Disneyland is Haunted as Hell, and I'm Never Going There.

When I went to ScareLA last weekend, I attended a live podcast about haunted places in L.A. and Orange County (you can read my write up about it here: ScareLA: Haunted LA vs. Haunted OC), and after hearing about some of the creepy stuff that goes on Disneyland (like the fact that the dolls in It's a Small World sometimes keep moving after the ride has been shut off), I decided to do some research and find out about some more souls who never left "the happiest place on Earth." 

-"The Man with the Cane": In the 1940s, a pilot crashed his small plane in the area where Disneyland would eventually be built; he appears in The Haunted Mansion, usually after closing time, and he always has a cane.

-"The Man in the Tuxedo": A former employee kept seeing this well-dressed spirit in a mirror in The Haunted Mansion, and when he finally reached out and touched her, she quit her job and never set foot in Disneyland again (smart move).

-"Mr. One Way": Space Mountain is haunted by the ghost of a man who died on the ride four decades ago; he disappears before the ride is over and has also been spotted in the employee locker room.

-"Disco Debbie": Possibly a cast member who had an aneurysm and died at work, this glowing spirit likes to ride Space Mountain, materialize on the track, and roam around the building.

-Dolly Young: A woman named Dolly Young was thrown from the Matterhorn and run over in 1984; her ghost has been seen and heard there ever since.

-Deborah Gail Stone: A cast member was crushed to death in the America Sings attraction in 1974, and up until the attraction was eventually shut down, cast members would hear a female voice warning them to be careful.

For more on these lost souls and other Disneyland hauntings, check out A Spooky Tour Through Haunted Disneyland...there's a ton of information there and some other stuff about It's a Small World that will creep you out (the phrase "a pattering of small footsteps" in relation to It's a Small World just might give me nightmares). If you've experienced paranormal activity at Disneyland, please leave a comment and tell me all about it. I can't find out for myself if any of this is true because I'll be avoiding Disneyland for the rest of my life. ; )

ScareLA: Haunted LA vs. Haunted OC

I was lucky enough to go to ScareLA this year, and while I was there, I attended Haunted LA vs. Haunted OC, a live version of the Collywobbles podcast. I wrote about it for Haunt Jaunts, and you can read about it here:

Scare LA: Haunted LA vs. Haunted OC

You can also watch the podcast, which I highly recommend because it was really entertaining. : )

ScareLA

I moved to L.A. on August 2nd, and it's no coincidence that my move happened a few days before ScareLA, an awesome convention celebrating all things Halloween. There was so much to do there that I didn't get a chance to see as much as I would've liked, but I did get to check out all the vendors, attend the "Monstrous Spirits: Haunted LA vs. Haunted OC" podcast, see my favorite theatre group, 2Cents Theatre, perform scenes from Nilbog the Musical, and try to avoid dozens of creepy clowns. I took a ton of pictures, so feel free to live vicariously through me if you didn't get to go. ; )

A marquee for IT Presents Float: A Cinematic VR Experience

From the school bus featured in IT Presents Float: A Cinematic VR Experience

IT Presents Float: A Cinematic VR Experience

Frankenstein's monster, Hollywood Horror Museum booth

Regan MacNeil, Hollywood Horror Museum booth

A demonstration by EI School of Professional Makeup

Nope.

Triple nope.

Gremlins from Trick or Treat Studios

ScareLA's announcements were made by a familiar voice: John Kassir, the voice of  The Cryptkeeper.

Well, this is creepy...

Reign of Terror Haunted House booth

Reign of Terror Haunted House booth

2Cents Theatre performing a scene from Nilbog the Musical

More Nilbog

The cast of Nilbog the Musical

Me as the devil (photo credit: Juan Lozano)

I saw some cool things at ScareLA, so here are some links where you can find more information about them:



ScareLA


2Cents Theatre

Trick or Treat Studios

Hollywood Horror Museum

Reign of Terror Haunted House

Harlequin Costume

Scream For Me Inc.

Megan E. Risk, Freelance Artist

VFX

ScareLA was so much fun, and it was the perfect way to spend my first weekend as an L.A. resident. I can't wait to go again next year! : )

Movie Spotlight: Absolutely Anything

Absolutely Anything is a 2015 movie starring Simon Pegg, Kate Beckinsale, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rob Riggle, Eddie Izzard, and Joanna Lumley and featuring the voices of Robin Williams, Michael Palin, Terry Jones (who also directed the movie), Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, and Eric Idle. Schoolteacher Neil Clarke (Simon Pegg) is given the ability to do anything by a group of aliens who want to see if he will use his powers for good or evil (and if he chooses evil, Earth will be destroyed).

Absolutely Anything is a fun movie with an impressive cast, particularly Simon Pegg as a man learning that having powers can be more of a curse than a gift. Though all the humans in the film
were great, my favorite character was Neil's dog, Dennis (voiced by Robin Williams), because he was adorable, and dogs are the best. ; )

My rating: 7/10

Blog Anniversary

I went to the Roswell UFO Festival in 2013, and it inspired me to start this blog. Four years and more than 400 posts later, I'm still having fun with it, and I'm thankful to everyone who's been reading it. To celebrate the blog's anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite posts. : )

 Movie Spotlight: Ghost Shark

 Encounters: U.F.O. Experience

Review: Carrie the Musical at City Stage Co.

Movie Spotlight: What We Do in the Shadows

Visiting the UFO Watchtower

Review: Evil Dead the Musical at the Knight Theater

My Favorite Bad Movie: Hobgoblins

And the one that started it all:
Roswell...finally!

Also, my book Paranormal Jokes and Haiku is free through July 19th. : )

https://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-Jokes-Haiku-Crystal-Smith-Connelly-ebook/dp/B00U1SPTZM/

Exciting News!

In a month or so, you might notice that I'm not posting as often as usual, so I wanted to tell you why: In early August, I'm moving to L.A. to finally try to follow my dream of being a TV writer! I still plan on posting here as much as I can, but since I'll have to work a lot to be able to afford an apartment, it might be hard for me to post once a week or more like I do now. My first weekend there, I'll be attending a Halloween convention called ScareLA though, and of course I'm going to write about that and share some pictures. ScareLA sounds really cool, and I'm excited to wear my '80s Ghostbuster costume again. For more info on ScareLA, check out their website, and if any of you will be there, let me know. : )

http://scarela.com

Roswell: A Great Place to Crash

I was inspired to start this blog after a trip to the Roswell UFO Festival, and since this week marks the 70th anniversary of the Roswell UFO crash, I thought this would be a good time to share a bunch of my Roswell posts in one place. Enjoy! : )

Roswell...finally!

What happens in Roswell...

The International UFO Museum and Research Center

Don't tell anyone, but we smuggled something home from Roswell...

Book Review: Beyond Roswell

Roswell Memories