Review: "A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue," A Short Paranormal Folklore Documentary

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I received a very polite email from Derek Quint, the writer and director of “A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue,” a short paranormal folklore documentary. He asked me to give it a watch. Obviously “paranormal” and “folklore” caught my interest. I had time to check it out during lunch today, so I did.

Where Is Archer Avenue?

Archer Avenue is an infamously haunted street in Chicago, Illinois.

“Infamously? Really, Courtney? Are you exaggerating a little?”

I don’t know. Am I? {Insert shrug here}

That’s how Derek sold “A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue” to me in his pitch, and I bought it.

It’s a 13-minute documentary exploring the folklore and urban myths relating to Chicago’s infamously haunted street.

And you know what? I’m glad I did. #NoRegrets

But before I get to the rating, let’s take a quick look at what sort of activity happens on Archer Avenue to make it so spooky.

The Paranormal Activity on Archer Avenue

The more enjoyably wacky the legend, the harder it is to kill off. ~A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue

In this short documentary Derek does a great job bringing Archer Ave’s folklore and myths to life, with the help of narrator Michael Marius Massett and several actors. After a brief history and overview of the area, the film dives in to the specific activity reported, including:

The Wailing Woman of Archer Woods – A banshee like figure mourning something. Is it a lost child? A lover? No one knows, but she sounds very similar to La Llorona.
Occultists – What did some of Chicago’s bored youth do to entertain themselves in the 1970s and 1980s? Apparently some of them used Archer Woods for occult purposes. Did they help stir up the restless spirits thought to roam there?
Phantom Monks of St. James Sag Cemetery – Apparently if you trespass in this cemetery, it’s not security guards or guard dogs you might have to contend with. Instead, it’s spooky phantom monks who disappear once you’re off property. (According to the film, supposedly even cops have even been pursued by these specters!)
Mysterious Lovers – The film includes the tale of the Devil of Kaiser Hall and a “ghostly seductress” named Debbie. Back in the day, Kaiser Hall (no longer operating) used to throw a big dance, one the devil came to, but he led a woman out a window to her death. And Debbie used to hang around parking garages to try and lure young men to follow her to their peril.
The Gray Baby – First off, is it grey or gray? I always mix them up. Basically, this is one “baby” you don’t want to run into, baby. He’s not a baby at all, so how did he get that name? His appearance, namely his “stunted, wretched” appearance. What is he? Werewolf that escaped burial in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery? Zombie? Werewolf-zombie hybrid? Feral human? Or just pure fiction? I’ll let you find out. Ghosts don’t eat people, but this baby is said to feed on vermin and “unlucky townsfolk.” Doesn’t mention tourists or haunt jaunters, but I think I’ll play it safe and stay away from searching out this creepy legend.
Resurrection Mary – I saved the most popular for last, because “A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue” did too. Surely you’ve heard of her? She’s perhaps Chicago’s best known Lady in White-type ghost. She’s also a phantom hitchhiker. After she’s done jaunting or finding unsuspecting drivers to give her a ride, she returns to Resurrection Catholic Cemetery. But even though her ghostly nickname is Resurrection Mary, her real name may have been Anna Norkus? She was a young woman who died in a car accident in the late 1920s. Since the 1930s, there have been multiple reports of people (mostly men) picking up a young woman in a white party dress who asks to be let out near Resurrection Cemetery and then vanishing.

So now what do you think? Are you more convinced Archer Avenue deserves its “infamously” adjective?

If you’re still not sold, take 13 minutes to watch Derek’s film and let me know then.

The Wailing Woman of Archer Woods – Source: Addovolt Productions

Phantom Monk Source: Addovolt Productions

The Gray Baby – Source: Addovolt Productions

Rating

I found “A Murky Path Down Archer Avenue” to be the perfect blend of information and entertainment. I’m always leery when people contact me. And since I don’t like saying negative things, I politely avoid touting a lot things.

However, in this case, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the production. The narration is great, the visuals compelling, and the acting well done.

The only thing I took exception to was part of the narrative at the beginning:

We’ve all heard of haunted cemeteries before. And, of course haunted houses and haunted castles, haunted hotels and so on. But the idea of a haunted road sounds a little bit, well…weird. What you might not realize is that haunted roads, or roads that have paranormal legends associated with them, are actually not uncommon.

Haunted roads don’t sound weird to me, nor uncommon. I think most people who are interested in the paranormal are familiar with such phenomenon.

However, I quickly forgot that little blurp of a disagreement, because the doc quickly sucked me in. Derek and Addovolt Productions gained a new YouTube follower in me, as well as a thumbs up on their video. Not to mention four and a half out five skulls from the Skeleton Crew.