The Occult Section

A big question that seems to be popping up more and more in the paranormal community is one of ethics: is it right to use (some would say exploit) places of great tragedy in order to sell tickets for spooky ghost tours? I’ve discussed this before in relation to Pennhurst Center, and it seems like more and more people are speaking up about this sort of thing now. This time, in relation to Eastern State Penitentiary.

Eastern State Penitentiary (Photo by Laura Pennace)

Eastern State Penitentiary will host a discussion about the ethics of operating the historic prison in Philadelphia. By far the most popular event at the penitentiary is its annual Halloween haunt, “Terror Behind The Walls.” But there are some concerns about using historic sites as scary sites.

The penitentiary isn’t the only place that exploits its past to make a few bucks. Last year a controversy erupted over the use of the old Pennhurst mental asylum as a place haunted by ghouls in straitjackets.

But Eastern State Penitentiary is a nonprofit prison museum; as such, it’s ethically bound to protect the site’s legacy. The prison survived the recent recession in large part because the Halloween event’s ticket sales generate most of its annual operating budget. On the other hand, every October, it presents a warped view of itself.

“There’s a big difference to me between a haunted mill or a haunted cemetery, and a haunted state hospital or prison, because state hospitals and prisons were government run,” said Ann Parsons, a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois who is studying the history of involuntary confinement. “In a democracy, we are tied to those histories. How has our state government created these places standing empty that are some of the most frightening places in America?”

Parsons says Eastern State Penitentiary is the perfect place to talk about this because the prison stages one of the most popular haunted attractions in America—a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world.

I’m going to quote myself here, because my feelings still stand on this issue. From my original post about Pennhurst:

I have no problem with haunted tours as a general rule. I think if they educate the public and offer historical value, then there’s nothing wrong with sharing a few ghost stories along the way. If the ghost tours help bring in much-needed revenue to a museum or other non-profit organization, then more power to them. On the other hand, there are people who are trying to capitalize on a current fad. Find a spooky building, charge people money to walk around, and tell them embellished and sensational ghost stories to make a quick buck. And if they’re not new ventures, then it’s places that have always had some supposed haunted activity that are now charging ghost hunters hundreds of dollars to come in an investigate. Usually it’s because they were investigated by TAPS on “Ghost Hunters,” or the “Ghost Adventures” crew, or “Ghost Lab,” or one of the other 500 or so shows on the air now. Places that used to be freely accessible to paranormal investigators are now booked for months in advance and really expensive. But ghost tours continue, at $25 or $50 or $80 per person, and it becomes nothing more than a sideshow attraction.

This is a very tricky issue. One could also argue that paranormal investigators disrespect the memories of people who died in institutions like this as well, simply by investigating. But I think there’s a big difference between scientific paranormal groups who are there investigating and looking for proof of the afterlife and a cheesy Halloween tour that’s designed to be spooky and entertaining (and profitable). The TV shows have been great as far as bringing paranormal investigating to the forefront. But when it turns into pure entertainment and profiteering, it’s just sad.

One could also argue that these tours bring in a lot of much-needed financial support. But is it worth the price? Where is the line drawn when it comes to respecting the dead? Sharing the history, while mingling in ghost stories, is one thing. But having cheesy haunted house attractions is quite another.

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Personally, I’m getting a bit tired of all the supposed chupacabra sightings and bodies being found lately. I’m a pretty open-minded guy, and believe in the possibility of many things, but it seems as though almost every single chupacabra sighting or body turns out to be that of a mangy coyote or feral dog. I think the bigger mystery here has nothing to do with cryptozoology, and mainly just revolves around the question of why so many mangy coyotes are being found now. I’m not sure why people see a hairless dog and equate it with something that’s supposed to be this lizard-like creature (mixed with a dash of grey alien) with spines and spikes and vampiric teeth. I just don’t see the connection.

And what breed of dog would this be? Perhaps you need to imagine it with hair.

Don’t resign yourself to chupacabra nightmares just yet. Even Jack Crabtree, the supplier of photos to The Facts, his local Texas paper, doesn’t think that he witnessed a real chupacabra, or “The Bigfoot of Latin Culture,” as dubbed by CNN during a previous chupacabra sighting.

According to a report by ABC News, the retired wildlife biologist and his wife Linda saw the slow-moving, hairless creature wandering by a creek at the back of their house on the Fourth of July. They took photos, and Crabtree sent them to the newspaper, jokingly calling it a Chupacabra.

However, the paper either didn’t get the joke, or didn’t care, and they ran it on the front page, stirring excitement similar to the other Texas Chupacabra sighting a few months ago. When that creature was spotted, Animal Control Officer Frank Hackett described the animal: “All I know is, it wasn’t normal. It was ugly, real ugly. I’m not going to tell no lie on that one.”

Crabtree told ABC News that he can’t believe people’s reactions:

“I’ve been amazed with the fascination people have with chupacabras and other mythical animals,” he said. “I’m really not a believer in chupacabras or Bigfoot or the Abominable Snowman.”

An even scarier thing here? That the newspaper took an offhand joke by this guy and reported it as a chupacabra sighting. The media will do anything for some attention, it seems.

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H.P. Lovecraft

In his essay “Supernatural Horror in Literature,” H.P. Lovecraft explains that fear is the oldest and most basic human emotion. Fear of the unknown is the root of all fear, as death and pain are more prominent within the human mind than something like pleasure is. As a result, we tend to put more emphasis on these negative emotions and put more thought into what their outcomes might happen to be. Lovecraft was a master of explaining away the unknown and filling it with a higher degree of fear—his stories revolve around filling the emptiness with something even scarier than the unknown: malevolence. Not only was that gaping blankness something that was impossible to understand, it was something that intended to hurt you.

Many literary experts have attempted to root out Lovecraft’s sources of inspiration. Some are not content with the idea that Lovecraft was just extremely imaginative—these authorities want to look into some sort of supernatural explanation. The fact is that Lovecraft was very well read and well educated about the roots of supernatural literature. This alone could account for his creative license.

Lovecraft’s writing was a huge “what if.” His works used the entire universe as his canvas, not just the Earth and its human occupants. Lovecraft insisted that human traits had no place in cosmological phenomena. Therefore, a new set of traits, a “weird” set, was necessary. So Lovecraft needed to create a new set of standards by which to explain his characters and otherworldly occurrences.

By Lovecraft’s definition, a weird tale is something that cannot possibly happen. Therefore, it can be assumed that Lovecraft simply did not believe that the fantastic, that the supernatural, was possible. The art that Lovecraft cherished so much, then, was to him more a rhetorical question than a statement of what he believed to be true.

Lovecraft’s debunking of the supernatural world is quite well known, but many people simply are not convinced. Just because Lovecraft didn’t believe that this was real does not prove that this was the case. Supernatural forces could very well have been at play within Lovecraft’s dreams—these were a big source of inspiration for him and provided him with countless subjects for future stories. Simply dismissing the supernatural influence from Lovecraft’s writing is shortsighted. If this theory is correct, Lovecraft was an able vessel for supernatural forces. Dreams and ideas may have been broadcast to him and he simply relayed the messages. This could explain stories like “Beyond the Wall of Sleep,” where a man is brought to a mental institution that, when asleep, relays strange messages from celestial beings. Lovecraft’s drastic inclusion of dreams within his writing gives this theory a bit more weight than other ideas may have.

It is clear that Lovecraft was influenced by his musings and studies on the supernatural. Whether or not this is an indication that he actually was subject to supernatural forces is a mystery that will never be solved. At best, we can say that Lovecraft was not explicitly aware of any such influence. But the works he produced open many doors to those looking for answers that only supernatural occurrences can answer.

Technorati Tags: Book Review, book reviews, books, Dreams, H.P. Lovecraft, paranormal, supernatural, thoughts

I’m not a big believer in lake monsters such as Champ or the Loch Ness Monster, but I do believe that our oceans are still teeming with creatures we have not yet discovered. The giant squid was still thought of as a myth only a few years back, but today is pretty much accepted as actually existing. But now come reports of the Cadborosaurus, a dinosaur-like creature supposedly lurking in Cadboro Bay in British Columbia. And since it’s no secret that I love Discovery Channel shows, you can imagine how excited I got knowing that the Hillstrand brothers from Deadliest Catch were going to be exploring the Cadborosaurus on their new show, Hillstranded.

King crab, Opilio crab, and now Cadborosaurus?

A video dating back to 2009 may provide new evidence of the existence of an Alaskan Loch Ness Monster, Discovery News reported.

The footage, shot by Alaskan fishermen in 2009, will make its public debut on “Hillstranded,” a new Discovery Channel special that will air Tuesday evening at 10 p.m. EDT.

Some now claim the animal to be a “Cadborosaurus,” a reptilian creature named after Cadboro Bay, in British Columbia. Those lucky enough to have sighted this rare beast describe it as having a long neck, a horse-like head, large eyes, and back bumps that stick out of the water.

Reports of Loch-Ness-like sightings have been popping up in the area since the 1930s, yet the only proof of Cadborosaurus’s potential existence are grainy photographs and tenuous eyewitness accounts.

Paul LeBlond, former head of the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of British Columbia, believes the 2009 video “adds to its authentication.”

“I am quite impressed with the video,” LeBlond, co-author of the book “Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep,” told Discovery News. “Although it was shot under rainy circumstances in a bouncy ship, it’s very genuine.”

LeBlond compares the sea monster to a plesiosaur, a carnivorous aquatic reptile believed to have gone extinct during the Cretaceous Period. Others are more skeptical, believing the Cadborosaurus to be a frill shark, a large eel, or some kind of fish.

“People are working off of sketchy lay observations,” said Jim Covel, senior manager of guest experience at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium. “We do, however, still find new species in the oceans, perhaps allowing some to entertain ideas like this, filling in the gaps with their imaginations. But it really underscores how more scientific exploration is needed.”

One prominent new believer though is Andy Hillstrand, most known for his time on the television series “Deadliest Catch.” He believes he may have spotted a Cadborosaurus while filming “Hillstranded.”

“We saw a big, long white thing moving in the water. We chased it for about 20 minutes,” Hillstrand told Discovery News. “Spray came out of its head. It was definitely not a shark. A giant eel may be possible, but eels don’t have humps that all move in unison. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Hillstrand is well aware of the controversial nature of his claim but gave credit to local fishermen who have reported seeing the Cadborosaurus.

“They are not a bunch of fruitcakes. These are people who are familiar with the local marine life.”

It’s always interesting to me when people who are out in the field and become quite familiar with their surroundings see phenomena that are not explainable. We see it a lot with hunters seeing Bigfoot, military pilots seeing UFOs, and so on. These guys from Deadliest Catch are out on the ocean a lot, and if they are seeing something strange, then I agree that it lends support to the fact that more study should be done. I actually have this episode on my DVR and hope to watch it this weekend.

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In what is probably not a surprise to anyone at this point, Animal Planet has announced that they have ordered a 10-episode second season of its highly-rated (and highly-controversial) show, Finding Bigfoot. The show, which follows Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization founder Matt Moneymaker and crew while they search for Sasquatch, has received a lot of criticism for being staged or faked. Much of it coming from the cast (including Moneymaker) themselves.

You know this is coming…

ANIMAL PLANET CONTINUES ITS SEARCH FOR THE SASQUATCH IN THE SECOND SEASON OF FINDING BIGFOOT

– Network Announces Early 2012 Return of Hit Series-

– Halloween’s a Real Treat This October with a Two-hour Special Episode “The Squatchiest Place on Earth” -

(Silver Spring, MD) – This summer, Animal Planet left a giant footprint possibly the size of a Sasquatch itself when it revealed its six-part series FINDING BIGFOOT, which just completed its first season. Ranking among the network’s top three series, delivering 1.2M P2+ viewers, FINDING BIGFOOT found a sizeable audience among viewers, whether they believe in or question the existence of the elusive creature.

Today, Animal Planet announces the return of FINDING BIGFOOT, with an order of 10 episodes where the search for the Sasquatch continues into the next chapter. With a second season scheduled for early 2012, the network is committed to looking for the Bigfoot until it’s found and has plans to explore reported sightings throughout the United States, including Utah, New Mexico, Indiana, Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

Viewers who can’t wait until the start of season two won’t be kept in total suspense. Just in time for Halloween, Animal Planet plants its viewers deep within the dark forests of Northern California with a two-hour FINDING BIGFOOT special, “The Squatchiest Place on Earth.” Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) investigators hone in on the most infamous and disputed piece of Bigfoot evidence ever – the Patterson-Gimlin footage. Captured more than 50 years ago, the footage has been the center of the Bigfoot debate and has driven conspiracy theorists and Sasquatch enthusiasts on a quest to prove the creature’s existence. Now, the BFRO researchers take Animal Planet cameras to the site where the footage was captured and scout out new sites where the best and most convincing Bigfoot footprints have been reported.

In FINDING BIGFOOT, a four-person team from the BFRO – a leading scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery – investigates Sasquatch sightings by interviewing locals, examining evidence and infiltrating the woodlands and forests in places where Bigfoot has been reported. Led by the BFRO president Matt Moneymaker, crab fisherman James “Bobo” Fay, science educator Cliff Barackman and skeptical scientist Ranae Holland, the team listens to harrowing tales of run-ins with Bigfoot before generating reconstructions of the encounters to judge their plausibility or dismiss them as hoaxes. Then, outfitted with the latest technology, including night-vision and infrared cameras, the team sets out on exhilarating and eerie investigations where any broken branch or peculiar noise could mean a Sasquatch is lurking nearby.

FINDING BIGFOOT is produced for Animal Planet by Ping Pong Productions. Keith Hoffman is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Brad Kuhlman and Casey Brumels are the executive producers for Ping Pong Productions. Marc Etkind is Vice President of development for Animal Planet.

One can only hope that the very public criticism by the cast (as well as other critics in the cryptozoology field) about how the show is edited causes the producers to change the way the show is presented on-air. Hopefully Season 2 will show a more realistic view of Bigfoot hunting. But I won’t be holding my breath. And seriously?  ”The Squatchiest Place on Earth?” Come on, Animal Planet…

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