Supernatural Friday: Binging on Horror: 13 Scary Films, Plus One More

I know there are many more good horror films, but here are thirteen, plus one more to get you started on binging for Halloween, beginning in September.

1. The Haunting (1963). Based on the novel, The Haunting of Hill House. Don’t rent the 90s stinkero remake. Get this one. But with Netflix to have The Haunting of Hill House as a TV series to binge watch beginning October 12, 2018, I think going back to watching the black and white film is perfect now. Premise: Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. As time goes by it becomes obvious that they have gotten more than they bargained for as the ghostly presence in the house manifests itself in horrific and deadly ways. The film doesn’t need special effects to scare you. So grab this film, turn off the lights, huddle on the couch or your favorite chair, and be prepared to be frightened.

2. Dog Soldiers (2002). No this is not a military film, though there are English soldiers in it. Plus a pack of werewolves they end up battling for their lives. And all set in the Scottish wilderness. Intense, this is one of the best werewolf horror films I have seen in a while. 

3.  An American Werewolf in London (1981). A horror film with werewolves that will make you think twice about traveling to English and hiking through it with your buddy at night and during a full moon.

4. Cabin the Woods (2011): The premise sounds old hat in horror films: “Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.” But honestly, it takes a surprising about-face, added with a dash of Lovecraft. I loved it. 

5.  30 Days of Night (2007). This is a vampire film that is intense from beginning to end. If you are looking for those breaks in humor, forget it, this movie won’t give it to you. If you’re looking for vampires that sparkle, forget it. These vamps are vicious and out for one thing you can give them, and it is not to love, but blood.

6.   Psycho (1960). Premise: a young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother. Though black and white, this Alfred Hitchcock film will scare you as only Hitchcock can. Famous for the shower scene.

7.  Evil Dead and Evil Dead II (1981 and 1987–both by Sam Raimi). First one is more grade-B horror, while the second one, a kind of remake has humor in it. The second one is the movie that made Bruce Campbell a B-movie icon and won Sam Raimi a whole lot more directing gigs. This film has equal parts humor and gore, but when the scares happen, they happen on a grand scale. Ever wondered what it would be like to fight your own hand? You won't have to wonder anymore after watching this movie. But still, I thought I point out the first one, too.

8.  28 Days Later (2002). Undead, or zombies as they are calling the ghouls of these films these days, this is a good one. Many movies have tried to recreate what a major city could look like after an apocalypse, but not many do it as hauntingly well as Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later." The terrifyingly fast zombie-like creatures roaming the landscape proved to be so effectively scary that the movie spawned a wave of movies featuring fast-paced zombies. And the zombies don’t have to die to change and are logical in why they act the way they do.

9.   The Descent (2005). This movie will terrify you if:  1) You’re claustrophobic. 2) You’re scared of the dark. 3) You have a fear of being trapped under the earth.  4) You have a fear of being trapped under the earth with vampire-like creatures that can see you but you can’t see them. netflix has the sequel that you can watch too.

10. Trick 'r Treat (2007): Now it's after Labor Day, we can go full blown Halloween crazy. Premise: Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pulls a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband. Perfect Halloween horror tales that will make you nervous about answering the door to trick-or-treaters.

11.  Alien (1979): “No one can hear you scream,” as the crew is stuck on a mining spaceship nowhere near Earth, where they run across something on a planet, what remains of a giant alien and what appears to be eggs or weirdly shaped rocks. One of the objects opens and something leaps from it to clasp onto the helmet of the crewmembers. Nostromo battle something that proves ET is not so friendly.  

12. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982): This science fiction body horror movie is based on the short story, “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell that I had read back in college in an anthology, and John Carpenter's version is a more faithful adaptation than the 50s version with James Arness. It will make you question if your friend is really your friend or something that may want to take over the Earth.

13. A Quiet Place (2018):  Another science fiction horror movie with monstrous killing aliens. Premise: On a devastated Earth overrun by lethal and ever-hearing predators of a possible extraterrestrial origin, the Abbotts and their children struggles to survive in a desolate world in a new era of utter silence. As this new type of invader is attracted to noise, even the slightest of sounds can be deadly; however, it's been already twelve months since the powerful monsters' first sightings, and this resilient family still stands strong. To learn the rules of survival in this muted dystopia is essential; nevertheless, an otherwise joyous event is threatening an already frail stability. Now, more than ever, don't make a sound.

I am adding a 14th movie: Halloween (1978): with the new film by John Carpenter that says all but the first film never happened, where Jaime Lee Curtis returns and ready to battle Michael,  and releasing close to Halloween this October, this is a good time to watch the original film. Premise: This American slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut. The film tells the story of Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his older sister Judith Myers but escapes back the house he grew up in on Halloween.

Supernatural Friday: Canadian author tackles thorny issue of UFOs & Alien Abduction

Please welcome my author guest, Martha Jette, as she blogs about tackling thorny issues of UFOs and alien abduction.

Who in their right mind would attempt to tackle the much-maligned issue of UFOs and aliens? The answer to that is that I had already written on just about every aspect of the paranormal, except that one because I knew that I would be viewed as somewhat of a flake. As well, as former magazine and newspaper editor, I just could not see myself entering into this murky field of study.

However, after researching this topic for several years, I realized that countless people including former military personnel, former NASA employees, airline pilots, former U.S. president and senators, various world leaders and even some renowned scientists had begun to come forward to tell what they knew about UFOs and aliens. There were also UFO sightings that occurred on almost a daily basis around the world. Were these people all crazy?

With many world governments releasing their secret files, and admitting that UFOs and aliens did indeed exist, it also became clear that the U.S. government had exerted strong-arm policies to deny this phenomenon at every turn. As long as this government refuses to give the public full disclosure, abductees will continue to be maligned and will not received the long overdue help that they deserve. This in itself compelled me to tell their stories in hopes of educating those who still believe that this phenomenon does not exist.

The evidence seemed overwhelming that UFOs and aliens were a part of our reality and have been at various intervals in human history evidenced by not only religious beliefs but also countless artifacts uncovered by archaeologists. Even so, I remained somewhat skeptical.

However, when I learned of a former Finnish doctor and military man whose life had been turned upside down due to the alien presence in his life, it peaked my interest. His story is a heartbreaking tale of alien intervention and abduction that pushed him to the edge of his sanity. Being a doctor, Usko Ahonhen was a rational man whose world revolved heavily around science and facts. When the aliens first entered his life and subjected him to mental, emotional and physical abuse, he could not rationalize these experiences in any way that made sense to him.

I then put the word out on the Internet that I was interested in hearing from other people who were affected by the alien presence and my inbox was flooded with emails from many other abductees, who either wanted or needed to share their experiences. As well, a select few were reluctant to have their stories made public out of fear that family members, friends, co-workers and others would subject them to ridicule.

And that is one of the issues that particularly bothered me. Not only were abductees already victimized by aliens but also by the public at large – a double whammy that no person would wish to suffer. However, the majority of people I interviewed were brave enough to risk the adverse reactions in favor of educating others about the stark reality of UFOs and aliens.

One thing that struck me while conducting my research was that the abductees I got to know were ordinary people living ordinary lives despite what was happening to them. These folks had wives/husbands, children and full-time jobs. Had I not known about the alien influence in their lives, I would have assumed they were perfectly normal and the fact of the matter is that in every other aspect of their lives, they truly are sensible and sane individuals.

I also learned that abductees displayed similar physical symptoms including everything from small scooped out areas, cuts, bruises and/or needle marks on the skin that fluoresce under UV light, nosebleeds, rashes, burns, and nasal, ear or eye pain, to sudden onset of medical problems, painful genitals in men and loss of a fetus in women to mention only a few. They also displayed similar irrational fears including the need to check and recheck that all doors and windows are locked at night, insomnia and fear of doctors’ examinations, fear of being watched and much more.

Another thing I learned is that in some cases, abductees undergo regression therapy in hopes of further understanding what happened to them. While some people were too afraid to learn the details of their abductions, the majority of those who did, as well as those who maintained total recall of their abductions subsequently suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

One of the most astounding aspects uncovered is that in virtually every case, abductees also experienced a wide variety of paranormal events, which included everything from seeing ghosts and/or poltergeist activity to predictive dreams, speaking in tongues or other strange languages, psychic abilities, healing abilities or communing with nature.

Terror In The Night I: Alien Abduction Exposed! ! http://www.amazon.com/Terror-In-The-Night-Abduction-ebook/dp/B00GUR8MMK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385488982&sr=8-1&keywords=Martha+Jette provides a long list of symptoms, including those exhibited by children because most people were first abducted when they were very young. The book also includes information on various alien species as reported by abductees and what each of them seems to want from us.

Along with the stories of 19 abductees, there are lots of photos of UFOs that they have taken over the years, many of which are truly astounding. Details are also provided on the mental and emotional impact of alien abduction as well as information on the various support systems available to help victims cope with their experiences.

Terror In The Night 1: Alien Abduction Exposed is currently available as an ebook on Amazon.com. However it should be noted that a more comprehensive version with larger photos and additional information will be available within the next couple of weeks as both an ebook and physical copy. Those wishing the updated version should look for the new cover through Create Space and its affiliates.

There are also plans in the works for a sequel entitled Terror in the Night II: End Game, which will go much deeper into government cover-ups, secret document, the alien agenda, conspiracies theories and more. Much of the groundwork has already been done and it is hoped that book two will be available in 2015.

Since writing Terror In The Night I, I also wrote two others about specific abductees and what they experienced. They are Phenomenal Paul: An Incredible True Tale of Insect-like Creatures & UFO Sightings http://www.amazon.com/Phenomenal-Paul-Incredible-Insect-like-Creatures-ebook/dp/B00FZ0785U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1385486700&sr=8-3&keywords=Martha+Jette and The Borg Files – A Case of UFOs & Alien Abduction

http://www.amazon.com/The-Borg-Files-Alien-Abduction-ebook/dp/B00H8XU26O/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1386844835&sr=8-9&keywords=Martha+Jette

http://totallyscared.webs.com  

Previous books:

1. Playing With The Devil

http://www.amazon.com/Playing-With-Devil-Martha-Jette-ebook/dp/B00IBKYQ06/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391966062&sr=8-1&keywords=Martha+Jette a novel based on a true story of child abuse.

2. Glimpses: True Stories of the Paranormal

3. Glimpses 2: (it could happen to you!)

4. Blood Vengeance: (Cold Case #4-183) (fiction)

5. The Man With The Magic Spectacles (teen fiction)

6. Talking To My Angel (children) http://www.talkingtomyangel.blogspot.com

7. Totally Scared: The Complete Book on Haunted Houses http://www.totallyscared.webs.com

Other Links:

Examiner column on the Paranormal http://www.examiner.com/x-35811-Hamilton-Paranormal-Examiner

Author Web Site: http://www.angelfire.com/planet/pwtd

MJ Book Reviews http://www.mjbookreviews.blogspot.com

Aging With Creativity http://www.agingwithcreativity.blogspot.com

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/105846981608373220977/about?gpinv=AMIXal-RDCdf-4R-dlniQsjPwhG3ueJA9ZnYtd1pjlB-Eo1AgngWAMBnMqYTkfQXV8XWsweGmsbgjlB9y7JJSWYA5YtkD81XRiMN_yWpaDVrKL5K9BB5cPk&cfem=1

Ryze Business Networking http://www.ryze.com/go/teeka1234

Twitter http://www.twitter.com/teeka1234

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/martha.jette

Angel Editing Services: marthajette@yahoo.com

Senior Editor for Bangari Content Gallery http://bangaricontentgallery.com

Supernatural Friday: Beware of the Black-Eyed Children

Have you ever been alone, ready to start your vehicle and pull out of a parking lot one night and a pair of children approach you? They stop at the driver’s door and tell you that they forgot their tickets for some concert or their friends took off and left them at the mall? That they wanted a ride to get home? They seemed to be talking in a manner well beyond their years. Don’t look at you directly, but cast their eyes down. And when you offer to call on your cell phone their phone number to contact their parents, they start demanding for the ride. You get ready to roll down the driver’s side window when they look up at you and you noticed that their eyes are black. A feeling of uneasiness overcomes you. Suddenly you want to roll down that window or open your door. You fight it and suddenly start the engine and take off. But as a feeling of “what the hell did I leave two kids like that?” comes to mind, you head back, but find no kids at all. Deep down you are relieved you hadn’t found them.

Those may have been ordinary children, or a legend that has been happening a lot. Black-eyed children are young people, often children, with eyes that are solid black with no differentiation between sclera, pupil, or iris, and are occasionally reported to have blue or bluish tinted skin like that of a corpse. Those who report encounters with them often feel that the children were somehow supernatural and extremely dangerous though they could not explain why.

Often they can be seen playing games and singing the nursery songs "old man long legs" or "he jumped into a bramble bush" in abandoned, or near deserted areas, sometimes the reports talk of them appearing at one’s doorstep, usually alone or in a pair. They appear to be unusually confident and yet, shy. They avoid your gaze and look down hiding their eyes, but speaking with an eloquence far beyond their apparent age. Often using the mannerisms and speech patterns of an adult, they occasionally possess the voice of an adult. They will usually attempt to talk the victim into allowing them entry into their home to use a telephone or to be safe from some unspecified danger. Occasionally when seen outside the home, they will immediately stop their play and stare at you, or if possible approach you asking for a place to stay or trying to talk you into giving them a ride home. Often, people begin to agree to their requests against their better judgment, even though the request will seem vaguely unsettling, without realizing why it is. Should you discover that their eyes are completely black, the children become very angry and insist you complying with their demands. Some people who have encountered these children feel that they may have been using some form of low-level mind control to get them to comply.

Experiences involving the black-eyed kids generally do not explain the cause of their eye color or the origins of the children themselves. Legend says that they might be the spirits of lost or murdered children. That they could be harbingers of ill will and personal doom. Or that they are aliens. The encounters emphasize that the children must be voluntarily admitted or invited into the house or car in question, and in this way are reminiscent of some vampire legends. However it is unspecified what happens should you comply with their demands as no reports of the black-eyed children have included that happening. At least, none we know of. Maybe it means the death of those that comply.

Next time you’re alone at home and a knock comes at the door, if you peek out your window and see kids standing on your porch and it is not Halloween, maybe, just maybe, you shouldn’t open that door. For they may be black-eyed children. What do you think?

Supernatural Friday: It's a Bird, a Plane, No, It's a. . .UFO?

UFOs—the term UFO meaning unidentified flying object–refers to a suspected alien spacecraft. Though the definition can be name for any unexplained aerial phenomena. UFO sightings have been reported throughout recorded history and in various parts of the world. This has raised questions about life on other planets, and about whether extraterrestrials have visited Earth. A major subject of interest, they have become the inspiration behind numerous films and books–following the development of rocketry after World War II. 



Though it is said since the 1940s there have been sightings, some documented, some not, there is no doubt that since man first walked the earth such objects have been seen in the skies. There have been suspicions that some text in the Bible and many mythologies could be referring to UFOs or even alien contact. The modern history of UFOs, though, perhaps begins in 1947 with an Idaho businessman and pilot named Kenneth Arnold. As he flew near Mount Rainier in the state of Washington, Arnold spotted a formation of nine silvery crescent-shaped objects flying in tight formation. Later on, he figured that they were forty to fifty feet wide, with their speed hitting at a fantastic 1,200 miles per hour, more than twice as fast as any known aircraft of that time. He described the movements to a reporter as "like pie plates skipping over the water." The reporter coined the term "flying saucers" the next day, and the label stuck.

After that, UFO sightings in our skies exploded. On June 26, four witnesses saw a "huge silver globe" moving along the rim of the Grand Canyon. Not long after that, about two days, an Air Force pilot reported a sighting of six discs over Lake Meade, Nevada. Reports came rushing in from places like Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Louisiana, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island in far-north Canada. rom 1952 on, UFO sightings piled up for months. Most came from airline and military pilots. An Air Force report declassified in 1985 describes radar sightings involving up to twelve unidentified "targets" at a time near Washington National Airport. At a large peacetime press conference, the Air Force attributed the radar activity to "temperature inversions,” but local meteorologists said it was not. What do you think? 

The most infamous story has to do with Roswell, New Mexico, and the crash landing of one of these UFOs. On July 2, 1947, a farmer, Mac Brazel, heard a loud crash during a thunderstorm. The next day, when he was out riding with his neighbors to check on his sheep, he found debris scattered in the field. The debris on the field mostly consisted of I-beams and parchment-like, paper-thin pieces of metal material. The material was very light in weight, colored dull gray, and most of the pieces were six to seven inches in length. Some pieces that were even thinner than paper could not be broken in half, cut, or burned. Mac picked up several pieces of the stuff and went back to his ranch. 

The next day, he reported it to the local sheriff, who in turn, contacted Roswell Army Air Field. Not long after, Major Jesse Marcel and others from the 509^th Bomb group arrived and went to the field with Brazel. Marcel gathered up some of the debris, even stopping at his home on the way to the base, to drop some pieces off.  On July 8, 1947, a press release went out that the wreckage of a crashed disk had been recovered. This was issued by the Commander of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell, Colonel William Blanchard. At 11:00 a.m. Walter Haut, public relations officer, finished the press release he'd been ordered to write, and gave copies of the release to the two radio stations and both of the newspapers. By 2:26 p.m., the story was announced on the AP Wire: "The Army Air Forces here today announced a flying disk had been found." Calls began to pour into the base from all over the world. It was not long after that began happening that the flying saucer turned into a balloon. That is when details became murky. 

Supposedly, the air base is sealed off, Brazel got taken into custody, and military police close some roads. The same day, it is said that a second crash site was discovered two and half miles southeast of the first. Barney Barnett and 4 archaeologists had stumbled onto the new site only a few minutes before the military got there. At the site they pretended they had found a "pretty good sized metallic dull gray object" and four small alien bodies. The bodies were about four to five feet tall, had large pear shaped heads, small bodies, and skinny arms and legs. They had two large eyes, no ears and no hair, with leathery, pinkish-gray skin. The aliens wore one-piece grey suits. The civilians were escorted out of the area and MPs carried loaded wreckage onto a C-54 from the First Transport Unit. Then it was taken back to base. It was after that that the now famous photo of Marcel with the weather balloon came to light and the story of his discovery not being a spacecraft was told. There have been books written about this and a senator even had the case reopened for investigation. 

For years, there have been the Air Force Project Blue Book, crop circles, close encounter stories, alien abductions and more, all starting from the first sighting of a flying saucer.  Due to the Condon Report (named for Edward U. Condon, the physicist who headed the investigation), Project Blue Book was dismantled in 1969. You can read more on it in a physicist's article at "Dr. Thornton's Review

of the "Condon Report.  On Project Blue Book, supposedly there is an archive at Project Blue Book Archive Online. 

Next week's Supernatural Friday, I'll be blogging about alien abduction and cattle mutilations.