Ghost Hunting Theories: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Proof of the Apocaypse: Body Parts

This is a new series that will have posts about things in the news that sound rather end-of-world'ish. I just reported on the man who ate another man's face and the one who threw his own intestines at the police. Today, we trek into yet another grisly proof of end of times -

In Maryland, a man confessed to killing his roommate and eating his brain and heart. This 21-year-old college student from Kenya supposedly cut off the victim's head and hands and stored them in the townhouse.

Police say the man's brother went down to the laundry room of the house and saw a blanket on a box. He pulled off the blanket and saw two metal tins. Police say he opened them and saw a head and two hands. When the killer's brother confronted him about this, police say the killer said they were animal remains and not human remains.

Believe it or not, the killer was out on a bond after he was charged May 20 with a random attack on another student, leaving that victim with a fractured skull, arm and shoulder, and blinded in the left eye. Out on bond after that, really???

Well, just another freaky incident that has to make you wonder--what is in the water?

New Zombie Book Must Read!

You might recall last October when Julie and I did the zombie walk in downtown Phoenix as our characters, Stella and Liz. The Department of Zombie Defense (DOZD) was there. These fantastic and fun guys show up at awesome events (saw them at ComicCon yesterday). In fact, I might have a wee crush on the whole lot of them! They do charity work, make events a helluva lot more fun, and they have talent too.

KE-12 by Shaun Hayes and Shane Painter is a fantastic fictional foray into a supposed zombie apocalypse that would involve their talented DOZD team in tactile maneuvers to deal with it. "When the deadly virus KE-12 outbreak starts at the Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico, Mankind is faced with two chooses, extinction or survival. The only hope for mankind may be a new Government unit The Department of Zombie Defense. The Department of Zombie Defense (DOZD) is faced with the unparalleled task of saving the human race. The events that transpire may not bring the end, but the beginning of the end."

These guys are truly wonderful examples of fun with horror and also teaching some real life skills of survival while preparing to protect the public from a zombie attack, though the zombies, Liz and Stella, would agree that's really unnecessary -

Here they are shooting Liz and Stella at the 2011 Zombie Walk downtown.

Life is a Chain of Events

(This picture wouldn't have happened if I didn't get a divorce)

I'm very much into a universal picture of things. I try to pull back and see the bigger scene. Because of life experiences and past history counseling people with anxiety disorders, I've learned a lot about life; if it were on a scope, it'd look kind of like this -

Good things, bad things, mediocre things happen every day, every week, every month, every year, every decade in a fluctuating chaos. Still, people kick and scream against something that is part of nature, like the sun rising or rain falling.

Do you really want your life to be a flat line?

Bad things beget good things. Good things beget bad things.We never catapult into a chain of events without having something rather significant happen to us, usually something bad that spurs us on. We can actually give thanks to the fact that in our lifetimes, at some point we lose loved ones, we lose jobs, we get sick or divorced. As crazy as that sounds, they force us to live up to our potential by how we handle such things. Just look at the Biggest Losers--they had to get to a bad place to make a change that was so significant and 180 degrees. What about someone like John Walsh from America's Most Wanted? The loss of a son made him hunger for justice.

We generally do not turn 180 degrees away from "mediocre," but we do with "miserable."

Next time something unbearable happens, remember that it will change you forever and it doesn't have to be a scar, it can be a catalyst to figure out what's important, where your priorities are, to get new skills or to focus on what you do have and what you can control.

What did my divorce have to do with the picture above? If I had stayed in my marriage, I never ever would have submitted manuscripts and gotten published. I wouldn't have had some of the best times of my entire life if I hadn't left that miserable situation. And, there would be no concept for "Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse" if not inspired by my decades of lifeless numb living.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

BLOGGER HELP: NO HELP

Blogger help is no help.

I complained multiple times about a psycho person who is using my name and my blog's name and stealing things from my blog, trying to comment on my blog with nonsensical obscene comments and going onto other blogs using my blog's name and leaving insane comments. Blogger's help? NONE!

They are aiding a person who is impersonating and stealing and tormenting bloggers. Blogger is grossly neglectful. You must know that Blogger will not help you.

This psycho person goes onto many blogs, signing on with my blog's name and leaving comments. If you get a comment from Ghost Hunting Theories and a disgusting naked profile pic, it is not me. I am Autumnforest. This person is not only an imposter, but is very likely stealing your blog's pictures, names, doing disgusting things with them, going onto other blogs using your blog's name. She has done this to many sites she comments on.

I have her name and number and address if you would like it. We are going to seek legal means because Blogger will not take down her grotesques sites.

Just so you know, BLOGGER IS NO HELP IF YOU NEED IT!

Did the Vikings Meet Bigfoot?

It is believed Leif Erickson the Viking might have been the first European to see a Bigfoot when he landed in Newfoundland around 1000 AD, describing encounters with huge hairy men, with a horrible odor and piercing shrieks.

L'Anse aux Meadows is a Newfoundland archaeological site found in the 1960s. This is the only known village settlement by the Vikings in this area around 1000 AD. That region was inhabited by Native people from back to 6000 BP. Native people who surely had dealt with the local Bigfoot.

Is it possible that the Vikings landed on a continent that had two tribes? One Native American and one being Bigfoot? If and upright human-like being can manage to stay well hidden from man, showing a good degree of intelligence, then when we refer to Bigfoot, are we not referring to the "other" tribe of the Americas?

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Zombie Attack Again?

First, the dude chewing the other dude's face off. Now, another bizarre almost zombie-like attack. They all defy logic, but obviously there is some drug out there on the streets that is making people absolutely lose it.

In Hackensack, NJ, a man stabbed himself repeatedly in front of officers and then proceeded to throw his intestines at them.

Pepper spray didn't work.

They called in the SWAT team to help subdue him and get him to the hospital.

Sex and the Single Ghost Hunter: Why Men Are Awesome!

I hear a lot of women lamenting about men and I do admit that in my almost 2 years of singledom, I have run into some real pieces of work from married men with no qualms about saying they're in love with another woman to men who kiss and run. As well, I've run into men who never got over their past mistakes and were haunted still decades later and those hoping to replace their ex-wife with another "mommy" to cook and care for them. Of course, not all men are awesome, but they have some awesome attributes and I can honestly say that the majority of them have an amazing capacity to love and a deep desire for someone to just appreciate them.

Here's just some of the awesomeness that I admire:

Men are more likely to be willing to sit and talk about paranormal subjects all night long, how the universe came to be, what other dimensions might be like, and what we would do in a zombie apocalypse.

They stimulate my mind.

Men are more likely to laugh at themselves and crazy situations. When can a woman call her friend a "butt sniff" or a "douche bag" and elicit a laugh?

They stimulate my humor.

Men are more likely to want to do things and not talk about them. "Is it possible to jump off the roof into the pool?" "How many hot dogs can I fit in my mouth?" "What if we built a bar in our garage?" I like to dream, but the excitement for me is in the doing and seeing if it can be done. Men want to know -- is it possible?

They stimulate my industriousness.

Men are more likely to be in the moment while in bed. They aren't stressed and thinking about the kids in the next room. They're not contemplating if the boss hates him or what to have for lunch tomorrow. They are into the sensations happening right then and there. The house could come down around him, but that man is going at it while he has a woman in his arms.

They stimulate my sensuality.

What's not to like? Men and women both have their shortcomings, but when it comes down to it, they have their assets too. If we spent more time on what we have with them than what we don't have, we'd all be happier.

Real Life Zombie Attack?

(surveillance shot)

Real life is freakier than anything we can dream up.

Case in point?

This Miami Story:

"Miami police shot and killed a man on the MacArthur Causeway Saturday afternoon, and police sources told CBS4 they had no choice: the naked man they shot was trying to chew the face off another naked man, and refused to obey police orders to stop his grisly meal. ...Officers found one man gnawing on the face of another, in what one police source called the most gruesome thing he’d ever seen."

At that point, the police officers shot the zombie once, but he continued feeding on the other man's face. They were forced to shoot him again, which mercifully killed him. Then they sought to aid the victim whose face was already mostly eaten off.

"With the attacker dead, lying nude on the pavement, officers and paramedics were able to get to his victim and rush him to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Police sources say the man had virtually no face and was unrecognizable. Once the bizarre confrontation came to an end, police were left with the task of figuring out what had happened..."

On that happy note, I hope y'all have a pleasant day and be aware that at any time the person next to you can turn and start feasting on your face.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Mermaids: The Body Found Tonight on Animal Planet

Tonight on Animal Planet is a wicked cool special called "Mermaids: The Body Found" It's a really great 2-hour special. Do not miss it! "A team of scientists testifies that they found the remains of a sea creature with ties to human origins - a modern day mermaid. They claim a massive government cover-up is currenly hiding the creature's existence from the general public."

Style of the Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse Book

Of the many people who have bought our book, we have received many varying compliments from, "why hasn't someone done this sooner--it's so obvious and so true!" to "the style of the book is like nothing I've ever seen."

We not only wanted to put in horror, humor and social commentary, but Julie and I also wanted to portray a kind of online look that is sexy, easy and fun to read and varied so that you never get bored between narrative, interviews, tips, photos and captions.

It is our hope to bring to the printed publishing industry a new look and feel that is suitable for the online crowd. We want pretty books for our shelves and ones that break up the lengthy content of most books into something that is do-able in small bits. We only have so much time to read, so having a page that is varied makes it possible to say "Ah, I can read until the next large capital letter or the next icon and then stop." Art should be a part of books, as well. We need visuals as well as the written word to bring mood, set the stage for action, and create suspense.

We appreciate so much the fantastic feedback for our book and we hope that everyone who reads it goes onto Amazon and leaves their comment. We love the official feedback, as well.

We're editing our 1960s version of the Zombie Housewives series and it is so over the top amazing that it might be our favorite book of all time.

Here's a teaser -

P.S. Thanks Barry Huddleston at Gnostalgia for the amazing review!

Phoenix ComicCon

Julie and I went to ComicCon yesterday. Wow! Huge! Tons and tons and tons of people and costumes. Here's just some of the fun -

Here we are with the hordes of attendees down below -

You know you've been there for hours when a conversation like this is just typical.

Arizona Ghostbusters were there--always a fantastic and playful gang that does wonderful charity work.

Our buddies from the Department of Zombie Defense were there.

This guy was just another example of the totally cool horror stuff -

Scary bunny with an axe -

Me trapped in a zombie crate -

Just some of the huge crowd -

A typical attendee -

And sadly, in these hard times, even a superhero needs some cash-

We had a total blast. it was really a very fun event!

P.S. If any of y'all have read our book, please go on Amazon and give us a review. We really want the feedback.
Thanks!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Paranormal Vacations: Heceta Head Lighthouse, OR

On a bluff hundreds of feet above the sea, Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon is not only a paranormal vacation destination, but a wonderfully luxurious, romantic, and gothic retreat.

The tower is 56 feet tall with a focal plane of 205 feet above sea level. The most powerful light along the Oregon coast, the light can be seen 21 miles out to sea. It first came on in 1894.

If you wanted to go there this summer, you're in for some sad news. The waiting list can be 3 months long for this bed and breakfast that serves a 7-course gourmet breakfast. The cookbook can be found here.

Stories have been spread about it being haunted. It has had some unusual activity, but no explanation for its origins.

The Lady in Gray, or Rue as she is now known, was the wife of an assistant light keeper in the 1890s. It is said that her young daughter drowned in the local estuary or the ocean and, in despair, the mother committed suicide. The location of the young girl's grave is not exactly known, but the headstone supposedly resides somewhere in the vegetation surrounding the lighthouse. Rue now haunts the Heceta Head Light, ever searching for her long-lost daughter.

This is high on my list of dream getaways with a fella. But, first I have to find a fella. Then, I have to wait 3 months on the waiting list!

Going To ComicCon Phoenix 2012

Julie and I are heading out to ComicCon in Phoenix to check out the horror crowd and the fantastic zombie folks! We plan on reporting back with pics and videos. We hope to make some great connections and do some promotion for your Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse book and our fantastic publisher, Black Bed Sheet Books.

The book is selling very briskly and we can thank all the people who are hip and wise and realize being in on a new and fresh genre is a book reader's goal. Expect 3 more books coming up the series that will look equally sexy on the bookshelf and be amazingly satisfying to read.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Ouija Inventor

Elijah Jefferson Bond was a lawyer and an inventor (aren't those two always associated?) He invented many things, but was best known for the patent for the Ouija Board in May 28, 1890.

To learn more about his life and his Kennard Novelty Company, go here.

The Ouija board has been utilized in a ridiculous amount of horror movies and just some of them are; The Uninvited, Thirteen Ghosts, The Exorcist, Awakenings, What Lies Beneath, Paranormal Activity, Amityville 3-D, Witchboard, and Only You.

In 1966, his estate sold his company and its games to Parker Brothers. which was sold to Hasbro and hence the Ouija spirit boards we know today.

In the Green Mount Cemetery in Maryland, Elijah Bond was laid to rest with a Ouija Headstone. If they had laid it flat instead, one might have been able to converse with him...

Working on the 1960s Zombie Housewives Book

Yeah, Julie and I are at it again and it was just another day of book-making insanity....

Even Clive gave into the madness.

We took some shots of Julie's character toking, using the oregano fake reefer and the pizza dude showed up. I tried to usher him onto the front stoop to pay him, concerned that he could smell the burning oregano -- which smells a lot like pot. It might have been the first time in history a person got paranoid NOT smoking pot. I'd also like to thank everyone who has purchased the book on Amazon and who has given us such wonderful compliments. It's a fun book, a crazy book, and the most beautiful book ever. We are very proud and we promise the 60s one takes the concept to a new level that reads like an insane history book involving 60s zombies in the center of all the cultural issues of the times.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Haboobs

My first experience with a haboob was when I was 14.

I had just moved to Arizona and had no idea that they got weather that was just dust! I was outside looking at a coming storm in the distance in 118-degree heat, and wishing for some rain. I noticed the desert got a nasty smell before a rain. For a gal who grew up in green territory, coming rain was clean and fresh. This smell was pungent and funky. I later came to find out it was the oils in the creosote bushes being released into humid air. A sign of a coming monsoon storm.

Our monsoons, however, begin with a wall of dust that is part of the wind gusts of the coming storm. The longer it's been since the last rain, the taller that wall of dust!

I watched a funny orange cloud in the distance slowly engulf street signs and light poles and homes until it was upon me without warning. I was sandblasted hard. A few weeks later, I was sicker than I've been in my whole life. The dusts in the desert also carry a fungus that can cause an illness called Coccidiodomycosis or "valley fever." Coughing, weak, sore, feverish, with thrush and barely able to lift my head, I lost 15 pounds, vaguely remember that entire summer. Lots of people never knew they had it. I, however, was knocked on my butt.

They are truly amazing feats of nature, but you definitely do not want to be stuck in one. In fact, we're told to pull over off the road and turn out our car lights so no one follows our lights thinking we are still driving. Tons of accidents occur and then the following hard rains hitting the hard baked earth aren't able to be absorbed by the ground and washes fill extremely quickly. Our storms aren't often, but when they are, they can be very deadly. I now respect the orange cloud and hasten indoors and hunker down.

Were the Sumerians Right? Are We Alien?

Gaps in our evolution, visitations from aliens, cattle mutiliations, alien abductions, genetic manipulation by grays....

The ancient Sumerians might have been onto something. From this fantastic post about it:

The Sumerians had a most unusual belief in how humans came about because it sounds more like science fiction than mythology. They believed that intelligent creatures came from another planet and created us from a combination of their DNA and the DNA of prehistoric man. They called DNA "essence" and in their ancient writings (the Sumerians were the first to create written language) say about prehistoric man's essence:

"Akin to ours it is, like two serpents it is entwined"

We are all familiar with the symbol of entwined snakes. The symbol is used later by the Egyptians as a staff carried first by Iris and then Hermes. Greek mythology also incorporates the symbol. The symbol has adorned the walls of our hospitals since long before we knew DNA shared the double helix shape.

The Sumerians state in their writings that a rogue planet, referred to as Nibiru found its way into our solar system and collided with Earth, creating the asteroid belt and leaving behind a moon--our moon. Because of the collision, Nibiru became part of our solar system. According to them Nibiru is the home planet of the aliens that created us, the Annunaki. The reason we do no know of this planet, if it is real, is because it has a massive eliptical orbit that only brings it near us every 3600 years. According to Sumerian text, the Annunaki used Mars as a way station, which could explain the peculiar face that we see on Mars' surface as well as the markings that seem as if they were created by intelligent creatures.

The Annunaki do not see themselves as gods, but merely superior creatures on a planet with a deteriorating atmosphere. Supposedly, they sent robot scouts to Earth before coming in person, similar to what NASA has done on Mars. They came here in search of gold which they say will restore their atmosphere. It is in fact possible to use gold (Au) to oxidize carbon monoxide (CO) which could indeed increase the amount of oxygen in an atmosphere--especially one that his heavily polluted. Initially, they mined the gold themselves, but having great knowledge of genetic manipulation, they devised a plan to create a hybrid species to mine the gold for them. It was a great moral debate as they argued whether or not they should play the role of gods, but eventually they agreed to proceed with our creation. Sumerian hieroglyphics show how we were created in glass tubes. Sumerian carvings and indentations portray the Annunaki as having elongated sculls, which is eerily similar to a god the Aztecs claim visited them, asking them to mine gold. The Aztecs even took to wrapping their babies' heads so that they would grow to be elongated like their god.

Something else to consider? Roswell crash scene I-beam that had "hierglyph" looking symbols -

(Summerian writing)

Like I usually do on this theories blog, I'm going to leave you to sit on this and let it gestate. I want to hear your thoughts.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Get Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse Reduced Right Now!

During the grand opening of our awesome publisher Black Bed Sheet Books Store, our book is reduced $5!!! Holy crap! The sexiest, most beautiful full-color zombie book for $5 less! Jump on now and order!
Our publisher really gets current trends in publishing and especially the horror genre! They are, in fact, translating our book to Japanese. That is freaking sexy!

Stupid Motorist Law

We had an amazing rainstorm the other day here in AZ. No big deal to most folks, but I literally had not seen rain in daylight hours in about 7 or 8 months at least. It was wonderful. The problem with living in the desert, though, is that we have arroyos (washes) that fill up quite quickly because the hard-baked ground will not absorb the water. For some reason, we have no storm drains to speak of. In fact, the roads are pitched to be high in the center, low on the sides, so if you're in the slow lane, you're SOL.

There is also something very necessary here that makes other states laugh. We have a Stupid Motorist Law. This basically says, if you try to cross a running wash and get stuck in your car, you have to pay the fees associated with hauling your ass out.

Don't you wish we had more stupid laws?

Which stupid law would you like to see on the books for your state?

URBEX: Abandoned Trailer Park Revisited

I went back to the abandoned trailer park again -- all the trailers were gone except the skeleton of the main one and all the litter was strewn across the desert floor with the sun setting.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Deviant Dale

My UFO Sighting Last Night!

Last night, my buddy John and I took his huge awesome custom telescope out into the desert to see lots of cool stars and galaxies. We set it up at the abandoned trailer park site I have filmed at before (new film and pics coming soon--amazing place!)

We were out there hours in the pitch black, silent desert and decided it was about time to take down the telescope and go. John went to the car to get some tools and I looked up to the southwest and saw an orange light. It was gorgeous. I then saw it go out, but another one came on even closer to me. Then, it went out and another one came on closer to me again and I called John. He looked up to see this happen 2-3 more times.

We didn't know what to think. I knew it was something very unusual. There was no sound, no planes in the sky or anything that could explain the source.

I rushed to get my flipcam just in case it came back. He began to take down the telescope. I looked up and saw the orange light turn on again in a slightly more southerly position. It seemed to divide into two orange lights or gave that impression. They went off one after the other. A few minutes later, it happened again and this time both lights came on and seemed to move together in a very slow motion and then one by one the two lights went out. The next time it happened, John had his binoculars and said that he could see the stars around them, no structure blocking them out.

I began to film with my flipcam and they came on again while I was talking. We packed up the telescope and left, came back to my place and reported it to MUFON.

It was an experience I had never imagined running into. I had a fun night seeing Saturn, Venus, the moon and Mars and learning about constellations in a beautiful pitch black desert in the middle of nowhere. I didn't feel threatened by these lights. To me, they reminded me of lightning bugs, the quality of the light and the way they went on and off. It felt more like Marfa Lights or something to that effect, earth lights. I didn't get a sense of a vehicle, but then it was silent and there didn't appear to be structure associated with them. They did not seem to be flares, did not flicker, fizzle, or drop at all. The lights sometimes were close, sometimes further apart, and so didn't seem attached to anything that had fixed lights.

It was an exceptionally interesting evening and I would like to find answers to what we saw.

Best New Zombie Book

I'm biased, but hell, you can't get better than social commentary, sexiness, a full-color book, hilarity, a new premise, a zombie-lovers crazy trek through a new genre.

1950s housewives, Stella (the ideal June Cleaver wife) and Liz (the drunken slutty divorcee) think they live the same day over and over again. So, when they become zombies during the apocalypse, they really do live the same suburban life as if nothing has happened. They now have an excuse for their mindless lives--they truly are walking dead.

A dead woman's work is never done.

Enjoy Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse. The fan club is growing and the 1960s housewives book comes out next--making the entire decade of the 1960s truly a dead-head generation.

The housewives' blog.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse Cool News!

Today is the opening of Black Bed Sheet Books new online store that is the wave of the future for horror publishing! It's not only extremely gorgeous (has our book for a background) but is offering our book discounted for the celebration opening. Be sure to enjoy lots of cool products, amazing horror writer's offerings and lots of other things you never would have imagined on such a site such as Black Hamster--a fun channel that shows vids.

Go check it out and see if it isn't the sexiest most innovative publisher site online you've ever seen!

AWESOME NEWS: Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse is being translated for the Japanese market!

Bullying in the Bigfoot World

Those in the Bigfoot online community might have noticed an absence of Autumnforest and many more people like me who want to have intelligent dialogue about something of great anthropological and social significance. Here's the basic reason:

You can't argue with the village idiot because it's not going to make him smarter.

I left because of the massive troll hits on such sites and the fact that there was no discussion, only immature bullying by vague anonymous people who hide behind having no name or face so they can just take pot shots at everyone else. These little men are pathetic creatures and a fine example of why we might not be ready as a society for the introduction of Bigfoot into our accepted family.

I've watched some wonderful contributors in the field retreat, especially the female population in the Bigfoot world who have taken some of the worst threats and bullying.

It has come to my conclusion that when Bigfoot is proven and recognized by our society, he is in for a monster load of disappointment and embarrassment to possibly be related to such primitives.

If we use Bigfoot sites as a gauge of the culture of our society, we can only assume that we are not ready for the bigger questions. Proving Bigfoot is not the big issue. That will be done with DNA eventually, but what will be our true dilemma is how to categorize him, respect his space, allow him freedoms, while still learning about his life and culture.

How is that going to be possible in a society of people who are scared, angry, and hateful?

As well, the very people who consider themselves journalists, researchers, and hunters, are rife with some of the most despicable types imaginable. There is lying, cheating, greed, egos, sleeping around, drinking, drugging, and sinister arrangements in some of the most "respected" organizations. There are ones who tout we should kill a Bigfoot and others who threaten anyone with a differing opinion. There are more than enough hangers-on who affiliate with a "big" figure in the field and hope to ride his coattails, and there are those who act like rock star groupies.

What I have to say to these people is simple. Get a real job. Work a real industry.

Bigfoot is not an industry.

It will be left to the universities and scientists to deal with the anthropological significance of his unveiling. You are not big-game hunting. You are in entirely the wrong field if you want fame and fortune. Your behaviors and how you comport yourself in the industry are no secret. Everyone knows the dirty players and they will have no part in research or anything of legitimacy. It is best to fold up your tents and go home. We know who you are and we know how you roll.

It is not an issue of whether there is a Bigfoot, the real issue is how we greet a newly accepted citizen because so far on the Bigfoot sites, it's pretty evident we haven't come far since the past several hundred years when we hit the shores of North America.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Dale's Addiction

Zombie Week on Chiller Channel

Chiller channel starting today begins a zombie-themed week that will culminate in the premiere of George Romero's "Survival of the Dead" on Friday night. I'm sooooo ready for this--are you?

Autumnforest Crushes: Richard Matheson

Some folks are Stephen King worshippers, others Brian Keene or John Saul. For me, the ultimate is Richard Matheson. What an amazing original mind! Here's just some of his works -

The Incredible Shrinking Man
A Stir of Echoes
I Am Legend
Hell House
Duel
Many episodes of Twilight Zone
Hammer Films
Trilogy of Terror
What Dreams May Come
The Thing
The Night Stalker
The Night Strangler

He has done so many scripts, books and short stories, inspiring so many TV shows and movies, that his effects are wide-ranging and so very original and ahead of their times.

Mothman: Still Around?

Wikipedia: Mothman is a legendary creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia from 15 November 1966 to 15 December 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the Point Pleasant Register dated 16 November 1966, entitled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something"

On Nov. 15, 1966, two young couples from Point Pleasant, Roger and Linda Scarberry, and Steve and Mary Mallette told police they saw a large white creature whose eyes "glowed red" when the car headlights picked it up. They described it as a "flying man with ten foot wings" following their car while they were driving in an area of town known as 'the TNT area', the site of a former World War II munitions plant.

During the next few days, other people reported similar sightings. Two volunteer firemen who sighted it said it was a "large bird with red eyes". Mason County Sheriff George Johnson commented that he believed the sightings were due to an unusually large heron he termed a "shitepoke". Contractor Newell Partridge told Johnson that when he aimed a flashlight at a creature in a nearby field its eyes glowed "like bicycle reflectors", and blamed buzzing noises from his television set and the disappearance of his German Shepherd dog on the creature. Wildlife biologist Dr. Robert L. Smith at West Virginia University told reporters that descriptions and sightings all fit the Sandhill Crane, a large American crane almost as high as a man with a seven foot wingspan featuring circles of reddish coloring around the eyes, and that the bird may have wandered out of its migration route.

There were no Mothman reports in the immediate aftermath of the December 15, 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge and the death of 46 people, giving rise to legends that the Mothman sightings and the bridge collapse were connected.

Did the Mothman just take off after the Point Pleasant incident? It would appear not since before major events, others have reported seeing him just beforehand. In fact, there is a strong rumor that he was seen before the Japanese quake.

Here is an interesting and chilling account: I looked toward the power plant, and against the lights of the plant I thought I saw a figure silhouetted against the moonlit sky.

The figure was large and black, from the distance I was at it looked to be sitting on top of one of the squared shape buildings.

It sat there for about 5 seconds then it unfurled a large set of what I could only describe as large, black wings. The only reference I can compare them too are from the old John Travolta movie “Michael” where the main character unfurls his wings and spreads them out to their full length. To say that this creature was large was an understatement.

The creature then took flight and circled the plant at least 4-5 times, some circuits he took at a fast pace, some he seemed to slow down, all the while he kept his attention on the row of square shaped buildings that I later found out housed the reactors.

The creature then came toward us, flying at least 25-30 feet off the ground. The younger couple who had noticed the creature first were now screaming and cowering, the man shielding the woman while shielding his head with a jacket.

My friend and I looked in awe as this creature flew over us.

That’s when I noticed the two large red eyes; they seemed to glow from within and with a blood red hue. They were unblinking in the 3-4 seconds we saw them, we knew they were looking straight at us, we knew this creature knew we could see it and it made no attempt to disguise itself.

The sick, intense and overwhelming feeling of dread came over us. A feeling that we shouldn’t be there was to say the least, overwhelming. As quickly as it came, it flew away, back toward the town, eventually melting into the black night sky and as it flew away from us a loud whoosh was heard again and then...silence.

It would appear that Mothman is a universal precursor of tragedy. Yeah, sort of like George W. Bush but more charming.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Zombie Apocalypse: Who Would You Run With?

Given your options from popular fiction TV/movies based on zombie apocalypses, what group would you most like to hang with?

Night of the Living Dead

Shawn of the Dead

The Walking Dead

Zombieland

Dale the Doll: Bedtime Stories

Thanks sooooo much for the great reviews. People are even buying copies for their family members so they don't have to share. "Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse" is getting a fantastic reception from the public and people are digging this most unusual genre, unusual premise. Even Dale the Doll is a #1 fan.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Class A EVPs

Class A EVPs are rare and precious finds.

An EVP is "electronic voice phenomena" and this occurs when one is recording under controlled conditions and plays back the recording to hear something said that was not said during the recording session. If a good EVP specialist controls the sound situation and tags every explainable sound heard by his hears, then what he gets on his recordings that cannot be accounted for is exciting territory.

Here are classifications commonly used:

Class A: Voice saying something that, when others hear it without prompting, hearing the same phrase.
Class B: Voice-like, but different listeners might hear different words/phrases.
Class C: A noise.

Since joining the team I'm a part of, I have learned to admire the EVP specialist on the team. He researches extensively, uses logic, and questions everything. I so admire his evidence, that I want you to listen to some of the Class A EVPs he has procured. Listen here.

We still don't understand how EVPs are possible and why. It is very rare we can get a direct answer to a question. There has been question of whether the people in the room might be able to psychically affect the recording with a form of telekinesis. I think the best way to dispute that notion is that we are not getting answers that make sense much of the time. If someone subconsciously imprinted, they would answer the question, not say something nonsensical.

There are some amazing researchers in the field and the one I would recommend highly is David Rountree. He has an impressive technical background and extensive research. In fact, is fantastic book Parnanormal Technology is one of my favs.