Own Bill Murray's Mansion!

Okay, it's not really Bill Murray's mansion; it's the house in Georgia that was used as the fictional home of Bill Murray in the film Zombieland (2009). I should also mention that you will need at least a few million dollars for your down payment on this very large home. The actual owner of the mansion, Lee Najjar, has put the house on the market with an asking price of 25 million dollars.

In Zombieland, the main characters (portrayed by actors Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin) spend a memorable night in the mansion just prior to the climax of the film at Pacific Playland amusement park. The scenes for Pacific Playland were actually shot at Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park in Georgia, nearly four hours away from where the mansion scenes were filmed (see Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park).

Click here to learn more about the mansion used in the film Zombieland and to see it in Google Streetview.

-Tom G

They Went Out, but They Didn't Come Back

The Maritime Memorial Park in Astoria, Oregon was consecrated on this date (August 14, 1993) to pay tribute to the local lives that spent their careers at sea - some of which, never came home. Located directly under the Astoria-Megler Bridge (featured in such films as The Goonies, Free Willy, Kindergarten Cop, and The Ring Two), the wall of remembrance is chalked full of stories of the dangerous and sometimes interesting life of sailors and crews that work the open water. Among those featured are the crew of the U.S.S. Astoria (lost in World War II), the coast guard and merchants that were lost where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean (see Mouth of the Columbia River), and a captain of a halibut fishing vessel who freely spoke of his encounters with a large sea monster (nicknamed Colossal Claude locally, but known worldwide as Cadborosaurus or Caddy). The memorial was a filming location for the upcoming horror film, Crimps, by local filmmaker Mick Alderman.

Read about their accounts at Dark Destinations.

-Casey H.

30th Anniversary of The Amityville Horror

On this date in 1979, the first film in a popular haunted house franchise hit screens. On July 27, The Amityville Horror was unleashed and became a box-office success worldwide. The film starred James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger and was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Jay Anson. Of course, the film told of the alleged real-life haunting of the Lutz Family in a house located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York (see Amityville Horror House).

The residence that doubled as that infamous house for the film was actually located in nearby Toms River, New Jersey, as Amityville officials turned down the studio's request to film there – reportedly already fed up with the exposure from the alleged haunting. The success of The Amityville Horror was spawned into countless sequels and even a remake in 2005 (see Amityville Horror Movie House (2005)) and reinvigorated the haunted house sub-genre of horror films. In fact, as this film celebrates its 30th Anniversary, another film based on an reputed haunting tore up screens earlier this year and is currently on top of the DVD rental charts - The Haunting in Connecticut (see The Haunting in Connecticut House).

Celebrate 30 years with a trip to Tom's River.

-Casey H.

The Sun Rises on Day of the Dead

Following the cult-like status of his previous zombie films (Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead), George A. Romero set out in 1984 to make the third film in the original trilogy. Although it had a limited release just weeks earlier, Day of the Dead zombie-walked into a much wider release on this day in 1985. Romero had originally intended to make a high budget zombie film and he had arranged around seven million in financing. However, the budget was sliced in half after a dispute arose between the financiers and Romero when the latter insisted that the film be released unrated, rather than submit it to the Motion Pictures Association of America and receive a probable 'X' rating.

Although the film utilized locations in both Pennsylvania (the ol' stomping grounds in former Romero zombie films) and Florida, the major set piece of Day of the Dead was an underground military facility where the humans could live in safety from the zombie apocalypse outside. In reality, the base was a former limestone mine (known as the Wampum Mine in Wampum, Pennsylvania) that had been converted into an underground storage facility shortly after World War II. Today, the facility still serves in that capacity and is now known as the Gateway Commerce Center. While the inside may be locked off to tourists interested in its zombie-lore past, it still manages to hold a special place in the pantheons of the Romero's Dead films.

Read more on the Wampum Mine.

-Casey H.

The Myths and Legends of the Hollywood Sign

Now a world-famous landmark, the Hollywood Sign was originally erected in 1923 to advertise real estate above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. It was officially dedicated on July 13 and each letter on the sign originally measured 30 feet wide and 50 feet high (it has since been resized) and adorned with light bulbs - 4,000 in total. While the real estate deal didn't work out, the sign was unofficially adopted by the burgeoning film industry as a symbolic marquee of the very industry itself.

Today, the sign is maintained by the Hollywood Sign Trust and has countless imitators around the world. While the sign is an iconic image for Hollywood, it is also the subject of countless of stories. Aside from the various urban legends about the sign, the various pranks throughout the years, its regular appearance (and typically destruction in film and television), the sign was also the site of a tragic suicide of a young starlet within a decade of its dedication. Following her death, the sign has also become the source for countless tales of paranormal activity and apparitions that are said to haunt the sign to this day.

Read all of the stories of the Hollywood Sign.

-Casey H.

A Change of Ownership at the Bates Motel

On this date in 1987, the NBC network debuted the two-hour TV movie, Bates Motel, which picked up on the legacy of the Psycho series. In the film, an inmate by the name of Alex West (Bud Cort) is cell mate with the notorious Norman Bates (Kurt Paul). Near death, Bates encourages the soon-to-be-released West to take over ownership of his infamous hotel and bring it back to respectability. West is aided by a runaway named Willie (Lori Petty) in his new venture, but strange things begin to happen.

Marketed at the time as a thriller/comedy, Bates Motel was originally conceptualized as the pilot to a potential new series. As it turned out, it had a respectful debut and placed number one in programming against reruns on other networks. Regardless, studio executives decided against continuing the storyline in series format and the idea was shelved. Today, copies of Bates Motel are hard to come by, as the TV movie has had no known official DVD release. Naturally, the infamous Bates Motel and Psycho House on the Universal back lot were used for the new take on the Psycho mythos, as they were for the films (with one exception). While they are easily recognizable from those works, it is not generally known that the motel and house have also made quite a few appearances in other unrelated works as well.

Read more on the history of the famous set pieces - Psycho House and Bates Motel.

-Casey H.

Vampire Proms and Ghosts at the View Point Inn

On this date in 1925, the now world-famous View Point Inn opened its doors and offered its guests a spectacular view of the Columbia River Gorge in Corbett, Oregon. Although originally opened as the Palmer House, the inn underwent various name changes with consecutive owners until current owner Geoff Thompson reopened the facility in 2007.

Since its purchase and reopening, staff and guests alike have reported unexplained ghostly phenomenon. Among the wide-range of activity cited (credited to not one but two ghosts) are cigar smoke that appears from nowhere, disembodied footsteps, doors that open and close on their own, drapes that jump off their supports, the sounds of a child giggling, and more. Although its paranormal stories are only now coming to light, the View Point Inn is perhaps more famous for its recent appearance in the 2008 hit vampire film, Twilight. In the film, the inn played host to the famous prom sequence, which appears at the end of the movie. Not missing an opportunity when it lands on their laps, the View Point Inn continues to host Twilight-themed parties and events to this day.

Read more on the View Point Inn.

-Casey H.

Tornadoes and Zombies in Pennsylvania

In July 1967, a group of filmmakers descended on a cemetery in rural Pennsylvania to film the opening scene of their small independent horror film. The film involved a group of survivors trying to find refuge as the dead inexplicably became reanimated and sought to devour living human flesh. The small film was George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead and it is considered one of the greatest (and most important) horror films of all time. Its success and cult following has also transformed Evans City Cemetery into a must-see tourism spot for fans interested in seeing where it all began.

In the fictional world, the cemetery in essence ushered in a zombie apocalypse that resulted in several sequels and countless imitations – spawning the flesh-devouring sub-genre of zombie horror films. Evans City Cemetery is still overly recognizable as that virtual “ground zero” of the dead rising from the grave… mostly. Some visitors to the grounds might not know that the cemetery was the site of true chaos and destruction a couple of decades following the film’s release – courtesy of Mother Nature. On May 31, 1985, a tornado touched down on the cemetery grounds and wiped out trees, shrubbery, a mausoleum, and displaced 361 gravestones. It was only one of many tornadoes that struck the state of Pennsylvania (and surrounding states) that day, which caused mass destruction and took the lives of 69 people.

Pay a visit to Evans City Cemetery.

-Casey H.

The Police Station from A Nightmare on Elm Street

Although set it an unnamed Midwestern town (it would not be until the sequel that the city name of Springwood was unveiled and the later television series that established the state as Ohio), Wes Craven's classic 1984 horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street, was shot in-and-around Los Angeles, California, as were many of its sequels. Today, we are focusing in on the location that doubled as the "5th Precinct" police station where the main character, Nancy Thompson's (Heather Langenkamp) father (John Saxon) worked. It was also the site where Nancy's friend, Rod (Nick Corri), meets his demise by getting strung up in his sleep by Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund).

In reality, the 5th Precinct Police Station is actually the Cahuenga Branch Library that has been serving the area since 1916 and is one of the few surviving libraries in Los Angeles that was funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie. In fact, the Cahuenga Branch Library is celebrating an anniversary of sorts today. On May 19, 1987, it had the honor of joining a few other libraries in the city in being added to the National Register of Historic Places. Although it has had some recent remodeling, the library is still easily identifiable from its role in the film - including the window next to the right entrance where Nancy checked in on Rod.

Read more about the library or read up on other locations from A Nightmare on Elm Street.

-Casey H.

Cursed Videotapes in Astoria

Five years ago today, filmmakers behind the horror sequel, The Ring Two, held an open casting call in Astoria, Oregon looking for extras to appear in the new film. The event was held at the Astoria Middle School, which ironically also managed to land its own role in the film as the school of Aidan Keller (David Dorfman), the son (and later vessel of the evil spirit) of the main character, Rachel (Naomi Watts). Following the box office success of the first film (which itself was a remake of the Japanese horror film, Ringu), a sequel was quickly given the green light.

The action shifted from Seattle, Washington from the first film to this small port city on the northwest corner of Oregon. Rachel and Aidan fled to Astoria (also playing itself in the film) to escape from the evil force known as Samara, who kills anyone who happens to watch her cursed videotape. The middle school was not the only local setting to make an appearance in the film, as production took place at various spots around the community. The area might be familiar to moviegoers for its appearances in other films as well. Aside from The Ring Two, Astoria has also been utilized for such films as The Goonies (and we have a few of those locations as well), Kindergarten Cop, Short Circuit, Free Willy, and many more.

Most recently, Astoria appeared in the Lovecraft-inspired film, Cthulhu, and I have already personally visited many of the locations seen in that film. Keep an eye on the site over the next few weeks as they are added to the list as well. In the meantime, check out the various locations we have assembled that appeared in the 2005 horror sequel, The Ring Two:

Astoria Middle School (Aidan's school)
The City Park (opening scene)
Crossover Road (deer attack)
The Daily Astorian (Rachel's employer)
The Keller House (the home of the main characters)

-Casey H.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown

In 1972, director Charles B. Pierce made a splash with the surprise success of the low budget film, The Legend of Boggy Creek. The movie was presented in a docudrama format and detailed the legend of the so-called Fouke Monster in Boggy Creek just outside Fouke, Arkansas (see Boggy Creek, Arkansas). Pierce lived nearby in Texarkana, Texas and had formerly worked as an advertising salesman before his venture into filmmaking. The Legend of Boggy Creek grossed around $20 million and its gritty documentary-style approach unnerved theatergoers in drive-ins around the country.

In early-1977, Pierce would again return to the docudrama format for the horror film, The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Like The Legend of Boggy Creek, the new film played off another local legend in the area - The Moonlight Murders. The story dated back to early-1946 when the so-called Phantom Killer tormented the city of Texarkana, Texas over a period of a couple months. It started on February 22 with an attack that left two young adults injured but alive. Over the next two months (see March 24 and April 14), four more people were killed at the hands of the unknown assailant and police were desperate for leads. The Phantom Killer struck one more time (this time just across the border in Arkansas) on May 3 that left one victim dead and another in serious condition. The killer was never caught.

The events of 1946 were framed as a pseudo-documentary for The Town that Dreaded Sundown and followed a Texas Ranger as he attempted to crack the case. Much like the realness of The Legend of Boggy Creek caught viewers off-guard, the docudrama approach (complete with a narrator) chilled viewers across the world for Pierce's take on the infamous murders of Texarkana. Today, The Town that Dreaded Sundown is considered a minor cult classic.

-Casey H.

Invitation to Love and Twin Peaks

On this date in 1990, David Lynch's quirky serial drama Twin Peaks debuted on ABC. While the action and odd events played out in the Pacific Northwest, a fictional soap opera was also unraveling on the television screens seen in the background of the series. That show-within-a-show was called Invitation to Love and its plot and action eerily mirrored the action that was taking place in Twin Peaks. Invitation to Love only appeared during the first season of Twin Peaks, but it carries the distinction of being one of only a few "shows" to actually film inside Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Ennis House in Los Angeles, California.

Originally built in 1924, the unique house is built completely of 16-inch concrete blocks and is modeled slightly after ancient Mayan temples. Over the years, the house has been featured in such works as House on Haunted Hill, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade Runner, Predator 2, and many more. Today, the house is undergoing major renovations to save the historical landmark and preserve it for future interested tourists, as well as presumably for future TV and movie productions as well.

Read more on the Ennis House.

-Casey H.

The Exorcist and the Academy Awards

On this date in 1974, the William Friedkin film, The Exorcist, entered the 46th Academy Awards with an impressive 10 nominations, including such heavies as Best Picture, Director (William Friedkin), Actress (Ellen Burstyn), Supporting Actress (Linda Blair), Supporting Actor (Jason Miller), Adapted Screenplay (William Peter Blatty), and more. It was a notable and remarkable feat, as the Academy has long been accused of looking down on "genre" films, with only a few exceptions (most notably, The Silence of the Lambs years later). By the time the night was over (marked by the infamous streaker that did little to unsettle David Niven), The Exorcist had made only two trips to the podium, watching instead as The Sting took most of the major awards and the actors and actresses awards being spread among other more conventional films. Despite this, The Exorcist still managed to grab the Oscar for Best Sound and, even more impressively, an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for William Peter Blatty who adapted his own novel to screen.

In honor of the film's achievement 35 years ago, we thought it would be a good opportunity to pay a visit to two of those infamous locations seen in The Exorcist. The first stop is the "MacNeil House" in Washington D.C.'s Georgetown (see The Exorcist (1973): The MacNeil House) - where so much fog was used to mark the arrival of the character of Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) that nearby-Virginia firefighters rushed to the scene, mistakenly believing that the neighborhood was on fire. Right next to the home used is the infamous staircase where Father Karras took his self-sacrificing leap to save the day (see The Exorcist Steps) - a popular stop for tourists to the area today. The horror genre's moments in Oscar recognition have been few and far between, but here's hoping that a few more gems are on the horizon that even the Academy cannot ignore.

-Casey H.

The Twilight Movie Location Travel Guide

Tonight at midnight, retailers around the United States are staying open late for an early-morning release of the much-anticipated two-disc DVD set of Twilight. The film hit theaters back in November and became a smash-hit, raking in just under $200 million in domestic box-office receipts alone. The film was based on the first novel of an equally popular series of books from author Stephenie Meyer that involves the relationship between a teenager and a century-old vampire.

The books are set in and around the small, yet very real, city of Forks, Washington (see Forks, Washington), which has seen over a 50% increase in tourism from fans of the series. The popularity and interest in seeing the locations in the book firsthand completely caught the city off-guard, but they have firmly embraced the interest and the fans - With the Chamber of Commerce going so far as to create a driving tour of the various locales (see Forks Chamber of Commerce Twilight Tours).

The filmmakers behind the big screen adaptation of Twilight were interested in filming in the real Forks (and La Push and Port Townsend), but found that the cities were too small to accommodate the cast and crew of a major motion picture production. In addition, the state of Oregon to the south of Washington stepped up to the plate and offered similar settings and a major incentive to lure the production to the state. Filming commenced in northern Oregon (with some filming in southern Washington) and included such Oregon cities as St. Helens, Vernonia, Portland, Oregon City, Carver and more. Needless to say, the locations used in the film have seen a similar growth in tourism to the area.

Filming is already underway on the next entry in the series, New Moon, but the state of Oregon was unable to match the incentives offered in first film and the production has again relocated - this time to Vancouver, British Columbia with a few extra weeks of filming in Italy. However, in anticipation of the DVD's release, we figured we would revisit its time in Oregon and include the list of that actual locations used in the production of Twilight; including both locations seen in the theatrical version, as well as a few that will most likely emerge on the DVD's deleted scenes.

Twilight Film Locations:

• Forks Police Station (Where Bella and Edward discover the death of Charlie's friend)
  
• Forks High Exteriors (In reality, Kalama High School)
  
• Forks High Interiors (In reality, Madison High School)
  
• Petite Jolie (The dress shop)
  
• Courthouse (Seen outside the dress shop and in possible deleted scenes)
  
• Bloated Toad (The restaurant)
  
• Thunderbird and Whale (The bookstore)
  
• The Alley and Parking Lot (Where Edward comes to Bella's rescue)
  
• The View Point Inn (The dance)
  
• The Carver Cafe (Where Charlie and Bella spend time)
  
• First Beach (Where Jacob tells Bella about Edward)
  
• Oxbow Park (Part of the meadow scene)
  
• Stone Cliff Inn (Part of the meadow scene)
  
• The Greenhouses (The school fieldtrip)
  
• The Marina (Where Waylon is attacked)
  
• Industrial Factory (Where the night watchman is attacked)
  
• Multnomah Falls (Seen in the baseball scene and a major deleted scene)
  
• Silver Falls State Park (Scenes in the trees and opening deer sequence)
  

If those are not enough for you, we also offer the individual Washington locations in Forks, La Push, and Port Townsend from the books that are considered the "must-stops" for fans of the series. We are still hard at work and tracking down more locations from the books, as well as starting the preliminary scouting of locations used in the upcoming sequel, New Moon. Stay tuned!

-Casey H.

Earthquakes, Vampires, and Slayers in Torrance

Two unconnected but lasting milestones on this date in history are shared by a high school in Torrance, California. On March 10, 1933, Torrance High School was heavily damaged by the Long Beach Earthquake, which jolted the area with a magnitude of 6.4. Over 115 lives were lost throughout the area and the damage was quite severe. At the high school, the top of the main administration and the school's auditorium completely collapsed. Fortunately, school was out of session and no lives were lost inside the school, but the quake left behind a large sinkhole that the students quickly nicknamed, "Sunken Gardens."

64 years later to the day - On March 10, 1997, the fledgling network, The WB, launched a spin-off television series from a 1992 film and mind of writer/creator Joss Whedon. The show was called Buffy the Vampire Slayer and right off the bat, featured front and center as a set piece, was Torrance High School, which doubled as Sunnydale High in the series. The show quickly grew a cult following, basked in critical acclaim, and continued for seven successful seasons. The high school only went along for part of the ride, as Buffy and the Scooby Gang sacrificed it (i.e. blew it up) at the end of season three in order to take out the infamous Mayor. Of course, its explosive ending had to wait until two months after the season had officially wrapped in the United States, as nervous network executives yanked the finale from the schedule. Just a month before it was set to air, the Columbine School massacre shook the nation and the thought of airing an episode that depicts high school students blowing up their high school on the heels of the tragedy was too much for those executives. The episode finally aired later that summer.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is hardly the only production to make use of the school. In its celluloid life, the school has been known as a variety of names, including the ironic John Hughes High in the teen film-parody, Not Another Teen Movie. Its various appearances include an appearance in a Wes Craven horror film and countless other movies and series. Those appearances are only part of the story though, as the high school is also notable for many of its famous alumni that include entertainers, sports figures, and World War II heroes. Back in the entertainment world however, it is also known quite famously as West Beverly High School from the Fox series, Beverly Hills 90210, and again these days in the CW spin-off, 90210. Finally, it has also reportedly been featured in recent episodes of the NBC series, Medium, where as irony would have, last night's episode started off with an earthquake.

Take a trip to the building that formerly sat on the Hellmouth.

-Casey H.

An Amityville Horror in Jersey

As The Haunting in Connecticut feature film adaptation (I have to admit, the A&E made-for-tv version was very creepy) is about to hit theaters later this month, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at another well known adaptation of a reputedly true story in the original 1979 The Amityville Horror. In this case, the house and storyline needs little introduction, as most are now very familiar with the house formerly on 112 Ocean Avenue (see Amityville Horror House). The alleged story of the Lutz family and their short stay at the house was documented in the 1977 book, The Amityville Horror by author Jay Anson, that went on to sell a total of three to ten million copies depending on the source.

Given the surge of the horror genre in the 1970s, it isn't all that surprising that Hollywood quickly moved in and turned that book into a full-length feature film. Naturally, the filmmakers turned their eyes immediately to the town where it all happened and sought permission to shoot in the New York village, but ran into a few issues. It turns out that the Amityville officials were less than thrilled about the attention they were receiving because of the Lutz's story and Anson's book and were openly skeptical of the truthfulness of the account. Needless to say, the filming permits were turned down.

Film producer Samuel Z. Arkoff and American International Pictures then turned their attention to Toms River, New Jersey - approximately 60 miles away from Amityville. There they were greeted with open arms and found a suitable home to double as the infamous house, after $15,000 of remodeling. Various other locales throughout the town were utilized for the film and several of Toms River citizens appeared as extras. In total, it is estimated that the production pumped a quarter of a million dollars into the local economy. After filming had wrapped, several sources report that the filmmakers honored the town by giving them a special screening of The Amityville Horror in March 1979 - though no specific date is mentioned.

The film would later see a wide release in July of the same year and the story of the haunted house on Ocean Avenue would be known around the world. We'll revisit the film later this year as it reaches its 30-year anniversary to study the aftermath and subsequent sequels. In the meantime -

Pay a visit to the "Amityville House" in Toms River.

-Casey H.

Come See the Eighth Wonder of the World

On March 2, 1933, the new RKO venture, King Kong, opened in New York City, New York and immediately smashed box office records (and even a few box offices in the film). The film displayed the latest cutting edge special effects (in the cyclical nature of moviemaking, we went from an animated ape in the original to a man wearing an ape suit in the 1976 remake to a man providing the movements for an animated ape in the 2005 version) and an odd little love story between a woman (Fay Wray) and a giant ape. Of course, King Kong would go on to capture all of our hearts (and later, Jessica Lange and Naomi Watts as well).

New York City was an obvious choice to play host to the premiere, since the film started and ended in the city. In fact, a very familiar New York City landmark is shown immediately at the start and is also the site of the film's climax, although it had only been opened for a few years at that point - The Empire State Building. Some have even theorized that the building was a mirror of King Kong - directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack's nifty little warning about the excesses of man. Regardless, the two would become forever entwined in modern culture. In fact, it could easily be argued that few "set pieces" have so ever firmly embraced and continued to celebrate their role in a movie quite like the Empire State Building and King Kong.

Read the article below to see what happened when a giant inflatable ape took over the building on the 50th Anniversary of the film's release, or how the building's employees protested when the 1976 remake moved the climax to the World Trade Center. Finally, read about the touching tribute from the owners of the structure when actress Fay Wray passed away in 2004. King Kong is only one of the many stories of the Empire State Building, but it is one of the most enduring.

Scale the Empire State Building with King Kong.

-Casey H.

Accident at the Original Camp Crystal Lake

With the remake of Friday the 13th raking in the money at the box office over the last two weekends, it seems appropriate that we take a trip to the original camp that doubled as Camp Crystal Lake - Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in New Jersey. The camp is privately owned by NNJC Boy Scouts of America and is completely off-limits to Friday the 13th fans - in fact, it has often been reported that the managers are less than thrilled about their camp's appearance in the 1980 film directed by Sean Cunningham. Friday fans are entirely discouraged from trying to set foot on the property.

However, before it became the infamous hunting grounds of the Vorhees family, Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco witnessed a real-life tragedy in the midst of World War II. On this date in 1944, a B-17 Flying Fortress got lost in a heavy fog and crashed into the nearby Kittatinny Ridge. The 11 Army officers and one Royal Air Force navigator were killed instantly. With many of their families and friends serving in the military overseas, the scouts of Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco came to the plane's tail-gunner section one month after the crash and lit a council fire to memorialize the lost airmen.

Several years later, horror filmmakers would come calling and launch Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco to a whole new level of fame as Camp Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th. Two decades after that appearance, it became Camp Spirit Lake with tales of murder, ghosts, and satanic rituals for an episode of the MTV reality series, Fear. Today it is known worldwide for the fictional carnage depicted in the two works, but few know about the very real-life tragedy that descended on the camp years before.

Pay a visit to Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco.

-Casey H.

The Legend of Boggy Creek Lives On

Last Sunday, I posted an entry on the White River Monster that is said to lurk in the waters of northwest Arkansas. For today, let's move to the southwest corner of the state to explore an entirely different creature said to lurk in the woods near Boggy Creek. On this week's episode of the History series, MonsterQuest, they explored the legends of the so-called Boggy Creek Monster (also known as the Fouke Monster) and tried to track down evidence of its existence. They were unsuccessful, but they were not the first nor will they be the last to try.

In the world of horror films, the Boggy Creek Monster was immortalized in the 1972-docudrama, The Legend of Boggy Creek, by filmmaker Charles B. Pierce. The film was a dramatization of events (with a few additions for dramatic effect) that reportedly played out only a year before around the small town of Fouke, Arkansas. The film was released to drive-in theaters around the nation and became something of a cult-classic - its stark semi-documentary style eliciting nightmares from unsuspecting moviegoers. It would go on to spawn a few sequels and Pierce would again use the docudrama approach for another film based around different local events (we'll be visiting that one next month).

If MonsterQuest is correct, the Boggy Creek Monster is more often sighted far to the north these days, but that is not to say that it hasn't left an impression on the town of Fouke. The well known Boggy Creek Monster life-sized stand (see photo above) is located in the center of town and remains a popular tourist stop for those that want to take photos with their face giving the beast an identity. It is located directly next to Peavy's Monster Mart, which offers a sampling of t-shirts, magnets, and other assorted goods associated with their local cryptid (see Peavy's Monster Mart. Just up the road is Smokey's Two-Books Bookstore and Museum, which is run by acclaimed Smokey Crabtree, who appeared in the film and has gone on to write books about his life in the area, the Fouke Monster, and the real-life horror story that was the making of The Legend of Boggy Creek (see Smokey's Two-Books Bookstore and Museum). The creature reportedly may have moved on, but its legend is still firmly implanted in Fouke and nearby Boggy Creek.

See what lurks in Boggy Creek.

-Casey H.

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls in Oregon recently came to the international attention of fans of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga due to its use in the filming of the Twilight movie. However, the location has long been known for an association with the paranormal long before Meyer's fictional vampires came to play there. Native American legend holds that Multnomah Falls were created by the Great Spirit because of the sacrifice of a young maiden. Some believe that it is that long dead maiden who haunts the falls even in modern day. Stories of haunting at the falls include a woman's face appearing in the cascading water as well as a feminine figure clad in white appearing near the falls.

Multnomah Falls is also of interest for cryptozoologists. There have been multiple Bigfoot sightings in the area around the falls. In 1986, one couple, along with their infant child, are said to have had a remarkable (and somewhat frightening) encounter with a Sasquatch at a rest stop not far from the falls.

Pay a visit to Multnomah Falls. It's not just for vampires.

-Tom G