Voodoo Man movie poster

Bigfoot Expo - Chautauqua Lake

New paranormal experiences

Before I start, I must say that I have always been interested in ghosts' and haunting's ever since I read my first book on the subject while in grade school. I try to catch the reality based ghost hunting shows on TV when I can. I like to see the evidence that is caught and stay on top of all the new tech that is being used on the shows. I find the shows to be very interesting and informative. I have gone on one local ghost tour but I do not actively seek out or try to have paranormal experiences.

I recently started a new job in which I work all alone in buildings, usually at night. I always check all the entrance and exit doors on my way around the buildings to make sure they are locked and secure. The last thing I would ever want is to run into a intruder as I try to work. I have found that working alone helps me stay focused but the silence is a little unnerving at times. I always bring a radio in with me to break the silence.

I have had a few unexplained experiences in one particular building and a employee of the company told me that he has also 'heard things' while working alone in the building. Strange things have been happening so I thought I would document them on my blog.

The first weird thing that happened while I was emptying out a garbage can I paused a second to look at a letter that was sitting on top of a wooden table. Not even two feet away from that table stand a couple of brand new HON brand steel storage cabinets with doors that open vertically. There are two sets of HON cabinets on each side of the table where I was standing. As I was looking down at the letter, not leaning on or touching the table, the cabinet on my immediate left made a noise like someone had just shut one of the steel doors. The noise startled me and I immediately opened the cabinet to look inside, only boxes of undisturbed kuerig cups sit inside and these are brand new steel cabinets. There are no holes where a mouse can gain entry and there are no strong drafts of air in the building that can shut the door. I am required to dust the cabinets once a week and I have never heard any of the cabinets make that noise before and it has not happened since.

The second occurred as I was finishing up my work I had gone into the closet to put away some things for the night. The hallway leading to the closet is behind a closed door and I cannot hear the TIMEX clock radio I bring in after the door closes. After going back out the door I was interested in hearing the local basketball game because it was almost over and the score was close. As I continued walking I noticed that the volume of the radio was off. The radio was still on but the volume was completely off. I always leave the volume on until I am ready to leave the building. Even then I just unplug it without turning the power or the volume off. It was strange because, like I said, the radio was on and still plugged in but the volume was completely off.

The average person might not stay on the job but I do not feel like I am putting myself in harm's way or threatened when I work in the building's I clean. I feel that any strange happenings are a distraction on my way to finishing the job before I move on to the next building.

Please share any weird or strange experiences you may have had in the comment section below as I would be eager to read them. Thank you.

Horror Mask

Spanish Brides Of Dracula - 1931

Creepy photo from the 1931 Spanish Dracula movie.

Sharon Tate

I recently took out the book "Sharon Tate Recollection" from my local library and I've been doing some online research about the extraordinary life of Sharon Tate. Sharon was extraordinarily beautiful, so much so that people could just not take their eyes off of her and there just may be a reason why this was so.
The story that really piqued my interest about Sharon originated in 1966. Hairdresser to the stars, Jay Sebring lived in a home in Benedict Canyon, California that was supposedly "cursed". Famous MGM director Paul Bern died in the home under mysterious circumstances in 1932. Paul Bern bought the house as a wedding gift to actress, Jean Harlow. It's been rumoured that Jean didn't like the house and wanted Bern to sell it but he refused. Jay Sebring knew about the past events in the house but purchased it anyway.

Above, Jay Sebring, below Paul Bern.

Sharon Tate used to date Jay Sebring before she met her future husband Roman Polanski and she was staying in the house alone while Sebring was away in New York City. Unable to sleep Sharon was awake in bed with the lights on. She felt uncomfortable being all alone in the big house that night. Suddenly a "creepy little man" appeared and ignoring Sharon started wandering around the room as if he was looking for something. Sharon recognized the apparition of Paul Bern and ran downstairs in fright. What Sharon saw next is especially chilling in light of the events to come in her future. “I saw a vision of someone tied to the staircase,” she said. “It might have been me. It might have been Jay. Whoever it was, it was cut open at the throat.” Feeling a need for a drink to calm her nerves Sharon wondered where Jay kept the alcohol. Something in her head told Sharon to open a bookcase and inside she found the alcohol. For some strange reason Sharon also tore off a piece of the wallpaper that was at the base of the hidden bar and kept it. After Sharon finished her drink she went back upstairs, the ghastly apparition was still present at the bottom of the stairs and the ghost of Paul Bern was still wandering around in the bedroom when Sharon fell asleep. The next morning, Jay awoke Sharon from her sleep. Sharon knew it wasn't a nightmare when she saw the little piece of wallpaper she tore away from the bar next to the bedside.

I find it extremely interesting that Jean Harlow died at the young age of 26 just like Sharon Tate. It is my belief that the spirit of Jean Harlow attached itself to the young Sharon Tate in an attempt to relive her life as a beautiful young starlet. If you compare the portraits of both women there are certain similarities in the facial features that are quite startling. If you believe that a ghost can attach itself, or follow another person throughout their life than my belief is not that far fetched. Why wouldn't the ghost of Jean Harlow want to relive her past life through Sharon? Even if it was to last just another 3 years or so. Is it possible that the spirit of Jean Harlow didn't know or care about Sharon's violent future and attached itself to Sharon anyway? Sharon did become pregnant but didn't live to give birth so sadly neither of the screen starlets had children. Jean always wanted children of her own.

I am a fan of the reality based, ghost hunting shows Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures and both of the teams investigated the sight of the Sharon Tate murders. I believe that both teams caught EVP's of Sharon Tate's disembodied voice in the new house that was built at the site. If you watch any movie Tate appeared in and compare her voice to the EVP's the teams caught the resemblance is startling and frightening to hear.

In conclusion, it's sad to think that the Manson family killed Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring in such a violent manner that their souls haven't been able to rest and move on in into the afterlife. I hate to say it but the Manson family "ghosted" the people they killed, they actually turned them into ghosts'.

Haunted Comic Books

WE DEFY YOU TO UNLOCK THE SHATTERING
SECRETS OF HAUNTED HOUSE

Enter These Walls And Behold -- A Nightmare Come To Life!

Girl In The Fire from Wen Town Hall

The infamous "Girl In The Fire" ghost pic is actually the result of a proven, doctored negative and it's not a "real" ghost picture at all.
The photo is from the 1995 Wem Town Hall fire which completely destroyed the building.
Tony O'Rahilly took the B&W photo across the street from the fire.
Wem Town Hall is located in Shropshire, England
In 2010, five years after the death of the photographer, a 77-year-old local resident claimed to solve the mystery, citing a similarity between the girl in the photograph and the image of a girl printed on a postcard that appeared in the local paper Shropshire Star. The postcard in question was taken in 1922 and shows a young girl who resembles the so-called "Wem Ghost".
Here's the postcard and the photo side by side...

Here's the complete story ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wem_Town_Hall

A Guide For Hunting Ghosts - Alison Smith

I support local authors who write and publish books about Ghosts'. A Guide For Hunting Ghosts by Alison Smith was published in 2013 so I found it the new book section in my local library. The author, Alison Smith, is part of a local ghosthunting group called PRONE (Paranormal Researchers Of Niagara and Erie).

www.pro-ne.org

The back cover describes what you will find in this book. It's an interesting and informative read but since I don't want to become a ghost hunter I didn't finish reading the book. There are no ghost photos or in depth stories of any investigations that PRONE was involved with. However there is a website mentioned in the back of the book where other paranormal books can be purchased and here's the weblink www.paratechstore.com.
Happy Ghosthunting!

One of my paranormal experiences

Every since I was little I have always been curious about ghosts' and interested in learning more about the spirit realm. That is why I have this particular blog.
I satisfy my curiousity by watching the many reality based, ghost-hunting shows on TV. While watching one of the shows I was reminded of an experience I had while I resided in an apartment complex in Kenmore, NY.
Just for the purposes of "setting up" the experience, I want to share a few details about the frame of mind I was in at that time. I'm not giving these details in an attempt to explain why this incident happened.
I was single at the time but I did not live alone. Around the time of the incident I had to put down a very sick cat I took from my mother's care. She no longer wanted to take care of the healthy cat. After a few years, his good health took a turn for the worst. The vet told me that there was no guarantee that the costly treatments they recommended would treat and cure his illness. Needless to say, I loved the cat and it was very hard for me to accept the fact there was nothing else I could do for him. I was the last familiar face he saw before I surrendered him to the S.P.C.A.
The apartment was a quiet 4-plex ( 2 apts on top of 2 bottom apts ) that retired, older, people usually resided in. One of our single neighbors recently passed away upstairs and I wasn't told about her passing until after the fact. All of the tenants shared a common, basement storage area so we were all familiar with each other so I found it strange that no one took the time to tell us she passed away.
OK, enough boring details.
One night I woke up just before 3 o'clock in the morning. The entire building was quiet and my fiance' was still sleeping in our bed. For some reason I still remember awakening @ 2:48am. I noticed the time on the green, digital readout on our oven. The oven was right next to the sink and I decided to have a glass of water while I was up. To my immediate left was a kitchen counter-top that looped around away from the sink. On the middle of that counter, not on the edge, sat a curled up bag of potato chips. After filling up a glass of tap water at the sink I turned to my left and, much to my amazement, the bag of chips flew off the counter and landed on the floor. I was, at least, 6 inches away from the counter and my fiance' was still sleeping, so there was no reason for the chip bag to fly off the counter like it did. I didn't cry out and I can honestly say that I was startled for a few seconds but I was never scared. I didn't wake up my fiance' to show her what happened. I simply finished my glass of water and went back to bed. If I remember correctly, it was a weeknight and we both had to get up soon to go to work. Nothing else ever happened in the apartment, but I did pay more attention to the goings on in my living space from that day forward. I find it rather odd that nothing else ever happened while we lived there. I've learned that paranormal occurrences usually happen a few times before stopping completely so I was expecting something else to happen but nothing ever did. I believe that it may have been my recently deceased cat returning to pay me a final visit. He may have wanted to show me what he could do now that he was no longer sick and in a better place. This is what I'd like to believe but I cannot explain why the chip bag flew off the counter.

Dark World - Ghost Adventures - Travel Channel

Dark World, Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of The Ghost Adventures Crew is a autobiographical book about Zak Bagans and the top rated Ghost Adventures TV show. Zak explains why he feels comfortable hanging out with ghosts' and evil spirits. It's a very interesting book and details from unfilmed ghost hunts are talked about and explained in scary detail.

Season 4 includes an investigation from Old Fort Erie in which G.A. caught an apparition of a disembodied arm when a tour guide was left alone wearing his period clothing. The thing that is so great about the catch is that it appears to be a shadow on a wall and there is no light source and no one else around at the time. Truly unexplainable and creepy at the same time. It was caught on the ever present night vision cameras.

Ghost Adventures is the latest and greatest ghost hunting show on TV.
I don't have premium cable but I always watch G.A. episodes on youtube and I recently took out Season 3 and 4 DVDs from the library. These guys show no fear and they challenge evil spirits to show themselves to document solid evidence. Season 3 contains the Rolling Hills episode in which G.A. caught a couple of scary disembodied screams.
The G.A. crew (Zak, Nick and Aaron) is standing in front of Rolling Hills on the cover of the Season 3 DVD set. G.A. has ghost hunting down to a science and they always catch compelling evidence.
Who you gonna call? Ghost Adventures...

Rolling Hills Asylum - Genesee County

Black Dahlia Avenger, Steve Hodel, James Ellroy

Black Dahlia Avenger 

The True Story

One of the Most Notorious Murders of the 20th Century...SOLVED!

by Steve Hodel

Elizabeth Short is The Black Dahlia...

Black Dahlia Avenger is a very interesting True Crime/Mystery novel. A novel which I picked up at my former place of employment as it was offered up in a small stack of "Take Me" free books. I heard of the Black Dahlia before so I decided to take the free book and read it and I must say I'm glad I did. The subject matter is quite scary and the details of the murder(s) are very graphic out of necessity. 

At it's most basic this book is the story of the relationship between a father and a son...from the sons' perspective. This isn't no ordinary father and son though, the father was a licensed doctor and the author and son is a retired LAPD homicide detective. The book can also be described as a great mystery novel as Steve Hodel decides to investigate one of the most legendary "unsloved" murders using his expertise and experience as a LAPD homicide detective...what he finds out during his investigation is shocking, controversial, mind numbing and very disturbing. All of these elements in one book make Black Dahlia Avenger a very interesting read to say the least.

This post is dedicated to Elizabeth Short, "Gloria" (pictured below), Evelyn Winters, Laura Trelstad, Rosenda Mondragon, Marian Newton, Viola Norton, Louise Springer, Geneva Ellroy, Elspeth Long and Helene Jerome. 

The Phantom of the Opera

This is the cover of an '86 hardcover version of the original 1911 book which I picked up at a library book sale.

Here's a couple of great pictures from the silent 1925 version of the Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin. Pictures courtesy of the book Classics Of The Horror Film by William K. Everson.

Ghost Files by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friedman

 

This is a cool book from '07 that features some great, real ghost stories and photos from T.A.P.S. aka Ghosthunters. The stories are about ghosthunts that are too evil and scary to feature on the Syfy TV series. I scanned a couple of ghost photos featured in the book. My fave story is about a box of golf balls that move by themselves and form an arrow in a haunted apt. Seems the former tenant was a real, bonafide devil worshiper and he left something evil behind after he moved out. Great book!

 

 

 

 

Back cover.

 

 

www.simonandschuster.com

 

 

Famous Monsters Of Filmland, Bela Lugosi, Dracula

Cool Horror magazine cover featuring Bela Lugosi as Dracula, the definitive Dracula...just in time for Halloween. Notice the mini-painting of Nosferatu in the upper left corner.

Hollywood Gothic is the ultimate book on Dracula, from the book by Bram Stoker, the controversy of Nosferatu and the Dracula movie, from stageplay to the big screen. Highly recommended!

Ghost Stories, Stories To Shock You! Ghostly Tales Of Suspense And Terror!, Dell Comics

 

 

Here's a classic '62 Dell Ghost Stories comic book that even has a ghost story on the back cover!

 

 

From Queen City Bookstore.

H.P. Lovecraft, Lovecraft, fear of the unkown

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.

H.P. Lovecraft is the forefather of modern horror.
I was recently exposed to the man and his stories through Filmfax magazine, which peaked my interest.

Unknowingly, my first exposure to Lovecraft was through a Metallica song of which the song title refers to one of his stories. Next, I watched the Re-Animator movie on video back in the 80's. Lovecraft's influence and output of stories goes way beyond those 1st 2 references. I never really knew how much his influence has affected pop culture until I watched this DVD. His stories were limited to pulp magazines while he was alive but after his early death from disease, his friends who recognized his genius, started a book publishing company specifically to publish his work. Many of those stories were overlooked by Lovecraft during his lifetime due to his highly self-critical nature. The book company flourished and went on to publish not only Lovecraft stories but other famous horror authors as well.

If you're a fan of John Carpenter, Stephen King, Guillermo Del Toro, Stuart Gordon, Caitlin Kiernan, Peter Straub, Robert Bloch and Neil Gaiman then you need to watch this documentary on Lovecraft. The DVD goes on to cover his life, his work and his influence on modern horror.
If you know of Lovecraft then this a must see.

www.cinevolvestudios.com

Ghost Adventures, Travel Channel

I found this DVD set at my local public library and after watching it I find the "Ghost Adventures" ghost hunting style the most interesting and exciting to watch on TV. 3 guys literally locked into a haunted locale overnight, calling out and challenging hostile ghosts (in complete darkness!) to show themselves and asking the ghosts to use their human life energies to manifest themselves. These 3 guys almost make ghost hunting look easy. Some of the scenes are quite creepy and bone chilling.  This DVD set is from 2010, I'm not sure if the show is still on TV but you can bet I'm going to search for more of these DVD's the next time I go to my public library.

I am a fan of T.A.P.S. (Ghost Hunters), the ghost hunting show on Sci-fy, but I have bought their DVD's and the quality of the DVD's isn't always the best. I bought the Buffalo Central Terminal episode and it has failed to work in my DVD player. Maybe it's the ghosts making the DVD malfunction?
This is why I take out stuff from the library and check out the latest Ghosthunters episodes on Youtube.
I have to say that I recently watched an episode on the Youtubes in which TAPS caught an EVP of a scream which dies out into a gust of wind, which gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.