HAUNT JAUNTS » Archive for December 2009
Exercise the Spirits of 2009
No, I”m not missing the “O”. I mean exercise. Time to get you and your extended family of ghosts off your backs and butts and let in some fresh air. 2009 is on the way out. 2010 — which all signs point to being radically better than it’s former incarnation — is on the way in. Let’s oxygenate it. How do you exercise your spirits? Certainly, there are as many ways as there are opinions about the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts, Ghosts on the Net, Guest Bloggers, Haunted Places
Haunt Jaunts “Best Of” 2009 Awards
I decided to create a Haunt Jaunts “Best of” 2009 Award as I was taking stock of this past year and all the highlights. One of the tops has been creating Haunt Jaunts. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might know Haunt Jaunts became my “get off the couch” project while I recovered from cancer. (Check out the the About page for more on that if you don’t know and you’re … Read entire article »
Filed under: Awards
Chatting with Pill Hill Press About Their Resident Ghost
Here’s something you don’t run across every day: a publishing house with a resident ghost that specializes in horror, suspense, dark fantasy and science fiction. But that’s exactly the story at Pill Hill Press. I have to give credit to my friend Chris Verstraete for bringing this to my attention. First she sent me some info about anthologies PHP had open submissions for. But then she wrote back asking if I’d noticed that they operate out … Read entire article »
Filed under: Interviews
The Haunted French Villa – An Interview
My friend Jade Walker recently got married. For their honeymoon, she and her husband spent a month touring Europe. (That was their dream. They’d been saving for it ever since I first met her, back when I was writing for Families.com.) When she got back she mentioned they’d had an unexpected Haunt Jaunt during their stay in France. This piqued my interest big time because I’d had a heck of a time finding French Haunt Jaunts. … Read entire article »
Filed under: France, Interviews, Spooky Stays
Thoughts on Ghost Hunters Faking Evidence
When I wrote about the faked evidence Ghost Hunters doesn’t want you to see, my intention was to accomplish something akin to this quote by Margaret Meade: “I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world.” After learning how the producers of Ghost Hunters knew about Moss Beach Distillery’s special FX (see “Haunted or Hyped?”), and now seeing the clips of faked evidence, my trust and faith in Ghost Hunters is at an all-time low. As Autumnforest noted in her comment on my “A Few More Thoughts on Ghost TV Shows” post, “It made me want to start debunking the debunkers and that’s not a good position at all.” I sympathize with her woe, because that’s where … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
The Faked Footage Ghost Hunters Doesn’t Want You to See
Actually, it’s not so much that Ghost Hunters doesn’t want you to see the following clips. If you’re a fan of the show you’ve likely already seen them. What they don’t want you to do is examine them too closely or question their authenticity. Why? Because it’s evidence that GH’s evidence isn’t on the up and up. A.K.A. It’s growing proof that Ghost Hunters fakes findings. I pulled a few of the most telling clips to demonstrate. APPARITION AT EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY And my belief, just because I know who was outside, is that we caught some sort of apparition on camera. The best thing we can do is put it out there and let the world decide. ~Jason Hawes~ Keep that above quote in mind not just as you watch the clip, but for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Not Haunted
Other Ghost TV Shows to Try
I didn’t come across any cool new movies to share for Movie Monday today. (Besides which, Phasma Ex Machina has now set the benchmark. It’s going to take a lot to inspire me after seeing the trailer for that one. I am REALLY excited about it.) But never fear. I won’t leave you hanging in case your jonesing for an entertainment fix today. I’ve got something else up my sleeve. Rather than Haunt Jaunting to a movie theater for a ghost fix, though, this is one you can get from your computer. Are you bored of the “regular” ghost TV shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, Paranormal State, Most Haunted, etc? I recently wrote how Haunt Jaunts is going to venture behind the camera to get the perspective of the crew and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV
A Site to Check Out: Kreepy Krawly’s
I have to give credit to Twitter again for this (potentially) interesting find. I put potentially in parenthesis because I don’t have a lot of info about this site yet or what all it’s going to entail. The little info I do have sparked my interest, though. I figured it was worth passing along. From @kreepykrawlys Twitter profile page I learned this info: Join us in helping create our Kreepy Horror Host for our Major New Haunted Attraction. Our Essay Contest officially starts January 2010. Sign up now to be notified as soon as the site opens! Your imagination and entry fee could win you prizes and cold hard cash! “Haunted Attraction” and “Essay Contest” both caught my eye. “What’s this all about?” I wondered. I saw there was a link to a website, so I clicked and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
The Ghost Gifts I Got
I woke up Christmas morning and made a Haunt Jaunt to the Christmas tree. To my delight, I unwrapped a bounty of cool ghost gifts! SPOOKTASTIC READING My friend Jade sent me this book for Christmas. I am REALLY excited to read it. I had never heard of it before, but I knew Jade had sent me a winner the moment I read the first paragraph on the inside flap: Peter H. Aykroyd spent his childhood watching his … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Merry Christmas to All!
Haunt Jaunts extends Season’s Greetings to all! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or nothing in particular, we wish you and yours Happy Holidays. And we hope you enjoy the slower pace today brings…unless of course you have family galore and find yourselves rushing to and fro. (When we head home to Denver for the holidays that’s usually the situation we find ourselves in. But this year we stayed put in Nashville so there’s no … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Santa’s On His Way!
There’s no going back now. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, your fate is sealed. The NoN List is in Santa’s hot little hands, and guess what else those hands are busy doing? Yep, guiding his sleigh. That’s right. According to NORAD’s Santa Tracker, Santa’s already up and about. As of this posting, destinations he’s already visited include: Auckland, New Zealand Sydney, Australia Fuji, Japan Great Wall of China Perth, Australia Mount Everest Taj Majal, India Phew! That Santa is THE ultimate traveler, isn’t he? … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
The Spirits of Christmas
I am privileged to hear wonderful and personal ghost stories, especially at this time of year. They range far and wide in tone — from mild to bone-chilling. Most often during the holidays, they are downright sentimental. It seems that when our need for human contact and kindness is most keenly felt, our loved ones sometimes find a way through. They may be just a breath to let you know that you are still loved and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts, Guest Bloggers, Wisconsin
The Hollywood Ghost Hunters Looking for Locales to Investigate
I came across a press release about the Hollywood Ghost Hunters last week, but (like with most everything else) I didn’t have time to get to it then. However, in keeping with the theme of Movie Monday today, I figured it’d fit in nicely today. Two things caught my eye about the Hollywood Ghost Hunters. Its membership is comprised of horror film professionals. It’s co-founders are Kane Hodder (‘Jason Voorhees’ in “Friday the 13th”) and Rick McCallum … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Movie Monday: Phasma Ex Machina
I have not been as excited to share a Movie Monday trailer with you as I am to share this one for Phasma Ex Machina. I was a little worried I might not have a Movie Monday blog this week. Then I checked my followers on Twitter and saw @PhasmaExMachina was a new one. Like I do with all followers, I went to check them out and BINGO! Found my Movie Monday story. Indie though it may be, I think we all know by now that in no way implies “inferior” anymore. And let me be perfectly clear, there is nothing that looks inferior about Phasma Ex Machina. If it’s as good as the trailer, I dare say this is the kind of movie a lot us have been waiting for. (And … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Haunt Jaunts Reaches Goal of 500 Twitter Followers
Last night I was goofing around on Twitter and noticed @HauntJaunts‘ followers was 12 away from 500. I was planning on sending a Tweet today to the effect, “Santa, it would be really exciting to see 500 followers for Christmas.” I never got the chance. This morning I logged in to email, saw I had some new followers, went to check them out like I always do and was shocked to see Santa filled my Twitter stocking … Read entire article »
Filed under: Haunt Jaunts - General, Haunted Places
Ghost TV Shows: Haunt Jaunts Ventures Behind the Camera
You know how I’ve been writing about Ghost TV shows lately? (Ghost TV Shows: Good for Paranormal Tourism, Bad for Paranormal Research, A Few More Thoughts About Ghost TV Shows, and The NY Times Takes on Ghost TV Shows) Well, Loyd Auerbach, who I actually consulted regarding my “Haunted or Hype?” series, gave a couple of them a read and sent me his thoughts. Specifically, this comment sparked my muse’s fire: I’ve been doing TV since the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV
The NY Times Takes on Ghost TV Shows
Granted, I’ve been pretty harsh on ghost TV shows lately. (Ghost TV Shows: Good for Paranormal Tourism, Bad for Paranormal Research and A Few More Thoughts About Ghost TV Shows). But that’s because I’m passionate about the paranormal and think some of these shows are doing paranormal research an injustice. I think they could do better. However, others think the whole thing is a mockery. As evidenced in such posts as TV Squad’s “Ghost Lab haunted by dispiriting lack of spirits”, or (as funny as it was) Cracked.com’s “Ghost TV.” But now ghost TV shows have drawn the attention (and scorn) of a bigger market: the New York Times. (See “Consigning Reality Ghosts to TV”) I took offense to this part of the article (in particular the last sentence): Debunkers attack the shows for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV
Movie Monday: Dark Moon Rising
Twitter never lets me down, you know that? Since I rarely get to the theaters anymore, and even watching DVDs at home has been lacking lately, I’m not as in the know as I used to be about coming attractions. But Twitter’s been fixing that. I’ve had some interesting-looking movies following me lately, and then I can share them here for Movie Monday! This next one came courtesy of @DMRMovie. The movie is Dark Moon Rising. It’s a werewolf one set in the deserts of Nevada. (I’m getting the feeling werewolves are hot again. Between Twilight’s New Moon, the new Wolfman that’s coming out, and now this one…yeah, I’d say werewolves are making a comeback.) Anyway, this one looked interesting. Maybe a bit on the cheesy side. It reminds me of movie … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Win a Red Carpet Screening of Paranormal Activity
I received an interesting email about The Paranormal Activity Home Entertainment Sweepstakes. Enter to win a red-carpet screening in your home (with press and all) plus a home entertainment system. Entries will be accepted until 12:01 p.m. EST on December 18, 2009. They’ll pick a winner that same day. Paranormal Activity will be released on December 29, 2009. The DVD and 2-disc Blu-ray are available for pre-order on Amazon now. I still haven’t seen the movie, but I have it in my Netflix queue –unless of course I win the contest and get to do the in-home red carpet screening! Recommended Products: Paranormal Activity [Blu-ray] (2009) Unrated A Haunting: Twilight of Evil [Blu-ray] A Haunting - Seasons 1-4 Paranormal Activity Paranormal Activity Limited Collector's Edition … Read entire article »
Use Your iPhone to See St. Augustine’s Spooky Side
Okay, I think Smartphones are pretty cool. I haven’t admitted this to anyone before, but I’m fessing up now: I secretly want an iPhone. At the moment I can’t afford one, and Heaven only knows what I’d do with one if I got it. (Likely get in more trouble than I need!) Actually, here’s what I already know I’d use my iPhone for: Keeping up with Twitter better Using it to go geocaching Listening to audio books And that’s just … Read entire article »
Filed under: Florida, Paranormal Tourism, Technology
Check Out Who Haunt Jaunts is Keeping Company With
I love pingbacks and trackbacks. I love when I can leave them on other people’s blogs, and I get tickled pink when I find them on any of my posts. Take this morning for instance. I logged on to try and do some last minute online Christmas shopping. (It’s not truly “last minute” but for me it is. Normally I’m done by now. But vacation threw me off, then this week…wow. Monday started off great. Very promising. Got lots done. But Tuesday everything got thrown up in chaos again when I found a stray puppy outside our door trying desperately to seek shelter from the horrendously bad weather we were having then. Of course I took him in until I could find his people. So far I haven’t found them and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts
Friday Fun: We’re Alive
This week for Friday Fun I’m deviating away from ghosts to feature my other passion: zombies. I found this next bit of fun via Javier Ortega’s post about “We’re Alive.” I came across it in my attempt to catch up on all the posts I’ve missed on the various blogs I follow. (Vacations…love them, but they sure create a lot of catch-up for me!) Anyway, We’re Alive is sure to titillate all you fellow zombie lovers out there. It’s a podcast (free, by the way) about a group of survivors in, as Javier wrote, “a post-apocalyptic zombie infested Los Angeles.” (I thought that summed it up rather nicely.) Click here to see a list of their episodes. They started releasing them back in May and have been releasing new ones pretty regularly … Read entire article »
Filed under: Friday Fun
Haunted or Hype?
I’ve been talking about this for a few weeks now. Or at least hinting at it here and there on my blog and in comments I’ve left on other people’s blogs. But today I’m finally going to start my “Haunted or Hype?” series. IT ALL STARTED WHEN… Back in October, Donna Marsh (Nashville Ghost & Hauntings Examiner and founding member of the American Paranormal Society) held an open house for APS. I was late getting there, but managed to attend the back half of her presentation. One of her favorite stories to share is about the Bell Witch Cave. (In fact, she wrote about The Bell Witch on her blog not too long ago.) During her open house presentation she brought up how she’s no longer welcome on the property of the people … Read entire article »
Filed under: Haunted Places, Not Haunted
A Few More Thoughts About Ghost TV Shows
Apparently when I wrote about Ghost TV shows the other day (Ghost TV Shows: Good for Paranormal Tourism, Bad for Paranormal Research) I didn’t get it all out of my system. I have a few more thoughts to share. KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE As I wrote about in my first post (and have readily admitted before), ghost TV shows are one of my guilty pleasures. Sometimes I forget that. I get so caught up in what’s happening, or what the investigators “might” find, that I forget something crucial: at their essence, ghost TV shows are meant for entertainment purposes only. They’re not actually “real.” And most importantly, they don’t actually “solve” anything. (I’ll get to that at the end.) GOTTA KEEP THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE Ghost Hunters, especially in the beginning, did an excellent … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV
Monmouthshire’s Ghosts – A Christmas Story…
A Caper Company Christmas and Holiday greeting to you. I ran across this tale of a Christmas-time ghostly encounter and thought you might enjoy it too. As the tale begins, “No Christmas is complete without its complement of ghost stories…” The story is a bit lengthy, so instead of taking up a long, long piece of Courtney’s fabulous HauntJaunts Blog, here’s a tiny piece of the story and a link to the Caper Company Haunts Blog. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Books, Ghosts, Ghosts on the Net, Guest Bloggers, Haunted Places, Paranormal Tourism, United Kingdom
Haunted By My Own Perfectionism
I know, yet another face lift. This makes like how many in the past two months? I’ve lost count myself. If I may, let me explain… After Autumnforest and Susan left comments pointing out the small font on the other style I just picked last week, I couldn’t rest. But I haven’t had time to really sit and fiddle with finding a new one. However, I realized yesterday as I sat down to write and was completely blocked that I had to find time today. It’s kind of like when my house or work space gets too out of control. I just can’t focus until I reign in some of the chaos. The words refuse to come out. And do you know how frustrating that is when I have some big stories I want … Read entire article »
Filed under: Haunt Jaunts - General
Spirit Animals
Hey Baby. What’s your totem? For a number of my friends and acquaintances, that would be the perfect pick up line. Being of Native American descent, I’ve already found my spirit animal. Tooling around on the interwebs, I also found this fun on-line quiz. I was a bit skeptical, but the quiz did come up with the correct spirit animal. Oh me of little faith. Jeri Smith-Ready posted the quiz on her blog to draw … Read entire article »
Filed under: Books, Guest Bloggers, Haunt Jaunts - General, Not Haunted, Off Topic
We Are Not Alone — Paranormal Trade Shows
To me, the words ‘trade show’ conjure images of zombie-like packs of business people prowling around a convention center clutching one of those plastic vendors bags. They stop at every booth and grab all the swag they can, while assiduously avoiding eye contact. You know what I mean. You’ve been there, too. Later, after the fugue wears off and you sort your booty, reason returns and the questions begin. What are you going to do … Read entire article »
Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Ohio, Paranormal Events, Paranormal Tourism, Travel - General, Wisconsin
Movie Monday: Psych: 9
Today’s movie, Psych: 9, is another one I found thanks to Twitter. (Specifically, @Psych9 following me. I always check out followers, saw their YouTube link, and, well, here we are today…) This one looks pretty promising. It’s cast of characters include Sara Foster (she’s on the new 90210), Cary Elwes (I always immediately think of Princess Bride and Saw when I see his name), and Michael Biehn (from such films as The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, and Grindhouse/Planet Terror just to name a few). I have to admit, it is the rare trailer that creeps me out or makes me jump. (Although, I can think of two other more recent trailers that gave me pause lately: The Fourth Kind and Legion. In fact, I wrote about what part of Legion’s trailer tripped … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Ghost TV Shows: Good for Paranormal Tourism, Bad for Paranormal Research
I have to get something off my chest. I’ve noticed a trend develop in some of the blogs I follow. Lately many of my fellow bloggers have been feeling as disgruntled, dissatisfied and disillusioned with the same thing I have: ghost TV shows. CAN’T GET NO SATISFACTION Either in their own posts or in comments they’ve left on other blogs, I’ve seen such bloggers I respect and admire like Julie from Above the Norm, Autumnforest from Ghost Hunting Theories, Susan from Haunt Spots Tours, or Javier from GhostTheory say something I find myself stating more and more lately. It goes a little something like this, “At first I really liked Ghost Hunters, but anymore…” The dot-dot-dot part is then filled in with what they’re noticing is lacking from this once must-see show. Here’s how … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV, Paranormal Tourism
Friday Fun: Scary Ghost Footage
It would be more apropos to label this post “Freaky Friday Fun.” I came across it earlier this week and after I jumped and had a good laugh at myself, I knew I had to share it. It’s been around for a while, so for some of you it will be old. But it was new to me. If you haven’t seen it yet either, I hope you’ll find it “spook-ay” fun too. Recommended Products: YouTube: An Insider's Guide to Climbing the Charts The YouTube Reader YouTube for Business: Online Video Marketing for Any Business How to Make Money with YouTube: Earn Cash, Market Yourself, Reach Your Customers, and Grow Your Business on the World's Most Popular Video-Sharing Site (How to Make . . .) Loving Sex - Oral Sex According to Kicesie … Read entire article »
Filed under: Friday Fun
New Paranormal Reality Show on… Animal Planet (?!)
It’s official. Everybody and his hairy cousin is jumping on the paranormal tv bandwagon. What do you think? Happy, Hissy, Haunts, Susan Scot Fry Recommended Products: Ghost Hunting 101: A Beginner's Guide Caught on Tape: Complete Series Story & Song From the Haunted Mansion Paranormal Review Hellboy Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense Vinyl Decal Sticker - White … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV, Guest Bloggers, Haunted Places, Paranormal Tourism, Wisconsin
Friday Fun: Christmas Gifts for Ghost Enthusiasts
I know in my Black Friday post last week I admitted I’m not much of a shopper. Yet not only did that post focus on shopping, but so did my second Friday Fun post from last week about Unique Christmas Gifts. Guess what? Today’s Friday Fun is also shopping-oriented.(Hey, ’tis the season. I may not like to shop, but at this time of year I’m forced to!) However, even though I don’t find shopping fun, I think … Read entire article »
Filed under: Friday Fun
Lessons Learned from the Key West and Nassau Haunt Jaunt
I always learn something when I travel. Which is nice. Then I can pass the tips along to others who might not have thought to ask certain questions or taken certain things into consideration before setting out on their quests either. On our Haunt Jaunt to Key West and Nassau I learned the following: When traveling on a cruise ship during a holiday week expect many children. I have nothing against children, but I’m not used to being around them. And when almost 1,000 of the 2,500 passengers on your cruise ship are kids, it’s easy to feel outnumbered. And frustrated. Wayne and I are pretty tolerant for the most part. However, our patience was definitely tested as we waited in lines made longer by those having to help their children get … Read entire article »
Yes, There Has Been Another Haunt Jaunts Face-Lift
I was really hoping the last time I changed my blog’s “skin” would be it. It wasn’t exactly perfect, but it suited my purposes well enough. Or so I thought… COMMENTS It all started shortly before I left for vacation. Julie from Above the Norm alerted me to the fact she was having trouble leaving comments. I had heard something similar back during the Halloween Blog Giveaway from a few people also. I tried to figure out what was up, but I couldn’t. I figured maybe the Internet was being finicky or something. Then I got busy and sort of forgot about it. Then I returned from vacation. I tried to respond to comments left in my absence and to leave some on Susan’s guest blogs, but I couldn’t. It was frustrating enough to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Haunt Jaunts - General
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