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Coulrophobia and Corn: A Teenage Nightmare
Once, when I was in high school, some friends and I watched the Stephen King film Children of the Corn, and then drove a few miles out of town to run around a local cornfield in the dark. The cornstalks were high above our heads, and it wasn’t long before we couldn’t see one another, having moved around from row to row. That feeling of isolation, of completely losing your bearings (even with knowing that following the row was the way out) was insanely creepy. I won’t say that it scarred me, but I’ll never forget that feeling. At least there were no clowns. Adam Cesare’s 2020 effort, Clown in…
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‘Every Heart a Doorway’ Takes Us Beyond the End
Most of us, at some point, wished we could open a magic door and find ourselves in a wonderful Elsewhere, our own Narnia, or Where the Wild Things Are, or the 13th Reality, or Oz, or Wonderland. These and many other worlds, accessible to us through books, create rich, vibrant worlds that so many of us would like to visit, to become part of, to adventure through. Countless authors have shown us these doors, and we travel with the protagonists, sharing their struggles, their wonder, and their joy. However, there’s one thing that nearly never gets explored in these tales—what happens when they come back? When they return to our…
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Collecting the Paranormal–Beyond Strange Review
Rob and Trish MacGregor have been researching the paranormal for a long, long time. In recent years, they’ve collected both their own experiences and those of their friends, acquaintances, and readers into a series of books, the latest of which is Beyond Strange (Crossroads Press, 2017). At first glance, a new reader could be forgiven for thinking that this book is simply a collection of stories, given chapter titles like “Spying on Aliens” and “Haunting Experiences.” Most of the tales included in Beyond Strange are new, leaving out the interesting-but-now-tired stories that usually account for a large portion of volumes like these. Tomes full of unsubstantiated stories with no analysis…
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A Very 80’s Exorcism
In a just world, Grady Hendrix would be seen by all as an up-and-coming horror writer, with big ideas and the writing skills to match. My Best Friend’s Exorcism is Hendrix’s second novel, published by Quirk in 2016, and takes the reader on a fast-paced, roller coaster ride of suspense and terror that subverts the tropes of the genre while simultaneously celebrating and paying tribute to them. Hendrix throws us right into the deep end of the world of our high-school protagonist, Abby. It’s a stressful life she leads, but she has her best friend of the title, Gretchen, to support her and keep her feeling loved and complete. Then,…
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Evil Archaeology–Attempting to Connect Science to the Supernatural
Dr. Heather Lynn, PhD, views herself as a ‘renegade archaeologist.’ As an armchair student of archaeology, I ordered her book Evil Archaeology—Demons, Possessions, and Sinister Relics (Disinformation Books, 2019) with a great deal of anticipation. I was looking forward to in-depth descriptions of archaeological finds and how they fit into Forteana…or just those things mentioned in the title. What I got, however, was an in-depth look at folklore and history surrounding the topics in the title, with little actual archaeology. Needless to say, it was a little disappointing. However, once I accepted the book for what it was, I truly began enjoying Lynn’s writing. There are chapters on demonology, witchcraft,…
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Government Secrecy (In Space!)–Richard Dolan Lecture Series #1
Richard Dolan is, without a doubt, one of the most precise and reliable UFO researchers in the field. His books on the US government’s history with UFOs, his advocacy for disclosure, and his television, conference, and radio appearances are routinely filled with thoughtful, well-sourced insights into the UFO phenomenon, as well as its outlying/connected subjects, such as the idea that the US government has been running a secret space program since the very beginnings of NASA. The Secret Space Program and Breakaway Civilization is the first volume in the “Richard Dolan Lecture Series”(there are currently two), published by his own imprint, and is a lightly rewritten transcript of a talk…
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American Spiritualism–Hidden History
The Haunting of America—William J. Birnes and Joel Martin, 2009 Before I begin this review, you need to know something about me. I buy books. Lots of them. Sometimes I don’t get around to reading them for years. At last count, I owned over fifty tomes on a variety of subjects from different genres that have never been read. Why don’t I read them when I get them? Let’s just say that life can be a little too interesting sometimes. However, the result of life’s intrusion is that my library has a deep backlog of books that I’m finally trying to read. I’ve seen YouTubers and websites do ‘Retro Movie…
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Why We Embrace Fear: Peter Laws’ The Frighteners
Remember when you were small? You’d be out with your mother or father and ask questions like “Why is the sky blue?”, or “Why does it get cold in the winter?”, as well as “How do magnets work?” and “How do they figure out the load limit on bridges?” With respectful nods to both ICP and Bill Watterson, these were real questions I had as a child, and I’m sure you did, too. Then, of course, when a pet had moved on (or your cat killed a jackrabbit), you asked “Why do things die?” Maybe your parents sat you down and had a discussion about death. Maybe they hemmed and…