Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel

If you're a fan of Stephen King, you probably know about the Stanley Hotel...it's the hotel that inspired The Shining, and the 1997 miniseries (starring Steven Weber and Rebecca De Mornay) was filmed there. The Stanley Hotel is in Estes Park, Colorado, and on April 8th-11th, they're hosting Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel (presented by Strange Escapes), which will feature lectures, meet and greets with celebrity guests, and a paranormal investigation of the hotel. It's sold out, but you can get on the waitlist here:

http://www.strange-escapes.com/events/stanley-hotel-april-8th-11th-2016/

If you go and would like to write a guest post about it, please email me at crystalsmithconnelly@yahoo.com and let me know. : )

Movie Spotlight: Crimson Peak

Crimson Peak is a 2015 movie starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, and Jim Beaver. In 1887, the ghost of Edith Cushing's (Mia Wasikowska) mother comes to her with a warning about Crimson Peak.  Fourteen years later, Edith marries Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and moves to England with him to live in his mansion, a haunted estate known as...Crimson Peak. Upon arrival, Edith is greeted by an adorable dog, and she asks if she can keep him...and since this is a horror movie, we all know how that's going to turn out. : (

Crimson Peak is a visually stunning movie with great performances from everyone. The ghosts are some of the scariest-looking ghosts I've seen in a movie, and Thomas and Lucille (Jessica Chastain) are the creepiest siblings ever.

My rating: 7.5/10

Movie Spotlight: Once Bitten

Once Bitten is a 1985 movie starring Jim Carrey, Lauren Hutton, Cleavon Little, Karen Hopkins, Thomas Ballatore, and Skip Lackey. A 400-year-old vampire (Lauren Hutton) seduces a high school student (Jim Carrey) in a Hollywood nightclub because she needs the blood of a virgin in order to maintain her youthful appearance.

I love Jim Carrey, and I've never had a chance to write about any of his movies for this blog, so I was happy to finally see Once Bitten. Although I didn't like it as much as some of his other movies (Dumb and Dumber and The Cable Guy are my favorites), it was an enjoyable movie, and Jim was great in his first leading role. Once Bitten has Jim Carrey, vampires, and a dance-off...what's not to like? ; )

My rating: 7/10

Police and the Paranormal

I recently came across an article called "10 Cops Share Their Scariest Paranormal Encounters," and it's pretty creepy, so of course I wanted to share it here.

http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/10-cops-share-their-scariest-paranormal-encounters/

There's also one about firefighters:

http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/14-firefighters-share-their-scariest-paranormal-encounters/

If you're a police officer or firefighter who has had a paranormal experience on the job, feel free to tell me about it in the comments...I'd love to hear about it. : )

TV Show Spotlight: Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry

The E! network began airing a show called Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry a few weeks ago, and since I run a paranormal blog, of course I thought I should check it out. I watched the first episode, where 19-year-old medium Tyler Henry, who discovered his power at the age of 10, delivers messages from the spirit world to Jamie Pressly, Bella Thorne, NeNe Leakes, and John Salley.

I don't know whether Tyler (or anyone) really has the power to connect with the dead (I'm open-minded though...I do run a paranormal blog, after all), but the show is entertaining to watch, and Tyler brings comfort to the celebrities he meets with, so I'll definitely watch more episodes.

http://www.tylerhenryhollywoodmedium.com/
http://www.eonline.com/shows/hollywood_medium

Book Spotlight: More Than Ghosts by Alex Matsuo

When I went to AtomaCon last November, I attended two panels by Alex Matsuo, founder and director of the Association of Paranormal Study. Her panels on haunted theaters and demonology were so interesting that it really made me want to read her books, so I started with More Than Ghosts: A Guide to Working Residential Cases in the Paranormal Field, which was published in 2015. In the book, Matsuo teaches the correct way for paranormal investigators to effectively handle residential cases, touching on things such as the differences between investigating residential locations and public locations, researching a property's history before an investigation, equipment you'll need, and how to protect yourself during an investigation.

Though I don't actually want to take part in a paranormal investigation, I find the subject fascinating, and Matsuo clearly knows her stuff. More Than Ghosts is very in-depth and informative, and Matsuo gives the information in a way that is interesting and easy to understand. If you've ever thought about getting involved in paranormal investigation, you should really read this book. : )

My rating: 10/10 

http://alexmatsuo.com/
http://associationofparanormalstudy.com/

Haunted Hotels

If you enjoy the paranormal and traveling, why not stay at a haunted hotel on your next trip? If you're not scared to sleep in a room with spirits, go to paranormal travel website Haunt Jaunts and check out their list of haunted hotels. You can find the list here (if you're going to California, you're in luck...they have a bunch of haunted hotels):

http://www.hauntjaunts.net/find-haunted-places/haunted-hotels-us/

If you do stay at a haunted hotel (or ever have before) and would like to write a guest post about it, please email me at crystalsmithconnelly@yahoo.com. : )