October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 13: The Last Exorcism (2010)

The Last Exorcism has one of those titles that makes you forget about it and a poster that doesn't really match up to the film itself. So every time I see the post or hear the title, I have to rack my brain to remember the movie. And as I watched it, it just had too many things that made me think of Paranormal Activity and The Conjuring combined into some sort of shameful attempt at fear, with a little touch of Southern insanity.

The film is done as a faux documentary, with a film crew following a hoax preacher, Cotton Marcus, who claims he can do exorcisms, but really it's about praying on the weak. He shows up at this family's home and their daughter, Nell, is said to be possessed. There is the act of helping with an exorcism. Then little pieces are revealed that make the preacher think something else is going on and then things take a turn for the worst. The question lingers, though, as to whether or not she's truly possessed or is just ashamed of being pregnant as a young girl.

It essentially becomes a possession film revolving around a Satanic/Demonic cult. This is revealed further in The Last Exorcism II (um... let that title sink in for a second). As I'll get to in a later post, Paranormal Activity is essentially a demonic cult/possession film and isn't about a ghost at all! The Last Exorcism might also be touching on the Rosemary's Baby story of being forced to bear the son of a demon or Satan and you're at the mercy of the cult.

Regardless, the movie is pretty interesting. It has its own twists and turns that make it unique from other possession films, but the sequel is unnecessary with some horribly cheesy special effects at the end, as well as just a disappointing ending.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 12: The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a bit of a departure from the possession story that The Exorcist presents. What happens to the priest when the possessed dies as a result of the exorcism and how does psychiatric medicine figure into the label of demon possession?

The story is based on the real life story of Anneliese Michel, who went through a similar experience of being diagnosed with epilepsy, then depression, then other psychosis problems that required psychiatric help and medication. The long and short of the story is that medication over an almost 10 year period was having not effect on improving the condition and the family saw Anneliese getting worse. The family finally decided that she was possessed and called in a priest for support.

Possession and diagnosed mental illnesses or brain conditions have been a long battled issue. Well... not like people are out there challenging this daily, but it's a topic of debate and concern. Not only by people in the medical field and skeptics, but even by the Catholic Church itself. If we go back to the days before modern medicine, women who were suffering from various psychoses were committed to institutes (informal or otherwise) or were forced into seclusion via convents. The cultural history of the nun and it's presentations are rife with these types of conditions.

In The Exorcism of Emily Rose the matter is mental illness verses possession is well played out. Both sides of the case are presented, from symptoms to connections to even letters and testimonials. There is a level of the supernatural that makes you want to believe one side and there's a more realistic level that causes you to wonder about coincidence and subliminal suggestion.

While not endowed with shock horror value, the film has its moments, but I love the thinky quality it possesses (get it... possesses... hahaha...).

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 11: The Exorcist (1973)

While many exorcism and other supernatural spirit films call on the echoes of rituals and cults, The Exorcist brings us right into the realm of mysticism and the connections it has to the world - the old world and the new world. Clearly this is brought about with the opening at an archaeological dig. We sift through the remnants of the past, hoping the understand more about the ancient world, but instead we playing with things that we only think we know something about. Hubris. All the dichotomies the long opening offers because we get to Georgetown and the possession.

As the film plays out, though, we are introduced to the supernatural spirits' best friend... the Ouija board. This is the gateway to the demon who then wreaks havoc on Reagan and her mother. The Exorcist is its own classic horror film and the roots of so many other films clearly crib from it, even if they're in denial. I mean, honestly... once you enter into a genre you can argue it wasn't planned, but certain things become ingrained into our culture and occasionally find their way out into modern film.

An origin film and, again, it fits into this perfect start to more modern exorcism films.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 10: The Possession (2012)

The Possession has an interesting place in my spread of movies. It has the malicious spirit attached to an item quality, but that spirit possesses the daughter in a very demonic way.  The dybbuk box is part of Jewish mythology and there is part history and part fictionalized horror. The box itself is said to have been specifically a wine box and that, when burned, will burn an excessively long time, releasing the spirit. At some point, a guy created a box and sold it on eBay along with his fiction story about it, which is what this particular movie is based on. Well... based on the story, not buying the box off of eBay.

According to one of the histories I read, the dybbuk originally was considered a demonic spirit, but over time it was changed to be an angry spirit.  This is primarily why I put it between the possessed items and demonic possession. 

The Possession itself is an interesting movie. It follows the same traditional format of not realizing an item is possessed and essentially getting entangled in the situation. Again, here we have an individual who takes on the spirit from the box, fighting from inside. This is similar to the Annabelle movies in The Conjuring Universe.

One of the best images, though, is in the hospital and the scan of her inner body. A unique touch in this particular genre. Addressing that idea of where does a spirit or demon go when they possess us or is it just an ethereal thing. 

The film has its creepy moments and how people suffer at the hands of a possessed tween, but again the plot is relatively formulaic. 

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 9: Oculus (2013)

Oculus is an interesting movie that truly deals with a malevolent force. Like with Annabelle (the possessed doll), the main character, Kaylie, is convinced that an old mirror is responsible for the deaths in her family. She spends years and a good majority of money researching and finally tracking down the mirror. Kaylie waits for her brother, Tim, to be released for a psychiatric hospital where he has spent his time after being accused of killing his parents.

Kaylie gets Tim and takes him back to their childhood home where she attempts to rope him into documenting how evil the mirror is. Sadly, it doesn't go well for either of them, because the spirit that inhabits the mirror is determined to keep it's home safe so that he can continue to harass and torture the living.

Having just finished watching Annabelle Comes Home (2019), I found it interesting that Ed Warren asserts demons don't attach themselves to object, they attach themselves to people. I don't know if I buy that, despite demons seeking lifeforms and "haunt" the living until they can enter someone. But with Oculus, the spirit is clearly malicious and wants nothing more than to hurt the family.

When I think back on Oculus I always seem to have a different story in mind. Almost like it combines with another story. I think this is mostly due to the cover, but when I watched it again it really had that kind of psychological scare that comes along with malicious spirit movies. This spirit really goes all out to mess with their minds and it's hard not to feel sorry for the family.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 8: The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring Series absolutely enthralls me. I spent a good bit of time looking into how the films came about and how involved James Wan was in the production. As I mentioned in the Insidious commentary, Wan and Whannell and Peli are these three keystones to the modern take on the supernatural horror genre. What I found at the heart of the production started to open the lid of Pandora's Box even more than this binge session already had.

Long story short, the script went through a bunch of drama to the try to get made, but Chad and Carey Hayes were finally brought on to give the script a treatment and bring it up to something a bit more Hollywood. They are the ones to really bring in the Warren's POV of the events taking place, instead of it just focusing on the family's POV. Here, consultations with Lorraine Warren were even made. After the script had started to be floated, then they attached Wan as a director, which also brought with it Patrick Wilson.

The interesting connection that popped up was that the original writer of the initial script/story, Tony DeRosa-Grund, had made a deal with Gold Circle films. Clearly the deal fell through and the script just got moved around like crazy. Gold Circle films, though, is the production company that did The Haunting in Connecticut, which is another movie that is going to pop up later with the haunted house films.

Also, Carey and Chad Hayes had some horror credits to their name with House of Wax (2005) and The Reaping (2007). Not that any of these have a place in this holiday binge, but the slasher and psychological horror aspects I think are interesting backgrounds to have going into this new and cutting edge take on ghost films.

While I chose The Conjuring as my title item, I also am drawing in the other Conjuring movies. The emergence of one just built an entire franchise that still has a very intriguing development in regards to the ghost/spirit/haunted story genre.

Annabelle (2014-2019)
The Annabelle movies fall more into the possession category. The object (doll) is possessed by a demon and seeks a host to bring it to life. The demon was summoned through the prayers of desperate parents who wanted nothing more than to see their daughter again. How the story continues to develop is really intriguing, spanning numerous films. Another interesting connection between the Annabelle films/Conjuring Universe and the spirit films is Lulu Wilson, who is in Annabelle: Creation (2017) and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016). She plays Doris in Ouija - the girl who is possessed. She plays Linda in Annabelle - the girl who wants to stop the possessed Janice. The series is really engaging and I love watching it. It still has some spooks and scares after several watches.

The Nun (2018)
This is another demonic entity and I'm interested in seeing how this story unfolds. They say there will be a second one. This demon is connected directly to The Conjuring and what Lorraine Warren goes through. It's amazing how they make sure all the movies are linked. The Nun is focused on an actual demon and its possession of people. I think this movie, overall, is kind of weak. As someone who loves nun movies, this aspect is really disappointing. Once I link it up with the arrival of the nun in the other Conjuring movies, though, it adds a little more information and the potential overarching plot I find very intriguing. I, though, am insanely detail-oriented when it comes to film series and the picture from the convent of nuns is actually in Annabelle: Creation (2017). Sadly, there is no real  explanation of this and while the connection is there, it is never explained in either movie. Maybe the second nun movie will explain it more. Wan said there is tons of information to use to develop the story. It's just about getting a green light to move forward with projects.

The Conjuring (2013)
The two actual Conjuring films that have been done have primarily centered on actual spirits in the two houses that serve as primary setting and how they are affecting their respective two families. I like this presentation, because it reminds me of the roots of the television show Ghost Hunters. It's not about collecting evidence - it's about helping families. Along the way, though, information is collected to be used in the future. I've learned that the last Conjuring, though, is going to return to the demonic and possession with the very first trial of someone who used the possession defense in the court room. It should be pretty great.

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
Then there's this little stand alone movie. The only connection it has to the Conjuring universe is Father Perez, who was in the Annabelle movies. He helps guide the family about the spirit haunting them. This particular film deals with a malevolent spirit and how she seeks revenge for the loss of her own children. It has a few touches that seem akin to Paranormal Activity, with the idea that you can transfer a haunting onto other people. It also seems connected to Drag Me to Hell, because it involves a person being cursed by another in a fit of rage. A child services caseworker, Anna, takes a, woman's children away and, in doing so, leaves the children vulnerable to La Llorona. The children end up being killed by the spirit. Their mother then calls on La Llorona to go after the Anna's children. Woowee... so much anger and bitterness. This movie really needed a bit of the loving mother, Lorraine Warren. The Curse of La Llorona does have some great scare scenes. For example, how La Llorona lures the children and the car scene! I can't give this stuff away, because it gives some great flavor to the film, but it does feel a little out of place in the entire universe unless it's touched on again.

I love the Conjuring universe. It pushes all my must-see buttons when it comes to a series. Interconnectedness always gets my engine revving and all the different supernatural elements utilized make this universe an absolute must for those completely obsessed with spirit/demon films.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 7: The Ring (2002)

When The Ring came out, I remember it caused a new film obsession with Japanese horror cinema in the United States. Not only were fans of The Ring obsessed with the American remake, but Ringu started to make the rounds.

I should have watched it before The Grudge, in this binge, because The Grudge came out of this new Hollywood obsession. What is interesting, though, is that sometimes both films are great or one is significantly better than the other. In a movie I'm watching later, the Japanese version is far superior to the Jennifer Connolly remake.

I like the pacing of the American one. I know, as a country, we supposedly can't appreciate a long burn movie, but the original loses interest once the island investigation starts. In this one, it moves at a really reasonable pace and keeps our interest going without huge lulls of driving and swelling music, attempting to cause suspense, but instead makes it like a Sunday drive meant to be little Timmy to sleep.

While The Ring has the scares that pop up throughout, the real story is based in the investigation. What drives me nuts, though, is the video. Watching it now after all these years, the video still bothers me even more. It was too film school, which the character Noah mentions. It just brought back too many of the bad feelings I have towards my time in academia in the Humanities and the Film Studies departments in general. It reminded me too much of Un Chien Andalou (The Andolusian Dog) made Luis Buenel and Salvador Dali during the surrealist movement in Europe. Art for art's sake without any rhyme or reason. I've officially decided these ghosts were fans of artistic Euro cinema.

What is different from the surrealist movement, is that here all the images and things have a deeper meaning that drives the investigation and could potentially save lives, affecting the characters in the movie and not simply frustrating the audience. It's art for the sake of horror. Luckily, the artistic take makes the horror that much more memorable. The burning circle of "the ring" and the creepy long-haired girl crawling out of the well and the walk towards you and all the aftermath... haunting.

At the time is was more powerful. In today's world, people demand much more hardcore scares and I can see this not playing as well if released based on today's mainstream standards. Sad, but true... the jaded internet, need to feel smarter than everyone else (lack of humility?), and the ever growing quality of the post-production process has done so much damage to the industry in so many different regards.

The Ring, though, stands up as much as it can. The most recent addition, Rings (2017), taps into the modern by attempting to understand the move from video to actual digital content. Would the "curse" still hold? The American remakes are just The Ring (2002), The Ring 2 (2005), and Rings (2017). The Japanese series had a series, but then a prequel.

As far as what it contributes to this binge, it has the malicious ghost and her attachment to an object in order to wreck absolute terror. And like The Grudge, that spirit just can't seem to be sated.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 6: Drag Me to Hell (2009)

I hadn't seen Drag Me to Hell (2009) movie in quite a while and my memory of it was vague. I forgot how Sam Raimi it was. The, sometimes blatant, campyness that goes with the film - even the almost silliness of some of the basics of the plot.

I struggled with the main character Christine (Alison Lohman). I think that was the primary drawback to the film for me. My husband did not feel the same way, but she just felt like a truly pathetic individual. What happens to her sucks, sure, but she really had a modern perspective on life goals. This is presented in juxtaposition (but barely) with the two styles of life seen in the movie: The gypsies and the boyfriend's family.

Strangely enough, in my class we are studying understanding characters at a deeper level and one of the things I ask the students to do is realize that characters have good and bad traits about them. They're like anyone you would interact with. Is anyone ever truly all good or all bad? You know the oppositional kids said yes. I disagree. But I shared my experience watching this movie (not the name of the movie) and how I wanted so badly to sympathize with the character and I couldn't, because despite being the lead in the movie, she just had too many bad traits.

The movie deals with the revenge taken against people for doing things that cause them personal tragedy. The old woman uses her "powers" to put a curse on her via an object. This object is causing her to be haunted by a Lamia, a powerful demon who will drag her to hell. Christine deals with all the moral implications of saving her own life, which is somewhat redeeming of her. The curse is attached to an object, which is attached to a person, which then causes them to be haunted. It's a tricky film for my movie binge, but that's what makes it a special oddity to include. Is it ghost haunting? Object possession? Demonic haunting? Oh goodness!

If you're into Raimi, it's another notch on his supernatural belt. Already in on my calendar as several of his produced films and it's I put it in the possessed object and vengeful spirit category, because of the button. I don't want to give too much away, but it was interesting. If you like Raimi, you'll get a kick out of some of the things, but it's no high ranking cinema for this particular topic.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 5: Ouija (2014)

Ouija boards are one of those things that has such an interesting history and either results in a use believing in it's power or the user being absurd about its clearly idiotic purpose. I mean, it's made by Park Brothers for goodness sake (acquired by Hasbro and previously sold by a novelty company). But I'm not here to get into the nitty gritty of a Ouija board. I admit I have used one both in earnest and in ignorance (so many of my friends were obsessed with dares, but I was a bystander). My mom and a few friends made a point of banishing these boards from their house and felt it was inviting evil spirits in.

So are they tools for good or instruments of evil? Ouija explores this very idea. To take away the jaded idea of being able to go to your local Target and buy one, the story allows for the initial character to find an old, authentic looking board in the attic, clearly from previous owners, while cleaning the attic as a chore for her parents. (Sidenote: Who are these people who move into a house and never "clear out" the basement and attic of weird crap that was left by the previous owners prior to establishing their own life in the building?) There is even a special planchette that is used to see spirits if using the board. I'd be a fool if I didn't say I never knew that about the planchette and never really questioned it's actual shape.

Ouija uses the energy of an object for a spirit to manipulate people. This is the first movie out of my set to start to tap into the idea of objects allowing for malicious spirits to exact revenge.

The most intriguing aspect of the Ouija films is how we identify with the villains and the heroes. Both Ouija and Ouija: Origin of Evil cause us to check our preconceived notions of spirits at the door. It is a concept explored in The Ring, which is Monday's film, but Ouija brings it out in a very intriguing way. If I actually explore the ideas, I'll spoil the film(s), but suffice to say... sometimes the ones we think need saving maybe don't deserve it.

Upcoming Trivia: The writers of Ouija, Stiles White and Juliet Snowden, also wrote The Possession, which is coming later this month. Additionally, this is another Sam Raimi and Ghost House Productions film.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 4: Insidious (2010)

The Insidious Film Series is incredibly enjoyable. A friend of mine hates it and my husband and I have yet to fully understand why. I understand if it was the horrific violin music they use, but I like the interesting take on the afterlife in these movies.

Insidious is a series with modern horror greats at the very center of it's creation: James Wan, Leigh Whannell, and Oren Peli.

James Wan and Leigh Whannell are most famous for the Saw movies. Oren Peli was the director of Paranormal Activity, producer on the Paranormal Activity series, and went on to create the found-footage, supernatural TV series "The River."  Leigh Whannell wrote all four movies in the series and starred in all four as Specs, one part of the investigation team members.

Peli, Wan, and Whannell stayed involved in the project in different ways throughout the series, but James Wan branched off to work on his own box office busting series The Conjuring. He seemed to have taken Patrick Wilson with him, because Wilson went from traveling the astral dimension to portraying the most iconic paranormal investigator of all time: Ed Warren.

The series seems to follow the touchstone character of Elise Rainer (Lin Shaye) as she tackles difficult spirits throughout her career. Funny enough, as seems to be the case with several supernatural horror films of late, the movies start with her final case and the second film deals with how to wrap up the final case.

The serious deals with insidious (malicious) spirits waiting on the edge of the afterlife so that they can regain the joy of life. This includes demons and also spirits that seek to harm the living in payment for their own eternal and mortal suffering. Interestingly enough, even in the "real life" ghost hunting world, demons and demonic possessions have started becoming a common topic of discussion, mostly fostered by Zak Bagans of the "Ghost Adventures" show. It is an interesting discussion, I suppose, trying to pin down what are potentially ghosts (residual or intelligent) and what are demons. I have theories on this, but this article is not the place for it. I appreciate the line these movies walk in regards to that current conversation.

The Insidious films use the shock factor when it's scares, creating hideous images and visual events that cause you to jump and cringe. What I love about these films is that they are still story driven via the horror elements in the film. So many ghost movies either all into the pit-trap of being too overly wrought with plot and the spirits are merely a backdrop to the storytelling or the storytelling is merely there to generate the scares. I suppose this is true of all types of films, but the ghost movie is so varied in it's presentation of suspense and horror.

Wan, Whannell, and Peli changed the face of the supernatural horror genre and while the Insidious films have come to an end, there are more films to come from all of these creative masters.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 3: The Grudge (2004)

The Grudge (2004) came out during the high point of Japanese Supernatural Horror remakes. It followed its incredibly successful predecessor, The Ring (2002), to become somewhat of an iconic remake. This film, though, more so than The Ring (which I'll be watching later), has far more memorable scares and images for me-- the croaking, cracking ghost with the very unusual walk being the pinnacle of nightmarish images. I learned that her disturbing gait is called the "stutter walk." I also have a completely horrific image that still haunts my nighttime routine to this day. I won't go into detail, but if you're seen the movie you know all about the bed scene. Sleeping this month is going to be very difficult to me.

The nice thing about the remake of The Grudge is that the original, Juon: The Grudge, is just as good. The remake was pretty interesting, with some changes that were made to keep audiences on their toes. The two films, though, have the same feel to them, without the US version feeling like an overt rehash. This is because they have the same director: Takashi Shimizu. He did both the originals and the remakes. Sam Raimi is also attached through these films as a Producer and is produced for us through his production company Ghost House Pictures. Raimi pops up quite a bit in the movies I've selected, but look at that production company name... should I really expect anything else?

I also love watching the whole Grudge and Juon Series. Each adds their own flavor and take. What bothers me as I look back is that the series has fallen under the spell of the Hollywood Remake/Reboot that is completely consuming the film industry right now. So in 2020, The Grudge will be released with a high gloss American shine and a new director powering forward his gruesome take on this groundbreaking change to the way we see malicious spirits.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 2: Lights Out (2016)

The concept for Lights Out (2016) was well thought out. I know the only silly bit that tried to cut away jaded viewers was the skin disorder with Diana. I liked, though, the unique take and bringing in certain elements from other horror subgenres to develop a strong story. The dealing with mental illness was also well done and, I think, sensitive to the issue. Almost as if Diana represents the part of us that feeds on that one moment of weakness we show and how dangerous that rabbit hole can be if we follow out.

Lights Out has some great jump-worthy moments, utilizing the lights-on-lights-off mechanic and the plot is sound. I've seen it a few times now and I still find it a nice little supernatural thriller.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 1: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project (1999) is one of those iconic films that has filtered into so much of our modern culture. It's also rather polarizing. I was 18 years-old when it came out. I completely bought into all the hype... at first. The website and the documentary totally piqued my interest and it was actually the first "horror" movie that I independently pursued as an interest. What happened to me, though, before the movie came out, spoiled some of its glamour, but I still couldn't shake the terror of some witch lurking in the woods looking to take you out!

I realized the footage was faked and the actors were actors when MTV was advertising for their movie awards and in the commercial it showed a shot of the three actors walking on stage. I did a double-take and I can remember the feeling of how bummed out I was that the movie was fake. That sounds really sick, in hindsight, but... I was a kid and while I didn't want the people to be dead (which wasn't how I saw it before I saw the movie), I bought that this was something pretty real.

Now, though, found footage or first-person POV on camcorders or cell phones are a common thing in the "horror" world. Cloverfield (2008), Paranormal Activity Series (2008-2015), The Last Exorcism (2010), and REC (2007)/Quarantine (2008)... to name just a few.

TBWP broke the industry and it carried over the reality TV success that dominated MTV in the '90s with starting with The Real World and snowballing from there.

I love The Blair Witch Project. I watch it every year for Halloween. It felt like the perfect movie to lead off my haunted adventure with.

The original is classic. I still love watching it over and over with this weird mindset that I am somehow going to discover some sort of clue to something. Don't try to tell my mind it's fake... it betrays me every time.

I enjoyed Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000). I met Joe Berlinger when his documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004) came out. I said I liked the movie, but he said he was ashamed of it and wished he had never done it and it almost ruined him personally. He couldn't handle the backlash and negativity of the film.  I mean... I get it... he's a powerful and incredible documentary director (Paradise Lost Series, Brother's Keeper), but I felt bad for him. Especially when I learned that his version had been kidnapped by Hollywood to make it Box Office pretty. I'll add that it was also sad to see an actor or two who had already been seen on television and film in the sequel. It took away from even the idea that this could also be a form of found footage. (One of the actors is Jeffery Donovan, who also shows up in Berlinger's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile about Ted Bundy.)

I, shamefully, liked the glossy version. I liked the story material and the continuation of the very premise of The Blair Witch. It fed the obsession I still had.

Then in 2016, the original was revisited and BWP2 was retconned. They went back to the 100% camcorder style and found footage, but adding certain modern twists. It wanted to recapture the uncapturable (much like Heather herself). The film tries too hard to make us care about the realistic qualities of these actors. Just like in the original BWP, it thinks that showing them at the club and eating hot dogs connects us to these people. BWP you could connect, because they were so long humanized to us before the movie. Here it just seems like an attempt to get us to invest ourselves in finding the person we won't find.

But I liked starting with this, because despite having House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Exorcist (1973), and Poltergeist (1982) on my list, 1999 seems to be the starting point for the movies I'm watching. More importantly, though, it was the starting point for me and what would become one of my primary film obsessions (besides zombies and nuns).

October Movie Binge 2019

I don't usually swamp myself during the school year, but I was feeling really motivated to watch a bunch of ghost and possession movies. So that's where this list comes from. I divided the movies into sub-categories and then followed a progression that offers a connection in categories - or at least I hope so.

The thematic progression of the films:

• Vengeful or Malicious Spirits
• Haunted Objects
• Possession
• Haunted Places
• Winchester Mystery House Inspired
• Spirits in Need

Some of the films overlap a little in the theme, but sometimes it's hard to find a flawless progression.

This is not a list of favorites or an exhaustive list of the above themes. That is not to say that I overlooked or even had to pass on some of my favorites, but that's alright. I also tried to discuss series and occasional remakes, but some of the films have older or newer remakes and in those instances, I might choose to pick a preference film. The long and short is that I had to pick and choose and the following movies are what I came up. Films will be revealed on the day.

Happy Haunted Month!

Ghost Hunting 101 (IGGPPC Camp)

I have loved ghosts (stories and hunting) for a very long time. I've not gone super public on my own skills before, because it's something I've battled with admitting. I do get resistance and silly looks from people and, being a sensitive person, sometimes it actually hurts more than it should. When you already have social anxiety and struggle with feeling "normal," having something else to make you feel a little extra weirder makes you want to push that weird farther away. If you're already balls-to-the-wall with self-confidence over who you are, you probably aren't going to have this problem. I constantly have to look to other people to figure out how to behave, which is probably why I'm judgmental of people who do things that I used to do or did and was scolded or chastised for and they get away with it. It feels like a serious injustice to me.

Enough of that, though. An opportunity came up for the International Geek Girls Pen Pal Club offering people the chance to teach something they're skilled at. It only seemed natural to finally put my skills and knowledge to good use and maybe help others who are interested or need someone to put themselves out there to inspire them. I struggled for years trying to find my own path and learn as much as I could about ghost hunting. As tragedy struck in my personal life, I thought I was going to have to give up my seminar for the IGGPPC, BUT the Not-At-All-Evil-Overlords of the site allowed me to switch the time of the webinar and the new time couldn't have been better. Not only was it, as I joked, the original time of the Ghost Adventures show before it switched to Saturday nights, but it was also my dad's 65th birthday.

I promised myself that every year, I would do something on my dad's birthday (August 22) that challenged me as a person. This webinar challenged my anxiety about teaching adults (so much more affectingly judgmental that kids) and admitting that I have a passion for and some sensitivity to ghost, spirits, energies. . . whatever you choose to call them. I'm not kidding, I have suffered and continue to suffer with admitting that I'm sensitive and something of a spirit magnet.

With that being admitted, I would love to share the webinar I did, with an additional download of my presentation. Enjoy!