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Latest Posts by shamrockskullscarabs - Page 2
“If the coffin hits anything at all, Death will come back for more.”
That’s what old people say.
In the Philippines, whenever someone dies, we hold a wake for 5-7 days. During this time, friends and family visit the deceased to pay their respects. There are prayers, feasting, singing and games. A celebration of a life that once was.
And the most critical moment? The last one on the last day. Pallbearers must ensure that when moving the coffin from the family home into the funeral hearse… it never hits a corner, a wall or anything at all.
Because according to superstition, if it does, Death considers it an invitation to return to the home and fetch more souls.
I’ve heard numerous anecdotes about this being true. Told over and over again. Stories passed down for generations. A family of five that all died within a week. Friends who passed away within days of each other. An entire village that was felled by what seemed like a plague. All because a coffin hit a wall.
But none of it is true.
My ancestors made it up.
To keep the truth hidden.
They were seven siblings in all. Four girls and three boys. The first six were supernaturally blessed. The youngest was not.
Today, we don’t care if this happens. So what if little Johnny can’t tell the future or cast a spell? He could be a successful lawyer, doctor, entrepreneur. He’s not missing out on the chance to become fulfilled in this incarnation.
But back then, being a “Squib” in a witching family meant you were worthless.
And so Teofilo and Saturnina — the eldest two — asked the rest, “Should we share our powers with our youngest?” And they all said yes.
A ritual was performed. Orisons were chanted. Blood magic was invoked. And so their powers flowed, from one sibling to another. Which means they now shared one life. If one dies, the rest would follow.
Then and until very recently, traditional witches in my country pretended to be Catholics. The truth would have made them outcasts. Labelled as evil.
And so to hide the supernatural way they would die in the future, and prevent their children being branded as witches, the siblings made up a superstition and spread it: “If the coffin hits anything at all, Death will come back for more.”
Many decades after they planted the seed, it fully bloomed. So when Crisanta, the third sibling, died of an illness, and the other six followed within a matter of minutes… nobody suspected they were witches.
Instead, all the neighbors said, “Alas. The pallbearers must have hit a wall, inviting Death to come back for more.”
The Sandman (2022)
For those who have read the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman, watching this adaptation is akin to being Destiny of the Endless and his book, albeit a different variant. We are merely spectators in the grand scheme of things and it is not in our will nor power to change the events unfolding before us. In this variant, The Sandman (2022) adapts the first two collections of the Sandman comics, Preludes and Nocturnes (Issues 1 - 8) and The Doll's House (Issues 9 - 16). There are a total of 75 issues totaling 10 collections, so expect a few more seasons to come for this dreamy show.
Overall, I would say this is quite a successful adaptation of this brilliant series by Neil Gaiman. Each cast member brings their all to make this adaptation a memorable one. Tom Sturridge remarkably plays the physically powerful yet emotionally vulnerable Dream of the Endless, and Boyd Holbrook brilliantly plays the deadly yet seductive serpent the Corinthian. Even Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who played Dream's older sister Death, delivers a stunning performance despite appearing in only one episode. Honestly, the entire show is just brilliant from its cast to its cinematography. I can't wait for the next season to come to Netflix. I can only dream it will be as brilliant as this one.
Sweet Dreams.
Imagine yourself as an insect, a water beetle to be exact, swimming around searching for food when all of a sudden, a giant frog swallows you whole! What would you do then?
For Regimbartia attenuata, the only option besides accepting your fate and dissolving quietly is to search for the rear-end exit. Shinji Sugiura, an ecologist at Japan's Kobe University, discovered that these amazing beetles actively escape death by swimming through a predator's digestive tract and exiting from its butt, intact with no observable damage.
Regimbartia attenuata escaping from the vents of Pelophylax nigromaculatus and Hyla japonica (4× speed). Video credit to Current Biology
While rare, the phenomenon is not unheard of as certain snail species are known to seal their shells shut and await excretion to survive being eaten by birds or fish. However, what makes this particular research fascinating is that the prey (water beetle) is actively escaping the predator (frog) rather than passively waiting for the digestion process to be complete.
Hypothetical escape route of Regimbartia attenuata through the frog digestive system. Photo credit to Kobe University.
For further reading, you can click on the following link for the research article published in Current Biology on August 3, 2020.
In 2019, wildlife researcher Andrea Malek discovered evidence that the critically endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) may have successfully bred itself in the wild, providing a future where these elusive beetles may once again become a part of the native American ecosystem.
An American burying beetle (N. americanus). Critically endangered though the possibility of species re-establishment now seems brighter. Photo credit to The Columbus Dispatch.
Once common throughout the United States and Canada, it is believed that N. americanus dwindled in population due loss of appropriately sized food sources, light pollution, and competition from larger scavengers among other things.
A pair of mating beetles are about to be placed in their makeshift home where they will feed, mate, and produce new offspring, all on top of a warm cozy carcass. Photo credit to the Columbus Dispatch.
To re-establish the American burying beetle population, breeding programs at The Wilds in Muskingum County, Ohio were initiated with new populations released every summer. However, none seem to have survived the winter period, until now.
Click on the link above to read more about these fantastic beetles and the breeding program maintained by The Wilds and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife division.
Suitable for inducting future children of the night into the horror genre, for horror fans new and old, this film is an essential viewing featuring horror icon Bela Lugosi in the titular role of Dracula.
Overall, this film has quite the suspenseful cinematographic atmosphere though it can feel a bit stiff and disconnected at times. Some of my favorite scenes involve Dracula getting out of his coffin under his creepy crypt or when the camera focuses on his eyes when he compels his victims. Honestly, Lugosi brings out the Stranger Danger!!! bell warnings every time he appears on the screen.
Aside from Bela Lugosi, I personally felt that Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan, who played Renfield and Dr. Van Helsing respectively, really stole the show with their acting especially Frye when portraying Renfield's madness. Sloan really brings out Dr. Van Helsing's confidence in dealing with Dracula with his arsenal of crosses and wolfsbane.
The entire movie is roughly over an hour so it's a good pick for a quick horror sesh and as I've said before, due to the lack of blood and at most, suggestive biting from Dracula himself, the movie can be a good introduction to young minds ready to be warped into the horror genre.
Happy Hauntings!
![#053/ ∞ — [random Egypt Photos]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/d65e8b6201df82983d181bbfde81558f/533ca53918ccf6ea-f2/s500x750/ac5c127f9edf02d0feba1169c928c2f928d4175e.png)
Le Manoir du Diable (1896)
Considered the earliest horror film ever made, Le Manoir du Diable, French for House of the Devil, is an 1896 silent film by George Méliès about two wandering cavaliers and how the Devil played tricks on them.
Far from being terror-inducing, the entire 3-minute short film (quite ambitious at the time) was actually a comic sketch meant to evoke laughter and amusement from its audience, rather than fear. It was presumed lost until the late 1980s when a copy was found again and restored by the New Zealand Film Archives.
The Homes of Hidden Animals Series by Jeniak
This artist on Instagram // Twitter
Sell Your Haunted House (2021)
Finally, an exorcist with an actual job!
Hong Ji-a (Jang Na-ra) is the CEO of Daebak Realty, a real estate agency that exorcises haunted houses or apartments plagued by vengeful spirits. Together of Oh In-Beom (Jung Yong-hwa), a scammer with special psychic abilities, she helps put those spirits to rest and help the living move on from their distress and bereavement.
The series expresses on the idea that greed and corruption often creates resentment and regret, which in turn, fuels the creation of these vengeful spirits. Only by letting go of these negative energies (in most cases, stabbing at the heart with an exorcism needle), can both the dead and the living truly move on from their uncomfortable positions.
It's a heartwarming series with a number of comedic and horror moments. The storyline is very engaging and the cast members really compliment each other, making this series a very interesting addition to your watchlist.
Kan- wa ma kan.
It was- and it was not.
It's how all the stories start. They tell you of what was and what wasn't, but they don't tell you which is which.
Perhaps you are seven. Perhaps you are eight. You ask the sweet, greying hakawati (story crafter) "but a'amu (uncle), was it real?" Your eyes bright with eagerness and hope. And he tells you, his smile never faltering, "kan wa ma kan, my child. It was and it wasn't. Perhaps it is real. Perhaps there were caverns and theives and treasure. Perhaps there were empires and warriors and charmers. Perhaps it was the land of mysteries- the very land that Shahrazad spoke of. And perhaps it was not."
You close your eyes to better imagine the stories the old man tells. What a wild thing it was, your imagination- and even wilder his was, for the stories he crafted were his own. Flying carpets. Music. Mercenaries. A king's banquet. A marid (jinn) to make your wishes come true. "But was it?" You ask. Desperately hoping it was. And more so wishing it is. "It was and it wasn't," your hakawati says smiling.
You can smell the sweet smoke from the altars that burn ever so steadily; consuming an offering to gods long forgotten. You can hear the echoes of music long since silenced. You see the dances of people long dead. You know their stories. "But was it?" You press further. "It was and it wasn't," the old man says, his smile never fading.
You're out in the golden dunes of Arabia. A glistening object catches your eye and you take hold of it- and you are knocked back by the force of the marid storming out. "Shobeik lobeik. A'bdak bein edeik. Your wish is my command." He says. But you have no desire for anything other than answers "was it real?" You ask, but he disintegrates into whatever nothingness he came from, leaving you asking yourself whether or not it was. Whether or not you are.
You are growing up. You are now thirteen. You have yet to stop asking "was it?" Your father says it was not. Your brother says it was not. Your friend says it was not. But you are wild and stubborn. You say "but what if it was?" And they laugh you off.
Four years later and you are seventeen; and the raging fire of the stories' magic within you dims to embers. Your hakawati has long since passed away. You keep his smile tucked into a fold so deep in your heart you nearly forget about it. And you stop asking for stories. You stop asking "was it?" And what is even worse, though, is that you start to believe that perhaps, after all, it was not. That it never was.
But I am here to tell you this; it was. You spoke to the marid. You heard the music. You saw the people dancing and you smelled the offerings to their gods. It might be so deep within you, as deep as your beloved hakawati's smile is buried. And I want you to know that you, now, have your answer.
The Argent
A Ghoster mini-comic.
Read online
If you love the multitude of horrors found at the SCP wiki, you'll enjoy this short horror comic by Azam Raharjo, inspired by our resident strangler, SCP-173 him/her/itself (??). You can check the comic out and his other works here. His Twitter link is also available here for a follow.
Beware All Who Enter
Here lies the passage to the dead. Or living. On undecided. Honestly, no pressure except the one you put on yourselves.
Hello, my name is Fisher (pseudonym, obviously!) and this is my personal blog. I'll mostly write or reblog about:
Horror stuff such as book reviews and movie or tv suggestions but mostly book reviews.
Paranormal shit from your haunted hollows to curious cryptids and demonic denizens
Beetles and cats cause these two are my favorite animals
Art pieces here and there. Links will be given. If I forgot to credit, please let me know.
Generally anything green. Aesthetics, fashion, nature photos, you name it. If it's green, it's in.
There will be a number of posts on Malaysian culture (Guess where I'm from?) and Islamic anecdotes sprinkled in as well.
Contents are generally posted on Thursdays after 7pm. Please keep any and all messages civil. Notice how I only use one profanity in this post. That's all. Explore safely and happy hauntings.
Mango & Sticky Rice by Khristina Cruz
My favorite piece from Will Draw For Good 2020. You can check out her Insta here
Introduction to the Six Common Types of Spirits to Expect When Going on a Spook Hunting Session
Spook-spotting requires preparations and one of the preparations needed is figuring out exactly what type of spirits we are dealing with. Depending on the case, the spook could be one of the following six:
1. The Detached or Replay Spirits. The most common spirits to encounter, replay spirits are shades of the dead that "replay" the events of their tragic deaths over and over again. They tend to keep to themselves and have minimal to zero interactions to living humans.
Protocol: Observe and record their activities without interruption. Communication may be attempted but don't get your hopes up. Even if some of them interact, there is nothing to be done for the spirit themselves. The surrounding psychic energy keeping them trapped will, according to the first law of thermodynamics, eventually dissipate, though how long they will remain trapped, only time will tell.
2. Poltergeist. German for "noisy spirit", it is the second most common spirit to encounter. Always invisible, it makes its presence known through noisy disruptions hence the name. They tend to come and go as they please, though they often focus their antics onto a particular person or family, even buildings. Though violent, it is rarely murderous.
Protocol: Be prepared with backups when dealing with these types of spirit. Chances are, your cameras and other recording equipments will be thrown about during the spook-spotting sessions. Don't forget to bring a few sets of first aid kits. There will be bruising and scratches.
3. The Interactive Spirit. Third most common spirits to encounter and the most diverse. They can range from curious benign spirits to malevolent vengeful ghosts. These are the types that have unfinished business with the living, and if encountering one, it is advisable, though not warranted, that you try to help finish their earthly business.
Protocol: Be cautious. Interactive spirits are temperamental and the slightest agitation can send them flying off the handle. Observe in groups for security, preferably 5:1 in human-to-spirit ratio. If you have a skilled negotiator, bring him or her along. These types of spirits are generally attached to a particular person or building. So if the negotiations go sideways, it is advisable to destroy said building or individual to release the spirit's bond from the earthly plane.
4. Transport or Vehicular Ghost. This is one of the rarer spirits on this list. They behave similarly to detached or replay spirits. However, it is still unknown what triggers their manisfestation. It is also uncertain whether these can be considered spirits at all.
Protocol: Observe and record as normal. Corporeality of vehicular spirits have not been tested since these spirits usually appear far away from observers. For vehicular spirits that appear close to the observer, take caution as people approached by said spirits often report feeling anxious and unexplained dread when approached by these apparitions
5. Animal spirits. About as rare as vehicular spirits, cases of actual animal spirits are still quite uncommon because often witnesses confuse seeing animal spirits with demon cats or hellhounds. They often haunt their previous owners and can be either benign or malicious, depending on how their owners treat them when they are still alive
Protocol: Be nice. These spirits still have an attachment to their owners and it's best not to provoke either them or their owners. Keep your documenting equipment on standby as most cases involving animal spirits only document quick animal-like motions or mannerisms only their owners recognize. Full body apparitions are rare.
6. The Omen Spirit. Rarest of the six spooks and the hardest to document. They typically appear to a particular person or group and they never stay long. Sightings range from pale shades to full-body apparitions.
Protocol: Be vigilant and keep your documenting equipment on standby all the time. You'll have a better chance to capture it on camera if the spirit is attached to a group rather than a person.
These are the Big Six though there are variations within each of them. Some may argue that since vehicular spirits behaved very similarly to detached spirits, these two should be within a supergroup of their own. But whatever your arguments may be regarding spirit classification, always keep your wits about and have a safe spook spotting session wherever you might be.
Happy Hauntings!
Book Review: Informania: Ghosts by Christopher Maynard (2000)
Title: Informania: Ghosts
Author: Christopher Maynard
ISBN13: 9780744577105
Informania: Ghosts offers a brief introduction to everything ghost-related from ghost hunting to films about ghosts. Suitable for young readers and enthusiastic adults alike, the book is divided into five sections:
An abridged version of Algernon Blackwood’s “The Empty House”. Short but suspenseful nevertheless.
A scrapbook by famed ghost hunter Dee Bunker detailing her findings and favorite cases. Dee talks about her experience, her golden rules of ghost hunting, and more.
A tour booklet through the National Museum of Phoney Ghosts. Led by Sir Ghastlie Mones, visitors will see how some of the best ghost sightings can also be the worst scams imaginable.
A Fright Night film guide for all ghost-related movies. Not necessarily horror, but the listing is quite interesting no less, with line-ups like The Cat and the Canary (1927), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), and A Chinese Ghost Story (1987).
A handy reference guide to all things ghost-related such as a timeline of hauntings, a map detailing different variants of spooks, and even an internet listing for further reading.
The book itself is quite entertaining and good for early exposure to the world of the paranormal. However, since it was published in 2000, some of the information present within the book may be outdated.
Happy Hauntings!