Nick Redfern's Blog, page 124

Relying On Roswell Too Much

There's a new article from me at Mysterious Universe on the case you love, loathe, or are just plain bored with: Roswell.

It begins like this:

"Over the past few days I have had a couple of online debates with friends and colleagues in Ufology on the matter of the merits (or lack of) of the notorious, New Mexico-based events of July 1947. I’m talking, of course, about Roswell. One of the issues that  surfaced was: what does the Roswell affair mean to the field of Ufology and to those that dig into, observe, or ponder upon the matter? Well, I’ll tell you: for many saucer-loving souls, Roswell means absolutely everything.



"I understand why that is, even if I don’t agree with the approach. After all, the official line on what happened (or on what didn’t happen) has changed more times than my socks. First it was a flying disc, then it was a weather balloon, and now it’s a Mogul balloon."



And here's the link to the complete post...

Conspiracies of the Dead

My latest Mysterious Universe article - Conspiracies of the Dead...

It begins like this:

"If, like me, you’re a big fan of zombie movies, and you hang out now and again with people who are into all-things of a zombie nature, you get to hear some seriously weird shit. From more than a few people who take their zombies very – as in VERY – seriously, I have heard strange tales in the last few months of supposed secret programs to mutate the rabies virus into a weapon that will, in effect, replicate in people the homicidal, cannibalistic tendencies of the dead – whether of the slow and shambling type or of the fast-running variety.

"In the 1997 movie, Conspiracy Theory , Mel Gibson’s character – a paranoid cab-driver named Jerry Fletcher, who has been the subject of strange mind-control experiments – states that a good conspiracy theory is one that can never be proved. The very same thing can be said about one of the most controversial of all the zombie-based conspiracies currently in circulation."

Sarbacher and Saucers

  Some of you who are into UFOs may know the name of Dr. Robert Sarbacher , formerly of the Research and Development Board.  He gained much attention in the 1980s with his claims of second-hand knowledge of crashed UFOs and dead alien bodies held by military authorities.  Of course, his story is as controversial now as it was when it surfaced in 1983. Well, those with an interest in the story may want to get hold of this book - a copy of which I recently bought for a very cheap price.  Its title: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Electronic and Nuclear Engineering . It's a book written by Sarbacher himself, dates from 1959, and runs to almost 1,500 pages.  Now, I know FXXX all about nuclear engineering (in fact, even less!), but since it mentions some of his colleagues and contacts, those interested in undertaking a new study of the Sarbacher claims might want to get a copy, for research purposes.

The Lookalike Nuts

My latest Mysterious Universe article is on the wacky subject of the loons who think we are being replaced, Invasion of the Body Snatchers -style. Yes, incredibly, some people really do believe it - sadly...

It begins like this...

"In 1954 a sci-fi story, titled The Body Snatchers and written by Jack Finney, appeared in serial form in Colliers Magazine. In the following year, 1955, it surfaced in full-length book form. One year later, it was made into a classic and excellent piece of big-screen paranoia: Invasion of the Body Snatchers , starring Kevin McCarthy. A pretty good remake appeared in 1978, with Donald Sutherland taking the lead role. A not bad version – Body Snatchers – hit the cinemas in 1993. And a downright, bloody awful version was unleashed in 2007: The Invasion .

"Most people know the general scenario of the story, even if they haven’t seen the film: the Earth is being invaded by hostile extraterrestrial entities. But, the takeover of the planet doesn’t occur in a laser-guns-blazing,  Independence Day -style assault. Indeed, there’s not even a single UFO in sight. Just a bunch of curious-looking flowers that are springing up all over the place. Things quickly progress, albeit not in a good fashion."

And here's the complete article (Or perhaps it's a cloned version. After all, who can tell?).

Bigfoot Gets Weird

My latest Mysterious Universe article is doubtless one that will enrage mainstream cryptozoologists everywhere, as the subject matter is the controversial issue of how Bigfoot may be able to affect electrical equipment...

Rendlesham Continues To Live On

Although it won't be published until March of next year, there's a new book on the Rendlesham Forest UFO affair looming large on the horizon. Titled Encounter in Rendlesham Forest , it's written by Nick Pope, with  John Burroughs and Jim Penniston.

Castle Ring: On Film

If you have read any of my cryptozoological books (particularly Wildman and  There's Something in the Woods ) you'll know that one particular area that fascinates me is Castle Ring, an Iron Age hill-fort on the fringes of Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England.

To say that Castle Ring is a weird place is an understatement, as it has been the site of all manner of odd encounters with bizarre beasts, ghostly entities and UFOs.

Well, for those who know of (or who want to learn more about) Castle Ring, you should definitely check out the Paranormal Cannock Chase blog of Lee Brickley.

One of Lee's friends owns one of those small remotely-piloted drone devices and, just a few days ago, he used it to obtain excellent footage of Castle Ring from above.

You can find the film here , which really captures the eerie and ancient atmosphere that still dominates Castle Ring to this very day. Check it out!   

Terror of the Tokoloshe

If you watched Josh Gates' show, Destination Truth , you may remember the episode in which he headed off in hot-pursuit of the Tokoloshe. If you didn't see it, well you may wonder what on earth this truly bizarre creature is (or is believed to be).

Well, the good news is that you can find all the answers in a brand new book published in the UK by Jon Downes' CFZ Press. The author is S.D. Tucker and the title is Terror of the Tokoloshe.

And here's the (very extensive!) blurb for the book, from Jon:

"Who, these days, still believes in goblins? Well surprisingly, millions of people do, right the way across the countries of southern Africa, where such creatures are known as tokoloshes. Little known in the West, these entities - hairy little men with gigantic magical penises and the ability to turn themselves invisible through the aid of an enchanted pebble - are a matter of everyday belief in nations such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho.

"In this, the first ever full-length book to be published upon the topic in the West, the consequences of this bizarre belief are explored in immense detail. It is not just that poltergeist-hauntings and UFO-sightings are blamed upon the activities of this nefarious little imp; so are everyday misfortunes such as a person's lack of success in love or business.

"Rather more outlandishly, tokoloshes are also held responsible for supposedly raping innocent women in their beds at night and then impregnating them with goblin-children; court cases have arisen in which people have been accused of murdering such unfortunate infants whilst under the genuine impression that they were evil tokoloshe-babies.

"But this is not all - tokoloshes have also been linked with witchcraft, zombies, paranormal stone-showers, murder, ancient Trickster-gods, sightings of unknown animals and outbreaks of mass hysteria.

"In no other book can you read about topics as diverse and strange as haunted toilets, killer one-eyed Cyclops-men made from porridge, severed penises being used as magical batteries and a deformed baby goat born with the head of Homer Simpson. All this, and the full uncensored tale of the man who claimed to have been molested in the night by a big gay hippo-monster

"Lavishly illustrated and all fully-referenced, this book is not only filled with dozens of unusual, amusing and hitherto-unexamined real-life stories, it also tries to place prevailing contemporary southern African belief in the tokoloshe into some kind of plausible social context. The tokoloshe may not be a genuinely real creature, but it certainly occupies a position of social reality in the minds of those who believe in it - with truly wide-ranging and often unexpected consequences."

The Man Who Filmed Nessie

Here's a newly-published biography that no fan of Cryptozoology should be without: The Man Who Filmed Nessie .

Written by Angus Dinsdale, the son of legendary Nessie seeker, Tim Dinsdale, the book runs at 256 pages and contains no less than 80 photos.

The Man Who Filmed Nessie is published by Hancock House.

You can purchase the book here.

This link will take you to a full synopsis.

And here's a review.

Don't miss this one!

A Cult of the Mermaid Kind

My latest Mysterious Universe article focuses on beliefs and folklore relative to mermaids. But, in the closing paragraphs it delves into something else too - namely, disturbing, sacrificial rights undertaken by what can only be described as a "mermaid cult." I now have the full story on this band of occultists and will be revealing it in the very near future.

Here's the story.

In many respects, the nature of the group is very much like the one described right here...