A Question About Holes

Are holes invisible? You can see the sides of a hole, the bottom. But not the hole itself. Weird.

Musings for this morning. I've been slacking off on the blog. Blame my sinuses. HaHa.

Happy Halloween, everybody.

Favourite Worst Nightmares: The Exorcist

The Exorcist is certainly one of my favorite movies. 

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh. 

Have a good weekend. 

Horror History: Alfred Hitchcock

Good evening.  Today's blog post concerns one of the most influential directors of all time, Alfred Hitchcock.

Perhaps you have heard of him

Hitchcock is the director of over 50 films including Rebecca, Rope, and the horror classic, Psycho.  He also hosted (and directed several episodes of) the popular television show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  At the height of his popularity, his name appeared on books, magazines and even comics.

Psycho is probably Hitchcock's most popular film.  The original premiered in 1960 and starred Anthony Perkins with Janet Leigh. Nothing at the time rivaled the horror that the film induced in audiences.  Psycho inspired many (terrible) sequels and was remade in 1998 by Gus Van Sant.   The above shower scene is one of the most memorable in all of cinema history. It is difficult to peacefully enjoy a shower again after you watch it, especially a shower in a cheap motel.

Another of Hitchcock's most prolific films is The Birds based on a short story by Daphne Du Maurier.  The film revolves around an island town plagued by killer birds.  The Birds was also very popular at the time it was released and still has a large cult following today.  Hitchock's signature style is displayed very well in the movie, notably in a scene where a young woman is trapped in a glass phone booth. The director deftly displays the young actress' fear as she is attacked by the birds, leaving the viewer to feel like a helpless voyeur, subject to her demise. 

My personal favorite Alfred Hitchcock film is Vertigo.  The movie was released in 1958 and stars Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak.  I like the mystery in this film that is slowly unraveled.  I am a fan of Alfred Hitchcock Presents for the same reason. Who doesn't enjoy a good mystery? The direction and acting in this film are also unparalleled, in my opinion.

Check out more information about Alfred Hitchcock in the links below.

Happy Halloween, everybody.

Recommended links:

Alfred Hitchcock Wikipedia article

Alfred Hitchcock IMDB article

Alfred Hitchcock on Biography.com

Favourite Worst Nightmares II: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

When I was a in my teens, VH1 used to marathon The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Halloween.  The movie is a combination of science fiction, horror, and musical camp. I quickly fell in love and it remains one of my favorite movies to this day. 

Needless to say, my dad was thrilled

The movie features Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, a sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania.  He and his minions, Magenta and Rif-Raf, have set up a base on Earth that attracts the attention of two lost travelers and their professor.  The movie features Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and Meatloaf in supporting roles. 

One of my favorite parts of the movie are the songs.  From the opening number, to the Time Warp, through the finale, the music is awesome.  The movie is also terrifically quotable which is evidenced in midnight viewings throughout the years which feature audience participation. At midnight shows, that are particularly popular around Halloween, viewers bring props and yell perfectly timed jibes at the screen all while singing along!

Some of my favorite quotes from the movie, which I have contemplated getting tattooed on my person, are:

'Whatever happened to Fay Wray? / That delicate satin-draped frame / As it clung to her thigh / How I started to cry / 'Cause I wanted to be dressed just the same.'

'Give yourself over to absolute pleasure / Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh / Erotic nightmare beyond any measure / and sensual daydreams to treasure forever / Can't you just see it?'

'Don't Dream it, Be it.'

'It's not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache.'

'Toucha-toucha-toucha-touch me! I wanna feel dirty!'

You can find more information in the links below.

Happy Halloween, everybody. 

Recommended links:

Wikipedia article on Rocky Horror

Rocky Horror on IMDB

Official fan site

La Porte de l'Enfer

 

Rodin's La Porte de l'Enfer 

Rodin's The Gates of Hell or, La Porte de l'Enfer, is one of my favorite pieces of art by the French sculptor. In keeping with my theme from yesterday's post, I thought I would make it the subject of today's blog.  

You are probably most familiar with Rodin's The Thinker, pictured above. You will notice that this figure is also featured on La Porte de l'Enfer, just above the crease in the door.  The entire work was inspired by Dante's Inferno, and many speculate that the Thinker is representative of Adam contemplating a fallen world.  

The sculpture was commissioned by the Directorate of Fine Arts in 1880. Rodin would continue to work on and off on this project for 37 years, until his death in 1917. The above picture of La Porte is from my personal collection. I took it in Paris at the Musée de Rodin a couple of years ago. I like to think that the old lady is waiting for the gate to open! 

Lilith

John Collier's Lilith

Lilith is a figure in Jewish mythology who is generally thought to be the mother of a class of female demons. The first occurrence of the name is in Isaiah 34:14,  and depictions appear on bowls and amulets from the 6th century C.E. onward. 

It is thought that Lilith was Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time and from the same earth as Adam. This contrasts with Eve, who was created from one of Adam's ribs. This legend was particularly developed during the Middle Ages.  In 13th century writings, for example, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with the archangel Samael.  

The resulting Lilith legend is still commonly used as source material in modern Western culture, literature, fantasy, and horror (recently in the HBO show, True Blood.)

Halloween Horror Nights

I'm a big fan of haunted houses. I spent the day reading Hell House by Richard Matheson, the guy who wrote I Am Legend.  It was pretty good.

I'm not going to be posting a post on a topic over the next few days while I visit Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando. Stay tuned for pics from the trip! 

Happy Halloween, everybody. 

Lights Out, Everybody!

I'll admit, when I first stumbled upon Lights Out Radio, I wasn't expecting to be scared. After all, the radio drama was produced in the 1930s. How scary could it be?

Wow, was I wrong...

 

Despite its age, Lights Out is terrifying and very well produced. The show was broadcast between 1934 and 1947 and was created by Wyllis Cooper and Arch Oboler. It featured many famous actors at the time including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Leslie Nielson.  The plays featured sound effects that highlighted horror elements like terrible stabbings, heavy breathing, and even people turning inside out!

 

 

One of my favorite episodes is called Dreams and features legendary actor Boris Karloff.  The story revolves around a man who doesn't start dreaming until he reaches middle age.  When he begins to dream, he quickly becomes plagued by a figure that urges him to 'Kill...kill...KILL!' The voice acting is terrific and Karloff does a wonderful job.  He is also featured in other Lights Out episodes including a horrifying tale titled The Cat Wife.

Other episodes of note include: The Dark-- featuring a mysterious black fog that turns people inside out, Murder House-- a story based on the slayings of real-life serial killer H.H. Holmes, and The Little People which features Bela Lugosi as a modern day witch doctor.  Check them all out and more in the links below. 

Happy Halloween, everybody. 

Recommended links:

Wikipedia article on Lights Out

Internet archive which includes FREE mp3 files of all episodes

YouTube channel dedicated to Lights Out and other similar radio shows

Michael Jackson is F*cking Terrifying

I've focused on a lot of childhood scares on this blog, and for good reason.  Sadly, as the years have passed, I've grown immune to fictionalized horror. Some might say that this is because I've watched too many scary movies or played too many scary games.  I think it's because as I've entered adulthood, I've realized there are lots more things to be terrified of in the real world than there are in any horror story. 

I mean, there are people out there who voted for this woman! SHE WON AN ELECTION!!

 

I remember the first time I got scared out of my wits as a kid.  My parents went through a divorce when I was young and my dad often let me watch scary things before shipping me back to my mom.  I'm sure it all wasn't passive aggressive-- I remember begging to watch movies like Pet Cemetery and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. One of the first nightmares I remember ever having happened though, because I watched a video featuring this guy:

 

This is Michael Jackson in the music video for Thriller.  While most people remember dancing zombies and the Thriller Dance, I remember the werewolf/cat creature he transformed into at the beginning of the video.  I also remember that I couldn't sleep for days after I saw it the first time. 

 

Thriller is a terrific song, album, and video.  The choreography alone is still a cultural phenomenon even though the video was released over 30 years ago.  Not to mention that the song featured horror legend Vincent Price!  But Thriller alone is not the only reason that Michael Jackson is terrifying. 

For one thing, he started to LOOK like this towards the end of his life

 

While Michael Jackson was UNBELIEVABLY talented, he was also a tortured soul who used plastic surgery to modify himself to the point  where he looked subhuman.  While many celebrities do similar things (I'm looking at you Donatella Versace), it certainly made him superficially abnormal to the media and  public. 

 

Michael lived his entire life in the public eye, which was probably a contributing factor in his untimely death in 2009.  Many rumors circulated about him, including that he owned the bones of the Elephant man, pictured above.  While most of these rumors were untrue, it is very likely that he molested a bunch of underage boys throughout the course of his life.  His issues with pederasty came to a head in a much publicized trial in the mid-90's. 

 

But no matter how strange his later years were, no one can say they didn't see it coming.  Another one of my favorite scary Michael Jackson moments is his theme song for the movie Ben.  If you're unfamiliar, Michael recorded a song about his pet rat named Ben and named it after him.  The song was used as the theme for a horror movie that featured a boy and his rat who go on a blood-fueled killing spree of vengeance.  The rat's name was Ben.  The song wound up being Michael's first #1 solo single.  And the rest is history!

 

Despite his issues, Michael Jackson was an unrivaled talent. RIP, to this horror and music icon.

And Happy Halloween, everybody.

Recommended links:

Michael Jackson Wikipedia article

Thriller video

YouTube video for Ben

 

 

 



 

 

Bloody Mary! Three Kings! The Midnight Man!

Have you heard of The Midnight Man? What about The Three Kings Game? How about Bloody Mary?

No, not THAT bloody mary

All of these 'games' are based on urban legends.  They involve a ritual that channels an alternate reality or an other-wordly being.  Today's blog post will explore some of these legends and also provide the internet's best ways to summon your own demonic companion.

We'll start with the queen herself, Bloody Mary.  There are many origin stories for Mary as she is the most popular of these legends.  Many say she is the brutal spirit of Mary I, Queen of England. Others, that she is the embodiment of the Mother of the AntiChrist who roams the depths of Hell. Each summoning is said to bring mankind closer to Judgment Day.  

The following method is the best way I've heard to summon her. I found it in the darkest depths of Reddit. Muhuhahaha!  Use at your own risk!

Supplies: A large dark towel (Preferably black), thick red dye (instructions below) , crowbar, at least 3 light sources (Flashlight, candle, match, anything that emits light --Bring as much as you can.)

At 12 am, make your way to the desired room.  You don't need to be in a bathroom to do this but it is highly suggested. If you are in a room with multiple mirrors, things could go bad.  Very bad. Be warned.  Just make sure there's only one mirror. And there can be absolutely no natural sunlight or it won't work. 

The dye is a mixture of dirt, milk and blood. The blood does not need to be human. Just get it from the meat department at your grocer. For God's sake, don't use your own!

Step 1
Have a friend assist you. Do NOT try this by yourself. When you have gathered all your supplies, one person will go inside the room with the supplies and shut themselves inside. The other person will wait right outside the door. Now lay out all your supplies and check to make sure you have them all. Also write out these steps on a paper so you are confident you are doing everything correctly.

Step 2
Turn on your source of light, whether it's a flashlight or a candle. Unscrew the bathroom light bulbs. Pour the dye into one of your hands. (This is the point of no return) With your dye covered hand make 4 dots on each corner of the mirror. At this time she is already present. She just is not revealing herself yet.

Step 3
After you have made four dots, run your towel under water and wipe your hands. Keep your crowbar at close distance. Turn all light sources off at this point. Now with your wet towel you will say. "This is the cleanser of the dead." Put it over your head covering your eyes.

Step 4
You will now say. "I wish to speak with the fallen Queen." When you hear a soft voice say "Queen of fallen blood. Queen of hatred" Take the cloth off your head. Make sure to take it completely off.

Step 5
This is the most important step. When you unclothe your eyes DO NOT yell or panic. If you do, things will go wrong. KEEP CALM. Ask her questions if you wish, just remember to be very polite. She mirrors your actions so don't be scared or angry.

Step 6
There are two paths that may be taken on this step:

Path 1: If things are getting bad and she threatens you or becomes aggressive you are going to have to smash your mirror. Then yell to your bud to open the door.

Path 2: Say, "I must depart, your highness." Then she will immediately vanish from the mirror. This doesn't mean she is gone though. She just isn't revealing herself. If you choose to leave after that, she will crawl out of any reflective surface in the house. And most likely kill you. Instead after you say "I must depart, your highness." Find your light emitting device and turn it on to find your light bulbs. Screw them back in. Now one by one, wipe away the red dots. When they are completely gone, you now say. "Flee" You are now safe. She will not come back unless you completely do the ritual over again.

If you do this correctly she will appear. Just remember the information you have been given and follow the instructions carefully.  

Another popular entity to summon is called The Midnight Man.  There is an ancient rhyme associated with the figure that goes like this:

Come see me at the hanging tree

at the crack of night.

We will play and sing and dance,

until we die of fright.

For he with teeth as black as coal

haunts the hanging tree,

And if you play but lose his game,

your soul the Devil's be.

Instructions on how to play the Midnight Game are below:

Supplies: paper, pencil, needle, candle, a box of matches, a door and salt

1. Turn off all the lights
2. Light a candle
3. Write your name on the paper, first, middle, and last
4. Prick your finger with the needle and add a drop of blood on the paper, allow it to soak in
5. Place the paper with your name on the floor in front of the door.
6. Knock on the door 22 times with the ticking of the clock, the 22nd knock MUST occur at 12am.
7. Open your door, blow out the candle, and close it. You have now summoned the "Midnight Man".
8. Immediately relight your candle

This is when the game begins. Your goal is to avoid The Midnight Man at all costs. You may move through the house to avoid him. You can tell if he is near; your candle will go out, it will get chilly, you’ll hear a low whisper, and he will appear in front of you. You must relight the candle within 10 seconds. If are unable to do so, throw down a circle of salt around yourself and stay inside the circle from 12:01am to 3:33am.

If you are still alive at 3:33am, you’ve won. If not, you’ll be tortured, sometimes to death, until 3:33am. 

The final game is called Three Kings.  Instead of focusing on a particular entity, this ritual puts you in touch with a place called The Shadowside.  While the Shadowside isn't a particularly scary or dangerous place, it is to be approached with caution.  If you have questions and are having trouble finding the answers, the Shadowside may be the place to look. Check out the instructions below:


Supplies:

• A very large empty and quiet room, preferably without windows. If windows exist, you need to be able to cover them and ensure total darkness. Basements usually work well, if they're roomy enough.
• A pack of candles (you'll only use 1, if all goes well), and a lighter.
• A bucket of water and a mug.
• A fan.
• Two large mirrors (like the one on your dresser. Don't worry, they won't be harmed. Or if they are, it'd be the least of your concerns).
• Three chairs.
• An alarm clock.
• An active cell phone (don't forget to charge the battery!)
• A loved one willing to follow rules and go along with all this madness.
• A small toy or dear object from your childhood

Setup:

•  Start setup at around 11 PM. Place one chair in the center of the room, facing north (this is important). Place the other two chairs exactly to the left and right, facing your 'throne'. The distance between your throne and that of your queen and fool should be about the length of your arm to each side, more or less. Place the two large mirrors on the queen and fool chairs left and right of you, facing you (and each other). Try your best to have them stand at a 90 degree angle (or else you may get more or less than three kings). If you sit on your throne facing straight ahead (north), you should be able to perceive your own reflection in each of the two mirrors without actually having to turn your head nor your eyes to do so. If you see your own reflection in the corner of your eye, just barely there, then you've done it right.

• Place the bucket of water and the mug in front of you, just barely out of reach.

• Place the fan behind you, turn it on. Don't set it to maximum power- medium or low is usually enough. Leave it on.

• Turn off the lights, leave the door open and go to your bedroom.

• Set the candles by the side of the bed, next to a lighter, your alarm clock and your cellphone (leave it charging).

• Set your alarm clock for 3:30 AM.

• Turn off the lights and sleep while holding your power object. Get some rest.

Showtime:
Wake up at 3:30 AM with your alarm clock. Turn it off, but don't turn on the light. You have exactly three minutes to light your candle, grab your cellphone, and make your way to the dark room to sit in your throne. You should be seated by 3:33 AM. Don't forget your power object!

Check for potential red flags: if your cellphone didn't charge for whatever reason, abort the mission. If the alarm didn't go off exactly at 3:30 AM, abort the mission. If you find the dark room door closed (remember you left it open) abort the mission. If the fan is turned off (you left it on) abort the mission.

(Side note: if you have to abort the mission due to any of the above, leave the house with your loved one. Go to a hotel or something. There's no need to run; you have time to grab a jacket and your keys and what not, but leave. After 6 AM the coast should be clear.)

If all is going as planned, you can proceed and take your throne. DO NOT look directly at either of the two mirrors besides you. DO NOT let the candle go out. The fan is behind you. You must protect the candle with your body, which is standing in between (there's a reason for this; as you'll soon see).

Look straight ahead, at the darkness. Not at the candle, not at the mirrors, just straight ahead. Eagle-eyed readers surely noticed I didn't say during setup which chair was queen and which chair was fool. That's because it's your job to find out. And from their point of view, you are either their queen or their fool, too. Hence three kings.

I won't spoil what happens next. Suffice to say, you won't be alone and if you have questions, you'll get answers. Sometimes in the form of new questions, but hey, c'est la vie.

Just stay put and try not to move. Again, DO NOT look directly at the mirrors, nor the candle. Just straight ahead, trust me. Don't chicken out either; you need to wait until 4:34. By 4:34 it's all over. It's okay to tremble a little bit, just try not to be too frigtened. Not because it affects the ritual or anything -it's just best not to be a pussy while in polite company.

Did I mention not to let the candle go out? That's what the fan is for. You're protecting the candle with your body, but if your body were to be suddenly moved then the fan would turn off the candle. That's backup number 1. Your loved one is backup number 2: at 4:34 she has to come in the room and call your name. If that won't work, she has to call your cellphone. If that won't work, she has the glass of water and the bucket. She can't touch you though -that's a newbie mistake. Backup number 3 is your item of power, the toy, or locket or whatever object of strength you brought along for the ride. It'll show you the way if something goes wrong. 
 
HAVE multiple back ups! If you half-ass it, half-ass it, it won't work. Worst you can do is take it seriously enough for it to work and not seriously enough to be prepared for the consequences.

I hope you enjoy, dear reader.  If you try one of these games, please feel free to leave comments about your experience. I'd love to hear them!

Happy Halloween, everybody.




 

One-Two, Freddy's Coming For You

Chances are, you've heard of Freddy Krueger.  The burn-faced, knife-handed serial killer is easily one of the most recognizable in all of horror cinema.

Truly a face only a mother could love

What started as an innocent story about a murderous child killer who haunts the dreams of his victims soon evolved into one of the most notorious horror franchises of all time, A Nightmare on Elm Street.  The series made a legend of writer/director Wes Craven, made New Line Cinema executives a TON of money in the 1980s and helped launch the careers of actors like Johnny Depp. 

Best. Character Actor. Ever. 

One of the things that makes Freddy so horrifying is that he kills his victims in their dreams.  This means no matter where they run or hide, eventually their body will force them to sleep and Freddy will kill them.  This gives the series of movies and their main character a mystical quality that other movie serial-killers lack. 

Stalking his victims in their dreams gives Freddy the ability to kill unhindered by standard physics. This sets him apart from other iconic movie slashers like Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees.  The above picture illustrates one of his most interesting kills. His victim is deathly afraid of bugs so he transforms her into one, traps her in a roach motel, and squishes her with his unclawed hand.  

For my money, the murder of Tina (pictured above) is one of the most horrific scenes in slasherdom. Check it out, along with all things A Nightmare on Elm Street related, in the links below.

Happy Halloween, everybody.

Recommended links:

Wikipedia article on A Nightmare on Elm Street

YouTube video: Tina's Death

YouTube video: Freddy's best kills 

Nightmare on Elm Street Fansite 

The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: Nightmares from Jack Prelutsky and Arnold Lobel

'The Headless Horseman rides tonight

upon his fateful trip. 

With silvery scythe of steely death 

held fast in bony grip, 

he sweeps it swiftly forth and back 

as over the Earth he glides. 

And none in the world is safe tonight 

for the Headless Horseman rides.' 

The above quote is from the book The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep by Jack Prelutsky with art by Arnold Lobel. You may recognize the style of Mr. Lobel's work. He is best known for his children's books Frog and Toad and Fables.  His masterful artwork, which accompanies Mr. Prelutsky's poems, rank alongside Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as the most horrifying literary moment of my childhood. 

The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight  is a sequel to Nightmares:Poems to Trouble Your Sleep.  Both books were published in the mid-1970's.  The poems contained within are all formatted as simple rhymes for children but all deal with supernatural subject matter. The above image concerns the inhabitants of  a sinister Haunted House.  

'Upon your bed you sleep in pain,
For nightmares swirl within your brain.
You waken with a fearful start
As horror grips your heart.
You sense a presence standing there,
And all at once it meets your stare,
A zombie waits within your room,
And with it dwells your doom.'

The above excerpt and drawings are from the poem Zombie.  For my money, it is the best of the bunch and made me fear the living dead long before I watched the films of George Romero. But I'll let you decide the most terrifying for yourself, dear reader.  Check out the links below to learn more! 

Happy Halloween, everybody.  

Recommended links: 

Wikipedia article on Jack Prelutsky

Wikipedia article on Arnold Lobel 

Buy both books on Amazon! 

Old blog containing text versions of most of the poems 

Another Blogger user who also discusses the books 

Can't Sleep. Clowns Will Eat Me.

I don't like clowns. I'm not really sure why. But have you Googled clowns recently? Do an image search for them now. I dare you.  

Because you're mostly going to get pictures of this guy 

In case you aren't familiar, the above photo is of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.  I first encountered him in 1990 when I watched the televised version of Stephen King's IT. I was 9 years old.  I STILL have nightmares.  I read the book in high school which reinforced the fear. Sometimes, I swear, I wake up and hear him saying: "BEEP BEEP, Mattie! They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!" While Pennywise is probably the most horrifying clown in existence, he wasn't the only grease-painted nightmare that plagued my childhood.      

This is John Wayne Gacy

My mom is not a horror fan. I had to sneak to watch IT on television and kept the book hidden from her as well.   She does love True Crime, however.  That's how I found about John Wayne Gacy.  Mr. Gacy was also known as The Killer Clown and proves that sometimes real life is more horrifying than fiction.  He killed over 33 men and young boys in the mid-1970's.  He lured most victims back to his home where he raped and tortured them before killing them and stuffing their bodies in the crawlspace beneath his house. He was executed in 1994. 

  And then there are these guys...

There were also The Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Joker from Batman, Violator from Spawn, Zeebo the Clown from Are You Afraid of the Dark and a host of others to terrify the beejesus out of any coulrophobe. Coulrophobia is a fear of clowns, in case you wanted to know.  Check out the links below for other examples to haunt your dreams.  

It seems a bit ironic that figures that were originally comical have morphed into some of the most terrifying creatures imaginable in the modern age.  Perhaps The Insane Clown Posse and their Juggalo brethren will soon return clowns to the laughingstocks they used to be. Only time will tell.  

Happy Halloween, everybody.  

Recommended links: 

Information on IT from IMDb

Wikipedia article on the history of Evil Clowns 

Wikipedia article on John Wayne Gacy, Jr. 

Sufjan Stephen's John Wayne Gacy music video which is insanely horrifying 

Information on Killer Klowns from Outer Space on IMDb 

Creepy Clown photo gallery 

Happy Birthday, Clive Barker

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite authors and directors, Clive Barker.  

Here's hoping it's a good one! 

You are probably familiar with Mr. Barker's notorious Hellraiser series of films.  He also created the popular Candyman movies.  While the first couple films in both franchises are excellent, subsequent sequels are lackluster to say the least.

The Cenobites are definitely scary as hell though. 

While Clive Barker is probably best known for his work in film, he got his start writing horror fiction. When he first began publishing, Stephen King said: 'I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker.' While many of Barker's books are as horrifying as a King novel, the two authors are worlds apart.  Mr. Barker tends to rely on more fantasy elements, especially in novels like Imajica. 

My favorite work by Clive Barker are the Books of Abarat. The series follows the Wizard of Oz-like adventures of a girl named Candy Quakenbush as she journeys through the fictional islands of Abarat. Not only does Barker write the entire 5 book series, he also draws the illustrations.  Above is his rendering of his evil character, Christopher Carrion.  

Check out the links below for all things Clive Barker related. 

Happy Halloween, everybody. 

Recommended links: 

Clive Barker Wikipedia article 

Official Clive Barker site 

Clive Barker fansite 

Clive Barker updates his Facebook frequently and it is terrific

Fiction Friday: Cat People

Hey there blog readers. Thanks for humoring me. I need to get this off my chest, even though it does sound a little crazy.

A little about me first-- I'm just a normal, average guy. I grew up in a rural town and had a generally pleasant upbringing. I graduated college about 2 years ago with a degree in Computer Science. I went to a small school in my hometown, and got really good grades. Since my town is so rural, I really couldn't find a job locally so I decided to leave my parents and friends behind and move to find a job. I was lucky enough to find a decent paying IT job in Florida. I love the heat, so it worked out perfectly. 
 
About three months after moving, I met a girl—we'll call her Leah. I should have known how things would go from the start, but I was blinded by her good looks and incredible body. She was a student at a large state university nearby. And boy did she like to drink! It wasn't long after we started dating that I realized she was using alcohol as a way to deal with a ton of emotional problems. 'Crazy Bitch' is sort of my type though, so this actually made me fall for her even more. I was, in fact, devastated when she left me for another dude about 5 months in.

That's when things took a turn for the worse. I began drinking pretty heavily myself after the break-up. Most of my time was spent alone in my apartment downing cases of beer or bottles of Jack Daniels. I was severely (and stupidly) depressed over this girl and honestly don't know how I managed to keep my job. Lucky for me, my boss admired my work ethic and got tired of me showing up to work hungover as hell. He got me the help I needed and pulled me out of my funk. 
 
After a couple of months, I was still pretty lonely, but at least I wasn't drinking as heavily. My job was going great, I was paying off my student loans and I'd even managed to make friends who weren't raging alcoholic college kids. I had no reason to be unhappy, but it's pretty difficult to be in a new state by yourself, you know?

One day I came home after a particularly long day at work. I had found a nice house about 20 minutes outside of town that I loved. My closest neighbor was about 2 miles down the road and there were pine trees on either side of the house that provided me much needed tranquility. That's why it surprised me that on this particular day I heard the tiniest sound nearby as I was unlocking my front door:

Mew

I paused because at first I thought there must be something in the woods, even though it sounded close, but then I heard it again. And something brushed against the leg of my pants.

 Mew

 

At my feet was a cute little kitty cat with a green ribbon tied around its neck. I scooped her up and examined her tabby fur. She began to purr immediately. The kitten looked in good shape and the ribbon made me assume that she must belong to someone. She was so tiny though, I decided it best to bring her inside. It didn't seem safe for such a small creature to be wondering around, especially since I lived fairly close to a road. Besides, if the owners showed up I could simply hand her over, no loss on my part.

She purred harder when I opened a can of tuna and put it in a saucer on my kitchen floor. I settled in my recliner to watch some TV and it wasn't long before she was asleep in my lap. The next few weeks passed and I got used to having her around. I bought a few cat toys, food, and a litter box and she settled into my house nicely. Part of me hoped that whoever tied the green ribbon around her neck wouldn’t show up. She helped with my loneliness, considerably.

Weeks turned into months and soon the kitten was full grown. She was certainly very friendly and even greeted me at the door whenever I came home. While I was certainly happy to have the company, I started to notice that things were off about her. For one thing, she was big. Though she started small, she quickly grew into one of the largest cats I'd ever seen. Not the fat kind, either. Muscular. I joked to my friends that she must be using my weights while I was at work.

She was also a little…clingy. I'd heard most cats didn't like strangers, but my Kitty was downright hostile. While she tolerated my male friends, the female ones were always greeted with a hiss and swat. I wrote it off as crazy cat behavior. Besides, it's not like I had ladies lined up at the door or anything. 
 
In fact, my bed was pretty empty except for Kitty. She had this weird habit of lying on my pillow during the night. I would wake up and she'd be gently stroking my face with her paw while purring madly. I'd never owned a cat before but I had heard several oddball things about these 'strange, reclusive roommates who poop in a box.' When I'd wake up being lightly stroked by a cat's paw, I'd just chalk it up to that. 
 
Then one night, something really strange happened. I hadn't been sleeping well for a few nights—fall was turning into winter and my sinuses were especially dry. I just assumed it was the change in seasons but now I'm not so sure. That night, I woke up around 12 AM and kitty was sitting on my chest, staring into my eyes. 

 
I could hardly breathe from the weight of her. It was as if she were using her paws to constrict my heartbeat. Her nose and mouth were in front of mine and I could hear a slight hiiisssss as she inhaled the breath that I exhaled. I was startled at first but before I could blink, she was off my chest and purring softly beside me. I thought I must've been dreaming. When I first woke up, I thought I'd noticed something sinister and vaguely human in her eyes. Though I was shaken, I got up to get a glass of water. By the time I got back to my bed, I figured the whole incident was just some sinus related hallucination. Besides, Kitty had been sleeping in the house with me for months now. If something were off about her, wouldn't I have noticed it earlier?

It was around November and pretty soon the holidays came and went. I left Kitty home alone with an auto-feeder and extra litter box when I went to visit my family over Christmas. She didn't even seem to have missed me when I returned from the week-long visit. Cats. Amirite!?

I spent New Year's Eve with my boss at a party with a few friends from work. It's there that I met Jenna. 
 
She was, hands down, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. She had the most gorgeous, white-blonde hair and the clearest blue eyes. And her smile—it lit up the room. I was smitten almost as soon as I lay eyes on her. Not only was she gorgeous, but smart, too. She had graduated from the same university my ex had attended and was now a post-doctoral fellow. I chatted her up all night and we really hit it off. We shared our first kiss that night, at midnight. 
 
Over the next few months, Jenna and I became closer and closer. We started spending a lot of time together. My office was close to campus so we'd often meet for lunch or….other things. We'd go on little dates on the weekends, too. Needless to say I started falling for her pretty hard. The good news was, I was pretty sure she felt the same way.
She'd been to my house, so of course she'd met Kitty. Like I mentioned, Kitty wasn't friendly to strangers, especially women, but she took an instant liking to Jenna. The three of us would cuddle up on the couch during the winter drinking hot cocoa and watching old movies. Jenna was a huge fan of Robert Mitchum, who happens to be one of my favorite actors. We would spend many nights, just the three of us, watching movies like 'Out of the Past' and 'The Night of the Hunter.'

At this point, everything that happened becomes kind of blur. All I know is...

You know, I'm not really sure what I know. But maybe somebody here can help me figure it out. 
 
It was a night like any other; sometime in mid-March, but unseasonably cool for Florida in spring. I remember that Jenna had stayed the night (she had been staying with me a lot, actually) but that we had gone to bed early. She was having some terrible sinus issues, probably brought on by the change in seasons.

I awoke around midnight from a terrible nightmare. I startled myself awake and lay in the dark, slowly letting my eyes adjust to the dim light. It was then I saw Kitty. 
 
She sat on Jenna's chest as my beautiful girl struggled to breathe. The cat straddled her chest as she took sharp intakes of breath. Kitty's nose and face were pressed tightly to the lips I had kissed so often as of late.

The worst part was the cat's eyes. They glowed with an eerie, green light that shone like emerald fires from the pits of hell. I was terrified! What in the name of God was going on?!

I rose with a start and knocked the cat off of my lover's chest. Tiny rosebuds of blood appeared across her nightgown from claws that had been deeply embedded in her chest, yet she did not stir. The cat on the other hand, was a different story. 

While I have heard strange stories about cats, I've never seen any animal react like this. She stared at me from the bedroom floor with a look that can best be described as hate-fueled rage. She yowled, a guttural sound nearly like a growl. I jumped off the bed quickly, putting myself between the hell spawn I'd allowed into my home and the still sleeping girl in my bed. Before I could react further, the cat leapt at me, claws extended and then darted past me, into the hall and out the cat door. 
 
I set about sealing the cat door with duct tape and also put a large piece of furniture in front of it, just for good measure. I still was unclear on what had brought this on but there was no way that creature would be allowed back in my house!

Jenna had not stirred during the entire ordeal. When I tried to wake her, she would hardly raise her head from the pillow. I attempted to clean the wounds on her chest the best I could. They weren't nearly as deep as I thought but were odd, nevertheless. The claw marks had formed a V shape with the point ending right above her heart. They were so deep, they almost looked like scars. Afterwards, I checked the door again before settling back to bed. I decided it was best to get some rest and sort out exactly what had happened in the morning.

I awoke again at 3:13 in the morning. The first thing I noticed was that the house was freezing. The next thing I noticed was that Jenna was gone. 
 
I jumped out of bed and flipped on the light. I screamed her name but she did not answer. I frantically began searching the house. I noticed the front door was wide open. 
 
I ran into the yard again, screaming, 'Jenna!' but no answer came. I ran back inside to grab a flashlight and shined it into the surrounding woods. It was then that I saw them. 

 
Eyes stared at me through the trees and darkness. Green, yellow, red—all glowing with the same hellish glow that had shone through Kitty's eyes. They burned through the night, all of them watching me. It was then that the cacophony of growls and meows started. Just the memory of it sends chills rushing down my spine!

I hurried back inside to call the police. By the time they arrived, the yowling had stopped and there were no signs of the eyes lurking in the darkness. They searched the woods, but not a trace of Jenna could be found. 
 
"Did you have a fight? Could she have simply left?' they asked. I answered that we hadn't and that there was no reason that she should just disappear. I didn't tell them about the incident with the cat or the eyes in the dark. I probably should have, but I was afraid of sounding like a raving lunatic. 
 
A few weeks went by but Jenna never returned. She had no family to speak of and at times I felt like the only person searching was me. The police theorized that she suffered from sleepwalking disorder and had perhaps wondered deep into the woods and then fallen into a retaining pond. 'Alligators are vicious creatures,' they said. The thought made my blood run cold. But what other explanation was there?

My worry started to get the best of me and I started drinking again. My boss noticed, but there was nothing that could drag me out of this pit of despair. How could I have let such an unholy creature into my house? How could I have fallen asleep that night instead of protecting the woman that I was beginning to fall in love with?

One day, after a particularly bad day at work, made worse by my perpetual hangover, I came home ready for some hair of the dog. As I unlocked the door, I was surprised to hear the tiniest sound nearby and a brush against my leg.

Mew

There was a kitten at my feet. Her white-blonde fur complimented the green ribbon around her neck. And she stared up at me with the most hauntingly familiar, clear, blue eyes.

Sketch Credit: mrsensitive.com

Happy Halloween, everybody.

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