Ghost Cats in Central Florida - A True Story

As some of you have heard, I've done a few speaking engagements over the past couple of years, mostly discussing the horror genre, writing and my book, The Wash. A question I've been asked on more than one occasion is whether I believe in the supernatural.  You'd think that as a horror fan I'd have a healthy belief in all things paranormal.  After all, I've spent an unusual amount of time reading, watching and writing about the subject.  The fact is though, that when people asked me about it, my answer was always, "I want to."

That was the truth. I wanted desperately to believe that there was something supernatural, otherworldly, downright frightening and unbelievable out there but the fact was I'd never experienced anything like that firsthand.  I'd visited haunted houses, haunted forests and places where stories of monsters abound but I'd never seen one for myself.  Because of that, I had reached the conclusion that there really wasn't any truth to the stories I'd heard. 

Don't get me wrong. I didn't think the people who did believe in that were crazy.  I believed that they honestly thought they'd seen otherworldly phenomena, but I was sure there had to be an explanation for it. I just thought they weren't thinking clearly.

That is, until about a week ago.  Now, I'm a believer.

My father and stepmother live on a lake in Central Florida.  It's one of my favorite places to visit and I don't get there often enough.  It's a great place to reset for me and last week I was there visiting.  For years, they had a solid black cat named Ninja.  He was an indoor cat and was an unlikely addition to the house at first.  My father had always been a dog person but my stepmother agreed to foster him when he was young and my father and he became quick friends.  He lived with them for over 20 years and died less than a year ago.  

I have a major allergy to cats.  Anytime I'd visit, I'd be doped up on Allegra and sometimes even had to supplement it with Benedryl just to get through the week, but Ninja was awesome.  Occasionally, he'd come up and want me to pet him and I gladly would, even though my fingers would begin to itch almost immediately.  He was a cool cat who continued to be playful even when he got older.  So when he died, it left a hole in their household.

I wasn't here to experience just how much of one. I just knew he was a much loved pet.

Last Tuesday, my father and I sat out on the back porch and talked until it was pretty late.  Finally, he decided to call it a night and I headed in and took a shower before laying down myself.  As I lay on the bed in the guest room, I felt something jump up on the bed at my feet and then walk along the side of the bed next to the wall.  I could feel every footstep.  

I bolted upright!  I thought for sure that one of the two outside cats had gotten in.  I hit the light and looked around.  There was nothing there.  Nothing.  Yet, without a doubt, I felt a cat jump up on the foot of the bed and walk along the edge next to the wall, toward my head.  It freaked me out a little but then I started explaining it away.  Maybe I was dozing.  Maybe it was a dream.  All the usual excuses.

The next evening, we were all talking after dinner and I mentioned it to my stepmother. Her eyes lit up and she said, "That happened to me also!"

A month after Ninja died, she felt him jump up on the exact same bed, in the exact same place and take the same route along the edge before climbing onto her chest.  It was something he'd done countless times before when he was alive. I never knew he did that though.  Because of my allergy, when I stayed with them I kept the door closed, so I never experienced Ninja jumping on the bed to come visit.  

I've played it over in my head repeatedly since last week, but I have no doubt about what I felt and having it corroborated by my stepmother has cemented my belief that I actually experienced my first ghost, and a cat ghost to boot!

Pretty crazy, huh?  

Anyway, I thought I'd pass it along because it's truly changed the way I look at some of the stories I've read and heard.  

There aren't any ghost cats in The Wash or in my upcoming book, but there are ghosts in my short story A Debt to the Dead.  Check it out if you haven't already. More is on the way.

Lisanne Harrington - Remembered

Last week, I lost one of my favorite people on the planet.  Lisanne Harrington was a fellow author, horror enthusiast and my favorite person to collaborate with.  She had a sharp wit and a direct approach that was refreshing while never feeling antagonistic.  If you wanted to know what she was thinking, you just needed to ask.  She'd tell you.  She'd probably make you laugh in the process.

We initially met when she became a member of O.C. Fictionaires.  She was the only other horror writer in the bunch and soon we bonded over a shared love of monsters.  Lisanne's blog was one of my favorite things to read every week.  It featured a different creature in each post and explored the legends, facts and overall history of each.  

You can find it here.

Not long after we met, I asked if she'd let me interview her for this blog.  We chatted for the better part of two hours and you can read most of that conversation here.

We mentioned doing a followup a few times but never got around to it.

Lisanne wrote three volumes in her Wolf Creek Mysteries series.  They are considered YA, but when I asked her about that, she said, "My publisher did that.  I just wrote a horror novel."

When I pressed her on how she came up with the idea, she told me what she told everyone.  

"The characters told me the story.  I just listened to them."

Her most recent book shifted gears to murder mystery.  Murder in the Family is the kind of book that is grounded in reality but has those little, subtle nods that make you wonder if something otherworldly could be going on.  It's the kind of novel I love and am simultaneously envious of.  You can order it and any of her others at her Amazon Author's page.  

Over the course of the last year and a half, the two of us collaborated on a number of articles on horror writing.  Those were posted on the OC Writer's Blog under the Creaky Hinge title.  We had gotten so used to working together, that we were often finishing each other's sentences, improving each other's arguments, etc.  This led us to think about collaborating on something bigger, so sometime around February of this year, we came up with the idea of writing a book together.  It was going to be nonfiction and would act as a beginners guide to horror.  

The last thing we corresponded on was the outline to that book.  I'd drafted it up and sent it her way.  She'd e-mailed back that it looked good but she wanted to take another glance at it after she got back from the hospital. She was going to have some treatments done that were hopefully going to kick the nasty cough she hadn't been able to shake for months.

I never got a chance to speak to her again.  

She'd likely be annoyed that I'm even writing this post.  

Too bad, Lisanne.  This is what you get for not being here to stop me.

My heart goes out to your family and friends.  I'm going to miss writing with you and talking about horror books and movies.  May there be a marathon of all your favorites wherever you are now.



  

Forgotten Horror Gems Vol. 13 - The 27th Day

One thing about going back and looking at old horror movies is that every now and then, you get bad information.  For instance, this was recommended via a website article on obscure horror movies.  It was a listicle of 10 or 15 films they recommended you see.  This is not a horror film. This is a sci-fi film.  That said, we still watched it and were pleasantly surprised at some of it. 

The premise is interesting.  Aliens abduct people from different countries and give them each a special device that has three radioactive weapons in capsule form.  Only the abductees can open the case, but once the case is open, anyone could set off the weapons.  To use the weapon, you simply speak the latitude and longitude and press the button.  Then all human life (only human life) within 1,000 miles of that location will disappear. 

Why would aliens do this?  Well their planet is dying but they are a peaceful bunch.  They won't invade but if humans can't overcome their warlike nature and happen to blow each other up, then the aliens can move right in. Great plan, right?  Here's the next catch.  If everyone can hold out for 27 days then the weapons become unusable.

All the abductees are sent back and then the aliens do something completely unexpected.  They make an announcement to everyone on Earth about what they've done and name the people who have the weapons.  This sends all the governments of the world scrambling to find the people and gain access to the devices.  

Now, that does sound like a decent (if overly complicated) plot.  It's not actually that bad either.  It's just slow at times.  The ending is quite a surprise and ends up being a great example of Hollywood playing up the Cold War in these films.  Here's what the girls thought.  


The 27th Day Scoresheet

Was it ever night time?  -1
Did it focus on any other day? - 1
Was there Tuna Rarebit?   0 
Were there aliens? +1
Bonus - did the aliens speak English? +1
Was there atomic stuff? + 2
Was there an educational short? 0
Were there fancy hats? 0
Did anyone slide over from the passenger seat to the driver seat of the car? 0
Was there a housewife? 0
Was there a threat of the world ending?  +1
Were there more than three people who smoked? +1
Was it set in the arctic, a desert or swamp?
Was there a decent plot that progressed? +1

Total - 5

The 27th Day can be found on YouTube.  Here's the link!

Forgotten Horror Gems Vol. 12 - The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues

So this week's movie was a total mystery.  I don't even remember how I found out about this one but here we were about to fire it up on a Sunday night and Karen and Lil were trying to get an idea of what their criteria for the list would be.  We looked at all the clues we could pull from the title and the poster art, then came up with something we figured would yield some results.

For instance, if you're watching any horror or sci-fi movie from the 1950's then you can probably bank on there being some talk about atomic radiation.  Also, it's a general rule of thumb that in every big bug movie someone will put on an educational short film to explain what's happening (a favorite of Karen's and why it exists on every list she makes for these).  So after some debate, we hit play and settled in to one of the worst but funny movies I've seen in a while.  I'm not sure I can recommend it.  At the same time, I kind of want to see it again.

So there's this town on the California coast where sailors/fishermen are being killed by something.  Our hero looks like a walking ad for hair oil and nicotine.  He happens to be a doctor who's published papers on the effects of atomic radiation on marine life.  He's here to see a local scientist who may also be doing experiments on this topic.  Let's just say that there is intrigue and red communists everywhere in this flick... Well, sort of.  I mean, there are some kind of shadowy agents who we can assume are communists and there's a lot of double crossing and spying happening which should be intriguing but is really just slow.

There is a "Phantom" of sorts. It's a mutated something or other that looks like that lizard guy from Star Trek only with bigger teeth and a ridge on his head.  He's guarding a uranium deposit that everyone's trying to find the location of.  Those that do, even by accident, get killed by the creature pretty quickly.

So, how did the girls do in their guessing and scoring?

The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues Scoresheet!

Was there a Phantom? +1
Was there an Opera? 0
Were there submarines? -1
Was there atomic stuff? +2
Was there an educational short?  -2
Were there commies?  0
Was there military might on display? 0
Were there octopus or squid? 0
Was there a "man meeting"? 0
Was anyone sea sick?  0
Was there a scene where a character mansplained to a female? 0
Was there a decent plot?  0.5

Total:  0.5

Yeah, it's pretty bad.  Not quite funny/bad enough for me to recommend to anyone, but I'll probably catch it again at some point.  You can find the complete film on YouTube if you're interested.  Here's the link!

Next week, we'll be checking out a sci-fi film with a great premise.  See you then!

MONSTERPALOOZA 2019!!!

Yes, it's that time of year when my family journeys up to Pasadena to experience my personal favorite convention, Monsterpalooza!  Once again, the experience was fantastic.  For those who don't know, it's a horror convention that began as a showcase for makeup and mask-making companies.  It's morphed into a celebration of all things horror.  There are still makeup and effects companies showing off their wares, but now there are celebrities signing autographs, special film premieres and panels that span subjects from upcoming blockbusters (like Godzilla: King of Monsters) to previews of this year's Universal Halloween Horror Nights.  There are even makeup tutorials if you're so inclined.

This year, we got to see some old friends like Lisanne Harrington and James, Matt, Shawn and Larry from the Monster Party podcast.  This was also the first year that Karen went with Lil and I so we got to experience it through a first timer's eyes.  That's always fun.  Here are some of the cool things from this year's con.

This larger than life fly model chilling out and eating popcorn with it's "baby" was just awesome.  As weird as it sounds, I'd have loved to have this sitting next to the stereo in my home office.

This macabre Easter get together was another highlight.  Unlike the fly above, this one was tiny with the whole scene only measuring about a foot and a half on each side.

The deer head above is by one of the most unique artists I know of.  Brooke Weston is a "rogue taxidermist" who creates miniature worlds within taxidermy animals.  This particular piece is called Vermillion Temple and I encourage you to go to his website (linked here) to get a better look.  Lil and I were in Burbank one time and managed to run across a number of Weston's pieces at the Bearded Lady Oddities Shop.  They are amazing.  I honestly hope that one day I'll have one hanging on my office wall.

Of course the cosplay is insane.  The woman in black above was especially stunning and I had to get a picture with the Tar Man from Return of the Living Dead.  Speaking of makeup, there were fantastic examples and demonstrations all across the convention floor.  Check some of these out.

And no visit to Monsterpalooza would be complete without a trip through the museum.  This year, my favorite pieces were The Right Hand of Doom from Del Toro's Hellboy movie and the actual puppet prop used during the transformation scene in the classic snake/man hybrid movie Ssssss.

There are a lot of horror conventions out there but Monsterpalooza is something special.  By the next morning, I was already wishing I had another day to go back and take everything in again.

If you get a chance to visit SoCal in the spring, you should try to coordinate your visit to check this out.  It really is fantastic!

Forgotten Horror Gems Vol. 11 - The Alligator People (1959)

There are plenty of cheaply made horror movies out there that I haven't seen. With the boom in the genre that happened in the 1940's and 50's, bottom of the barrel companies came out of the woodwork to cash in on the craze.

The Alligator People (1959) can easily be considered one of those. That said, there are a few actors out there who I strive to find anything they've done. Lon Chaney Jr. happens to be one of those. I knew that this film came late in his career and that he wasn't in the best shape both as a human being and an actor. At this stage in his career, Chaney reportedly was almost impossible to work with after lunch due to an epic alcohol issue.

Still, he's great in most of these types of films so it had to go on this list. I knew to expect a crappy plot, cheesy effects and questionable acting. I was not disappointed on most levels. That said, Chaney's worth watching and the plot is a lot of fun even if it is horrible.

Basically, this movie comes off as a southern gothic tragedy except with alligator people.

The story begins with a woman going under hypnosis to recover a lost memory. The story that unfolds includes her disappearing fiance, an old plantation in Louisiana, experiments with atomic isotopes and yes... Alligator/human hybrids that are hilarious!

Don't take my word for it though. Karen and Lil also loved this one. They decided to keep separate lists this time but hey, the results speak for themselves!

The Alligator People Rubric

Lil's

Are there alligators? +5

Are there people? +5

Are there actually alligator people? +100

Lil's total: 110

Karen's

Were there educational shorts? 1

Were there atomic references? 2

Was there a lady science assitant? 1

Were there fancy hats? 0

Was there a decent plot? 2

Was there nonrepetitive music? 1

Was there a tiny pony? 0

Was there a love interest? 2

Was there an expert in a weird science field? 1

Was there an expedition? 0

Karen's Total: 10

For those of you who haven't been following this arbitrary rating system, those are two HUGE scores!

Another great thing about this movie is the overall lesson it tries to teach. That lesson is simply to repress anything unpleasant. Seriously.

Great 1950's thinking!

Anyway, The Alligator People is a fun time if you're into this sort of thing. At the very least, you'll have a good time watching the actors (yes, the actual actors) running near, over and practically on top of live alligators. It's not as exciting as watching Roar!, but it's still pretty funny. You can stream The Alligator People in its entirety (and 100% free) on YouTube.

A Debt to the Dead - Free!

Well, the ride is over.  A Debt to the Dead did not make it into the finals for Screencraft's Cinematic Short Story Awards.  That's okay though.  I am grateful and amazed that it got as far as it did.  

I'd like to say thanks to all of you out there who cheered it on as the contest progressed.  I truly appreciate the words of encouragement.  You folks are the best!

To say thanks, I'd like to offer all of you who have not read the story a chance to do so. Below is a link to download A Debt to the Dead.  I hope you enjoy it and if you do, please pass along the link to others who you think may like it.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A DEBT TO THE DEAD

There are more stories coming.  Finding time to write for fun has been hard lately as I've done a lot of traveling and my day job has taken a lot of my time, but trust me when I say that I'm plugging away.  I'm looking forward to dropping more content on you very soon.

Until then, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did writing it.  

See you soon!

Forgotten Horror Gems Vol. 10 - Doctor X (1931)

This week we’re looking at another film that I’d seen stills from in countless film guides and monster magazines.  Doctor X stars Lionel Atwill (a man who was a monster in his own way in real life). I had no idea what to expect here and therefore neither did the girls.  However we were pleasantly surprised, at least for the first half.

Doctor X plays out like a whodunnit.  There is a serial murderer on the loose who kills during the full moon.  The police have deduced that the killer must be one of the doctors in a nearby institute because the killings seem to be in close proximity.  They approach Doctor Xavier (Doctor X) about it and threaten to open an investigation. Instead, he convinces them to let him conduct his own experiment to find the killer.  

A couple of cool things to note about this one.  If you see a color print like we did, then you’re looking at one of the earliest examples of Technicolor.  Color prints were distributed to big markets while black and white prints went to smaller cities due to the cost of reproduction.  In fact, the color version was thought to be lost after 1948, when Technicolor got rid of all their old reels of this early process.  Thirty years later, a print was found in the private collection of Jack L. Warner and the DVD we watched was a transfer from that print.

Also, this is what is called a Pre-Code film, meaning that you’ll see some “morally questionable” material.  In this case, cannibalism, murder and even a brothel. Finally, you also get Fay Wray (King Kong) playing Doctor X’s daughter and to be honest, she’s always fun to watch.

The bad thing about the film is just that it goes on a little too long with no killing.  It’s a lot of investigation and some light-hearted comedy here and there with only two glimpses of the killer before the climax.  To be perfectly honest, there was a point in the middle of the film where I forgot there was even a killer still on the loose!

Still it’s a fun movie and if you’re a fan of mad scientist laboratories, this one has the most amazing one I’ve ever seen.

So what did the girls’ think?

The Old Movie Rubric - Doctor X (1932)

1. It has a doctor: +1

2. It has a valid plot:  +1

3. It has acceptable acting:  +1

4. It has an educational short:  -2

5. Daytime for nighttime filming:  0

6. Sexist jokes:  0

7. Helpless female:  +1

8. Female science assistant:  0

9. Fancy hat (two additional points if a millenary is in the film):  +0.5

10. Dry erase pens that don’t run out of ink while scoring the film:  -1

11. Someone gets into the passenger side of the car and slides over to the driver’s side:  0

12. Ridiculous laboratory:  +3

13. Maniacal laugh: +1

14. Live animals used as props:  0

Total Score:  5.5

So yeah, a middling score.  When I asked why, they agreed with me that it's just a little too long.  

However, they both loved the first half and were very, very impressed by the size of the laboratory.  Seriously, watch it just for that. I know size isn’t supposed to matter but…

See you next week!

Forgotten Horror Gems Vol. 9 - The Brain Eaters (1958)

This week’s film came with a warning up front.  You see, the very first image on the screen was this logo:

For those who watch old sci-fi and horror films, American International Pictures (AIP) means one thing.  Cheap. Founded by Samuel Z. Arkoff and James Nicholson, AIP specialized in low-budget movies aimed at grabbing the teen audiences who were suddenly spending money at drive-in’s and theaters.  Generally, if you see the AIP logo, you know you won’t be watching the best that cinema has to offer.

This movie was definitely a bottom of the barrel experience.  If I had to describe it in a sentence, I’d say it is a low-rent version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. A young couple finds what looks like  a nose cone from a rocket sticking out of the ground. Scientists converge on it to figure out what it is but no matter what they try, they can’t break into it.  

While they’re looking for answers as to what it is and where it came from, people start succumbing to these small fluke-like parasites that attach to the back of your neck and make you do their bidding.  Their goal is to take over the world and “spread peace” by making everyone have a hive mind.

See?  It’s just like Invasion of the Body Snatchers only there’s slugs instead of plant pods.  

The problem here isn’t just the story though.  The acting is horrible. The direction is poor.  The soundtrack is crappy. Even the dialogue is awful.  Unfortunately, it’s not so bad it’s good.

However, at one point a “scientist” says that if you cut a snake in two, the pieces will slither off their separate ways.  I laughed out loud at that one.

What did the girls’ think?  

The Old Movie Rubric - The Brain Eaters (1958)

1. Brains were involved:  -0.5

2. Brains were eaten:  -0.5

3. There is an expert in an obscure scientific field:  +1

4. It has a legitimate plot:  +0.5

5. It has an educational short:  +1

6. It has decent acting:  0

7. It has sexist jokes:  0

8. It uses animals as props:  0

9. It uses daytime for nighttime filming:  0

10. There are very proper hats:  +0.5

11. There is a female scientist:  +0.5 (she was an assistant)

12. There is repeat footage:  0

13. There is a cutesy couple:  0 (they weren’t cutesy)

14. BONUS:  someone refers to the scientists as “You science boys”:  +1

Total Score:  3.5

That’s officially the lowest score of any film since we started keeping track.  

Stay away from this one unless you’re a masochist. Next week, we'll check out an old one starring Lionel Atwill. Hope you're prepared for... Doctor X!