Author Archives: Kier

About Kier

I've been on the web since about 1994. I have a background in a lot of things, including a five year stint as a journalist and over a decade of helping people get their message out to the world. I write on a number of subjects--everything from relationships to personal development to politics and every day life. I hope you get something worthwhile out of it.

Shadow People: Definitely Creepy

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There are a lot of strange things in the world.

Even mainstream science keeps finding new species and sub-atomic particles and bits of our past.

It’s that area of the Unknown–where science hasn’t gotten yet–where a lot of this paranormal stuff I talk about resides. Ghosts, psychic powers, magic, demons… and shadow people.

I was (apparently) seeing shadow people before it was “cool” to see shadow people. (Does that make me a paranormal hipster?) The Internet is now wild with stories of shadow people. Quickly looking over a lot of that it’s clear that most of the stories aren’t even close to what I and people I know experienced back in the 90s.

Some of those stories, though… some of them really match up far too well to be mere coincidence.

Of course, I don’t expect you to believe any of that. Especially if you’ve never seen a shadow person. Or a shadow “dog.” And that’s okay. Someday, I’m sure they’ll be adequately explained.

What would really make that easier, though, is if people would just stop making up stories about seeing them, apply some small amount of thought about their experiences before deciding they’ve seen a shadow person (or a ghost, or a demon, or whatever), and not totally freak out if/when it happens again.

Until that unlikely day, I’ll just keep an eye out in case they decide to show up around me again. It’s been a good many years now since I saw one. I’m really okay with that. Because, seriously, these things are creepy as all hell. I’ll take ghosts any day.

Take a few minutes and listen to me tell my tale and talk a little bit more about shadow people.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

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From Nightmare Fuel to Saturday Morning Cartoons

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Everything goes in cycles.

When it comes to entertainment, especially when we’re talking about horror, that cycles is from scary to funny.

There’s really not a lot of difference between horror and humor. Both rely on the unexpected to trigger a reaction. Both can change your view of a situation. And, more often than not, something that was once scary ends up being really funny somewhere down the road.

That cycle has played out two or three times now. The classic Universal Studios monsters, once the denizens of nightmares, became so ingrained in the general culture that they were no longer scary… and then took that extra step into being used in straight up comedies. Comedies for kids, even, if the roster of Saturday morning cartoons from the 80s and 90s are any gauge. (More so if you look at still-current permutations, like Monster High line of dolls and animated shows.)

The horror icons of the 80s aren’t that far behind. Jason and Freddy have already been parodied more than a few times and people far too young to have seen the films originally (or, technically, to even legally see the films now) know the characters and don’t show a bit of fear (not much awe, either, which is kind of sad) when it comes to them.

I had enough time to try a little something new in the vlog today. I actually added some pictures. They don’t quite look like I’d prefer them to, but, hey, I squeezed in some learning, so that’s a win in my book.

Anyway, check out my ramblings on how and why we have more funny vampires now than scary ones (and how we end up with scary ones again… have you seen The Strain? It’s like vampire zombies or something… definitely upping the creepy factor again.)

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

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Horror Comics Redux

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Just a quick overview of some horror comics history.

Those old horror comics are great things. More so when you take into account the impact they had–in part because of the people who tried so hard to ban them. Yeah, the legal action kind of killed the industry for a while, but, like any good zombie or vampire, you can’t ever totally get rid of them and they always come back.

In this case, it seems horror came back with a vengeance. At least if the movie theater of the 80s is any indication. And the current stead stream of horror-themed comics that are still being produced.

If you’re not aware, there was a huge push against the “corrupting influence” of horror comics spurred and epitomized by the book. It lead to actual Congressional hearings and, ultimately, the creation of the Comics Code Authority… which pretty much put a stake in the heart of horror comics (and anything that wasn’t kind of shallow). Read more than a little about it here.

There have been a ton of books written about the subject, and, now that we’re in more tolerant (and creative) times, you can get reprints and collections of a lot of those classic comics and magazines. The ones I mentioned in the vlog include:

And then there was the glorious In The Dark: A Horror Anthology anthology that I backed via Kickstarter (which you can, indeed, get on Amazon… and you should).

So, take a few minutes and and wander back in time to when the scariest thing about horror comics was the people who wanted to ban them… in today’s vlog.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

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Watch for the Slenderman

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My first introduction to the Slenderman was the Marble Hornets YouTube series (which I stumbled across completely randomly). The surreal nature of the “monster” mixed with the at times utterly banal reality of the clips really worked well for me. It was two seasons of episodes before I really had a handle on what was going on, and I use that term loosely as the story in total is gloriously amorphus in the way that urban legends often are.

This movie, Always Watching, was inspired by that YouTube show… which says more than a little about the impact it–and the Slenderman mythology as a whole–has had.

I’ll leave it to the vlog to review the movie and just say that I enjoyed it well enough.

Knowing that it’s Doug Jones in the suit and face-hiding mask is nice. And seeing Alexandra Breckenridge (currently on The Walking Dead) nearly unrecognizable as a redhead hanging out with Jake McDorman (who I was last watching on the quickly cancelled rom-com-sit-com Manhattan Love Story) with Chris Marquette (who, regardless of the tons of other things he’s done, will always be Adam from Joan of Arcadia to me) slowly going absolutely insane was a solid ride.

Definitely check out the history of the Slender Man… possibly the only urban legend we can completely trace the root of. Sadly, the creature has also been blamed for inspiring some real-life horror that’s at least on par with what’s in any movie or show.

If you’re a Marble Hornets fan or a Slender Man fan, let me know… and let me know what you think of this movie. But first, watch the vlog.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

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Tools of the Trade

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Every job has equipment that helps get stuff done. For those who investigate the paranormal, things are no different.

Sadly, we’re not talking PKE meters and proton packs. Outside of the movies, we deal with much more mundane tools. In today’s vlog, I talk about some of those.

There are tons of bits of electronics and whatnot that could be used in an investigation. Most of them are repurposed from other professional arenas. Some are newer hybrid devices that combine various functions in ways that are specialized for ghost hunting… it’s kind of grown into its own industry (not a big one, mind you, but an industry none-the-less).

I didn’t mention the more utterly mundane things–like pencils, paper, notebooks, and such–but those are incredibly important. Not just for keeping track of the where and when of your evidence collection, but also to keep other important notes about things you notice. Feelings you have, sounds you hear, flashes of insight or intuition you may have. All that becomes very useful in the follow-up research that goes on in a real investigation.

Have you ever done a ghost hunt? I want to know if you have.

Check out today’s vlog to get my full take on the tech.

Don’t forget that you have some say over what goes on for the next 100 days… click the big green button below here to get to the page where you can submit topic suggestions and questions (so I know what kinds of things you want to see go on in these videos).

[jbutton size=”xxlarge” color=”green” link=”http://durosia.com/vlog-questions” newpage=”yes”]Come Ask a Question Here[/jbutton]