Astonishing Legends

   I'm only recently getting into the fun world of listening to podcasts - and boy have I been missing out on some great work! One podcast in particular has been getting my full attention lately, and that is Astonishing Legends.

(Image Source: Astonishing Legends)

   I have been commuting up to Hollywood a few times a week now and although Orange County isn't too far, and you wouldn't think it would take so long to get there - traffic is pure hell. So thankfully, I have Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess to keep me company with their exploration into some of the world's most fascinating legends, stories about the paranormal, and some of history's biggest mysteries.

   I've been listening to other paranormal podcasts too, but somehow I always end up going right back to Astonishing Legends. There's just something about listening to these two guys hash out the intricacies of some of these ever-mysterious legends, and they do so in well-researched detail so you really feel you're getting as much of the story as possible. They take a look at each of their cases, tales, and legends with both an open mind, and a logical one, so there's always a fun sense of mystery, yet a satisfying sense you have an idea (or several) of what really happened there.

(Image Source: Bloody Disgusting, by pUmpkinhead666) 

   At some point, I'll have to share more links to some of their other intriguing episodes, but in light of the recent release of The Mothman of Point Pleasant (special thank you to my good friend Pumpkin Rot for bringing this new documentary to my attention), I figured I'd share a few links to their recent series of episodes, which also discusses the legend and theories regarding the infamous Mothman. Again, I love how in-depth their research is, and how they break down bits and pieces of these complex mysteries we have wondered so much about; their "Mothman" series of episodes is no exception.

Click on the images for links to each episode of the "Mothman" series, Part 1:

(Image Source: Astonishing Legends)

Part 2:

(Image Source: Astonishing Legends)

Part 3: 

(Image Source: Astonishing Legends)

Part 4 A:

(Image Source: Astonishing Legends)

Part 4 B:

(Image Source: Astonishing Legends)

Here's a recent follow up episode (which I very much enjoyed): 

"Richard Hatem, Screenwriter of the Mothman Prophecies"

(Image Source: Astonishing Legends)

For more interesting podcasts, visit their main page: AstonishingLegends.com

"The Enfield Haunting" Now, A Mini-Series

   I have to say, the trailer for this miniseries about the Enfield Poltergeist doesn't look too bad, though I agree with Pumpkin Rot (who was awesome enough to bring this series to my attention - thanks Rot!) in that it's got some overdone Hollywood-like touches. Still glad to see a great cast in this re-telling of one of the most famous poltergeist cases of all time - a case that has inspired me in my writing for years. During the spring I discovered that James Wan will be using the case in his upcoming sequel to the already awful The Conjuring franchise (ugh...). Even if this mini-series is horrible, in my opinion it will still be better than anything James Wan will do with it. Cheers to alternative visions!

Click here for more info from Bloody Disgusting!

The 1,000th Haunt...

      Yesterday was my birthday and I got to spend the day with my sweet guy at one of my favorite places, Disneyland! I'm pretty laid back when it comes to Disney having been an annual passholder before as well as a cast member, so nowadays I like my Disney trips to be pressure free and go with the flow. I'm never forcing my group to have to get every ride in, every time we go. That being said, there's still one ride I do like to make sure I ride every time (if I can) and it's, of course, The Haunted Mansion. Luckily, my man is wonderful and loves the Mansion too, so yesterday turned out to be our first ride since the infamous Hatbox Ghost was placed in the attic of the Southern plantation inspired mans - and we loved him! 

"The Haunted Mansion boasts 999 haunts, but were there 1000 when it first opened?"

Read the Hatbox Ghost's story here!

And See him for yourself in this video!

The Ripper

I don't know about you guys, but this really seems to be the most convincing theory so far! It really answers the questions that have puzzled experts for years. "Jack" had to have been a man amongst the crowd, a man we'd least expect. I also wonder if he perhaps knew the police route and schedule, knowing what he could get away with and at what times (the reason he told police there would be an officer at the body of Polly Nichols, though there hadn't been one there when he left her). Check this amazing episode of Missing Evidence out and tell me what you think. 

Bird-man

 

     Getting really into My Haunted House lately, your classic home-haunting documentary/reenactment show format, but with quite a few strong scares. I recently saw this episode titled "Pest House/Sleepwalkers." During the first story ("Pest House"), a family begins seeing a "bird-man" in their home. I immediately remembered something I had seen images of when I was on my trip in Edinburgh, Scotland, and could see exactly where this episode was going.
    While on my trip, I paid a visit to Mary King's Close, one of Edinburgh's notoriously haunted locations and tourist attractions. Here, it was rumored that during the plague, several victims of the disease had been bricked up within the close. There is an even darker rumor about what happened when reopening sections of the close to rent out - that two brothers were hired to dispose of the bodies, and after struggling to carry the bodies, they dismembered them to make it a little easier... (read more rumor about the mystery here; Mysterious Britain and Ireland) No one is certain of this, and the tour guides tend to say it is fabricated, but what they do know is that there were plague victims quarantined, (though maybe not hidden in the walls) and the doctors who tended to them were covered head to toe, carrying sticks they used to poke bodies (testing to see if they were dead or alive). They also wore masks with long beaks (filling the noses with herbs to filter out germs), looking very much like this:

   Learning about these creepy "bird-men," or doctors, is just one of the interesting parts of the Mary King's Close tour. If you're ever in Scotland, I highly suggest it (plus, they've got one hell of a gift shop). In the meantime, enjoy this tale of America's own bird-man...

My Haunted House S02E06 Pest House Sleepwalkers

Still intrigued by Mary King's Close? Check out this episode of Most Haunted! 

Lizzie Borden Took an Axe...

... And you know the rest!
    Finally got the chance to check out Lifetime's Lizzie Borden Took and Axe, and I must say I was pretty impressed as far as TV movies go. I would have preferred better music, more true to the period, but eh, what can you do? Overall, I think the movie captured the incident fairly well, though I'm no historian. Christina Ricci was very good too and really brought to life the Lizzie that most people tend to believe DID kill her parents. Here's the trailer!

Oh, and here's this, because it's down right awesome.

Source 

Scotland/England Vacation Photos on Flickr!

   So one of the many reasons I've been posting so little is because I was away in Scotland for some time during the end of 2012.

   Scotland has to be one of the most inspirational places to me. Not only is it incredibly old and beautiful, it is haunting and full of bloody history that can still be sensed as you walk the grand streets of Edinburgh and drive through the Scottish Highlands.

   Mostly I spent my time in Edinburgh, which I must say is one of my favorite places in the world. This city is full of friendly and interesting people. It's a fairly diverse city with all of its university students so I didn't feel like an odd ball out as "the only American girl" in town. Like other great cities, it's got amazing shopping and restaurants, but UNLIKE other great cities... it's Edinburgh. It's got some of the bloodiest, darkest, spookiest history known to us all. Home to the most notoriously haunted cemetery in the world, home to the most infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare, and home to the famous underground vaults... Edinburgh is creepy, beautiful, and macabre. My kind of place!

   The underground vaults tour was so eerie and amazing, nothing but a few candles down there. But even in the small amount of light that was in there, I swear I saw a dark shadow pass through one of the vaults. No wind or anything can get down there, so... maybe it was a ghost! I don't know, but I sure would like to think so. Our tour guide decided to scare the crap out of us, by putting our tiny group into the most haunted vault (which had no candles) and then blow out his tiny candle that he was holding. And then unfortunately, my embarrassing SoCal-Girl instincts kicked in and I said "Um, you did not just do that!" like I was straight out of OC (which I am)... kinda lame I know. But hey, I will admit: I was spooked! You could definitely feel something in these vaults, the air felt so thick, and there was a constant feeling that something was watching us from around every corner...

   I took a few strolls the beautiful and spooky Greyfriars and I must say that it also felt as spooky as they say. The famous Black Mausoleum (home to the Mackenzie Poltergeist) was definitely distinguishable from the rest of the cemetery. I truly wish I had taken a night tour, but I had no close friends with me on this trip and I knew I'd be pretty scared to go on my own, but even so I know I'll get another chance to go back someday and I will definitely bring my cowardly friends along.

   Another must-see in Edinburgh is, of course, Edinburgh Castle. I could go on and on about the history of Edinburgh Castle, but something you may not always hear about are the prison doors they have on display. Most visit the castle because of its royal history, but something that really stuck out to me where these old prison doors, and how they still had the original carvings in them, done by the prisoners themselves. For some reason these carvings really drew me in; I suppose it is because they were done by people who were anything but royal, and they did these in the cells where all they had were the darkness and each other.

   I took a day trip to the Highlands and as our tour guide told us old tales about the pagans and celts who lived there centuries ago, I got to thinking... is this there Halloween began? Am I really in the areas of Europe where All Hallow's Eve first started by the druids and pagans that lived in these hills? It was definitely an area that felt heavy, in a good way. In a historical and natural way. The Highlands are stunning to look at, but being there and feeling the crisp air is really what makes is special.

 

 I visited Loch Ness that day and had myself some delicious whisky in hot chocolate on our little boat ride... but as relaxed as I was, still, I was on the look out for Nessy!

I believe the spec in the top left corner is Nessy, so... case closed!

   My aunt, who I was staying with, took me down to London for a weekend, where I saw three of the most amazing exhibits.

The first was a Tim Walker Exhibit in Somerset House.

His photos captivated me not only for their direction and beauty, but for their sinister, macabre, and eerie moods. 

Read more about it and view more pictures on "Avery Sweet Blog"

   The second exhibit was a Hollywood Costume exhibit at the V&A.

This exhibit was truly emotional for me as I have grown up on cinema and aspire to make movies of my own. Getting to see some of the most iconic original costumes from the movies that have inspired me throughout my life was unforgettable and moving. I don't know if the rest of the audience enjoyed it as much as I did, however. We as Americans tend to look up to movie stars as our own version of royalty, not sure if the Brits quite get that, but regardless of the other patrons, I enjoyed this exhibit with all my heart. 

View the Gallery Here

   The Third exhibit was called "Death: A Self-Portrait" at the Wellcome Center.

This exhibit showed how death was viewed throughout history and among different cultures, by placing dozens of works of art inspired by death all in one exhibit. 

Check out videos and Images Here.

Also while I was in London, I got to have lunch and tea at the Laduree in Harrods, a girly dream come true!

And of course, what's London without stopping into 221 B Baker St to see our good old chap Sherlock Holmes...

To view the rest of my vacation photos, check out my Flickr here!

Let's Remember the Parties

Titanic 4/15/1912

Retaliation

What was the cause of the 1961 event that inspired The Birds?

CNN

My Costume for 2011...

Marie Antoinette

This year was a year like no other. While working on a stage production of Sherlock Holmes, two theatre festivals (one scene/short play from each), improv rehearsals and shows, and several film projects up in the air, I have been a very busy girl! However, I did not let these other passions of mine get in the way of my passion for Halloween and I still managed to throw the annual party, put together a costume, and decorate my new place. When it came to this year's costume, I had been wanting to dress up like Marie Antoinette since last year, after buying a white petticoat from a thrift store for my 2010 costume, The Crone from Sleepy Hollow. It was the only article to the costume that I had had until this summer when I did a little more shopping.

After visiting a few thrift stores, I found a white blouse that had some ruffles and a rather interesting collar that I felt could work, and a pair of shoes that had the perfect shape. I then visited the fabric store and bought lots of trim, and some fabric that luckily was on sale! Another vital item I scored big time on, was the corset, thank goodness for sales again, because I got mine for only 25 dollars (originally 60!). And last, but not least, some other important accessories to go along.

I used some Sarri fabric for the skirt (which I pinned over the petticoat) and added some trim to the slit in the center. For the shoes, I used some gold/yellow fabric to cover them and then decorated them with more trim and a really neat pendent I found in the bead section at the craft store. I honestly don't know how I managed to pull off the shoes, but they were decorated, none the less.

Before...

After!

The blouse I bought from a thrift store was originally white so, of course I dyed it pink! I didn't mean to dye it that bright, but I feel it still looked pretty good with the whole costume. I took the sleeves in a little bit and added some lace cuffs to them. For the corset, I added lots of extra trim and a traditional 18th century design down the center.

After all that, it was time to tease my hair up, put my face on, and start pouring on the blood...

The Great Houdini

Since his 137th birthday on Thursday, I've been thinking about The Great Houdini. Harry Houdini has always been inspiring to me, as he has been to many, so I decided to see if I could find an interesting documentary or video about him on YouTube to share and I found this episode of Dead Men's Tales:

Not only were Houdini's tricks and stunts brilliant and original, but his involvement in the spiritualism movement was also quite interesting to learn about. Here's some info on how Houdini set out to disprove self-proclaimed psychics and mediums: Wikipedia.org

Enfield 1977

One great documentary, one interesting case.

Haunted Ireland

A video from a Ghost Watching playlist