The Conjuring

When I was in college many, many years ago, I went to a program in the student center auditorium.  I had no idea who the people were that were on the poster and back in those days, googling them wasn’t an option.   I went to this free program because it was about ghosts.  How else would a horror-obsessed college kid spend his Friday night?

The folks in the poster were Ed and Lorraine Warren, and to say they were out of place in an auditorium full of college kids, is an understatement.  Lorraine dressed like a slightly more modest June Carter performing at the Grand Ole Opry, and Ed wore a gray suit that he may have purchased during the bicentennial twelve years earlier.

I almost stood up and walked out as soon as I saw them.  They looked like unhip versions of my grandparents.  I was sure there was no way these people were going to scare me.  I went against my gut and decided to stay.

Lorraine spoke first. She gave an ominous warning.  We were about to see photos and hear audio of actual demons.  Anyone who didn’t feel safe was invited to leave.  She would pray for us and protect us with some sort of white light thingy.  I’m not sure what it was because I was rolling my eyes at this point.

She said her prayer and they immediately jumped into some bizarre photos and spooky audio recordings.  The stories they told were terrifying.  I quickly forgot how utterly uncool these people were and become enthralled by their presentation.  It was strange being frightened so completely by such kind and sweet people.

I bring all this up because I just heard about an upcoming film featuring Ed and Lorraine.  Apparently, it’s about a case they never spoke publicly about because it was so horrific.  Trust me, I will see this movie and you can bet there’s no chance I’ll be leaving early.

Another Encounter with… Whatever You Want to Call It – Disembodied Voice

And the saga continues.  This is not an EVP.  I heard it!  It sounds faint, but it was right behind me…. in the room with me.  As you can see, it freaks me out.  BTW – I know I look like a whimp here, but what can I say, it really creeped me out. 

Enhanced Footage of the Black Mist Section

There is a white dot or something moving from the lower right corner of the screen to the upper left. It disappears into the black mist or whatever you want to call it. I must stress that THERE IS A LOGICAL EXPLANATION. I know it.

Where do you get your story ideas? I finally have an answer.

The xylophone playing ghost!

When a person in a social situation discovers you are a writer of fiction, they inevitably ask, “Where do you get your story ideas?” I never have a great answer because a lot times the story just comes out of nowhere. There’s no real event or marker that you can identify as the place where the germ of the story first appeared. In fact, I will often just sit down and play with first lines. When I create one that intrigues me, I’ll build a story from there.

Last night I came up with an idea for a story that I can actually tie to a certain event. In fact, I can explain the origins of the story more clearly than the origins of the actual event. Here’s what happened. At approximately 1:00 A.M I woke up from a light sleep. I never achieved that deep nirvana like sleep, and I was frustrated by my lack of sleeping skills. I turned to try and find the ultimate position that would lull me into a deep, inviting sleep. And then it happened. I heard a noise coming from the living room kitchen area that sounded like a xylophone. Three chime like sounds, each a different pitch, followed by what sounded like my dog growling. I sat up in bed, and freaked out a little to discover that my dog was in bed, slightly trembling and huddled against me. She had never left the bed. I stared into the darkness wondering what caused the chimes and if it wasn’t my dog growling, what exactly was it? My wife was sound asleep. I didn’t wake her because I didn’t want to worry her. I quietly climbed off the bed and stood in the doorway of the bedroom. The thought ran through my head, “Do you really want to know?” I stuck my head into the hallway and stared through the gloomy darkness toward the living room. The computer and TV were both off. The cats were lazily stretched out in their usual spots. They were not concerned, and unless they grew opposable thumbs and taken lessons, they had not been playing the xylophone. Every horror movie I had seen had taught me one thing, traversing through the dark investigating noises meant you were a goner, so I shut the door to the bedroom and locked it with no clue what had just happened. The only thing I was immediately sure of was that I had an idea for a story.

Was what happened to me paranormal in nature? No. While I have no explanation what did happen, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. I’m more excited that with its bizarreness it brought with it a spark of inspiration for a story. Thank you weird chime noises and invisible growling animal. I’m sure I will sleep like a baby tonight. And finally, I have an answer to the question every writer dreads.

I can’t say SciFi Channel original movie without throwing up a little in my mouth.

I’m a Science Fiction fan. I write horror that dips into the science fiction/fantasy realm (don’t we all), but I don’t understand the appeal of the SciFi Channel. Granted, they do brilliant original series television like Battlestar Galactica, Destination Truth, Scare Tactics, Eureka, etc., but when it comes to original movies… well, they suck. Out loud. Movies like Ice Spiders, Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep, Mammoth, Attack of the Sabretooth, Anaconda 3: The Offspring, etc. are not only bad, they’re insulting. What gives? Do these movies generate ad revenue for the SciFi channel? I would think they do more damage than good. Short term they may fill time slots for what obviously is very small production budgets, but in the long run won’t they eventually kill the ratings? They are alarmingly bad. They’re so bad they ruin any goodwill the SciFi channel creates with their original series programming. I’m begging the SciFi channel. Stop with the dreadfully bad original movies. Spend some money on well written scripts, special effects, cast, and crew. You are the only 24/7 source for science fiction on the tube. Show a little respect for your audience. And while you’re at it, get rid of the wrestling.