You’ve probably heard about ghostwriting, especially when it comes to super-long novels, which, let’s face it, takes a lot of precious time.
But Twittering? That’s like, what? A sentence?
Even so, celebrities aren’t doing it. So if you’re following the tweets of 50 Cent, John Mayer, Kanye West, or Britney Spears, you’re really getting tweeted by “hired ghosts”.
In fact, some of these celebs don’t even like Twitter. (“Like” is a nice way of putting it.)
This is what John Mayer said to Marc Malkin of E!:
Twitter is "inherently silly and it's inherently dumb...If you really think that Twitter is the pathway to spiritual enlightenment, well...it's one step away from sending pictures of your poop."
I can’t help but laugh, but I bet his 400,000 followers are pissed.
According to ABC News, people generally don’t want to live in a house someone died in, especially if somewhere in the property's history are the words "mass murder."
Well, duh.
A “stigmatized” property - what those in the real eastate biz call homes with bad karma - can lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in value. The other problem with "stigmatized" homes is that the reason it's stigmatized is more easily hidden from buyers than a leaky roof or creaky floors.
"Murder would seem to be horrific and would garner a 50 percent reduction, whereas a landslide on the property might be more toward 30 percent."
Considering the condition the real estate market’s already in, this sounds like it might be a pretty serious problem; either too many haunted houses are on the market or too many agents are tricking people into buying them.
But what’s with the picture they put with it?
Scary!
Way to make fun of people who don't want to live in the Amityville Horror house. They must be crazy.
Some of these are strange, some are creepy, and some are downright freaky. Of course, I haven’t seen every movie out there, but from what I have, I’d say this is a pretty good countdown of boundary-pushing, possibility-exploring, fear-evoking movies on the ghostly, demonic, supernatural, and extra-terrestrial. Phew! Maybe you’ll agree; maybe not. Maybe you’ll think I’m a big scaredy-cat. No, wait…I am.
Enjoy!
10) Donnie Darko (2001) After a jet engine crashes through his roof, a disturbed teenager (Donnie Darko) comes under the influence of a giant bunny rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. Frank convinces him to perform a series of crimes, while all along Donnie is becoming more and more captivated by the notion of time travel. This isn’t your typical scary movie, but for some reason it always gives me the chills. Maybe because it’s so dark; and that rabbit doesn’t help much either.
9) Frailty (2001) Fenton Meiks enters an FBI agent’s office late at night to confess his knowledge of the “God’s Hand” killer. His knowledge is centred on two young brothers – one of who is telling the story – whose father claims to have been given a list of “demons” (real people) to vanquish (kill) in the name of God. There’s always the question of whether God is actually speaking to his father, or if he’s just crazy. It’s the not-knowing that keeps you watching until the superb (and freaky) twist at the end.
8) The Mist (2007) A group of citizens are stranded in a supermarket when an eerie mist rolls into town. Hiding in the fog are giant carnivorous insect-like creatures that may or may not be supernatural. While the creatures themselves put on a good show, the scariest aspect of the movie is how people react to life-threatening situations, and how quickly they can turn against each other.
7) Village of the Damned (1995) In a small town, ten women mysteriously become pregnant and give birth at the exact same time. Weird, right? Creepier is that when the children grow older, they all have white hair and glowing eyes, can read people’s thoughts, and make them do things against their will. Need I say more? (Even looking at that movie cover terrifies me.)
6) Stir of Echoes (1999) When Tom Whitzky is hypnotized at a party he begins to see the ghost of a young girl in his house, leading him to embark on a search for the horrifying truth of what happened to her. What makes this movie creepy is the originality and believability of Tom’s supernatural experiences, and the bizarre change of character he undergoes to find some answers. The ghost is pretty freaky-looking too.
5) The Shining (1980) What could be scarier than being stranded at a haunted hotel when your own family is trying to kill you? Or running into twin little-girl-ghosts (the worst kind of ghosts) while you’re innocently roaming the halls on your tricycle? Or seeing a tidal wave of blood hurling towards you? Aside from these hair-raising scenarios, this movie has so many memorable lines that it couldn’t not be in this list. “All scare and no help makes The Shining a creepy movie.” I tried.
4) The Sixth Sense (1999) This Oscar-winner is about a kid who can see and communicate with dead people, and a child psychologist who devotes all his energy to help the poor boy. There were quite a few scenes that made me jump the first time I saw this, and the entire movie just made me feel all tense. But rather than being just an average ghost movie that uses predictable scare tactics, The Sixth Sense was nominated for six Academy Awards (coincidence?), made nearly $673 million worldwide, and had one of the best twist endings ever.
3) The Ring (2002) Remember VHS? Remember how annoying it was to have to rewind your rentals before returning them to the store? Well, a video tape that kills you a week after you watch it is even worse. After a journalist and her creepy son watch the tape, they have one week to discover how it was made and why it’s killing people in order to stop their own demise. I think The Ring is one of those movies that sticks with you; I still get freaked out if the TV goes fuzzy.
2) Event Horizon (1997) In 2047 a rescue team is sent to investigate the reappearance of a spaceship that has been missing for seven years. One the ship they discover a supernatural evil that uses their own fears and torments against them. This movie is certainly NOT for the squeamish or the easily-scared; it will traumatize you.
1) The Exorcist (1973) When 12-year-old Regan begins conversing with “Captain Howdy” via Ouija board, a demonic spirit takes over her body. Unlike most movies that were made before special effects could barely be called mediocre effects, The Exorcist is still super-freaky. Who could forget the part when the possessed 12-year-old crawls backwards down the stairs, or the entire exorcism scene? And I thought pea soup couldn’t get any more disgusting.
The Paraplex, a former funeral home located on the famous Canal Street, is fully-loaded with 4 ghosts and 40 thermal and infrared cameras, which parapsychologist Dr. Larry Montz will use to “prove these things exist.”
In the mean time, visitors can participate in “fear experiments,” private séances, and psychometry tests to see if and how psychic they are. (If they are psychic shouldn’t they already know?)
The Paraplex is also part museum, featuring the Freddy Kruger glove, the Honey Island Swamp Monster footprint, a vampire hunting kit, and dolls from vampire-writer Anne Rice’s collection. How appropriate.
But if all the lab is using to catch ghosts is cameras, how would this “proof” be better than that already found on Ghost Hunters or Paranormal State (assuming, of course, that those investigators aren’t just actors with a sweet team of Photoshop pros)?
I wonder if “scientifically” proving every haunting and ghost story as true – knowing the unknown – would make the whole idea of paranormality more scary, less intriguing, or make any difference at all.
On the other hand, say if Montz and his team actually catch these ghosts on camera, maybe the “paranormal” would no longer exist.
If the existence of ghosts, UFOs, and psychic abilities is proven, thus becoming scientific fact, wouldn't that render the paranormal...well, normal?
I recently came across two articles that caught my attention. Why, you may ask? Both mentioned the words “scientists” and “ghosts” in the same headline. But, before you get too excited, they didn’t say, “Scientists Prove Ghosts Exist.”
One article from Cold Spot: Paranormal Research and Investigation Unit, and the other from UK’s Glasgow Daily Record, suggest that when people see ghosts they aren’t actually seeing anything – although for two different reasons.
The Glasgow Daily Record reported that coffee drinkers (ie. those who drink more than SEVEN cups of instant coffee a day) are more likely to hallucinate and hear non-existent voices.
On the other hand, the Cold Spot article disclosed a study conducted by University College London, which suggests that when people see ghosts they’re simply “filling in the blanks” with their imagination.
I don’t doubt that either explanation is possible, but I don’t know anyone who drinks seven cups of coffee a day. And it just doesn’t seem logical that more than one person could experience the same phenomena at different times if they were using their own imagination. Plus, as I mentioned in my last post, there’s more to any experience than just what is seen.
If ghosts are a figment of the imagination, or the result of caffeine overdose, how have ghost stories and the belief in their existence lasted for centuries even without concrete, scientific proof? Even before coffee and scary movies existed?
The only answer I can think of is that ghosts do exist. After all, there’s no proof that they don’t.
For most people, seeing is believing. But if you ask me, it’s hard to be “rational” about odd banging coming from empty rooms, scratching sounds on the bedroom window, inexplicably moved furniture, or that feeling of someone standing behind you even when there’s no one else in sight.
To be honest, I’ve never actually seen a ghost. I’ve been to so-called truly haunted places – Centre Island’s lighthouse, Fort Erie’s fort, Fort Erie’s Doll Museum – and nothing, nada, zilch.
By “nothing, nada, zilch,” what I really mean is I didn't see anything. I do remember feeling really creeped out, but in all fairness, it could have just been the dolls. (C’mon, you have to admit dolls are scary!)
The point is, if you’re planning to do your own ghost-hunt, there are a few things you can bring besides your eyeballs:
1) A flashlight – Assuming you go at night, you’ll want to see where you’re going
2) A compass – Often when a compass is acting wonky, it means there are certain electromagnetic impulses interfering with it; these impulses are sometimes attributed to ghostly activity.
3) A camera – Images of floating orbs and even silhouettes can be captured by a camera even though you may not see them with your own eyes. Plus, it’s nice to have some form of proof if you actually do see something a little odd.
4) Extra batteries – According to pretty much every ghost-hunting show out there, ghosts gain energy from electricity. Don’t be surprised if your batteries die faster than usual.
5) A friend – Possibly the most important tool, they’ll help keep you calm and provide another witness should something happen…
Unfortunately, it’s always possible that the ghost footage you see on paranormal investigation shows and the internet is fake. This video is one of the better ones I’ve found. Fake or not, it sure gave me a scare.
Have I ever been to a cemetery at night? Once. Would I ever go alone? Hmm...probably not.
Whether you’re a skeptic or a firm believer in the spirit world, a clichéd cemetery is just one place where you can test its existence – and your own bravery.
From the hours of Creepy Canada, Rescue Mediums, Most Haunted, and all those other ghost-hunting shows I’ve watched (with the lights on of course), I’ve come up with a top 10 list of potentially haunted places - or at least where creepy stuff tends to happen.
Visit The Shadowlands if you want to search the most haunted places in Canada. But keep in mind, it may involve a lot of scrolling down to find the city you're looking for.
You’ve probably heard about ghostwriting, especially when it comes to super-long novels, which, let’s face it, takes a lot of precious time. 
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