Gregorian

Sooooo, I just found this music group that covers popular songs as Gregorian chants.

I'm in love.

I think some samples are in order.












I just bought a few of their songs from iTunes. Check 'em out!

Sources:

Gregorian - Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Perf. Gregorian. YouTube. 27 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SvhLaHRvUs>.

 

Gregorian - Bring Me to Life. Perf. Gregorian. YouTube. 6 Nov. 2010. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2hhqWzIwU8>.

 

Gregorian - Last Unicorn. Perf. Gregorian. YouTube. 23 Sept. 2012. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nak84xHAcds>.

 

Gregorian - My Heart Will Go On. Perf. Gregorian. YouTube. 23 Sept. 2012. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7F71KXq-1M>.

 

Gregorian - O Fortuna. Perf. Gregorian. YouTube. 6 Nov. 2010. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LWcTT__1CI>.

Ah-HAH!--Llewellyn and Juliana's "Ghost"

Remember that song I, well, just mentioned? XD Well, I did some more searching, and I found out who sings it!

It's sung by musicians Lewellyn and Juliana. Here's their website, and here's the album the song is from. It's track 5, "Ghost."

With that information, I searched again for the music video... and found it! :-D

Great song, no? :-D I really love the new perspective on troubled spirits this song gives--they don't deserve fear, but sympathy.

Sources:

Exclusive Video of GHOST by Llewellyn & Juliana. Perf. Llewellyn and Juliana. N.d. YouTube. 2 Jan. 2013. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xl1QKCbWo4>.

 

Llewellyn and Juliana. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://www.llewellynandjuliana.com/>.

"They Call Her The Ghost"

Once upon a time I found this GREAT music video on YouTube... and now I can't find it!

I remember the song, but I don't know who sang it and in fact searching for the lyrics only turned up two results on Google.

Here they are copied and pasted from another site:

I often hear footsteps walking my stairs
They stop at the top, I look no one's there
The Ghost

They say she had children, a baby who died
A mother so helpless, reliving that night
Again and again
Imagine her pain

You say this house is haunted
I say who's scared the most
She's the one living this nightmare
They call her the Ghost

She married in summertime, a young bride and groom
The happiest days of their lives were spent in this home
And now where the nursery stood at the top of the stairs
you can sometimes hear crying and know she's there

I often hear footsteps walking my stairs
They stop at the top, I look no one's there

This is a FANTASTIC and beautiful song--if you have a link to the music video, please share it with me!

Sources:

"Ghost." Ptt. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.ptt.cc/man/lyrics/DB64B/DDF7/DE1D/DE23/M.1163832869.A.99A.html>.

Nemesis Now

Nemesis Now is a brand of gothic and fantasy giftware with a catlogue that's AWESOME to browse! They feature everything from vampires and werewolves to unicorns and knights. Of course my favorites are their gothic products. ^^

I haven't gotten to purchase anything from them yet, but I highly recommend you have a look at their website, if only to enjoy their beautiful gothic products!

Here's a few of my favorite items:

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info-D0451B4.html

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info-D0640B4.html

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info-D0648B4.html

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info_NEM2220.html

(ONE DAY I will own this!!!)

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info_NEM2248.html

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info_NEM4394.html

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info_NEM4480.html

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info_NEM5422.html

(I need to upload some close-up images of the chess pieces. This is a chess set featuring vampires and werewolves and the pieces are BEAUTIFUL.)

http://www.nemesisnow.com/acatalog/info-U1016B4.html

Again, I cannot give a proper review because I haven't actually bought anything yet. But sharing examples of gothic beauty is one of the reasons I started this blog, so I needed to share these images with you!

Sources:

Nemesis Now. Nemesis Now Ltd. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://www.nemesisnow.com/>.

Nox Arcana

Are you a fan of creepy sound effects?

Then I dearly hope you've heard of Nox Arcana. If not, well, you're hearing of them now!

Remember Joseph Vargo? Well, this is his musical project, though it's actually a mix of music and sound effects--eerie music and creepy sound effects. Nox Arcana (loose latin translation: "Mysteries of the Night") is the result of a partnership between Vargo and William Piotrowski, two musicians who have created something amazing. Get music previews on their website! The music is available for download on Amazon and iTunes as well.


Sources:

Amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc. Web. 24 July 2014. <http://www.amazon.com/>. 

 

Nox Arcana. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://www.noxarcana.com/>.

The Jersey Devil

I'd now like to discuss one of my favorite legendary creatures: the Jersey Devil!

The Jersey Devil lives in, well, New Jersey, and his story begins in the eighteenth century.

Once, in early colonial America, in the colony of New Jersey, a woman named Mother Leeds lived in the woods of the Pine Barrens. She had twelve children, and her husband was a useless, drunken husband. Upon learning that she was pregnant for the thirteenth time, she declared, enraged, that the devil could take this child. (Or, in some variations, "Let it be a devil!")

Nine months later, the child was born. It appeared to be a normal, healthy baby boy... for all of five minutes. Then the baby began to change. It grew into an enormous beast, and sprouted horns, wings, fur, and of course fangs and claws. It viciously attacked and killed Mother Leeds, and then the midwives. It then flew into the next room and attacked the rest of the Leeds family. There were only a few survivors to see the creature that had been their brother escape into the Pine Barrens, where it still roams to this day.

The Jersey Devil legend is one of New Jersey's biggest stories--they even named their Hockey team after it, you may recall. ^^

The Jersey Devil generally has the head and neck of a horse, with a body to match, only it is bipedal, and with two hooves for its feet and great talons for its front "hands." It has huge wings and two horns (sometimes they've been depicted as antlers). And it has a tail, often a forked tail.

This is my interpretation of how the Jersey Devil might look:

(Shameless plug for my home blog with my art: http://marydemauro.blogspot.com/)

So... yes. ^^ That's the Jersey Devil. AKA the Pinelands Devil, the Leeds Devil, or the Phantom of the Pines.

Video Clip--Ed and Lorraine Warren Vs. Poltergeist

I dearly hope you've heard of Ed and Lorraine Warren--a married couple who worked together fighting demons. Sadly, Ed Warren has passed away, but Lorraine Warren continues his work. Ed Warren was a demonologist and Lorraine Warren is a medium. They've worked on several cases, including "The Amityville Horror" and "The Haunting in Connecticut." Not just movies--those were based on real cases. And here's a clip showing the Warrens at work.



Sources:

Ed and Lorraine Warren Poltergeist. YouTube. 5 May 2008. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee8RYGds9tM&index=24>.

 

"Ed and Lorraine Warren." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 July 2014. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_and_Lorraine_Warren>.

 

Warrens. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://www.warrens.net/>.

"Hi! I'm Casper!" 911 Call

...Is this supposed to be scary or funny? For the life of me I can't tell. XD




Sources:

Scary 911 Call! YouTube, 10 July 2010. Web. 24 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9r0F1GlUkQ>.

Smith Sisters: Murdered Anonymously

Who's in the mood for a delightfully creepy urban legend? :-D

I first found this on YouTube, in several places. Now I've looked it up again to share it with you!

Once upon a time, in 2007, there was a guy named John Smith who loved scary stories, especially those that came in the form of chain emails. He loved to send them, and he loved receiving them in return.

One day, he received a mail from an unknown address. The author, or rather, authors, claimed to be his older sisters--Lisa and Sarah Smith. This confused the heck out of John--he was an only child. He wrote them back telling them this, thinking it a joke.

The Smith Sisters wrote him again. They insisted that their story was true: they were his sisters, and they had lived in the very house he lived in now--in fact, in his very bedroom. Once, they said, they had been very happy... until a murderer had broken into their house, in 1993. When their parents had found them, they had been hidden in the closet, skinned alive. The killer had never been caught, and the only clue had been a series of odd emails found on Lisa's computer. In the year 2000, the case was closed.

The Smith sisters went on to say how angry they were that the case was closed. They were angry that their parents had replaced them with a new child--a son named John, whom they had never even mentioned the murders to.

Accompanying the email were two image attachments: one of two young girls, with the caption SMITH SISTERS: MURDERED ANONYMOUSLY. The other was a scan of a newspaper article... one that told their very same story about two girls, Sarah and Lisa Smith, who had been skinned alive in John's house.

John was influriated. He wrote back, saying that they were lying, that they needed to leave him alone, and to GO TO HELL. Five minutes later, there was a new email in his mailbox:

If you don't believe us, look in the bedroom closet.

The next morning, John's parents couldn't find their son. Then they checked the closet. It was there they found his body. He had been skinned alive.

On the floor of the closet were scratched these words: LISA AND SARAH--1993. JOHN--2007.

The only clue as to what had happened to John were the emails on his computer--emails that the police were never able to trace.

...Sleep tight! ^_^

Sources:

"The Smith Sisters: Murdered Anonymously." Urban Legends Online. Urban Legends Online, 19 Nov. 2011. Web. 24 July 2014. <http://urbanlegendsonline.com/smith-sisters-murdered-anonymously/>. 

Joseph Vargo

Behold, one of the greatest gothic/horror artists in existence: Joseph Vargo!

Joseph Vargo paints a wide range of scary subjects, from vampires to werewolves to ghosts to zombies. This guy has no limits, and his stuff is CREEPY. If you miss the way vampires "used to be," you should probably check out his work. Nevertheless, his work never looses that sense of "gothic elegance" that I, personally, love to death. Check out his website! Also, buy some prints and other merchandise at Monolith Graphics.

In addition to being an artist, Joseph Vargo is also co-founder of the music/sound effect project Nox Arcana. Nox Arcana produces spooky music and sound effects, and I'll be writing about that soon!

Some of my favorites of his pieces:


Sources:

Joseph Vargo. Web. 24 July 2014. <http://josephvargo.com/>.

 

Monolith Graphics. Joseph Vargo. Web. 24 July 2014. <http://monolithgraphics.com/>.

Busch Gardens' "Howl-O-Scream"

In the dark side of the gardens, there's so much you will find
The only thing you have to loose is a little of your mind...

I don't know if the Busch Gardens parks are anywhere outside of the U.S., but at least Americans might recognize them and might be familiar with their "Howl-O-Scream" Halloween event. I found these two FANTASTIC TV commercials for it. I'm a huge fan of the gothic/horror aesthetic and these commercials are full of it. Check 'em out!







Come play in my gardens...

SOURCES:

Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream 2012 TV Commercial. Busch Gardens, 2012. YouTube. Web. 23 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vsVa2VWcoY>. 

Howl-O-Scream® | Busch Gardens® Williamsburg, VA. Busch Gardens, 2011. YouTube. YouTube. Web. 23 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWV8a1n9Qo0>.

 

Black Stick Men

I was eager to write about this because I can't find too much information on it and I'm eager to see if anyone else has any information.

..."Black Stick Men." I heard about them awhile ago, while checking out Listverse. Basically they are what they sound like: You know "stick men" drawings?

You drew them in kindergarten, you play hangman with them...

Well, uh, basically that's what these things are. Except they're REAL. People have reported seeing real live "stick men" walking around. They have absolutely no dimension, and no faces. Thankfully, the worst they might do is follow you around.

The only other thing I could find that was related to "stick men" was this:


This is from the TV series "Fact or Faked." They are discussing a piece of video documenting these weird creatures that are both skinny and formless... one of them seems to be entirely legs, the other seems to have no legs at all. Similar to the stick men but still different.

So... anyone have more information?

SOURCES:

Frater, Jamie. "Top 10 Bizarre Modern Paranormal Phenomena." Listverse. Listverse, 24 Apr. 2009. Web. 23 July 2014. <http://listverse.com/2009/04/24/top-10-bizarre-modern-paranormal-phenomena/>. 

NIGHTCRAWLER. YouTube. SyFy Channel, 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 23 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4XDcJoiXuY>.

TERRIFYING Manga Comic Strip

So, I just read this manga webcomic strip...

Click Here if you want to read it.

If you want to read it. As it says before you start scrolling down, people with medical conditions shouldn't read this.

I don't want to spoil too much, but if you have epilepsy, and I'm being serious, please don't read this comic.

I'm sure I'll be writing about the true life events--the Bongcheon-Dong Ghost--that inspired this ghost story, so if you can't read the comic you can look forward to that!

SOURCES:

Horang. "Bongcheon-Dong Ghost - HORANG." Naver. N.p., 2011. Web. 23 July 2014. <http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detail.nhn?titleId=350217&no=31&weekday=tue>.

Welcome to "Bloody Mary"!

Greetings, salutations, and scary wishes! My name is Mary, and I am a lover of all things scary, gothic, strange, unexplained, weird, bizarre, eerie... you get the gist. And that's why I created this blog.

Here you'll find pretty much anything that fits the above categories. If it's scary, it's here. If it's weird, it's here. If it keeps you up at night, it's here. I'll even throw in some things that are just plain unexplained. Here you'll find everything from "The Amityville Horror" to the Voynich Manuscript. I'll also be reviewing horror movies, sharing my favorite gothic art, and more!

Let the telling of tales begin!