White Noise

December 2012

A Chilling Tale

Human remains and a long ignored myth on a Texas family farm

CAMPFIRE STORIES DONE RIGHT

Deadly Past

The Capitol’s

What’s inside the tour of ghostly deaths at the Texas Capitol

Inside their heads:

The worst fears of highschool teens

Top 6 “Based off True Stories” Movies

Frights and Screams The ins and outs of the famous Austin Ghost Tour

The EyeClops Night Vision goggles

by JAKKS Pacific

See What You Couldn’t Before Without the high price of traditional night vision goggles!

Available at Amazon.com

STORIES

OTHER

Top 5 10 Mythical Creatures Top 6 Real Scary Movies Inside Their Minds

Picture goes with Touring With the Ghosts

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FEATURES

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Rest In Puzzle Pieces

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Bios

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Letter from the editors

Dominant Art Credit goes to Anna Savelyeva

Touring with the Ghosts Badge and Bones

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The

Facesof the

EditingTeam

Art Credit Emily Heubaum

Alyssa Cano

The Very First White Noise Fans Anna Savelyeva 4

Clara Fancher

Anna

Growing up, my mom told me hundreds of scary stories in an effort to scare me asleep or obedi-

ent. Most of them I hated, they made me stare from the covers of my bed to the dark space in the closet and have heart attacks anytime I would hear the distant buzz of a city sound. But there was one story that intrigued me to a point beyond fear where I would obediently hop into bed, wailing at my mom to tell me the “next installment” of the story. The story was actually very short, my mom just had a cunning way of making up new details to keep me happy.

The story goes: once upon a time there was a happy family with a mom, dad and their 10 year old son.

For a long time they were a perfect family, happy, fun, the envy of the entire neighborhood. One day the husband was fired from his job and escaped into a deep depression. He began drinking and having affairs. His wife found out about one of his affairs and threatened divorce, saying she would take their boy and leave. In a drunken rage, the husband beat his wife to death with a beer bottle. Once he had realized what he did, the husband brought the body to a nearby lake and sunk it to to the bottom with rocks. In a panic he explained to his son that his mom was taking a short vacation and she would be back shortly. Days passed, those days turned into passing weeks and the boy didn’t ask where his mother had not come back.The father grew worried, guilt eating away at him. He prompted the boy, “Aren’t you worried where your mom is?” The boy looked up at his father with question, “What do you mean dad, she’s been right here all along.” The lights shattered and the windows flew open. A single light was still on and the husband could see the faint figure of his late wife still cooking at the oven with a smile on her face.

Spooky stories are always the best to Clara

hear in the dark, with a blinking red light to spark your imagination. I always enjoy watching scary movies or stories late at night, in the supposed comfort of my bed. It’s the most frightening thing at the time, but looking back on it in the morning, it was very fun. My favorite ghost story of all time is a classic, Bloody Mary. The first time I had heard the story, I was on a campout with my girlscout troop, and we were in a cabin. We had already had smores and eaten dinner and we were about to go to bed, when someone mentioned the tale of Bloody Mary.

The story goes: Mary was a witch of old, who participated in the dark arts, and therefore the king gave the order to mutilate her face, so that all who set sight upon her face would shriek in fear. Even when she herself first looked in the mirror at her own appearance, she was horrified, and never looked at a mirror again. Yet, one night she became curious again, so she looked into the mirror. she was so horrified that she simply reached into the world of mirrors, and she was never seen again in the world of the living. But, you can see her even now, in the mirror world. You can summon her by chanting “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary” 13 times in front of an old mirror, lit only by candles. It is said that she will come to the mirror and scratch your face, mutilating it in revenge.

Alyssa

Myths and urban legends have always been a part of my life. Whether they be told by friends on a walk home from school or by family members sitting in the family room they always intrigued me. However, there was always one myth that intrigued me more than the others. I’ve heard the story many different ways, but I think that’s what makes myths fun and timeless.

The story of the Llorona goes: Once there was a girl who everyone agreed was the most beautiful of them, all. Every guy in the town wanted to be with her, but she would refuse anyone who would ask her out. Soon the guys gave up on trying to get her to like them all but one guy. He was the most handsome guy the town had and every girl wanted to be with him. When he finally got the courage to ask her out she immediately said yes. After days together they both agreed that they were in love with each other and should marry. Years passed and they had two children together a boy and a girl, but their relationship wasn’t going so well. He threatened to divorce and leave her and despite her begging, he did.

She was very angry when he left and she blamed his leaving on their children. So one night she woke up her children from their slumber and guided them down to the river. There she drowned her children and let the current take them away. When they were gone she realized what she had done and ran down the river looking for them. She wasn’t paying any attention to where she was going, so she tripped on a branch and fatally hit her head on a rock. When she went into heaven, God asked her where her children were, but she didn’t know, so she was not let in. God told her that she would never be let in until she found her children, however he didn’t tell her that he already had them with him. She was doomed to an eternity of searching for her lost children that she will never find, but she will never stop searching until she finds them.

Some say that you can hear her at night crying and looking for her lost children. Whether this be true or just a myth this story always intrigues me.

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A Letter From the Editors

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Now you don’t want your story to be the usual, the same old same old Jekyll and Hyde, Werewolf, Dracula, hum drum of the supernatural. Everyone wants their story to be the one. That unique tale that sends countless chills and steals any ounce of sleep away that very night. When it comes to urban legends, its the unknown that gives advantage to storytellers.

It’s the stories in the background of the commercialized movies and books that remain the treat of the campfire. When it comes to the rules, there are none. When it comes to scary stories, anything goes.

As the creators of White Noise we know what it is like to hear those extremely lame stories everyone has heard at least 10 times.

We also can recognize those stories that make us go “Okay, don’t think I’M getting any sleep tonight.”

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Photo by Clara Fancher

t’s campfire time; sitting by the roaring flame underneath a sea of endless stars with sharp wisps of chilling winds brushing your skin ever incidentally. Perfect time for a scare.

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e recognize the needs of both supernatural lovers and just the average teen with a highly developed imagination and love for a fright. Our magazine offers a wide variety of amazing local stories, so that we can achieve our goal: For every teen in America to have a story to tell at the campfire, and a good story, at that.

So when you’re sitting out with your friends huddled close against the cold, listening to the crackle of the campfire flames and slow unraveling of the story, if you feel your body slowly being infested with goosebumps, you know that story is from White Noise.

Cheers and Happy Haunting,

The White Noise Editing Team

Rest in Puzzle Pieces What Lies Inside the Capitol

By Anna Savelyeva

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tructurally unique, the ornate domed ceiling of the Texas Capitol towers over a lone star mosaic featuring the five historic flags of Texas. Made in an Italian Renaissance style, the building provides a venue to the government of Texas along with many incidents of tragic and even unresolved deaths. For years there have been stories in and around the Austin and Texas area detailing many different urban legends the Capitol of Texas being one of them.

The Texas Capitol “Rest in Peace” tour has been operational for several years now -- from the beginning of October to the day before Halloween. Many people who come from around the world to visit Austin this time of the year enjoy taking the tour get a chance to see how these urban legends affect Austin culture.

“I had a mixed group of children and adults, they seemed to be very happy about their tour,” Nancy the tour guide said.

The tour is guided and is 45 minutes long, exploring from the entrance of the building to the ex-

tension halls in the Capitol that lead out to other government buildings outside the Capitol.The tour also mentions buildings surrounding the Capitol that are presumed to be haunted. As in most ghost story urban legends, nothing is ever proven or certain; this tour leaves the audience both with answers and more questions left unresolved.

“I’m going to leave that up to you.

I’m going to present the information that I have to you, and let you make those decisions,” Nancy said.

From tip to tip, the Capitol is consumed by stories. Walking into the cavernous atmosphere of the entrance hall, the group comes across the surface where in the early 1900s, a man who had worked at the Capitol was found dead. Upon examination, he had with him an ID that identified him as Frank E.Lewis. But after his son saw him in the obituary, he identified him by the name of A.A. Christie. The son explained that his father had lived in Iowa and had recently gone missing.

Nancy, the tour guide leading the tour, brings up questions leaving food for thought.

“So was this man posing as somebody else? Did someone steal his clothes and identification? It’s unknown,”

Nancy said.

After the first taste of mystery in the very entrance of the Capitol, the group moves on to the second stop of the tour, the Rotunda. Standing underneath the hypnotising dome with spiraling floors bringing focus to the star at the top, it’s nearly 218 feet to the beckoning star at the top. Beneath its cavern is the site of a tragic accident.

“Many people ask; ‘Has anyone ever fallen from the top?’ And of course when they see the crack in the seal of the state of Texas, it looks like maybe that is what happened. Actually the crack is from the settling of the ground underneath the Capitol.

But someone did fall,” Nancy said.

On December 13, 1927 Frank Wheeler, a twenty six-year-old painter fell 39 feet from the fourth floor. He had been painting on the inside of the dome when his scaffolding broke. The floor of the Capitol used to be a glass mosaic tile, and when Wheeler fell, he crashed through the floor and landed in the basement. He died, leaving behind a wife and three children, 12 days before Christmas.

After a tale of a regrettable death, the tour moves to the opposite spectrum for the the only recorded murder at the building.

A finely chiseled and wooden frame holds a dark history. In the early 1900’s, Robert Love was the state comptroller at the time.

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Although this was a light-hearted false alarm, the initial reactions that spread were horror and fear.

“As you can imagine there were many laughs but what’s important was what would happen if there had been something more sinister,” Nancy said.

As the tour moves down to the Representative chambers, a chilling story of coincidence and connection is told. In the early 1900s, representative Rountree had gone up to the speaker’s podium to give a very long and “graceful” speech about ex-Civil War veterans. As he returned to his desk and sat down, he promptly died. Cause of death was determined as a burst blood vessel. His wife was appointed to complete the remainder of his term. Thirty-three years later after giving a speech at the podium, Rountree’s wife also promptly died after sitting down at her desk; from the same cause. The tour guide, Nancy, flavors this eerie story with a tone of humor.

“So coincidence?

Anyone who’s been married will go ‘I don’t believe in coincidences,’” Nancy said.

Close by the Capitol, lies the Capitol of Texas Visitor Center that used to be the old General Land Office. A young man named O’Henry used to work there. He is most known for his work as a writer. met their unfortunate end within

The famous dome of the capitol building where Frank. E Wheeler fell 39 feet to his death from the 4th floor.

it’s structure. When he worked at the then General Land Office, he wrote a story about a body being buried under the spiral staircase. The story indicates that when people walk by, or on the staircase, a cold wind would blow over it. The group members turn to one another with “Ooo’s” and “Ahh’s” as the story reaches its chilling end.

From the stairs to the surrounding streets, the “Rest in Peace” tour takes a deeper look at the ins and outs of mysterious activity at the Capitol. The granite walls hold the whispers of the stories that have traveled for centuries and the people who have met their unfortunate end within it’s structure.

Photo by Anna Savelyeva

Photo by Anna Savelyeva

He was in his office one morning. He was talking to another man named William Hill. A third man man came in wanting to talk with Love. Love has said, “Please wait when I’m finished with this person, then I’ll talk to you.” The third man left, and Love and William Hill were left alone.

William Hill handed a letter to Love. As Love turned away to read the letter, Hill pulled out a gun and shot Love twice in the chest at point blank range. Hill ran down the corridor through the Rotunda where he was caught in a struggle with an accountant. Hill tried to kill himself by taking some medication that he had with him. He was unsuccessful, but was shot by the clerk in the struggle. Shortly after, Robert Love died on his sofa in his office. Nancy the tour guide made it a very prominent point to indicate that this was the only murder technically recorded and confirmed.

“There are many other stories circulating around the capitol of other more grotesque and inexplicable murders but the story of Robert Love is the only one we can confirm,” Nancy said.

A few stops later, the group arrives on the second floor of the Capitol and a seemingly grotesque story is told.

In the 1800s there was incident where newspaper reports said that the people of Austin heard terrible noises, howling and wailing, coming from inside the Capitol. One day, health officer Doctor Collins decided to come over and investigate. As he approached the Capitol, he too heard these reported terrible noises.

As he went down to the basement, he could still hear them, but they were not originating from the basement. Up three floors he goes to his office, opens the door and finds --a dog. In the back of the tour group, a small child lets out a whimper of relief at this turn of events. The dog was kept there and checked out for private governmental work. It had grown very lonely and apparently quite loud.

The Representative Chambers where Roundtree and his wife both expired.

Top 5 Mythical Creatures There are so many mythical creatures in the world and all of them are awesome. But have you ever wondered which ones are considered top. Well White Noise would like to take the time to countdown the top 5 mythical creatures. This list was made from the point of view of LASA students, and the results may surprise you. With that being said enjoy the countdown.

LEVIATHAN DESCRIPTION

Giant sea monster that is said to look like a crocodile.

FUN FACT

The female Leviathan was served to the righteous.

The Leviathan was a biblical sea monster that was said to be created on the fifth day of creation. The Leviathan is also sometimes interpreted as the sea itself. Originally God created both a male and female Leviathan but the female was killed in order for there to be not reproduction of the creature. The leviathan was created so that in later years it could be killed and given as a feast for the righteous citizens. Both the Le-

viathans eyes and body possesses great illuminating power, perhaps that’s what landed him in our top spot in the countdown.

The Hydra offspring of Echidna and Typhon was said to live in swamps near ancient cities. The hydra’s heads if ever severed would be replaced by a new head and one of the hydra’s heads could never be harmed by weapons. The stench of a hydras breath was told to be able to kill a man, the hydra when emerged from

the waters would attack and devour cattle and villagers with its many heads.

The hydra is more commonly known for his battle with Hercules. From this, its no wonder the Hydra is second on our countdown of mythical creatures

HYDRA DESCRIPTION

A giant monstrous creature with the body is a serpent and many heads. (9 heads being the most common)

FUN FACT

The Hydra’s blood is very poisonous.

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Sources: LASA Students

PICTURE

PICTURE

PICTURE

I write sins not tragedies :)

GRIFFON

ZOMBIE

DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

FUN FACT

FUN FACT

This legendary creature has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle.

When the Griffin finds a mate they stay together and if one of the two die, the other will continue its life alone.

The Griffin was thought of as the king of all creatures. They are known for guarding treasure and precious possessions. It is believed that the Griffin’s claw had medicinal properties. And that’s why the Griffin has made it on our list as number three.

Zombies are basically people who are come back from the dead.

As long as a zombie has its brain it can survive.

Here’s our fourth pick in this countdown. Zombies are typically known for their desire to eat human flesh but there are also zombies believed to be risen from the dead by voodoo to perform labor or for evil deeds. With that being said, if you see a zombie run!

SIREN DESCRIPTION

Sirens are beautiful woman with mermaid like qualities.

They are also known for having some bird like qualities.

FUN FACT

Sirens play a variety of instruments but, the harp is most common.

Now we turn to our final creature on this countdown. The siren is a dangerous creature who seduced men with her beauty and voice. When the men were lured she would eat him. Its believed that there are only five sirens. That’s what landed the Siren on the countdown.

HONORABLE MENTION Here we would like to mention some of the awesome mythical creatures that unfortunately didn’t make it on our list, like the Loch Ness Monster, dragons, vampires, werewolves, angels and demons. Though they didn’t make the list, they will always intrigue people. Thank you to those creatures who did and didn’t make the list for being creepy, fun, and just plain awesome.

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Touring with the Ghosts Alyssa Kay Cano

TAKEN BY ALYSSA CANO

What will be discovered on this journey through Austin?

The house on 253 Red River Street

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“The purpose of this tour is to educate people to finally know that there is no such thing as ghosts the way you would first think, that in fact they are kind happy ghosts,” tour guide Monica Ballard said.

Austin Ghost Tours are not like your usual dark and scary ghost tours. The tour is taken on the well lit Austin streets with lots of other people, so its rare that someone will get scared on one of the tours. Austin ghost tour could be fun for the whole family. “All of our ghost tours are thoroughly researched and are all history based,” said Ballard The tourists start the tour at Moonshines where they meet their tour guide.

There are five tour guides that could possibly guide the tourists through the tour, however that depends on the date and time decided by the tourists.

The night of Oct. 20, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. the tourists toured with the guidance of Monica Ballard. Ballard was dressed for the occasion in a Victorian dress and hat.

She says she has really enjoyed the nine years she has been working as an Austin Ghost Tours tour guide.

The first stop is at 253 Red River Street. This house was once attached to Saint Davids Church, but in 2003 they had it moved because it was considered a historical site. The house is boarded up and fenced for no one to go in, but not for long. Ballard was excited to say that the house was planned to be restored,

“The purpose of this tour is to educate people to finally know that there is no such thing as ghosts the way you would first think, that in fact they are kind happy ghosts,” tour guide Monica Ballard said.

TAKEN BY ALYSSA CANO

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tanding at the corner of Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill, tourists eagerly wait for the tour guide to take them to some of Austin’s most haunted buildings. A scare is what would usually be expected from something involving hauntings, however that’s not the case with the Austin Ghost Tours.

Photo of Monica Ballard showing photos from a previous tour and they could probably start having tours inside the house. The tourists are given information about the many ghosts that haunt the house. Here the tourist are shown two photos. The first photo of many orbs surrounding the house and the second photo taken right after showing no orbs at all. Ballard believes this is proof of the haunting of the house.

The second stop of the tour was Waller Creek while here Ballard talked about the Germans who came to Austin in 1840 and how unprepared they were upon arriving. Waller creek is believed to be one of the most active sights out of the places shown in the tour, not to mention it’s where Ballard says the most blue orbs are captured on camera. It was here on the corner of 2nd street at what is now known as Iron Works, a woman helped a runaway slave by giving him her bonnet, but he was caught on 6th street and hung. She hoped no one would recog-

nize it was her bonnet or the same fate would come of her. At Iron Works, a light bulb fell and shattered at the exact moment a tourist was taking a photo on the patio this incident was believed to be an indication of the paranormal by the tourists and tour guide that witnessed the incident.

In between the storytelling and history of haunted places, Ballard talked about ghosts in general and their indications. For one, she told about how ghosts were attracted to familiar and older places. “ When someone tells me, I’m going to look for ghosts in a graveyard, I say good luck,” Ballard said. Ballard also informed the tourists about three indicators of a ghost. The first indicator is the movement of objects, the easiest things for a ghost to manipulate are plumbing and electricity. The second indicator is phantom smell, this indicator comes with three main scents floral, tobacco and decay. The third and final indicator is dimensional shift or that feeling you get when you know something unusual is in your space. “ I get a tingly sensation,” Ballard said.

The tour’s third destination was, believe it or not, the convention center where it is reported that at 3 a.m. doors are slammed and cans are thrown. This is unusual because according to Ballard, “The ghosts here in Austin are generally good time, happy time, party time ghosts.” The convention center was home to five thousand refugees when Hurricane Katrina hit. Some of the 13

The fourth stop made in the tour was a well lit place across the street from the haunted place known as Speakeasy.

Before the building was Speakeasy, the building burned down on July 26, 1916 its destruction killed two women and Lt. Jimmy Class. Class lived paralyzed for eight months before passing away from his spinal chord being crushed by a structure falling on him from the fire. He was the first firefighter to die on the job in Austin, so in honor of Class, no other firefighter will be assigned his badge number 13 ,and fire truck 13 is dedicated to him. According to the workers of Speakeasy, Class haunts the closet under the stairs. This closet is known as the “Scary Closet,” workers suggest maybe the reason it is so scary is the fact that only red light bulbs work in the closet.

Ballard says that maybe it’s because it reminds Class of the fire department he once worked at.

Next we stopped at the Heierman Building it was here that cremation became legal in Austin. Ballard tells the story of Austin’s legalized cremation hear. Before cremation became legalized a woman’s husband passed on his business trip however, the woman lived in London so she requested the body be cremated then sent to her. There was no cremation ovens at the time so the cremation was to be done in secrecy in the Heierman buildings oven, but the cops found out in the middle of the process.

And when the cops got involved the community got involved, so to avoid 14

any issues with the people and their gossip the police told them cremation was civilized and allowed the process to be continued. From them on cremation was legalized. Ballard says it is also here that a strange wind passes through the middle aisle of the building.

The last stop was at the restaurant Carmelo’s, which was once a boarding house run by a woman named Anne.

Ballard told of the manager of Carmelo’s saying that on a hot muggy night he felt a sudden chill and someone pass by him. He also saw a woman believed to be Anne walking through the

“This tour told me a lot about ghost that I didn’t know before and I will think of ghost differently from this experience. I believe this was money well spent and I would say if you are looking into doing a ghost tour this would be a nice choice,” tourist Josephine Villalba said.

dining room. Another incident Ballard told about was that one night a guy who worked for Carmelo’s valet parking was waiting for the last customer to come for their car, but they were taking a while so he decided that he would sit on the steps of stair in the restaurant he was dozing off and was awaken by the feeling of someone going straight through him, at that moment he got up and wrote a

TAKEN BY ALYSSA CANO

refugees had illnesses and ran out of their medicine in just seven days.

Once it was gone there was no way to get anymore and eventually died. Ballard told of those who survived, telling about their time there and how they could not turn out the lights because of all the screaming from the refugees. “I have no doubt that those who passed, passed in anguish,” Ballard said.

Photo of Carmelo’s restaurant

During the tour, the tour guide showed the tourist some of the photos that were taken on one previous tours.

On the tour that took place Oct. 20, 2012 and started at 7:30 p.m. a tourist got a photo of a blue light at Carmelo’s. The guides believe that bringing a camera is a good idea if you would like to capture something interesting from the other side. After the tour you are shown what is believed to be evidence of the paranormal from some of the investigations they have done. “ This tour taught me a lot about ghosts that I didn’t know before I will think of ghosts differently from this experience. I believe this was money well spent and I would say if you are looking into doing a ghost tour this would be nice choice,” tourist Josephine Villalba said. The tourist say they would recommend this

tour to people who are interested and would like to learn about the paranormal.

The tourist concluded that this is tour is not about being scared. It’s about learning something new about ghost that you didn’t know before,and its about learning history about Austin that you would not have expected, but mostly its about enjoying an experience that you have never had before. “We like the ghosts they are our friends,” member of the ghost team said.

TAKEN BY ALYSSA CANO

note that said “I quit,” and left.

This is a photo taken on the tour of waller creek that shown up red 15

Top Scary Realities Made into

6 Scarier Movies

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veryone has experienced their fair share of scary movies, whether they end up a corny joke or an exciting fictional suspense. Either way, you sit in a crowded movie theater or in the comfort of your couch knowing what you see is fiction.

But what about those scary movies that say “based off a true story?” The ones with even a small kernel of truth to them? Where is that line of comfort now, where is the line that completely separates you from the horrors on your screen? It’s become a bit blurred. And once that line becomes blurred, what happens to your mind at night after the lights go silent? Many old scary movies are based on some truth but there are few that are said to redefine scary for this century.

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The Haunting in Connecticut

Connecticut 1986, the Parker family moves to Connecticut to be closer to better treatment for their son who has cancer. The family realized they had moved to the previous site of a mortuary. They soon began to report bloody floors, voices, and shadowy figures. An exorcism had to be performed. This is the background story to what happens to the Campbell family in the “Haunting of Connecticut” feature film. Prairie Miller from NewsBlaze said, “Factor in eyelid fetishism, occult barfing at seances on rewind, undead wilding, attempted murder by shower curtain, cadaver liberation, and some nifty house-orcism, and you’ve got a collection of fairly reliable elements for an unnerving horror thriller.”

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The Mothman Prophecies The story is based off a series of reports made by residents of West Virginia who had seen an unidentified and very large moth-like creature for 13 months between 1966 and 1967. These reports stopped after the Bridge connecting Pleasant Point to Ohio over the Ohio River collapsed killing 46 people. Chicago Reader critic said, “This is the scariest movie I have ever seen.” The story’s premise and background might seem stray from the classic types of urban legends but that doesn’t stop it from sending chills down one’s spine. “Even with your eyebrows raised and your tongue planted firmly in cheek, the whole thing gets under your skin in ways that creep you out,” Rex Reed from the New York Observer said.

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The Last Exorcism Based off the story of Anneliese Michel who was said to be possessed by six or more demons and later exorcised. “The Last Exorcism” is another documentary style film detailing the attempted exorcism of Nell Sweetzer, a raised farm girl. The movie’s combined effects of camera work similar to the Blair Witch Project and its own true story are acclaimed for their suspenseful success. Sean O’Connel from the Washington Post said, “Stamm [the director] creates an anxious psychological horror that’s vaguely familiar yet refreshingly original.”

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The Blair Witch Project Based off the Bell Witch haunting in Tennessee the “Blair Witch Project” is a horrific modern tale of ignorance and gruesomely resulting adversity. Made in a home-made documentary style, the film begins with a note that the video shown was found a year after the group who had made the movie disappeared without a trace. The film details three college students who are have taken on a project to document the legend of the Blair Witch in Burkittsville, Maryland. Rolling Stone gave the film very high-praise. “a groundbreaker in fright that reinvents scary for the new millenium,” Peter Travers, “Rolling Stone” critic said.

Although the actors in the film are thankfully still alive today, there is that small detail that similar events were rumored to take place in real life.

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Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Story inspired by Henry Lee Lucas who had an accomplice and a romantic interest in Ottis’ younger relative.

Although he was only convicted of 11 murders, he confessed to being involved in 600 along with his partner Ottis Toole. The feature film is a retelling of his story made much more psychologically suspenseful by filming techniques. Caryn James, New York Times Critic said, “Mr. McNaughton’s [Director’s] observations are so chilling and precise that they gain some artistic stature even when they cross the line that makes the audience voyeurs and accomplices.”

Psycho Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror is based off the case of convicted murderer Ed Gein in 1984. Ed Gein had two known victims he had killed, he had also exhumed several bodies and had done many things similar to the portrayed Norman Bates in Psycho. Dave Kehr from the Chicago Reader said, “it is the most morally unsettling film ever made.” The film is widely known today and it still has the same haunting impact on viewers. “All those who still get a chill every time they step into a hotel shower, say aye. That, you see, is the power of ‘Psycho’,” MaryElizabeth William from Time magazine said.

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Badge and Bones

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here are many tales of the indians of early America killing, sacrificing, and sometimes even eating, their victims, such as yet this family has an interesting story of their farm in Texas, indians roaming in the woods, and a skull in their backyard.

The brothers were on a hunting trip in the woods surrounding their house. There had always been findings in the forest, like an old bow or arrow lying on the ground. “It was at night, they had their dog, so they thought they were fine,” said Ally Reznicek, the great great granddaughter of one of the two sisters and three brothers in the family. After a while, the brothers began to hear noises; whispers and footsteps. “They’d hear these crackling twigs and then they’d just stop like they knew that they were being

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listened to.”

They went home immediately after that, without any game caught. The parents had not believed the brothers when they said they had heard indians, and thought it was just some wild animals.

The brothers go back out into the forest to hunt the next night. In the darkness they saw “this weird glow, way off in the distance, and they heard this weird sort of murmuring, and they didn’t understand what that was.” They once again rushed home, telling their parents about the strange light. The parents don’t believe it, saying that the forest is their land, and no indians live there.

COSTOM ART BY CLARA FANCHER

By Clara Fancher

glow pare she half spite D e anc a in es, t of th nd the nts’ t and riff, wh h h e y tu the dist e br eir m ir o br a fe A r o e anc rn f a t t en c ou he ss w o sear e to fam er this ame ed it, ther ght alo rs calle urch. o, i a i n l y th bac n s to cide d th ng t d k.” only livin nt, t “Firs at t e he d beg He g h t here in a epu e sh on t nigh call Seco l i c t n e y e t h e w t hree riff n , eir l ver ere dep ed th t o a v bac d night, they di d ld e p ind nd prom ar en ay for t k, dn o optly tment, he m ture in . He wa eed in the rate or his ho ne of th ’t find f d t a c o r t i whi a i r n s hey a m sing any m em e n t rse. sear h d s e c a e h them thin wer en d ou So t ch p and mou nd du e lik men an forest g. mig hey idn’ arty to g up t to th coul nd. h o t e d s t e r l c y e f d n be c ome d Th cont o app t ou t aptu alread eputy, search inue n’t find r him, tas eare ey resu he ent S e v y b t i epa he n r e ally r d t t him dea rem grea eral y red too o b faced w e ext . d a cause susp he sear ains ears . t gr e th nigh nd t ch, b They iciou h just o a b f a t een deci deci a t, the hey e sk ecau s disa ded ded ndfathe fter, A dep elet ppe , a ma ago lost in u r l to a t n an se this o l ar,” , t y o l The y u y . sm the dig t oun T Rez wa sa d sher nice g a up woo hat had hea he only ing fam ounds o iff c id Rezn a horse s rek n one d. d d re thin ’s for o ily f dir don g m s so lo of t ckle seve ntinue icek t ar beca never ’t nigh Ally i h s s d s r e s o i , a p ng w ng u t u l d t, t lo he mys n room ’s fami as th terisites se it wa wed th d the then he men ays aft search, l y f , e arm ese s sai farm still and erw lasteve t h m h . d e o c i e T f a a w o urse t h h ryth y rd a rds. u h n w o e o mov a n s th u du d t d. H ing O few e ol How oods a use an ed g on they w s down e di was d w d on re a scre ne “He eve d , e e scre , afraid n r u q e ’ o a r e t p uiet , m o d g m w b ams , ds, R r i y a e o e g as d s, a e o l r nyth f wh g . No v i z e e u i . e n ng h albe ve s wou few icek iggi i at c n u o p g i o t n ’ “So n c l , s r t d l like h ta g es fo ope e rees ause cous be then rty, les. a re until h , and r fe d th i n n o a w w h a they e n nd a and e d lly o . e as r ce p fou idn’ ecen said h ld c osts man s she wa t fin loth nd wh t they foun e kept a l y r oun d , it at s s dig d saw d th sugg kull. Th digging rock what h ging a was kin looked a e , she e po estin nd d s, th d of e th l g f i s ce d o i iggi en h oug t said u t t e a h n . at i n, da ng, The h e fo Rez t wa id not an ing f und t were nice inve hus jus it m amily t rock d he k. ad stiga ta hi a epu s, lo dep te, ty’s ng uty. y be th nks oth n old bad buri e e r w l o ge,” al ise, ng l “Be fore beli ost ry,” evhea says , I didn do ’t f th foun Rez e nice really b da k, “ hum e l i eve but an s the then kull sto.” my cous in

“

He kept digging and digging, and he found what he thought were rocks, long rocks, then he found a deputy’s badge.”

19

INSIDE

their

MINDS

“I’m afraid that if I am in complete darkness by myself, I will surely die.” -Sesha

“I hate porcelain dolls because they stare into your soul!” -Anna

“Gas masks scare me.”

-Mia

“Flesh eating bacteria.” -Neils

“Out of everything in the world I’m scared to death of cockroaches.

They’re just unsanitary and can give you diseases. That’s some scary stuff, when’s the last time ghosts gave you typhoid?” -Jacoby

“... but it’s dark outside and frankly I’m probably more scared of some crazy axe murderer crashing through my window right now.” -Grace “Dying a painful death such as drowning or being buried alive and getting stranded somewhere like the desert or the forest.”

-Campbell

“That I’ll die not having fulfilled my dreams and not having been what I had the potential to be.” -Anna

“Weeping angels from Dr. Who. They are the scariest little things I have ever seen.”

-Sam

“Sometimes I get really scared of something for like a week but then it goes away.” -Emelia

“Failure because I don’t want to dissapoint anyone, even myself.” -Annika

“Mrs. Zappa finding my address” -Caleb

“Direct eye contact, because it feels like they’re reading your mind.” -Summer

“The future terrifies me.

“A bunch of bugs, like cockroaches, Sometimes I wish I could have crawling up my legs.” -Addie the security of knowing what I have the ability to do, but then all of the uncertainty, the surprise, the pleasure of the unexpected would be removed, and what’s the point of living if you don’t get to experience the world as it happens?” -Lia 20

“Chickening out of things that I would love to do because I’m too shy or scared.”

-Hannah

E

veryone has their fears, fears of the dark, of drowning in the ocean, of falling from high places, of bugs. However, everyone has their own unique fear, but some are more unique than others, being from real life experiences and having interesting stories behind them. Here are some of those unique fears from INSIDE THE MINDS of 36 different interviewees.

POPULAR FEARS:* 1 in every 3 people are afraid of someone close to them getting hurt 1 in every 6 people mentioned a fear of bugs; half of those were cockroaches 1 in every 6 people are afraid of some sort of height 1 in every 9 people are afraid of the dark

*Statistics are of the 36 people interviewed

“Drowning in the ocean, because you feel the life drain out of you and the idea of when you’re dead the bottom “Chainsaws feeders would eat your being too close body.” -AJ “Driving on I-35. I’m just like NO. NO. NO.” -Odalis

Art By Clara Fancher

“I dont like the idea of falling, and I don’t like small clusters of holes. Spirals freak me out because of a manga called Uzumaki. Also eyes that are completely black, and any distorted figures.” -Eme-

to me and turned on.”

-Denise

“Clowns for sure.”

-Carter

“Well, to be truly honest, I am really afraid of accidentally hurting someone I’m close to. Since I’m not very good with words, a lot of things I say don’t come out the way I want them to and somethings I say I wish I could’ve bit back before blurting them out. I don’t want to say something that can’t be taken back.” -Mia

“Phonephibia: the fear of talking on the phone.” -Summer

“I often have nightmares about darkness. Nightmares where I can’t open my eyes all think I’m just a bit the way, scarred by 9/11. I know where I can’t that’s bad, because run, can’t hide that’s giving into what correctly.”

-Rachael the terrorists want us

“I freak out anytime I see a bug in my bedroom because I think it will crawl into my ears “I later” -Anna

“I’m scared of cherries because when I was little my best friend choked on a cherry and sadly did not make it.” -Sam

to feel, but honestly, yes, I’m kinda scared of airplanes.” -Meredith 21

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