Whispers of the Old Hag: why Sleep Paralysis is probably behind some of our creepiest myths

Whispers of the Old Hag: why Sleep Paralysis is probably behind some of our creepiest myths

Posted inWorks by Eric, Writing
This piece originally appeared in the July/August 2008 edition of Weird Tales magazine, issue #350. It once appeared online, but their online archives appear to be gone, so I'm taking it upon myself to post it here for posterity's sake. Halloween seemed like the perfect day to do it, too. If you've ever suffered from sleep paralysis -- waking up and being unable to move -- you should read this. WHISPERS OF THE OLD HAG by Eric San Juan The thing was made of light and shadow; skeletal, pale, with ribs like talons and deep eager eyes. I did not…
The Ghosts of Lakehurst Hangar No. 1: A real life ghost story

The Ghosts of Lakehurst Hangar No. 1: A real life ghost story

Posted inWorks by Eric, Writing
Halloween is almost here, so I figured I'd pull this out of the archives. The following is a real life ghost story plucked from my book, Lakehurst: Barrens, Blimps & Barons. It was initially written for Weird Tales magazine and was penned alongside an essay on sleep paralysis called "Whispers of the Old Hag," which one reviewer said was about "a real life condition that can be as terrifying as any horror story." (For some reason, "Whispers" is no longer online at Weird Tales, so I've posted it in full right here.) "Ghosts" didn't make the cut, but that was okay. I…

A midnight visit from the Vampyr

Posted inFilms, Videos
Surprise! It's midnight on Halloween. You thought my week o' public domain horror films was over with Night of the Living Dead. You were wrong. Director Carl Dreyer directed one of the great films of all time, The Passion of Joan of Arc, which I once called "a blessing to the world of cinema." Four years later he would direct Vampyr, a ghostly, ostentatious, bold, experimental film. It's dark and slow and brooding and moody and forgoes an engrossing story in exchange for an engrossing atmosphere. Twilight this ain't. Happy midnight. Enjoy the film. (I've changed the embedded video to…

Night of the Living Dead!

Posted inFilms, Geek Stuff, Videos
For Halloween, I thought I'd go with the big daddy. One of the kings of them all. Grandfather of one of the most popular subgenres of horror today. I'm talking, of course, about George Romero's classic, Night of the Living Dead. Now THIS is a legendary film. When it comes to modern zombies, it's the one that started it all. And it's still fantastic. It also happens to be in the public domain (see below), so for this Halloween take a gander back at a flick you probably haven't seen in a while: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_f2Enn8x5s Some things to note: * When…

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962)

Posted inFilms, Videos
We'll cap off this Halloween season foray into public domain horror films tomorrow with the biggest classic of the classics, but for now let's just have fun with the schlocky B-movie fun of The Brain That Wouldn't Die, a 1962 flick about a doctor who keeps his girlfriend's decapitated head alive and goes in search of a body to attach it to. Two of the characters in this movie are billed as "Blonde Stripper" and "Brunet Stripper," so you know this is good cinema. Oh yeah. It's in the public domain, so check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ljDDpEg2ZM The movie is freely…