Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween!

Once again, I got too busy to keep up this blog all season. Oh well. Happy Halloween! 


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

American Horror Story: Hotel

I'm still not sure how I feel about American Horror Story coming back (This time as AHS Hotel). In the past, I would have been excited, but after four seasons (only two of which I liked) and knowing that this season won't feature Jessica Lange, I'm feeling kind of meh about it. I do like the teasers they've shown, however.  The show starts October 7.




GAC at Nopeming Sanitorium

I watched another Ghost Adventures episode, this time about the abandoned TB sanatorium. However, before I even start typing about this episode, can I just say what a ripoff the new (new to me) opening is of American Horror Story? I miss the old opening . . . AND Nick.

Okay, enough bitching.

This episode from Season 10 opens in the grey, misty autumnal woods of Duluth, Michigan where the GAC team are traveling to an abandoned TB hospital called Nopeming, which is built on Chippewa Indian land. One of my favorite things about the episode is the elderly couple -- Margaret and Mike -- who once worked at Nopeming. In the '60s, Mike worked in the boiler room and also wheeled bodies to the morgue. He said he was worried about dead bodies breathing some "TBs" in his face. He also mentioned he was called in by "Doc" to help cut ribs in order to "pull a lung". What I don't understand is why they'd want to "pull a lung"? Wouldn't that kill a person?


The team also brought in a guy who was arrested (and grounded by his parents) for trespassing at Nopeming and had him tell everyone at home why trespassing is a bad idea (12:29 in the video below). It was like a PSA, but as soon as he was done telling us why we shouldn't push past "no trespassing" signs, Zak wanted to hear about what he had witnessed while visiting. Apparently he saw a dark figure on one of the ledges.



The creepiest feature of Nopeming is its "death tunnel", which was used to wheel corpses to the incinerator. The tunnel is now blocked off by furniture the management have wedged in both ends in order to deter trespassers from entering. The guys bust their butts trying to pull out a couch as Zak watches and insists he would "assist the boys in moving the couch, but someone has to operate the camera." Uh huh. Once they get inside, they realize the structure of the tunnel is collapsing, so not everyone goes in. Billy Tulley volunteers to be the one to walk through. When he's halfway in, the light on his camera goes out, but not before his it catches a black shadow figure.

The episode has some good light anomalies, doors slamming on their own, and EVPs. At one point Zak and Billy are touched by unseen hands. However, one of the most satisfying moments is when Zak freaks out, but later finds out he was ensnared by wires hanging from the ceiling and not being abducted by ghosts. Zak eats a piece of humble pie and allows us to see the whole thing (35:29 in the video below). It goes without saying that the whole debacle was DEBUNKED. On a side note,  I noticed Zak is wearing his gas mask now, which is probably better for his lungs.

Nopeming has apparently never been officially investigated before. Lucky for us, GAC decided to pay it a visit.


Friday, August 21, 2015

Dismaland - Where All Your Screams Come True

Dismaland, a spoof on Disneyland, is the latest exhibit from world-renowned street artist, Banksy  Complete with a tipped Cinderella carriage, a grungy Disney castle, and installations from over 50 artists, including Damien Hirst, Josh Keyes, and Caitlin Cherry, the massive undertaking is situated in the U.K. and open until the end of September. Sounds like my kind of Disneyland.






Thursday, August 13, 2015

Back to GAC

After taking a long hiatus, I am back on the GAC train.  I haven't seen much from the shows that aired before or after Nick left, but after playing a little catch up, I can see some possibilities as to why he may have decided to quit the show.


Zak has always been a big show off and that's partially why his fans love him. However, in a show I recently watched from Season 9 about the ghost town of Bannack, MT, he was acting like a prima donna, bossing Nick and Aaron around and snapping at them like a cranky schoolmarm (15:48 into the video below). In an interview with a man whose family originally lived in Bannack, Zak practically poses for the camera in a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses and black shirt with German crosses on it. If you click on the video below and go to the 8:45 mark, you can see what I'm referring to. As Zak is interviewing the guy, he starts to walk away from him, taking up most of the screen space. He may as well have done his best "Blue Steel".


In another show I watched recently, he nearly forces Nick to return to a house that was making him physically ill. This was the Oman house from Season 9 and one of the scariest Ghost Adventures episodes I've ever seen. The house's owner, David Oman (pretty interesting name, no?), wrote a film based on his experiences living in the house called The House at the End of the Drive.  The film is loosely based on the real events of August 9, 1969 when Sharon Tate and six others were murdered by the Manson family. Oman's house is right up the street from where the murders took place. He believes the houses' location, along with the fact that the house sits atop a geomagnetic anomaly and that it's also on top of a Native American burial ground are contributing to the strange things taking place at his residence. The most disturbing thing about the episode, however, is Oman. He seems weirdly comfortable living in a house that has such bad energy and almost seems like he gets a kick out of it.

Okay, getting back to Nick - it's the only episode I've ever seen in which all three guys leave a lockdown. They get physically ill, especially Nick, who is scratched by something unseen and experiences severe stomach pains. Right after he leaves the house, visibly upset, Zak presses him to go back inside, right back to the bedroom where he was scratched (See 34:42 in the video below). Being the nice guy he is, Nick complies with the ridiculous request. It was at this point I wanted to kick Zak's Ed Hardy-embellished butt. And from the looks of it, Nick did, too.


I love Zak as much as any GAC fan and will continue to watch Ghost Adventures, however, I think he needs a big fat slice of humble pie. Preferably shoved in his face by Nick.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Time to Spook it Up

I've been away for a long time, but after seeing the Halloween merch in Michael's today, the mood to come back and spook it up seized me. Halloween happiness starts for me around this time of year anyway, even if it is only August. . .