Strange State - Paranormal Mysteries

Author Appearance

2012-01-27T06:33:00.000-06:00

Saturday, I will be speaking about Strange State and The Mound, as well as answering questions, signing copies, and sharing tales from the forthcoming Stranger State. The event will be held at the Southwestern Christian University library, located at 7210 NW 39th Expressway in Bethany, OK.

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Will The Real Noah Please Stand Up?

2012-01-23T07:52:00.000-06:00

While it has long been known to many that the biblical account of Noah was based on the far older Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, it might be startling to learn that the story of a man who speaks to god and survives a great deluge by building an enormous boat that comes aground on a mountain has wacky identical cousins in the New World.

Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, in the Valley of Mexico, tales had been told of a great flood that inundated the whole world. The Aztecs recount that only two survived: Coxcoxtli and his wife, Xochiquetzal. Commanded by a god to build a huge boat, the two escaped the wrath of the flood, coming aground atop a mountain. They went on to have many children who were mute uuntil a dove came to give them the gift of languages. But each spoke a different tongue and could not understand each other.

A tale from Central America is even more remarkable in its similarities:

The god Tezcatilpoca set out to destroy the world with a great flood, but spared one man, Tezpi. After having build a great vessel, Tezpi loaded his family and as many types of plants and animals as he thought would benefit their future survival. When the flood finally receded, Tezpi found himself aground atop a mountain and sent out a vulture to see if the flood had ended. But a vulture feasts upon carrion and there was much to be had in the aftermath of Tezcatilpoca's watery wrath. So, Tezpi sent out a hummingbird, which returned with a leafy branch in its mouth—a sign the waters were gone.

In the Popal Vuh, wooden figures that resembled men and spoke their languages were destroyed in a great flood by the Mayan creator. Only the great father and mother survived to repopulate the world.

According to the myths of the Chibcas of Colombia, they had once lived as savages without law, religion, or agriculture. One day, a bearded man named Bochica came and taught the Chibcas to build a society. His wife, Chia, was a wicked woman who wanted to thwart his efforts. With magic, she conjured a great flood, killing many. Angered, Bochica banished his wife to become the moon. Bochica then brought down the survivors from the mountaintops and taught them civilization.

The Canarians of Ecuador have flood tales similar to these, as do the Tupinambas of Brazil, Araucnaians of pre-Colombian Chile, and the Yamanas of Tierra del Fuego. The Inuits of the icy reaches of North America have their version and so do the Luisenos of California. The Iroquois, Dakotas, Chicasaws, and Sioux chime in with even more.

While the story King Gilgamesh recounts was written down some 5,000 years ago, it is seemingly built upon legends that were even then so old they seemed to be passing from myth. Is it from a time when, as many Diffusionists believe, a great but forgotten culture once regularly circumnavigated the globe, influencing disparate cultures with elements of one another?

According to some sources, more than 500 such tales exist throughout the world; and more than half of those are completely independent of the Mesopotamian and Hebraic accounts. How do we reconcile this if we don't give at least some credence to the belief that in millennia past, our far-flung ancestors were considerably more cognizant of each other that our Colombian model suggests?

It is true that Science has supported that several great floods caused by tsunamis occurred within the geographical influence of the Sumerian legend, and we can assume that similar events likely happened to most all cultures at some points in their histories, but we still face the problem of this Noah figure who speaks to god, builds a boat, lands on a mountain, and often sends some sort of bird out to see if it safe before repopulating the planet.

UPCOMING APPEARANCE

2012-01-20T07:39:00.002-06:00

Will be signing books, talking about Strange State/The Mound and presenting stories from Stranger State at Southwestern Christian University library on Sat January 28 at 3 pm in Oklahoma City. If you aren't familiar, this is just off NW 39th about a mile or so east of Lake Overholser.

Troubles With Casting Bigfoot

2012-01-17T11:57:00.000-06:00

In recently re-reading Jeff Meldrum's thoughts on the enigma of Sasquatch, I was struck by how problematic the process of track casting was, especially as it related to dermaglyphics (aka those fine lines and ridges we term 'fingerprints'). It often seemed as if these patterns were only discovered after the cast had been removed and cleaned, by which time the question of pouring artifacts would have already arisen.

Pouring artifacts speak to false-positive ridge details that emerge during the pouring process as an aspect of the medium itself. These can, as has been demonstrated, create concentric ridges that have been mistaken for finger or sole prints.

Unfortunately, by the time the cast has been removed, the trace evidence has been destroyed.

The problem is that tracking follows a wildlife enthusiast's model where the emphasis is on the track as a whole to denote species with little attention paid to detail beyond size or identifying deformities. And while many take images of the track (often alongside a ruler for scale) as a whole, it is rare to find detailed, close-up shots that could reveal these potential dermaglyphics prior to casting.

If one were to set up a protocol for casting, it would benefit from including a full series of images shot with an extreme close-up lens and variable light sources to reveal hidden details in the track prior to its destruction.

Furthermore, if possible, laser modeling scans of the impression could be done in the field to construct a detailed three dimensional copy that could be studied in the computer, allowing the track to be cast with less worry--or left alone entirely, should that be necessary.

Granted, while the latter is an expensive setup, likely prohibited by the meager budgets of most cryptid enthusiasts, the cheap and plentiful nature of digital images using a good quality DSLR, lights, and close-up lenses shouldn't be.

Following this plan, investigators can begin taking pouring artifacts out of the equation to learn if Sasquatch indeed leave prints for us to study.

Baby Biggy Swings Into The Spotlight

2012-01-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Juvenile Biggy or a more common primate? After all, many people unwisely have chimpanzees as pets. Could this be staged? It doesn't make too much sense for a purpotedly bipedal ape (its singular hallmark) to be well adapted to such tree-swining antics. I'm skeptical.

Happy Friday The 13th

2012-01-13T08:06:00.000-06:00

Horror films whose titles seem to bear no relationship to the story aside, Friday the 13th is a highly superstitious and fearful date for many. But where does this come from?

One source explains the general triskaidekaphobia as stemming from the 13th guest at the last supper being Judas, the betrayer.

As for the friday, that comes into play in ways less clear. Some researchers note that no written record of Friday the 13th as unlucky exists prior to the 19th century, specifically in Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini. But in some traditions, Friday has always been unlucky (check out the Canterbury Tales) and there are numerological reasons to find 13 unlucky as well; so, the two colliding represent a worst case scenario.

And while there is no historical support for Dan Brown's assertion in the popular novel The DaVinci Code that it has any Templar associations, the unsubstantiated belief is gaining credence among the ignorant.

Armchair 'Archaeologist' Called Out For Specious Proclamation, Bad Science

2012-01-06T08:47:00.000-06:00

Recently, architect Richard Thornton has made waves with his proclamation that ancient Mayan ruins can be found far to the north in the US state of Georgia--a fact that has one scientist up in arms. While I'm not one to dismiss the thought that Mesoamerican cultures had contact with and impact upon their North American counterparts (too much evidence exists otherwise), I recognize that the Ancient America crowd of armchair archaeologists often have more daydreams that discipline when it comes to the science behind archaelogy. If only it were all fedoras and bullwhips.

Ring In The New Strange Year

2011-12-31T09:39:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year's Eve all. I hope you're gearing up for a safe, fun, and maybe even strange celebration. 2012 will see the end of the world (LOL! Read my tags on Doomsday, Armageddon, Mayan prophecy and the like for more) and the 1,000 year anniversary of an Oklahoma runestone. I'm sure as end of days mania heats up, 2012 will see some strangeness. I only hope that no suicidal/sacrificial cults arise as they tend to do in such times.

For my last post of 2011, I will share a few anecdotes I read at the library yesterday in a book on Alabama....

Many apparent outdoor shots (the mountain highway for instance) in close Encounters of the Third Kind were actually sets erected in a hangar at Mobile, AL's Brookley Air Force Base.

Furthermore, between April 1950 and June 1954, Brookley was the epicenter of a rash of "real" UFO sightings.

One particularly interesting incident occurred in August 1952 when several objects were reported by disparate eyewitnesses--accounts confirmed by Air Force radar.

Yeah, yeah, buddy. Save it for your cell mates down at the station.

2011-12-23T19:38:00.000-06:00

We're Not In Kansas Anymore....Well, Actually....

2011-12-18T08:58:00.001-06:00

Anyone have a clue what it could be? At first, I thought it was the disc that sits atop an AWACS jet but then I saw better its strange shape. The fuselage to a fighter jet? I've seen those carried down the road, but they aren't that big. Thoughts? READ MORE HERE

It might be, as some suggest, a Northrop X47B unmanned drone. maybe it's just your run-of-the-mill flying saucer.

UFO Observed During Russian Protest

2011-12-14T08:06:00.000-06:00

"Several demonstrators in the crowd espied [sic] the hovering object, with reflecting blue and red lights. Descriptions of the object--which observers say was definitely not a helicopter--included 'five extended tendrils or pylons emanating from the body of the vehicle.'" Eric Pfeiffer, The Sideshow (via Yahoo!)

The Yucca Man

2011-12-13T07:49:00.000-06:00

Phantoms and Monsters explores the myth and mystery of the 'Yucca Man', a hirsute beast legendary to the Joshua Tree National Park. CLICK TO READ MORE

White House "Ghost" Explained

2011-12-11T08:45:00.000-06:00

Author and blogger Ken Summers reveals the secret behind a supposed ghost image captured at the White House. Read more about his analysis at Who Forted?

Nights in New Orleans

2011-12-09T07:30:00.000-06:00

The other day, I drove over to New Orleans for the afternoon. It was unseasonably frigid, but I enjoyed myself despite the cold. It was better, in fact since the temps kept the usual drunken crowds at bay. Even the ghost tour seemed small. But I suppose it was mid-week on a cold December night. I saw one of this outfit's brochures earlier in the day. They claim that 90% of participants return with pictures of paranormal activity. I suppose if that activity includes "orbs", then they can stand behind that claim. But the streets do seem darker, more dangerous with the revelers at bay, as if each shadowed alley becomes home to spirits of the night--or muggers.

World's Largest Insect?

2011-12-03T07:24:00.000-06:00

This is a giant weta, an insect found on New Zealand's Little Barrier Island. But this isn't just any giant weta. It's reportedly the largest ever found, weighing in at 71 grams. BOING BOING

Tuning Out The Noise - How debunking helps research into the paranormal. [REPOST FROM NOV 2007]

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not saying that strange, undiscovered creatures - perhaps even some rather large ones - do not swim the depths of this planet's oceans and lakes. However, I must confess that far too much misidentification is being allowed to perpetuate legend and further clutter the facts.

With the exception of aquatic mammals, most lake, river and sea creatures swim laterally, swishing their tales or bodies from side to side. This serpentine mode of swimming is common among most reptiles and some amphibians too.

Yet the history of Lake Monsters and Sea Serpents is replete with sightings of the "humps in the water" variety, leading me to believe that what has been mistaken in the past for sea serpents are, in fact, pods of whales or dolphins.

"Since mammals originally evolved on land, their spines are optimized for running, allowing for up-and-down but only little sideways motion. Therefore, marine mammals typically swim by moving their spine up and down."[Wikipedia]This is a simple, logical explanation for many sightings in our oceans and seas but how can we explain those in lakes and rivers?

One of the smallest Dolphins is a Tucuxi, which measures only about 4 feet long and plies the waters of the south Caribbean and along the northeast coast of South America. But this creature's range also extends more than a thousand miles inland on the Amazon. Other river dolphins such as the Boto and La Plata are exclusive to the Amazon. Still others can be found in China and Southeast Asia.

Could a similiar, unknown species of dolphin, whale, or porpoise (Cetaceans) exist at higher latitudes? At least one species of whale has been documented in the vicinity of Lake Champlain, albeit a prehistoric one. However, a relic prehistoric whale species or its descendent might be the answer to what has been witnessed over the years. These cetaceans, traveling closely in a pod, would appear to be a long, vertically undulating snake to someone from a distance. But this discover itself would be quite a milestone.

It is important to look for the most logical and the simplest explanations first. If we simply chase every half-baked story in a frenzy of zeal, we will end up looking like the very "kooks" many paint us to be. My advice has always been: be your own worst enemy. Rip your theories to shreds before anyone else can. Think of all the angles of attack beforehand and test them first. You will find yourself presenting stronger arguments in the future.

It Can Make You Wonder

2011-11-27T17:36:00.069-06:00

In a recent edition of the publication, UFO Magazine, author Farah Yurdozu discusses "Metropolis as Prophecy". In this thoughtful work she notes that in 1918 the notorious Aleistair Crowley conducted a dark magick ritual which was thought, by some, to have been responsible for opening a gateway ("a stargate") between realities or distant celestial locations.

This was further compounded by a follow-up ritual, called the Babylon Working in 1946, according to Yurdozu. It was said to have been conducted by the Crowley group called the Ordos Templi Orientis and involved a rocket designer Jack Parsons, future founder of Scientology L. Ron Hubbard and unnamed others. It was followed, a year later by the recognized beginning of the 'UFO age' with the Kenneth Arnold sightings in Washington state. (UFO Magazine, vol.24, no. 4, Issue # 157, page 20f).

The inference is plain: this group cracked open a doorway and left it open allowing all kinds of mischief to slip into this reality. At first glance, it is an intriguing idea.

Does it hold water as the old saying goes? At one end of the spectrum are the 'alien astronaut' proponents and at the other the 1946-47 sightings. Some will point to an article said to be in the The Missouri Democrat dated October 19, 1865 about a mysterious sky object. Others will note the 'airship flap' of the late 1800's and so forth.

What if the doorway idea was correct? What other 'evidence' might there be that the door opened and, if opened, then could it be 'closed' now? Crazy idea, right? Then you begin to think about the high strangeness which seems to mounting under the shadow of coming shift of our own realities in 2012.

It can make you wonder...

On This Day In...

2011-11-27T08:14:00.000-06:00

2009:

In a collection of research papers entitled The Dwarfs of Mount Atlas (Coachwhip Publications), the late author Robert Grant Haliburton expressed his opinion that an entire tribe of little people dwells (or at least dwelt) in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. He based his assertions on local stories and eyewitness accounts but was unable to prove or disprove their existence, leaving us instead with a tantalizing legacy.

If you're intrigued by such anthropological mysteries, by all means check it out. However, if you want a real spectacle from the area, you will most likely delight in the goats that climb into trees like those pictured to eat the fruit. I snapped this shot outside Touradant, Morocco back in April.

Interview With Mound Co-Author

2011-11-27T08:02:00.000-06:00
The Norman TranscriptNovember 25, 2011

Haunted writings
By Levi Lee

The Norman Transcript
NORMAN — The new paranormal suspense novel, “The Mound,” from authors Marilyn A. Hudson and Cullan Hudson has been a long, collaborative, evolving process from the very beginning.
“The Mound” tells the story of a group of individuals from different walks of life converging upon a haunted hotel in eastern Oklahoma and what happens when ancient evil awakens and doesn’t like the group meddling in its affairs.
Author Marilyn Hudson will be on hand at the Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City at 3 p.m. Dec. 17 to promote and sign copies of her new book and talk about some of her other work as well.
norman etc. caught up with Hudson this week to talk to her about her newly released project and what it was like writing a book over several years with her co-author Cullan Hudson.
When asked about the genesis of the project, Hudson made no bones about the length of time and effort spent by her and her co-author in the completion of their yarn.
“It was very interesting. Very extended. The process actually started about seven years ago. My co-author and myself were both lamenting the fact that we were having a little difficulty at that point,” Hudson said. “He was having difficulty ending stories and I was having difficulty beginning them! So we thought well why don’t we put our heads together and play around with it and see what happens. So we had some fun learning how to outline and sketch out the bones of the story and then the people of the story just kind of came up and grabbed us, and began pulling us into it.”
They knew from the very beginning that they wanted to do something mysterious and in setting and gradually worked their way towards genre fiction.
“Some people have called it a paranormal suspense, some people have called it a horror, we just like to call it a really good story,” Hudson said. “We basically kind of played around with some of the motifs that would be popular among anybody whose done any kind of legendary, mysterious studies about Oklahoma. We picked the hotel because of all the stories that have come from the Skirvin and all of the wonderful hotels that are located around the state.
“I’ve always had an interest in mysteries and more evocative kinds of stories and with the decision to play around with the story we just kind of thought ‘Well it would be fun to play with it.’ And kind of see what we could build with it.”
From the beginning the entire process was completely collaborative, with the original story coming to fruition from a batting back and forth of ideas and manuscripts to one another. Through that process they gradually came up with the structure of the story.
“We actually found that we sort of fed off of each other and there were several points where we just had to turn on a tape recorder because we were bouncing the ideas off,” Hudson said. “We were role playing. You know, acting out the scenes and trying to figure out if things were natural, you know, is this what this person would do? It was just one idea that spark plugged to another idea and another idea and another idea. So it was really creatively rewarding. I would imagine it would kind of depend on the personalities and the characters of the two people to make the partnership work.”
As to coming up with the setting for the work, both co-authors have always loved the magnificent ghost stories that have arisen from local hotels like the Skirvin in Oklahoma City.
“We both just came to realize that we both just love old buildings and hotels and that you could do a lot with a hotel as opposed to a private residence,” Hudson said. “The potential for different story lines was just much better. So we just began to kind of move into that, and weave with it some threads of alternative history that interested us.
“There’s a psychic in it and so we got to play around with that. And we kind of just took all the elements of movies and books that we liked and we tried to fashion them in the way we thought they should be.”
Coming up with so many ideas, characters and plot lines between the two of them, the book formed itself as much through editing as it did with the writing of the original manuscripts.
“The book right now is about half the length that it was,” Hudson said. “We did significant editing, significant paring it down and trying to make sure that we have a good, fast-paced action oriented story that would be fun to read. The result is that we’ve probably got two sequels worth of materials that we can build on at least one or two of the characters.”
Hudson reported that the pair have almost ninety percent of two sequel stories in place already that the duo are working on together. So, you can expect to hear a whole lot more from Marilyn A. Hudson and Cullan Hudson in the mysterious tales department.

(Stone) Giants Among Men

2011-11-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

Many of us are familiar with the Nazca lines of Peru or the chalk giants of England, but lesser known--and closer to home--is the Penokee Figure of Graham County, Kansas.

Resting atop a hill above the Solomon River Valley, the Penokee Man (or Indian as he is sometimes referred) is comprised of more than 100 stones ranging from 6 inchest to more than a foot wide. The figure's entire dimensions exceed 57 feet in length and over 30 feet wide.

No one knows exactly who built it or how old it is precisely. An 1879 examination by a Harvard paleontologist likened it to other giant stone figures found throughout the northern plains regions, including human-like figures and the famous medicine wheels.

The Yellow Brick Road Goes On

2011-11-17T07:25:00.001-06:00

Kansas, long made famous for the strangely colored roadway leading to an even more bizarre colored city, recently was host to another kind of event. It was, some might say, equally strange. OZUFO explored in Lawrence, Kansas not only the idea of UFO's but various other aspects related to how people interpret them, how society views them, and the possibility of disclosure, but mostly on censorship (formal and informal) of the topic itself. Everything from the nudge and wink news caster recounting a story to the threat of bodily harm to those who experienced strange events was explored.

Despite recent White House assurances to the contrary, there is still the possibility that the truth remains hidden behind a curtain with perceptions controlled by levers and knobs of censorship and disinformation. The truth spills out in tiny drops and leaves a trail leading back to larger possibilities. The 'secret NASA' long thought to be a product of fevered cold war imaginations and UFO hysteria has now been recognized as truth. Other leaks and clues have likewise been - quietly - released officially providing legitimacy for some wild theories: Operation Paperclip and the psychic operations experiments of the military just two examples.

Where is the modern version of a dogged Toto who will pull aside the curtain once and for all? Who, most importantly, will we find standing there as the manipulator of reality?

View a video clip on the OZUFO Conference here.

/mah

Apologies

2011-11-15T07:50:00.000-06:00
I've been slacking off in the posting department. I find myself both way too busy and way too exhausted to sit down and write lately--or even to read. They could have discovered Bigfoot and I wouldn't have caught wind of it. I'm toying with the idea of employing stringers, writers who could freelance contribute to the content of this blog. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. Pitch me your story or send a completed post: strangestateok@yahoo.com

Earthquakes Rock Oklahoma

2011-11-08T07:40:00.000-06:00
Over the past couple of years, earthquake frequency and strength have risen in Oklahoma, a state most wouldn't equate with such tectonic activity. In fact, 2010/11 has been the most active so far, and just days ago the Sooner State saw its strongest yet--at nearly 6 points. I've blogged about this increased activity before and postulated whether it could be a precursor to another event along the New Madrid fault, a potentially dangerous scenario for those cities along the Mississippi River. But in Oklahoma, the Meers Fault has been active as well, and one wonders if it isn't becoming something with which Oklahomans will have to deal with in the future. Records of seismic activity in Oklahoma are less than 100 years old, so in a geological sense we're quite ignorant as to what might be "normal" for this region. Is this a new threat emerging or a cyclical activity that will subside with time? We'll have to wait and see. Check out the Earthquake tag below to read more.

Oklahoma Mountain Lion Found Dead

2011-11-05T08:44:00.000-05:00
A 130-pound mountain lion was found dead along Oklahoma State Highway 81 this past week. Biologists from the Wildlife Conservation Department have begun a necropsy to learn more about where the animal came from and what it had been feeding upon. Fewer scientists are as quick these days to discount a hypothesis known to cryptozoologists for some time: mountain lions are making a comeback. Read more HERE.

New Orleans UFO or Just Another ROD?

2011-11-02T07:50:00.001-05:00

READ MORE HERE

Haunted Reputation Alive At Overholser

2011-10-31T07:43:00.000-05:00
Recently, on a visit to the Overholser Mansion, an historic (and some affirm haunted) home in Oklahoma City's Heritage Hills neighborhood, some unusual things were experienced by visitors:
"A staff member was taking a guest to the Carriage House to retrieve something left in there from the being of the evening's special tour. The building was locked and the person was fumbling for the right key and trying to see it in the faint pool of light above the door when a sound was heard from inside. The two looked at each other and the staffer said, 'I thought [name witheld] had already left.' He rapped on the door and called out but there was no response...until four raps were heard clearly by the two standing at the door. 'Open up, will you?' When no one appeared at the door the staffer shrugged and set to putting the keys in the locks. At that point, both people observed the door shake and the knob rattle, just as if some one was pulling on the door from the inside. Rattled, the staffer stooped and opened the mail slot and glanced in but could see no one. Quickly now, the door was unlocked and the people entered, a rapid check of both floors of the small carriage house revealed there was no one else in the building and no explanation for what both had seen and heard."
Another guest in attendance, Ann Boyd, has had some limited psychic experiences herself. So, it was not altogether suprising to find as she was visiting with another guest on the 3rd floor ballroom that peculiar things occurred. The other guest refused to go into the tower room (an area others have had experiences in) and reported a shortness of breath. With Boyd's encouragement, the two women walked into the room just off the tower to explore the space where the woman felt breathless. Once there, the other woman insisted, "I can't stay in here." Boyd reported feeling a familiar tingling chill she encounters whenever "spirits" or paranormal activity are encountered. The air around her chilled deeply despite her warm clothing and the heat of the building.
Boyd also reported being in conversation with another woman in the house and the word 'ouiji board' kept popping into her head. It was as if a sign had popped over her head, flashing a warning not to use a ouija board. For some reason, Boyd felt she needed to warn this woman not to use one. Timorously, she broached the topic: "This may sound very strange but have you ever used a ouiji board? I keep getting this word in my head for some reason." The other woman froze and her eyes got bigger. "Yes, I did--once--and it was not good!" She finally replied after a pause. "I will never use that again. How did you know?" "Okay, I had this deep impression you were to be warned to never consult one of those things. So strong, I felt I had to ask and say something."

Navy Sought Scientific Help In Detecting Radio Signals From Mars

2011-10-30T09:51:00.000-05:00

A Military Telegram From August 22, 1924 Appears To Request Assistance
From Civilian Scientists In Tracking Radio Signals Emanating From Mars
For A Decidedly Precise Window Of Time. Was The Navy Aware Of Some-
thing That Eluded All Else? Source.

Historic Appearance Of Lisbon Ghost

2011-10-30T08:15:00.000-05:00

Weird US Authors Reference Strange State Writer (Me!) In Newest Book

2011-10-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

The authors of the Weird US series have written Weird Oklahoma and on page 91 they reference me. I haven't seen the book yet, but I'm keen to locate a copy ASAP to find out in what manner I am referenced. Hopefully for something good. Although, I could easily imagine myself being cited as "that idiot who has been going around saying..." Fingers crossed! :-D Check out the book here.

TRICK OR TREAT

2011-10-28T18:48:00.002-05:00

Haunted To Death?

2011-10-28T18:02:00.000-05:00

Once Skeptical Cops Agree House Haunted (Historical)

2011-10-26T07:04:00.000-05:00

It Won't Come Back Until Midnight

2011-10-24T18:10:00.000-05:00

The Horrors Of It All Delivers This Chiller
In Time For Halloween Reading

Shot To Death: Haunted Attracted Incorporates Theme Park Camera

2011-10-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

Taken at various scare moments. Check out more hilarious shots here.

Haunted Inns Across The Country

2011-10-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

USA Today ran an article on 10 great places to sleep with ghosts. A few in the list were familiar, but many others I hadn't really heard of before--or at least I'd forgotten their tales.

Featherbed Railroad B&B Resort in Nice, CA--A railroad worker haunts this unusual resort comprised of nine furnished cabooses.
Red Garter B&B in Williams, AZ--A bar and bordello until the 40s, Red Garter is home to Eve, a former "worker" who still touches the guests.
1906 Pine Crest Inn in Tryon, NC--Some claim a psychic vortex can be found here and furniture has been reported to have moved on its own, even blocking a guest's door with a dresser.
Penny House Inn in Eastham, MA--17th century sea captain and a woman named Charlotte make appearances.
John Denham House in Monticello, FL--130 year old inn hosts ghost hunting weekends.
Black Horse Inn in Warrenton, VA--Former Civil War hospital haunted by a laughing nurse.
Magnolia Mansion in New Orleans, LA--Things move about in the rooms at night.
Ghost Rails Inn in Alberton, MT--A former owner stalks the halls.
Colonel Taylor Inn B&B in Cambridge, OH--Congressman and Civil War vet, Joseph D. Taylor haunts the old house where beds rock by themselves.
Foley House in Savannah, GA--Human remains discovered here confirmed a deathbed confession by a former owner of having slain a guest in self-defense. Mysterious noises and cold wash of air greets visitors who stay here.

Costume Inspirations For Women Tired Of Being Cold On Halloween And Looking For Outfits With More Than Six Square Inches Of Fabric.

2011-10-22T11:08:00.001-05:00

In counterpoint to the dilemma facing many woman this halloween (slutty vampire or slutty nurse?), Take Back Halloween challenges the limited conceptions of what inspiration a woman has when choosing a costume.

Skeptical Inquirer's Radford Gives Top 10 On Why No Bigfoot

2011-10-17T08:05:00.001-05:00

While Benjamin Radford, managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer makes several salient points that aren't usually well-addressed by Bigfoot proponents, he makes a few obvious gaffs as well. Read the list at Discovery and decide for yourself. I found #8 particularly telling of his grasp on the scientific realm.

Sasquatch Interpreted As Retro Hipster Craft

2011-10-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

You can pick up your very own HERE

Light Up Your October Nights

2011-10-12T09:40:00.001-05:00
I picked up these two candle lanterns for less than two dollars each at one of those discount pottery warehouse stores that seems to sell everything but pottery (but you can get glasses and dishes for like 25 cents each!!) The glass jar makes really cool shadows on the wall in the sunlight and the tin can Jack-O-Lantern is really awesome when the pumpkin candle burns inside during the night.

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These....

2011-10-10T20:34:00.000-05:00
The masterful pumpkinrot.com website is the bastion of superior Halloween decor. But the blog also contains some interesting and insightful recollections from childhood. In perusing these, I find this post and attendant comments to be quite spine-tingling. Do you have similar memories?

"Growing up in my parents' house, my brother and I shared a room. We had an old wooden cross on the bedroom wall. It looked more like something that Peter Vincent would have in his home, and I'm pretty sure that's the look we were going for back in those days, since we also had skulls and devil masks, and weird lamps in there as well.

One night, late, I was trying to fall asleep and noticed my brother was stirring. He sat up and looked like he was still sleeping. He turned to the wall and looked up at the cross. Then he reached up and removed it, and then reached down and sat it on the floor and went back to sleep.
I should have yelled "DUUUUDE!?!?!?!!?" but I was kinda frozen with fear. And probably remained that way until the sun came up."

And from this post's comments section:

crudedoodle.com said "I remember once, waking up to my brother talking to me in his sleep. He pointed to the window and said something along the lines of, "there are men outside the window." We were on the second floor so, naturally, I took it as evidence of an alien visitation and remained spooked for the night."

The Gill-Man said "Oh man, I used to HATE sharing a room with my little brother, for the very reason that he'd do weird shit in his sleep like this. One time, he started singing "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", only he got stuck on the line about "Satan's Power", repeating it over and over again: "to save us all from Satan's Power, Satan's Power,Satan's Power,Satan's Power". I was pretty sure ol' Scratch had possessed him!"

Marrow added "My cousin was having a sleepover with her friend once, and in the middle of the night she woke up. Then her friend suddenly sat up, got to her feet and stood straight up on the bed for a few seconds. Then she got down on her hands and knees and crawled around on top of the bed, still half asleep, but looking scary as hell. When she saw my cousin, she stared at her strait in the eyes and didn't move. When my cousin asked what she was doing, she replied "YOU TOLD ME TO DO THIS" and insisted that she forced her into it, then finally went back to bed."

Paranormal Investigations Could Learn From The Past

2011-10-08T10:41:00.000-05:00
Since its independent (and arguable) discovery in 1959 by Friedrich Jurgenson in Sweden and Attila Von Szalay in the US, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) has grown to be the biggest tool used (and misused) by paranormal teams across the globe.

In the early years of experimentation, a greater degree of success was achieved when stochastic resonance was employed to amplify the signal. Generally, this was in the form of background 'white noise'. But these days, one would be hard-pressed to find any team doing this.

What happened to the work of these pioneers?

I have a clue, but I'll keep an open mind for the moment.

It seems that most people these days view (consciously or otherwise) the whole ghost hunting / paranormal investigation meme as having manifested over the past decade with the advent of several reality programs on basic cable. But for many of you, the truth is entirely different.

In reading an account in a book of mine about a ghostly voice recorded on tape, a Maryland-based paranormal team was mentioned and it struck me that this was around 1986, decades before the dawn of Ghost Hunters. Furthermore, when I researched topics for my book, I often stumbled across various psychical groups and ghost hunting assemblies with lofty sounding names dating back decades earlier.

We sometimes forget that there have been trailblazers and mavericks (no, not the vehicles) on the paranormal path for many years. They did some groundbreaking work, experimenting with equipment and methods, trying out new hypotheses and discarding things that didn't work.

Was that the case with stochastic resonance in EVP experimentation? Or is it that after a while, when the guides and how-to's started coming out, and then the television shows, people just became lazy. We went from eager minds and learned men to the disciples of Ghost Hunting For Dummies.

So, remember in doing your own research to actually do some research. Learn from others besides those on TV and be willing to throw out anything. This field is wide-open; there are no set laws. If break-throughs are to be made, it will be by the intelligent-minded mavericks who put more effort into research than into promoting their team.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

2011-10-06T07:24:00.000-05:00
Throughout the 1970s, in three separate American cities, mysterious "lines" similar to monofilament fishing line were spotted stretched tautly across the sky, seemingly attached to nothing.

In one location, the line remained taut for more than a month before it must have "snapped" and fallen in a coil to the yard of a home below. Another incident involved several boys who claimed to have spent an hour reeling in such a line before it snapped and, again, fell to the ground in a neat coil.

Retrieved filaments were taken to DuPont for analysis. While they couldn't pin it down exactly, it was chemically similar to Nylon. Rhode Island University conducted tests under a Dr. Vargas. Vargas first believed the lines to be hollow, but upon closer examination found an odd substance at the center.

In Georgia, a man pulled in many yards of another suspended string that was comprised of a "fluffy, shiny, white substance," and still another that was a "hard-finished green material". An Ohio man had to get neighbors to help reel in a 1000 feet of a line that was, as the others, much like a monofilament fishing line. They group filled eight spools of the stuff before it snapped and the tendril floated away on the wind.

What were these mysterious lines? Did they tether invisible alien craft? Were they the product of elusive and extremely large spiders? Are these the tentacles of Cthulhu? Is someone fishing for US?

Maybe it is simply another of these inexplicable memes that erupt from time to time, like "the Mad Gasser" or "Springheel Jack".

Happy Halloween From The Skeletons

2011-10-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

Click To Order

Halloween Party Ideas

2011-10-03T08:21:00.000-05:00
The holiday will be here before we know it, so you may already be planning your get-together. Do they seem, despite thematic changes in decor, to be the same thing year after year? Why not inject a little something different in this year's event. One idea is to host a writer's party (for all you authors and would-be writers out there). The idea is to host something of the kind of soiree that gave inspiration to Frankenstein; when Mary Shelley, her husband, and several other noted writers were all challenged to come up with the best horror tale. You could have your guests write these out (microfiction or short short stories) or, better still, they could spend this month penning the terror that will be unleased in a reading during the party. Your decorative theme could be anything, but maybe a gothic castle on a stormy night would lend a literary air to the readings nicely. And for such a upscale and learned event, you might want to eschew your typical body parts in a jar theme and embrace one of the more stylishly spooky ideas presented by the likes of Martha Stewart.

SPECIAL HALLOWEEN PRICE

2011-10-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

As the nights grow longer and the darkness yields our deepest fears, you'll be glad to know you can revel in all the chills this season has to offer between the covers of this haunting supernatural thriller--all at a special LOW LOW price!!

Help A Zombie You Know....

2011-09-30T05:07:00.001-05:00

To visit other sites participating in the Zombie Walk, follow these links and discover more undead thrills.
Above the Norm: Bizarre Arizona
Zombies Everywhere
Holly's Horrorland
Little Gothic Horrors
Anything Horror
Katy Bennett Horror Writer and Poet
Bubba's Place
Horror Smorgasbord
Gnostalgia
Monkey Man
Words and Music
Red Shoes Chronicles
The Wolf's Eyes
My Day in a Sentence
Pixie's Horror Galore
Strange State
The Misadventures of HalloweeNut
Halloween Blues
Kweeny Todd
The California Blogging Massacre
Horror Shock Lolipop
Vanessa Morgan
Improbable Frontiers
No Really, You Can Eat It
Art By Living Dead Girl Nicole
Two Gory Chicks
A Dust Bunny in the Wind
A Ghoul's Best Friend
Zombies Are Magic
Cherry Neko Saves the World
Tall Tales
At the Mansion of Madness
The Haunted Rose
The Rotting Zombie
Halloween Overkill
Out of the Shadows
Creepy Glow Keyhole Gallery
Creepy Glowbugg
Bifocal Univision
Haiku-Koo-Koo
Sherry Soule
Anchors and Roses
Paranormal Researchers Group
Whispering Pines History
Lovely Miss Megs
Sean Thomas Fisher's Blogwash
Rise and Fight
Stump Town Horror
LoliClown's Little Blog of Horror
Zombies Can't Love
Books and Beyond
The Grave Bandits
Screaming Goregasms
Lazy Daisy Life
Icky Monster
Pretty in Fiction
Ivy's Closet
Justine's Halloween
Annie Walls
Just Johnny

My Own Off The Shelf Costume From Back In The Day

2011-09-29T07:51:00.000-05:00

My brother and I in our own off the
shelf Halloween costumes. Not sure
when this was, but somewhere between
1977 and 1979. I am the fireman btw.

WORST PRE-FAB HALLOWEEN COSTUMES FROM THE DAY

2011-09-28T08:03:00.000-05:00

Beginning in the 70s, pre-fab costumes really took off. Some were sure hits with kids (and parents none to skilled at a sewing machine) but the folks at Retro Crush have stumbled upon a few that will leave you scratching your head as to who would wear that.

Make A Really Awesome 'Haunted Tree'

2011-09-27T06:49:00.000-05:00

Click Here To Learn How

Add A Rustic Touch To Your Halloween Heralds

2011-09-25T16:43:00.000-05:00

Buy it here, but you could make it easily.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP

2011-09-23T06:40:00.000-05:00
UFOs spotted in West Texas not far from the famed Lubbock Lights of so many years ago. HERE

And new research at CERN suggests faster-than-light particles exist, which might knock Einstein's theory. HERE

New understanding of ancient quarrying techniques could further dispel the notion that ancient astronauts had a hand in earth's megalithic structures. HERE

PA Locals Corral Mystery Animal

2011-09-21T08:40:00.001-05:00
This interesting historic account was brought to us by Cryptomundo and the letter 'H'

Catch Strange Animal
Hopping Along Highway

Washington, Pa., Aug. 22 (AP) – An “animal without a name,” which goes for vegetables and nuts in a big way, had the townsfolk puzzled today. No one could identify it.

The “watcha-call-it” has been viewed by hundreds since Saturday, when, hopping along the road like a kangaroo, it was corralled by a group of men and boys.

Its rear legs are like a kangaroo’s, its head and ears resemble those of a squirrel, and the eyes and nose bring to mind a rabbit. Its hair varies from brown to green.

Game Protector Carl Stainbrook is investigating whether the animal escaped from a carnival sideshow.

“I never saw anythink (sic) like it,” he said. “I searched through a book on the mammals of America and can’t find anything like it.”

Source: Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading Eagle
August 22, 1939

Without knowing the size of the animal or much else, it's hard to speculate on what it could have been. My top contenders, however would be: Ornate Tree Kangaroos, Wallabies, and Pademelons.

Of these, a Pademelon is the most squirrel-like.

Ancient Irish Burials Hint At Long-Held Belief In The Undead

2011-09-20T17:46:00.001-05:00

Archaeologists working near Kilteasheen, Ireland unearthed two skeletons from the 8th century buried with stones in their mouths. The reigning theory is that this was done to prevent their return from the grave. There, too, seemed something special about where they were buried since the two men were buried at different times and were of drastically different ages and yet laid to rest together, sometime in the 700s. Middle Ages burials elsewhere have associated this practice as a way to deal with potential vampires and other undead. However, the folklore surrounding that tradition didn't emerge throughout Europe until the 1500s. Still, the archaelogists from the Institute of Technology in Sligo think this may still have been done to prevent revenants, a term for ghosts or animated corpses. It is likely these men were outcasts from the whole of society, such as criminals or victims of some unexplained disease. This would explain why such lengths were taken not only to bury them in a special area, but also to make sure they stayed buried.

The Wild Boy

2011-09-20T07:24:00.002-05:00

Emerging from a German forest like a wraith, an English-speaking 17 year old boy revealed to locals that he had been living in the wild for more than five years with his father who had died two weeks prior. After a simple burial in a shallow grave beneath a cairn of stones, the boy followed his father's instructions and ventured north to where he could be discovered by local citizenry.

It seem the pair had fled into the woods in a survivalist mode after Ray's mother (whom he called Doreen) had passed away. The two men lived a nomadic life, moving from place to place and calling tents and huts homes.

When authorities examined the boy, there were no indications that he had been physically or psychologically abused; his health, too, seemed in good condition. Ray had little recollection of his life prior to living in the woods with his father.

However, given that he had been 12 at the time, I find this somewhat hard to believe. I have to wonder if there isn't some underlying trauma at work that has yet to manifest itself. If anything, his socialization skills have doubtlessly been truncated by an less than ideal existence in the woods.

Learn more HERE

Is Latest OC UFO Work Of Famed 'Hoaxer'?

2011-09-16T09:11:00.000-05:00

Orange County, CA residents spotted a mysterious light last night that appeared to change colors and shift about the sky. If one witness is to be believed similar lights have been spotted elsewhere in the country recently.No explanation has yet been presented as to what may hve caused the unexplained sight. You can watch a local news report here.

Could this, though, be the work of infamous hoaxer Linn Murphy who has long played the UFO prank on hapless OCers? In the middle of the last decade, Murphy flew an RC disc outfitted with colored lights, pausing football games and generating traffic problems. Considered a nuissance by some and a rebel by others, Murphy's pranks. In reality, he mightn't be either.

Read more about this curious fellow here.

Mysterious Geoglyphs Across Middle East Puzzle Scientists

2011-09-15T11:56:00.000-05:00

Read more about these mysterious formations that have been likened to
Peru's famous Nazca Lines and which may be well over 2000 years old.

Minions of Misery Award Nomination

2011-09-15T07:02:00.000-05:00

I was nominated for a 'Minions of Misery' award by Keith Pyeatt, author of Struck! and Dark Knowledge. In the same fashion as Miss America must abstain from drug-fueld orgies with congressional aides throughout her reign, I also have certain requirements to meet in order to fulfil the honor bestowed upon me.

Firstly, I must mention a DARK BOOK: Well, all the truly dark books I know are securely locked up deep within the hidden recesses of the Miskatonic University library in Arkham. But there is one that slipped out, and I'd be remiss not to mention it here: The Mound. That's right, in fulfilment of the honor bestowed upon me, I'm gonna plug my own stuff. Deal! Seriuosly, it's the perfect supernatural thriller to curl up with as we head into the haunting season.

Secondly, I am compelled to reveal a DARK SECRET about myself. Yeah.... You're not ready for all that. Instead, I will reveal a slightly interesting tidbit: when I travel, I usually wear several t-shirts that I've designed myself. These are great conversation starters about my work and often function better as a promotional tool than shoving a business card in someone's hand, since it calls upon them to be curious about you.

Lastly, we come to the DARK MOVIE: This one is obscure. It's the made-for-TV horror flick from 1981 called "This House Possessed," starring Parker Stevenson that included the scariest shower scene since Psycho. This film--atrocious as it is--really impressed itself upon my tender young psyche and has remained with me all these years.

Famed Pascagoula Abductee Passes

2011-09-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

This caught my attention since it happened near a town that's only about 40 minutes away from me.
On the evening of October 11, 1973, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed to have been abducted by aliens while fishing near Pascagoula, MS. The two heard a strange droning, looked up, and spotted two flashing blue lights coming from a domed, cigar-shaped vehicle in the sky. The men recalled that it must have been between 30 an 40 feet across and 8 to 10 feet high as it levitated 2 feet from the ground.

Suddenly, a door opened to reveal three man-sized beings who seized the two fishermen and levitated them inside. Parker fainted, but Hickson managed to stay lucid. He recalled the creatures as being pale and wrinkled without any eyes and only slits for mouths. Their heads, which were possessed of strange "carrot-like" protuberances that seemed to mimic the placement of ears and a nose, sat atop their shoulders with no discernible neck. Their hands were like the claws of a lobster and their single leg terminated in an elephant-like foot. Their movements, Hickson thought, were oddly mechanical.

The two men were examined by some sort of device that seemed to scan their bodies, according to Hickson. Parker had no recollection, but later hypnotic regressions revealed some vague tid bits. Twenty minutes later, the two men were taken back to their spot on the river bank.

Too frightened to move, the pair sat in their vehicle for nearly an hour, drinking whiskey. Although, I'm not sure how this would have deviated from their intended post-fishing routine...

The pair decided at last on a course of action. They contacted the folks at Keesler Air Force Base who informed them that they were no longer interested in such reports and that they should probably contact the local police department. So, at 10:30 that night, Hickson and Parker entered the Sheriff's office, catfish in tow, to tell their tale.

While the Sheriff wasn't sure he bought their tale (I'm thinking strong whiskey breath might have contributed to this conclusion), he did think the men were sincerely disturbed by SOMETHING that happened on the river that evening.

According to a secretly taped interview (later transcribed by NICAP), the men's story continued even after the Sheriff left them alone, lending credence to the belief of many that their story--fantastic or not--was true.

In the days that followed, the spoke to no one about the event, but co-workers could tell something wasn't right with the men. It wasn't before long that the men got a call from the Sheriff, complaining about reporters that were now hounding him for information on the case. The two men each blamed the other for leaking the story to the press. In short order, the whole area was soon buzzing with the tale.

According to research by famed UFO researcher Jerome Clark, the men were taken to the Air Force base to be examined and debriefed by military intelligence.

The story was going national quickly and the men found themselves in front of UFO big wigs like James Harder and J. Allen Hynek. Hickson acquiesced to a polygraph that determined that, at the very least, he BELIEVED the story he was telling. But research by other journalists revealed that the fishing spot at which the men claimed the incident transpired was in full view of two 24 hour toll booths and neither attendants on duty at the time heard or saw anything strange that evening.

The stress of it all soon took its toll and the two fled 150 miles north to hide out with family.

Many years later, Parker (who no doubt knew all the details of Hickson's account by then) claimed to have lied about fainting and he actually remembered it all. But he had more to offer.

In addition to the bizarre carrot men, a small female being grabbed his man junk and injected a needle into the underside of his shaft. She communicated with him telepathically; informing him his abduction had a purpose. Parker said that nearly 20 years past without out incident and then one evening he encountered the craft again. Aboard was the same female being who informed him that the two shared the same God, the Bible was truth, and that she and her kind wished to live on Earth but could not because of humanity's war-like nature.

The excuses carrot nosed beings will come up with as to why they didn't call the next day. Tsk, tsk, tsk...

The two kept a fairly low profile in the decades following, only occasionally speaking about the event. Hickson co-wrote a book on his experiences. He passed away September 9, 2011.

Maybe it was all a prank that got out of hand--so out of hand that these two men felt ensnared by their own lies. I could see that. Maybe they really did see something strange that night, but maybe their drinking began a bit earlier than the bit of whiskey to calm their nerves and the details got a bit confused. Or perhaps we should be watching out for more than just snakes, gators, and creepy banjo-pluckin' inbreds on the rivers and streams of Mississippi.

Art Inspired By Classic Halloween Motifs

2011-09-13T16:16:00.000-05:00

I love this stuff! Reminds me of Hallowe'en of yesteryear,
and the illustrations of favorite holiday children's books.

Experimenting With Time--And Dreams

2011-09-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

The seemingly precognitive dreams of John William Dunne, an Irish-born aeronautical engineer [1], were chronicled in his 1927 essay entitled "An Experiment With Time." Dunne began to theorize that time exists simultaneously at all points and that his dreams, which he recorded unerringly, could find analogs in the real world within a 24 hour timespan in either direction of his predictive visions. Dunne's tome would go on to inspire writers such as T. S. Eliot, William S. Burroughs, Robert Heinlein, and C. S. Lewis. You can read a deeper analysis of the work at Professor Solomon. [2]

An Eerie Soundscape To Haunt Your Senses

2011-09-13T08:35:00.000-05:00
Enjoy a haunted "soundscape" from The Haunted Gallery blog, a site where you can also find designs for bringing sound more effectively into your haunted house or haunted trail experience.

"Picture a blustery late November afternoon. The sky is grey and sinister looking and threatening an unseasonably late thunderstorm. Ill tempered wind rakes the leaves of a single gnarled tree in an old dreary churchyard. Nearby, a gravedigger chips away at the at a neat little square in the chilly ground. Eerie church bells mourn that death has claimed another for his own. Listen carefully to the subtlety of the atmosphere... the scavenging crows overhead, the frigid bite in the air, careful hammering of each coffin nail... Oh, where you not aware? Why, of course, this grave belongs to you. Rest in Peace..."

Modern Film Recalls Silent Film Horror

2011-09-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

Released in 2005 from HPLHS films, the $50,000 "The Call of Cthulhu" is a faithful adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's seminal work that relates the tale-within-a-tale-within-a-tale-within-a... Anyway, it traces the vestiges and hints of an ancient, murderous cult in worship of an even more ancient and deadly being from beyond time and space.

However, unlike any would-be attempt to modernize the effort with barely-clad neophyte actresses and stilted performances from some young Keanu Reeves-esque thespian, this film imagines the story as it might have been revealed to audiences when the novella was first released in 1926.

The cinematography is a flawless verisimilitude of silent classics from the silver screen; and the art direction is almost fetishistic in its decadent pastiche. It's all there: from the luminescent halation of bright whites to the scratches and flecks one would expect to find in early 20th century cinema. Only rarely does some digital nuisance intrude to betray this film's modern origin, but so inconsequential are these that they are dismissed and forgotten almost instantly.

You can watch the entire film (it is not a feature-length work) at IMDb by following the link below:

CALL OF CTHULHU

So, That's How They Do It...

2011-09-11T14:30:00.000-05:00

IMpractical Magic

2011-09-11T09:11:00.004-05:00

Saturdays Are Silly

2011-09-10T09:13:00.000-05:00
Since tomorrow you will once again be confronted by how sucktastic today's newsprint comics are, I thought I would bring something better to the table. Cyanide and Happiness is one of the better strips around--and it's only online.

On Ignorance, Knowledge, And The Future.

2011-09-09T10:16:00.004-05:00

Bear with me; I'm on a Lovecraft kick this week...

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or fleed from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." -- H. P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

As we chase the weirdness of quantum phsyics like a white rabbit down the wormhole of strange implications, I see moments when these words could ring horribly, horribly true.

But enough of that! On to tentacles in the sky....
Apparently, this was released last year. I think I will look for it. Read more HERE.

Just For Fun Friday

2011-09-09T06:58:00.001-05:00

You know what disturbs me the most about The Shining? Shelley Duvall's wardrobe. Therein lies the horror, my friends. Sometimes, I lay awake at night with horrible visions of red jumpers beneath gingham prairie dresses surmounted by stringy tendrils of hair that surely gave inspiration to Lovecraft when describing those horrid Cthuluian tentacles.

Saving The World, One Ugly Book Cover At A Time

2011-09-09T06:36:00.000-05:00
I don't have ads on here. I have me. I use this space to plug me. Wait... Let's rephrase that: I don't assault you with ads you couldn't care less about and that only serve to clutter up the website until it loads slower than an elderly hooker. No, if you see something on here, it's either topical or my own promotion (which usually means it's tangential to the general theme anyhow).

To that end, if you self-publish or know someone attempting to do so, I'd like to take a moment to let you know that, in addition to writing, I am also a freelance graphic designer--on a mission. I want to save the world one book at a time. So, if you want to avoid the mess illustrated here (no offense to this author), then by all means give me a shout. My rates are reasonable and I think you'll find the product more than satisfactory. To see more of my work, you can check out www.fresheiredesign.blogspot.com

And if you're not writing a book, I can also design corporate graphics for your business (cards, brochures, etc...) or perhaps your paranormal investigation team is looking for an interesting promo. Let me know!

2011 Paranormal Hoax Photo Contest

2011-09-07T08:48:00.002-05:00

Inspiration, a photo by freshEIRE on Flickr.
Enter The 2011 Paranormal Hoax Photo Contest!

Airship Mysteries Remain

2011-09-07T07:29:00.000-05:00

One thing that has always puzzled me about old tales of mysterious airships and their strange occupants is how often those same-said occupants have seen it necessary to either lasso a cow from their craft or shimmy down to the ground on a rope, often attached to an anchor.

If we assume, as ancient astronaut theorists do, that these UFOs are otherworldly craft that have doubtlessly ventured from far away (a proposition requiring staggering technology), then don't we find it odd that their sole means of getting down on the ground consists of a rope? And no brillant beam of impossible properties is snagging that bovine--just a lasso.

Moreover, these accounts almost never speak of strange beings. They are described as men (sometimes women) in sailor-like suits or uniforms of the ilk expected of a crewman aboard any vessel. Nary a word is written about big heads, big eyes, strange coloration or any other queer feature that would set these aeronauts apart from their contemporaries.

You can read other tales of airship visitors and the like over at Mysterious Universe, including several throughout England and Ireland that seem as if they're retellings on the same parable. There are also those from the 19th Century American West.

Vampires To Cruise The Land Of The Midnight Sun

2011-09-06T11:20:00.000-05:00
http://news.yahoo.com/vampire-fans-sail-off-alaska-coast-next-144408999.html

More Irish Monsters

2011-09-05T08:52:00.003-05:00

Continuing from the last post, let's delve deeper into the monsters of my ancestors. No, not hillbillies--older....

The Leanan Sidhe is a sort of vampire meets a muse. She attached herself to artists, poets, writers, and musicians and suck up all their creativity and left them bereft and depressed to the point of suicide. You know, like a groupie. Well, she'd come by with her big ol' cauldron and fill it up with their blood. From here she drank or bathed or soaked her cuticles or whatever to retain her beauty and intoxicatingly inspirational powers. I wonder if Oprah has a cauldron....

The Dullahan or "dark man" is a harbinger of death in a sort of Irish headless horseman tale. The headless Dullahan rides a black horse with fiery eyes while clutching his head beneath his arm. Wherever the rider stops, death visits hapless mortals. However, you can bribe the Dullahan with gold and he may spare your life. I wonder if he ever thought about running for office...

The Bean Sidhe is a more common entity in the list of Irish monsters, although you mightn't recognize the proper spelling. The "Banshee", as Americans term it, is a spirit that attaches itself to a family and wails horribly in anticipation of death with in the clan. And you thought your relatives were a bunch of loud mouths.

Ruling over the Fomori, a race of demons living deep in the lakes and seas, Balor was the sort of god of the underworld in ancient Celtic myth. He had one leg and one eye with which he could stare down a person to death. His victims were given over to the Fomori. Balor's own son, Lug, killed him with a slingshot (giant? slingshots? hmmmmm....) With Balor dead, the Fomori were free to evolve into sea monsters and seek out their own human prey, which is pretty much how I see the whole Kate Plus 8 thing working out.

Sluagh are dead sinners that come back from the dad to hunt down souls. They arrive from the west (like so many tourists, probably landing in Shannon) in flocks and attempt to gain entry into the homes of those knocking on death's door. It was tradition among some to keep west-facing doors and windows shut at all times.

Carman was an witch-goddess in Celtic lore. Like an evil stage mom, she traveled about with her three sons: Dub, Dother, and Dain (the Irish words for Darkness, Evil, and Violence). Together they destroyed anyone or anything in their path. Eventually, Tuatha De Danann (the people of Danu) defeated the old witch with powerful magic and banished her kids across the sea--probably to America. Thanks.

Kelpies are shape-shifting sea monsters that often appear as a horse. The horse would come from the sea, ride across the land, and entice victims to ride him. Once mounted, the Kelpie would race to the sea, dive in, and drag the victim down to its lair whereupon it would be quickly eaten.

Caorthannach was banished from the emerald isle when St. Patrick was running his pest control service. This fire-spitting beast (a dragon some say) didn't want to go so easily, but St. P was able to do the job. With one word. That's how badass he was.

It Devoured The Remains

2011-09-02T07:50:00.002-05:00

"Nachzehrer are a German sort of vampire, and are much like zombies, though they would become restless in their graves and chew through their burial shrouds."

READ MORE and HERE as well.

Perhaps it was fitting that Bram Stoker was an Irishman...

In Ireland, a folk tale exists of the Dearg-due, a type of vampire. Legend tells that a beautiful woman committed suicide to escape a terrible marriage. She was buried in Waterford, but arose from the grave to exact revenge on those men who conspired to make her so miserable in life. Thenceforth, she would rise one night a year to lure other men to their death with her beauty. Her arrival could only be held off if her grave were found and stones piled high atop so that she was unable to dig herself out.

Dearg-due is likely a corruption of the word dréag or driug, which in Gaeilge means a portent or harbinger. This, in turn, was probably borrowed from a word used by the oft-invading Norse Vikings, draugr. Draugar were creatures that "walked again" after death, which included ghosts.

Minnesota Sasquatch Caught On iPhone?

2011-09-01T11:19:00.002-05:00

Phasma Ex Machina

2011-08-30T08:32:00.002-05:00

Paranormal Roundup

2011-08-30T07:43:00.001-05:00
Billy Cox praises the History Channel for getting it right in their "UFOs On The Record" documentary.

And Annie Jacobsen delves deeper than anyone else into the government's mysterious Area 51 in her book, Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base. Jacobsen interviewed former employees to gain inside information as to what REALLY took place there. But if the lackluster user reviews at Amazon are any indication, you might want to wait for a bargain bin price.

And over at Mysterious Universe, Michah Hanks posits whether some old school quantum physics couldn't have implications on spectral phenomena.

Sisters Are Doin' It For ThemsELVES

2011-08-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

A backlash has really heated up in recent times regarding how women are being depicted in comics and fantasy works. Recently an image depicting how silly male superheroes would look in the poses given female characters made the rounds. And a Tumblr blog came to light via Boing Boing called Women Fighters in Reasonable Armor that depicts... Well, it depicts exactly what it says it does. So for all you ladies out there tired of the Elf Tramps and Super Sluts, this one's for you.

May the Force Be With You: Collective Consciousness, The 6th Sense, and Our Interconnected Fields

2011-08-28T06:52:00.002-05:00

Watch more in this series over at Ghost Hunting Theories. The implications presented in these videos are staggering and further research may produce evidence of psychic ability.

Hoodoo Ann

2011-08-26T19:48:00.002-05:00

This gif reflects a couple of seconds from a 1916 silent film entitled 'Hoodoo Ann', written by the famed D. W. Griffith and starring Mae Marsh as a girl suffering a remarkable streak of bad luck that may trace back to a cursed doll--or does it? I've not seen the film, so I can't say if these frames represent spontaneous human combustion or simply a fire igniting while she sleeps. If the former, it must surely be the earliest example of the topic having been broached in cinema.

Click The Image To Watch

Re-Etching History To Reveal Alien Domination, Monsters

2011-08-26T19:23:00.000-05:00

SEE ALL THE IMAGES HERE

No Sumerian/Akkadian Text Referencing "Doomsday" Planet, Nibiru

2011-08-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Paleo Babble excavates the truth behind those infamous theories of Zecharia Sitchin regarding ancient texts predicting a 'Planet X' he called Nibiru that swings by every 3600 years to wreak havoc. But if Stichin read this somewhere, it's a document unknown to the whole of Sumerian/Akkadian scholars. To Explain, WATCH THIS VIDEO.

Hastings Still Warns UFOs At Nuclear Facilities

2011-08-26T10:33:00.001-05:00

You might remember UFO researcher, Robert Hastings (read previous posts here) who has, like Chicken Little, been trying to get people to notice that a pattern of UFOs at nuclear facilities, weapons depots, and the like is afoot. Well, if you think he's given up, check this out. Apparently there is startling new ~~evidence~~ anecdotes that prove his long-argued hypothesis.

And Another UFO Sighting

2011-08-25T07:48:00.001-05:00
via Andrew W. Griffin at the Red Dirt Report:

On the 18th, an unnamed witness spotted a "one large white spotlight with a blue light circling it and two smaller white objects off to either side" while driving south on 84th Street in Slaughterville, OK.

Surmounting this cluster of lights was another red one that pulsed. In the flashes from this, the witness could see a triangular shaped craft that appeared to be of a "gun metal gray" color. It seemed the craft was in a holding patter, hovering over a nearby farm house.

The witness described the object as "the size of a football stadium" and while he claims to have taken a photograph, no such image has yet surfaced.

A MUFON filed investigator looked into the sighting, but it remains unclear as yet what all he or she managed to learn.

UFO Buzzes UK Parliament?

2011-08-25T07:30:00.001-05:00
This is a news report aired on Britain's Channel 4. Does it show a UFO buzzing the houses of Parliament? Not likely. It has that ragged sense of motion epitomized by a digital process, which never seems as fluid as an old fashioned filmed effect. That said, I'll let you decide. One caveat: this news report is short and not about a UFO, so watch the background instead of the reporter.

Vintage Spooky Boardgames

2011-08-24T07:28:00.002-05:00

And an old post at Little Gothic Horrors made me think of an old board game I used to have when I was a kid that I couldn't remember the name of, which made me have to track it down. That's how I stumbled on this fantastic list of mystery, horror, haunted, and Halloween-themed board games from the 60s and 70s. Total nostalgia rush to kick start your morning....

Transcending Genre

2011-08-23T11:21:00.001-05:00
A recent post over at Dead End Drive-in got me to thinking about those horror and paranormal films that transcend their respective genres, breaking out the pigeon holes to find a greater resepct among all films. Below is my list of films that fit this criterion. I'm sure there are some I've missed (and they are not listed in any particular order), so if you have any contributions...

A note: I've purposefully excluded classic horror/paranormal films because, as logic would dictate, if you established the genre, you can't transcend it. I've also eschewed some films best termed Suspense or Psychological Thrillers since dealing with a killer (serial or no) isn't the single defining element to horror in my humble opinion.

Frailty--In dealing with the fine lines between faith, blind zealotry, and complete psychosis, Frailty examines the lives of two brothers recruited in a holy war against demonic forces by their father. But the viewer is never quite sure if there really are demons or dad's just a lot bit nuts.

Fire In the Sky--The UFO, the aliens... They're almost after thoughts, as if a focus group demanded them (damn you, focus groups!!). Fire in the sky doesn't require extraterrestrial terrors to tell the story of Travis Walton's abduction from a mountain in Arizona. The story here is about how he went missing, how he returned, and how he tried to piece together the shattered remains of his life in the wake of his claims.

Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind--Similarly, I would add CE4thK to the list for how it deals with those affected by UFOs (the self-doubt, the ridicule, the paranoia...), but in the framework of individuals struggling to find the answers and meet this phenomenon head-on.

The Green Mile--In this tapestry of characters we almost forget there is something supernatural afoot in this prison, mostly because scary thrown in your face like a pile of dirty underwear every two minutes. Sure, it's dark at times, but its a darkness that comes from the human condition; a darkeness tempered by the irrepresible spirit of the film.

Let Me In--In a world weary of angst ridden tweens that sparkle like club kids in the sunlight, Let Me In (and it's Swedish counterpart) breathed new life into Vampires. This wasn't about blood and guts; it was about growing pains.

This is what zombiesurvivalstrategy.com had to say about the original: "They have a lot in common. Both films are about disillusioned young people who meet vampires and fall instantly in love with them. The vampire in Twilight, played by tween sex icon and Robert Smith wannabe Robert Pattinson, denies Kristin Stewart’s advances because his having sex with her might destroy her and her purity. Excuse me for one second while I vomit. This is just a teenage girls’ bullshit (and dangerous) fantasy of having to chase the perfect man. In Let the Right One In, our vampire ‘girl’ uses the boy’s affections to her own ends, encouraging more and more violence from him, eventually convincing him to lead a life of mass-murder so he can satisfy her bloodlust. This is about real power dynamics in relationships, and how couplings in real life are complicated by messy things like exploitation and selfishness. These darker themes are what vampire movies are really about. Not the agony of pre-marital chastity."

The Sixth Sense--I'll admit, with each viewing after it doesn't hold as much magic, but that might be argued for any film. But for that first time or two--Wow! It's impactful. The very first time its watched, the film hits you like a Mack truck: the ghosts that pop up at just the right unexpected moments, the twist ending... It may be the only great film M. Night does, but he did it to perfection, and that's worth something.

The Birds--Yeah, I guess there's Psycho, but it's really just a good old psycho killer movie. However, an avian ravaged dystopia never seemed so bleak as in Hitchcock's sonic wasteland, The Birds. The absence of sound, the proximity to the endless expanse of ocean, as if perched on the edge of the world itself... Hitch knew what he was doing. He understood that terror wasn't always something terrible; it didn't require musical cues to tell you to be scared; it didn't even require an explanation shoved down your throat. In fact, it practically demanded that such be denied.

HONORABLE MENTION:

The Serpent And The Rainbow--Wes Craven's earliest attempt at doing something other than horror is this film about a Harvard scientist who goes in search of real zombies in Haiti. The only thing holding this film back from a true genre-transcender is the climax, which relied heavily on some classic horror film moments. Had Craven not used such a heavy hand to sell you on this-is-a-zombie-horror-film, it would have made the list.

Scream--As abused as it is now, it's easy to forget how fresh and revitalizing this film was when it first came out in 1996. It brought slasher horror back from the brink of oblivion with a sardonic, self-referential wit that has, sadly, become the template for so much that followed.

The Phantasmagoria

2011-08-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

Prior to cinematic film, horror was relegated to writing--or so you would think. In reality, the predecessor to the 'scary movie' was the phantasmagoria, a type of magic lantern show that specialized in dark, gothic, and demonic themes. Some were used by early magicians and con-men during seances.

While the magic lantern, a device that projects silhouettes or etched images via a convex lens, had been around since the mid-17th century, the pitiful sputterings from candles and oil lamp flames kept them from truly taking off as an entertainment artform. With 19th century advances such as argand, limelight, and eventually incandescence, these device, which often employed elaborate mechanisms for shuffling slides to simulate movement, became ever more popular.

Especially the phantasmagoria.

In the 1660s, Thomas Walgensten employed his "lantern of fear" to conjur ghosts and later magicians and hoaxers would do similiarly to either amuse or dupe. It is from this inauspicious begining that the phantasmagoria as horror entertainment flourished during the Romantic Gothic period of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Horror novels were popular and many took to illustrating the mind's eye via magic lantern horror shows.

Throughout the 19th century, its popularity waned considerably. With the advent of several cinematic precursors, the lanterns were extinguished permanantly.
But their mystique lives on in literature and cinema. And their irrefutable contribution to modern horror cannot be dismissed.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasmagoria

A Free Gift To Get You In The Mood For Halloween

2011-08-22T08:12:00.000-05:00

Use this button on your website, perhaps to link to your favorite Halloween treats!

American Horror Story Makes October Debut

2011-08-21T10:53:00.000-05:00

American Horror Story, a new series on FX, comes from the minds of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (co-creators of GLEE) and is, in short, about a haunted house and the family living therein. Seems like a thin premise to hang an entire series on, but given their prior success, I'm willing to bet they'll find an audience.

American Horror Story, which premieres October 5th, stars Dylan McDermott and Jessica Lange.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH PARTY FOR THE MOUND

2011-08-19T18:09:00.002-05:00

The official launch party for the novel will be held at the historic and haunted Overholser Mansion on October 7, 2011. For more information, follow this LINK.

Kreepy Girl Meets The Mummy

2011-08-19T14:53:00.001-05:00

CLICK HERE TO PICK UP THESE HUMOROUSLY
CREEPY GREETING CARDS--IN TIME FOR
HALLOWEEN!!!

The Woman In Black Returns

2011-08-18T11:22:00.001-05:00
Two of my favorite things collide in this forthcoming film: a good old fashioned gothic ghost story and Daniel Radcliffe.

Based on Susan Hill's 1983 novel, The Woman In Black was previously a British made-for-TV film and looks, according to this trailer, to be another The Others. I look forward to this one wholeheartedly.

Skully Gone And Cracked His Head Open!

2011-08-18T11:08:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's a funky pillow for your teen's goth-decorated room (or yours--I'm not judging) or maybe it's the cute and fun t-shirt. Whatever product or reason, Skully is bound to get you in the mood for Halloween. It's just around the corner, so order soon!
BUY HERE!

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

2011-08-17T18:13:00.000-05:00

BUY HERE

And Not To Leave The Guys Out...

2011-08-16T20:33:00.001-05:00

Kreepy Guy is checking out an old zombie-infested home on a dark, foggy night.

CHECK IT OUT

KREEPY GIRL: STEAMGOTH

2011-08-15T08:03:00.002-05:00

I picture her commanding her armada of airships to stop the encroaching forces of the undead....

Pick up this design as a greeting card, framed print, journal or tote

BUY HERE!!

KREEPY GIRL GOES STEAMPUNK!

2011-08-14T09:50:00.000-05:00

Buy It As A Tee, Tote, Or Mug HERE
or Purchase Greeting Cards HERE.
Check Out All The Other Kreepy Girl Designs
at www.fresheiredesign.blogspot.com

The REAL Mayan Experts Finally Begin Addressing 2012

2011-08-13T08:05:00.000-05:00

[from Boing Boing]

"It's August of 2011, do you know when your Apocalypse is?

There are 1000s of people who think that something important—if not the end or the world, then something—will happen on December 21, 2012. These speculations spring from a well-seasoned cultural melting pot, but a key ingredient is the writings and beliefs of both ancient and modern Maya people. In fact, the folks promoting the 2012 movement often frame themselves as experts in Maya traditions.

Here's the thing, though: There are actual experts in ancient Maya traditions, and actual experts who study the culture and religion of modern Maya living today. These archaeologists and anthropologists have, inadvertently, created some of the pop culture legends that spawned the 2012 movement. But, until very recently, they've largely ignored that movement. This is starting to change, however. Last January, archaeo-astronomers held a symposium on the 2012 phenomenon and those papers were recently published in The Proceedings of the International Astronomy Union. Meanwhile, a new scholarly book, collecting essays on the 2012 phenomenon by Mayanist researchers, is set to be published soon.

One of the researchers featured in that book is John Hoopes, an archaeologist and one of my former professors when I was an anthropology student at The University of Kansas.

Hoopes does field research, digging at archaeological sites in Costa Rica and other parts of Central and South America. But, as a side project, he's also developed some expertise in the way archaology—and, particularly, pseudo-archaeology—influence pop culture in the United States and Europe. I spoke with him about where 2012 myths come from, why scientists need to study and address pseudo-science movements, and why he thinks the 2012 phenomenon owes as much to H.P. Lovecraft and Aldous Huxley as it does to the ancient Maya."

READ THE INTERVIEW HERE

Is DARPA's Latest Plaything The Elusive 'Aurora'?

2011-08-12T07:57:00.001-05:00

DARPA's 320 million dollar hypersonic Falcon, which flies in excess of Mach 20 (13,000 mph) launched this week on a test flight and was promptly lost in the deep blue. But fear not! They had, of course, two. A second launch is scheduled.

The unmanned craft is shaped like a large black spearpoint, a configuration familiar to many UFOlogists. One cannot help but wonder if these are the first tests, or if these are the first tests the public has been allowed to know about?

Since the late 1980s when a military budget listed an expenditure of $455 million as a black project (as secretly-funded ventures are termed in the parlance of military spending) known only as "Aurora,"it has been long-rumored the military has been testing a hypersonic jet. Some felt, however, this huge sum was tagged for Lockheed's B-2 Spirit, which was revealed to the public in the 1990s.

These likely gave rise to many black triangle sightings in the years prior. In 1989, a British engineer spotted one refueling. And it can't be a coincidence that the number of black triangle UFOs sprang like weeds during the 1980s and early 1990s. As the revelation of the now famous Delta wing bombers and fighters emerged, it becomes obvious that many of these arose from very real sightings.

All along, a hypersonic jet has been rumored alongside these. Can we assume that it too has a ring of truth? Aurora likely saw various iterations of the concept over the years, each getting scrapped in turn as their flaws became apparent. That DARPA is releasing information on this vehicle tells us, despite this week's failure, the concept is sound--and didn't spring forth overnight.

In late 1991, as recorded by the USGS, a series of strange sonic booms was picked up in Southern California that seemed "stonger than other sonic booms," according to Jim Mori, a seismologist. "They've all come on Thursday mornings about the same time, between 4 and 7."

Dom Maglierie, a former NASA expert on such phenomena, confirmed the data represented something at 90,000 feet, traveling at Mach 4 to Mach 5.2 and were unlike any aircraft he was familiar with.

On March 23, 1992, near Amarillo, Steven Douglas took photos of a strange, donuts-on-a-rope contrail that he linked to rather peculiar sounds that produced "a deep pulsating rumble that vibrated the house and made the windows shake." Douglas also claimed ot have intercepted air-to-air communications between an AWACS known as "Dragnet 51" from Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City and two other unidentified craft known by the callsigns "Darkstar November" and "Darkstar Mike." These latter designations were, apparently, AWACS squadrons out of Tinker as well. Anyone who lives in the Oklahoma City area is extremely familiar with these large jets surmounted by flying saucer-like radar arrays.

One month later, a similar incident took place in California by a civilian monitoring air traffic communications out of Edwards AFB. He heard early morning transmissions between callsign "Joshua Control" and a high-flyer using "Gaspipe": "Youre at 67,000 feet, 81 miles out...70 miles out now, 36,000 feet, above glideslope..."

And while sightings tapered off (other than some dubious Area 51 claims) by the mid-1990s, budget holes continued to show up in conjuction with anomalies that might suggest such a project was still under way.

Again, I have to wonder if this is what we've been seeing all along. Perhaps after failed attempts to man such a craft, a drone was deemed the likeliest solution.

If black triangles and hypersonic craft can shed UFO mystique to become actual military advancements, should we then take a closer look at such reports with an eye toward air force technology? What of the rumored silent-running refueling platforms and stealth blimps? Are they generating similar sightings? Perhaps only time will tell since, as yet, no hobbyist UFOlogist has successfully penetrated the veil of denial surrounding such black projects.

Hurricane Harbinger: A Look At The Gray Man of Pawleys Island

2011-08-11T18:09:00.000-05:00

As we step into Hurricane season, let's take a moment to revisit an old tale, one with which you may be familiar.

On South Carolina's Pawleys Island, legend has long told of the Gray Man who appears as a harbinger of these deadly storms. He has been reported since 1822 when a devastating hurricane wrecked Charleston.

1893 found the Gray Man presenting himself to the Lachicotte family. Undestanding the import, the family fled the island and were spared being counted among the 1500 people killed by the Sea Islands Hurricane.

In October 1954, Bill Collins and his new bride were honeymooning on Pawleys Island when, at an ungodly hour, they heard a knock on their door. Answering the knock, Bill was confronted by a man in a gray suit and hat. His face wasn't clearly seen beneath its broad brim. The stranger told him the Red Cross was warning locals to evacuate the area, a storm was coming. Before he could really reply, the man in the gray suit left without another word. Wisely, Bill Collins and his wife left the island just in time to miss a category 4 hurricane named Hazel, which killed 95 people.

It's not clear who this ghostly messenger is. Some think he was an innkeeper on the island long ago before a hurricane took his life. Others think he was a young man on a journey from Georgetown, SC to visit is fiancee on the island. To save time, he turned his horse down what he thought would be a shortcut through a marsh. Sadly, the horse and rider were both caught in quicksand. Later, the distraught fiancee was wandering heartsick along the beach when a man in gray approached her. To the woman's shock, it was her lover. He warned her to leave immediately because a terrible storm was headed toward the island. She heeded his warning and was spared her life as a result. Among the many shattered remains of homes that littered the island, a sole dwelling stood unfazed: the fiancee's home.