I Went to Haunt Faire!

Over the past few weeks, things have been super busy. Between working one job full-time and working another casually, sometimes it's hard for me to sit back and really appreciate a day. I've been thinking a lot about how I haven't really had much time to myself...so I said "hey, I'm going to treat myself to one day of awesome spooky weirdness".
I ended up at Haunt Faire here in New York where I live. It's not often that a horror convention comes anywhere near here; typically things take place in NYC or New Jersey. I don't know why, it's just where the horror scene settled, I guess.
I hadn't done much research on Haunt Faire prior to buying tickets because I had a family party later in the day and didn't think I'd have time to go...but then I found out Nick King was going. If you don't know Nick King, you will know him as Bughuul from Sinister, and the sequel (which comes out August 21st and I'm counting the hours).

I saw Sinister a few months ago at a friend's house, and it was one of the few horror films where I had to close my eyes and check behind me to be sure that there were no crazy demon children. I was really, truly horrified at the death scenes, and I loved every second of it. Minus when I got home and was walking around the house in the dark. So naturally, when I found out the actor behind one of the most horrifying characters to ever grace the screen in a horror film was going to be at this convention, I said "you know what? Screw it. I'm buying tickets, and I'm going."

Cut to that Sunday (I work Saturdays, but took Sunday off). I loaded baby Bughuul that I got from MoodyVoodies into the car, and I was off (and incredibly determined to get him signed. Here's a picture of all of the Voodie babies:

I walked around for a bit inside and checked out who was around at the tables before heading over to meet Nick King. I realized right away that this was less of a horror convention and more of a job fair of sorts for people that wanted to work in haunted houses around the tri-state area. There were very few vendors, but there were plenty of fun haunts!
The vendors that were there had a lot of fun hand-painted dolls, magnets, makeup, etc. I somehow ended up with a huge painting of Bughuul, but I have no regrets about it...

The painting in back is the one I got at Haunt Faire, though I don't have the artist's name. I don't think it's even signed, to be honest. The mask on the left is part of my cosplay/Halloween costume in progress from JD Morgan Studios, and there's baby Bughuul on the right (after signing!).

When I tell you guys I think I was there for an hour total, I spent 30 of those minutes with Nick King talking about his upcoming projects and other conventions he'd be at, I spent 10 talking to Philip Friedman who is the Bride in Black from Insidious, and the other 20 minutes were spent wandering around looking at vendors.
All in all, it was a cute convention. What I'm really looking forward to (as always) is Bizarre AC in October. It's a few days before my birthday this year, so I'm going to be spending that weekend scared, dressed up, and probably drunk/hungover. If any of you will be joining me at Bizarre AC, let me know in a comment! I'd love to hang out!

I'll sign off with a photo of me hanging out with Nick King after he signed my little Bughuul:

He isn't nearly as scary in person! :)

Until next time, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible

Nightlight Review

What scares you the most? Killer clowns? Serial killers? Or perhaps what lurks in the dark?
"Nightlight" delves into what happens when a group of friends travels into the woods after a classmate commits suicide there, to play what they call "flashlight games". But are they really just playing a game? Or is there something in the woods with them, watching their every move? More importantly, will it let them leave?

I am terrified of the dark. It's something I don't like to admit as a horror fan, because it seems a little silly...how does someone that loves blood and gore and all things horror-related not like the dark? There's just something about not being able to see what could be on any side of you that makes my skin crawl. I know I'm not the only one, you can all stop lying...okay, maybe I'm just a big baby.

Here’s my own personal review of the film:

Nightlight was a film that literally played on my exact worst fear: being unaware of what is skulking in the shadows. I'm normally wary of found-footage-type films because I typically find them to be cheesy, but this concept was different- the film is seen through the point-of-view of a flashlight. What the flashlight is pointed at is what you see, so it's like you're seeing exactly what each character is seeing. Well, that means you can't see what's behind you, and when you're in the woods late at night when everyone told you not to go there, you can only assume some crazy, scary stuff is going to happen.
The character dynamic is really fun, because it's realistic. There's the "nerdy girl" Robin (Shelby Young), trying to fit in with the group of popular kids. There's Nia (Chloe Bridges), the beautiful, popular girl winning everyone's attention, there's Amelia (Taylor Ashley Murphy), the best friend of the popular girl who does her best to let her personality shine through, but is overshadowed by her friend, Ben (Mitch Hewer), the beautiful love interest of just about everyone, and Chris (Carter Jenkins), who is the jokester of the group. It's the exact group of people we see in our everyday lives. You find yourself rooting for the underdog, Robin, to rise up and overcome all of the obstacles the group faces while they're in the deep, dark woods...

Now, if your fear is the dark, you've got it. If your fear is being attacked by a wild animal, you've got it. If you have a fear of paranormal entities and demons, it's here. This film touches on some of the most terrifying things that people claim to experience all of the time. That's what makes it feel so real and relatable.
It's got jump-scares galore; I'm not going to lie, I jumped out of my skin a few times. The suspense, as well, is plentiful and intense. There were many times that I was gripping my blanket, yelling "no, no, no!" The anticipation of what's going to come out of the dark is enough to make your head spin, but what actually comes at you...that's where the true terror is. It's stuff of nightmares, you guys. I'm telling you.
This is going to be a tough film to top in 2015, considering there are so many different kinds of fear involved, plus that brand new perspective.

I would absolutely recommend you give this film a watch. The trailer is creepy in itself, but the film as a whole is well-done, and definitely scary.

Sorry for the Lack-of-Post!

Hi ghoulies!
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, it's been a super busy week in the horror world for me, and I promise I'll be back on Tuesday with some really incredible horror content!
I have big things coming up; I've partnered up with a couple of different outlets for horror writing, and once everything is all set in stone and ready to go, I'll be keeping you all in the loop!
I have some new books and movies lined up to watch, so stay tuned! <3 <3
Stay spooky my loves,
Taylor

Haunted Locations I Love: Sweet Hollow Road

Hey ghosts and ghouls! This post is something new that I'd like to try. If you follow me on Instagram, you know what I'm all about aside from horror...though I suppose it could still be horror related...but in my spare time (so when I'm not slinging soap 5 or 6 days a week, and I'm not posting on here), I'm a paranormal investigator! (and if you don't follow me on Instagram, you can find me here, if you want!)

I got started a few months ago- it started out as more of a joke than anything, which I've come to find is how most of the people in the paranormal community got started. "It was a dare" or "I thought it was funny" are the responses I've found most common, and mine is no exception. My other half and I were introduced to Ghost Adventures around Thanksgiving, we were intoxicated and laughing and joking around about how awful it was, and then I had a thought. "Hey, maybe this isn't so bad" crossed my mind. I kept it to myself. After all, I had watched Ghost Hunters years before on a DVD I had.

Flash forward to Christmastime 2015. We bought up all of the seasons of Ghost Adventures we could find on DVD. We watched it in hysterics, joking about Zak's attitude and Aaron's faces. And suddenly it dawned on me: I actually really, really loved it. I kind of hated myself for it, but I couldn't deny it.

Christmas rolled around, and I received a P-SB7 as a gift. For those of you that aren't into ghost hunting, it's a spirit box- it picks up spirit voices in between radio frequencies. It's not foolproof, I get radio voices all of the time, but you know something is a little off when you get the same voice over multiple frequencies. I consider this the time when something is trying to establish a connection.

This won't be a post about my personal experiences, because I know that there's a lot of skepticism about that, and I want to leave this as a spooky horror blog, not a place for fighting over the existence of an afterlife. If you'd like to know about my paranormal experiences, please leave me a comment! I'd be happy to contact you and tell you about them.

Anyway, on to the point of this post! Where I live, there are plenty of haunted locations. The Fire Island Lighthouse, Kings Park Psychiatric Center, even Pilgrim State Psych. I haven't been to all of the locations I'd like to go to, but a place near and dear to my heart is Sweet Hollow Road.

There are a few stories that go along with the haunted history of Sweet Hollow. It's been featured on tv shows and websites all over the place because of how "active" it is.
One story has to do with Mount Misery Road, a road running parallel to Sweet Hollow. A small asylum was built in the woods back where the road ends, and one of the patients, Mary, supposedly set it on fire, essentially killing almost everyone in the building. Rumor has it that you can still hear the screaming patients from the fire. Even creepier: apparently they rebuilt the asylum...and it burnt down a second time. Weird, huh?

But there is an overpass crossing Sweet Hollow Road, and that is where I've personally been. Driving down that road at all is enough to make you cringe. The road is winding, dark, and covered in trees on both sides. It creates such an enclosed, claustrophobic feeling. The story is that a handful of teens hung themselves off of the overpass, and if you flash your lights while driving underneath, they will appear.
There is also the story of a woman who was killed in a head-on collision above Sweet Hollow.  If you flash your lights, you can see a shadow sit up. Is it a trick of the eyes? Or does the woman see you and sit up?

There are even more, if you can believe it, one of which has to do with a police officer who only has the front of his head intact, and a "hell hound" that means imminent death if you see him with his glowing red eyes.

All I can say is the feeling of being there is so terrifying and unsettling.....I love it. I can tell you more stories of hauntings around me if you guys are into this post! Let me know!