In 1999, “The Blair Witch Project” became the most successful independently produced film to that point in time, raking in more than $100 million in its opening weekend and grossing more than $160 million in the United States and $248 million worldwide.  A low budget horror film that cost less than $35 thousand to create, […]

For a society that put men on the moon and connected the entire world with a little invention called the Internet, our progress has only gone so far; we still cling tightly to our traditions.  Superstition in all its guises represents one of those traditions.  If you’re saying, “Not me!” you may want to examine […]

The expression attributed to baseball great Yogi Berra is a humorous take on a subject that many people find disturbing, if not frightening.  Déjà vu is a French term meaning “already seen.”  The experience of déjà vu is an overwhelming sense of familiarity with a place or situation.  It differs from simple confusion as to […]

Based upon the Dan Brown novel of the same name and starring Tom Hanks, the film “The DaVinci Code” wove a complex mystery akin, in a way, to the old ’49ers’ search for gold.  These men would sift their pans repeatedly, day after day, week after week, in the hope of finding a nugget of […]

Whether out of pure curiosity or the desire to exploit, mankind has always been drawn to that which lies beneath the surface of things, waiting to be ferreted out and explored.  One of these not so little mysteries is the Abominable Snowman, a.k.a. The Yeti: a gigantic and intriguing creature that allegedly hails from Tibet. […]

Oddly enough, just shortly before I read Thomas Petruzzelli Sr.’s article, “The Fear Factor,” I recalled a dream that I had had many years ago.  I thought of sharing it here, in the hope that it might help someone, but it seemed so personal that I hesitated.  Tom Sr’s. article was a sign that I […]

Dreams have puzzled, motivated, and terrified mankind for all of recorded history and probably beyond.  Although dreaming is universal to the human condition, surprisingly little is known of its purpose and significance in our lives.  And yet, our waking preoccupation with our dreams is a testament to the deference with which we treat them.   […]

Starring Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and the late Patrick Swayze, the film Ghost remains a classic not only with romantics enamored of a good love story, but also with those who believe that life does not end with the death of the body.  Brutally murdered, the soul of Swayze’s character, Sam, remains tethered to Earth […]

As a kid born on Halloween, devil-eyed Dracula did not frighten me.  Neither did Frankenstein’s monster, that conglomeration of corpses that stalked the countryside in search of victims.  But one look at the Wolfman on the small screen or even as a Halloween mask would raise the shivers right up my spine and send me […]

Engendering terror and pathos, earthiness and mysticism, the mythical vampire has long held the fascination of readers, TV viewers, and film buffs of all ages.  Our society so embraces the vampire that we continue to promote his evolution and the lore that surrounds him.   Inarguably, Bela Lugosi’s riveting portrayal in the 1931 film Dracula sparked […]