bradywade55

[bradywade55]

What Went Bump In The Night.... An Amazing Approach Towards My Favorite JWU Course Yet!

 Coming into this class, I was expecting to fit right in, given my interests and background in the paranormal. I was raised around all different ideas pertaining to the “un-canny”. Considering the fact that I practically grew up watching horror and sci-fi movies, I knew from the start that this class was right up my alley. However, I never anticipated loving this class so much, considering I thought I had already reached the limits of my passion for the supernatural. Of course, this class completely exceeded my expectations for an academic driven integrated learning study. The icing on the cake for myself was the quantity of time we spent analyzing horror films. Who wouldn’t want to spend their class time pursuing films to whole new degree. It wasn’t enough that we had the opportunity to enjoy our studies through film, but we were also exposed to brand new ideas I had never once thought to explore. I was always a film “buff” but I had never dissected horror films so intricately that I would have noticed the exorbitant amount of hidden topics and ideas. I find it weird that I have lived a life so high strung with anxieties, yet I still hadn’t noticed the shear connections between some of my fears and the horror films that were and still are produced today. Regardless, the application of the ideas we approached throughout the class substantially contributed to my understanding of what horror films truly exemplify. I could ramble for days about the many ideas we chose to combat in the class, however I feel I have already done so in my previous posts. I am sure I speak for many when I say, we should sincerely commend Dr. Battista for presenting us such a dynamic and interactive course. I personally hope this class continues to expand so that many other young minds might have the opportunity to dive into the very animated world of the “Un-Heimlich”.

[bradywade55]

Stanley Steamer guaranteed “Screamers”

The “Paranormal Investigation” project our team (The Wumbo-Weenies) embarked on was far from normal. Upon hearing about this assignment, i was up to my ears in excitement. I sleep, eat, and breath the super natural so i made sure to take advantage of this class. Our group selected the Stanley Hotel, located in Estes Park, as our site to visit. I have always wanted to visit the Stanley and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. We did our research, made a few reservations, and BOOM...we were off to the races. This group of Steven King fans could not wait to step foot on the grounds of the Stanley Hotel, Speculated to be home to a substantial amount of paranormal phenomena. 

Even though i am a huge “Spiritual” enthusiast, i will admit, i have my doubts about the degree of paranormal activity we would experience. For some strange reason, i just had this impression that we might not have as much freedom on our tour as we would like. Over the years, the tours have been rumored to have become increasingly “commercial” for a lack of better terms. None, the less, i still set off will my expectations set relatively high. I hoped to be blaintainly proven wrong.

Upon arriving for our tour, facilitated by Cherry Creek Tours, are suspicions were confirmed when we were shuffled along what i would like to refer to as “The Corniest Tour on Earth”. i was not impressed by the amount of limits we had pertaining to our filming and exploration however i was slightly amused by the little ghost stories they told to the group. Regardless of the tour guides gimmicks, we ended up salvaging a wonderful experience

After leaving the tour, i was a bit disappointed. The guides had killed the scary vibe i was desperately trying to cling to by stating, “We only have happy ghosts here”. Happy ghost my ass. What spirit is going to enjoy being bastardized through cheesey tours. Either way, i left the hotel without feeling like i had secured that genuine ghost experience. That was, until i returned to Johnson & Wales to review my footage. What i ended up capturing shocked m and my whole team. I don't want to ruin the surprise of our experience, but tune into our video to find out the whole scoop! 

[bradywade55]

Cabin in the Where?

  Cabin in the Woods is a very unique film to say the least. It’s not like most of the other movies circulated through the category of horror films. Cabin in the Woods takes a wildly different approach towards the procurement of fear from its viewer. In a bold yet successful attempt to break boundaries of horror never even touched by classical and contemporary horror films, the director of the movie Drew Goddard, decided he was going to orchestrate a film that encapsulated every possible dark and demented likeness he and his producers could dream up. Goddard really opened up a can of worms with this film as he secured a personal cameo for a countless amount of horror archetypes. Directing various other famous movies including Cloverfield, World War Z, and even the TV Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Drew had plenty of experience concocting creatures that fit into the various categories monster archetypes that ruled the horror realm. However, never before had Goddard, let alone any other horror movie director, attempted to collectively capture all of these archetypes with in one platform

The Film, Cabin in the Woods, does an excellent job of showcasing the countless Horrific beings and persona in which have proliferated through the ages of Horror. For the past handful of decades, the various cultural fears and anxieties that our species has possessed, have given birth to an unprecedented quantity of grotesque and un-earthly beings that have secured they own dark crevices in the minds of people, in which they have hide. Referring back to the film, it appears that Drew Goddard has given these creatures their own personal battle ground in which they may now wage war on their creators.

At first glance, this film appears to take on the same plot, setting, and what have you, of any other horror film previous put out into the industry. What the viewer soon come to realize is that this movie is no “Cookie Cutter” horror film, but rather a film that uses the same typical stereotypes and tropes of the Science Fiction Genre to open up a brand new outlet for the fewer to face their demons. We see some of the popular character’s archetypes in this film such as the Jock, the young provocative female, the blitzed out stoner, the young lady that appears overly cautious but she’s secretly bad ass …. yeah…basically all of the stereotypes you would expect in a movie encompassing a group of quirky teenagers. We are also met with the same tacky foreshadowed storyline line in which us, as the audience know pretty much everything that is going to happen to the characters before they do, keeping the us engaged in the narrative while constantly forcing us to question the character’s cringe worthy choices of action. What makes this movie stand apart from other horror movies begins with the obscure approach the director seems to take in the delivery of the premise. Instead of simply having the events unfold in an orthodox fashion, the director decides to appropriately adapt the concept of his film to a “Business-like” setting in which the unruly events witnessed by the audience, and experienced by the characters, are actually overseen by a team of executives working under “Higher-Authority”.

What us as the audience know, but the characters are blatantly unaware of is that these individuals are behind the scenes, controlling and monitoring their demise, from a safe and secure location. This organized group of officials are responsible for performing any and all appropriate measures in order to ensure this group of un-suspecting teen are provoked into choosing the outlet in which they will die. In the film, the teens are lured by their curious natures into the basement where they are exposed to a series of artifacts that are secretly tied to various certainly unfavorable fashions in which they would meet their maker. Ultimately, the teens end up focusing their attention to a dark and demented journal kept by a young girl who met her untimely death whilst fulfilling the practices and beliefs of her sick and sadistic family. To make a long story short, these cats had exercised their curiosity…and you know how the rest of the analogy plays out. Of course, the events that unfold after words are far from ordinary yet quite comical from the audience’s perspectives.

I could continue to share the events that are to follow the “un-canning of the uncanny” …see what I did there…but I would hate to spoil the hard work of such a brilliant director. If you were looking for spoilers, you might have better luck on YouTube. Rather, what is more important is that we all have a mutual understanding about the purpose of Goddard’s bizarre approach towards the encompassment of the supernatural in contemporary film structure. The greatest question pertaining to the sums of all his efforts is why was Goddard so adamant in making his movie into a platform in which all of these horror archetypes can clash? Better yet, why did he choose to portray this series of events in such a modern setting opposed to adhering to a more gothic or medieval setting where many of this archetypes are indicative of. Why not adapt a more “post-apocalyptic “setting for this storyline, in which it could be more easily processed by the human imagination? I believe the answer lies in one of the earlier scenes in the film when one of the directors of the modern “Ritual” refers to the gods they serve as “The Ancient Ones”. The Ancient ones, as the organization workers explain, were a race of superior beings predating the existence of humans on earth. These all powerful beings subsided from the surface long before the rule of humans on the face of the planet, although the require annual rituals involving blood sacrifice. Provided their demands are not met by the inferior species, these beings would them commission an army of monsters, all remnants of the old world, to punish the infertile humans. As long as this underground organization, being one of many globally, is able to successfully enact their sacrificial ceremony, the gods will remain below them and the earth will remain undisturbed.

I believe that the narrative of this film is made to be impractical apart from the usual approaches previous taken in horror films, primarily for the purpose to make the viewer unremarkably uncomfortable. The film uses a lot of foreshadowing to give the viewer the impression that the film is interactive, however, this attribute of the film on proves to annoy the viewer as the characters make text book mistakes all throughout the storyline. The shift from a fantasy world to the “real world” serves to throw off the audience as the train of events quickly transitions from understandable to un-comprehensible. This movie doesn’t just focus on one cultural anxiety, but rather tackles the concept of the human race having to face the lump-sum of shameful fears we have fed into for as long as we can remember. It is even more interesting when you evaluate the film using the smaller details to generate a bigger picture. If you look at it through the perspective of the characters chosen as the martyrs of this unofficial capital punishment, these were merely innocent mortals, chosen from a pool of billions, sentenced to death under the crimes and shortcomings of a whole race. To them, their fate seemed to be unethical, however when we observe at the attitudes of the so-called “faculty” running Lucifer’s operation, the deaths of these young teens appear marginal in comparison to the fate of mankind. Therefore, with exception of the five teens punished in the ceremony, every seems legitimately un-phased by the events they were orchestrating for some thousands of years. Quite like in the reality exhibited in our actual real-world society, people participate in organizations, projects, and initiatives that seem ethical at first glance, however hold impartial consequences to others who stand in the way. Regardless or the bigger purpose of some of these organizations, the participants fail to realize the harmful consequences subjected upon others whilst blinded by the benefits of their own fruitions

[bradywade55]

Blog Post 6: The Exorcist

Beginning in the 60’s and extending through the 70’s, an “Anti- Natality” Movement was in effect, in which the world, or at least the society within it, appeared to be waging war on the female body. Media constantly challenged the roles females played in organized society, playing on various stereotypes commonly attached to women. You might witness emphasis on the responsibility roles females began filling in the work force, in the household, and even in the government or military. There were a lot of general anxieties circulating around the concept of women gaining elevated hierarchical power in society. These anxieties were poured into film as we see a rapid influx of horror movies during this time, many of which are framed around female antagonists and/or protagonists.

In the Movie The Exorcist, directed by William Peter Blatty, we witness some of these very same stereotypes personified in multiple female leads. Blatty actually wrote a Novel titled The Exorcist that was so successful, he decided to adapt the very same concept into a film. The film then released in 1973 went on to secure its spot as one of these most shockingly controversial movies to be released in America since the film Freaks had been released in 1932. The Exorcist features a story about a retired actress trying to pave her foundations as a single mother living in Washington D.C. The Main character, Chris MacNeil is a widowed house wife who has since been focusing on providing the most quintessential life for her teenage daughter, Regan. When Regan becomes mysteriously “possessed by a demon” with little to no explanation, this poor mother is forced into a situation where she is essentially battling for her daughter’s life. This harder this young mother battles for control of her daughter’s soul, the more power the so- called demon appears to gain on the adolescent. Mrs. MacNeil reaches out to several medical professionals, psychologists, and eventually even pleads her case to the church. Despite her efforts, she only digs deeper and deeper until it appears she is out of options. This struggling mother is faced with the reality that she is no longer in control and there is nothing she can do to protect her daughter’s innocent life.

Left upstream without a paddle, the poor single mother is hurled into what seems like complete hysteria. She starts pondering hopelessly, babbling to others about her possessed daughter, demons, and what have you. Everything seems to be taking a convenient turn for the worse right after Mrs. MacNeil was dipping her toes into the pond of un-equivocal power…that is until a prominent male lead steps in to save the day. Right as Chris MacNeil is ready to exhaust her options of combatting the inevitable, two male priests take charge and decide to attempt an “Exorcism”. According to the film, this ritual had been long abandoned by members of the church and deemed inhumane and unethical. However, if anyone could successfully pull off a since forgotten practice of such biblical proportions, it was going to be a man right. None the less, these two hero’s attempt this ancient ritual and are successful in saving the day, right? Not quite! Some spectators will argue that the priests never actually complete the ceremony. In fact, the world renown Rabbi that lead the exorcism died suddenly of what we can only assume was a heart attack. Or maybe it was the demon stealing away his soul. Regardless of the circumstances, shortly after, the other priest who was previously skeptical to the supernatural, hurls himself out a window as a heroic attempt to seize the malevolent spirit from the grasp of the young girl’s innocent soul. It would appear that the priest had saved the day although no one is quite sure, as the audience is left in pure shock and horror.

It would make sense that the male lead secures the role of the “Hero” at the end of this film, much like the climax to the majority of other misogynistic films previous released onto the public. The ending does however leave the audience questioning the director’s motives. Why did he set up his film like this? Why did he choose to portray these disturbing concepts using female leads as the major protagonists, especially during this time? Much like I eluded to earlier in this passage, it all boils down to revolutionary influence women had during this time period. During this era, there began a movement in which women began defining their socio-economic potential in a society already geared towards maintaining basic gender norms. With social stereotypes already dictating the boundaries of mobility for females interested in personal exploration, anxieties began to arise as word spread of powerful and influential women taking stands in America. Men struggled with the concepts of women adapting into roles of higher authority, almost as if it was foreign to them. Films began entering the multi-media market, depicting women as irresponsible, naive, and un-sophisticated. Exercising their precocious nature, women fought back by filing initiatives and flooding into roles allowing them more power. In The film, the Exorcist, we notice that the main character is a formerly popular actress, almost exhibiting narcissistic behaviors when confronted about her triumphs in the business. It doesn’t come as a surprise when the plot starts to take a turn and the female lead loses all of her confidence and sense of power. Influential women in positions of power intimidated mean and created an uncomfortable situation between the balance of the sexes. Eventually, anxieties began to ease surrounding the women’s rights movement, and we witness film beginning to support women in positions of authority opposed to mocking them. However, still to this day, we take a good step backwards and look at much of the media releases at this time. When we do so, we are eagerly reminded that inequality between the sexes transparently effected our media during this period. In fact, social equality is a never ending battle for nations all over the world. The only relieving fact lying in the matter is present when we look back and look at the social injustices we have already overcome both national and globally.  

[bradywade55]

Demonology

Demonology or “Demonism’ is considered to be the study of Demon’s or Demon culture surrounded by a subsequent belief system. Demonology has been regarded as a dark art and took its roots from Mid-15th Century Europe. This alternative form of spirituality was formerly tied to the “Witch Craze. During this time complete chaos was being unleashed into society as the Black Plague was making its debut into a society that was already masked with hysteria. As the boundaries of societal structure would being put to the test, there was an undoubted religious conflict that was paving its way in Europe. Fear was spreading as Christianity was being tested by Protestantism. The idea of witchcraft and magic began to grow and out of it, spiraled a plethora of gothic concepts. Satanic culture was born and gave way to concepts of demons and satanic minions sent from hell to punish the damned. These beliefs inspired a set of obscured belief systems and traditions that have since been disregarded as “Unholy” or “Impure”. The Chrisitan Church rejected all concepts that defy sound logic or fit into the category of “The Uncanny”. Any beliefs that conflicted with the christian church we outcast and labeled as evil. Eventually, time progressed and individuals began to stray away from the churches and practice their own belief systems. The church began to lose its influence on the population and the hype surrounding witchcraft fades. Every now and again, people would experience severe tragedies, devastation, and grief in which they would resort to the church to solve their problems. Remembering the connection the church advocated pertaining to Demons and evil activity, people expected the church to answer their prayers, however the church never really had its ties to Demonology in the first place. This misconception developed in the 1500′s caused the mass majority of the population to assume that Demonology has its roots in Christian Religion. On the contrary, Demonology is its own entity, its own beast, and its own religion in itself. 

[bradywade55]

Essay 2-Vampires, Zombies, and WEREWOLVES…OH MY!

        Since the dawn of time, even dating back to prehistoric times, we can imagine that ever since the first human beings made their beds, there have always been monsters lurking underneath them. We would like to think that such creatures don’t exist however discrediting such being would also, in turn, discredit our deepest and darkest fears. The truth in the matter is that these beasts are created from the embodiment of the emotions, actions, beliefs, and even the insecurities of individuals. These different ideas are translated through various cultures and are often portrayed through literature, media, and often times through stories and lore. The inspiration behind these creatures are generally eerie and dark emotions and behaviors, typically regarded as taboo to general society. We have witnessed our illusive past give birth to a plethora of ominous creatures including, ghosts, vampires, zombies, demons, and more. Each of these archetypes, once thoroughly understood, easily reflect popular stereotypes that were present during the time their creation. However, there is one archetype that is frequently referenced in the Horror genre, despite its mysterious inspiration. The archetype I am referring to is the werewolf. Although historians are able to place a date or time frame on specific early tales about beast in which match the descriptions of werewolves, there are a great deal of stories of these beasts and similar creatures terrorizing early civilizations in which the origins remain unknown. This causes speculation regarding when these beasts made their first appearances, or even where. Many individuals might even argue that the Werewolf is as ancient as the first Homo Sapiens, if not greater.

       The Werewolf is regarded as a majestic beast but is not to be confused for a docile animal. On the contrary, the earliest known tales of these beings are bold and bloody, beyond one’s wildest dreams. A story originated in 1765 tells of an exceptionally large Wolf-Like creature that supposedly mounted an attack on the mountainous town in the southern region of France. This beast was known as none other than “The Beast of Gevaudan”. The wolf immortalized in this tale was said to have claimed the lives of over 60 victims in which included many women and children. It believed that the wolf also stalked and killed several different flocks of Sheep and Cattle. Low and behold, this story rapidly. In good time, it would appear that this story had its influences in every corner and crevice of the planet.

       Regardless of how “fake” monsters appear to be as portrayed in media, there are always very “real” influences that are hidden within the hype. The werewolf, much like many of the other archetypes featured in horror, serves as a distinct symbol for a multitude of human behaviors and emotions. The most convenient way of approaching the werewolf archetype is to value the scope of this creature for what it truly is; an Animal. In regards to literature and film, the creators have often heavily relied on werewolves to represent the animalistic side of human interaction. Many early stories depict men undergoing anamorphosis in which they are transformed into a ferocious beast. When placed into perspective, this serves to play on the boundaries of human nature. Various characteristics such as lust, greed and sexual prowess are amplified and funneled into the image of something fowl and malevolent. Many of the earliest depictions of werewolves also were influenced by curiosity, adventure, and the intellectual inertia during this period of enlightenment. Virtually, the creation of this creature was driven by the imagination trying to make sense of our species wild and disproportionate history. Humans were just beginning to form rigid civilizations but curiosity proved to continually pressure the structures we set in place. We could either face the reality that the human race, despite having advantages over the animal kingdom, is not very different from the more primitive species, or we could ignore our short comings and shift the shade to someone, or better yet, something else. Unfortunately, humans took the easy way out and instead fabricated a brand new species, not familiar to any specific kingdom or phylum, to point their red hand at. However, it is interesting to note that many scientists, at least during the era of the creation of the werewolf, speculated the possibility that these creatures do indeed exist and that they simply have just flown the radar. I guess the true interpretation is left up to the skeptic.

       In all honesty, werewolves do not deserve the negative wrap that they have obtained. They have been serving as illegitimate “scape-goats” for the actions of men, too afraid to own up for their own flaws and wrong doings. An episode of podcast called “Lore”, created by Aron Mahnke eludes on this concept. The particular episode, titled “The Beast Within”, goes on to the describe the misconceptions that contributed to the bad reputation that werewolves hold. The podcast describes the relationship between the lunar cycle of the moon and how it corresponds with extraordinary behaviors exhibited by humans. Many individuals, including a great deal of medical professionals, have tried to identify true links between the lunar cycle and manic behavior however no hard evidence currently exists. So far, the best explanation one has amounted to regarding this phenomenon involves unremarkable coincidences. However, in his podcast, Mahnke attempts to provide relief for many of the werewolf enthusiasts of the world by justifying the criminals behind the scenes of the mockery. Aron outlines much of the ancient roots of lore surrounding these beasts but the interesting part comes when he begins diving into the psychological roots. He explains that Werewolves served to justify many of the horrors of life during early times. He compares the gruesome acts depicted in werewolf tales to those of serial killers. He proclaimed that the flaws of those whom committed demented acts, such as those of murders and psychopaths, were deflected off of the actual beings and were blamed on so called ‘monsters” that supposedly didn’t exist. As it appears, humans couldn’t deal with the imperfections of their race, however someone had to take the blame.

       Werewolves now take on a poor wrap as the savages or villains of the horror world. They are portrayed as being far more hostile and ferocious in comparison to the other monsters in the Macabre genre. All of the other monsters including vampires, zombies, and other creatures are all portrayed as being sophisticated, structured, and even more animated, with exception of the werewolf. Instead, werewolves are typically illustrated as primitive, animalistic, and often times stubborn as a rock. This characteristic play into the stereotypes of the human man. When we look at the inspirations for creatures such as vampires and zombies, we see easily personifiable characteristics, however when approached with all of the qualities that make up “the American beast”, we as a race find it easier to lie to ourselves than to face the facts and accept the consequences. I find it funny that the other animals we view as “inferior” to our species in the animal kingdom have openly accepted their short comings and have learned to adapt through evolution. On the other hand, humans still struggle to accept our existence. No matter how advanced our technology becomes, we as a people still remain subject to our primitive ways. We as a people are the real “beasts”.

Works Cited

Cherry, Kendra. “The 4 Major Jungian Archetypes.” Verywell Mind, www.verywellmind.com/what-are-jungs-4-major-archetypes-2795439.

Editors, History.com. “Werewolf Legends.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 23 Aug. 2017, www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-the-werewolf-legend.

Mahnke, Aaron. “Episode 3: The Beast Within.” Lore, Lore, 6 Apr. 2015, www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/3.

“Monsters of the Gévaudan : The Making of a Beast.” Google Drive, Google, drive.google.com/file/d/1yIVAVDoe1kSjTgkVsRts_wOx2rdOC5kO/view.

Radford, Benjamin. “Werewolves: Lore, Legend & Lycanthropy.” LiveScience, Purch, 30 Oct. 2012, www.livescience.com/24412-werewolves.html.

[bradywade55]

Blog Post 5: Jungian Shadow

          For the longest time, people have struggled with the idea of “The Shadow Self”. Ever since the dawn of civilization, people have been sheltering and locking away their deepest and darkest thoughts of chaos and disorder. As people began to civilize themselves, they also made effort to repress any human characteristics that could be seen as “animalistic”. As time progressed, people started to view the human race as this superiorly divine race, and completely disassociate any and all primitive behaviors that once were definitive of a man. As society grew in structure, people grew with ignorance. Do people really believe that a species, virtually placed on this earth with the sole goal to eat, reproduce and survive, could really be so devoid of flaws. I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but this can of worms was already busted open in the film, The Wolf Man (1941), written by Curt Siodmak. This movie does an excellent job of challenging the concept of definitive order in society by exemplification of the Jungian Shadow Self.

         There are several different Jungian archetypes which include: The Person, The Shadow, The Animus, and The Self. One would think that the archetype expressed in the film, The Wolf Man, is none other than the Animus, but don't be quick to judge. The werewolf is actually more accurately expressed as the Shadow or Shadow-self. The Shadow represents a portion of the unconscious mind in which is burdened by repressed thoughts of internal desires, personal weakness and shortcomings, and even human instincts that have been lost or forgotten. It represents the darker-side of a person psyche in which reflects chaos, wildness, and the unknown. The farther we advance away from our previous cultural norms, the deeper our shadow-self is buried within ourselves. Here, people thought their ideas and instincts would be safe from the light of reality but of course we have horror films to prove this notion wrong.

            In the film, The Wolf Man, we see the shadow escape a man who at first glance, seems like he had all of his ducks in a row. This man, Larry Talbot, is clearly suave and sophisticated, however, it appears that he has some issues some human instincts when his gaze lands upon a beautiful young lady, whilst looking through a looking glass/telescope. At the very moment he initially spots the woman, Gwen Conliffe, we witness a rapid shift in the man’s composure. Larry pursues Gwen in her Antique shop where we hear him make a lot of creepy, “Dog-like” comments towards her. At one point, you would even consider the man to be perverted but giving him the benefit of the doubt, Gwen buys into his bizarrely charming demeanor. As the movie progresses, we find out Gwen is truthfully engaged. This fact doesn’t seem to phase the devilishly handsome Larry. He still continues to pursue Gwen like a literal dog with a rabbit. Larry takes Gwen on a very strange first date in which they visit a group of Gypsy fortune tellers deep in a forest. No one knows why he didn't just take her to a simple movie or to dinner like a normal human being but none the less they venture off deep into the woods. I guess one could say that the character’s journey into the dark forest could be foreshadowing the fact that the characters are venturing back into a primitive environment in which their primitive instincts have opportunity to showcase themselves. To make a long story relatively short, a fortune teller, play by none other than Bela Lugosi, is transformed into a werewolf and attempts to attack the Gwen’s poor defenseless friend. Larry, the strong heroic male comes to her rescue but not before being bitten. From this point on, Larry starts experiencing transformations of his own. Although at first he seems oblivious to the matter, Larry soon comes to understand that he is no longer in complete control of his body. It appears that Larry’s inner beast is released as he begins transforming into a werewolf in the night and cause terror and uproar in the community, it soon becomes apparent that Larry is the culprit of the dark and bloody incidence that were unfolding, yet surprisingly, everyone seems hesitant to react. It is almost as if people don't want to believe that a man could exhibit such wild and atrocious behaviors. It makes me laugh at the level of ignorance portrayed in this film, mostly because I know that people, in general, will never be separated from their adherent animalistic nature. Larry serves as the post child of the shadow self and proves the popular notion that “All men are dogs”. Or course we are all dogs. Some of us are just better at hiding it.

[bradywade55]

Blog Post 4: “Zombie” or “Zombi”?. The little “e” that makes a BIG Difference.

As many know, the Zombie, or should I say “Zombi” archetype developed around the 18th century during the amalgamation of the Haitian and American cultures. I use the phrase “Haitian Culture” lightly as this was truthfully a mix of culture from the African and Caribbean immigrants that were forcefully moved to the island. Although the state religion of Haiti is Catholicism, the majority of the island inhabitants were known to practice a religion known as Vodou. Somewhere along the way, this beautiful religion was translated into a very ignorant “Americanized” practice of this religion known as “Voodoo”. With the religious injustice that is American Voodoo, there are several myths and lore’s attached to such. One of the greatest of which is demonstrated when the “Zombie” is created. The first image of a zombie we see is introduced in 1932 through the Film, “White Zombie” produced and directed by Edward and Victor Halperin. In this film, the very famous Bela Lugosi plays the Character of a mysterious Zombie master who controls a hoard or Zombies through Voodoo practices. In this movie, we observe many classic stereotypes regarding the Zombie archetype as it existed at this time. Bela Lugosi’s Character reflects the “Voodoo Witch Doctor” archetype in which was believed to steal corpse’s from their resting places and re-animate them to provide as servants. This entire concept appears almost as a perfect metaphor for the events that actually perspired during this time. People. Originally indigenous to Various parts of Africa and many of the Caribbean Island were inadvertently “Stolen”, for a lack of better words, from their home. From there, there are forced on a journey to America where they would be made to work as “Indentured Servants” for the white Europeans who had brought them there. To make matters worse, the concept of indentured servitude slowly slips away as any promise of freedom for the new slaves are completely encapsulated. The voyage for the slaves that ended up on the Haitian Island was no shy of Brutal. Slaves were packed into ships, placed in unsanitary conditions, and treated no greater than basic cargo. In fact, the individuals who proved too weak for these harsh conditions were often discarded over the ship as if purely expendable. Those that did make it to the island were left exhausted and dehumanized. It is possible that the first appearance of slaves on the island gave off the impression of “Zombies” as they were marched on land, most likely barebones and lifeless. It is no shock that this archetype found its debut during this period. It would serve as the perfect gimmick in which the people of the NEW WORLD would hide their ugly OLD PAST. My only question is…what proves more monstrous; the zombie archetype or the truth behind its origin?

[bradywade55]

Blog Post #3- Queen of the Damned (2002)

The movie Queen of the Damned, directed by Michael Rymer, takes an interesting approach on Vampires and the gothic culture which surrounds such. This movie was written by Anne Rice, adapted from her famous 3- part novel series, The Vampire Chronicles. It is interesting how the director, Rymer, chooses to portray the Vampire archetypes in this film. One might notice many similarities between the vampire characters in this film a those of earlier films surrounding the 18th century; The obvious ones including the sharp teeth, long finger nails, pale/sickly completions, and even the mis-colored eyes. However, there are some various differences in character and appearance that exist in this 20th century film that were changed from the earlier stereotypes. For example, In Rymer’s film, the skins of the undead vampires are ice cold. Although this detail is used in many other pieces of film and literature pertaining to vampire archetypes, in the 18th century it was more common for these humanoid creatures to take on warm bodied characters. It was theorized that vampires would have skin that was still warm to the touch due to their bodies remaining alive. Another detail that is not typical of an 18th century vampire would be beauty or attractive appearance. The first film to showcase these bizarre creatures was released in 1922 out of Germany and was titled “No Sparatu”. In this film, the director F. W. Murna chose to depict the vampire as an older peasant man. The man is misshapen, has longer fingernails and poor complexion, and appears to be outcast from society. Around this time, vampires held a reputation for being abominations, misfits, and outcasts of communities. Approximately two decades pass until Bram Stroker releases his Film, Dracula, in which completely turns the table for the vampire archetype. Although the character remains mysterious in nature, Bram’s depiction of Dracula is more along the lines of elegant, suave, and sophisticated. With the film taking on a new original, yet authentic approach, Bram’s character for Dracula would set the precedent for future vampires to come. One last peculiar, yet important detail regarding the vampires in The Queen of the Damned in comparison to the previous archetypes is that not only do the character’s break gender stereotypes, but they also step outside of basic racial stereotypes that existed around the time in which this film takes place. Many of the main characters in The Queen of the Damned are male leads including the character of Lestat, the long haired deviant vampire, or even Marius, the older and more structured vampire. These characters imitate the character Dracula from Strokers film in the sense that they are very powerful, very compelling, and very very seductive. Aside from the male leads in this film, we are also exposed to a few female vampires as well, one of which establishes a monumental role. Akasha, the main female Vampire role, is played by Aaliyah. Akasha is an ancient Egyptian queen whom is awaken when bitten by Lestat during a fit of lust. Akashas character completely changes the roles in this movie as she becomes so powerful, she is seemly unstoppable. Not only is it bizarre for a female to hold such power, especially during the time in which this movie is set, but it is also abnormal for woman of color. The implementation of a female lead was a bold move for the director but it was ultimately a smart one. Ultimately, this film was one that broke boundaries. It is my best guess that the reason the author chose to do so was to play around with the idea of “power”. This film really demonstrates the distribution of power and the pursuits people will endure to ensure the proper checks in balances of such, In the film, we see a constant panic amongst various characters concerning the balance of power. Essentially, the rising action of the film involves the characters reaching a solution to managing the power in which the queen begins to gain; power in which the characters felt “She could not be trusted with”. I believe the entire premise of the movie follows the rise and fall of the power of an individual and the outlets in which the power is drawn from. In the case of this film, the power is being accrued by a powerful female an is being drawn through means of murder and seduction.

[bradywade55]

Essay 1: Option 1- Myrtles Plantation & The Tunica Burial Grounds

          Whether haunted by a ghost or haunted by a bad fashion choice, almost everyone can say they have experienced a haunting at one point of their life or another. When many people hear of a “Haunting” they almost immediately begin to associate it with things such ghosts, demons, devilish spirits, haunted house, or other things of that nature. My interpretation of a haunting is far different from this. I associate a haunting with nothing more than a persistent memory, or even better yet, the energy associated with such a memory. By energy, I am referring to the manifestation of emotions and/or actions through the memory of a person, event, or even a place. The energy that resulting from “hauntings” is strong and is typically experienced through various negative emotions such as sorrow, fear, misery, anger or even hysteria. I believe that positive emotions can also manifest themselves in similar ways, although they are not generally associated with hauntings. Hauntings usually encase the worst of the worst emotions. They are associated with people, places and objects thought to be ungodly, cursed, or personally stained by a misfortunate past. “There’s nowhere in this nation that wasn’t already inhabited before Europeans arrived, and there’s no town, no house, that doesn’t sit atop someone else’s former home. More often than not, we’ve chosen to deal with this fact through the language of ghosts.” (Dickey, Pg. 38) This quote form Colin Dickey’s novel, Ghostland, perfectly describes the concept Americans have adopted that no matter where you stand, someone, something, or someplace stood there before. We justify this and better yet commemorate the past by dedicating ghost stories to such. Hauntings seem to occur almost anywhere, in fact, one can say everywhere is pretty much haunted by one spirit or another. What truly determines the magnitude of a haunting is merely the stories that stand to be told.

         Located just south of Louisiana State route 61, in St. Francisville, LA, there stands a fairly famous property by the name of Myrtles Plantation. For the past 200 years, stories have continued to generate about Myrtles Plantation in respect to various haunted activity and unexplained occurrences that have been reported on the grounds. Stories range from sightings of the apparition of a young mulatto slave girl to that of the ghosts of Tunica Native Americans who might have inhabited the land prior to the settlers who built the plantation. These tales have helped to drive the popularity of this historical site and have even inspired more stories that have been developed from the experiences of past visitors and staff members on the grounds. This former antebellum plantation was first erected in 1796 by General David Bradford. Bradford, also known as “Whisky Dave”, led the whisky rebellion from 1791 to 1794. Shortly after, Bradford fled the U.S. in attempt to avoid imprisonment, then leaving his home to his son in law, Judge Clarke Woodruff. The Mansion within the plantation was then remodeled by Judge Woodruff. Fourteen years later, after being sold again, the mansion was remodeled one last time. Since then, the plantation has been claimed by new owners who have opened up the plantation to visitors. Guests can now explore the property with the opportunity for tours, dinners, and other exciting activities.(MyrtlesPlantation.com; History)

       The lore that surrounds the Myrtle Plantation stems from the properties dark past. There are many popular stories that have embedded themselves within the Plantations history; the most popular of which being that about a slave girl named Chloe. Chloe was supposedly a young slave, roughly thirteen or fourteen years of age, who had taken up residence on the plantation while it was owned and managed by Judge Clark Woodruff. Chloe held a special place on the plantation as it was rumored that she was temporarily granted extra freedom by the plantation owner as she served as his mistress for a short time. After a misunderstanding, Woodruff had punished Chloe for eavesdropping on him. In chapter two of the book Ghostland written by Colin Dickey, there is a short story titled Shifting Ground, in which the author describes this incidence regarding Chloe and Woodruff. One passage states, “As punishment, Woodruff cut off Chloe’s ear—from then on, she wore a green turban to hide her deformity” (Dickey, Pg. 39). It was then said that she was made to work in the kitchen where she began to plot an opportunity for redemption. According to the book, Chloe attempted to jeopardize a meal served to the family of the plantation owner. She supplemented oleander into their food in hopes to cause sickness but instead accidently murders the whole family with exception of the plantation owner. Soon after discovering the cause of his family’s death, Woodruff then sentenced the other slaves to violently murder Chloe. The slaves obeyed the orders, disposing of Chloe’s remains in a nearby river and therefor denying her a proper burial (Dickey, Pg. 40). It is legend that Chloe’s spirit still haunts the ground of the planation to this very day. While I believe this to be true, I wouldn’t go as far to say that Chloe haunts the plantation in a physical sense. Instead, I believe that the plantation is haunted by Chloe’s story and the history it unearths. I didn’t go into brutal detail about Chloe’s story, but had I done so, it would have demonstrated some of the conditions in which Chloe and her fellow slave’s endured. Chloe’s story has many underlying details that unveil the ugly truths about slave run plantations such as Myrtles. As Chloe’s story is continually told through the passing years, Chloe’s ghost will continue to wander the grounds as an eerie reminder of the gruesome past regarding the slaves who were bound there.

         Another Theory surrounding Myrtles Plantation is that Chloe simply did not exist. A passage from Colin Dickey’s book reads “None of the records of the plantation have turned up a slave named Chloe. This is unsurprising” (Dickey, Pg. 41) I agree with the author that it does not come as a shock when no records of Chloe are found. There is a great probability that the story of Chloe was an elaborate hoax cleverly created by one of the previous owners of the plantation. As explained in Dickeys novel, Chloe’s ghost pays homage to several female stereotypes familiar in American folklore. Dickey identified two stereotypes in his text as he mentions “the Jezebel figure, a sexually precocious slave who disturbs the natural order of the nuclear household….” and “the “mammy” figure, a motherly slave who earns her spot in a white household…”. While I can relate both of these stereotypes to the persona of Chloe, I more strongly support the following claims Dickey makes in saying “The lack of clear details or historical substantiation means that the legend of Chloe is adaptable: each person who tells her story can borrow from the various stereotypes as needed, emphasizing different aspects over others to suit the telling.” (Dickey, Pg. 41) I believe that Chloe’s story isn’t that of a person but that of a collection of people. As people develop their own interpretations and emotions regarding the history of the plantation, keeping in mind their own experiences, they begin to impose their own influence on the story making it their own.

       Myrtles Plantation is but one example of a haunted location. Given any specific location, there could be hundreds of haunted properties. Much like Myrtles Plantations, different places can hold some seriously obscure tale and lore, leading people to believe those places are haunted by kindred spirits. Given the ability for any individual to impose their own influence on the lore attached to a given location, tales can grow quite fast and can take several different turns. It is common for stories of strange phenomena and unexplained events to develop, creating the sense of various emotions. As more people choose to elaborate on these tales, the more obscure they become. Soon, the tales become so twisted and unorthodox that the only way to explain them are by deeming them “unexplainable”. If we take a moment and evaluate some of the reported paranormal activity associated with various haunted places, we able to see past the facade and identify the truth behind the history. However, in some cases, the stories remain so twisted and distorted, the truth remains a mystery. Truthfully, the reality surrounding the tales of hauntings, like beauty, lies in the eye of the beholder. It is up to the viewer whether they want to get down to brass tax or if they want to just keep chasing ghosts.

                                                        Sources Cited:

 Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, by Colin Dickey. New York: Penguin, 2016

 History of Myrtles Plantation. MyrtlesPlantation.com. (March 23, 2019). https://www.myrtlesplantation.com/history-and-hauntings/history-of-myrtles-plantation

[bradywade55]

Blog Post # 2- Amityville Horror (1979)

I think that the Film Amityville Horror (1979 version) speaks volumes, however people might not truly be paying as close of attention to this movie as they should. This movie was directed by Stuart Rosenberg and written in collaboration by Sandor Stern and Jay Anson. The film follows an allegedly true story about a family of 5 who move into a fairly large Dutch Colonial style house located in the suburban town of Amityville, Long Island. This family led by newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz unsuspectingly occupy their new home without knowing the sinister history behind it. Before the Lutz family purchased the house, it had previously belonged to a man by the name of Ronald J. Defeo Jr. What the Lutz family were unaware of was that Defeo had murdered his two parents and four siblings in that house barely 13 months before the Lutz had moved in. The film covers the story of the Lutz family and their relative encounters for their brief stay in this house in which lasted just shy of a 28 days. 

The film depicts many seemingly unexplainable occurrences that unfolded in the house, many of which were centered around George Lutz, the “Man of the Household”. Although the film takes on a supernatural/paranormal theme, I have a particular suspicion that the story holds true to some very real themes. A specific theme I feel to have a strong influence on this story is the “American Dream”. 

The introduction of the film portrays a newly wed couple who externally appear to be happy and healthy. As it would appear, the couple is in pursuit of their first home to use as foundation to build the perfect American Dream for their selves and their three children. As the couple soon discovered, their coveted American Dream begins quickly taking a turn towards an American Nightmare. If we take a look at societies recipe for the American Dream, we can instantaneously begin to make connections to the storyline of Amityville Horror.

As society would have it, the American Dream would begin with a happy husband and a happy wife, both living a happy life. In the beginning of the film, George and Kathy Lutz both appear to fit the script, however as the story pans out, we begin to see this couple’s true colors through a series of brief yet very illustrated arguments. At one point, one of the arguments even escalates until it gets physical when George slaps his wife Kathy across her face. Other relevant events in this film would lead you to believe that George Lutz temper is a result of some possession or influence caused by his stay in the house but could this be his true character manifesting itself in a state of anger. There are many pieces of evidence that contribute to an alternative theory that maybe there were some underlying issues with this couples relationship that the audience may not be aware of.

The next step in approaching the perfect American Dream would be to complete your happy family with one and a half happy children and maybe even a family pet. In the Lutz case, they have three kids, or even two and a half, considering one kid is spaced out half the time and talking to her “imaginary friend”. The children even have their own dog, Harry. Something to note is that the three children actually belong to Kathy Lutz, as George simply married into the family. We are not entirely sure what happened to the father(s) of the children or even if the kids had their father(s) in the picture at all. This could have caused some discrepancy with the church and could be why the film portrays the churches negligence to help the family when they seemed to be in need. The only individual of the church that seemed empathetic towards the family happened to be a family friend, therefore making him somewhat partial towards the family.

The only thing really left to complete this families American Dream is that perfect house and car. The family seems pretty comfortable with their giant souped up van so we got that out of the way. This house would seem to be the only thing standing in the way of this family achieving its bliss. So why did it seem like this house did the opposite for this family. As soon as they moved in, they more or less began to fall apart. Surely the house had to of been haunted. How else can you explain a household becoming subatomic in such a short period of time. My best guess is that this family had a lot of hidden dark history that they wanted to keep secret from the public. Every family has secrets, even some more than others. It’s possible that this family had high hopes for their future but as things began to unfold rapidly, they shifted their negative energy towards the house instead of each other. 

I am not saying that ghosts and hauntings aren't real; In fact, I’m proposing the opposite. I think that the paranormal is far more real than anyone gives it proper credit for. I believe that what some think is irrational is really just rational thoughts and events portraying themselves in unfamiliar ways. I strongly believe that this family did experience a haunting however they weren't haunted by spirits from the past but mearly spirits of the present. As bizarre as it sounds, I feel that they were haunted by themselves. I guess that only makes as much sense as the original story.

[bradywade55]

Just a little photo i took 7 years ago. To the right is the side of my head/face. To the left is...???....you decide!

[bradywade55]

 Blog Post #1: “Why we Crave Horror Movies”- Steven King

        I couldn’t agree more when Steven king states “I think that we’re all mentally ill; Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better”. I personally believe that everybody has a bit of a twisted side; maybe some a bit more than others. Although Steven mentions that there are a select few saints who could be excluded from having a dark side, i don't believe in saints. Like he said, i just think some people are better at hiding it.

       Why hide it though? In my opinion, i would say the main reason people hide their “crazy sides” is because they more or less want to maintain this illusion of being “ NORMAL”. My guess is that these people are, to a degree, obsessed with the image of normality that society has painted amongst its self. Sadly enough, it is part of our modern day culture to lock up, medicate, or even eradicate any aspect of society that doesn't fit into the tight little box our government has constructed for us. In fear of teetering on the edge of taboo, people tend to lock away their irrational thoughts. It is a shame because sometimes the craziest ideas can inspire the most amazing things. When individuals have the guts to dismiss other people standards, great things happen. Take technology for example; Who would have thought hundreds of years ago that we would be so advanced today? I can tell you, none of our technological advancements would have been achievable if we didn't have a whole lot of “crazy people” with some considerably big marbles. 

        Lets take a few minutes and pretend that indeed, we are all crazy. We can then consider Steven Kings words when he says “If we are all insane, then sanity becomes a matter of degree.”. To what degree are we all actually insane. To find out, we can simply take a look at the movies one watches. All other genres aside, Horror movies can reflect the true emotions and subliminal thoughts of people. The reason many people watch certain films are because they secretly have fears in which they can’t typically face or even react to on a normal basis, at least in a controlled manner. Instead, they intentionally pursue these fears as a way to process or challenge them. Its not even day you face your fears head on but by watching films that encapsulate the things that haunt us, we can achieve the feeling of combatting those fears while also maintaining that subliminal feeling of being safe. Often times, this even creates a sense of “thrill” for the viewer, much like the comparison King made of Horror Movies to an emotional rollercoaster.