The World's Largest Ouija Board (For Real This Time)


Ripley's Believe It Or Not/Instagram


You may recall I posted a story two-and-a-half years ago about the then-world's largest Ouija board. It was built on the rooftop of a supposedly haunted hotel in Pennsylvania, because, you know, if a place is already haunted, why not make it even more haunted.

But now we've moved beyond hotels to town commons, in this case, fittingly enough, the Salem Common (as in Salem, Massachusetts, the sight of the famous 17th century witch trials).

Ouijazilla, as the monstrous board is called, is the brainchild of Rick Schreck, the Vice-President of the Talking Board Historical Society. More than a year in the making, Ouijazilla is longer than a brontosaurus, heavier than an elephant, and large enough to accommodate five full-size eighteen-wheelers. A public celebration welcoming the board to its new home in Salem took place on October 12, 2019.

The creator of Ouijazilla, Rick Schreck, is an interesting guy. He collects Ouija boards like some people collect snow globes, and currently has 300 boards in his possession. Some of these boards he made himself, fashioning the planchettes out of peculiar objects like human and animal bone, human hair, and even human ashes. His next project is to make his "dream" Ouija board out of coffin materials. He happens to have a vintage black casket in his tattoo shop in New Jersey, so it's gonna happen.

I admit I don't get the obsession with making these things bigger and bigger. Of course, I don't get the obsession with any Ouija board, big or little. Call me a party-pooper if you will, but I only want to communicate with fleshy individuals. Make that flesh and blood. Fleshy sounds like my great aunt Rita.

Ripley's Believe It or Not has an interesting story on Ouijazilla. Check it out here:

UNLEASHING OUIJAZILLA: THE WORLD’S LARGEST OUIJA BOARD

The Haunted Doll Market



“These dolls aren’t for entertainment or fun. These are actual haunted items with spirits attached who want to be respected. Then you have those who, if you’re not careful, are demonic and ready to tear into your soul.” (Kevin Cain)


Interesting article by Sabrina Maddeaux on msn.com on the latest goings-on in the haunted doll trade. Would I ever bring one of these little lovelies into my home? Not on your life.

Enjoy the article but please don't let curiosity get the better of you. Caveat emptor.

~~~

Inside the Haunted Doll Markets of eBay and Etsy

Thirty years ago, the world was introduced to a 29-inch-tall doll in overalls named Chucky. With eyes bluer than a White Walker’s, hair more fiery than Ed Sheeran’s, and a smattering of freckles à la Emma Stone, he looked like the perfect childhood buddy.
Unfortunately, Chucky, the tiny antagonist of the 1988 movie Child’s Play, was possessed by a serial killer with a knack for slaughtering people with butcher knives, yo-yo strings, and anything else he could find around the house. Today, almost everyone knows that if a wild-eyed doll asks, “Wanna play?” the only acceptable response is to run as fast and far as you can.
Then there are people like Kevin Cain, a paranormal investigator in Alabama who owns hundreds of haunted dolls and other items. “I lost count a long time ago,” he says. While Cain may be an especially prolific collector, he’s far from the only one. In fact, there is a thriving marketplace for haunted dolls on the internet.

Ouija Board Nightmares: The Complete Collection - Audiobook Now Available!




Listen to 'em all, one nightmare at a time!

Once again narrated by the strong, smooth voice of Michael E. Smith.


Get your copy today at:



Also available on iTunes

Thoughts on the Ouija Board from Author Terri Reid


Best-selling author Terri Reid recently posted a fascinating narrative on her blog about the Ouija board. Terri and I are definitely of a like mind on the subject (hint: Ouijas are bad.), so after I read it, I knew instantly I had to share it.

Make sure you also check out Terri’s books on Amazon when you get a chance. She writes enthralling paranormal mysteries that have the unique ability to not only send shivers down your spine, but put a smile on your face. (Maybe just not at the exact same time.)

Enjoy.






Ouija Board Nightmares 2 - Audiobook now available!



Ouija Board Nightmares 2 is now available as an audiobook, narrated by the inimitable Michael E. Smith. Audio fans can get their copy at:


Just like listening to smooth jazz. Well, except for that whole nightmares thing.


A Ouija Omnibus



The newest addition to the Harker paranormal collection. 



Why settle for one nightmare when you can have a whole night's worth?

Beings of Light



Much of the time this blog discusses instances of dark, eerie, and evil matters. It tends to make us forget, I think, that good also exists and is ever more powerful. I ran across a story today that reinforces that belief and illustrates beautifully that agents of good—beings of light—are with us always. In the Christian church, as well as others, we call these beings angels. And in honor of their feast day today (October 2nd), I’d like to give them a little attention with this fascinating narrative as recounted by magazine writer Robert Reilly:

There are some true believers, of course. A Creighton University Jesuit named Father Francis Deglman used to fascinate me and other students with his recital of encounters with his personal angel. He carried on a spirited discourse with this being--argued even, and complained.

His most dramatic episode occurred early one morning when he was awakened from sleep.

"Francis, get up!"

Father Deglman glanced at his alarm clock. "It's 3 in the morning," he managed to object. But he arose. The guardian angel instructed him to turn on the light. Reluctantly he fumbled for the wall switch.

"Now turn it off. And get back to bed."

Deglman shook his head, plunged the room into darkness again, and crept beneath the solo blanket, still wondering what this was all about.

The next morning a student came to see him.

"Father," he began, "last night I was thinking of taking my life. I tried to get into the campus church but it was locked. It had to be about 3 o'clock. I sat on the wall outside the Jesuit residence, certain that God didn't care if I lived or died. Then I said, 'If there is a God, let a light go on in that building.' I looked back up and your light was on." *

The light is always there for us. All we have to do is ask for it.


* As published in U.S. Catholic magazine.


Demons are real, says New York psychiatry professor


Juan de Cordoba chassant les démons


Dr. Richard Gallagher is a respected New York psychiatrist and a professor at Columbia University and New York Medical College. But he’s something else that’s even way cooler. For the last 25 years, Dr. Gallagher has served as a consultant for a network of exorcists across the country. When one of these priests suspects that someone may be a victim of diabolical possession, they ask Dr. Gallagher to assess the person to rule out a medical or mental condition before beginning the process of a formal exorcism. In most cases, there is indeed a scientific explanation for the person’s odd behavior. But not always. In his 25 years of consulting, Dr. Gallagher says he’s seen about 100 cases of true demonic possessions, and hundreds more of oppressions, cases in which a demon basically makes life miserable for someone.

In the article below, Dr. Gallagher shares some fascinating insights and creepy stories from his experiences. And good news for those of us who are fans (I've known about Dr. Gallagher for some time now): he's coming out with a book later this year entitled Demonic Foes: Experiences of a Psychiatrist in the World of Exorcism. 

Enjoy!


Psychiatrist Professor Says Demonic Possessions Real

Lady Gaga’s Bedevilment Problem



Allow me to state the obvious: Making deals with the devil is never a good idea.

“The demonic is a loan shark, and it not only collects before you’re ready, it wants double in return for what it gives. Ultimately it wants the soul. - Ed Warren, demonologist

As I stated in my book Evil Unleashed, involvement in the occult always backfires, in one form or another. It can be quick or it can take a number of years. But be assured that the spirits you bargain with will never let you off the hook.

Just ask Lady Gaga.

In an explosive new interview, Lady Gaga relates how she went from being an unknown burlesque performer to a multi-platinum pop star “in a cinch” thanks to a mysterious, “strangely ageless man” who made her a deal she couldn’t refuse.

Well, she could have. And actually now she wishes she would have.

Read this fascinating account at the link below. And keep Lady Gaga in your prayers. If she’s telling the truth, she surely needs them. If she’s blowing a major load of performance smoke, she still needs them.

Lady Gaga: Fibromyalgia Is ‘Punishment’ For Joining The Illuminati

Witches Hexing Trump Will Have Disastrous Results (And Not The Kind You Think)


The Three Witches, Henry Fuseli, 1783


Last month a group of New York City witches gathered at Catland Books, an occult bookshop in Brooklyn, to put a hex on President Trump, members of his administration, and his constituents. This was different than the “binding spell” put on him by witches in February, explains self-described "transgender wolfqueen witch-goddess" Dakota Bracciale. The binding ritual was intended to stop the President from doing any “malignant works,” but in retrospect, says Bracciale, it was "too loving, light and soft." Hence, the hexing ritual, which actively wishes harm upon the targeted person. Bracciale claims the spells are working: just look at the disarray, scandals, and setbacks the administration has been suffering in recent months. More anti-Trump rituals are planned, and it sounds like they will continue until they achieve their ultimate goal of impeachment, or worse.

Okaaaay then. Here’s what I want to remind anyone who thinks this is a good idea. Spells, curses, hexes -- they backfire. It’s the ultimate case of “be careful what you wish for.” In my book Evil Unleashed, I have a chapter devoted to the travails of a young man who was victimized by a witch’s hex. This isn’t Bewitched, friends. This is serious stuff. Being on the receiving end of a hex can bring misery, suffering, and death. And for those doing the hexing? Well, pretty much the same.

Fr. Herman Jayachandra, a priest with extensive exorcism experience in India and the United States, and who has had to deal with curses and hexes on both sides of the world, warns: “The devil, after using a witch to the best interest of both, eventually will kill her indirectly, driving her mad so she’ll die quickly in an accident or slowly from not being able to care for herself.”

Of course, witches like Bracciale will say they’re not invoking the devil in their spells; only forces of natures, cosmic energy, thought vibrations, etc., etc. Exorcists who have been in the trenches say that’s a bunch of hogwash: The power of the spells comes from evil forces, pure and simple.

“You are becoming indebted by calling on power not from God and establishing a relationship with that power,” says exorcist, Fr. Patrick (not his real name, for privacy purposes). “If you ask a favor, these spirits don’t want to help you in the long run. If you think they do, you are fooling yourself. . . Evil is not concerned about your freedom; it wants control.”

Reverend Vincent Lampert, an exorcist from the Diocese of Indianapolis, says that those casting spells are relying on evil that feeds on anger and revenge. “The end result of all this for people will be to find themselves more deeply entangled with the devil,” he said. “Their lives will continue to spiral out of control.”

There’s a similar theme in all these warnings: loss of control. The witch may think she or he is doing the driving, but later down the road it will become apparent that they’re just along for the ride -- a ride that will end with a crash if they don’t find a way to escape the darkness.