Hanunted Porcelain: The Ghost Dolls Phenomenon

by Tony Harrington

Anyone who knows me knows that my secret shame is the fact that I am terrified by porcelain and creepy turn of the century kinds of dolls.  I am not talking about cherubic Cabbage Patch Kids or cuddly kid toys, not at all. I am talking about creepy dolls whose eyes are vacant yet seem to see through your very soul.  You know you have seen them, perhaps adorning the shelves of a grandmother’s home, a collectors office, an antique store or in the trash where these things belong. No matter where you have seen them, chances are they just give off a feeling that something about the doll is just wrong.

Make fun of me if you will, laugh if you must, but as it turns out there is a very good reason to be afraid of these dolls…They are haunted. Or so believes the founder of www.haunteddolls.net Kimberly Gunn. On her website she explains how she has amassed a staggering collection of dolls that have scared the pants off their previous owners by moving on their own, showing up in places they were not placed, heads and limbs moving on their own, sense of dread and panic caused just by being near the dolls.

Some of the dolls were collected by paranormal investigators, others belonged to Wicca, Celtics or other spiritual people and some were just born bad. Regardless of how the dolls came to be possessed or haunted, they all have a place with Ms. Gunn who has made it her life’s ambition to educate the public on the phenomenon of haunted dolls, or Spirit Children as she lovingly refers to them.

She states that it is her goal to communicate with the spirits inhabiting these dolls and attempt to give them a voice. As admirable as I find this, it is a niche market in the field of paranormal studies after all, I do have to say that nothing chills me to the bone more than the fact that these dolls have something to say. In my mind, anything they may have to communicate involves the words “eating” and “your soul”. Everything else is moot in my mind.  Call me shallow, call me a coward, but there is something wrong about haunted dolls, the way they terrify me borderlines on almost irrational fear, and I know I am not the only one.

At an investigation to an old civil war era house now serving as a museum in Camden, AR yielded a room of old dolls, their eyes piercing the darkness and following intently as if they knew we were there. I can’t explain the panic I felt as I stood amongst them, it felt like each one had a voice and were talking to me in my mind. And then, just as I was freaking myself out I hear “Come play with us Tony,” which caused me to hightail it out of the room almost running over a fellow investigator who had uttered the words as a joke.

How is it though that dolls become haunted? Do they absorb the energy of a haunted house or is it simply that they were loved by a child or adult who passed on and that attachment has continued into the afterlife, the spirit of the deceased refusing to let go of their loved earthly possession. Or is it because they are just creepy looking and years of horror movies and shows using dolls as a fright mechanism has ingrained itself in our subliminal mind? It’s difficult to say, I personally believe there is something paranormal at work but I am not able to scientifically prove this or even do any research on a paranormal studies related level because I refuse to be around the dolls for any extended period of time.

What do you think? Is it a crazy and irrational fear or is it possible that the dolls now host the spirits of children and adults that have since crossed over to the other side? Share your thoughts and opinions with us by commenting on this post.

Movie Review: The Ceremony

by Tony Harrington

“The Ceremony” is a little movie that manages to pack a lot of scares into a well-paced one hour and twenty-four minutes.

The film tells the story from the perspective of one man, the movie itself is pretty much a one man show with actor Scott Seegmiller (A relative unknown, this is his only acting credit) turning in a rather decent performance as the main character Eric Peterson.

Peterson is a recent college graduate who shares a house on campus with his roommate and girlfriend. After receiving word that he has landed a lucrative job in Korea he opts to forgo a night of partying to prepare an essay that is required for his new position. As he goes about cleaning the house to get the security deposit back he discovers a book on the floor of his roommate’s room, the book is surrounded by burning candles. Intrigued, Eric grabs the book, blows out the candles and flips through the pages of the book and learns that it is called “The Ceremony” and is a guidebook about the path to spiritual enlightnment.  As he reads though he discovers that achieveing the ultimate level of enlightenment comes with a price. 

Previous recipients of the gift have gone mad, lost their eyesight, and disappear completely. Another man went mad and locked himself in his house for decades until he died. Eric looks at the book as more of a joke but is intrigued by a particular passage written in Latin but remains undecipherable. He makes a horror movie rookie mistake and reads the words aloud, unaware that the incantation makes a deal with something not of this realm.

Before long Eric is seeing shadow figures, hearing footsteps, seeing appliances and household items moving around by themselves and hearing voices speaking to him in a language he doesn’t understand.

“The Ceremony” is a subtle film at first and slowly builds horrific tension to great effect. After a slow start the horror is ratcheted up and the film enters “white-knuckle” territory with scares that rival anything seen (or unseen) in “Paranormal Activity”. In fact, this film rivals that blockbuster in terms of frights and the twist ending in “The Ceremony” seems like it was lifted for the 2010 Paranormal Activity sequel.

As a viewer you share the character’s fear, you comprehend his paranoia, you feel his desperation and question what is reality and what is imagined. Because you spend so much time with the character the film becomes a study in empathy as you feel every shock and jump Eric Peterson feels.  The camera work is beautifully done, allowing you to see things “out of the corner of your eye” and not full-on, always leaving you guessing. There is one scene where the camera just lingers a little too long on a room and your eyes dart frantically from one corner of the screen to the other looking for anything abnormal or a sign that you are not alone. Then your stomach tightens in anticipation of a jump-scare that may or may not materialize.

“The Ceremony” is a taut psychological thriller that only slightly falls apart in the final reel with the twist ending that is reminiscent of  “The Twilight Zone”.

For a terrifying excursion into the world of ghosts and hauntings, check out the slow-burn thriller “The Ceremony” today.

Written By: James Palmer                       Directed by: James Palmer

Runtime: USA: 84 min (approx.)         Sound Mix: Dolby Digital        Color:Color      Aspect Ratio:2.35 : 1

Production Co: Gembira Films             Rating: Not Rated (No violence, minimal language)

Availability: DVD and Netflix Instant Queue

Book Review: Brian Niskala’s “Rhinehoth”

Reviewed by Tony Harrington

Last month I wrote a review for F. Paul Wilson’s “The Keep”, a novel that tells the story of a massive structure built centuries ago and an evil vampiric entity that lurks within the walls and a hero destined to stop that evil from escaping and infesting the world.

This month’s review also deals with a stronghold in the mountains that contains a myriad of creatures within the walls including vampires and werewolves and a battle that takes place between supernatural forces and one man destined to save the day.

Brian Niskala’s novel “Rhinehoth” has the makings of something truly epic and the first chapters are written with an adept hand and describes in laborious detail the high stone walls of the prison dripping with condensation, the rustle of metal bindings and the smell of burning torches that light the walkways of the prison.

The publisher’s extensive blurb explains the basic premise of the tale:

Centuries ago a great castle was built in the mountains of Germany’s Black Forest. Its ancient guardians still thrive in its walls forever protecting its dark secrets, holding captive an enemy that threatens their very existence. Foretold is a story of an ancient warrior that is to return to the castle to free the captive Vampire Prince.

Simon Roberts was a petty thief who fled England to escape Scotland Yard after a series of unsuccessful jewelry store heists. He was recruited to do a job in Germany where he was to simply drive the getaway car while providing a look out. He thought this was going to be an easy job and a way to break into the German crime scene. But things go terribly wrong and he ended up being the only survivor of the botched heist. Simon is quickly sentenced to a prison called Rhinehoth. This is where Germany sent the worst of the worst, surely not a place for a petty thief such as himself.

Rhinehoth is a great German castle that was converted in the late 1930’s to a Stalag for war criminals of World War II. The converted prison’s modern day inhabitants are relentlessly tortured, starved and sleep deprived. This contributes to the prisoners’ delusional visions that help hide the truth and keeps Rhinehoth’s secrets. Their captors are the army of Werewolves who have survived the centuries off the very flesh and blood of Germany’s worst forgotten criminals.

Simon, imprisoned becomes plagued with visions from his subconscious ancient past with confusion of his modern-day consciousness. He discovers through his visions that he is the ancient warrior, Guthrie who has come to free the Vampire Prince and all the captives while saving the world from a dark plan of biblical proportions that has been orchestrated over the centuries.

For the most part Niskala succeeds at crafting the tale promised within the write-up. I have to say that the story is actually well constructed and the mythology established within the novel is intense and richly layered. Where the novel falls apart is in the actual writing. The novel clocks in at just under 1,000 pages, an epic tome by Stephen King standards and one that I was not ready to take to task mentally. This may not be the fault of the author, more of an issue with ADD on my part. I found my attention drifting at the halfway point as one character melded with another as one plot closed and another opened.

“Rhinehoth” is a novel that twists and turns and spans ages and sometimes it feels like it is happening in real-time.

Underneath the labyrinthine narrative though there is a great story that is written with painstaking descriptions, passion for storytelling, and when all is said and done, it entertains. I think a lot of my dissatisfaction with the novel stems from it taking place in the world of vampires and werewolves, a sub-genre of the supernatural field that is not my favorite. But if you are a fan lycanthropes and blood suckers then you should dig your claws into “Rhinehoth”.

You can purchase Rhinehoth by clicking here

Tech Review: Paranormal State EMF Detector iPhone App

by Cindy Riley Parker

In this day and age, thanks to the popularity of paranormal programming such as “Ghost Hunters” and “Paranormal State”, mainstream America has become obsessed with the spirit world around us.

In keeping the finger on the pulse of the paranormal bubble most shows offer multimedia tie-ins ranging from magazines, books, DVD collections and more merchandise than you can shake a dowsing rod at. Included in the marketplace are the ever-increasing in popularity “iPhone Apps” which are cheap to make, cheap to buy and easy to use. It is into this market place that apps like the popular (and previously reviewed) Ghost Radar and the new “Paranormal State” branded EMF detector app for iPhone fall.

The main question on everyone’s mind is “Does it work?”

Well, the answer is not quite as simple as yes or no. Mostly because the meter does fluctuate and blip and beep accordingly and acts in a manner similar to EMF detectors found on the market today and implemented by many paranormal groups around the globe. So in that sense, it does seem to function the way an EMF meter should.

There is one caveat to this claim though…the actions of the meter are completely random and don’t seem to recognize EMF generating appliances.

I loaded up the meter on my phone and held it in one hand as I moved it over the surface of my computer tower which typically sends the needle on a traditional EMF through the roof. Here on the “Paranormal State” app, the needle barely registered any recognizable movement. As I moved it way from the computer and toward the monitor it went crazy, blipping and bleeping and the needle shot up to the 55 mark indicating a high level of EMF.  I then tested the monitor on a traditional detector and while there was a jump to about 22 it was nowhere near as high as the “Paranormal State” EMF meter indicated.

More interestingly, when I retested the same monitor with the app, seconds after testing it the first time, the needle didn’t budge.

It also didn’t move when I held it near an electrical outlet that is known to have a leak, but the physical meter jumped like a Mexican bean.

The app meter jumped sporadically and inconsistently.  Spots that spiked one moment were eerily quiet the next indicating that the meter is nothing more than a random noise generator designed for amusement rather than scientific evidence.

The validity of the app is brought into question with the ability to “Scare your friends” by switching to a manual mode where you can cause the meter to jump and beep simply by sliding your finger across a green bar on the screen.

More importantly, if the developers are so sure of their software and product, why is the app not in use by the very investigators who endorse the app by allowing their name to be associated with it? “Paranormal State” EMF Detector is a cute gimmick at best and a frustrating exercise in paranormal investigation evidence collection at worst. The app is free so it is unfair to say that it is a rip-off, but it is not worth the loss of hard drive space it takes up on your phone.

If you are a serious paranormal investigator, spend the 50-150 bucks required to equip yourself with real tools of the trade and stay away from gimmicks that are meant to amuse.