Paranormal author, Leslie Rule, explores what happens to people who die brutal, tragic or accidental deaths in When the Ghost Screams. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a collection of ghost stories and am reminded of why I enjoy them. The stories in this book come from true accounts of both infamous and obscure cases across the United States. Leslie wrote these stories in such a way that I felt that I could visualize the different time periods involved and almost feel the ghost’s presence through words of the narrator.

Some of the stories left me craving for more information about the locales, the people involved and the ghosts. My favorite section is Chapter Seven: Afraid of the Light, which involves the spirits of killers. The photographs scattered through the book are very good, although I wished that some of them were in color, especially the shot in Donner Memorial Park, where the ghost of a little boy peeks out from the bottom corner. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the paranormal, true crime and US history.

I’ll start off by stating what I liked about this movie first. I liked the usage of the black and white photography of the house as well as the use of black and white film for the first scene, which involves the brutal deaths of the family who lived there prior to the Sullivans. The fact that they kept the killer(s) out of the camera’s sight gave it a strong impact.

From there, the movie spiraled into mediocrity. Like I said in my prior post, there wasn’t any originality to the storyline or with the special effects. I knew this before I walked into the theater, so I wasn’t disappointed. The thing that frustrated me the most was the acting.

Kristen Stewart (Jess) bit her lips so often that it was a wonder they didn’t bleed. Her behavior also bothered me. Let’s say that a pack of ghosts/monsters tried to pull you down into the cellar. Would you bother calling 9-1-1, or would you pick your little brother up and leave as fast as you can? Would you be carting him around the dark house afterwards, waiting for the next inevitable attack? That’s Hollywood, though.

The parents were such dweebs that I wished they had been killed off halfway through the movie. By the end, they managed to quell their hysterical self-centeredness for the sake of their children.

Overall, The Messengers was a decent B-movie. My suggestion is to wait until the dollar-theaters start playing it.

Kip Shelton of DeadFish Productions is currently trying to negotiate a contract with Paramount Pictures for the distribution rights of his upcoming Sci-Fi thriller, “Paranormal.”

The story involves Avery Morris, who assembles a team of paranormal experts to seek answers to the afterlife.

Together, the team travels the country investigating hauntings, exposing hoaxes, and attempting to explain the unexplainable events that they experience. Reminiscent of the film classic “Poltergeist” with a taste of the “X Files,” along with actual reported hauntings, this series is guaranteed to scare everyone.

This sounds like the reality Ghost Buster series turned Hollywood. Since I enjoyed both Poltergeist and the X Files, I’m intrigued by Shelton’s show. “Paranormal” will be featured at the NAPTE Conference in Las Vegas, NV in January 2007.

Source: Associated Content

Nestled in the foothills of Santa Clara County’s largest park is an old ranch house, which serves as the park’s headquarters and museum. The house was built by Joseph Grant, the son of a dry goods merchant who made his fortune by supplying gear to gold miners in the Bay Area. He used this house as a vacation retreat and often held parties, entertaining such guests as Leland Stanford and Herbert Hoover.

According to Grant Park historian Ron Brinkmont, Grant’s daughters Edith and Josephine did not get along with each other and would often get into brawls. The girls earned their reputations as hellraisers, but it was Edith who was considered dangerous because she enjoyed shooting at trespassers, including the mail man.

Today, her spirit is believed to haunt her room inside the main house. Visitors have reported getting shoved out of her room if they entered without her permission. I have included links to the sites I’ve found regarding the history and ghost investigations of the James D. Grant ranch house. You’ll find pictures of the investigation, plus accounts of what the investigators and media experienced at the house.

Joseph D
Ghost Stories - Joseph Grant
Metroactive Features - Notes From the Underbelly