Fate Magazine Radio

I'll be guest hosting Fate Magazine Radio tonight on the KGRA network.

My special guest is good friend, author and cryptozoologist Lyle Blackburn. 

Lyle is a wealth of knowledge on the Beast of Boggy Creek, aka the Fouke monster, the Lizard man, Texas cryptids as well as a wide range of other creatures.  Check out the show for a look into some cryptozoological mysteries!

http://www.kgraradio.com/

BEK Comics

It's interesting how deep the black eyed children have penetrated into pop culture.  I suppose, given the disturbing nature of the accounts, that it was inevitable the phenomena would work its way into movies and television, and now, we have comics.

I recently received a package in the mail from Joe Pruett at Aftershock Comics with signed copies of the first two issues of B.E.K Black Eyed Kids. 

Created and written by Pruett, the new series features artwork by Szymon Kudranski, and the two have worked together quite well on this initial outing.

Joe recently told me that he had avoided most of the true accounts that were online and in print because he had his own idea on how he wanted to portray the BEKs and their story. 

I wasn't sure what to expect with the comics, but Joe really hit the mark in terms of the creep factor and his take on the BEKs is as unsettling as the true accounts are.  I won't blow the story line for you, but I will say, that interwoven into the tale are shades of fears that I have heard from many people who have experienced these children.

Here's a taste of a BEK explaining what they are and why they're here:

"...we are not as you are, what we are is beyond your comprehension.  Let's just say that we've been here for...well, for longer than you might suspect."

"You think of this as your world, but it is not.  It's only a place your kind grazes upon...as a cow would a field of grass."

Check this out for a different take on the BEKs, I think you'll find it intriguing. 

Available at:

http://aftershockcomics.com/blackeyedkids/

CFZ 2016 Yearbook

The CFZ has just released its 2016 yearbook:

"The Centre for Fortean Zoology Yearbook is an annual collection of papers and essays too long and detailed for publication in the CFZ Journal, Animals & Men. With contributions from both well-known researchers, and relative newcomers to the field, the Yearbook provides a forum where new theories can be expounded, and work on little-known cryptids discussed."

Richard Muirhead and I wrote a piece for this edition on the Mystery Animals of Arizona.  Thunderbirds, out of place lions and weird biting insects are just a few of the things we uncovered. 

The volume comes in at about 200 pages and also has contributions from the likes of Dr. Karl Shuker, Richard Freeman, Jonathan Downes and many more. 

Available on Amazon and also at the CFZ website.

http://www.amazon.com/Centre-Fortean-Zoology-Yearbook-2016/dp/1909488429?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01

http://www.cfz.org.uk/

May BEK Update

My friends, Shannon LeGro, Sam Shearon and Ryan Sprague have been hosting an excellent show titled "Into the Fray."  Now at its 34th episode, this one features a discussion on the Black Eyed Children.

Ryan has written on the topic, Sam has painted them, and their guest discusses a nightmare account of close encounters with them.

Check out Into the Fray at the link below, and be sure to delve into past episodes, it really is an excellent show.

https://intothefrayradio.com/Episodes/itf-34-black-eyed-kids/

On another note, Lon Strickler over at Phantoms and Monsters has just posted a few BEK accounts that he's received including a couple of cases from the late 70s and early 80s.  As more and more of these accounts surface, it's easy to see that we are looking at something much larger than a simple urban legend.  Tales of these black eyed beings go far back in history, and recent accounts are causing more people to come forward and talk about their own past experiences.  Lon's blog can be found here:

http://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2016/05/black-eyed-beings-view-accounts.html

World Turtle Day 2016

 

What it is and why it matters, learn more:

 

http://www.oriannesociety.org/worldturtleday

 

 

 

Coast to Coast AM

I'm on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory tonight to speak about the bizarre case of reported mass demonic possession in a Peruvian school as well as similar cases from around the world.

Catch me on the last two hours of the show.

 

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

 

 

 

Haunted Real Estate

According to a recent news story, there's a lovely Victorian home in the Hollywood section of Dunmore for sale.  Built in 1901, the home features 1850 square feet of living space with an additional 1350 square feet of partially finished space.  It has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths and has been freshly painted.

There's only one thing about the home that may make some prospective buyers nervous:  It's "slightly haunted."

According to the home's listing, the haunting is "nothing serious," but that's probably a matter of one's view of what constitutes a serious haunting.  The listing states:

"Slightly haunted.  Nothing serious though, e.g. The sounds of phantom footsteps.  A strange knocking sound followed by a very quiet (hardly noticeable, even) scream at 3:13 am, maybe once a week.  Twice a week tops.  And the occasional ghastly visage lurking behind you in the bathroom mirror.  Even still, this occurs very rarely and only in the second floor bathroom."

The ad goes on to hype the features of the home, its picture windows, stained glass and secret door behind a moving bookcase.

It's difficult to tell if the realtor is being serious or making an attempt at humor to get attention for the listing.  Perhaps he's trying to make the listing appeal to ghost hunters.  Either way, it's certainly not the first time that haunted houses have gone on the market with paranormal claims pushed as part of the package.

Over the last several years, the infamous Amityville Horror house has gone on the market a number of times. 

In 1974, Ronnie James DeFeo Jr. murdered six family members in the home.  The house became widely known after author Jay Anson penned "The Amityville Horror A True Story" in 1977.  The book chronicled the claims of the Lutz family who lived in the home just after the murders.
A subsequent series of movies further solidified the home's reputation as a place of horrible, paranormal events.

There's been a lot of controversy about the reported paranormal events in the Amityville house with some people claiming the entire story was a hoax while others are adamant that the terror was real.

Over the years, the appearance of the house was altered in an attempt to hide it from both curious visitors who wanted a glimpse of the iconic home and those who wanted to investigate the paranormal claims.  Despite the changes, people still find the house, and when it goes on the market, the media quickly announces the home's listing and its history.

In May 2010, the house went on the market for 1.5 million dollars.  It was sold later that year for 950,000.
The current owner has listed the house for sale on several occasions, most recently for the whopping price of 1.9 million dollars.

While the potential of owning a piece of haunted history will appeal to a small number of people, the price tag, or the location's reputation, seems to keep buyers at bay, at least for now.

Connecticut Shadow Man

Encounters with shadow figures go far back in history, from shadowy monk like beings with hooded cloaks to the infamous "hat man" of more recent years.  For the most part, the encounters are very disturbing for the witnesses and include feelings of fear and outright terror.

Even more frightening are the cases of repeated encounters with these dark beings, cases wherein the shadow figure seems to be dwelling in the home of the victim, manifesting on a regular basis and often growing increasingly active and aggressive.

Most often, these shadow figures are perceived as being "men" sometimes wearing a hat and long coat or cloak.  On other occasions, they are described as merely a man like shape.  Victims describe a humanoid form with arms and legs that is solid black.

"It was blacker than the darkness of my room," stated one victim of shadow man visits.

In a percentage of these cases, the witness describes seeing glowing red eyes on the shadow figure but no other facial features are discerned.

In an unusual case from Meriden, Connecticut, the witness saw red light coming from a shadow figure's mouth. 

Jacqueline Glen describes encounters with a shadow figure that occurred in her home over a period of time.  She says that the east bedroom on the first floor of the home was always a troubling spot and never gave her a restful night's sleep.

She lived in the home as a child, and her horrific encounters with a black figure started when she was five years old.  The shadow form would suddenly appear after she went to bed and it would lurk in the doorway of her room, watching her.  In an interview she stated:

"I see a man standing there.  It's just a shadow with a blinking red thing coming out of his mouth."

Glen states that the home also contains the spirit of a little girl, seen by witnesses as a blue figure softly calling out "Mommy...mommy."

When she was older, Glen decided to use a Ouija board to try to make contact with the spirits in the house.  The talking board responded that the spirits in the home were named Abe and Veve, but numerous sessions with the board made Glen uneasy and she finally burned the Ouija board in the backyard.

Historical research done on the location tracked the history of the home back 120 years, but there are no records of murder or strange deaths on the property.  Obviously, a home with such a long history had many families live in it over the years, but no evidence of an Abe or Veve surfaced. 

Activity in the house increased when the family decided to renovate the third floor attic, but activity in the home goes back to at least 1971 when Glen says she started having her personal experiences.

At one point, Glen spoke to the Meriden's local paper, the Record-Journal and reported that her daughter had started having experiences with the shadow man.  Ten year old Gina awoke to find the shadow form standing at the foot of her bunk bed.  She described what she saw:

"His head was black, it was just the shape of a body.  I climbed down, rubbed my eyes and it went away."

Ghost hunters Ed and Loraine Warren investigated the house in the summer of 2001 and told Glen that she should have the home blessed by a priest because of the presence there.  She followed their advice and had two priest come in for a blessing.  After they had finished the task and left, Glen says that a musty smell of mildew permeated the home.

Crystal Visions

 

https://www.facebook.com/Crystal-Visions-563607960436541/

 

Web of Toxins

What's being sprayed over the city of Seattle, Washington and why?

Find out more in my article, "Web of Toxins" in the latest issue of PP&S news, available now.

http://lamarzulli.net/news_magazine.htm

 

Slenderman Roundup

Slender Man, the Internet meme originally created during a contest on the Something Awful forums, continues to creep his way into various aspects of both social media and the entertainment industry.

Screen Gems, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, recently announced that it has a Slender man film in the works.  Apparently, a script by writer David Birke has been completed and production is scheduled to being in the fall of 2016 with the movie slated for release in 2017.
There's no word on the story, but indications are that it will follow the general fabricated history of the character.

Screen Gems has an extensive horror library already with films such as Resident Evil and the Underworld franchise. 

Meanwhile, HBO films has announced that it will air a documentary on Slender Man later this fall. 

"Beware the Slenderman" is directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky and it follows the story of Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, the two young girls involved in the notorious Slenderman murder plot that unfolded in 2014 in Wisconsin.

HBO says the documentary is meant to explain the dark side of the Internet and its ability to blur the lines between reality and fantasy.

And finally, website Dread Central is reporting that the sixth season of the popular show "American Horror Story" will be centered around Slenderman.

Reports state that a script has been written and that AHS is anxious to adapt it to the show, though a final deal has not yet been cut.

 

Siberian Mothman

Yet another Mothman like creature from the archives.  This one is from 1968 and occurred in a remote region of Northern Siberia.  This was originally reported in the Russian publication, "Gentry" in 1993.  Again, credit goes to researcher Albert S. Rosales for digging up this obscure account.

Details listed on the report state that the incident location was near Vladivostok, Primorsky Kray region, Russia.
"At a very isolated region of Northern Siberia a taiga hunter was brought into one of the villages suffering from severe wounds. He had deep facial lacerations and on his hands, and his clothing was torn to shreds, he lost one of his eyes. While at the small medical facility in the village he was flown by helicopter to a better equipped hospital in a larger city. While recovering he told a most amazing story.

According to the unidentified hunter he was in a very isolated area and had come up to a ridge and there during the evening he sought a place where he could stay for the night. Passing by a large rock he noticed a small cave, it was cold and windy so he immediately sought refuge in the cave. His immediate plans including building a small fire in order to warm up, the cave entrance was narrow, so wearing his bulky clothing he barely squeezed through the crevice. However the cave was surprisingly long and narrow, but suddenly expanded by three meters as he found himself in a sort of ‘hall’ five meters wide. The far end of the cave was lost in deep darkness as the cave was only illuminated by a weak ray of light from a small torch he carried. The hunter decided to go out and gather branches so he could build his fire; he left behind his gun and small backpack. Collecting twigs and brushwood he returned and built his fire. After warming up he decided to go out again and explore the nearby wood, however later as he returned to the cave he noticed that at the end of the ‘hall’ something dark stirred. He immediately ran for his rifle but suddenly there was a loud shrilling scream and something attacked him.

As he stood by the fire defending himself he clearly saw the sort of creature that he was fighting against, but only for a moment. He was able to describe a dark man-like creature with huge wings with an approximate wingspan of about 2 meters. The creature had a human head covered with hair but there was no hair on its face. He saw huge eyes and almost no discernible mouth or nose. The creature suddenly glided towards him emitting an incessant wailing howl and suddenly tearing claws were grabbing his face and arms. As the hunter fell, severely wounded, the strange creature jumped out of the cave. The unfortunate hunter did not notice any legs but noticed that the body was short and forked below. After the creature left, the injured hunter treated his wounds with alcohol and bandaged them as best he could, but he could not completely stop the bleeding. He grabbed his weapon and sat by the fire afraid to go out. An hour later he heard a noise at the entrance of the cave and he fired a shot towards the crevice. He heard a shrill cry and the flapping of wings. As soon as dawn broke the injured hunter left the cave and stumbled towards the closest village. He apparently lost consciousness near the village and was later found by other hunters. He had also lost two fingers on his right hand."

 

National Paranormal Day!

The Wheezing MIB

In yesterday's post, I chronicled how investigator John Keel wrote about a strange condition exhibited by purported aliens and Men in Black in a number of cases that he documented.  In the same Saga article I previously quoted, Keel details another odd case involving a strange wheezing man:

"In the fall of 1969, an astonished motorist in Massachusetts found the road blocked by a large flying saucer.  A red-faced man with "popping eyes" came up to his car and asked the witness to drive him into the nearest town.  The man wore a short black coat and "very shiny green trousers, made out of some material I have never seen before."  As soon as the man got into the car, the object on the road lifted silently into the air and vanished.

The witness tried to talk to his passenger, but the "man" seemed to have great difficulty breathing.  When asked where he was from, he replied, "You wouldn't understand."  The driver was thinking of going straight to the local police station as soon as he let the man out.  But when the stranger got out of the car on the town's main street, he wheezed and said, "Nobody is going to believe you so don't bother."  He appeared to stagger uncertainly as he moved away.

Keel notes that visitors such as this character in the shiny green pants act like deep-sea divers who have come up to quickly.  Excess nitrogen in the body can cause a diver to suffer from vertigo and nystagmus (a condition that creates rapid, involuntary movement of the eyes).

Apparently, in a number of the cases that Keel chronicled, the visiting entity asked for a glass of water so that they could "take a pill."  Numerous witness have watched these strange beings swallow a pill, after which, their condition becomes more normal.  Or at least, as close as such beings can get.

Keel further reported that in 1976, he obtained one of the pills that these apparent "aliens" use.  He had a chemical analysis done on the pill and was told that it was nothing more than simple sulfur.  Unfortunately, no further details are provided about the pill so we are left to wonder about the rest of that particular story.

One fascinating aspect to these old cases are the recurring themes that run through numerous weird entity encounters.

The shiny green pants worn by the Massachusetts "man" harkens to reports of the grinning men.  Some of the odd request remind one of encounters with the black eyed children.  And of course, there's the running theme of the MIB or Men in Black, they weave through so many UFO accounts.

Perhaps it's all a grand game and we the witnesses, investigators and chroniclers of such phenomena are unwitting players.  Or perhaps we're simply being played.  Either way, the mystery continues to unfold with each generation and we have to wonder, what's coming next?

Keel's Weird MIB

In his June 1974 column for Saga magazine, John Keel wrote about what was for the time, the most common type of "alien entity" being described by witnesses.  And it's not what most people these days would expect. Furthermore, he writes that many of these visitors exhibit a strange condition.

Keel states:

"...one type has turned up more often than any other.  These "creatures" are of normal height--five to six feet tall--and resemble normal earthlings, except that their facial features are quite angular.  Often, witnesses think they are of oriental extraction, because of their elongated eyes, high cheekbones, and dark complexions.

One of the most ignored aspects of these largely overlooked contact cases is probably one of the most important.  These strange beings have trouble breathing.

The seem to be gasping for air when they speak, as if they were suffering from asthma.  Their faces turn red from the effort.  When they move, they stagger uncertainly, almost as if they were drunk."

Keel expounds further on the apparent condition of these visitors stating that they appear to show symptoms of "aeroembolism" or "the air bends."

There are a number of interesting aspects to Keel's article.  First of all, of note is the fact that in 1974, at least by Keel's accounting, the most common alien entities being reported were not the now familiar grays, but a more human appearing figure closer to the notorious MIB (Men in Black).  In the article, Keel also states that labored breathing is a common factor in many MIB reports and in fact, he gives us several fascinating reports as examples:

"From a deputy police officer's description of his encounter with three mysterious men in black suits in 1968:  "The had an odd manner of speaking, as though they would inhale, speak until they had expelled all their breath, and then inhale again before beginning to speak again."

Testimony of a family in Cape May, New Jersey, describing a mysterious visitor who appeared shortly after they had experienced some unusual UFO sightings in 1966: "He seemed to wheeze, like  a man with asthma.  He appeared to have difficulty breathing.  One of his eyes appeared to have a cast, like a glass eye.  His eyes did not seem to move in unison."

In 1967, a young family man from Belpre, Ohio, witnessed some interesting sightings.  Shortly afterwards, he had a brief encounter with two black-garbed Oriental-looking men.  He said they appeared confused or drunk, and seemed to have difficulty walking.

In the spring of 1968, an "Indian" in black clothes appeared in the middle of the night, on a college campus in Minnesota, following a series of UFO sightings.  He behaved in a drunken fashion.

A "drunken Chinaman" staggered into a newspaper office in New York State, while a reporter was typing up a local UFO report in 1969.  He was dressed in a black suit.  After much wheezing, he managed to say, "Don't print that story."  He then staggered out, bumping into furniture.  The reporter followed him immediately, but the street outside was completely deserted.

Is it the atmosphere itself of planet earth that's causing this effect on these beings, or is something else going on?

More tomorrow in part 2.