The Occult Section

As anyone who reads this blog probably knows, I’m not a fan of the SyFy Channel show Ghost Hunters. I haven’t watched the show for a few years now (with one exception, which I will soon explain), and most of my paranormally-involved friends and acquaintances no longer watch it either, for a myriad of reasons. But I actually tuned in last week, because they were advertising a development that would mean Ghost Hunters would “never be the same.” Basically, in what is perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets in television history, Grant Wilson, one of the founding members of TAPS, was leaving the show.

Now before I get into my criticisms and have to once again deal with a bunch of comments saying how I’m jealous and have sour grapes, I have to say that I, once upon a time, loved Ghost Hunters. It was great to see a show with actual paranormal investigators and not just local yahoos and self-proclaimed psychics running around making claims they could never verify. These were guys who were dedicated, spent lots of their own time and money investigating the paranormal, and used scientific methods. We were all happy for them, and they inspired many more people to get into this field. But things quickly began to change. Instead of being skeptical and trying to debunk things, now they were finding EVPs every week and claiming locations were haunted, something they’d never done before. The focus shifted from helping the average family with ghosts (anyone else remember “We’re here to help?”) to pompous claims of being the first and only team to ever investigate whatever famous haunted location of the week they were visiting (which was rarely the case). The show went from being something we all enjoyed and respected and turned into a ratings circus. Those of us who actually investigate the paranormal came to see what the show was now really about: ratings and money.

Again, before anyone has a chance to lob insults my way for being jealous or whatever, let me just say that no, I do not want a TV show. I’ve been on TV many times, from local news to the Discovery Channel, and I’ve turned down many, many other shows, some of them quite ludicrous in their premise. I’m not jealous of them at all, merely disappointed. And as many paranormal investigators will tell you, when TAPS rolls into town, they change things. They do things to make it harder on the rest of us to get into places. They’ve done this with two locations my group had investigated prior to TAPS ever being there, one of them being Snug Harbor, a recent episode that I watched (see, told you I’d get to it). And for those of you who think the show is entirely real, I have a script they left behind that I can show you. They didn’t investigate overnight, only filmed the investigative shots they needed and then bailed.

Anyhoo, now that the disclaimer is over, my thoughts on Grant leaving. To me, Grant always seemed the more upstanding of the two founders of TAPS. Jason Hawes has always seemed a bit pompous, and in more recent seasons just seems very put-upon to be doing the very easy thing he does and gets paid tons of money to do. His lack of care shows through in every episode. You can tell his passion is gone, and he’s just doing this for the money now. Grant, on the other hand, has always seemed more compassionate and invested in the work.

Grant is a controversial figure though, as it seems that whenever TAPS gets caught faking evidence, Grant is at the center of it. Lots of people I know blame Grant for this, and call him the worst of the bunch. I don’t quite see it that way. I wonder if he’s just not as into the money, the trickery, the ratings, and perhaps his heart just isn’t into hoaxing things? And maybe that is why he fails.

According to a recent Grant Wilson FAQ on the TAPS website (which now just leads to the same info on Jason Hawes’ website), Grant left to pursue his education. If so, good for him. I tend to believe that his heart just wasn’t in it anymore. Though this could simply be a huge ratings ploy. Tease that he’s leaving on the season finale, then sort of admit that he has a “few more investigations to do” (so he WILL be back next season), and maybe by the time that all happens, he’s miraculously changed his mind and stays with TAPS. Even the way they handled his exit was staged. He tells Jason to turn off his mic so he can tell him while they are investigating? Hogwash. Jason knew exactly what was going on. They tell Steve Gonsalves to gather the team for a private meeting, and then the cameras cut to the team sitting in a restaurant, obviously being filmed by multiple cameras. Yeah, very private. Then the waterworks when Grant announces his departure. Maybe tears of joy that they all might get more airtime now (and thus, more money)?

I wish Grant well. I really do. Like I said, he always seemed to be the most genuine of the bunch. But that being said, he could have left many years ago, when the credibility of the show was falling aoart, and he didn’t. I’ve seen people on Facebook and other outlets thanking Grant profusely, and they are almost like memorials. He’s not dead, folks. And ghost hunting existed long before he was on TV. And mark my words, he will be back, at some point.

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When I saw the first trailer for “The Woman in Black” I was excited; I love the book and jumped at the chance to reread it before seeing the film. I anxiously awaited the movie release and today a friend and I saw it in matinee. Within the first half-hour I was annoyed and by the end I was angry. Don’t get me wrong, the movie had GREAT creep factor: seriously spooky moments, frightening ghosts, and terrific props. The set designers did a bang-up job, down to the soot marks on the wallpaper from the candles in the sconces. The location scout picked the perfect house/town/landscape. They changed the time-period to good effect, because 1950s England wouldn’t be nearly as spooky a place for a ghost story as Victorian/Edwardian England and the book reads like a Victorian gothic novel so it’s appropriate. However, the scriptwriter screwed up the story in so many ways it would be easier for me to say what I like vs. what I despise. If Susan Hill were dead, she’d be rolling in her grave. I think she might be rolling in her bed at night, disturbed by what they did with her book.

My biggest complaint is that they turned a good Gothic ghost story into Victorian melodrama by twisting some of the events to unnecessarily heighten the drama. For instance, in the novel, Arthur Kipps is not going to Eel Marsh House as a last-ditch effort to save his job, which has suffered from his depression after the death of his wife in childbirth. Although in the beginning of the book he is not married, I understand why this, among other things, has been changed for dramatization: in the book he marries at the end and it takes a few years for the events of the story to manifest themselves in his life (no spoilers!). That time lapse is difficult to convey in a movie, so it makes sense to have him married with a son at the beginning of the film. But why have his wife die in childbirth? Why add a scene with his boss threatening to fire him for being dead weight? I will say, without ruining anything, they change the end quite a bit; his wife must be dead in the beginning so they can add more ridiculous melodrama to the end. Every change made in the script was overwrought and fell flat in execution.

 I could sit here all day and nitpick over what I feel is a blasphemous rewrite of a great story, but that’s boring and you get my point. I am unable to describe the more ridiculous moments because it will ruin the movie for those of you who still want to see it. If you don’t care about a plot-line that is so absurd it insults your intelligence, then by all means, see this film. Visually it’s impressive, the acting is good, and the scares are well-timed and 95% not cheesy. The script is awful, however, except in the very few parts where they left the original story intact.

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Move over skeletons in the closet, the demon behind the couch has taken over! If you’ve been anywhere on the internet lately, you’ll surely recognize this image, which has gone completely viral. And yes, I’m guilty; I shared it – more than once! So what is it about this photo that has everyone buzzing? Sights seem to point back to the scare factor, but more stories are beginning to circulate. Is there something more sinister brewing here? We are just as anxious to find out.

Everyone seems to be asking, could there really be a demon behind the couch? Did someone accidentally capture pure evil? “PhotoShop” seems to be the most common explanation to be found but no one has come up with a logical explanation, yet. With the origins of the photo still up in the air, there are tales being spun across the internet world on where it came from. From stories of a murderous ghost, to “a friend of a friend captured this in their living room”, most viewers agree on one fact: this photo is very disturbing. Personally, it left me totally creeped out, and I had to scoop my stomach up off of the the floor after I finally saw the face. Although the idea behind it was exciting, I am still doubtful that there is any paranormal presence. Only time will tell… and I’m certain there is an investigations team out there, somewhere, waiting to debunk this one. I patiently await their discovery… I hope the creator is as startling as the photo; I’ll be waiting to scare, I mean “share” it with the world!

Technorati Tags: debunking, ghost, ghost hunters, ghost hunting, ghosts, haunted, haunted house, haunted houses, haunting, hoax, humor, media, News, paranormal, picture

Whether you are new here or a regular reader of The Occult Section, you’ve no doubt noticed our horrifically brightly colored “Writers Wanted” sign in the sidebar over there to your right. We have some very talented writers here at The Occult Section, including our newest writer Corey Bartlett, but we’re looking to add a few more regular writers to our staff.

We cover such topics as ghosts, paranormal investigations, UFOs, cryptozoology, myths & legends, and any other unexplained phenomena. We have a good sense of humor and are not afraid to be sarcastic when it’s called for. We are looking for talented writers with a passion for the paranormal to contribute to the blog. These are NON-PAYING positions for now. Once we grow we hope to have revenue from advertising and affiliate programs where there might be potential to earn money. We are looking for all kinds of writing, including:

• Theme columns (weekly, biweekly, monthly)
• Field investigations
• Articles
• TV Show & Documentary reviews (Ghost Hunters, Haunted Collector, Finding Bigfoot, UFO Hunters, MonsterQuest, etc.)
• Book reviews
• Personal experiences

If you have another idea, we are always open to suggestions as well. We currently average over 15,000 hits per month, so this is a great way to get your work seen and read as well as get involved in something that you’re passionate about. Want to talk about why you love Finding Bigfoot? Share your thoughts on Grant Wilson leaving TAPS and Ghost Hunters? This is the place to do it.

To apply, send an e-mail introducing yourself and describing what kind of column you’d like to write, and attach a sample of your writing in MS Word or PDF format to Jason@theoccultsection.com. You must be able to submit your columns on a regular basis! We will contact you if you are chosen to be a regular contributor to the site. Good luck!

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Earlier this week, we reported on the supposed video footage of a woolly mammoth. But that wasn’t the only alleged footage of a monster to hit the internet this week. Now comes news that Lagarfljót’s Worm, the Icelandic version of the Loch Ness Monster, has been filmed in a glacial river by an amateur cameraman. Check out the video and story.

And the article.

My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun...

Icelanders are known for their belief in elves and trolls – but could there be a giant worm monster swimming around in the company of the water fairies?

Footage filmed by an amateur cameraman at a glacial river in the east of the country seems to show a huge snakelike creature slinking through the icy water.

Legend has it that a 25 mile-long lake is home to Lagarfljót’s Worm, the Icelandic version of the Loch Ness Monster, with tales being told of the beast going back to 1345.

As the story goes, the monster grew from being a tiny worm after a girl placed a gold ring on it to increase the size of the piece of jewellery.

On her return however, it wasn’t the ring that had grown but the wriggling creature – into a giant serpent.

And the worm didn’t stop getting bigger. Flung into Lake Lagarfljot by the terrified child, the beast eventually turned into a ferocious, humped and poision-spitting dragon nearly 100 metres long that continued to live in the lake.

Some fanciful reports suggest that the monster has been spotted slithering into the trees and that it is as long as the lake itself.

Unsurprisingly, sightings of Lagarfljót’s Worm are considered a bad omen.

One sceptical explanation might be that the worm monster is actually an abandoned fishing net that was frozen in the river and, once partially-thawed, was wound through the waters by the current.

Gases rising from the lakebed, creating openings in the ice and sweeping along tangled debris that has fallen from the mountainside has also been offered as an account of some sightings.

But cryptozoology expert Loren Coleman suspects a greater degree of human hoaxery.

“What concerns me the most is the robotic look of this creature,” he is reported to have said.

“If you look at that head, it appears like somebody’s put a constructed anaconda head there, and behind it, the natural movement of a snake should give a much more flowing curve to the sections.”

Coleman added: “What concerned me immediately was when I saw the tail section moving in unison with the next section; there’s no movement in that one section as it goes side-to-side.

“A snake moves in a sort of  ’s’ curve. But in this video, you get a blocking of the movement of the creature, which tells us it’s probably very artificial.”

I have to agree with Loren Coleman here. This looks very artificial, and some other things I noticed are that 1) the “worm” is always at the exact same depth in the water, and 2) the wake of this creature seems to be a little bit ahead of the actual head, indicating some sort of mechanism beneath the water, perhaps towing the mechanism. I also always wonder why the cameramen who shoot these videos never seem more shocked to be filming the alleged Bigfoot, UFO, ghost, lake monster, chupacabra, or whatever it is they claim to be filming. We can hear the wind clearly in this clip, so why no exclamations of excitement? And what’s with the two very different camera angles? To me, this all screams hoax. What do you think?

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