The Supernatural

Encounters with the invisible. . .

I am fascinated by the paranormal, having experienced a few paranormal things myself. This section will mainly be dedicated to the things that I enjoy that deal with the supernatural like, books, TV shows, articles, etc. . .

Stigma - Short ghost story

I came across this short film on Youtube.  It was apart of the series, "A Ghost Story for Christmas."   Brief synopsis:  A family moves into a cottage in the English countryside that is near some ancient rocks.  One of the stones is in their own back garden, and they decide to have it removed.  When it is gone, a body is discovered, and horrible things start to happen to the mother of the family.  Has an ancient burial ground been disturbed?  

You can easily stream this movie on Youtube.  Enjoy!  ;)

Ghost Stories by MR James

Those of you that have been reading my blog know my love of horror films and books.  Recently, I went on a quest to find some really good ghost stories.  During my search, I came across three short stories by MR James, an English Archaeologist and a great storyteller in his time and even now.  I like MR James because he writes supernatural books that are realistic and coherent, while most are just a bunch of gibberish and foolishness.

Anyway, back to it.  These three stories that I found were apart of "A Ghost Story for Christmas,"  TV series in England in which ghost stories are shown on TV during the Christmas holiday season.  I really admire that the British seem to make a tradition out of doing this, and I've always thought that ghost stories are appropriate for Christmas.  They are comforting, yet scary, and warm.  Imagine, sitting near the fireplace drinking tea or cocoa with family and friends, and  watching a ghost story that scares you, but remembering that you have those people close by to lean on and help you through the fear - that really brings you all closer, which is what Christmas season is all about - closeness.  Scary stories work in favor of this. 

The three stories from the series that I really liked are listed below.  Please check these out if you are looking for a great ghost story.  Two of these - "A View from a Hill" and "Whistle and I'll come to you" can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video for free. The other one, "The Tractate Middoth" can be watched on Youtube.

A View From A Hill 

Synopsis:

How different Fanshawe's holiday might have been had his trusty binoculars not broken. The Squire's archaic pair prove strangely bewitching, but is everything they see to be believed? And why does their very mention fill the elderly butler with dread? He looks like he's seen a ghost, or worse. Perhaps Fanshawe should have consulted the old man before venturing up Gallows Hill. Some stones are better left unturned, and questions of the dead should remain the secrets of the past, because sometimes the dead answer back.   -Review from IMDB

For this next film, there have been two adaptations of it - one in 1968 and one in 2010. The 1968 adaptation is entirely like the story written by MR James, but the 2010 version takes a total spin on it.  For me, both films were great to watch, as the acting was good (I am a fan of John Hurt (2010 version) ever since "Merlin") and the stories both were frightening.  However, I would have to say that the 1968, the true account of what MR James wrote, is by far my favorite.

Whistle and I'll Come to You, 1968

 Synopsis:

A university professor, confident that everything which occurs in life has a rational explanation, finds his beliefs severely challenged when, during a vacation to a remote coastal village in Norfolk, he blows through an ancient whistle discovered on a beach, awakening horrors beyond human understanding. -Review from IMDB

Whistle and I will Come to You, 2010

 Synopsis:

After placing his ailing wife Alice in a care home, elderly academic James Parkin goes to stay at a wintry out-of-season hotel which they used to visit together. Walking on a deserted beach he finds a ring with a Latin inscription,which translates as Who Is This Who Is Coming. He takes the ring back to the hotel but at night he hears loud banging on his door,even though he is the sole guest,as well as seeing a white-clad apparition on the beach.He is seemingly the victim of ghostly revenge - but who is the avenger?  -Review from IMDB

Finally, we arrive at the last of my favorite of the series.  I can say that BBC did a great job with this one.  It was more like a movie than a short story.  I really enjoyed this mystery behind this one.  It kind of reminded me of the Twilight Zone a bit!  :) The ending is very creepy.

The Tractate Middoth

 Synopsis:

On his deathbed vicar Rant makes a secret confession to his niece Mary Simpson about the location of his Will. Some twenty years later young librarian William Garrett is asked by elderly John Eldred to locate a book called 'The Tractate Middoth' but a mysterious cloaked figure takes the book from the shelves as the librarian goes to fetch it.  Who is this ghastly figure in the cloak?  And, what does it want with the Tractate Middoth?

SoulMate and Haunter

*Spoiler Alerts*

Two extraordinary ghost stories!  I was surprised to find both of these movies on Netflix a few months ago.  "Soulmate" is an remarkable atmospheric ghost story about a widow who moves to a Welsh cottage, essentially out in the middle of no where after the death of her husband, only to find that the cottage is already occupied by the spirit of a man who used to live there.  I was thinking that this would be a ghost story like all the rest that I have seen, but surprisingly, it wasn't.  The widow finds solace in the presence in her home, and in a weird way, he come to be her friend - so she thinks....   . . . This tale may seem a bit over the top, but it is done convincingly and realistically.  This movie is really worth a watch.  It's a good watch on a cold winter's night with a cup of tea!  ;)  

Click movie poster for trailer

*Spoiler Alerts*

A ghost story like no other.  ....In the first half of the movie, we learn that Lisa, the main character in the movie, is the ghost.  Lisa and her family have been murdered long ago, but don't really know it, though Lisa expects it because they keep doing the same thing over and over day after day.  And what's also weird is that they can't leave their house because of the thick fog that constantly blinds their way and sends them back to the the front door.  

In the beginning, Lisa thinks that her house is haunted, and that is rightfully true, but her house is not haunted by a ghost - she's the ghost-  remember? - it's haunted by a real life family who's presence intercepts with the ghost of Lisa who is trapped there.  Both the living and dead families have to stand together to defeat a presence much more sinister and  horrible than anything imaginable.  Will Lisa and the living family that occupies the house win?  You'll have to watch and see! ;)

Click movie poster for trailer

Perfect and simple ghost story for a rainy afternoon...

Florence has just been adopted by her great uncle and aunt, which means that she'll no longer call the crowded orphanage in London home. Her new home is far from London and is dark and gloomy. Crutchfield Hall seems to be holding wicked secrets from the past. When Florence begins to feel that she is being watched by unseen eyes, hears her name being called by an unknown ghostly voice, and her sickly cousin tells her about his sister, Sophia, who died in an accident at the house a year ago, Florence begins to dread living there, and longs to be back in the crowded orphange in London. Little does Florence know, Sophia has returned from the dead and seeks revenge: to take someone back to the grave with her. . .

Best Ghost Story...

As I have stated, I love the paranormal. Throughout my life, I have been intrigued by the paranormal. Growing up down south in a family that were owners of over 200 acres of land in which the Civil War, slavery, lynchings, and other horrific events occured on, gave me the opportunity to experience my own encounters with the invisible. Twice in my life, I have been in the presence of the ghosts, once when I was 5 years old, and another time when I was 22. I'll tell my stories later.

Anything paranormal is interesting to me, whether it's watching a scary movie or T.V show or reading a ghost story. I have posted one of my favorite ghost stories. If you want to cuddle up with a warm, scary book, I advise you to go check this one out ASAP!
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More of my favorite ghost stories
I received an email from a friend who wanted to know some other titles that I enjoy. I have posted 3 of my favorite ghost stories. I've been reading books by Mary Downing Hahn since I was like 10 years old. These books are juvenile (they are very realistic though), and for that reason, they are very easy to read. I really liked The Old Willis Place a lot, but I would have to say that Wait till Helen Comes is by far my favorite. Deep and Dark and Dangerous is a sad ghost story, and after reading it, I had tears streaming down my cheeks.

*click for a larger view