Costume Discounters: The Exorcist Regan Costume

For the past two months, my job has been writing costume descriptions, and I love it! I recently had to write one for a Regan MacNeil costume, and it's one of my favorites of all the costume descriptions I've written, so I wanted to share it here. : )

The Exorcist Regan Costume

Book Review: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

I read Grady Hendrix's Satan Loves You a few years ago (and since I write plays about Satan, of course I loved it), so I was really excited to read his new book, which is called My Best Friend's Exorcism and takes place in Charleston, SC, which happens to be my hometown. Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since the age of 10, but sophomore year of high school, things begin to change between them...because 1988 is the year Gretchen gets possessed by the devil.

My Best Friend's Exorcism is funny, gross (and the gross parts are described so well that they're really easy to envision), and chilling, and Hendrix writes teenage girls really well (he also writes possessed teenage girls really well). The exorcism scene was one of the best exorcism scenes I've ever read, and I hope someone makes a movie version of this book because I'd love to see that scene on the big screen. Also, I'm pretty obsessed with the '80s, so I loved all of the '80s references in the book. My Best Friend's Exorcism was everything I hoped it would be, and I definitely recommend it. : )

My rating: 10/10

Movie Spotlight: Ava's Possessions

Ava's Possessions is a 2015 movie starring Louisa Krause, Whitney Able, Deborah Rush, William Sadler, Wass Stevens, Zachary Booth, Dan Fogler, Carol Kane, and Lou Taylor Pucci. After a priest exorcises a demon from Ava (Louisa Krause), she cannot remember the past month and must attend a Spirit Possessions Anonymous support group in order to avoid jail time for the things she did while possessed. She tries to get her life back on track, but that would be easier if the demon weren't trying to come back.

I've watched a bunch of movies about demonic possession, but I think this is the first one I've seen that deals with how the victims move on with their lives once the demon is gone...it's a really cool concept for a movie, and I'm glad I found Ava's Possessions. Louisa Krause was impressive, both as possessed Ava and Ava-after-demon. If you like movies about possession, you should check this one out...it's a fun movie with a new take on the demonic possession genre. : )

My rating: 7.5/10

Movie Spotlight: Anguish

Anguish is a 2015 movie starring Ryan Simpkins, Annika Marks, Karina Logue, Amberley Gridley, Cliff Chamberlain, Ryan O'Nan, and Paulina Olszynski. Teenage girl Tess (Ryan Simpkins) has been on medication for mental illness since childhood, so when she moves to a new town (Annika Marks) and begins seeing a dead girl everywhere, her mother (Annika Marks) assumes Tess is having hallucinations. However, a local priest (Ryan O'Nan) suggests that things may not be as they seem...and that something sinister might be at work.

I wouldn't call Anguish a scary movie, but it does seem more realistic than other movies dealing with possession. The movie has a top-notch cast, and Ryan Simpkins gives an especially impressive performance as Tess, a tormented girl  who discovers that she has an ability that's both a gift and a curse.

My rating: 7/10

AtomaCon Panel: Demonology: Is it real?

Of all the panels I attended at last weekend's AtomaCon, I have to say the Demonology: Is it real? panel was my favorite. It was led by Alex Matsuo, founder and director of the Association for Paranormal Study and author of The Haunting of the Tenth Avenue Theater, The Haunted Actor, and More Than Ghosts. A demon is a malevolent entity (or a fallen angel according to religion), and I never gave them much thought until I found out that The Exorcist was inspired by a true story. Alex said that she specializes in residential cases in her paranormal investigations and has come across a few demonic cases. According to The Bible, only Jesus can deal with demons, but he's not around to help out, so instead Catholic priests/clergy or pastors are called upon to exorcise a demon once they decide that someone is possessed. In order to get to this point, the individual in question must be evaluated by a priest, who assesses whether the person is suffering from mental illness or demonic possession (they have similar signs).

Signs of possession:

-anger

-hysterical laughter

-talking gibberish, speaking in languages the individual doesn't know, or speaking in tongues

-knowledge of things the individual has no way of knowing

-shifts in bone structure and body contortions

-aversion to holy objects/holy water

-changes in voice, personality, and appearance

-self-harm

Characteristics of demonic activity:

-foul odors

-banging/knocking

-oppressive feeling

-shadow figures

-growling

-reaction to religious objects/prayers

-heavy objects moving on their own

Stages of demonic possession:
1. Manifestation: when the demon is invited in (either directly or indirectly)
2. Infestation: when the demon makes itself known (growling, whispers, etc.)
3. Oppression: when the demon oppresses an individual physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually
4. Possession: when the demon has access to the body
5. Perfect Possession: when the individual accepts the demon, and an exorcism is no longer possible

In order to act on behalf of Christ, the priest must do an act of contrition before he performs the exorcism. Before the exorcism begins, the possessed person will be restrained so they can't hurt themselves or anyone else, then the exorcist will recite prayers both in English and Latin, which takes 35-40 minutes when read non-stop. The exorcist will also attempt to get the name of the demon and ask for the time and date of the demon's departure.

During the panel, we watched videos of exorcisms from other religions, which was pretty interesting, and Alex played an audio recording from one of the 67 exorcisms performed on Anneliese Michel (who was the inspiration for The Exorcism of Emily Rose), which really creeped me out. Anneliese died from malnutrition and dehydration at the age of 23, and her parents, a priest, and a pastor were all charged with negligent manslaughter. (You can find out more about Anneliese here: http://www.demonicpedia.com/exorcism/the-exorcism-of-anneliese-michel/)

I've watched a bunch of movies about demons/possession and read a few books on the subject, so I thought I knew almost everything there was to know about it...but the Demonology panel was fascinating, and I learned a lot. I didn't really enjoy riding home in the dark afterward or trying to fall asleep that night though. ; )

http://alexmatsuo.com/

Horror Movie Month: The Exorcist

The Exorcist is a 1973 movie directed by William Friedkin and starring Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, and Jason Miller. It is based on a novel by William Peter Blatty. Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) is concerned when she notices her 12-year-old daughter (Linda Blair) exhibiting strange behavior after playing with a Ouija board. Doctors can find nothing wrong with Regan, so Chris enlists the help of Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), who agrees to perform an exorcism.

The Exorcist is considered by many to be the scariest movie ever made, and while it didn't scare me as much as I thought it would, I remember watching a DVD extra that talked about the real-life case that inspired the movie, and that scared the crap out of me. You can read about the case of Roland Doe here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism_of_Roland_Doe

The Exorcist is a creepy movie, and I can see why it has scared so many people. All of the performances were great, and Linda Blair was incredible as young, possessed Regan...such an impressive performance for a 13-year-old. The version I watched this time was the theatrical version, but I watched a different version a few years ago that had a scene with Regan running down the stairs like a spider, and I thought it was creepier than anything in the original version of the movie. I have to say that Chris MacNeil is the most devoted mom ever...if I had been in her shoes, I would've been out the door after the whole "bed shaking and lifting off the floor" thing. I guess it's a good thing I'm never having kids. ; )

My rating: 8/10

Followed by:

Exorcist II: The Heretic
Exorcist III
Exorcist: The Beginning

Book Review: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

A Head Full of Ghosts is a 2015 novel by Paul Tremblay, and if you're planning on reading it, make sure you don't have anything important to do that day because this one is hard to put down (also, maybe don't read it right before you go to sleep).  When doctors are unable to prevent the more serious symptoms of schizophrenia in 14-year-old Marjorie Barrett, her desperate parents turn to Father Wanderly, a local priest who concludes that Marjorie's behavior may be the result of demonic possession.  In need of money, the family agrees to let a camera crew film their experience for a reality TV series (The Possession), and fifteen years later, a writer interviews Marjorie's younger sister, Merry, about that terrible time in her family's life.  The novel is told from Merry's point-of-view, both as an 8-year-old and a 23-year-old, and I really liked that Tremblay chose to tell the story that way so we could experience everything as it happened around young Merry and then learn more about what was going on from adult Merry fifteen years later.  Despite the fact that most people have never had to deal with one of their family members possibly being possessed by demons, I felt that the Barrett family was pretty easy to relate to, and I really cared about what happened to them.

I loved A Head Full of Ghosts, and if The Possession were a real show, of course I would watch it (what kind of paranormal blogger wouldn't watch a show like that?).  The novel had a great, surprising ending that I'm still thinking about long after finishing it, and that's something I always appreciate in the books I read.  I'm looking forward to reading more of Tremblay's work, and I hope someone makes a movie out of this novel ASAP. : )

My rating: 9/10

Movie Spotlight: Grace: The Possession

Grace: The Possession is a 2014 movie starring Alexia Fast, Lin Shaye, Alan Dale, Alexis Knapp, Brett Dier, Joel David Moore, and Clarke Peters.  The movie begins with a woman giving birth while a priest speaks of absolving her sins; cut to 18 years later, where we meet that woman's daughter, Grace (Alexia Fast), who is starting college despite the objections of the super-religious grandmother (Lin Shaye) who raised her.  The morning after she moves into her dorm, Grace wakes up with a strange mark on her stomach and starts seeing things that aren't there. After attending a party where Grace is sure that she pushed her roommate (Alexis Knapp) off the balcony to her death, she wakes up in the hospital and finds out that her emergency contact (her grandmother) is coming to get her. Her grandmother pulls her out of college and takes her home, and when Grace insists that she needs to see a doctor after embarrassing her grandmother by coughing up blood in church, sweet, caring Grandma tells Grace that she needs God, not a doctor (and that's when I started hoping that character would die).

I've watched a bunch of possession movies, but the thing that's cool and different about Grace: The Possession is that we actually see what's happening through Grace's eyes; I don't think I've ever seen a movie that's done that, but I'd like to see some more. This movie was better than many of the paranormal movies I've watched for this blog; all of the acting was great, and the ending made me hope for a sequel.

My rating: 7.5/10

Movie Spotlight: The Taking of Deborah Logan

The Taking of Deborah Logan is a 2014 movie starring Jill Larson, Anne Ramsey, Michelle Ang, Ryan Cutrona, and Jeremy DeCarlos.  A film crew is making a documentary about people with Alzheimer's, and Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) is their subject.  She doesn't want to be involved, but she needs the money so she won't lose her house.  When Deborah begins exhibiting some pretty bizarre behavior, her daughter (Anne Ramsey) and the film crew fear that there may be something supernatural at work.

Of all the random paranormal movies I've found on Netflix, The Taking of Deborah Logan was one of the best.  All of the actors were great, and though the movie wasn't really scary, the plot and characters were interesting, and I enjoyed watching it.

My rating: 7/10

Beware of Ouija boards!

Since I started this blog, I've been watching and reading tons of paranormal TV shows and books, and I've noticed quite a few instances where paranormal activity began after someone in the household used a Ouija board.  Anyone who has seen The Exorcist is probably afraid to use a Ouija board, and they should be...here are some stories I found online where people have claimed that hauntings or demonic possession occurred as a result of a Ouija board:

-In a house in Kentucky, a man and his girlfriend's family used a Ouija board, which spelled out that the spirit of a 16-year-old boy named Dan was communicating with them.  Dan said that he was in the bedroom of the girlfriend's younger brother, then scratching and creaking noises could be heard coming from the dark room. Their dog began playing with something in the room, and when the family entered the room after being urged to by Dan, they saw a "small black shadow," and on the bed, "something unseen sat beside [them] and the pillow sank down where it sat."  They used the Ouija board a few more times, and things kept escalating...it's an interesting story, and you can read the whole thing here:

http://ouijaboardky.tripod.com/ouijastitions/id10.html

-In Winnipeg, Canada, a woman named Danielle converted from Christianity to Satanism and bought a Ouija board to help her summon demons.  During one session, she made contact with something that said it was bad and might hurt someone; she asked how many spirits were there, and the demon said there were three of them and that their names were Belial, Malphas, and Legion.  Danielle decided to end the session and heard hissing when she tried to leave.  Her friend took her to a church, and Danielle "kept seeing orange auras" on the way there.  Danielle doesn't remember entering the church, but recalls being inside and choking, feeling like "something was trying to come out of [her]."  An exorcism was performed, but Danielle says that only Malphas left her body' Belial and Legion are still there.

http://paranormal.about.com/od/demonsandexorcism/a/Possessed-By-Three-Demons.htm

-In Middleton, Idaho, 17-year-old Derek let his friends bring a Ouija board to his house, and after they used it, Derek began experiencing his "bed moving, scratching on walls, waking up with heaviness on [his] chest and not being able to move or speak and even seeing a very tall dark cloaked figure that physically attacked [him]."

http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=8934

If I had ever thought about using a Ouija board (I haven't), these stories would definitely scare me out of it...and there are a few dozen more stories on this website:

http://www.yourghoststories.com/ghost-stories-categories.php?category=13&page=1

In conclusion, there's really no good reason to use a Ouija board unless you really want to be possessed or haunted...and who wants that?