Late to the Game(s) - Retro! Reissued! Remastered! Oh my!

By Jeremy D. Wells There are few taboos more universal than that against eating human flesh. Even in societies where ritualistic cannibalism was practiced, it wasn’t common. For instance the   Fore   people sometimes ate their deceased loved ones, finding it more respectful and loving than allowing them to be eaten by insects. Other groups performed rituals that aren’t strictly speaking cannibalism, but still fall under the endocannibalism umbrella, such as the consumption of cremated remains practiced by the   Yanomami .   The other type of ritualistic cannibalism,  exocannibalism , is often seen as a means of terrorizing or expressing dominance over a defeated group. This type of cannibalism also includes the idea of absorbing the prestige or power of a defeated foe by consuming their body. Neither of these, though, describe what Russian cannibal Yegor Komarov engaged in when he confessed to taking a “ nibble ” from a St. Petersburg businessman two years ...

By Jeremy D. Wells Those familiar with Land Between the Lakes, in western Kentucky, have probably heard some creepy tales from the area. Dogman reports, in particular, are especially prevalent in the park. They’re even the subject of an upcoming film from   Small Town Monsters   –   Dogman Territory: Werewolves in the Land Between the Lake. But not everything strange in this national recreation area is a toothy, slavering beast. Some things are much more subtle, and much more terrifying. Writing in to Lon Strickler, at his Phantoms and Monsters website,  one reader recounted a tale  that took place 20 years ago, when they were only 17 years old. The reader had accompanied his father on a bow hunting trip into the park during the early autumn, intent on relaxing, maybe catching up on some reading, and just enjoying the natural beauty of the area. As he walked through the woods that morning, something he had done on many occasions, enjoying the sights and smells o...

  By Jeremy D. Wells Ohio is regarded by many students of Forteana as ground zero for strange and spooky occurrences. But one county in Ohio might just be the weirdest. Nestled between the Ohio River to the south and the rolling farmland of central Ohio to the north, and on the edge of Ohio’s Appalachian foothills, Adams County is probably best known for the Serpent Mound. This massive effigy mound, in the shape of the eponymous serpent, with curled tail and open mouth – according to some interpretations – swallowing an egg, is among the best preserved examples of these ancient earthworks, believed to have been built by the prehistoric Adena culture. The county is also chock-full of geological anomalies, with three different physiographic regions (the Dissected Illinoian Till Plain, the unglaciated Outer Bluegrass Region, and the Shawnee-Mississippian Plateau) represented and numerous exposed rock outcroppings displaying a variety of marine fossils. These include abundant example...

By Jeremy D. Wells Among most folks in the western world, ghosts, UFOs, and cryptids are each a separate type of phenomenon. Hauntings are caused by the spirits of dead people. UFOs are craft from another world. Cryptids, like Bigfoot and sea serpents, represent undocumented wild animals. However in the Islamic world, and places influenced by their cultures, all of these various encounters could be attributed to a single entity – the djinn. In her classic treatise on the subject, Demons, Devils, and Djinn , Olga Hoyt states that the very name, djinn, “means ‘covert’ or ‘darkness.’” The djinn – plural of djinnee, where we get the idea of the genie in a magic lamp – are not angels or demons. They are a separate creation, made by God from smokeless fire, according to various resources. Though usually invisible to human eyes, the djinn are capable of taking on any form they choose, but are especially fond, according to Hoyt, of “those of snakes, lizards, and scorpions.”  Read the rest ...

  Recently the mother of a pair of Arizona teens shared with me this video of a shadow entity they believe they captured on video.  You can read more about their experience in my Coast to Coast AM article, here .  Watch the entire video here .  Or jump to the 1:25 mark, a couple of seconds before the entity appears, here . 

  Is Bit o’ Time Vintage Lake Retreat Haunted? Paranormal group says yes, but others caution vigilance and respect By Jeremy D. Wells Carter County Times Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times Is the Bit O’ Time Vintage Lake Retreat, near the Clifty Creek area of Grayson Lake, a haunted house? The owner of the property, who lived there for years before renting the space out as a vacation and retreat rental, says she never had any definitive experiences during her time living there. But several guests have reported hearing strange sounds – and even seeing apparitions – while staying at the property. One of those apparitions is a lady in white, sometimes accompanied by a smell of mold, who has appeared not only at the Retreat, but at a neighboring property. I’d heard some of this already before coming to the property to meet with the folks from Blue Collar Paranormal. The ghost hunting group had set up a booth at Memory Days where they met the owner of the property. From there...