21 Monday Aug 2017
Posted in Horror Movies, Movies, Uncategorized
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More Trailers for It Drop
New Line Cinema has dropped more trailers for the highly anticipated reboot of Stephen King’s It. The trailers focus on the 7 tweens who comprise “The Losers Club,” the group of kids destined to rid the town of Derry, Maine of Pennywise.
The trailers can be viewed at the movie’s official website, http://itthemovie.com/.
It debuts September 8th. Remember: You’ll float, too.
18 Friday Aug 2017
Posted in Dolls, Horror Movies, Uncategorized
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Annabelle: Creation Released Last Week
The next movie in the Conjuring family was released last week. Annabelle: Creation, the second in the Annabelle storyline, has grossed $72 million since debuting on August 11th. The popularity of the movie may be attributed to the highly successful Conjuring family of films beginning in 2013 by James Wan. Wan’s films are produced on low budgets (hard to believe that $15 million is a low budget film!); however, they are incredibly profitable. For instance, consider these statistics: The Conjuring (2013) cost $20 million dollars and grossed $318 million worldwide; Annabelle I (2014) cost $6.5 million dollars while grossing $252 million dollars worldwide. Next up are The Nun and The Crooked Man. And this isn’t Wan’s only film franchise. He’s got the Saw films and Insidious. Even though Annabelle doesn’t rake in the most money, it makes enough to secure a third installment. Audiences are drawn to these horror films for various reasons. One is pediophobia, the fear of dolls.
Museum collections have dolls of all types. The oldest doll is made of stone and dates back 4,000 years. The toy doll industry grew 10% from 2015 to 2016 and comprises $2.88 billion dollars of the $26 billion dollar toy industry. Dolls are popular. They serve various purposes, such as teaching how to tend to babies. They also console children. But somewhere in their evolution, they became creepy.
The horror genre has lots of creepy dolls. Think Child’s Play, Puppet Master, and Poltergeist. In 1970, Masahiro Mori theorized that people didn’t like dolls because their minds could not reconcile the fake doll face with reality. The more realistic looking the doll, the more unsettling people felt about the doll. He called this the “uncanny valley.” See the chart for a better understanding. Basically, the more strange, or creepy, the face, the more uneasy people felt around them. This may explain while Wan changed the original “Annabelle” Raggedy Ann doll and decided to use a porcelain doll. The porcelain doll is creepier on the “uncanny valley” scale.
Film audiences love creepy dolls. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, give Annabelle: Creation a try. In the meantime, read this excellent scholarly article about dolls: “The History of Creepy Dolls,” http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-creepy-dolls-180955916/.
16 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted in Horror Movies, Marthasville, Paranormal, Uncategorized
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Marthasville—Yeah, I’m a Screenwriter, too
My writing career has taken many paths. In addition to writing blogs and legal motions, I write screenplays. Actually, my undergraduate degree is in Cinematography, back when we hiked across campus with our Super 8 cameras and spent our evenings in the audio booth splicing double tracks hoping to God they aligned with the video, which was shipped to Seattle for development. The days before video cameras and smartphones and computer software editing programs. And way before screenwriting software. (I now see retro typewriters are having a revival) Screenwriting was placed on the back-burner as I focused on other pursuits and mixed media art. Now, it, too, is having a revival. I have partnered with playwright Duane Willoughby to write horror movies.
Our first screenplay is tentatively titled Marthasville. I combines what we know best: comedy (Duane) and the paranormal (me). A family is brutally murdered in the late 60s. The small Georgia town is torn apart. Fifty years later the secret is released onto the town.
That’s all I can divulge at the moment. Watch this space for updates.
15 Tuesday Aug 2017
Posted in Famous People, Horror Movies, In the News, Movies, Pet Sematary, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on Is Pet Sematary Getting a Reboot?
Is Pet Sematary Getting a Reboot?
Talk has circulated since 2015 of a possible reboot to the cult-classic Pet Sematary (1989). The original generated $57 million in US ticket sales with another $26.4 million in rentals. It was profitable; however, some felt the adaptation of Stephen King’s novel lacked horror luster. Enter Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Fresnadillo co-wrote and directed 28 Days Later (2007), a horror/sci-fi hybrid. He was attached to the reboot in 2015 and remained with the project until 2017. Reports of character casting spread in 2016, with the hopes of getting “the best of the best.” However, IMDb.com does not even list a reboot/sequel/adaptation. Therefore, fans were on hold thinking that the project has been shelved … until last week.
Buzz about a reboot began last week. New Line Cinemas is releasing It (2017), another insanely popular Stephen King adaptation, on September 8th. Director Andrés (Andy) Muschietti is finalizing the first installment and is committed to the sequel, set to begin production in 2018. However, he has been dropping large hints—huge hints—that he would love to tackle Pet Sematary. His selling point: “We are true fans of [Stephen King’s] work.” Cross your fingers and your toes, Pet Sematary may get an upgrade. Stay tuned.
11 Friday Aug 2017
Posted in Famous Locations, Famous People, Horror Movies, Pet Sematary, Real Estate, stephen king, Uncategorized
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Pet Sematary House for Sale
Although Stephen King has not lived in the house located at 664 River Road, Orrington, Maine, since 1979, the house plays a large role in the horror genre. King rented the house while he was a writer-in-residence at the University of Maine—Orono. The house sits along a busy highway, a negative for selling; however, it inspired one of King’s most popular novels Pet Sematary.
The 4 bedroom/3 bathroom house sits on 3 acres. Built in 1904 it features hardwood floors, custom built-in shelving, two fireplaces, and a spacious sunroom. It’s listed at $255,000.
King’s daughter, Naomi, had a cat named Smucky who was killed by a truck. The family buried the cat in the pet cemetery that borders the rear of the property. Inspiration struck and King began writing his book. The novel debuted in 1983 and became a best-seller. It was adapted to a film in 1989. The production budget was $11.5 million. Combined movie ticket and DVD sales total more than $83 million. It spawned a sequel.
Although the film was shot in Maine, a different house was used. King often states this is the book that scares him the most. Luckily, he does not remember the house as sinister or evil. Actually, he barely remembers the house…only the busy highway.
Log on to Zillow.com to view pictures. Hopefully, one of you purchases the property. It would make a fantastic bed and breakfast.
04 Friday Aug 2017
Posted in Dragon Con, Investigations, Para Scammers, Paranormal, Uncategorized
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Beware the #ParaScammers
The Haunted Librarian coined the term ParaScammers. These are people who either take advantage of people in the paranormal community or they are people who fake special talents in order to profit. The list grows annually. She will discuss famous and well-known cases and possibly some that may surprise the audience. In addition, she will discuss how she protects herself from scammers and offers suggestions for others.
Tentatively scheduled for Friday, September 1st at 9 PM. Purchase tickets online at http://www.dragoncon.org/.
04 Friday Aug 2017
Posted in dragon, Dragon Con, Ghost Hunting, In the News, Investigations, Paranormal, Research, Uncategorized
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Dragon Con, heather dobson, jordan t duncan, larry flaxman, paranormal georgia investigations, research
Importance of Research
The Haunted Librarian joins Heather Dobson and Jordan T. Duncan of Paranormal Georgia Investigations (https://paranormalgeorgia.com/) and author Larry Flaxman (http://larryflaxman.com/) at Dragon Con 2017 as they discuss the importance of conducting research before, during, and after a paranormal investigation.
Tentatively scheduled for Sunday, September 3rd at 4 PM. Purchase tickets online at http://www.dragoncon.org/.
02 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted in In the News, Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on The Dark Tower Opens Friday, August 4th
The Dark Tower Opens Friday, August 4th
Stephen King’s highly anticipated The Dark Tower series opens Friday, August 4th. Produced for a reported $60 million dollars, the fantasy/adventure motion picture stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Critics were expecting a film following the first book The Gunslinger; however, Mr. King dropped hints in a tweet suggesting that this version may incorporate elements from other books in the series. Friday night his fans find out what he means.
The Dark Tower (2017) is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 35 minutes.
29 Saturday Jul 2017
Posted in In the News, Mothman, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on Manuscript Nearly Finished
17 Monday Jul 2017
Posted in Famous People, Horror Movies, In the News, R.I.P., Uncategorized, Zombies
≈ Comments Off on Zombie Icon George Romero Has Died
Zombie Icon George Romero Has Died
George Romero turned zombies into box office magic in 1968 with his Night of the Living Dead. Mr. Romero succumbed to complications from lung cancer on Sunday, July 16, 2017. He was 77 years old. He loved attending horror conventions, and his fans adored him. He will be missed.
Check out some of the in-depth tributes from these publications:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-me-george-romero-20170716-story,amp.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/movies/george-romero-dead.html?_r=0
The manuscript, Mothman at 50: Debunking the Debunking, is nearly finished. Getting very excited as the publication date nears.
The Haunted Librarian 
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