Witch Hollow

More images here.

HAXAN Leftovers

Up o'er the hill and broken wall

There stole a weird form, bent but tall;

And softly through our unlatched door

She crept unbidden, and before

The hearth-fire crouching, gazed upon us all.

- George Houghton 

Poem here.

B&W Halloween

Images by Dallis Willard.

1976 Halloween

Images by sephisunset.

Hexeglaawe Review

Some photos from our Pennsylvania Folklore series.  

Read about them here.

Trailer: Oddity

My highest recommendation for this gem currently streaming on Shudder.  Oddity is everything I needed a modern horror movie to be.  We watched it last night and it was delightfully terrifying. 

Click below for the trailer (thankfully, it doesn't give away the entire film)... 

Sometimes Dead Is Better

Image source.

The Witch

I have walked a great while over the snow,

And I am not tall nor strong.

My clothes are wet, and my teeth are set,

And the way was hard and long.

I have wandered over the fruitful earth,

But I never came here before.

Oh, lift me over the threshold, and let me in at the door!

The cutting wind is a cruel foe.

I dare not stand in the blast.

My hands are stone, and my voice a groan,

And the worst of death is past.

I am but a little maiden still,

My little white feet are sore.

Oh, lift me over the threshold, and let me in at the door!

Her voice was the voice that women have,

Who plead for their heart's desire.

She came—she came—and the quivering flame

Sunk and died in the fire.

It never was lit again on my hearth

Since I hurried across the floor,

To lift her over the threshold, and let her in at the door.

- Mary Elizabeth Coleridge

Image by Jeff Bradley.

Motion

Image by Gerrit-Jan Visser.

Happy New Year

Hoping everyone's 2025 is better than their 2024, loaded with health and happiness.  And packed with creepy things - the good kind.

Hexeglaawe: River Witches

While most people think of Salem as the home of Witchcraft in America, Pennsylvania has a rich, but lesser-known history of Witch folklore.  Most notable is Emma Knopp (also known as Nellie Noll) - the River Witch of Marietta.  In 1928, her instructions to break a curse placed upon John Blymire resulted in Blymire and two accomplices committing the murder of Nelson Rehmeyer.  

In Fayette County, Mary “Moll” Derry, the Witch of Monongahela, was believed to have the ability to fly, and her curses could cause the death of anyone who crossed her.  Rattlesnakes were said to guard the door to her home along the Monongahela River.

In a wooded area by Ridley Creek, at the edge of the Delaware River in Eddystone Township, the Legend of the Witch of Ridley Creek is told.  Accused of causing sickness and death of local livestock and appearing to witnesses in ghostly form, Margaret Mattson stood trial for her crimes in 1683.  Thanks to the involvement of the colony's proprietor William Penn, Mattson was found guilty of having the reputation of a witch, but not guilty of bewitching animals, and was released.  A popular legend tells of William Penn dismissing the charges against Mattson by affirming her legal right to fly on a broomstick, saying "Well, I know of no law against it."

Pennsylvania's colony was founded on religious tolerance, and accusations of Witchcraft were treated far differently than in Salem, Massachusetts.  This tolerance may have made the Commonwealth a haven for those who practiced, leading to a surge in strange sightings and occurrences, with many still being reported even today.  

Now Playing: Escape

By Carbon Based Lifeforms.

Click below...

Halloween Porch

Image by Chris Jack.

Trailer: The Damned

Click below...

Thinking Of Halloween

As Christmas moves off into the past, I wanted to share some cozy Halloween atmosphere from K.O.'s The Skeleton Key blog.

Click below to watch the video...

Merry Christmas!

Hoping everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and a terrific holiday season.  

We were fortunate enough to have some light snow fall on Christmas Eve, so I set up a little festive Christmas scene in the backyard.  

On Earth Peace, Good Will Toward Men.

Now Playing: I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

A really great remix of an old classic.

Click below...

And click here for the song on youtube.

Night Monsters

More images here.

Snow Update

Yulish.  Very Yulish...

Star Wars - Airwolf Style

The giant boy in me is swooning.

Click below...

Now Playing: Some Winter Ambient

Eishalle by Paysage D'Hiver.  As some snow rolls our way (not much of it), I think back on those days when the white stuff was exciting and brought with it an early dismissal from the torments of school.  Or, even better, a snow day.  The most glorious of nature's gifts.  No school, and an entire day of building snow forts, having snowball fights, and sledding at a local golf course (owners probably hated it [and us]).  

Seems it doesn't snow much in these parts these days, and I'm a little sad to admit that I don't miss it.  As I get older (and older), I finally get why my grandparents seemed to live in fear of snow.  And the cold for that matter.  As I imagine a draft on my neck and scrunch up like Ebeneezer Scrooge.

But I AM really looking forward to this light snow.  Perfectly timed for the weekend before Christmas.  We'll have the appropriate music playing... and cookies baking.  And I will finally wrap some presents.

Click below...

Halloween Webs

Image by Chris Barrus.

Now Playing: Sanguis

By Raison D'Etre.

Click below...

The Seal Of Delcite

It was fun having children walk across a creepy Thaumaturgic Triangle on Halloween night.

  

"Fun."

  

They were unaware that their souls were being offered to the First Witch in her throne (as the mere act of passing over the Seal was all that was required for such a Dark Contract).  We braced for an angry parent accusing us of chalking a Satanic symbol on the porch, but thankfully no one seemed to mind (or maybe they didn't notice).  

We called it the Seal of Delcite as a nod to the Curse of Delcite mentioned in my personal favorite episode of the old AMAZING STORIES series.  The Curse of Delcite was supposed to be a spell to inflict hiccups on its target, but things don't go as planned and the antagonist (Christopher Lloyd) ends up losing his head (read more about it here).

I've mentioned it before a long time ago (old blog post here), but I always found that a backstory (even one that isn't shared with anyone) really aids the creative process.  And it helps make a Haunt more logical to the viewer.  

Click here for a short video.