GHOST HUNTERS

NOTE: Tomorrow (Monday) around suppertime--Dale will have a special video on here! You want to win some dowsing rods? It's my giveaway for this month as we lead up to Halloween-time. I'd like to do one a month until then and Halloween month will be once a week! These dowsing rods are 9" long and have a protective bead on each end to...Why? Well, to keep you from stabbing your damn self! ( I speak from experience ) Instructions on their use will be included by the maker of them who also "programmed" them for use. These were made by Debe Branning , leader of "MVD Ghostchasers" and author of "Sleeping with Ghosts." She also teaches classes around town on to use them. She was trained by a very wise dowser. Rules: 1. Gotta be a follower. 2. Only one entry. 3. Enter by leaving a comment on this post by Thursday at 11 pm EST. Winner will be announced on next Friday's morning posting.

Most beautiful cemeteries in America? There’s actually a freaking lot of them. Of course, what you consider to be beautiful might vary, but here are some to look for in your area: Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah Georgia Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, California River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota Oakland Cemetery, Iowa City, Iowa Glenwood Cemetery, Houston, Texas Most haunted cemeteries in America? Haunted America Tours online listed these top 10 most haunted cemeteries: 10. Haunted Salem Cemetery, Hendrysburg, Ohio 9. Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery Central, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 8. Greenwood Cemetery, Decatur, Illinois 7. Bachelors Grove Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois 6. Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Exeter, Rhode Island 5. Resurrection Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois 4. Garden of Hope Cemetery, Gautier, Mississippi 3. Western Burial Ground, Westminster...

Since I adore being in creepy places alone and pushing the limits of what I can stand, I enjoy spending time alone in scary places. Not a lot of people have the ability to or want to sit alone in a dark creepy place, but it's one of my favorite delights. I get a thrilling tingle of being in a damp crawlspace or blackened woods or abandoned mine shaft with only my thoughts and little or no light. I figured, why not share these experiences with you in a new series I will do periodically called "ALONE" telling what it was like to be alone in different places. This first installment is alone in an abandoned old west prison complex. There are only a few of us enjoying the huge abandoned prison for the night. The rest leave for an EVP session in another building on the compound. I remain in the frontier cell block alone. Each cell opens to the outdoors with no protection from the elements except a roof over their heads and bars on each end of the room facing south and north. I ...

It's been that kind of week. I entered two contests and won them both (I'm going out to buy some lottery tickets next!) John at Season of Shadows told me I won "Transylvania" by Nox Arcana which is my very favorite background music while writing horror. Expect some more creepy short stories from me soon! Check out his blog if you're not already following it. He is my very favorite Halloween year-round site. He shows videos of the progress he's making on massive props for a mind-blowing Halloween display each year and loves to find vintage and unusual films having to do with nostalgic Halloween themes on the Internet. He's one of my long-time fav bloggers.

It’s quiz time again! Get to know yourself better. Ever wonder what horror character you make love like? Count your a’s, b’s, c’s and d’s and let’s find out! 1. Put me in study group and my role will likely be… a. Quiet, listening, not contributing, just physically present b. Socializing, getting to know folks, summing them up c. Leader, begin to delegate, hate wishy washy folks d. Refuse to take orders, do my own thing, screw them! 2. My friends would say my role in their lives is… a. A sounding board, a listener b. A cheerleader, charm and compliment them c. A great advisor, influential in making decisions d. A party animal, just fun and crazy and not serious 3. Sex is all about the… a. Physical stress relief b. Anticipation, seduction c. Getting what I want the way I want it d. Screaming orgasm 4. When faced with choosing between two things, I… a. Just choose one, they’re both fine b. Find myself wanting them both equally c. I choose with confidence d. Whateve...

Ya’all might wonder what it is that makes me goofy about “Ghost Adventures.” After all, when they’re in season, I post on the day of their show and insert a music video that I think suits the theme for the show and have a drinking game posted that involves a swig for ever “bro,” “dude,” “man” and every time Aaron’s mouth hinges open in shock and horror. It’s just a delight. But, I’m a serious ghost hunter, right? What is it about this trio that curls my toes? Watching Zak and the gang is kind of like having an ADD kid do math equations, its damned entertaining, but you’re not sure where he’s going with it! It’s the dramatics of the whole thing. The Brit’s have their “Most Haunted” with the twitchy chick who shrieks and cries with every sound and her eyes want to pop out of her head as if she overdid the Formosa oolong at tea time. But, we have a bad-ass American version of that—three guys locking themselves in for the night, taunting the four walls like macho conquerors. If believe in...

I love days like this. It seemed like everything just went so easy and nice and then this-- Over at Hayes Hudson's House of Horrors , I won this cool prize courtesy of Indican Pictures 6 DVDs: SCREAM QUEEN, LITTLE ERIN MERRYWEATHER, GORY GORY HALLELUJAH, A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS, DEAD IN THE WATER, and BLACK WINE! It's a great blog about all things horror. You should check it out some time!

People ask me all the time, “isn’t is scary going on a ghost hunt?” That’s not really the way it is for me, but perhaps I’m not your usual ghost hunter. I grew up from a baby into my teens in a very actively haunted home. I have no reference for what it’s like to be “new” at coming across ghostly activity. What I can tell you is that, although I’ve had innumerable unexplainable encounters and some actually chilling, I still have the same reaction at first: “What was that?” You wait for it to either repeat itself or you go in search of its source. This is a natural debunking reaction and highly favorable for ghost hunters as well as "civvies" encountering the unknown. So, when I come across something novel, my first thought isn’t “ghost,” it’s “what is the source?” When all possibilities have been rendered impossible, you are left with “unexplained.” The unexplained is when I finally get excited. I’m not scared, but sometimes startled if something loud happens, but then I’m th...

So, what makes a person a serial killer? What do they have in common? Can we predict who might become one? (From www.TruTV.com ) The FBI defines a serial killer by these standards: A minimum of three to four victims, with a "cooling off" period in between; The killer is usually a stranger to the victim — the murders appear unconnected or random; The murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim; The murder is rarely "for profit"; the motive is psychological, not material; The victim may have "symbolic" value for the killer; method of killing may reveal this meaning; Killers often choose victims who are vulnerable (prostitutes, runaways, etc.) Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds (thes...

We all had a group in school, even if it was the outcasts. They often defined our activities and choices and even dared us to join them in acts of stupidity. Me? I was without category. I hung with the brilliant students but got As and Bs. I hung with the stoners but didn’t do drugs. I hung with the cheerleaders but didn’t cheer. I hung with the math geeks but sucked at math. I hung with the moody depressing Goths but was cheerful. I was, I suppose, without peer. I liked it that way. No one ever directed my choice of clothing, my hobbies or what I did with my body. I was free to be me. Basically, I was saying " I'll hang with you, but you do not define me ." Instead, I looked inward for who to compete with (me), who to outdo (myself), and who to dare to do something new (me); I was my own competitor. Did you ever just dare yourself to do something? Whether it was to spontaneously hit the road with no destination in mind or climb a rock face off a hiking trail just to see...

Yeah, you’re wondering, why cold themes? We’re hitting June time here in AZ and that means triple-digit temperatures every day. What does one do in such a situation? Play movies like “Storm of the Century” and “30 Days of Night” and “Wind Chill” to dream of better times. I also start looking for other cold-themed movies coming up cause all year round I like to bundle up and watch them from beneath blankets ( In the summertime that means nonstop air-conditioning for the typical 90 minutes of DVD watching ). I also think that horror movies should generally occur in fall and winter; it’s just bleaker and more desolate, which is another reason I think desert settings for horror are great too. When things can’t live in the environment, it seems even harder to survive... “The Thing” (Prequel) To be released in 2011, “The Thing” is a movie prequel to the 1982 version by John Carpenter starring yummy Kurt Russell. I’m excited about this for several reasons. One is that they gave us a prequel ...

In my post “Watch Your Wallet: Flim-Flam Ghost Communications” I discussed finding a psychic in a room full of psychics, but suppose you want to go to psychic’s strip mall shop or one inside a new-age store or even one your friend goes to that works from home? Friends: Should you take the friend into the room with you? A good psychic will tell you that it’s not a good idea because it will interfere with the reading. If they don’t tell you that, then be suspicious. A good psychic would let you record the session so you can play it back later because ideally during the session you will offer nothing but a poker face—no eyes widening, no head bobbing, no signs of ressurance. This is a very hard part of a reading but if you give even a slight recognition, the psychic will repeat what they said in several different ways to reaffirm they hit the nail on the head. This is a cold reading technique and a great parlor trick used by sham artists. See this old post about whether your psychic is...

You know I love conjecture. I’ve talked about whether there could be zombies or vampires or werewolves, so why not the Predator from the movies? Invisibility cloak: This is the most important aspect of the Predator. He needs to be able to hunt without detection. In the movie, the creature can turn his cloaking ability off. This is not only possible but should be out for use by 2011! Original designs had a costume with tons of little squares on it that worked like television screens. A camera attached to the backside of your outfit interprets what’s behind you and shows it on the little screens so people don’t necessarily see you, but see images of what should be there if you weren’t there.. Make sense? From How Stuff Works : “However, another team is working on a cloak that because of its weight and thickness and being made of metamaterials that don’t absorb or refract light, it will redirect it. Currently, the team is only capable of working with wavelengths larger than light. They...

It won’t make me popular, but I’m gonna say it, there’s a helluva lot of "equipment" out there that’s nothing more than bogus crap and people are paying ridiculous amounts to purchase it or having readings done with it. The top of my list of you-have-to-be-shittin-me devices is the “Frank’s Box.” ( Later on, I will discuss how to pick a psychic ) There are some “big” names in the ghost communication world who make 90-100 dollars a pop to let folks talk to their dead relatives through a supposed “telephone to the dead” apparently ( according to them ) designed after the Edison’s original idea for a potential telephone to the dead. This Frank’s Box seems quite mystical to those who don’t understand it, just like a television might seem quite miraculous to one who doesn’t understand the components. There’s a lot of ways to describe this device, but this site has the best. “Frank’s Box,” according to its inventor, “consists of a random voltage generator, which is used to tune a...

Okay, okay, before you get all defensive and irate, it’s not THAT kind of post. Actually, a dear blogging friend, Grim, brought up this idea. We were contemplating the “genuineness” of the TV ghost show personalities. Not whether they fake evidence, but more important to their integrity, are they enhancing their assets? You know once you go celebrity, we’re all allowed to sit around and conjecture about your love life, your weight gain and your apparent changes… So in the spirit of “TMZ” and “Insider,” let’s start a frivolous unimportant conversation based purely on speculation for the sake of air time... Does Grant from “Ghost Hunters” dye his hair? Does Zak from “Ghost Adventures” take steroids? Does Ryan from “Paranormal State” wax his eyebrows? Does Kris Williams from “Ghost Hunting” use a push-up bra or something more permanent? But, like the gossip shows on TV, we must discuss… Should Steve stop tattooing? Would you like to see him without this freakin hat? Maybe he could neaten ...

I know, I know…kinda slim pickin's, but there is still a pulse, so I will continue to find those shows in this between-season time. I’m going to put an asterisk next to the ones I will be watching in case you’re wondering. Monday: SyFy: “Ghost Whisperer” marathon Animal Planet: “River Monsters Unhooked” creepy underwater creatures marathon Tuesday: Travel Channel: “Ghost Adventures” marathon *The History Channel: “Ancient Aliens” followed by “The Universe” Wednesday: SyFy: “Ghost Hunters” marathon Animal Planet: “River Monsters Unhooked” marathon *The History Channel “Monsterquest” marathon Thursday: *ABC Family “The Goonies” (movie) SyFy “Jeepers Creepers” (movie) followed by “Hostel II” (movie) Friday: ABC Family: “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azaban” (movie) SyFy “Yeti” ( movie—absolutely hilariously bad—worth the watch! )

It’s quiz time again cause, well gosh darn, they’re fun! Count your a’s, b’s, c’s and d’s and scroll down to find out what apocalypse-related monster you could survive. 1. When it comes to partying I tend to… a. Like a crowd, there’s fun in numbers b. Prefer a bottle of wine and a private date c. Keep my eye on the troublemakers and calm them down d Stay up all freakin night, last to go home 2. When it come to anger, I tend to… a. Have no trouble showing anger can go berserker b. Distrust others and tend to scare them away c. Protective of loved ones, get angry for them d. I think first and plot out how to deal with it best 3. So far as the time of the day is concerned, I… a. Have bursts of energy throughout the day b. Get creative at night and stay up late. c. Am a morning person and with caffeine, go all day long d. Love the night—prefer to sleep in the daytime 4. If I had to pick a major in college at this point in my life, I would pick… a. Fitness/health/nutrition b....

Sometimes, it feels like either budgets run out, directors get cranky, or special effects guys are working with archaic programs, but the best of intentions in horror movies can turn into a horror on the big screen. So, what would the ultimate horror movie be like? Perhaps we could “Frankenstein” one together by taking the bits and pieces of horror movies that have been made and turn them into the beast that we seek. Mentally disturbed killer: “Psycho” pretty much set the standard on something in a reclusive, moody, slightly disturbed and uneasy feel that made us come to the conclusion that even the most innocent seeming milquetoast man can be an insane threat, a regular ticking time bomb. Some other moviemakers have taken it upon themselves to make blatantly disturbed killers like Michael and Jason, but honestly they look threatening already. There’s no question that dude with the mask is the bad guy, duh! So, in our dream horror movie, the mentally disturbed element is masked as som...

My toes curled when I saw this in the instant watch documentaries on Netflix! Wahoo! I've long been an urban explorer, actually since I was really little, but have taken up the passion again with a hunger that is hard to quench. What is it about sorting through abandoned places and crawling, climbing, and poking around? It's hard to describe unless you've ever just been curious "what's in there?" then gone inside and found time frozen... The most interesting places to me are ones no one has been in for a very long time, not the tagged properties in the city everyone knows about. I'm talking about places put to rest and hidden away where no one goes, sometimes with furnishings and belongings till left behind. As a psychic whose main expertise is touching items and gathering info, this is a thrill ride! This documentary follows a whole lot of nerds, the guys who had no group in school, sulked in a dark corner, weren't real good at conversing... You know ...

Andrea at Ghost Stories was sweet enough to bestow both these awards on me. Since I have had them recently (I feel so special to be included), I thought I'd answer her questions for her. I've passed them on before and I might like to add a few new people to pass them on to. The beautiful blogger award tells you to share 7 things no one probably knows about you ( damn, this is gonna be hard since ya'all know I have diarrhea of the brain )... 1. As a kid, when we went to our summer home on the Chesapeake, we'd drop crab traps off our dock. Since I was the tiniest kid, I had to put the chicken necks down inside it and then retrieve the crabs when the trap filled. I still have scars on my hands from their fighting--but, damn! They tasted good. Love my blue crab! 2. I once did spelunking (cave exploring) and rapelling down a mountainside. Never again! 3. I was a freestyle rollerskater and did elaborate dance routines, jumping, spinning (love to spin and get dizzy) and wa...

Ya’all know my love for urban exploring, but when I was growing up I was a freestyle rollerskater, gymnast, springboard diver and skateboarder. I used all those skills doing some crazy stunts from trees to buildings and was doing a form of Parquor when it had no name yet. Parquor/Parkour or the “art of displacement” is the art of using obstacles in one’s path to get places. You might consider Gene Kelly as one of the original parquors in “Singing in the Rain.” You might have done a form of it as a kid if you ever pretended your kitchen floor was hot lava and you had to use the countertops to get out of the room. (From Wikipedia) Parkour is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment. • Parkour requires... consistent, disciplined training with an emphasis on functional strength, physical conditioning, balance, creativity, fluidity, control, precision, spatial awareness, and looking beyond the trad...

You have to remember as a kid watching a perfectly innocent movie only to come across something unexpected… horror! My first time experiencing this was the movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” I loved that movie; the music, the inventor, the charming children, Truly Scrumptious and her beautiful wardrobe, the goofy grandpa, the beautiful countryside and big rambling home… And then came… the child catcher . I still think of that character and I shiver with terror. That to me is the original fear; a scary looking man who lures children with treats and steals them from their parents to force them into hard labor in a dark scary place with no teddy bear or soft bed to comfort them. So, what got us that first tingle of fear and our future love of horror? Let’s have a look at just some of the culprits: Flying monkeys, wicked witch, and the Wizard from “Wizard of Oz.” Slugworth, Oompa Loompas and Willy Wonka in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: The Rock Biter in “The Neverending Story” So, ...

I saw this documentary on instant watch on Netflix and it was fascinating. I was both horrified and very sad and also comforted at the same time. By the time it was done, my typical American fear of dead bodies and dealing with death was gone. “A Family Undertaking: POV” is an amazing PBS documentary that shows how even today family members can and do opt to do a loving funeral themselves, sometimes involving the dying person in the details of their homemade casket and such. The process is watched with people who are dying and their funeral by their family members. It’s very intimate and very strange and surreal, but also in the end very loving and almost joyous.

What are death masks? They are molds made upon the dead person’s face to forever hold their image in three dimensions ( Alfred Hitchcock in photo above ). From Socyberty online “The making of a death mask is a messy business – literally. They are difficult to make and the best position for the corpse is not lying down but sitting up. The shift from sculpture to masks came about in the Middle Ages when the art of waxwork and plaster casting became more sophisticated. The tradition evolved from royalty to eminent people and continues to this day. Another use, rather than in memoriam for an individuals was for the scientific study of human physiognomy. It was said that experts could tell criminals from the shape of their heads. Casts were also used to record and collect data on the racial differences in the human head.” What are Post Mortem Photos? They were very popular in the Victorian era when photography was relatively new. Families felt comforted to get a picture of their lost...

Ever wonder what kind of horror movie killer you would likely be able to evade? It’s quiz time again since ya’all so enjoy finding out more about yourselves and I know I like to learn more about you too! 1. I take pride in the fact that my approach to life is… a. Avoiding bad parts of town, and being on the alert at all times b. Not a party person or a social climber, I’m regular folk c. Without a dark history or skeletons in my closet d. Not adventurous at all, not given to impulsive behavior 2. It’s my day off, my ideal thing to do would be… a. Go into the city’s farmer’s market b. Head out to the lake c. Hang at home with my family d. Get caught up on my chores 3. A skill that I have that I’m most proud of is: a. Agility/speed/athleticism b. Knowing bullshit when I hear it c. Being honest and considerate d. Enjoying the company of friends rather than being alone 4. I choose a friend because of… a. Intelligence b. Not being fake or posing c. Ethics and honesty d. ...