Cullan Hudson's Blog, page 25

From The Files: Mysterious Beasts Terrorize Illinois Town

In his book, Mysterious America, LorenColeman attributes the sighting to twomelanistic (read: black) panthers thatterrorized the small community.

TV Horror In The 80s

While horror was hopping on the big screen during the 80s, one was hard pressed to find it in their own home. While we might take for granted the slew of television shows and movies that air daily on the myriad channels cluttering out TV sets, at one time the offering were few and far between. However, even among a decade filled with tepid dramas and treacly sitcoms, these offerings managed to claw their way into our homes each week:

Tales from the Darkside, a twisted version of the cult classic, The Twilight Zone--which also saw a revival in the 1980s.

HBO's The Hitchhiker wasn't so much about the supernatural as it was about the super sick, but it still managed at turn of the screw now and then. If you liked your pyschological horror tales to be as tight as your opening credit jeans, then these folks delivered.

Freddy's Nightmares was in the vein of shows like Twilight Zone, Tales From The Crypt, and Tales From The Darkside but decidedly built upon cashing in on Freddy Fever.

Even if it felt a bit cheesy, you have to give this show credit for at least trying to come up with unusual monsters instead of solely relying upon those we know all to well.

And my favorite of the bunch... Friday The 13th: The Series stands out for its dark tone, strong scripts, and innovative horror. And if you don't think Warehouse 13 ripped them off, you can just go elsewhere.

Zoo Keeper Works Overtime--From Beyond The Grave

In January 1987, a zoo keeper named Michael Bell was killed by an Asian elephant named Sam at the Fort Worth Zoo. Over the years since, reports have surfaced of witnesses glimpsing Bell's ghost going about his normal routine. And he might not be alone at the zoo. There have also been reports of a woman dressed in frontier apparel who hangs around the zoo's café.

Legends Linger At The Log Cabin Village

 Fort Worth's Log Cabin Village is a conglomeration of six disparate historic structures dating to the middle of the 19th century. When they were moved in the 1960s for salvation and preservation, as well as to showcase frontier Texas life, some believe the homes came complete with attendant spirits. While docents and site operators are wont to downplay the ghostly rumors, the stories persist nonetheless.

The phantom scent of lilac perfume has been reported from the upper rooms of the Foster Cabin, which once sat on the Brazos River in Milam Co. The home was built by Harry Foster in the early 1850s. After his first wife died, Foster married a woman named Jane Holt who had been the nanny to Foster's children. She is rumored to have worn lilac perfume.

Footsteps have been heard in the home and some have spotted the apparition of a woman in a long black skirt and purple blouse.

Haunted Stockyard Hotel

Established in 1907, the Stockyards Hotel has housed both country legends and notorious outlaws. And maybe a ghost or two.

In room 305--a suite named after the hotels most notorious guests: Bonnie and Clyde, water in the bathroom has been known to turn on and off by itself.

The original elevator seems to have a mind of its own. That or it is taking phantom guests to their rooms now and then.  It has frequently been spotted ascending and descending of its own accord.

One of these may be the ghost of a little girl who has been seen now and then getting off the elevator at the second floor.  She takes two or three steps and then vanishes.

In the same way the Skirvin residents (the famed hotel in Oklahoma City) have complained of a woman's presence harrassing the men, the Stockyard Hotel hears reports of women who have felt as if someone has just crawled into bed with them. Turnabout is fair play, ladies.

Another room has gotten complaints from staff that the TV and radio turn on by themselves.

The staff in the hotel's marketing office (in the basement) have reported a unseen but nonetheless felt presence.

A night clerk kept getting prank calls one night. The phone would ring and no one would be on the line when he answered. After several of these calls, he looked at the phone and noticed the call was coming from the lobby. He leaned over to catch a glimpse of the lobby phone when the mysterious caller rang again. Once again, no one was on the line. But more to the point--no one was in the lobby.

Some of these spooky goings-on are placed squarely on the shoulders of Jake, a one-time employee who passed on. Those who attibute these hauntings to him simply feel he is still going about his job and isn't out to scare anyone.

Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, TX--Once the home of t...

Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, TX--Once the home of the Swift Meatpacking Plant's offices, this now-defunct Spaghetti Warehouse location sits abandoned but in good repair. Former restaurant workers would complain of ghostly activity such as water in the kitchen that would turn on and off inexplicably--sometimes even exploding all over the place violently. A girl mischievously plays in the bathroom also, unraveling paper towel rolls. It is said she died in the bathroom, after choking on a piece of candy. How bitter sweet. And a cantankerous old cowboy has been known to knock over stools and toss glasses. Even after its closure, visitors to the historic Stockyards would catch sight of a woman walking alond the upstairs balcony. At the same end of Exchange Avenue visitors have glimpsed a phantom cowboy riding his horse up the street.

Syfy Airs Surprisingly Good Movie, Viewers Shocked

I was flipping through the channels last night and found a vampire movie on Syfy. My eyes were all set to roll painfully into the back of my head as my finger lay poised on the channel button. Then I thought, well I'll give it a moment to see how horrible this film is. That moment turned into the rest of the movie. I was shocked. This was a good film!  I checked Stake Land out on Rotten Tomatoes and it got a surprising 4 out of 5 stars. One critic echoed my own thoughts: "[the director's] observation of a devastated working-class America is so sharp that the horror elements, though effectively handled, come to feel like an afterthought".  The monsters and the 'horror' is secondary to the characters and their motivations. You could easily substitute these zombie-like vamps for terrorists or roving gangs or those pushy old people who power walk in packs at the mall and will mow you down if you don't get out of the way. But I digress...  Is this a film you've seen yourself? What were your thoughts?

Freak Foo Fighter or Full-On Fakery?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2XxOqfBrnEU

CGI hoax or legit UFO experience? Read more HERE.

I'm calling it a hoax. In the tags for this video on youtube, the poster has included every word conceivable to route searches to this dubious bit of evidence, including "Blink 182", "Jessica Simpson", "Funny", "Prank", "Gummy Bear Song"...  It just goes on. This is nothing but classic trolling for hits.

Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick...

SOMETHING'S COMING!!

Something is coming in the near future and it will be looking for writers. There's no hope of stopping it, but if you offer up your best short fiction you might just live to see tomorrow. It wants--no, it NEEDS--good horror, sci-fi, paranormal... It will even want essays on horror and sci-fi in literature and film as well as art, photography, props, and more. You can feed this monstrous creation your best written accounts of true encounters as well as essays on the paranormal and fringe science. It must be fed the weird, the strange, the dark, and the bizarre from this world or beyond.