It looks as though my buds may have been correct when mercilessly picking on my fear of the 1973 film The Exorcist. As many of you might have already figured out from older posts that The Exorcist scared about almost every possible bodily fluid out of me. I kid you not, while viewing the re-release a few years ago I broke out in a sweat and almost filled my popcorn bucket. It was another case of “based on a true story” that seemed to always get me. While my sympathetic buds would laugh and point, they would claim it’s a all fake, phoney-baloney if you will. And they might’ve been on to something. After reading The Real Story Behind the Exorcist: A Study of the Haunted Boy and other True-Life Horror Legends from Around the Nation’s Capital by Mark Opsasnick, my opinion about the infamous case has changed…dramatically.

The Real Exorcist

Opsasnick tracks down friends of the boy as well as clergy involved with the case for some pretty interesting insight. When asked about the boy speaking languages other than English, the late Father Walter Halloran who had assisted in the exorcism stated, “Just Latin,” and “I think he mimicked us.” Well I thought that was interesting since that’s often one of the many so-called signs of possession. Opsasnick also inquired about the change in the boys voice which Father Halloran responded with a “Not really.” So no demonic voice speaking ancient languages. Hmmm.

And if you’re wondering what happened to that demon boy, he is still on this planet living among us. Opsasnick does get to him, but things don’t go too well.

My only problem with the book is the length. I was expecting a bit more detail on The Exorcist story. The actual Exorcist chapter is only a little over forty pages. The rest of the book includes the investigations into the Tom Monteleone Contactee case, the Luzo-Brazilian Black Magic Cult, The Ghost of Crybaby Bridge, and the Goatman of Prince George’s County. And by no means are these stories filler, each is a very interesting study on how some of these urban legends are blown out of proportion.

You’ve probably heard before that we allegedly know more about the surface of the moon than the incredible depths of the earth’s oceans. Obviously that’s changing with the development of new technology that’s helping us map the ocean’s floors as well as super high-tech unmanned subs. But when it comes to locations like the Mariana Trench, which at this moment is recorded as the deepest region of all the oceans, at a depth of 35,840 feet, roughly 6.78 miles, could this be the origin of technically superior crafts also known as USOs (unidentified submerged objects). This is exactly what author Ivan T. Sanderson investigates in Invisible Residents, The reality of Underwater UFOs.

The concept of aliens and their craft being more of an earthly phenomenon rather than the standard extraterrestrial theory has always fascinated me. What if the aliens have been here from the start? It’s kind of freaky that they might actually be observing us from below. Sanderson takes us through a whole list of USO accounts that could possibly explain what’s going on. It’s almost too many which explains why it took me a few tries to get through this book. It’s a bit slow at first but I think it’s due to the fact that the book was originally published in 1970 so many of the examples and concepts are a bit dated. But regardless, it’s still well researched with a keen sense of humor and skepticism.

Just one of the many underwater sightings or I should say tracking was that of the United States Navy during a training exercise in 1963.  The Navy tracked an object for four days that was maneuvering at depths of 27,000 feet at 150 knots plus. In 1967, the record dive for a standard submarine was 6,250 feet. So what the hell was it?

Sanderson also goes way back in history for some early accounts of USOs such as a report from the Annual Register in 1767. It was reported that a large luminous body appeared from a thick dark smoke over the water. The unknown object then took the shape of a pyramid and shot up the river damaging a house and bridge. Stargate anyone? Or how about in 1879 when Commander J.E.. Pringle of the H.M.S. Vulture reported seeing two giant rotating glowing wheels underwater.

Also touched upon is the Bermuda Triangle, along with vortices and time anomalies, plus the possibilities of underwater civilizations, and unexplained vanishing of people and objects.

Although Sanderson tends to be long-winded at times reporting on one of the most neglected areas of ufology, Invisible Residents contains a wealth of information on a subject that begs for further investigation.

They will eat you.

After reading up on some voodoo material for an upcoming post last night I kind of got a hankering for some zombies. So I watched the 1979 Italian flick Zombie for the first time. I remembered this movie because of the great tag line “We Are Going To Eat You,” but for some reason always blew it off as a cheap Romero rip off. What a complete dope I was.

Zombie was directed by Lucio Fulci and starred Tisa Farrow(yes, sister of Mia) and UK born actor Ian McCulloch. And speaking of zombie master himself, George Romero, Zombie was actually titled Zombie 2 in Italy, stealthily trying to position itself as a sequel so as to capitalize on the success of Dawn of the Dead which was titled Zombi in Italy. Did you get all that?

Okay on with the plot. It begins on an abandoned boat in New York which really isn’t abandoned at all. One of the largest zombies I’ve ever seen chows down on a New York cop who goes below deck to investigate. After it’s established who the boat belongs to we meet the daughter of the boat’s owner. She quickly teams up with a journalist to find out what happened to her missing father and why there was a calorically challenged zombie on board. Then it’s off to a voodoo infested island in the Antilles. This is where the real gore begins. Now this isn’t Saw or Hostile style gore, but it’s enough that you shouldn’t really try and consume a dinner while viewing. Which…yes, I did. Not good.

Aquaman Zombie prepares for a fresh sushi snack.

The Axe House

So you want to stay overnight at a haunted house? How about a house where an entire family of 6, and 2 family guests were bludgeoned to death by ax. Well that’s what you’ll get if you stay at the J.B. Moore residence, also known as the Villisca Axe Murder House. On June 10, 1912, in the middle of the night, a lunatic snuck into the home of J.B. Moore in Villisca, Iowa, and brutally murdered the Moore family along with two other children who were there as guests of the Moore children. It appeared that all the victims had been killed in their sleep since all were still in their beds. The weapon, later to be identified as J.B. Moore’s ax was found leaning up against the wall near the bodies of the two house guests. Although the local police had many suspects, the case is still unsolved to this day.

Now as far as the paranormal activity goes, a few claim that there isn’t any haunting at all and it’s just a scam to create some dough for the current owner. But there have been documented incidents starting back in 1930’s, when a young couple reported seeing visions of a man with an ax at the end of their bed. In the late 60’s and into the early seventies a family reported sounds of crying children along with dresser drawers opening by themselves. Later in 2007, Tru TV’s Haunting Evidence, starring paranormal investigator Patrick Burns, would shoot an episode there. And the activity appears to continue as you can go on-line and find tons of EVPs and videos of current investigations.

The Axe House today

The house has been restored by the current owner and is open for tours. And if you really want the full paranormal affect, well then you can bring your jammies and stay overnight. It’ll cost ya a minimum of $300.00 which allows for 5 guests. Then each additional guest is an additional $60.00. Not bad considering some report the sounds of dripping blood.

Tour Info.

WARNING: Anyone with a major gag reflex or fear of excessive vomiting should stop reading now.

I didn’t think it was possible that I would find another exorcism account that could freak me out more than the half a dozen I’ve read about already. But boy, was I wrong. And again, as the title claims, it’s true. Break out the rosaries and get your rain gear on people. Begone Satan is the account of a a forty year old woman’s twenty-three day battle with Beelzebub in the little town of Earling, Iowa.

The story actually begins way before the exorcism, back when the victim was just a teenager. She had been raised in a religious family and attended church regularly. But at the age of fourteen something sinister began to take hold of her. This unseen force would not allow her to receive communion and eventually got her banned from entering the church. Things only got worse, as she began to hear voices telling her to do some pretty unpleasant things. Her parents took her to doctors and specialists for years, yet nothing would help. It wouldn’t be until twenty-six years later, and numerous religious rituals, that the church finally decided that all efforts had been exhausted and it was time for an exorcism.

A sixty year old Father Theophilus Riesinger, who had already performed many successful demonic battles, was brought in to conduct the exorcism. And from day one the problems began, starting with a brand new car running so oddly that the priest assigned to pick up Riesinger didn’t think he would even survive the drive. 

The exorcism was to be performed at a Franciscan convent to try and keep the lid on things and help protect the woman. Plus, there would be an army of nuns to help the priest. And he would need them. As Father Riesinger began, the woman shot cat-like through the air and clung to a wall over the door. The nuns had to pull her down and restrain her as they started over. This is where I would’ve very quietly excused myself and stepped out. But they carried on and it got really disconcerting. For days the shrieks, screams, and voices, human and un-human filled the convent and beyond. It became so disturbing and exhausting the nuns had to rotate in and out just to get a break and get some strength back. Especially since these voices were coming from an unconscious woman. The only time this woman’s mouth would open, was when the projectile vomiting, and lots of it, began. Remember I mentioned rain gear. In an effort to deface the Lord’s prayer, she would yak all over the place. This is where I start to dry heave a bit. They said that it was common for her to vomit between twenty to thirty times a day, and it was enough to fill buckets. The stench was reportedly unbearable. And I’m not even going to tell you what they said it looked like.

After many long and frustrating conversations, father Reisinger finally got the demon to identify itself. It wasn’t the devil, but it was one of his captains, a.k.a. Beelzebub. This is where we learn just how the daughter becomes possessed. And it ain’t pretty. Beelzebub also reveals an interesting tid bit about the Antichrist. So if you think you can deal with the buckets of body fluids, definitely check this book account. It’s nasty and terrifying.

So have you ever had someone tell you you’re crazy and that there’s zero proof of the paranormal? Especially those smarty-pants types who unless it slaps them in the face, it doesn’t exist (that’s one unexciting world to live in)? Well if you’re reading this I’m assuming you probably know some of these clowns. You know what, it is a bit harsh, but it’s time to turn the tables on these folks and expose them to what’s really going on in our mysterious world, and make them aware that there’s still some work to be done on the unknown and unexplained. Actually, the heck with these people, I want to know what’s really going on. But the only way to accomplish this is with the help of mainstream science, and that’s exactly what Dr. Lawrence LeShan tackles in his new book  A New Science of the Paranormal.

Dr. LeShan, a psychologist and parapsychologist (and originally a skeptic) with twenty books published and more years in the field than most, declares that the paradigm must shift if we plan on moving forward with the study and investigation into the paranormal. He argues that it’s time to stop wasting the time of trying to prove it’s existence and start studying the why and how. Now he’s not saying that we must drop everything and just believe in this new reality, but that we must develop theories that will work with both the old data and the new, and approach it scientifically. Ultimately this should bring the paranormal out from the shadows and into the mainstream, where scientists can study it free of ridicule.

Also, don’t let the title scare you. I know sometimes when you see science in a title that the read might be a bit rough on the old noggin, but this thing moves. LeShan uses actual case studies to help illustrate ideas from each chapter making this an engrossing, begging for more type of read.

And the next time you run into one of those smarty-pants who thinks you’re crazy, ask them about that pesky old fact that the earth is flat.

So have ya heard of the Union screaming house? Well I hadn’t and I can’t wait to be able to un-remember it. This has to be one of the most horrifying, f’ed up hauntings I’ve read about since probably the first time I read the Amityville Horror. As a matter of fact, I  read most of this book during the day with plenty of glorious sunlight, and it still gave me chills. So there’s your warning.

Just when I thought there couldn’t be anything worse then demonic pigs, fly-infested rooms, Indian burial grounds, spinning heads and televison poltergiests, along comes the The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House. And you know as well as I do, when you see the “True” stamped on the cover, that means the pucker factor goes up tenfold.

The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House (Paperback)

LaChance takes us on a hell ride, a.k.a. his life, that doesn’t let up for 200 plus pages. The tale begins with Steven’s wife abandoning him and their three young children as well as the tragic death of his older sister. Now as a single dad, and without a home, he begins the search for a new place to call home. He soon finds what appears to be the dream home. But of course nothing could be further from the truth. Within the first couple of days the paranormal activity begins. And it’s not pretty. We’re talking things like demonic basement clowns. Ugh…clowns. Why did it have to be clowns? Plus, there is constant noise coming from empty rooms, a freaky butcher shower, doors opening and closing, and finally a smoky-shadowy figure that searches room to room for the LaChance family. Within a couple of weeks, Steven and his children decide to flee as the activity becomes increasingly disturbing and possibly life threatening. Sounds like the end right? Wrong! This is where it really begins and all hell breaks loose. After moving out of the house, he hears that the house has been rented to a family with young children, despite his warnings to the landlord. Steven ends up befriending the new tenants, who are really getting pummeled by the demonic. In an effort to help this family deal with the day to day demonic pounding Steven forms a paranormal group and takes the demonic presence head on. Oh, and a priest comes to bless the house and basically runs away with his tail between his legs after being in the house for five minutes.

In The Uninvited, Steven LaChance gives us one of the most frightening haunted house accounts ever told as well as reminding us to always ask our realtor if there is a butcher shower in the basement.

For more info on Steven LaChance.

While doing my Sunday morning house work (yes it’s hard to believe but even paranormal spies must vacuum) I was searching through many of the paranormal radio shows that I try to catch up on. I came across a fantastic interview with an author of a book I read a few years ago that practically scared the living you know what out of me. The author was Gerald Daniel Brittle who wrote The Demonologist and the website was planetparanormal.com. What’s nice about this website is they have a  great selection of radio shows geared towards all sorts of paranormal subjects. The interview with Brittle was done on the Demonology Today show.

The Demonologist

Okay, so here’s the rundown. Brittle discusses how he became involved with Ed Warren shortly after the investigation into the Amityville horror. He also touches on subjects such as  possession, the process of writing the book, why demons hate us, modern day Catholicism practices versus old school Catholicism, protection from the devil and demons, and paranormal shows like Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State. When asked about what he thought about Paranormal States’ dead time seances, Brittle responded, “It’s like high noon of the demonic at three am in the morning.” I didn’t get the feeling he thought it was too smart calling on these entities. But this is coming from someone who says the last thing he would like to do is go chasing ghosts, which makes this interview even more absorbing.

Listen here:

This is a subject that’s freaked me out since Captain Howdy introduced himself through it. Yes, I know, that damn exorcist flick again, what can I say it scarred me for life. I’ve never touched one of these things, never mind entered a room where there was one. But still the Ouija board interests me for some unknown reason. Maybe someday I’ll grow some sack and try one out. And that’s a big maybe.

But the reason I bring this up is that “Darkness On the Edge of Town” Paranormal Radio just did a great show on the Ouija board. March fifteenth, Darkness host, Dave Schrader interviewed Ouija board collector Robert L. Murch Jr. And listen to this, Murch claims to own more than 300 talking boards. Hate to think how many unwanted, slightly-aged, visitors he gets. Anyway, the show covered some really interesting history about the board and how it came to be. Plus some good calls from Ouija board users. So go take a listen. [podcast]