The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Connections - IMDb The Blair Witch Project (1999) Connections Showing all 386 items Jump to: Followed by (4) | Spin-off (3) | References (16) | Referenced in (245) | Featured in (23) | Spoofs (1) | Spoofed in (94) Followed by It's the video game from the film. References Häxan (1922) Haxan is an unusual sort of documentary about witches, while BWP is a pseudo-documentary about a witch, and also the production company of BWP is named Haxan. The Haunting (1963) Similar premise and plot: a group of amateur paranormal investigators carry out an initially sceptical study of a local legend, but apparently (though ambiguously) fall victim to it.

The nature of the antagonist is never made clear, it is only manifested through enigmatic signs (mainly sounds), and the possibility is left open that it was nothing more than a combination of paranoia in some group members and one of them losing his / her mind (although equally the possibility of the insane member having been possessed by the "entity" is left open). Gilligan's Island (1964) (TV Series) While in the woods the characters sing the theme song. Horror Poll Post-Mortem: The unbeatable ‘Exorcist’ and why ‘Near Dark’ stands alone EMAIL HitFix's Ultimate Horror Movie Poll, which highlights the 100 greatest horror films of all time as voted on by over 100 genre filmmakers and experts, not only showcased the enduring power of No. 1 finisher “The Exorcist,” it also cemented the status of the '70s and '80s as a Golden Age of horror (films released during those decades took up nearly half of available slots).

The '70s and '80s, incidentally, saw the artistic rise and mainstream breakthroughs of both Wes Craven and David Cronenberg, horror icons who placed more films in the Top 100 than any other director (four titles each). Meanwhile, the list revealed one undeniably bleak statistic: only one movie in the Top 100 was directed by a woman. For me, the most gratifying moment of our Ultimate Horror Poll came when compiling the data was finally over, and I could take a step back and fully appreciate, as a reader, what my colleague Emily Rome and I had painstakingly compiled over so many weeks. Doing so has allowed me the distance to see patterns and make observations that I didn't pick up on when I was in the thick of it — some undeniable, some puzzling, and one even borderline infuriating. Here are a few insights I've gathered in the 48 hours since we first launched. 1. Only one film in the Top 100 was directed by a woman.

The topic of representation behind the camera has been a hot topic as of late (see: Matt Damon's now-notorious “Project Greenlight” moment ), and the problem is depressingly prevalent in our Top 100, which features — tellingly — only a single film directed by a woman: Kathryn Bigelow's cult 1987 vampire-western “Near Dark.” It's a shame, albeit not reflective of the survey participants themselves; rather, it speaks to an ongoing, systemic problem the continues to plague not only the horror genre but the film industry as a whole. Indeed, there are few great horror films directed by women because few women have ever been given the opportunity (or felt empowered) to make horror films in the first place. Not that there aren't any rays of hope. Bubbling just under the Top 100 was Jennifer Kent's masterful 2014 horror film “The Babadook,” which around the time of its release racked up an endorsement from none other than “The Exorcist” director William Friedkin (who happens to know a thing or two about horror). 2. I can't get over some of these omissions.

While the Top 100 certainly contains its share of welcome surprises — Adrian Lyne's “Jacob's Ladder,” Jonathan Glazer's “Under the Skin” and Brad Anderson's “Session 9” are a few that immediately spring to mind — it's hard as a fan to accept the absence of such stone-cold classics as Stuart Gordon's perfect '80s thrillogy (“Re-Animator” and “From Beyond” received a single mention each, while the underrated “Dolls” was absent completely), Bernard Rose's elegant, sophisticated 1992 Clive Barker adaptation “Candyman” (one mention) and Frank Darabont's unrepentantly dreary 2007 Stephen King chiller “The Mist” (zero mentions). What I also found surprising was the sub-Top 100 placement of the 1925 silent classic “The Phantom of the Opera,” which may have admittedly suffered in relation to such better-known Universal Horror classics as “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” “The Mummy” and “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” Still, its status as a formative Hollywood horror film makes its exclusion a tad puzzling. (Then again?

I didn't vote for it either.) Ultimately, it may be a film more appreciated than it is beloved — though it's worth noting that silent classics “Nosferatu” and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” both made the list. Looking to more recent titles, while the Top 100 ranking of such films as “It Follows” (released just this year!) and the 2007 anthology flick “The Signal” weren't unwelcome — unpredictability is the spice of these things — I was surprised to see those titles make the cut when such well-regarded (and slightly more aged) from-the-past-decade flicks like Rob Zombie's Western-styled “House of 1000 Corpses” sequel “The Devil's Rejects” and Greg McLean's deeply disturbing Outback quasi-slasher “Wolf Creek” failed to rank (neither of those titles received a single mention on any list). 3. “The Exorcist” is unbeatable.

When the first round of lists started coming in, it appeared that “The Exorcist” and Stanley Kubrick's “The Shining” (and even, briefly, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”) would finish in a dead heat for first place, but “The Exorcist” asserted its dominance pretty quickly thereafter. Look at these stats: out of 104 responses, “The Exorcist” was mentioned a total 67 times, thereby taking up real estate on a whopping 64% of individual lists. Number two finisher “The Shining,” meanwhile, was mentioned a measly 48 times (46%) by comparison. Polls like these aren't an exact science by any measure — the inevitable subjectivity of the responses makes determining a “definitive” list essentially impossible — but it's hard not to think that “The Exorcist” would finish in first place no matter how many lists we received, or which particular cross-section of the horror community weighed in. 4. The '70s and '80s dominated, and no one was surprised.

On this week's horror poll-centric episode of “Fandemonium,” our esteemed host Roth Cornet asked both myself and Emily why we thought the Top 10 was made up entirely of films released within a 22 year period (1960-1982, 1968-1982 if you discount “Psycho”), and we had two different answers that I think were both, in some sense, right. I stated that social upheavals of the time (and perhaps a brief window of greater artistic freedom) may have contributed to the era's plethora of great horror films; Emily chalked it up to the fact that the age range of participants we surveyed (the poll skewed slightly in favor of folks in their 30s and 40s) meant that films of that period would have made up the bulk of their formative moviegoing experiences. It might also be asserted that the grittier visual quality of the films from that era simply lends itself more to giving a person the heebie-jeebies than the more polished look of modern-day movies, but that's a difficult argument to back up aside from anecdotal reports.

As I mentioned in my horror poll introduction , the '70s and '80s finished neck and neck in the survey, with the former decade logging 21 titles in the Top 100 and the latter 23. In other words, those two decades alone accounted for nearly half of the films on the list (not to mention 70% of the Top 10). I don't think anyone with even a casual interest in horror would be surprised by this, but still, it's worth noting just how dominant they were in the rankings. 5. The '90s are, as ever, an unheralded decade. Only one film from the oft-dismissed decade finished in the Top 20 (“The Blair Witch Project”), and only 10 finished in the Top 100 — not terrible, but far less than the Oughts (15 titles), which were widely seen as ushering in a horror renaissance after the relative dead zone of the Gen X “coming-of-age” era. So were the '90s really a weak decade for horror, or are they unfairly discounted? From where I'm standing, it's a mixture of both.

While there's really no reasonable way to challenge the sheer number of great horror films that came out of the '60s, '70s and '80s, it still would have been nice to see Bernard Rose's aforementioned 1992 bogeyman tale “Candyman” or Wes Craven's postmodern Freddy Krueger sequel “New Nightmare” make an appearance somewhere (alas, the latter was shut out altogether). Still, while there were a lot of very good horror films that came out during the '90s, there were astonishingly few great ones, and I think that's the essential difference. 6. Arguably the most surprising ranking on the list: “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” at No. 50. An '80s slasher sequel in the Top 50? I never would have believed it if you'd told me at the beginning of this process, but it happened.

The Freddy threequel, which is generally seen as one of the best of the series (if not the best, depending on who you talk to), received votes from such folks as “Juno” and “Jennifer's Body” screenwriter Diablo Cody, “The Cabin in the Woods” director Drew Goddard and “Sinister” scribe C. Robert Cargill, which makes me wonder: just what did I miss about this thing the first time around? Maybe time for a re-watch. 7. Wes Craven and David Cronenberg were tied for most films in the Top 100, with four titles each. William Friedkin may have dominated all comers with a single film; and John Carpenter may have been the only director with more than one movie to place in the Top 10 (“Halloween” and “The Thing”). But if you're talking about sheer number of titles in the Top 100, Craven and Cronenberg were the clear winners here. Both directors finished with four films each: Craven with “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (No. 11), “Scream” (No. 49), “The People Under the Stairs” (No.

81) and “The Hills Have Eyes” (No. 93); Cronenberg with “The Fly,” (No. 25) “The Brood,” (No. 34), “Videodrome” (No. 69) and “Dead Ringers” (No. 70). It's a nice tribute to both, but especially to the late, great Craven, whose prolific, re-inventive work in the genre was all but peerless. 8. Italian horror didn't get much love. Indeed, only Dario Argento's surrealistic 1977 classic “Suspiria” and Ruggero Deodato's found-footage groundbreaker “Cannibal Holocaust” made the Top 100 (Nos. 13 and 68, respectively), while the former director was the only Italian filmmaker to have multiple titles mentioned across all lists (“Phenomena,” “Tenebre” and “Opera” each received a single vote).

No less an icon than Mario Bava astonishingly received but a single mention — and not for his better-known black-and-white classic “Black Sunday,” but rather the 1966 Gothic giallo “Kill Baby, Kill.” Gore-meister Lucio Fulci, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found, despite helming such well-known splatter classics as “The Beyond,” “Zombi 2” and “City of the Living Dead.” 9. “Let the Right One In” stands head and shoulders above its '00s counterparts. Consider this: Tomas Alfredson's icily haunting 2008 vampire film (an adaptation of the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist) finished way up at No. 19, receiving votes from such bold-faced names as Scott Derrickson, Peter Straub, Jennifer Lynch, Joe Hill and — yes — even Lindqvist himself. You can hardly blame the latter for casting a ballot for his own film, which in only seven years has grown in esteem to rival that of titles released decades earlier. You have to go all the way down to No.

36 (Gore Verbinski's “The Ring”) before coming across another film released in the 21st century. 10. The individual Top 10 lists are where it's at. Who voted for “Psycho II” but not “Psycho”? “Ju-on” director Takashi Shimizu, that's who. Obscure 1953 sci-fi flick “The Twonky”? None other than “Phantasm” visionary Don Coscarelli. And who, pray tell, put the 1988 comedy “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark” at No. 1? Not hard to figure. While it's certainly fun to scroll through the Top 100, I would argue that a deep dive into the individual Top 10s is even more interesting and revealing, particularly when it comes to parsing the specific influences of the filmmakers who voted (though I probably could have guessed that “The Human Centipede” director Tom Six would put the occasionally-scatological, scathingly-bleak social satire “Salo” at No. 1). 11. There is no coming up with a “definitive” list of the Top 100 horror movies.

With the exception of perhaps the Top 30 or 40, there's a sense that almost any of the films on our list could have been replaced by other titles had we received responses from a slightly different pool. The exercise of naming the 10 greatest horror films — despite the consensus that the word “greatest” implies — is a highly subjective one, and while “The Exorcist” is, I think, unbeatable for the No. 1 slot at this point, I'd be very interested to see what the list would have looked like had we received answers from an entirely different set of people. While our list is as close to a “definitive” one as you're likely to find at this point, there a lot of great, worthy horror titles that finished out of the running this time around. Failing to rank on our list in no way diminishes them. Share This Urban Legends - Haunted History Society Australia Haunted History Society Australia URBAN LEGENDS Introduction As a researcher, it is important to have a basic understanding of urban legends as they will assist with paranormal research. You will be surprised how many paranormal reports will have elements of a urban legend in them. So what is a "urban legend"?

A urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern folklore consisting of apocryphal stories that those who tell the stories usually believe them to be true. Like all folklore, urban legends are not necessarily false, but have been distorted, exaggerated or sensationalized over time. Despite the name urban legend, a typical urban legend does not usually originate in the urban areas. rather the term is in reference to a modern legend. Some times urban legends are repeated in news stories and in resent years distributed by the internet and social media. You often hear people say this story happened to a "friend of a friend" (FOAF) has become a commonly used term when recounting these stories. Some urban legends have changed very little over years with only minor changes to suit regional or cultural variations. According to Wikipedia the term urban legend as used by folklorists has appeared in print since at least 1968. Jan Harold Brunvand, Professor of English at the University of Utah introduce the term to the general public in a series of books published in 1981.

He used his collection of legends, "The vanishing Hitchhiker, "American Urban legends" & their meanings (1981) to make a couple of points; first that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in primitive or traditional societies and second that one could learn much about urban and modern culture by studying such tales and stories. Many urban myths are framed as complete stories with plots and characters. The appeal of a typical urban legend is elements of mystery, horror, suspense, fear or humor. Many urban legends are represented as warnings or cautionary tales, others are versions of misinformation. I am going to put forward a number of urban legends and a couple that I believe will become urban legends in the future. The Bell Witch The Bell Witch legend has been around for nearly 200 years. It is one of the most well-known hauntings in Americas history. There are historical truths to this story and something very strange and scary happened to the Bell family in 1817. But with the passing of generations, I believe the story may have been distorted or sensationalized. But the Bell Witch legend is one of the few stories that has a factual background and there is the possibility that there was some type of anomalous phenomena involved.

According to the Bell Witch legend, the first reports of the haunting occurred in 1817, when John William Bell encountered a small animal in a cornfield on his large farm in Roberts County, on the Red River, near Adams, Tennessee. The animal had the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit, then vanished when Bell shot at it. The incident was followed by a series of strange beating and gnawing noises manifesting outside the family residence. Betsy Bell, the families youngest and only daughter who was still living at the family home (Her older sister Esther had married in July 14, 1817) claimed to have been assaulted by an invisible force. John William Bell, later in life suffered facial seizures, often rendering him speechless, he died on December 20 1820. A small vial of unidentified liquid he allegedly ingested was found near his body. When some of the contents were force fed to the family cat, the animal died. The vial was the deposed of in the fireplace.

Pat Fitzhughs retelling of the Bell Witch Legend concludes with a statement to the effect that some people believe the spirit returned in 1935, the year when the witch claimed it would return (170 years past 1828) and took up residence on the former Bell property. Others sources say that 1935 brought nothing out of the ordinary to the Bell Property. A early account was written 1887 by historian Albert Virgil Goodspeed in his "History of Tennessee" about the the Bell Witch haunting (Page 833). He wrote: A remarkable occurrence, which attracted wide spread interest, was connected with the family of John Bell, who settled near what is now Adams station about 1804. So great was the excitement that people came from hundreds of miles around to witness the manifestations of what was popularly known as the "Bell Witch". This witch was supposed to be some type of spiritual being having the voice and attributes of a woman. It was invisible to eye, yet it would hold conservation and even shake hands with certain individuals. The feats it performed were wonderful and seemingly designed to annoy the family.

It would take sugar from the bowls, spill the milk, take the quilts from the beds, slap and pinch the children and then laugh at the discomfort of its victims. At first it was supposed to be a good spirit, but its subsequent acts, together with the curses with which it supplemented its remarks, proved the contrary. A volume might be written concerning the performance of this wonderful being, as they are now described by contemporaries and their descendants. That all this actually occurred will not be disputed, nor will a rational explanation be attempted. Who or what was the Bell Witch? Like most stories, details can vary from version to version. But the most common and prevailing account is that it was the spirit of Kate Batts, a mean old neighbour of John Bell who believed that she was cheated by him in a land purchase. On her deathbed, she swore that she would haunt John Bell and his descendents. The story is picked up by the "Guidebook for Tennessee", published in 1933 by the Federal Government's Work Project Administration. In popular culture: * Bell Witch: A movie made in 2002 was shot in Tennessee and released to video in 2007.

* An American Haunting: Movie based on the Bell Witch legend released in 2006.. * Book: Other Worlds published under the name of Barbara Michaels (Pen name of Barbara Mertz) in 1999 includes a detailed version of the Bell Witch events. BLOODY MARY Bloody Mary, is a legend that has a number of variants, which date back to the 1960s, if not earlier. As with many folk-stories, it is very difficult to pin down its origins. Folklorists did not begin collecting the stories until around 1970. The ghost story goes something like this (depending what version you hear): The malevolent spirit called up by the "Bloody Mary" ritual is always said to be female, usually a female whose face was disfigured as a result of a violent death (could by car accident or murdered, dependents on which version). In one version, Mary was a beautiful woman in life, who was very proud of her looks - to the point of self-obsession (thus the spirit is summoned to appear in a mirror).

In most versions of the Bloody Mary legend, the evil woman could be summoned by chanting "Bloody Mary" into a mirror anywhere from three to hundred times in a darkened room lit only by a candle (13 times seems to be the popular number chanted). The bathroom is the popular setting to test the legend but other rooms could be used. After the correct number of chants were given, the spirit would then appear in the mirror and claw the eyes out of the chanter and death would follow. Other versions of the story have the spirit driving the chanter insane or pulling them into the mirror. Who Bloody Mary is remains a mystery. There is a version of the story that states Bloody Mary was Mary Worth, who was horribly disfigured in a car accident. There is another version that Bloody Mary was a witch who was burned at the stake and returned for her revenge. Popular Culture: Movie: "Candy man" made in 1992 was based on the Bloody Mary legend, using the basic plot. When the characters chanted "Candy Man" in the mirror five times, he would appear and murder them with his hooked hand. Movie: "Urban Legend" was realized in 1998 borrowing the Bloody Mary plot.

The third move in the series was released in 2005 and was titled " Bloody Mary" which was based on the actual Bloody Mary legend. THE CURSED VIDEO TAPE The video tape urban legend has come into popular culture over the last 20-30 years. Here is a story that I found that fits in with the cursed video tape legend. There is a video tape that will kill the observer within 48 hours after watching it. The story may sound like this. A group of college girls were having a slumber party and one of the girls goes to rent a video. The girl can't agree on a video, she asks for help, the person at the desks states that she has just what she wants, and heads to the back room. Meanwhile the girl sees a video with out a cover laying on the counter. As the girl reaches out to grab the video, the lady returns with the other video and tells the girl not to touch the video on the counter as she hands the other tape to her. While the lady is not looking, the girl swipes the "home movie tape".

Back at the house, the girl tells the others about the video tape she swiped, the others laugh, finding it amusing that the girl stole a home video tape. The girls put the tape in the recorder and the power goes out but the video keeps on playing. The video starts playing and shows a woman being burnt at the stake for practicing witchcraft and voodoo. She utters a curse that all who witness her death will face the same fate in two days time. The VCR then turns off. As promised, the girls died 48 hours after watching the video tape. They all died in unrealistic places such as the pool, ice-rink etc. Popular Culture: Movie: "Ringu" made in 1998 was considered to the most frightening horror film to come out of Japan, there was a sequel in 1999. Movie: "Ring 1" & "Ring 2". Movie from the USA based on the Japanese horror film "Ringu" in 2002 the sequel was released in 2005. Movie plot involves a cursed video tape, when watched by the viewer dies after a week.

CEMETERY URBAN LEGENDS People love a good spooky cemetery story around the campfire or on Halloween night. Here are a couple of the more popular stories that people tell. PERSON TRAPPED IN A CRYPT TURNS WHITE HAIRED OVER NIGHT: A person is given a dare to spend a night in a crypt in a local cemetery and is found in the morning totally insane and their hair has turned white. This story can vary from fraternity or sorority initiation or a dare between a group of kids. It usually takes place in a gated above-ground crypt. The person is locked in with the dead and left overnight. No one knows what actually happens to the person because they never speak again, their hair turns white and they go insane. The origins of this legend comes from various parts of the USA but no true origins can be found except to say it has been past down through the years. TRAPPED IN A CEMETERY AND IS FOUND DEAD: A person makes a bet with a group of friends that he/she (more often a female) can spend a night in the cemetery. The person is then found dead in the morning, laying across the arms of a large statue, usually of an angel with its arms out-stretched.

There are other versions of this legend that include a stature of a old woman seated with her arms out-stretched, a woman standing with her arms out-stretched. Variations can also include a gang, fraternity or sorority or high school kids. The person is found dead, with no sign of injury or has been found sitting on the lap of a seated stature with crushed ribs, presumably by the arms of the statue. But at the end it is the same result, the person dead in the arms of a statue. The origins of this urban legend comes from various parts of the USA. CURSED MOVIES Poltergeist There are a number of films that people believe are cursed. Strangely, they are mainly horror films that have affected cast and crew. It is rumored that cast members and crew died because of the curse. These stories are now becoming urban legends but the deaths are all true, I suppose it is how the deaths are interpreted, just coincidence or a real curse. I will let you be the judge. The Spielberg films "Poltergeist I, II, III" was reported to be cursed with the deaths of several cast members. An unusual amount of deaths occurred around the three Poltergeist films including three of the stars.

Some believe it was cursed because of its content. Two of the stars from the first film have died at young ages. Dominique Dunn aged 22, who played the older daughter Dana Freeling, died in 1982 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, California. She had been choked into a coma by her boyfriend. Heather O'Rourke who played Carol Anne Freeling died at the age of 12 years in early 1988 at the Children's Hospital in San Diego. What was thought to be a bout of flu launched her into cardiac arrest during the drive to the hospital as bacterial toxins, set loose by a bowel obstruction, made their way into her bloodstream. Her heart was successfully restarted and she was flown by helicopter to a larger children's hospital. The toxins caused too much damage and she died on the operating table. She had been in all three Poltergeist movies, dying just before the release of Poltergeist III.

Also, two seasoned actors died during this time, 53 year old Wil Sampson, who played Taylor in the Poltergeist II died in June 3rd 1987, in a Houston Texas Hospital after receiving a heart / lung transplant six weeks earlier. The cause of death was attributed to several pre-operative malnutrition and post-operative kidney failure, along with a fugal infection. Also to die was Julian Beck, aged 60 years, who played the evil preacher Cane in the second film died from Stomach cancer on September 14th 1985 at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Like Heather O'Rourke he died during the period between filming and release, but in his case the film in question was Poltergeist II, O'Rourke died before the release of Poltergeist III. There is also rumors of strange things happening on the set but there is very little information on these happenings. The Exorcist "The Exorcist", released in 1973 was considered the scariest movie of all time and won three Academy Awards after its release.

Most people think the Exorcist was a fictional story but it was based on a similar incident that occurred to a 13 year old boy in New England. Many strange things happened during the filming, including accidental deaths, a fire on the stage and even the rumored mental breakdown of the young Linda Blair (Regan). Some people said that there was an actual demon was trying to stop the filming. It was rumored that between four and nine people died during the filming of the movie. Jack McGowen had just wrapped up filming a small part for the film when he died from a heart attack. Another rumor states that a man that Regan said would die was killed during the filming. There was also the rumor that Max Von Sydow's brother and Linda Blair's grandfather died. A night watchman for the set, a crew member that refrigerated the bedroom for the exorcism scenes and a camera man's newly born baby were also apart of the unexplained deaths. There were also reports of strange behavior and panic by the cast and crew during the filming. It was also said that the set caught fire one night when there was no one there. It still remains a mystery what caused the fire.

There were also rumors of strange happening at the screening for the film. It is said that people vomited, fainted and were breaking into hysterics. It is said that the Exorcist has had some of the strangest audience reactions of all time. Although there were no incidents on the films sequels, the original director for the prequel Exorcist "The Beginning", John Frankenheimer, died before the filming began The Crow "The Crow" was released in 1994 and became a cult favorite, based on the comic book, starring Brandon Lee. The film is about a fiancee, name Eric Draven who is brutally murdered on night, a year later, the crow brings back his soul to seek vengeance and earn his eternal peace. During the filming rumors that the film was cursed started to appear. A carpenter was severely burned after the crane in which he was riding struck a high voltage lines, then a disgruntled sculptor who had worked on the set drove his vehicle through the studios plaster shop, causing extensive damage. Later another crew member drove a screwdriver through his hand and a truck full of equipment mysteriously caught fire. Then there was the mysterious death of Brendon Lee (Erick Dravon).

They were filming a flash-back scene to show how he actually died. He was going to be shot with a 44 magnum which was not a prop but a fully functioning firearm. The gun was loaded with blanks, they are as loud a real bullets but when fired only the harmless cardboard wadding which they are packed is ejected from the barrel. But when the gun was fired, Brandon Lee fell to the ground with a large wound in the abdomen. Apparently the metal tip of one of the dummy bullets had somehow pulled loose from its casing and killed Brandon Lee. Even the television series "The Crow; Stairway to Heaven" could not escape the so-called curse. A veteran stunt co-coordinator Marc Akerstream was killed while working on an explosive stunt involving a rowboat near the shore. All was going to plan but when the stunt exploded a piece of debris shot up into the air, cleared the trees and struck Akerstream on the head. He was taken to a nearby hospital but died later. The Omen "The Omen" was released in 1976 and became a world wide hit. It follows the story of an American ambassador who learns that his son is the anti-Christ.

This is another film that many believed had been cursed. On the first day of filming, a crew member was in a car accident, which destroyed a company vehicle. Harvey Bernhard was driving Richard Donner to his apartment, as Donner was getting out of his car, another vehicle came around the corner, ripped the car door off trapping Donner between the vehicles. The film crew shot a scene at the Windsor Safari Park that involved lions. The day they had finished filming the lions, a guard was killed by two of the lions. A flight from L.A to London with Gregory Peck on it was stuck by lighting and an engine was knocked out. Eight hours later, a jet with the screenwriter, David Seltzer on board was also hit be lighting. The film crew had hired a private jet which they were going to use for some ground scenes but was canceled when the charter had booked the plane for another purpose and the Omen's crew flight was cancelled. The Jet took off with a group of business men aboard. The jet crashed onto a road hitting a car, which then hit another car. killing all concerned including the jet pilot's wife and child who were in the second car.

After the filming of "The Omen", the special effects director, John Richardson, went to Holland to make "Bridge Too Far", with his girlfriend. He was involved in a car crash and his girlfriend was beheaded just like David Warner was in "The Omen". During the filming of "Damien Omen II", the best friend of William Holden was stabbed while they were on holiday. Also, the entire cast came down with a very rare form of influenza, even though there was no outbreaks reported. CREEPY CLOWN STORIES THE CLOWN STATUE: Creepy clown stories have been around for many years. Most stories involve a babysitter looking after the children while the parents have a night out. Depending on the story, the clown could be a sex offender or a escaped criminal or patient. Here are a couple of the more common creepy clown stories. A girl in her teens, is babysitting for a family in Newport Beach, California. The family is wealthy and has a very large house with lots of rooms. The parents are going out for a late dinner and movie.

The father tells the babysitter that once the children are asleep in bed she should go into a particular (he does not want her wandering around the house) and watch television there. The parents leave and the babysitter gets the kids to bed and she goes to the room to watch television. She tries to watch the television but is disturbed by the clown stature in the corner of the room. She tries to ignore it but finds it to disturbing and freaks out. She finally rings the father to ask if she can switch rooms as the clown stature is freaking her out. The father, in a serious voice, says "Get the kids and go next door and call 911 (USA). The babysitter asks what is going on. The father repeats, "Just go next door and call the police and then call me back". She takes the children next door and calls the police. When the police were on their way, she rings the father back and asks, "what is really going on?" He responds by telling her that they don't have a clown statue, he then explained that the children had been complaining about a clown watching them as they slept. He and his wife thought the kids were having nightmares.

The police arrived and arrested the clown who turned out to be a midget,. A midget clown who was a homeless person dressed in a clown costume. He had somehow gotten into the house and had been living there for several weeks. He went into the children's bedroom at night and watched them while they slept. As the house was so large, he was able to avoid detection, living off their food etc. He had been in the television room just before the babysitter entered. So when the babysitter entered he had no time to hide, so just froze and pretended to be a statue. CHAIN LETTER VERSION: A variant of the clown urban legend was circulated online as a chain letter email in 2006 (it states : "if you don't send to the others within 5 minutes, the clown will be standing next to your bed at 3.00am with a knife in its hand"). This email makes the "midget clown" out as a murderer who escaped from prison. Remember, if you ever do get a similar email, just delete it as it is nothing more than a bad practical joke. The email reads: Subject: Clown.

"A few years ago, a mother and father decided they needed a break, so they wanted to head out for the night on the town. When the babysitter arrived, the two children were already fast asleep in bed. So the babysitter just got to sit around and make sure everything was okay with the children. Later that night, the babysitter got bored and so she wanted to watch TV but she couldn't watch it downstairs because they didn't have cable downstairs (parents didn't want their children to watch too much garbage) so she called them and asked if she could watch cable TV in the parents' room. Of course, the parents said it was okay, but the babysitter had one final request. She asked if she could cover up the large clown statue in their bedroom with a blanket or cloth, because it made her feel nervous. The phone line went silent for a moment, and the father said... "Take the children and get out of the house.....we'll call the police.....we don't have a clown statue.....". The children and the babysitter were murdered by the clown. It turned out the clown was a killer who escaped from jail." DOPPELGANGERS On of the creepiest and intriguing legends is the doppelganger.

The doppelganger is the German word for "Double Walker". It is the identical version of oneself that is thought to accompany every person. This particular phantom symbolizes bad luck and even death. In Norse Mythology, a "vardoger" is a ghostly double who precedes a living person and is seen preforming their actions. There are many theories of what a doppelganger is. One theories is that everyone has a double body, one good and one evil. Assuming you are the good one, the other would be the evil one. Another explanation is that the other "self" is trapped in another time & dimension. I will let you judge whether the doppelganger is just an urban legend or some type of scary paranormal phenomena. EMILIE SAGEE'S EXPERIENCE: One of the most famous and documented cases involving a Doppelganger was a series of incidents that happened to a woman named Emilie Sagee. It was documented by Author Dale Owen. The story was told to him first hand by Julie Von Guldenstubbe, the second daughter of Baron Von Guldenstubbe.

Julie was 13 years old at the time and was a student at a school in Germany in 1845. The French Headmistress at the school said that Emilie Sagee was known for her kindness and charm. She was well liked by her student body as well as regarded as a honest and trustworthy person. In the middle of the class one day, while Emilie was witting an assignment on the blackboard, what appeared to be an apparition appeared right next to her. The students were in the room and stared in amazement. As quickly as the apparition appeared, she disappeared. Another incident that occurred during the same year was witnessed by the entire student body of 42 students. The students were assembled in their classroom as they were preparing for their sewing and embroidery class. Emilie was outside of the class window attending a small garden that the students had planted. The supervising teacher was called away into the hallway after another headmistress called to ask her a question. Very slowly, Emilie's doppelganger appeared in her chair that she normally sat in. All 42 students witnessed it and some ran to the window and clearly saw Ms Sagee still picking flowers from the garden.

One of the students was so curious that she was brave enough to go up to the phantom double and attempted to touch it. It was documented that she felt an odd resistance in the air surrounding it. Emile Sagee claimed to never have seen her doppleganger herself. QUEEN ELIZABETH I: The Queen of England, Elizabeth I was shocked to see herself (doppleganger) laid out on her bed, she died shortly after. PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY (poet): Percy Shelley is considered one of the great poets of the English language is said to have encountered his own doppleganger in Italy. It silently pointed towards the Mediterranean Sea as it approached him one clear day. He told relatives and friends what he had witnessed. Not long after the incident, just before his 30th birthday in 1822, Shelley died in a sailing accident. He drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Abraham Lincoln saw what he thought was an illusion of sorts after his election. He saw his reflection in a mirror and also saw the phantom twin standing next to him. The twin looked a lot paler and weaker compared to the real Lincoln.

It bothered him so much he mentioned it to his wife the same night. She said that she believed the paleness of the other face was an omen that he wouldn't live through his second term. This was adapted from Washington in Lincoln's times (1895) by Noah Brooks, who claimed that he had heard it from Lincoln himself in 1864 at the time of the re-election and claimed that the story was confirmed by Mary Todd Lincoln. SPOOKY DOLL STORIES THE PORCELAIN DOLL: A rich teenage girl was walking through a department store with her mother and saw a beautiful porcelain doll, which would look great in her collection. She asked her mother to buy it for her, which she did. As soon as the girl got home, she unpacked the doll and set it up on a stand above her bed. She then left her bedroom and went out with her friends. When she got home, it was late and she was very tired and went to her bedroom to put on her pajamas and go to bed. When she woke up the next morning she found a note from her mother, telling her that they'd be out of town until next Sunday.

She had a stretch and a yawn and noticed that her cheek was sore, but didn't pay much attention to it. She then went to school. This went on for a few days until she woke up and her cheek was extremely sore. She went over to the mirror and noticed a large ugly lump on her cheek. Thinking it was just a big pimple, squeezed it...and felt something moving. Suddenly spiders began pulling themselves out of the lump in her cheek, She scream but there was no one home, She tried to kill the spiders but there were thousands of them and she died from the poison in their bites. Apparently, there was a nest of spiders in the porcelain doll she had gotten. THE CHINA DOLL: (This story is not suitable for children to read) A woman's husband had sent her a china doll while he was traveling in the Orient, which she put in a glass case in her bedroom. The doll had lovely black hair, real human hair, and was dressed in a red silk kimono. When the husband came home, the woman got pregnant, but she didn't love her husband and didn't want the baby (she only stayed for her husband's money).

So she made herself have a miscarriage, and hide the evidence (fetus) inside the hollow china doll. The blood of the fetus, combined with the china doll's human hair and innate Eastern mystical properties, caused the china doll to come to life. No one noticed the china doll's hair was starting to grow down the silk kimono, that the dolls cheeks were rosier and the finger nails were growing and getting sharper behind the folds of the kimono. No one noticed that the doll's eyes followed the woman as she moved around the room and they glowed at night when the lights were turned off. The woman did sense something out of the ordinary, finally deciding to move the doll down stairs out of the bedroom. After a few weeks, the woman was finding it hard to sleep, imagining that she could hear scratching, rustling, whispering noises coming from downstairs, that seemed to be calling "Momma..Momma!". She noticed scratches on the wooden chairs, which her husband said must have been mice but the exterminator he called said there were no signs of rodents. The woman tried to lock the doll in a closet but her husband protested as it was so expensive and a piece of art and wanted it out on display.

Every day there were a few more scratches on the stairs and every day they got deeper... and reached one step higher. One night as she was trying to get asleep, she imagined she heard scratching and rustling outside her bedroom door. She screamed for her husband to turn on the light, but by the time he turned the light on there was nothing there...except for some long scratches at the bottom of the door and the faintest whispers from downstairs. The next night the woman took a couple sleeping pills and went back to bed with the door shut tight and locked for good measure. She finally got some sleep - and as she slept, the china doll stirred. Opening the glass case quietly, the china doll moved to the bottom of the stairs. Using her long sharp finger nails, pulled herself up the stairs until she was at the top of the landing. She whispered... "Momma...I'm coming!" and made her way to the bedroom door. She used her talon-like claws again to climb up the door, inserted one nail in to the door lock and jiggled it open and then slipped around to woman's side of the bed. The china doll climbed on to the bed and pulled back the bed covers exposing the sleeping woman's body.

The dolls eyes started to glow red as she raised her hands and with her finger nails clawed open the woman's stomach. Near paralyzed by drugs, pain and terror, the woman screamed and screamed as the doll climbed back into her belly whispering..."Momma I'm home!". HITCHHIKERS VANISHING HITCHHIKER: This is the most common of the hitchhiker legends, the "vanishing hitchhiker". It usually goes something like this: It is a dark, stormy night, a person driving sees a figure at the side of the road and decides to give them a lift. Usually the hitchhiker is a young woman in some sort of trouble; a prom date dumped her, .her car broke down, car crash. The woman gets into the backseat of the car and they chat away as they drive. The driver gets to the house, only to discover that the passenger has disappeared without a trace from the backseat. The driver knocks on the door of the house, maybe to make sure the young woman is okay, and the door is answered by the girl's parent.

Eventually it comes out the girl died some years ago and every year on the anniversary of her death (or birthday) the girl hitches a ride back to her home by a stranger. There are other versions of the vanishing hitchhiker legend. Sometimes the girl makes it home safely, but the driver finds something left behind in the car by the hitchhiker and goes back to return it only to learn the truth about the hitchhiker. Another variant to this legend is a driver lends the hitchhiker (young woman) a jacket or some type of clothing, and goes back the next day to retrieve it. Often the driver finds the jacket hung over a grave of the dead girl (hitchhiker). THE HELL HOUNDS The "hell hound" is a demonic dog found in mythology, folklore and fiction but there have been a number of modern encounters with the hell hound that some say are very real, so again I will let you be the judge. The hell hound has been described as unnaturally large, black in colour, glowing eyes, super strength and speed, ghostly characteristics and some times even has the ability to speak.

They are said to guard the entrance to the world of the dead or undertake other duties that are related to the afterlife or the supernatural such as finding lost souls or guarding supernatural treasures. The most famous hell hound is Cerberus, the hound of Hades from Greek Mythology. They also appear in Celtic mythology and British Mythology but have also been reported in modern times of phantom black dogs. Here are a few examples of modern sighting of this mysterious black dog: HELL HOUND OF THE MONS: A common legend from World War One is the story of Angels and Mons. In August 1914, during the retreat of the British Expeditionary Force from the Belgian city of Mons, it seemed impossible to break through the German army which out numbered the British soldiers two to one. Arthur Machen, a writer of supernatural tales, published a report of an eye witness in a newspaper. He said Saint George was seen fighting of Germans, together with a band of 15th century bowmen. It was then found out it was all made up. But during those dark days, Mons was made famous by another much darker and sinister legend.

In November 1914, Captain Yeskes and four of his London Fusilliers went on patrol in No-Man-Land. Several days later, their bodies were found with bite marks at their throats. And in the British trenches, a weird blood-curdling howl was heard...the howl of the Hell hound of the Mons. PHANTOM BLACK DOGS: On the 19th April 1972, in Gorleston Norfolk, at 4.45am, coast guard Graham Grant saw a very large black dog-like animal running along the beach. He stood watching it for a few minutes until it suddenly disappeared. Mark Chester, a 16 year old from Atlanta, Georgia and his friend, Jeff, were driving one evening in 1979 when he saw a black labrador Retriever in front of him. As he watched it, it trotted out in front of him. When it was about three-quarters of the way across the road, it suddenly vanished. His friend saw it too. Fifteen years later, Mark could still recall the sighting was adamant that what he had seen was real.

In 1981, Irene Cole and her husband were driving along the Stanner Road in Herefordshire. They were approximately a mile (1.6 kms) or so along when they saw a huge black dog sitting in the middle of the road. Her husband swerved to avoid it, and the dog simply vanished from view. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT My prediction is that the film "The Blair Witch Project" will become a urban legend, if it isn't already. I have talked to a number of people and I was surprised how many people believed it to be true. I believe the Blair Witch Project was based on the "Bell Witch" (first story on this page). The Blair Witch Project is an American horror film that was released in 1999. The story is presented as a documentary pieced together from amateur footage, filmed in real time. The film was produced by Haxan Films Production Company.

The film was the first film to be marketed primarily on the internet and had a budget between $500,000 - $700,000 and grossed a massive $248, 639,099 world wide, making it the second highest grossing independent film. Not bad for a low budget horror flick. The Blair Witch Project is not a movie about ghosts, witches or has any special effects - this film captured the genuinely creepy fears, raw emotions and bone chilling terror of three individuals being lost in a unfamiliar environment. The Plot: In 1994 film students Heather Donohue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard set out to produce a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. They travelled to Burkittsville, Maryland, formerly Blair, and interviewed the locals about the legend of the Blair Witch. The locals told them about a hermit named Rustin Parr who kidnapped seven children and brought them to his house in the forest and took them two at a time into his basement. He felt as if their eyes were staring at his soul, so he would kill one child while the other face a corner. He would then kill the child in the corner.

He eventually turned himself into the police, later pleading insanity, saying the spirit of a witch killed in the 18th century had convinced him to kill the seven children. The three young documentary makers also interviewed an eccentric older woman who told them that she encountered the Blair Witch as a young girl. On the second day, the students began to explore the woods in North Burkittsville to look for evidence of the Blair Witch. A fisherman warns them that the woods are haunted. The students hike to Coffin Rock, where five men were found ritualistically murdered in the 19th century, and camp for the night. On day three, they walk deeper into the forest, despite being uncertain of their exact location on the map. They locate an old cemetery with seven small cairns. They set up camp nearby and then return to the cemetery after dark. One student accidentally disturbs a cairn and Heather attempts to repair it. A bit later, they hear mysterious cracking sounds in the darkness but they are unable to locate the source. They assume it must have animals or even someone following them. Day four, they attempt to return to their vehicle but fail to find it before dark and are forced to set up camp again.

That night, they again hear the cracking noises but can't see anything. The next morning, they find three small cairns have been built around their tent during the night. As they try to find their way out of the forest, Heather realizes that her map is missing and later Mike reveals that he kicked it into the creek, out of frustration, the previous day. The other two attack Mike in a fit of intense rage. They then all realise that they are totally lost and decide to head south. They soon discover a multitude of humanoid stick figures made of woven sticks and branches suspended from trees (Viewers at that stage would not have known by Heather had cut one of the figures down before they had left). That night, they hear more strange noises, including sounds of children and other unknown entities brushing against the side of the tent. They flee the tent in panic and hide in the dark woods until dawn. Upon returning to the tent, they find their possessions have been rifled through and Josh's equipment is discovered covered in slime, causing him to panic. As the day passes by, they mysteriously pass a log that was identified as a log they had passed earlier, despite travelling south all day.

Again, they set up camp completely demoralized at having wasted the entire day. The next morning, Josh had disappeared. After trying to find him in vain to find him, Mike and Heather eventually break camp and moved on. That night, they hear Josh's screams in the darkness, but are unable to find him. The next morning, Heather finds a bundle of sticks and fabric outside the tent. On inspection, it is revealed to contain blood-soaked scraps of clothing and what appeared to be Josh's bloody human hair, teeth and (what looks like) a tongue, but Heather does not mention to Mike. That night Heather makes a tape of herself apologizing to the others and her family and breaks down crying...while saying: "We're going to die out here.". Later, they hear Josh's cries for help again and follow them to an abandoned house in the woods. Mike runs throughout the house while Heather attempts to follow. Mike believes he can hear Jose in the basement. He follows the sound - after what seems to be a struggle, he then goes silent and drops the video camera to the floor. Heather catches up and notices Mike is not answering her calls.

She enters the basement looking for both men, and her camera sees a glimpse of Mike facing the corner. Heather drops the camera and her screams finally fall silent... PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK The story of Picnic at Hanging Rock is getting urban legend status, there is much confusion and misunderstanding surrounding the story by the general public. The plot: The story begins in a English girls' school in the Australian bush. The school is headed by Mrs Appleyard and unbending figure head of authority. Her staff included the mathematics mistress Miss Greta McCraw ,who disappears on the rock with three pupils, Masculine de Portier, who teaches French and deportment, and Miss Lumley who is always trying to please Miss Appleyard. The central character is Miranda, a student - her circle of friends included Irma, Marion, Rosamund and Sara. Edith hovers around the edge of this group looking for acceptance. Sara, an orphan, who is a kind of charity pupil and is disliked by Mrs Appleyard. She is not allowed to the join the outing at the rock because she has not memorized an assigned poem.

The girls ride to Hanging Rock, 500-foot tall volcanic rock formation about 11km northeast of the college. Miss de Portier and Miss McCraw are the supervisors. Mr Hussey drives the girls in his wagon to the rock. For some reason everyone's time piece and wrist-watches all stop at noon when they arrive. Miranda cuts a cake to honour St. Valentine's Day. In mid-afternoon, four of the girls, Miranda, Irma, Marion and Edith, decide to go and explore the rock, in defiance of Mrs Appleyard's specific instructions. After a brief nap on a plateau, they get up and seemly appear to be under a spell. Three of them move towards an inner recess. Edith cries out to them not to go. She screams and runs downwards. One of the teachers, Miss McCraw, left the picnic unnoticed and begins to climb the rock. Although due back at 8.00pm, it wasn't until 10.30pm when Mr Hussey's wagon arrives back at the school - they then tell Mrs Appleyard about the mysterious disappearance.

Edith remains hysterical and unable to explain what had happened...only that she saw Miss McCraw heading up towards the plateau without her skirt. The police investigation was led by Sgt Bumpher and Constable Jones lead them to a young Englishman Michael Fitzhubert, who was having lunch at the rock with his family, his uncle Colonel Fitzhubert and Mrs Fitzhubert. Michael and Albert, the Fitzhubert party's young valet, spent part of the lunch watching the picnic. But they offered no clues to the investigation. The nearby town of Woodend become restless as news spreads about the disappearance. The town folk are angry and want answers. Michael became obsessed with finding Miranda, after getting Albert to accompany him back to the rock for another search but finds nothing. The next morning, Albert returns to the rock and finds a delirious Michael, whom he helps back to the ground. Albert follows Michael's trail and discovers Irma, unconscious but unharmed. At the Fitzhubert home, where Erma is being treated for dehydration and exposure, she tells the police that she has no memory of what happened on the rock or the fate of the others.

The servants note to themselves that her corset has gone missing, a clue that is never solved in the original book or the movie but is discussed in the 1987 update with the extra chapter "The Secret of Hanging Rock". Michael and Albert began to have terrible nightmares about a great evil that is lurking around Hanging Rock. The school ran as usual but soon parents started to notify Mrs Appleyard they would be withdrawing their daughters from the school. One day, during gym class, Irma turns up to tell the girls that her parents are taking her to Europe. The girls at first greet her with silence , then begin screaming at her that she must tell them what happened and attack her. Miss de Portier has to pull them off and Irma runs away. Mrs Appleyard starts to drink in excess and becomes more abusive than ever towards Sara, telling her that her guardian has not paid her tuition and she will be sent back to the institution. She then lies to the rest of the staff that Sara's guardian has taken her away overnight. The next day, Sara's body is found in the greenhouse by the school gardener. It was thought she had either jumped or was pushed from the second floor window.

When the gardener rushes to Mrs Appleyard's office, he finds her fully dressed with all her things packed. Albert told Michael that he had a dream that his orphan sister came to him in his dreams. Sara is then revealed to be Albert's sister. After Sara's body is discovered, Mrs Appleyard disappears before the police could interview her about the circumstances surrounding Sara's death. A few days later, Mrs Appleyard is found dead beneath Hanging Rock. She jumped off the rock to her death. What a spin tingling story - I suggest get the book and watch the film. The novel "Picnic at Hanging Rock" by Joan Lindsay was first published in Australia in 1967. It tells the story of the mysterious disappearance of three school girls and their teacher during a picnic at geological formation known as Hanging Rock in Australia on Valentines Day in 1900. The reason for their disappearance whether it was human, natural or supernatural is never discovered but their disappearance has a profound effect on their community. Picnic at Hanging Rock (the film) was directed by Peter Wier, adapted from the novel of the same name in 1975.

It became one of the first Australian films to reach an international audience, receiving international acclaim and commercial success. It is interesting that the original conclusion to the novel remained unpublished until 1987 when the final chapter was released, this was the wishes of Joan Lindsay's and the publishers made the a wise decision to pull out the last chapter in 1967. This was done to give the reader the sense of mystery and to give the idea that the story could be true and unsolved. Joan Lindsay asked the the final chapter only be released three years after her death. The last chapter was titled "The Secret of Hanging Rock". This chapter solves the mystery of what happened to the three student and their teacher. It indicated that the girls met a supernatural ending. Find the book and enjoy the ending. There is much debate whether "Picnic at Hanging Rock" is fact or fiction. The truth is that it is a fictional story that is so well written that it gives the impression that it must be fact. Hanging Rock is a true site in Victoria, Australia.

The author does give the impression that the story is fact, by mentioning a newspaper report of 1914 at the end of the book, giving the impression there are actual articles on the disappearances. The reality is that these articles do not exist. There have been many searches for articles, police records and any other information relating to the story. Again no records exist. All the characters are created for the novel. The places are childhood memories of Joan Lindsay. The college is fiction, based on a school from Lindsay's childhood. The novel was set on Valentines Day, Saturday February 14th 1900. The actual day was a Wednesday. The characters in the story never existed, there are no records of their births or deaths or any information to say any of these people existed. Although there is a exhibit to the story of Picnic at Hanging Rock located at the site itself that gives the impression that it is a true story. It does not mention anywhere that the story is a very well written fictional story published in the 1960s. REFERENCES: Wikipedia: Picnic at Hanging Rock. The truth behind Picnic at Hanging Rock: Castle of Spirits. Wikipedia: Bell Witch.

Question: Which 1999 horror film tells the story of three students who disappeared in Maryland whilst making a documentary film about a local legend?
Answer: THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT