More Six Word Horror

I'll get back to the 1:00am posting schedule very soon, but for today have some more "Six Word Horror" stories by me.



This is your new home. Smile.

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Don't speak; you'll break the stitches.

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I can see your feet. Good morning.

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I know you hear me. Knock, knock.

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Just the wind. Back to sleep.

Six Word Horror

I apologize about the amazing lack of updates. I offer some of the six word stories I've written by way of apology. Think they suck? Think they're awesome? Comment and let me know.

You are cute when you sleep.

Harold smiled. She won't be found.

Now I can hear you breathing.

She screams; my tools are dull.

Let's see if you're a bleeder.

Interactive Investigation

So, if anyone doesn't remember, Ghost Hunters had a live special last Halloween on SyFy. It was fairly non-descript in my opinion. It unfortunately revealed a lot of the more boring aspects of their "investigations" that they usually edit out. What I'm linking to today is not Ghost Hunters, but it has a kind of similar flavor. Imagine if Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Activity had an ugly baby and you'll be pretty close.

The story is that six people have entered this old house in order to "investigate" the paranormal activity that has plagued the residence for decades. Over the next few days the team is subjected to numerous types of paranormal situations and disturbances.

Just in case you don't feel like slogging through all of the clips for the exciting stuff, I have a small list of a few of the more entertaining spots:

  - Sunday Camera 5 Hour 9 Segment 4
  - Sunday hour 8 segment 9 camera 5
  - Pretty much the entirety of the last two hours

If you've got some extra time, feel free to look through the rest of the footage and comment with the camera/hour/segment/camera information!

4chan Murderer?

I have to admit that I have been lurking on 4chan for about seven years. I am also a big fan of /x/, the paranormal board, if that couldn't be deduced from my predilections. My hunger for the bizarre has only been exacerbated by the hundreds of creepypastas (slang for short stories that get posted [pasta'd] often) I've read, the gory photos I've seen, and the real stories of mysterious disappearances I've looked into. As is often the case on 4chan, the board is not reliably fun to browse. Much of the time the pages are filled with UFO conspiracy theorists, people asking about summoning demons, and people claiming to be psychic.

All that being said, I am ashamed to admit that after the break is a link to an archived thread that was on 4chan about five years ago. If you don't feel like gambling on whether or not you'll like what you'll see if you click the link, I will summarize it here for you: An anonymous poster uploaded several pictures of what appear to be human bodies that have been stuffed into garbage bags in a freezer.

There are a few possibilities as I see it:
1. The poster is a mortician and either stole the parts or has parts in a bag for no good reason.
2. The poster is a crime scene photographer and he took the photos before the parts were removed.
3. The poster is an astoundingly skilled prop maker and make-up artist.
4. The poster is a serial grave robber.
5. OP is a straight up murderer.

I would like to say that number three is the most likely, but none of the photographs show obvious signs of having been run through Photoshop. All of the parts seem to be legs that have been severed at the hip and collected in one bag together. They show signs of freezer burn and other wear and tear that you would expect from meat that has been kept in a freezer for a while. Some of them look slightly decayed, which gives credence to theory number four.

I genuinely doubt number five, but you never know...

The link is after the break (click "Read more")

Claymation Videos

I promise that this blog won't become a YouTube and Wikipedia link dump. On my honor, I swear it to you. In order to combat the decline into that territory (as so many do) I will do each YouTube posting as a TRIPLE POST with its own THEME.

Today's theme is: "Claymation"

Each of the three videos listed after the break are amazing and should be watched in their entirety. Even if they don't spook or amuse you, the craftsmanship and detail used in their creation is worth multiple viewings. I honestly can't imagine taking on a claymation animation project. Writing a story is hard enough!

The Art of Chris Brodal

Today I'm continuing with the posting of artists who craft images that challenge our perceptions of reality.Chris Brodal's work can be found in the Marc Foxx gallery, located in Los Angeles, California. His work in this exhibition is centrally focused on skulls and the human head. The variety of ways in which this artist incorporates these subjects into beautiful, mysterious, and sleek works of art (usually paintings) is worth a look.



I could not find a personal website for Mr. Brodal, but after the break is a link to his gallery exhibition in L.A.

The 99 Rooms

Ah, another classic. 99 Rooms seems like it has been around for just about forever (at least, for weird guys like me who like this sort of thing) and I always end up going back once a year or so. There's just something about the weirdness of each effect that is worth more than one look.

If you have never been there, there are 99 "rooms" that all seem to be parts of the same industrial area or plant. Each room has a visual and/or aural effect like moaning or a small animation. I can give you two tips before you enter: always watch the entire animation before moving on, and sometimes the animation is dependent on the position of your cursor within the interactive window.

If you like 99 Rooms be sure to visit Ana Somnia, the other project on the Rostlaub website. Ana Somnia is a little less creepy and quite a bit more fanciful than 99 Rooms, and is very fun if you participate in the darkness aspect of it. Switch on your webcam and DON'T CHEAT. It's worth it.

Link after the break (I'm trying something new :D)

X-COM

http://www.xcomufo.com/

I know that this isn't exactly paranormal but I enjoy the crap out of this game so I shall indulge myself just this once.

I'll start with a caveat: this game is old and graphically of date. Running it on new systems is not an exact science, and DOSBOX (if you choose to use it) has a bit of a learning curve.

That being said, this game has become a classic for a good reason. It spawn a handful of sequels: X-COM: UFO Defense, X-COM: Terror from the Deep, X-COM: Apocalypse, X:COM Interceptor, X-COM: First Alien Invasion, and X-COM: Enforcer. There is also an upcoming game entitled, "XCOM: Enemy Unknown", but I'm reserving judgement until I actually get to see that one in action. All of these games are pinned on the idea of an alien invasion. As a crack team of operatives recruited from all around the world, it's your job to set up camp and take down the alien scum with extreme prejudice.

The X-COM games are exemplary top-down strategy games. I won't go into a full review here, but I will say that if you take the time to understand the rules and objectives you will find yourself starting over time and again to see how efficiently you can take on the alien menace. So no, not a review, but I will tell you why I'm posting this game on a 'paranormal' blog. There are moments in this game that, with a generous helping of disbelief suspension, can be a little unnerving. I won't spoil it for you but some of the better ones involve brain powered robots and alien autopsies. That, coupled with the paranoia of a possible attack at any moment anywhere in the globe or even a full scale invasion of your own bases, can be a thoroughly enjoyable time.

I guess alien invasion simulations are sort of paranormal after all, now that I think about it.

Dyatlov Pass

This is a pretty classic story that has been circled around the internet many times. It's the account of how a group of skiers in Russia disappeared and then were found with bizarre circumstances surrounding their deaths. Gruesome details aside, there are a number of plausible solutions for the 'mystery' that I won't go into here. It's been pretty thoroughly debunked over the last fifty years but the events leading up to the hikers' deaths are still fascinating.

There is a link to the Wikipedia article on this after the break.

The Art of Mark Powell

http://www.markpowellart.com/

Imagine the darkest, foulest, most physically sickening thing you can. Imagine it is flesh that has lost purpose and turned into something without true form or real meaning. Mark Powell has taken these ideas and brought them to life. He creates miniature dioramas in excruciatingly minute detail. This is an artist that has created a bizarre new reality; a place where our sense of self has been mutilated beyond any semblance of thought or design and been left to rot in the dank sewers of our imaginations. It is exquisite to view and something at which to stare for as long as you can. Now click on the link and enjoy some macabre delights!

Possible Monolith on Mars?

http://news.yahoo.com/monolith-object-mars-could-call-214004772.html

Here's a story that crops up every couple of years and always makes me giggle just a tad. When these 'stargazers' look at this monolith are they forgetting all of the insanely odd structures that exist naturally right here on earth? How about the salt flats? Or, hell, any of the natural formations here? Oh well, people will see what they want to see I suppose.

The God Helmet

http://www.shaktitechnology.com/god_helmet.htm

This has been a favorite subject of mine for a while now. If you don't feel like reading the article, I will summarize it for you: When people are placed into an acoustically dead room (an Acoustic Chamber) while wearing the helmet (now more of a headband), electromagnetic fields are produced by the helmet and pointed toward the brain. When these fields reach the brain they are designed to stimulate the temporal lobes, a part of the brain that is widely held to be the source of religious and spiritual experiences.

During the test one percent of individuals tested literally saw God or Christ appear before them in the room. Another eighty percent reported feeling a presence in the room but did not specifically name it as God or Christ. The "God Helmet" has (quite reasonably) raised many questions about the validity of the thousands of religious visions and experiences reported by members of various church organizations throughout history. Could these visions simply be the result of highly unusual brain activity? Evidence would point to that conclusion, but studies are still being conducted to prove whether or not that is most likely the case.

For my money, it makes perfect sense. It validates a feeling that I've had for years about the way that people deal with near death experiences and the like. Your brain is you. You are your brain. When your brain malfunctions or does something odd you are going to experience something odd without fail. When I look at the specifics of many 'visions' I just start hearing "schizophrenia, mild delusions, multiple personality disorder, auditory hallucinations, psychotropic drugs" in my head.

Plague Doctor

http://creepypasta.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/plague-doctor/

Now, this one is a little different. This page has a series of "infographic" images designed to teach you how to make your very own plague doctor mask.

I think the plague doctor mask remains such a striking image in our culture because of the superstition and fear that we like to think we have all left behind. Many don't know that the reasoning behind the large "beak" of the mask is that when plague doctors were at work they generally dealt with the very sick and the dead, who tend to smell horrendously bad. The plague doctors would stuff the ends of their beaks with herbs and potpourri in order to combat the terrible smells that they had to deal with on a daily basis.

The bird-like appearance of the masks also remind us all of a time before science; a time when gods seemed very near by and nature could destroy us at any given moment. This primal fear of the world and the unknown stays with us today. Now, though, our focus is turned to more esoteric extremes than simply the world around us: now we wonder at the deeps of our oceans and the wonders of space and time. We may have evolved slightly, but the emotions that drive us forward are very much the same.

Dix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv8qWPCMaaM

An experimental short by French directors Jules Janaud, Fabrice Le Nezet and Francois Roisi as a collaborative effort. Entitled 'Dix', it is an interesting look into the fears that go along with obsessive or compulsive behaviors.

I think I might mainly use this blog for posting the random odd things that I find in my internet travels. I do find a lot of them.

World's Quietest Room

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2124581/The-worlds-quietest-place-chamber-Orfield-Laboratories.html

Well. As a fan of odd things and extreme circumstances, I would be remiss if I didn't link you to this. I -desperately- want a chance to go inside this thing. As a writer I feel that it's my job to experience as many things as possible and this is definitely on my list. Imagine the suddenness of being completely deaf to anything that isn't your own bodily functions echoing into your inner ear.

I don't know how long I would last, but for the absolute record to be forty-five minutes it must be pretty intense. I feel like this place needs to inspire SOME kind of creepy pasta. If I do write one I'll post it here at a later date.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

I found this thing while looking for odd stories about Disney.

http://www.20kride.com/home.html

This guy honestly and truly LOVED the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride that was at Disney years back. There are hundreds and hundreds of photos and a few videos of the ride during construction, while it was operational, and after its demolition. Even if you think you aren't interested, you are. You should at least watch the video of the ride itself. Pretty tame until you imagine actually being there in person!

I love obsessive people. They produce the most amazing and detailed studies of the most minute things. I should really try to find more websites like this.

Five Second Films

So, basically, I'm a huge fan of 5secondfilms. They have a website, http://5secondfilms.com/, and a YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/5secondfilms

It may seem random and insane at first, but if you give it a chance you'll see some definite genius hidden among all of the clearly off-the-cuff videos and one-liners. Their longer shorts are amazing as well. Be sure to check out "Stork".

Curious...

Trying an experiment here, and I'm curious to see if it works.