of October 31st as the deadline. So, if you want a headstart, go ahead and get cracking.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Autumn Filled With Activities

While it might be hard to think of anything besides this heatwave that has the lower half of the country gripped like a pair of... Nevermind. Fact is, Autumn (and all its paranormal delights) is just around the corner. And despite the fact that no ParaCons are scheduled this fall throughout the state, there are still plenty of activities on tap this fall. I will be speaking and signing copies of Strange State at several of them and look forward to meeting you in person.

Starting things off is The Chisholm Trail Book Festival  on Sep 18, 2010. The event runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Wildhorse Suite in the Simmons Center, Duncan, OK.  To find out more information, contact Glenna Pace at 580-439-5514. http://www.chisholmtrailbookfestival.com/ I will most likely be at this event. Should this change, I will post notice.

2009 Honobia Bigfoot Conference
On October 1st and 2nd, the 2010 Honobia Bigfoot Conference kicks off in conjuction with the town's eponymous Bigfoot Festival. In attendance again this year will be the famous Dr. Jeff Meldrum as well as local Bigfoot expert, Troy Hudson. I won't be at the conference this year, but you can find me later that month at the state's second Sasquatch symposium of the year.

The Boggy Depot Bigfoot Conference kicks of October 22, running Friday and Saturday. Speakers include Nick Redfern, Ken Gerhard, Mike Hall, myself, and others...

OKC's Haunted Overholser
Mansion
<<<<Storyteller and local author, Marilyn A. Hudson will be at the historic Overholser Mansion twice nightly from October 27 - 30th.  She will spin tales from Oklahoma's spooky - and often true - history in one of Oklahoma City's oldest haunted homes. Following the event, guests will get a tour of the three-story manse in the city's historic Heritage Hills neighborhood. Maybe you'll see a ghost.

In addition to these events, there are several appearances I shall be making at various libraries around the state. As soon as details solidify, I will post those.

If you know of any events I have missed, please comment or drop me a line. I will be glad to update this post and shall repost it periodically going forward.

FROM 0 TO CRAZY IN 60 - Or How A Respectable Story Gets Whittled Down And Blown Out Of Proportion Before It Reaches The Hands Of Conspiracy-Prone Individuals.

Listen up, zombies... It starts with an innocuous article in Wired Magazine about a drug to mitigate the harmful effects prolonged stress can have on the body and nervous system. It ends as fevered searches online for more information about the "Brain Eating Vaccine".

Read More

My recommendation would be that paranoid conspiracists should read from a larger, more diverse selection of materials.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Ghost Divas To Interview TAPS' Harnois

The Ghost Divas will be interviewing former TAPS member Brian Harnois and others in hopes of ferreting out the truth behind the recent Donna LaCroix debacle.

LaCroix, if you remember, went on Ghost Divas Live some months ago to talk about her time with TAPS and SyFy's popular programs, Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International. In the interview, aspursions were cast that, later, LaCroix recanted, claiming she was misunderstood and taken out of context. 

Subsequently, something of a three-sided war has erupted among certain factions of paranormal enthusiasts that has put the Divas in the crosshairs more than once.

Whichever side of the fence you fall on, it should nonetheless be an interesting interview. You can catch the Ghost Divas Live program, which airs this evening, HERE.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

King Kong 1978 (Limited Release)

It's still better than most of the films out right now....

Trepidatious Travels Into Paranormal Territory

After my recent trip through the Four Corners region, I thought I would share some interesting paranormal tidbits on the area:

As we climbed toward 11,000 foot high mountain passes along the dangerous but breathtakingly beautiful "Million Dollar Highway," which winds through Colorado's San Juan mountains, I was reminded of the 1 million dollar reward recently offered as prize in proposed Bigfoot photo hunt. In recent years, the number of sightings in Colorado, especially the San Juan’s, has steadily risen. While I don't believe the quest ever got underway, and it seems to have been proved a hoax, Bigfoot seems to be shaping up as a new icon of the that state. While in decades past, these creatures were synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, it has become increasingly clear that the phenomenon holds a strong place in the hearts of those in state's like Colorado, Missouri, and Oklahoma as well.

The headquarters for the hoaxed hunt was Silverton, CO, an old mining town high up in the mountains where even the heat of summer can't penetrate and its Old West past is embraced by strong arms of tourism.

While there may be no Bigfoot hunts afoot. Silverton looks like the sort of place (tourist traps aside) that ought to have a ghost or two haunting the old hotel or the abandoned mines. Funny thing is, I can't find one single paranormal story about the town.

The nearby resort town of Ouray, which is nestled further down in the valleys of the San Juan Mountains has a story though. This picturesque town, frequented by RV's and camping families, is a popular destination. Here, a spectral cat prowls the Cedar Hill cemetery vigilantly and ghosts walk the old halls of the St. Elmo Hotel.

Cliff Palace MorningDown in the southwest corner of the state, in the Four Corners region, one can find the fantastically beautiful Mesa Verde area. Shot through by deep, rugged canyons, Mesa Verde is littered with ancient Anasazi ruins.
It has been said that the apparitions of ancient Anasazis can be glimpsed moving about the ruins of Mesa Verde's Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling. They are often spotted within the ceremonial Kivas and some say they travel spirit pathways and through secret tunnels.

Sego Canyon Ghost Town-Remains of an American Fuel Company store
Sego, UT Today
The ghost town of Sego, UT seems like it would be ripe for haunted legends. Yet I can find none. Still an interesting place, tucked away in a forgotten canyon a few miles down the road from another town on the verge of "ghost" status.

Sego, UT in 1920

Monday, August 2, 2010

Famous Video Explained As Hoax

As many of you may recall, some years back an innocuous but mystifying video surfaced and made its way across the nation and onto the Internet. The video was taken ostensibly from a security camera at the Puckett's Auto and Body Shop in 2002. What it seems to show is a somewhat indistinct humanoid figure hovering above the vehicles and flitting about the shop's lot in an erratic manner.

Later, a story arose around the figure: it was a woman who was killed during an accident involving one of the cars now stored onsite. But not all were convinced by these ghostly rumors.

The folks at Rocky Mountain Paranormal research society believe they have an explanation as to how this "ghost" was produced - and it involves a bit of old time stage magic...