Cullan Hudson's Blog, page 28

Memento Mori: The Capuchin Crypt

Tucked quietly just off Rome's Piazza Barberini is the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, which is lovely and historic but it's what lies beneath the structure that draws curious inside.

The bones of more than 4,000 bodies decorate several crypt niches along a subterranean passage in the depths of the church.

The Capuchin monks who arrived at the church in 1631 brought the remains of their bretheren and filled the crypt with soil from Jerusalem. Fr. Michael of Bergamo began the tradition of decorating the crypts in this fashion.
The crypt has inspired many a writer to ponder the site's meaning and impact:

"The reflection that he must someday be taken apart like an engine or a clock...and worked up into arches and pyramids and hideous frescoes, did not distress this monk in the least. I thought he even looked as if he were thinking, with complacent vanity, that his own skull would look well on top of the heap and his own ribs add a charm to the frescoes which possibly they lacked at present”  —Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, 1869

Bon Voyage

Heading off to Europe for a MUCH needed respite. I will be visiting the ancient landscape of the Eternal City; exploring Renaissance wonders in Florence, Pisa, and Genoa; marveling at French artistic vistas in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence; and checking out a Spanish monastery that clings like a goat to the cliffs outside Barcelona.

If you know of any paranormal must-see destinations in these locations, by all means let me know. I've a small list already, but am excited to hear about others. Hopefully, I will have some stories to share when I return.

Happy (Late) Birthday!!

 Meant to post about this a couple of days ago, but it slipped my mind. So now, without further ado...

NOVEMBER 11, 1012
NOVEMBER 11, 2012
THE HEAVENER RUNESTONE
(if you believe one early translation of the enigmatic rune inscription)

You can read more about the mysterious Heavener Runestone here, or by picking up a copy of [insert shameless self-promotion] Strange State: Mysteries and Legends of Oklahoma. :D

What Would You Take: The Ephemera of Sanity

Lost within the cold embrace of the now-abandoned Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane were scores of trunks and suitcases belonging to patients who had passed away without anyone caring. In 1995, as Willard closed its doors, employees discovered these odd time capsules and passed them over to the New York State Museum, which has created a permanent collection where visitors can glimpse not only the insanity of these patients, but more importantly their humanity.


To me, as a writer, I am very intrigued by the case of a Dmytre, a Ukranian man with a penchant for higher mathematics and a curious story about being arrested by the Secret Service for claiming to be the husband of President Truman's daughter. What a curious thing. Was this all he did? If so, why would the Secret Service arrest him and lock him up in an asylum? It seems like there is WAY more to his story and that gets my gears spinning!

You can read more about this interesting collection and the man who photographed it at Collectors Weekly.

The Truth Behind A High-Flying Fake

Caught a bit of a documentary about the science behind supernatural phenomena. The program I caught, which aired on Chiller, dealt with purported events of levitation, focusing much on ancient Indian mystics and their practices. One in particular caught my eye because of its romantic, colonial connotations: the Indian rope trick.

The famous rope trick, in short, involves a rope that at the command of a mystic rises mysteriously into the air with enough rigidity to allow a boy to climb it--and sometimes disappear. The entire illusion is fraught with controversy, from how it is achieved to even how and where it began. Some claim it began no later than the 1890s with a hoaxed newspaper article. Still others claim it dates back much further in India with references to tricks of climbing unsupported ropes showing up in the 1700s and perhaps even earlier.

As to how the trick was performed, explanations range from mass hypnosis (brought about by burning hallucinogenic substances) to performing the trick at night between two trees where a wire could easily hide against the dark sky. However, mostly it seems that the whole invention didn't exist prior to an 1890 article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune. Most reports of having seen the trick performed earlier in the 19th century (often by former British soldiers) are either misremembered events or some type of tacit collusion with the hoax.

A Bird's Eye View of Bigfoot

Mounted to a 45-foot-long RC airship called the Aurora Mk II is a camera that William Barnes, founder of Project Falcon, hopes will finally capture evidence of the elusive sasquatch. Well...BETTER evidence.

The gyroscopically-stabilized camera can shoot in high definition, infrared and thermal images. Barnes hopes its silent movements overhead will be less likely to spook potential targets.

A typical surveillance blimp. This one
working in the Manchester, UK area.I seem to remember a television program headed up by Bigfoot researcher Autumn Williams some years back. She, too, employed a camera-mounted airship made by Floatograph. I don't recall that being very successful.

They Amble, They Mumble, They Want BRAINS!!!

 And...maybe just a little love. I mean, don't we all... Did this special zombie version of Kreepy Guy for the Zombie blogger walk. You can find more exciting Zombie stuff at these other participating blogs...

Zombies Everywhere
[Retro-Zombie]
Halloween Blues
The Southern Northerner
Martha's Journey
Annie Walls
GingerRead Review
App'y Talk
Kweeny Todd
Jenny's House of Horrors
Bubba's Place
Fictional Candy
herding cats & burning soup
Author Sherry Soule Blog
Paranormal research Group Blog
Adult Urban Fantasy by Sherry Soule
Moonlight Publishing Blog
Candid Canine
Ghost Hunting Theories
Above the Norm
A Dust Bunny In The Wind
Faith McKay
Zombob's Zombie News & Movie Reviews
Flesh From The Morgue
The Living Dark
Some One Else's Cook
Stumptown Horror
Forget About TV, Grab a Book
Zombie Dating Guide
Strange State
The Paranormalist - Renae Rude
Idée Fixe
Random Game Crafts
WhiteRoseBud's Tumblr
Gnostalgia
Book Me!
Carmen Jenner Author
Sarasota Zombie Pub Crawl
Not Now...Mommy's Reading
Love is a Many Flavored Thing
Its On Random
Ellie Potts
Attention Earthlings!
Horror Shock LoliPOP
The Spooky Vegan
The Story In...
DarkSide Detectives Blog
Something wicKED this way comes....
Julie Jansen: science fiction and horror writer
Author/screenwriter James Schannep
The Zombie Lab
Creepy Glowbugg
Pickleope
Sharing Links and Wisdom
Midnyte Reader
This Blog Has A.D.D.
Carol's Creations
Jeremy Bates

Halloween Accessories

Bought these two items from the Disney store. While they make great accessories for Halloween, their longevity outside the holiday is undeniable.

Vintage Horror Comics Are Great!

Check It Out At The Horrors Of It All  

Flash Fiction WINNER!!

Congratulations to the author of the Secret Pocket. Not only did you win the informal reader's poll, but your story was selected by the judges as the best.

You can contact me at s t r a n g e s t a t e o k @ y a h o o . c o m regarding your prize.

I'd like to thank each of the participants. These were some creative and creepy entries. A personal fave of mine was Flip Flop. It was fun and creative. I look forward to hosting another such contest in the future.