Witchy Women

Season three of American Horror Story will premier October 9th. Subtitled "Coven", the show will take place in New Orleans and focus on the Salem witch trials. According to executive producers, there will be a feminist theme running throughout the season and "a very strong theme of family, specifically mothers and daughters." Additionally, the tone will be lighter and peppered with more humor. Thank god. I had to drop out of last season because I couldn't stomach the brutality. Maybe enough people complained about all the meat hooks and human skin masks. . .

The cast of this season will be star-packed. The almighty Jessica Lange will play a witchy bad ass and Angela Basset will star as a voodoo queen. Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, and Sarah Paulson will return as will actors from Season One, including Frances Conroy, Dylan McDermott, and Taissa Farmiga. Kathy Bates will also be starring as historical serial killer, Delphine LaLaurie and Gabourey Sidibe will have a recurring role, which is unknown for now.

Overall, it sounds like a tasty brew. Check out the promo videos below:

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven

I write book reviews and the book I'm reading now is called A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Heaven: (Or, How I Made Peace with the Paranormal and Stigmatized Zealots and Cynics in the Process). The title alone made me pick it out for review. When I got it in the mail I was surprised to learn it was written by lead singer of Slipknot, Corey Taylor. I was a little hesitant as I started the book, hoping it wasn't going to be a maudlin, over-the-top, in-your-face-motherfucker! account of this guy's run ins with ghosts. Well it is, but it's brilliantly funny and smart as well.

Taylor recounts in chilling detail the encounters he's had, beginning at a young age, with things that go bump in the night. I'm not done with the book yet, but so far I've read about a horrifying abandoned house in the woods that he and his friends broke into when he was a kid, a haunted mansion in the Hollywood Hills where Slipknot recorded one of their albums (and where he ran into a ghost butler while naked in the shower), and his own houses that have included odd things like a shadow man that followed around his then three-year-old son.

Because Taylor writes with such zest and wit, I'm too busy laughing to be scared. But after I put the book down, I start thinking about the stories he's shared. That shadow man, in particular, forced me to leave the hall light on last night.

The Odessa Catacombs

My friend sent me a link to this place on Atlas Obscura. Apparently Odessa has a large system of tunnels underneath the city, which dates back to the 1600s. During World War II, Ukrainian rebels hid from the Nazis in the catacombs, some of them staying for the duration of the entire war.

Nowadays, people go exploring in the tunnels and some never come back. In 2005, a group of teenagers decided to ring in the new year in the catacombs. One girl, Masha, got separated from her group of friends and never made it out. Her body wasn't found until two years later.

Today, a small area of the tunnels remains open to the public as a museum. However, if that doesn't scratch your itch to experience the place, you can hire a guide to bring you further in. I would bring lots of batteries for your flashlight and leave a trail of bread crumbs behind. . .

Terrifying Dolls

While I don't think they're as creepy as clowns, dolls can be pretty spooky. Just think Annabelle.
Buzzfeed has a collection of some utterly terrifying dolls. Check it out. 

WTF?

Halloween Creeps into the Craft Stores

Every August the Halloween stuff starts to materialize in the craft stores. I was in Michael's today and saw signs of October 31 looming in a middle aisle.