The Shadows Project web site recently unvieled a new design with easier navigation, stunning graphics and loads of information about the Niagara Region and beyond. It also promises to showcase new investigations.
You can visit the new Shadows Project here:
www.theshadowsproject.com
The Shadows Project Gets a Facelift
New "Reality" TV to showcase haunted hot-spots
Aiming to give audiences goosebumps, a new television reality show is exploring the dreaded paranormal phenomena of ghosts.
MTV's latest show MTV Girls Night Out, which airs from today, will have young women left all alone in a haunted location for an entire night to brave the unknown. Being produced by Miditech, the 13-part hair-raising series is hosted by daredevil VJ Rannvijay.
"With no crew, no phone lines and no connection with the outside world, but under the constant vigil of strategically placed cameras, the contestant will be a given a series of tasks to complete during the night," Rannvijay said.
After assessing their performances, one girl will be elected the most fearless of them all and take home Rs five lakhs.
To add scientific and logical credence, paranormal investigators Gaurav Tiwari and Akanksha Kaushik from the Paranormal Organisation of India, have also been deployed. "The investigators will analyse the situation and will also give the participants a lowdown on the gruesome history of the haunted place," Niret Alva, executive chairman of Miditech told PTI.
The investigations will be done with the support of modern equipments like K2 meters, EMF readers, IR thermometers, night vision HD cameras and various softwares for analysis of the haunted locations.
Is the show trying to prove the existence of ghosts?
"No, our aim is not to prove or deny the existence of any supernatural, but to give participants the opportunity to check their fear in a scary situation," he said.
From Imagine TV's Raaz Pichchle Janam Ka and The Chair at UTV Bindass, channels are now trying to delve deep into the supernatural realm.
America's top 10 most unusual haunted places
By Jennifer Oldman
Sep 24th 2010 at 2:00PM
Fright addicts looking for a different way to celebrate Halloween this year might want to visit one or more of the country's most ghost-infested sites.
From Civil War battlegrounds, to haunted highways, to several dozen venues in Vegas rumored to be inhabited by poltergeists, there are plenty of places to keep ghost hunters busy.
A great place to start is the Internet, where ghost chasers throughout the nation offer up myriad tours. A look at the top-10 most unusual haunted offerings:
10. Visit the haunting grounds of Bugsy Seigel, Liberace, Redd Foxx and Elvis in Vegas, including the "Motel of Death," where various celebrities met their demise, with guides who say they received help from a paranormal historian in crafting their tour.
9. Drive the haunted highways of America, including byways in Missouri, Mississippi, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee and many more.
8. Take a walk with ghosts of former patients who are reputed to haunt this psychiatric hospital, located on 325 acres in New Jersey.
7. See the sights at Gettysburg, Pa., the scene of the Civil War's bloodiest battle, where 51,000 Americans were killed or wounded from July 1 to July 3, 1863. Hot spots include the Hunterstown Battlefield, the Gettysburg Engine House and the National Soldier's Orphan Homestead.
6. Decide for yourself whether aliens touched down in Roswell, N.M. in 1947, when many local residents said they saw an unidentified flying object fall from the sky and land in a local rancher's yard. Do they still lurk overhead?
5. Civil War buffs might also want to check out what some consider America's most haunted plantations, located everywhere from Louisiana to Virginia.
4. Travelers who are bewitched by Salem, Mass.' checkered past will want to check out Gallows Hill, which is believed to be haunted by the spirits of 19 witches hanged there.
3. Locals advise that visitors should "use extreme caution" before exploring New Orleans oldest and reputedly most haunted burial ground, St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, where voodoo practitioners are said to refuse to rest.
2. Many ghost hunters are fascinated with California, where dozens of locations from high schools, to former battleships, to rehabilitation clinics, are said to be home to poltergeists. Even Disneyland is reputed to be inhabited by the paranormal.
1. Some believe that San Diego's Whaley House -- where many members of the Whaley family passed away in the half century they lived there -- is America's "most haunted house."
The 13 best haunted house attractions for Halloween 2010
Halloween is big business and among its growth industries are seasonal haunted houses that operate from mid September through October. If you're considering venturing into one, here's some advice from a guy who knows from haunted houses: If you see a grim reaper in a hockey mask, get out of the house as fast as you can.
Ideally, before you've forked over the admission. Because it's bound to be one sorry spook-fest.
The whole Jason thing is soooo '80s slasher film.
Larry Kirchner, editor of Hauntworld Magazine, believes this because he not only builds haunted houses, but he spends a lot of time hanging out in them and comparing notes with other aficionados on his website, Hauntworld.com. The site has just issued its annual 13 best list of haunted houses.
The "haunt industry" as Kirchner calls it, has gotten increasingly sophisticated, thanks in part, to an influx of former Hollywood special effects and makeup people who lost their entertainment-industry jobs to computer animation.
Kirchner estimates there are about 3,000 haunted houses nationwide poised to open this month and next, but the vast majority are home-grown affairs usually staged for charitable causes. And then there are what Kirchner calls "home haunters who just love Halloween." This time of year Hauntworld.com's message boards are abuzz with people swapping fake-blood recipes.
The full-time denizens of the industry, however, are into more elaborate effects that might involve flame machines, fog machines and other pricey accoutrement. A Kirchner favorite seen at a recent Halloween trade show is a hearse with a 20-foot-tall animation of a grim reaper that shoots out of the roof with victims in its clutches.
For a time, some haunted house operators were favoring animated effects over live actors -- a mistake, if you ask Kirchner. "What makes a haunted house successful is the spontaneity the actors can provide," he says.
Other attributes Kirchner believes are necessary to deliver a truly heart-pounding scare:
When you step inside, its realism should make you believe you are where they say you are. "You're in the middle of the plot," he says. "You are Jamie Lee Curtis, and your life's in danger."
The experience should be immersive, with 360-degree effects, not just action taking place in front of you.
A lot of haunted houses crib from horror movies, but that's not Kirchner's style. "Anybody can do bloody bathrooms and circular-saw chases," he says. "If you want to see Freddie Kruger, go rent the DVD."Fort Erie Beach Blog
Found this terrific blog documenting the Fort Erie Beach. It makes mention of Shadows of Niagara and asks if you've ever seen a ghost at Fort Erie Beach or not. Post your comments on the discussion at:
http://eriebeachbook.blogspot.com/
The Zombie Chronicles
VOLUME ONE NOW AVAILABLE!
The Zombie Chronicles, Volume One is now available for advanced purchase.
Inside you’ll find unique zombie fiction true to the genre from today’s best horror writers and the freshly departed. Whether you like a good survival story, a post-apocalyptic tale or pure terror, this anthology of the living dead will quench your appetite.
We owe this anthology a dedication to George A. Romero. Romero's reinvention of zombies in 1968 is notable in terms of its thematics; he used zombies not just for their own sake, but as a vehicle to criticize real-world social ills—such as government ineptitude, bioengineering, slavery, greed and exploitation—while indulging our post-apocalyptic fantasies. The tales within certainly pay homage to the master himself while providing new, disturbing visions of our own world and of our nightmares.
Each year we will introduce you to a volume of zombie fiction, starting with Volume One packed with unique tales of the living dead. In addition, we are releasing a companion DVD with award-winning short zombie films.
Click Here to see a detailed listing of short stories and author bios from The Zombie Chronicles Volume One.
Contributing Fiction Includes:
Love in the Time of Zombies, by John F.D. Taff
Feeding The Beast, by Kenneth C. Goldman
The Friendliest Zombie In The World, by Michael A. Kechula
Satan Claus, by Tom Hamilton
Food for the Dead, by Meghan Jurado
The Wall, by Christine Savoie
The Purple Word, by Erik T. Johnson
What Comes After, By Matthew Burgess
Order Your Copy Today!
The Zombie Chronicles: Volume One
Paperback: $12.99
Ships in 3–5 business days
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Available in print, kindle or ebook edition
Lochinvar Mansion Haunted By Uncle Eb
Built in the late 1830's, the mansion was home to the Gordon family for many years and watched over by an old caretaker. The Gordon family is long gone now, though it's said the old caretaker still watches over the place.
Lochinvar was built by Robert Gordon, a Scottish adventurer, in the late 1830's as a gift for his wife. At the time, Gordon owned a strip of land which stretched all of the way from Pontotoc to Aberdeen, sixty miles away. Aberdeen was Gordon's own town. He had founded a trading post there in the early 1830's and named the place Dundee in honor of a town in Scotland. He later changed to the name to Aberdeen. It was near Pontotoc where Gordon found the land where he wanted to build his home. The location that he chose had been the land of the Choctaw Indian chief, Chinubi and once the Indians were gone from the area, he began building the new house.
After moving into the grand mansion, the Gordons would have one child, a son named James. His earliest memories of Lochinvar included magnificent parties and his personal servant, named Ebenezer. He could not remember a time when Ebenezer had not been a part of his life. He taught James to hunt and fish, told him stories, supervised his manners and when he was old enough, packed his trunks and watched him leave for the University of Mississippi at Oxford in 1851.
As the years passed, the beloved slave grew older and became known by the respectful name of "Uncle Eb". He remained particularly close to James Gordon and their relationship went far beyond master and servant.
In February of 1856, James married Virginia Wiley and in December of that year, their daughter Annie was born. From that time that she could walk, Annie was attached to Uncle Eb. She followed him everywhere and begged him to push her on the swings and to tell her stories.
Delighted, Uncle Eb took under his wing a new generation of Gordons.
Then came the Civil War. Robert Gordon, now too old to be involved, gave his support and advice to James and they raised a company of Confederate cavalry, the first from northern Mississippi. Before James Gordon left for service, he called Uncle Eb to see him. "Take care of my family and the plantation," he told his mentor, "My father needs your help and I need to know that you are here with my family. Don't let anything happen to them and I'll be back home soon." He embraced the older man and told him goodbye.
This began Uncle Eb's role as the caretaker and guardian of Lochinvar. Every afternoon, he would begin his rounds of the property, making sure the gates were closed, the doors to the house were locked and that there were no strangers lurking around the plantation. He moved his bed to the hallway outside of Annie's door, where he slept from that night on. He took to roaming the grounds at various times throughout the night, carrying an oil lantern and making sure that everything was secure.
As time passed, he learned other skills and began making repairs on the house and the farming equipment. He learned to cook and prepare the meals and even to dark socks and make repairs on clothing.
Night after night, the light from Uncle Eb's lantern circled the house, the barn, the garden, the pasture and the orchards, reassuring himself that nothing was amiss and that the people he loved were safe.
One night, while Uncle Eb was on his rounds, a rider approached. It was Captain James Gordon, home for a brief stay at Lochinvar. A few days after he left, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel, returning to combat with the 2nd Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, Armstrong's Brigade.
Colonel Gordon and Uncle Eb would never meet again.
One rainy night, Uncle Eb was roused from his sleep by a strange sound. He took his lantern outside and crossed the grounds in the storm. He was soaked to the skin before he was sure that everything was secure. A day or so later, what seemed to be a cold developed into pneumonia. In less than a week, old Uncle Eb was dead.
It was a long time before Colonel Gordon received word of his friend's death. He was in England at the time on a mission for President Davis. On his way home, he landed in North Carolina and was captured and imprisoned. He soon escaped and made his way to Canada. There, he met and befriended an actor named John Wilkes Booth. This casual friendship with Booth later pointed suspicion to Gordon when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Luckily, Gordon was able to prove his innocence.
After the war, Gordon finally learned that Uncle Eb had passed away while carrying out his duties to the plantation.
Many believe that since Uncle Eb died before the war ended and before his guardianship of the Gordon home came to an end....he has not rested in peace in the years since the Civil War. As the years have passed, hisoil lantern is still seen roaming the grounds of the Lochinvar estate. It has been seen for decades and locals believe that the light belongs to the spirit of Uncle Eb, watching over his beloved family throughout eternity.
