Dracula

Who and what is Dracula? Well, Dracula is a 1897 novel by the author Bram Stoker featuring the Count Dracula. The story of Dracula has been attributed to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. It is told as an epistolary novel, that is, told as a series of lettires, diary entries, ships' logs, etc. Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel's influence on the popularity of vampires has been responsible for many theatrical, film and telivision interpretations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Ok, so that's the novel but what about Dracula the actual guy? Who was he? Or did he even exist?
Vlad the Impaler was real. He was also known as Vlad Dracula, and was a ruler of Wallachia in the 15th century and became famous for his use of impalement as a form of execution. Even today he is still considered by some form of leadership.
     He was born in 1431 to a Transylvanian father and Moldavian mother of royal descent. He was educated by his mother and her ladies-in-waiting. His military education was provided by his father and an old boyar who had trained with the Turks. At the time of Dracula's birth Transylvania was ruled by Hungary.
            In 1444, he and his brother Radu were taken hostage by the Turks. They spent the next four years in Turkey, where Vlad received his political and military training.
           In 1448, when he was 17, he ws freed and given his own army by the Turks. He ruled Wallachia for 2 months before fleeing to Moldavia. His father and older brother Mercia had been assassinated in 1447 by the family's enemies, the Hunyadi family. Dracula had received word that the Hunyadi family was in Wallachia.
          In 1456, after the death of his mortal enemy, John Hunyadi, Vlad gained the Wallachian throne. He set up is capitol in the city of Tirgoviste and it became the center of political power and the home of the Orthodox Church.
Dracula was deposed by the Turks in 1462. For twelve years, from 1462- 1474, he remained a prisoner of King Matthius in Hungary. During this time, Vlad had married a member of the royal family and he also became a Catholic.
For a short period of time, he regained his throne in 1476 and after two months, he was killed fighting the Turks near Bucharest.
Today, Dracula is known as a hero of Romania. He is respected for fighting the Turks and he unified Wallachia and created a strong sense of pride in its native people. He was also the last Wallachian prince to remain independent of the Ottoman Empire.
The folklore of Romania is full of stories of his horrific treatment of his enemies. There are many legends of who he was and how he lived. There are stories that remain strong in establishing Vlad as a bloodsucking, cruel tyrant.
Vlad, the Impaler. Supposedly, the real Dracula.

 In movies, he is portrayed as a bloodsucking vampire.
Whether you believe he was a vampire or an emperor, it is still interesting to watch him as a vampire in movies.

The Haunting in Connecticut!

As you should know, the movie is based on a true story. The movie is really good and pretty intense.
But if you want to know the true story, here it is:
       In 1986, Carmen and Al Snedeker moved to the small town of Southington, Connecticut, with the purpose of being closer to the hospital at which their oldest son was being treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The family was down on their luck and decided to rent what seemed to be the perfect house. It was large enough for their family, which included three children and a cousin and the rent was affordable for them.
      While they were moving in, Al made a very startling discovery; in the basement their were embalming tables and equipment. It turned out the house used to be a funeral home. The basement, which was split into several rooms was big enough to be the two boys' bedroom.
       Not longer after they moved in, Carmen says she started experiencing strange phenomena like items disappearing and the children saying they have seen things and also hearing voices and sounds of hundreds of birds taking flight. Her oldest, who was in the middle of radiation treatment, began to show huge personality shifts. becoming angry and withdrawn. He began writing poetry with the obsession of death and corpses themes. During one extreme episode, he attacked and tried to rape his cousin. His family had him arrested and taken for an evaluation, where he was pronounced schizophrenic. At that, he was removed from the house and would not return until he was better.
      Other strange events that were reported by the family included the brutal and repeated rape of both Carmen and her niece, as well as acts of sodomy being performed on her husband by unseen entities. Even more incidents also include mop water turning blood red and the scents of rotting flesh and decay throughout the house. She was also scared of apparitions she saw, including one with black hair and black eyes and the other with white hair and eyes wearing a pinstriped tuxedo.
           It was to these events Carmen decided to contact paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
                  Along with John Zaffis and a few other investigators, the Warrens moved into the house for several weeks until they experienced everything the Snedekers claimed. During their time in the house, they claim to have seen first-hand the damage the "demons" could inflict. Many members were being slapped and beaten, pushed, and slammed to the floor. Investigation into the histroy of the house said that one of the undertakers of the funeral home was found guilty of necrophilia. It got so bad that the Warrens considered doing a full-scale exorcism of the property. After that, the Warrens judged the property "cleared".
                    With the evil banished from the house, that should have been the end. But it wasn't.
                The Controversy?
Like another Warren investigation, the infamous Lutz house in Amityvillle, there have been very many claims by the people who lived there, both before and after the Snedeker family, that there have never been any "evil entities" in the house. In fact, the family's cliam to have no knowledge that the house was once a funeral home. Perhaps the most considerable evidence that the whole event was a hoax came from horror novelist Ray Garton, who wrote the book In a Dark Place with the Warrens and the Snedekers. According to Garton, it was hard to write the "true" story  because none of the people involved could keep their stories straight. It seemed everyone was denying the statements of everyone else. When he went to Ed Warren with the problem, Garton wrote in a post dated April 27, 1999:
                  " He told me not to worry, the family was 'crazy'. I was shocked. He said, ' All the people who come to us are crazy. You think sane people would come to us?' He knew I'd written a lot of horror novels prior to that, so he told me to just make the story up using whatever ideas I could put into the book, and make it scary."
Furthermore, others who have lives in the house during, and prior to, the same time have similar stories to tell. They say therewere a few odd experiences, but nothing compared to what the Snedekers claimed.
                 Whether this is true or not, it does make a great story. The house surely seem like it would be a place for a haunting, and whatever did go on in the house, the effects of it are being felt now by the current owners, but not in the supernatural form.
The Snedekrs lives in the house for two years after the exorcism and then moved to Tennessee. The children are now grown with their own children and Carmen is now a "spiritual advisor".
No one knows for certain if anything actually happened in the house, but it is doubtless that the story will become as famous as The Amityville Horror, and much for the same reason.
Photos from the movie:

Scary Christmas!

Who says you have to watch just good jolly movies for Christmas? Why not watch scary Christmas movies?
Here's a list of some pretty scary movies:
 Santa's Slay (2005)
This movie is the only killer santa flick of all time that pictures the actual Santa as a murderer; not some guy dressed up as santa. It seems that santa has been pretending to be good for the past 1,000 years because he lost a bet with an angel; and now it seems he is actually the spawn of satan. I don't really think this movie would be real good for little kids because, instead of being scared of the boogie man or whatnot, they might be scared of Santa.
 Black Christmas (2006)
This is a very odd remake of the 1974 version which attempts to give a back story to the anonymous killer that includes incest and yellow skin. Yikes!
  P2 (2007)
Leaving her work on late Christmas Eve, Angela, which is played by Rachel Nichols, is at the mercy of a deranged security guard (Wes Bentley) in her empty office building.
 Wind Chill (2007)
This movie is much like Dead End, which finds people- this time a pair of college students- heading home for Christmas, only to take a wrong turn and end up on a strange road that seems to have a mind of its own. I guess the moral of this is: don't go anywhere on Christmas Eve.

And last but not least:
 The Nightmare Before Christmas (2008)
Despite having recently taken control over a very successful Halloween, Jack Skellington, aka the Pumpkin King, is bored with his job and feels life in Halloweentown lacks meaning. The he stumbles upon Christmastown and decides to make the yuletide his own. This is a very good movie for all fans that love Tim Burton!

The Provincial Hotel in New Orleans

This lovely hotel is located in the French Quarter at 1024 Charles Street and adds charm to New Orleans with its antique furnishings and spacious courtyard.  It was once the Confederate hospital and confederate soldiers and doctors have been seen wandering the corridors. Moans and groans have been heard throughout the whole place.
A little history about this place:
           In 1718, Jean Baptiste LaMoyne, Sieur de Bienville, established New Orleans as the capitol of Louisiana. The land on which this hotel is located was a grant from King Louis XV of France to Bienville's Lieutenant Louis Boucher de Granpre in 1725.
          In 1775, it was sold to Chevalier Jean Lavillebeuvre, an Indian agent for the Frech Colony form 1780 until 1797. Then in the 1800's, it was acquired and developed by the Laurans and Rogue families.
          In 1903, it was sold to French Market Ice Company. The Dupepe family purchased the tract after fire destroyed the Ice Company in 1958. The family then built the 100-200 buildings which opened as a hotel in 1961.
          Well, it seems like this hotel has been through a lot of families and has some history to it. Below are some beautiful photos of the Provincial Hotel.
 It's no wonder weddings take place here. It's so romantic.

 The Provincial Courtyard

 One of the magnificent hotel guest rooms.

 The French Quarter

This is really one of the perfect places to go if you're looking for a romantic getaway. (and a ghostly encounter)

Werewolf Myths and Facts!

There are a lot of myths about these creatures but there are a lot of facts about them. Here are some myths and facts about them:
         Myth: You must use a silver bullet to kill a werewolf.   

     Fact: Silver is identified with the moon and is ideal to slay a creature tansformed under the light of the moon.
Therefore, to kill a werewolf, you must use bullets or cartridges with major stopping power which do not need to be made of silver.

Myth:Werewolves only appear under a full moon.    
Fact: There are long superstitions about the moon's effects on animals and people, however, werewolves can appear any time.

Myth: A werewolf will go back to its human form by sunrise.   
Fact: This myth is used A LOT in Hollywood movies. The truth is a werewolf remains a werewolf until the day it dies.

Myth: You can become a werewolf by performing a magical ritual.
Fact: This is from the association of werewolves with black magic, Satanism and the occult. However, you can only become a werewolf by being bitten by a werewolf.

These are some of the facts and the myths about werewolves but some people like to believe different things. Movies portray the myths very well and that's why there are different things to believe about these mythical creatures. Who knows if werewolves are even real? You decide. What's your opinion on them?

Windsor Castle in London, England

For 900 years, there has been a castle on this site. The Windser Castle is still lived in to this day and is the largest inhabited castle in the world.
            One ghost story tells of Herne, as one of the Royal keepers for King Richard II, who was hated by the other keepers for his hunting skills. One day, the king was in danger of being trampled by an enraged stag while hunting and Herne put himself between the king and the stag and mortally wounded the stag. He can be seen in the castle's garden with his trademark stag's head.
       King Henry VIII has been seen walking the hallways of the castle. Guests have heard his footsteps along with agonizing moans.
Queen Elizabeth I,as well as Anne Boleyn, have been seen standing at the window in the Dean's Cloister. Queen Elizabeth I has also been seen in the Royal Library and walking from one room to another. She is always wearing a black dress and a black shawl draped over her shoulders.
     Another royal sighting is King Charles I. He has been seen many times in the library and the Canon's House. Although, he was beheaded, his ghost is seen as a whole.
            King George III had many bouts of mental deterioration and during these times he was kept out of the public eye. He can be seen looking out the windows below the Royal Library where he was confined during his illness.
Last but not least, Sir George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, is said to haunt one of the bedrooms in the castle.
                There are many spirits who haunt the Long Walk. One of them is a young soldier who shot himself after he saw statues moving on their own while he was on guard watch. His ghost was seen by another soldier on duty afterwards.
It's such an amazing castle and very huge!




The State Apartments are lavishly decorated formal rooms still used for state and official functions.
 A guard on duty. These guards are said to never move or laugh.

A beautiful, but eery, photo of the castle at night.

The Long Walk.

Inveraray Castle in Scotland

This castle is haunted by many ghosts. In 1644 the Duke of Argyll was driven from the castle by Marquis of Montrose. As the duke departed the castle, his harpist was left behind. The harpist was caught peeking through a keyhole at the Lady of the house and for this, he was hung. The ghost of the harpist has been seen still wandering the castle, wearing his Campbell Tartan. It is also said that he is heard playing his harp in the castle's library.
Another ghost is said to be a ghost that warns of the Campbell Chieftain. It is said that two days before the death of a chief a ghostly galleon was seen sailing up Loch Fynne. When the ship reaches land it doesn't stop; instead it keeps going on land and heads for the castle to claim its victim. In the 18th century a chief was so convinced that the ghost ship was coming to him that he actually drank poison so he wouldn't disappoint the ghostly crew.
On July 10th, 1758, a physician, William Hart, was walking along the castle grounds with two other men. The three had witnessed a battle in the sky between the Highland and French Soldiers. They saw that the Highlanders had to retreat and left behind many of the dead soldiers. Two ladies had also witnessed the battle in the sky. Several weeks later, startling news arrived from America, telling of how a Highland regiment 300 of its soldiers on July 10, 1758.
A ghost of a woman who was murdered by the Jacobites is seen wandering the castle. Below are pictures of the castle:

 The Dining Room
Wow! Isn't that beautiful?!
 I would love to go there!

Abandoned Schoolhouse in Calgary, Canada

This schoolhouse is known for not wanting to be demolished. The legend is that what remains is indestructible.When the schoolhouse was open there was a fire and three children lost their lives. People have reported to have heard the children laughing, playing, and even falling down. The mysteriousness of this abandoned schoolhouse goes even farther. After two years after the fire and death of the children they tried to tear it down, but in vain. The Calgary workers suddenly all came down ill and couldn't work. After that attempt, they tried using a wrecking ball but mysteriously, the motor died. Upon returning to construction the wrecking ball and motor worked perfectly fine. The third time was with a wrecking ball and this time the ball fell. No one else has tried to tear down the abandoned schoolhouse.
I'm sure the children don't want their only home to be destroyed so that's why they are preventing it. Either that or they love school.

Hamakuapoko- between Paia and Haiku

This place was once a thriving plantation with sugar tycoons' mansions now razed. The remaining structures is the former location of Maui High School which is now a research facility. People say that there are many ghosts that roam around the location. Theses ghosts range from ancient Hawaii to the missionary and plantation days which means that there are a lot of ghosts that roam the area. Among these are choking ghosts who choke students playing hooky. In Maui High, there are reports of a girl who haunts the girls' bathroom. You can hear her crying and sobbing behind the now boarded up bathroom door. Below are some pictures of Hamakuapoko.


The Hamakuapoko beach- so beautiful!


A suspicious fire gutted half of the main building at the Maui High School.

No More October!

Wow, it's already November! Where did October go? Better yet, where did the year go? Soon it will be New Years 2011. Slow down time. Anyway, how was your Halloween? Mine was ok I guess. I just stayed home the whole weekend and had a party of my own. I rented out some good movies and watched those with my boyfriend. Now, it's Monday November 1st and soon before we know it, it'll be Thanksgiving and then Christmas which means.....WINTER!! Oh no!

Halloween Books!!

For all you book fans out there just like me, here are some scary books to read.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Magic Hour
Shadowbound
Mr. Shivers
Under the Dome
Carrie
The 13th Witch
Afraid
It
Salen's Lot
The Shining
Misery
The Walking Dead
The Countess
The Little Stranger
The Haunting of Hill House
Bag of Bones

This is a pretty good list of books to read. A lot of these are Stephen King since he writes so many horror books.

Werewolves Friday!

Today I want to do something on werewolves so I decided to do werewolf movies that have been and will be. Here's a list of them:

Ginger Snaps

Underworld (of course)
Blood and Chocolate
Big Bad Wolf
Blood Moon
Dog Soldiers
Werewolf Hunter: The Legend of Romasanta
Wild Country

Or course, this is just some of them. There are tons more. The website I found these on is: 25 Best Werewolf Movies There are some old ones and recent ones on this site.