Rapid Review: The Krampus (non-fiction)

From 2016, Al Ridenour’s beautiful and absorbing book: The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil, is the perfect companion to your evening by the fire during that nasty snowstorm. Wait….is that the wind you hear howling outside or……

I always love to pull this book out this time of year. It’s an extremely fascinating look at Krampus and all the various incarnations, festivals and lore.

 From its roots in Germany and Austria to its recent resurgence in America and beyond, Krampus and Krampusnacht have woven their way into the fabric of the holidays. Considered the “dark half” of the Santa Claus legend, Krampus supposedly grabbed up naughty children—in contrast to Saint Nicholas showering children with gifts. Forget coal! In old world lore, Krampus would just disembowel bad kids. Yikes! 

 Chapters include everything from the traditional look of Krampus (suits and masks) to where he came from and how he relates to St. Nick and other Christmasy types, to descriptions and folklore of many other Yuletide and winter ghosts, devils, and monsters of olde. 

 Exhaustively well researched by someone with an obvious love of the Krampus legend, this book has tons of exceptional photos and drawings as well. Parade and festival pictures abound from all over the world, showing masks and Krampus outfits-detailing how seriously this is all taken, particularly in Germany/Austria. It even includes maps of significant towns and landmarks. 

 Anyone interested in folklore and in particular DARK lore should definitely check this book out and make it part of your holiday reading.

Troll (2022) -- Norwegian Folklore Meets Monster-Sized Effects

 In Norwegian folklore, trolls factor very much into the tapestry of the stunning Scandinavian landscape.  Nordic mythology describes them as being family oriented but not much of a fan of humans especially those embracing Christianity, and will deliberately  cause harm if disturbed from their mountain homes. There are varying descriptions and characteristics of these beings, but the general consensus is that they are dangerous and shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

There have been a few movies about trolls—for adults, that is—with 2010’s Trollhunter leading the pack.  But with the new Netflix film Troll, we get something a little more akin to Godzilla than your average monster-of-the-week flick.  Yes the language is Norwegian but you won’t even notice it, there’s much more to look at.

A project to blast a tunnel into the side of a mountain goes awry when it awakens what we know is a troll (hence the obvious title!) from its ancient slumber.  It begins wreaking havoc in the countryside and begins to raise the eyebrows of the prime minister and her cabinet. 

Nora Tidemman is a paleontologist working out in the field when she is interrupted by the prime minister’s advisor Andreas who directs her to accompany him at the order of the government.  She discovers what has been happening and immediately thinks of her father Tobias, a folklorist who raised Nora alone after her mother’s death.  He instilled not only family values but the notion that you need to believe to see (and not the other way around).  They were once close but have been estranged for years, yet when Nora shows up at his cabin with Andreas and a military captain, Kris, Tobias is hesitant and even hostile—until he sees the computer footage of what is certainly a troll destroying homes and killing unsuspecting folks. He is 100% of the belief that the government’s plan to pretty much blow up the troll is a massive mistake in judgement. He consults his years of research into trolls (which incidentally got him fired from his past job) and tries to convince the powers that be that using military force will not stop and only aggravate the monster. 

Alas, as is common in most governments across the world, power and stupidity trump reason and they attempt to take out the troll with heavy artillery. When that doesn't work, they try various other options that are not successful - and the troll is determined to be making his way to the capitol. The prime minister and her cronies finally decide to utilize nuclear weapons which will most certainly cause death, destruction and long-lasting effects for Oslo, but they feel they have no choice.  Naturally Nora and her rag-tag team disagree - and the question starts to become not when they should nuke the troll, but IF. 

Fans of horror, be aware that this is not particularly a "horror" film. It is much more akin to Godzilla or King Kong, and brings the action in droves.  There are a few moments of abject terror, but nothing particularly scary.  The monster is spectacular, and that moment when Nora discovers what they are dealing with put me in mind of the scene in Jurassic Park where Dr Grant & Co. first see the Brachiosaurus. Shock, excitement, disbelief....

There is not a whole lot of originality in the base of the plot -- which is basically "Where'd that come from?! Kill it!" --but the troll himself as well as the deep dive into Norse folklore more than make up for it.  The sympathy that you express when they are shooting King Kong or trying to bomb Godzilla?  It's exactly like that.  Your love of the monster has you rooting for him by halfway through the film.  

I feel like they ended it in such a way that a sequel is imminent, particularly because the film has done so well on Netflix. It's a fun popcorn movie that is probably well on its way to being a franchise - and I'm okay with that. 

WiHM: Five Otherworldly Women In Folklore

 Our final day of Women in Horror brings you some females we don't necessary want to meet anytime soon, but are utterly fascinating nonetheless.  Often depicted in horror films, many of these examples of not-so-friendly women will either terrorize you for all eternity, predict an ominous forthcoming event, or just outright steal your very soul.

THE BANSHEE

In the old language of Gaelic, this Irish spirit was called Bean-sidhe. She is a ghostly woman, dressed in a white shroud, her hair flowing behind her, her hands extended before her like claws. She is usually described as old and ugly, but it isn't her appearance you need to fear, it is her wail.
The banshee is a bad omen, if her hear a long, shrill scream echoing out in the hills, it means someone will soon die. Banshees were usually thought to be attached to old families, but no one is safe from her song.
Banshees really ought to be featured in more horror films, because they are downright creepy. The only movie that I can think of is a silly but beloved Disney movie from my childhood, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, starring a very young and strapping Sean Connery.
These deathly hags are one of my favorite among folklore, I even have a published story about a banshee entitled, "She Comes to Call". You have to purchase the magazine to read it, but I'll provide the link HERE in case you should wish to do so!

LA LLORONA

A very famous legend in South America and Mexico is that of a woman who was so in love with a man who did not return her affections that she drowned her children in the ocean, and then herself.  Because of her crime she cannot cross over into the afterlife, so she weeps eternally at the shore, searching the water for her children. Although it is often used as a cautionary tale for children to stay away from the water, many people actually claimed to have seen her. It is a very spooky idea, and has been used in several films. There are surprisingly more American made films, one from 1933 called The Crying Woman, as well as three from 2007,The Curse of La Llorona, J-ok'el: La Llorona: Curse of the Weeping Woman, and The Cry. There is also a Mexican picture called La Llorona from 1960.

CHUREL

In India, a churel is a woman of low caste who died of childbirth or pregnancy due to negligence of their family members. The return as terrifying ghosts to suck the blood of the men who have wronged them. To lure men in, they appear as beautiful maidens carrying lanterns, but before they attack they show their true form, which is that of a hag with a long, brutish face, sagging breasts, and feet turned backwards. Sometimes they also have a thick, black tongue which I'd imagine would come in handy as they drain the men of their blood, semen, and life force. They roam places associated with death. If you think a woman will become a churel after her death, you can bury a corpse face down.

KIKIMORA

Sometimes from forests and sometimes from swamps, Kikimora is a Russian ghost of an old woman, usually depicted in artwork as being thin as straw with hens feet and a long, thing, beak-like face. She attaches herself to homes, living behind the stove. She can be helpful if treated kindly, but if not she will bang and break dishes and whistle at night. It is said at night she spins thread, and if you see her in her act, you will die. A Kikimora also delights in terrorizing men.

WASHERWOMEN

This time, a Scottish spirit, the bean nighe, or Washer of the Ford is a woman who died in childbirth and is forced to remain on earth until the day she would have died if not in childbirth. To occupy the lonely time of their sentence, they must wash the bloody clothes of those about to die. If you come upon the Washers of the Ford, they will look beautiful and sing to you, luring you to help them ring out the sheets. But do not get too close, for the wet garment will ensnare you, crushing you with your very own shroud.

                                                              

                                                              ~by Marie Robinson

Thale (2012) : The Real Reason To Avoid Scandinavia

Review by Marie Robinson

Of what little I have seen so far, I think I already love Norwegian horror. There is such a weirdness to it, a blunt tribute to the country’s folklore. The first Norwegian horror film that I can recall seeing is Trollhunter (2010), which is downright amazing and I have just viewed my second. It is entitled Thale (tall-eh) and it was released at the beginning of this year.

Directed by Aleksander Nordass, it stars brothers Elvis (Erlend Nervold) and Leo (John Sigve Skard). Before I continue let me just say that I watched a version that was very poorly translated into English, so I really only have the most basic understanding of this film and a lot of this is speculation. Okay—here we go.

Leo has that unfortunate job of being that guy who cleans up crime-scenes and has recently gotten his brother a job alongside him. They are at a house cleaning up the bloody remains of an elderly man (and Elvis’ resulting vomit) and it becomes instantly clear that there is some tension between these two. They have been out of touch for some years and are having trouble falling gracefully back into each others lives.

Elvis decides to do some poking around in the house and forces the door of a cellar, finding cans of food that have long-expired. Deeper within the basement he finds a strange room—you know, one of those with the newspaper clippings and drawings/photographs tacked all over the walls. There is a desk with a pile of cassette tapes and a tape player and a bathtub full of a milky substance.

Even though Leo instructs him over and over again not to touch anything, well… he’s just got to! Right?!
He starts playing one of the tapes and it seems to be some sort of audio journal, a recording of a man talking, and a woman screaming. This recording awakens something; the water stirs in the tub and a woman emerges from the water.

She looks seemingly normal, except there is a strange look in her big brown eyes, and she doesn’t speak a word. Leo, who seems to always keep his cool, insists that they wait for his boss (I’m assuming) to arrive before they decide what to do. While they wait, Elvis tries to get close to this woman—Thale—and maybe shed some light on her story. Although she cannot speak, Thale can project memories into Elvis’s mind through touch, and through this gift her past begins to unravel. But someone—or thing—is definitely watching, and there is a secret presence that lingers in the woods that surround the isolated house.

The questions that arise in Elvis’ (and our) mind(s) are: Was Thale kept here as a prisoner or for protection? What does everyone want with her? Is she of this world?

Even though I couldn’t have full comprehension of Thale because of the shitty subtitles I enjoyed this low-budget picture. The atmosphere is there—dark, dank; all of the mystery and the secretiveness are almost palpable. There is also a great sense of suspense—a real one, not that cheap, jump-scare shit.

These actors have done little else, and nothing mainstream, but I can honestly say everyone gave a good performance. The cinematography was good, the special effects… more like something you would see on a SyFy original flick, but I don’t think it took too much away from the film.

The real reason I was dying to see this film was because, of course, it was based on a folktale. And I don’t think I am giving anything away by giving you some background on the folktale—I have an obligation as resident expert.

The creature in question is called a Huldra, or Skogsrå (meaning Lady of the forest), and is a female forest creature. They exist in several different countries folklore, but we will focus on the Norwegian aspects of the Huldra since this is a Norwegian film! Hobbies include hunting and seducing men—sometimes killing or kidnapping them. They are often beautiful and naked and have a cow’s tail. The Huldra are usually feared by humans and are considered to be evil; many tales are told with a message to avoid them. There is also a creature almost identical to the Skogsrå in Swedish folklore called the Tallemaja, which means Pine Tree Mary. First of all, that’s just a fun name, but also the first bit, “Talle”, which means “pine” is pronounced exactly like Thale, so maybe this is where the filmmaker got his inspiration for the title character.

One more tidbit is that there are two places in Norway named after the Huldras. There is Hulderheim on the island of Karlsøya that means “Home of the Hulder” (a Hulder is a male Huldra) and there is Hulderhusan on the island Hinnøya, which means “Houses of the Hulders”.

This film is pretty hard to film at the moment, and seemingly impossible to find with a decent translation, but if you get a chance, I recommend that you watch it!

OCTOBER 4: FOUR FEARSOME FLAMES

 ~by Marie Robinson

The flame is a favorite image in a gothic setting. It may come in the form of a candle, or perhaps a fireplace, or maybe even a campfire! Here are a few examples of creepy lights in folklore.

CORPSE CANDLES

These spectral lights originated in Wales when St. David pleaded that his people were given a forewarning of death. He was answered by a vision that before a death, a mysterious candle would appear. This legend has remained popular in Britain and sightings have been reported all over the land. The candles are often seen dimly at a distance, and when you approach, they vanish. They hover over places were a death will occur, and appear to those who will either be the victim of death or a loved one of theirs. Different colors of the flame are believed to mean different things. For example, one candle symbolizes one death, so if there are multiple candles that means there will be multiple deaths. A large flame foretells the death of an adult, and a small blue flame the death of a child.

BAKECHOCHIN

In Japanese this means "haunted lantern", and that's just what it is. The ghosts that inhabit these lanterns are thought to have died in a state of hatred or fury and are condemned to remain on earth. They float and have a long, whipping tongue and mad, rolling eyes.In Japan they have an extensive variety of spirits, creatures, demons and ghosts. The word for monster is "yokai", but Bakechochin aren't just regular yokai, they fit into their own special category. Tsukumogami are inanimate objects that have become exactly one-hundred years old and becomes animate. Yup, its crazy weird, I know, but that is why I love Japanese folklore. There are over a dozen types of Tsukumogami, a few others being umbrellas, tea kettles, clocks, rolls of cotton, straw sandals and--weirdest of all--mosquito nets. Be careful not to light one of these, if you do a ghost or demon might leap out at you!


WILL O' THE WISP

This legend exists all over Europe, and a couple different stories exist around it, too. In any case they are small, bobbing balls of light that float in darkness over the land--commonly over graves or marshlands. There are two main explanations on what these lights are; one of them is that they are souls of the dead who appear when death is imminent (much like a corpse candle, eh?) and lead people home who are lost. The other is pretty much the opposite; that they are faery-folk who lead dazzled travelers until they become lost and then leave them in the darkness. I would be tempted to follow one, myself, but I wouldn't trust one if I were you!

CANDLE SUPERSTITIONS

Candles are creepy and beautiful and fun, and many superstitions exist about them. In Ancient Egypt--one of the oldest cultures known to use candles--they used candles to interpret dreams. There are a few death omens related to candles. For instance, British folklore says that if the wax burns around the candle (as opposed to dripping down the side), it means someone will die; likewise in America if a candle is left burning in an empty room, or in Germany when a wick splits. To reverse a death omen you must put the flame out under running water. You may enlist the help of a ghost to look for treasure if you light a sacred or blessed candle, and if a candle's flame is blue it means a ghost is in the room.

Dead And Undead In The 19th Century: Exit Humanity / Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Article by Marie Robinson

Greetings, readers! I hope you are enjoying your summer, because it is a cool 98 degrees in St. Louis (where is Nick Lachey when you need him?). Did I mention that I hate hot, humid weather? I have been trying to spend most of the daytime in air-conditioned movie theatres, and using the cool nights for walks. Speaking of creatures of the night…

When you think of the American Civil War, you probably think of the battles and the blood, the dead men strewn across the field, who now rest in chipping graves in their very own section of the cemetery (assuming you have a morbid imagination). However, two recent releases have turned our thoughts toward the undead in the eighteen hundreds.

2011’s Exit Humanity and 2012’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter tell tales of centuries-old monsters we know all too well: zombies and vampires. We all have seen a thousand films featuring both, but these two have a shared twist to the old trope.

One of the many things Christine and I have in common is we are sick and tired of zombies, or “dead-walks”, if we want to use the adorable nickname given in the film I have mentioned above. Don’t get me wrong, I love the classics, can’t get enough of the golden days of George A. Romero, but after a while, shit gets old. They have ceased to be scary and instead become stale. Yet as film companies seem to green light ANYTHING that features a drooling, vacant-eyed, blood-smeared face on the poster, I have begun to ask myself, “What else can they do?”

But when I caught wind of Exit Humanity and saw the trailer, I found myself actually excited for a zombie film (I’m sorry if I am hurting any zombie lover’s feelings, I hope I can patch things up between us as this article trails on). Written and directed by John Geddes (who seems to be building himself a career in the horror genre), the film is narrated by Brian Cox who introduces himself as Malcolm Lee. He reads to us from a journal that is written by a distant relative, Edward Young (Mark Gibson). Edward writes to us from a time where the war has just ended, in a Tennessee where zombies outnumber humans. Distraught after having to kill both his wife and son with his own shotgun after they had become monsters just like so many others, he now wanders the wooded South with his horse, Shiloh.

At first I didn’t think I was going to like the movie, it seemed like just another fight for survival among the undead. Now although I am usually very stubborn to watch zombie movies - because I think the story can only be so unique - there is something about zombies that allow for quite a bit of creative flexibility: they don’t exist. But there are a consistent set of traits that people have established about them over the years, and our Civil War era zombies are given the following: they are have no speed beyond a stagger, they must be dealt a fatal wound to the head to be killed, and they possess wide, unsettling, inky-black eyes.

As the movie progressed and the plot thickened, I found myself more and more enthralled by the film. Edward stumbles upon a fellow living person named Isaac (Adam Seybold) who basically forces him to accompany on his crazy mission to find his sister, whom he believes was kidnapped by the dreaded General Williams (played by Bill Moseley, who has been a horror veteran since the 80’s) who has a sinister plan of his own.

Although the time period gave Exit Humanity the film and the genre a refreshing twist, it isn’t the first time we humans have heard of zombies in the American South.

Painting of a Haitian zombie

Voodoo was introduced to Louisiana through Haitian slaves in the seventeen-hundreds, and became abundant in the 19th century. It became a dominant religion among slaves and was also a way for them to express their culture and stay in touch with their tribal roots.

Zombies exist in Voodoo culture as a reanimated corpse, devoid of its soul, that had been resurrected by a Voodoo priest or queen. Voodoo queens became important and powerful figures in the eighteen-hundreds, particularly around the time of the Civil War. Voodoo zombies are usually used as servants, or to carry out some task for the creator; they were often used to work the fields. A priest or queen must capture the soul of the deceased person in order to create a zombie, prevention of this included relatives stabbing a dead loved one in the heart, or cutting off the head.

On encountering his first zombie, our protagonist Edward Young says, “It was though he was alive, but had been stripped of his soul…”

I must admit that I did want to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but the reason I followed through is because I got to see it for free (perks of working at a movie theatre). I suggest that you see it ONLY if you can view it under similar circumstances. The 3D was impressive, and I was into it for about thirty minutes, and then when it started trying to have this whole “serious plot” thing, I was pretty much done.

Unlike zombies, I CANNOT get enough of vampires. If there is a movie where vampires are involved, there is a 90% chance that I will see it, and probably a 70% chance that I will like it.

Similar to zombies, you can play around with appearances and traits, and I must admit, the bloodsuckers were pretty bad-ass looking in Abraham Lincoln. Once they got a taste for that crimson human sweet stuff, their faces get all distorted and hideous—Buffy style! These vamps can also walk in the sun, but they can’t be seen in mirrors… Not that I can really get mad about it—like I’ve said before, they aren’t real.

The film, directed by Timur Bekmambetov (known for Wanted and the Night Watch series) and written by Seth Grahame-Smith (the same guy wrote the book), doesn’t begin during the Civil War. First you meet a poor, young Lincoln who finds his hatred for the undead in the vampire who killed his mother. Years later, in a bar, he meets a man who tells him that he is a vampire hunter, and can teach him the ways of killing the beasts—which isn’t with a wooden stake, but with silver.

Abraham wields his weapon of choice—an axe with a silver blade—and goes to work. Things get awkward for the Yankees when they discover that the Confederacy has vampires in their army, but luckily, Honest Abe is Commander in Chief, and he just-so-happens to be a bad-ass slayer.

Bill Compton serving in the Civil War

Seth Grahame-Smith may think he had the cutest idea by writing Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and he sure as hell made a lot of money on it, but he isn’t the first one to think that the South is a good place for fangers.

True Blood’s own Bill Compton fought for the Confederacy just before he was made into a vampire, and we can’t forget Charlaine Harris, who wrote the series of books that inspired the show that I am truly obsessed with. Horror author heroine Anne Rice, who is a Louisiana native, has written of bloodsuckers in her hometown of New Orleans.

I even have the pleasure of owning a book entitled Vampire Stories from the American South edited by Lawrence Schimel and Martin H. Greenberg, which features stories published as early at 1939.

The South is perhaps the most whimsical, cultural, and mysterious place in the United States; it’s no wonder that the people who die there refuse to stay dead.

Janghwa Hongryeon Eon: A Korean Folktale's Legacy In Film

~article by Marie Robinson

Greetings, ghouls! The main reason I am studying to become a folklorist is because I am a storyteller, and folklore is the stories of our ancestors. My goal is to keep the stories going and not let them die out, because I think it is important to remember our roots.

Thankfully, some tales still get the recognition they deserve, even if that means a retelling. I am a big fan of reinventing old myths and folktales; I do it frequently in my own writing. The story I am talking about today, however, originated from Korea. It’s called “Janghwa Hongryeon jeon”, which translates into “The Story of Janhgwa and Hongryeon”.

The jist of it is that a man named Bae fathered two girls, Janghwa and Hongryeon. Their mother died and Bae remarried a cruel woman. The stepmother kept her hatred for the girls a secret until she had produced three sons, and then she began to abuse the two girls. Janghwa and Hongryeon were too afraid to tell their father of the unspeakable things the woman did to them. Jangwha drowned in a pond while fleeing from her stepmother—one of her sons pushed her into the water to her death. Shortly after Hongryeon joined her sister in death, her body was found floating in the same lake where Janghwa was killed. After the sister’s death, every new mayor who came to govern the town was found dead in their study the following day, until one brave man took the place of mayor. He was in his study when the flames of his candles were extinguished quite suddenly and the door flung open. The apparitions of two girls materialized in the doorway. The mayor demanded to know who they were, and weeping, the girls replied that they had killed the previous mayors only in hopes of someone discovering the truth about their stepmother. The stepmother and her eldest son (who murdered Janghwa) were sentenced to death., and the ghosts of the girls finally found rest.

This folktale has inspired a string of films throughout the years. The first one was a silent film, released in Korea in 1924, simply titled Janghwa Hongryeon jeon (directed by Hyeong-hwang Kim). Two films followed with the same title in 1936 (directed by Hong Gae-myeong), and 1956 (directed by Jeong Chang-hwa). For some reason Jeon Chang-hwa did another rendition of the tale in 1962, this one entitled Dae Jang-hwa Hong-ryeon jeon. 1972 gave us the last Janghwa Hongryeon jeon of the 20th century. All of these films stay pretty close to the folktale’s storyline and character names, and all of them came out relatively close to each other! To be fair, look how many adaptations of Snow White the United States has come out with just this year.

Now… I haven’t seen any of the films previously discussed, but I am quite confident that the 2003 retelling of the fable is the best. It is called A Tale of Two Sisters and it is written and directed by Jee-woon Kim, who also gave us the highly praised 2010 film I Saw the Devil. While A Tale of Two Sisters is modernized and abstract, it does not lose the story that inspired it.

It is the story of the Bae family (a nod to the father’s name in the folktale), more specifically, sisters Su-mi and Su-yeon. Su-mi has just returned to her home from a visit to the mental hospital, where she was coping with the death of her mother. She keeps her shy and silent sister forever at her side and stands up for her in the face of their unpleasant stepmother, who Su-mi affectionately calls, “that woman”. As things at their house become stranger and stranger, and their father grows ever distant, the two girls are on their own in the face of ghosts, tragedy, and womanhood.

This film is a meticulously crafted classic and a masterpiece in horror cinema that takes a new spin on the folktale while still keeping it at its core. Its beautiful and sparse use of music and sound effects allows the drama to break your heart and the suspense to hold you in a terrifying grip. A Tale of Two Sisters is atmospheric and stylish; little light penetrates the shadows within the film’s house. It is a place built with mystery and madness in its frame, and the walls are closing in. The characters are strongly defined, from our protagonist Su-mi, who is struggling with sanity and strength, to the mutely troubled father. The film envelops you with its poetic and complex storyline, where the camera itself is used as a brilliant tool. Korea has proved itself to be a country that knows what is scary, and this film—unclassifiable and unique in its own genre—is no exception.

A final adaptation was made from the myth of the sisters Janghwa and Hungryeon…sadly. The Uninvited calls itself a remake of A Tale of Two Sisters, but this 2008 American film directed by the Guard Brothers is hardly worthy of that claim. Starring Emily Browning and Arielle Kebbel as the sisters, David Strathairn as the father, and Elizabeth Banks (by the way, I hate her) as the evil stepmother, this movie takes shreds of the plot and some laughable replications of scenes from A Tale of Two Sisters and forgets all about the fable, proving it to be hollow and lacking all artistic and emotional qualities.

Well, Janghwa Hongryeon jeon had a good run, regardless. Hopefully it will live on through these films, and not be forgotten with time, for it is a beautiful and heartbreaking tale that has proven to be highly influential in its country of origin. You can keep this story alive by passing it on—be it at a campfire, a bedside, or just by tuning into one of these films!

Book Review: Haunted Legends

*Review by Marie Robinson

Greetings, bibliophiles! I just finished a book that I think is worthy of sharing. The title is Haunted Legends, and it is an anthology edited by Ellen Datlow (who puts together some seriously awesome books) and Nick Mamatas, published by Tor, who specializes in speculative fiction (in case you don’t know, that is science fiction, fantasy, or horror, in brief). They invited the modern masters of the genre to contribute a tale; however, to make it more interesting, they asked the authors to draw inspiration from a legend, ghost story, or folktale from their town.

You all know I am a sucker for folklore, so it was love at first sight when I blindly picked up this book at Barnes & Noble. Usually I go for gothic classics, and I am ashamed to say I was a little wary about reading modern voice, but this book (or maybe these authors) instantly made me feel sorry for being so close-minded. I had never heard of any of the writers, but I am positive I will find myself researching many of them on Amazon once I finish this article. Some of my favorites were from Steven Pirie, Caitlin R. Kiernan, John Mantooth, and Jeffrey Ford. A few of the others have quite an impressive list of previous publishing’s—such as Ramsey Campbell, who has penned dozens of novels and short story collections, and Joe R. Lansdale, whose books have inspired two films by Don Coscarelli, the much beloved Bubba Ho-Tep starring Bruce Campbell, and the Masters of Horror piece Incident On and Off and Mountain Road.

"Spring-Heeled Jack"

Just to give you a taste of what you are in for, let me elaborate on a few of the fables the authors got their inspiration from. There is the legend of La Llorona, a Mexican ghost of a woman who cries at the edge of water. It is said that she is weeping for her children, whom she drowned, drowning herself from grief afterward. Spring-Heeled Jack, a devilish figure who travels across the U.K. in bounding, sky-high leaps, stopping to torment people along the way. A Devil Bird from Texas who bares a face like a gorilla and sends whatever town it is seen in into frenzied panic. And a black car that stalks unfortunate victims, often to their death.

There is a tale from nearly every continent. Some feel familiar, as if a childhood friend has told them to you on a dark night. Others feel fantastical and poetic, pulled from a dream. The stories are most assuredly fiction, but the sources… well, it’s up to you whether or not the legends have any truth to them.
Maybe Haunted Legends has a tale from your very own town! Here is one from mine…

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
Irving's inspiration is said to have come from German folklore.

I reside in St. Louis, Missouri, which holds plenty of folklore itself—such as the famously haunted Lemp Mansion—but the story I want to relay is just across the river in Bellville, Illinois. This town holds a place affectionately called Albino Twin Train Tracks—the name itself is creepy enough to catch your interest. The story goes that a family gave birth to albino twins in the late eighteen hundreds. Soon after, a sickness fell over the town and out of lack of explanation for the cause the residents blamed it on the twins. The albino tots were then strapped to the train tracks and left to their grisly death. Now they are believed to haunt the tracks, and it is told that if you put your car in neutral over the tracks, they will push your car across to safety. Although some people think that the little ghost twins want to push you onto the tracks, for revenge!

I’d like to encourage everyone to share in the comments a local legend they might know from their own town. I love a good spooky tale!