The Curse of #TheExorcist ~ #Paranormal Postings #Halloween #horror

I often blog about haunted places and spooky themes, since I write a lot of ghost mysteries into my novels.  Not surprisingly, I love October, because I’m a big fan of everything paranormal—books and movies especially. While I do read horror, the paranormal novels I write aren’t designed to fit into that genre. I aim to create mysterious, spooky, and suspenseful (but not gory) ghost stories. Thankfully, many readers have claimed certain scenes sent chills down their spine, which is exactly the kind of reaction I intend (and I include romance as well to heat things back up). Many have also said they stayed up all night reading one of my books--hopefully that was because they couldn’t put it down, and not because they were afraid to turn off the lights!

The scariest book I ever read was The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty, in part because it’s based on a true incident that happened in the DC area, not far from where I grew up (the actual exorcism was performed on a young boy from Cottage City, MD). Part of the movie was filmed in Georgetown (I’ve visited the so-called “Exorcist steps” many times...it’s definitely creepy), and I think the film is even scarier than the book. The terrifying visuals were heightened by the unconventional methods director William Friedkin used to get real reactions from the actors—slapping one actor in the face and firing a gun behind another are just two examples.

The steps from the film...located in Georgetown, DC

Then of course there is the so-called curse surrounding the film. In the early 1970s, not everything was documented for reality TV, so there are conflicting accounts of the strange occurrences. It’s said that between 4 and 9 people associated with the film died during filming or shortly after the release. An unexplained fire destroyed the MacNeil residence movie set—with the odd exception of the character Regan’s bedroom—causing a six-week delay in production. At the Italian premier of the film, a 400-year-old cross near the theater was destroyed by a bolt of lightning.

My sister loves this movie too...check out
her Halloween costume from last year!
Can't wait to see what she comes up with
this year  :0

Re-watching The Exorcist is one of my favorite Halloween traditions, and the movie is on my list of five books and films that scared me...and I don't scare easily when it comes to this stuff usually!  If you're looking for an adrenaline fix, check out my list here.  I also have posts of my favorite ghost movies and ghost novels.  And if you enjoy steamy romance mixed with spooky suspense and mysterious hauntings, I hope you'll check out some of my books!  Happy Haunted Reading.

#Books + #Movies That Scared Me #Horror #Suspense

I read all genres, with horror and psychological thrillers being a few of my favorites, but not many fictional things actually succeed in scaring me, as far as books and movies go (although someone in my family walking into a room unexpectedly will almost always result in my screaming and jumping—but that’s an entirely different story having to do with how tightly I’m wound these days).  While many people avoid scary stuff like the plague, I love it…I think it has something to do with the thrill of a heart-pounding adrenaline rush accompanied by the comforting fact that on some level, I know I’m actually safe, sitting on the couch reading or watching.  So I read plenty of horror, paranormal, and suspense, and I love watching scary flicks (find a list of my favorite ghost movies here) although I prefer supernatural and psychological horror over the kind that feature gore or torture.  So for fellow adrenaline junkies, here’s a list of three movies and two books that did truly scare me.  Any spoilers will follow a “Spoiler Alert” sentence, so you can safely stop reading about something you want to try for yourself.  I’d hate to ruin any future scares!

Movie:  The Exorcist.  I can’t imagine it would be possible to spoil anyone regarding the plot of this movie (based on the book by William Peter Blatty), since it was released in 1973 and also, if you’re reading this, you probably like scary things and have certainly watched it.  Even though the film is a bit dated, it’s still one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen.  When I saw it as a child (on TV—not sure who approved that—some solid parenting there lol), I related more to the viewpoint of the child, Regan.  Could something like that happen to me?  And if it did, would I be subjected to those giant needles and painful tests?  Would a demon turn my head around and write on my skin from the inside out?  Those scenes struck a visceral chord with me.  As an adult, my fear stems more from the mother’s point of view—talk about a nightmare situation.  An evil entity taking over your child?  It’s not hard to imagine the horrifying helplessness a parent would experience, watching a demon not only possess but also injure his or her child. 

Probably the most chilling thing about The Exorcist is that the book was based on an actual incident which occurred in Maryland, not far from where I grew up.  And then there were the frightening real-life events surrounding the making of the movie which led people to wonder if portraying a demonic possession actually conjured up some evil forces – more on the “Curse of The Exorcist” in this post. 

Book:  Pet Sematary.  I read a lot of Stephen King, and this is the book King calls the most frightening he has ever written.  That should tell you something right there.  I can’t speak regarding the movie, as I haven’t seen it, but I clearly remember reading the book even though it was years and years ago, when I was a teenager.  And I remember so vividly for two reasons: (1) I stayed up until 3 a.m. reading to finish it, and it was a school night.  And (2) I spent the rest of the night (early morning, actually) scared out of mind, waiting for **!!spoiler alert, stop reading here if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie and have plans to now** …a shambling, undead, murderous toddler wielding a scalpel.  No wonder King found the manuscript so horrifying he almost didn’t finish it!  Very few books have affected me like that, and for the rest of the night, my lights stayed on and every creak in our old home had me watching the bedroom doorknob, waiting for it to slowly open.

Book:  Red Dragon.  The precursor to Silence of the Lambs, also by Thomas Harris.  This is likely to sound twisted, but this book was actually recommended to me by my father, who instilled a love of reading in me early and knew that like himself, I enjoyed a good adrenaline jolt as long as it was fictional.  I was probably about 14 or 15 when he asked if I’d read it, and he then told me it was the scariest book he’d ever read.  Obviously I had to run out and get it.  This is the book in which Harris introduces the now-iconic Dr. Hannibal Lector character.  But the more terrifying aspect of the book was the psychotic serial killer nicknamed “The Tooth Fairy” by the press.  More specifically, it was not only what he did to the families he murdered, but how he got inside their homes, and especially how he chose his victims.  **!!Spoiler alert ahead, I can’t remember when this is revealed in the book, but best to stop reading now if you don’t know**…As it turned out, the killer had a job developing film and movies, and he used this visual information to select families and learn layouts of the houses.  So, yeah, this scared me so much, I actually stopped having my pictures developed for a while, which was a major inconvenience.  When a fictional character makes you change your behavior, you know that book has made an impression!

Movie:  Jaws.  Based on the book by Peter Benchley, this movie released in 1975, so of course, the special effects aren’t really appreciated by younger generations.  Still, the fear of being grabbed and eaten alive by something unseen, under the water, is pretty much universal, so that alone is enough to seriously frighten most people.  And then there’s the way it was filmed, often from the shark’s point of view as it honed in on its victims, along with the terrifying score that accompanied the hunt.  Part of the horror is the randomness of the attacks—it can and does happen to kids and teens as well as adults in this movie—and it often happens right out in the bright sunshine, at a beautiful place usually associated with relaxation and family fun.  

This movie was filmed on Martha’s Vineyard, very close to where I live now, so if you’d like to see some of my photos of iconic movie spots, that post can be found here.  And I have to say, this movie is even scarier to me now, because Great White Sharks have become very commonplace off the Cape Cod shores since the seal population became protected and then exploded.  The last time I went Full Moon Paddling (a once-a-month nighttime kayak expedition I sometimes do), we were out in open water and something hit against the bottom of my kayak, setting me off balance for a moment with a hollow thump.  I’m sure, now, that it was just a sandbar, but at the time, in the almost complete darkness, my heart nearly exploded and I was certain I was about to be an evening snack.  So while I enjoy the nighttime paddles, I’m sticking to the lake and pond excursions for now.  Thanks, Jaws.

Movie:  The Blair Witch Project.  First of all, another horror film set near where I grew up—Burkittsville, Maryland, not far from where I spent a lot of time at our friends’ farm and where I set one of my own books.  So already, the proximity alone creeped me out.  But the even bigger part was that this movie was promoted as being ACTUAL “found footage”, all that remained after the three film students go missing--a brilliant marketing strategy that went "viral" and purposefully added confusion to the question of whether the movie was fact or fiction.  And it was very, very effective, at least in terms of scaring me.  First off, the three went into the remote woods of the Black Hills in search of the ghost of The Blair Witch, a woman accused of witchcraft and banished from the town.  During preliminary interviews, they had also heard horrific stories of a kidnapper who lived in the woods in the 1940s.  Soon the three are lost in these spooky woods, with no way to contact anyone for help, which is a fear most people can identify with.  When creepy things begin happening, all recorded on shaky, hand-held cameras which increase the tension, it’s like we’re watching these helpless people being stalked by some unseen, possibly supernatural entity, and it’s completely unnerving to say the least.  Similar to (and inspired by) early scenes in Jaws, this movie uses the viewers’ imaginations to fill in the predator’s image, and the “not knowing” gives our minds unlimited reign to conjure up something bone-chilling. 

When this movie came out, I was living in a house that backed to the woods, and after seeing it, if I had to go out at night to get my dog in, my heart would be racing, my ears straining for random snaps of twigs, my eyes searching the shadows for dark figures.  And I’ll never look at a pile of rocks or sticks again without a little ripple of unease.

So those are a few fictional stories that scared the daylights out of me!  I tend to aim more for spooky suspense in my own novels, but readers and reviewers have told me certain scenes gave them chills, which is exciting for an author who writes about hauntings to hear.  And since I am such a fan of ghost stories in particular, I’ve made previous lists of My Favorite Ghost Stories and My Favorite Ghost Movies, for more ideas to get your paranormal fix.  And if you have a book or movie that scared you, I want to hear about it!  Thanks for stopping by and happy reading/viewing.   

  

New #Poltergeist! Who Remembers the Old Curse? #Paranormal #Ghosts

I LOVE ghost stories...I write them, I read them, I watch them--see: Favorite Ghost Stories and Favorite Ghost Movies for the corresponding blog post lists--so when I heard Poltergeist was being remade, my first reaction was "Yes!"  But then my second thought was "Are the actors involved in this crazy?  Have they not heard of the Poltergeist curse?"

A few years back, I researched the so-called Curse of the movie The Exorcist, and what I found was fairly creepy.  So I decided to revisit the Poltergeist curse, to see what was truth and what was rumor.  While a number of people associated with the original three Poltergeist movies have passed away, only two deaths stand out as sudden and unexpected, and both involved actresses in the first movie, which came out in 1982.  The 22-year-old actress who portrayed the older sister Dana Freeling, Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend five months after the movie's release.

The little blond girl who most people picture when they think of the movies--the child who announces "They're here" in a spooky singsong voice as static drones from the television set--died suddenly at age 12.  Heather O'Rourke began playing the character Carol Anne Freeling at the age of six.  A seemingly ordinary illness from the flu advanced into septic shock, and she passed away on the operating table in February 1988, before the third movie was released.

A dangerous ghost and an ex-boyfriend await
psychic medium Claire Linden in
Cape Cod's GULL HARBOR
A #1 Kindle Bestseller

These tragedies probably have nothing to do with subject of the movie--restless and destructive ghosts under the control of a demon known as the "Beast" who abduct a young girl via her closet. But I can see how the rumors of a curse might start, based on the deaths of young actors starring in a film about ancient spirits and desecrated cemeteries!  Will I go see it?  Oh, yeah, I wouldn't miss it.  I love the adrenaline rush produced by scary films, although I also enjoy the emotional swings and romantic tension generated by movies about star-crossed lovers.  If the combination of both appeals to you like it does to me, try one of my ghost story/romances, GULL HARBOR or SILVER LAKE.  And coming soon, HAUNTED SOULS!  All's fair in love and hauntings--just remember it's okay to sleep with the light on every once and a while.

Why We Fear the Number 666 - #Paranormal Postings

A few weeks ago, one of the little icons on Facebook notified me that I had some new "Likes" on my author page, so I flipped over to take a look.  While new fans always make me happy, the number on my page made me a little nervous...666 Likes.  Yikes!  Now, I'm a fan of everything spooky, but I still find this number a little unnerving.  So, in the vein of some of my posts looking into Superstitions, Black Cats, the Number 13, I decided to do a little research into why these three digits are considered evil.

The most straight-forward answer is the Bible.  And before I go further, I should note first that I'm no historian, I'm a novelist.  I get to deal in fiction, using my imagination to create mysterious hauntings and supernatural worlds.  In fact, several passages in the Bible, specifically the section in Genesis which discusses the Nephilim, became the inspiration for my Young Adult Paranormal Romance DIVINE FALL.  So while I enjoy looking into the cultural, religious, and historical aspects of things that interest me, especially when it might spark a new idea, I do so as a novice without expertise on these subjects.

In most manuscripts of the New Testament, six hundred sixty-six is referred to as "the number of the beast" in Chapter 13 (there's that number again!) of the Book of Revelation.  This final Book of the Bible is sometimes known as The Apocalypse, and the author is identified as "John"...possibly the Apostle John but also possibly another prophet.  Evidence points to a date between 86 to 91 CE as the time of writing.  

In the Book of Revelation, two beasts appear, one from the sea, and one from the earth.  The first beast is given power, authority and a throne by the dragon (identified as Satan or the devil in other passages), and it blasphemes God.  This beast has the power to conquer God's people, and all inhabitants whose names have not been written in "the Lamb's book of life" will worship the beast.

The second beast emerges from the earth and is described as having horns and speaking like a dragon.  It exercises the authority of the first beast, and even causes fire to come down from the heavens.  This is the beast that forces all people to receive the "mark" on their right hands or foreheads, and this mark is "the name of the beast or the number of its name".  In the American Standard Version of the Bible, the passage Revelation 13:18 reads "Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six."  So, a horned beast with the speech of a dragon, rising from underground and commanding fire.  It certainly conjures up the present-day images of the Devil or demons who inhabit a fiery Hell.  

Nero

As with everything Biblical, many various interpretations of this statement exist.  One popular one is that the number was a kind of code for the Roman Emperor Nero, who, according to some historical sources, tortured Christians by lighting them on fire.  He was apparently a violent and tyrannical leader known for executions, including that of his mother.  He was also the first Roman Emperor to commit suicide, in 68 CE, after being declared a public enemy.  Many Christians believed Nero would return as the Antichrist. 

Not surprisingly, the number has been used as an ominous sign in many horror novels and movies...The Omen is probably the most well-known, as the creepy boy Damien had a birthmark of 666 on his scalp.

There is a name for the fear of the number 666: hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. Personally I'm not a fan of the number, but my sister thought it was fairly amusing when she moved to a new zip code ending in 666.  Then again, she and I both love ghost stories and scary movies (The Exorcist is our favorite).  However, there have been some notable incidents of people going out of their way to avoid a connection with this number.  Nancy and Ronald Reagan changed the address of their new home in LA from 666 St. Cloud Road to 668.  A high school cross country runner, Codie Thacker, forfeited her chance to qualify for the state championships when she declined to run in the regionals with the bib number 666.  A US Representative had a legislative bill number changed from 666 to 702 to avoid "negative connotations".

If you enjoy a bit of spooky suspense and supernatural mystery (mixed with some steamy romance or forbidden first love), try one of my books: SILVER LAKE, GULL HARBOR, and DIVINE FALL.  While my genre is paranormal romantic suspense, not horror, you can expect a few shivers up your spine!  Happy Reading :)

A #RosemarysBaby Remake - #paranormal postings

I'm a fan of almost everything paranormal, so I'll be interested to see the new remake of Rosemary's Baby on Sunday night.  I never saw the original movie, but I did read the book as well as the sequel, and the promo for the show brought me back to my initial reactions to the first and second Ira Levin novels about the Woodhouse family.  Warning - spoilers from the books ahead!

Somehow, the original Rosemary's Baby never made it onto my radar, despite my lifelong reading addiction.  I have always loved books dealing with the supernatural (especially ghost stories), and spooky material is fine by me (one of my all-time favorite movies is The Exorcist).  Perhaps I never discovered it because it was published before I was born. 



But a sequel, Son of Rosemary, came out in 1997.  I promptly purchased it, along with the original.  The first book, Rosemary's Baby, was an absolute page-turner for me.  When it was published in 1967, it sold over 4 million copies to become the top bestselling horror movie of the 1960s.  Rosemary's Baby is about a couple, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, who move into a New York City apartment building called the Bramford, despite dire warnings that suggest the Bramford has a history involving witchcraft and murder.

Their new neighbors, Minnie and Roman Castevet, appear overly welcoming, and Guy begins spending a lot of time in their apartment.  In no small coincidence, Guy's main rival at work suddenly meets with tragedy, and Guy advances to a lead role in a play.

Eventually, Rosemary comes to believe Minnie and Roman are the leaders of a Satanic Cult intent on stealing the baby growing inside her.  No one will listen to her wild theories, though--including her husband.  In the end, Rosemary discovers Guy is not even the father of her baby--she is carrying the Antichrist, implanted and nurtured by the acts of the coven.

I couldn't put this book down, but the sequel, Son of Rosemary, disappointed me--especially the ending.  In this novel, Rosemary awakens after spending 26 years in a coma, brought on by the coven when they discovered she planned to remove her baby, Andy, from their influence.  In her absence, Andy was raised by Minnie and Roman.  He's now 33, which happens to correlate to the age Jesus was said to be when he died.  In other biblical connections, Andy has 12 assistants, similar to the disciples, and a girlfriend (making the number of close supporters 13 - see this post for more info on the significance).

Andy runs a foundation, which appears to have altruistic goals but is in fact a front for Andy's plan to end the world.  The part that really got to me was the very end, when Rosemary "wakes up" back in 1965 to discover the entire saga, including the whole first novel, was only a dream.  I truly hate endings like that, and I was furious that Levin had essentially negated the original book.

However, there are a few hints that Rosemary's dream could be a warning vision of her future.  It is set up in such a way that perhaps we the readers can see she will eventually find herself living out the events of her nightmare.

But then, does the cycle repeat?  There is one anagram that is constantly repeated in Son of Rosemary: "Roast Mules".  Levin has never revealed what the answer to the puzzle is, but he has stated it is a word most 5-year-old children would know.  Guesses include "somersault", "soul master", or "almost sure"...a possible allusion to the ending.

The original movie starred Mia Farrow, and Levin dedicated the novel Son of Rosemary to the actress.  Since I never saw that one, I think I'll try the NBC series just to see what it's like.  And if it conflicts with Game of Thrones, well, thank goodness for DVRs, because I need my GoT fix on Sunday nights!

If you enjoy paranormal reads mixed with romance, try SILVER LAKE or GULL HARBOR...both are ghost stories combined with steamy romance, and I promise the ending is not "it was all a dream"!

The curse of THE EXORCIST - #paranormal postings

The theme of my blog this month is Paranormal/Halloween (surprising, I know). But I love October, because I’m a big fan of anything paranormal—books and movies especially. While I do read horror, the paranormal novels I write aren’t designed to fit into that genre. I aim to create mysterious, spooky, and suspenseful (but not gory) ghost stories. Thankfully, many readers have claimed certain scenes sent shivers up their spine, which is exactly the kind of reaction I intended. Many have also said they stayed up all night reading one of my books--hopefully that was because they couldn’t put it down, and not because they were afraid to turn off the lights!

The scariest book I ever read was THE EXORCIST, by William Peter Blatty, in part because it’s based on a true incident that happened in the DC area, not far from where I grew up (the actual exorcism was performed on a young boy from Cottage City, MD). Part of the movie was filmed in Georgetown (I’ve visited the so-called “Exorcist steps” many times...it’s definitely creepy), and I think the film is even scarier than the book. The terrifying visuals were heightened by the unconventional methods director William Friedkin used to get real reactions from the actors—slapping one actor in the face and firing a gun behind another are just two examples.

Then of course there is the so-called curse surrounding the film. In the early 1970s, not everything was documented for reality TV, so there are conflicting accounts of the strange occurrences. It’s said that between 4 and 9 people associated with the film died during filming or shortly after the release. An unexplained fire destroyed the MacNeil residence movie set—with the odd exception of the character Regan’s bedroom—causing a 6 week delay in production. At the Italian premier of the film, a 400-year-old cross near the theater was destroyed by a bolt of lightning.

The paranormal element in my first novel, SILVER LAKE, is of a less terrifying variety: the ghost, Brandy, is desperate to communicate with her living friends. She has a message to share, and she won’t rest until the secret is exposed. In order to help, Rain and Jason must reunite, and together they’ll face not only a haunted lake house, but their own painful past.

The ghost in GULL HARBOR is much more menacing…this angry poltergeist has driven the owners of the house away with its malicious behavior. Psychic medium Claire arrives in Cape Cod determined to connect with the dangerous spirit, but finding her ex-boyfriend Max in the same seaside town complicates matters. Soon they’ll both discover the danger to Claire extends even beyond the paranormal.

The wonderful thing about the romance genre is that readers can lose themselves in the tension of the book, knowing that eventually a happy ending is in store. If a couple seems cursed, we romance readers know they will find a way around it somehow and end up together. So while I enjoy being temporarily scared by stories of the supernatural, I prefer my “paranormal” to be followed by “romance”, so I can connect emotionally with the characters and rest assured that I will be rewarded with a Happily Ever After.

I hope you’ll check back at the end of October to participate in the Snarkology Halloween Blog Hop! Dozens of paranormal authors are participating, with tons of prizes along the way. In the meantime, what are some of your favorite paranormal books and movies?