On Nights Of Halloween

A black cat flying through the air.
A man whose head just isn't there.
A vampire in a dentist's chair.
The moonlight's stunning silver flare.

A snowman on the beach in June.
A werewolf howling at the moon.
A skeleton casting his rune.
A banshee whistling a strange tune.

Are the strangest things I have seen.
Except on nights of Halloween.

© 2016 W.P. Rigler

find more W. P. Rigler poetry in Summoned Secrets at www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler

Vampire Lore

     The October country has arrived.  What better night of the year is there to celebrate chills down the spine and things that go bump in the night then the fast approaching Halloween?  Dozens costumed as witches, werewolves, zombies and vampires will saunter down streets to add candy to their bags of sweet booty.  But each iconic creature has a heritage beyond the common ideas of modern writers and readers, of bizarre beliefs that people once cherished as the best way to survive supernatural encounters.

     My monster of preference has always been the vampire.  But what really are the facts behind the ancient fanged predators of the night?  Did you know that vampires might be the first and only OCD  monster as it was once believed that if one dropped a handful of pebbles the creature would take the time to count the fallen objects instead of pursuing its prey?  And don’t think you can kill a vampire with a wooden stake through the heart.  A wooden stake will just pin the vampire in its coffin, ’cause the creature is already dead!  My how the vampire’s reputation has evolved over the years, from filthy smelly undead beast whose scent was stronger then garlic to a figure of dark romance.

     I’ve written about vampires in several stories and even a novella titled Terror’s Taste in which I attempted to add to the vampire legacy with my own origin of the species dating back to Atlantis, and answer some of the mystery of the vampire’s special relationship with mirrors.  All in all though I’ve tried to remain loyal to the original personality of the vampire – a creature cursed to the night with little humanity remaining.

     At Monstermania in Baltimore I listened with great curiosity to Christopher Sarandon speaking of fashioning his vampire character for the 80’s film Fright Night.  Apparently the director wanted each actor to dwell on their character’s backstories and further flesh out who they were portraying.  Faced with playing an ancient vampire, Sarandon chose to turn his attention to bats and found that there were more fruit eating bats then vampire bats.  Hence his character was often seen munching on an apple, as a tribute to the character’s bat lineage not focused on blood.

     Have a happy Halloween, whichever monster you may embrace for it.  And I hope you’ll enjoy one of my frightening stories from Midnight Writings or Summoned Secrets available at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler

Fright Night reunion at Monstermania with Christopher Sarandon (far left)
 

Monsters!

     Monsters have always held our attention, whether presented by a storyteller, upon the written page or upon a screen.  Homer's Odyssey featured various horrific creatures, most notably the Cyclops which had a hankering for human flesh.  Other monsters like werewolves and vampires have invaded our nightmares in various forms.   Scientists such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein have sought to learn life's mystery by mastering science with frightening results.
     And then there are those walking horrors so popular on TV of late - zombies.
     Just because a guy gets his face covered with latex and drenched with fake blood to roam about in search of brains, he's automatically labeled a zombie enthusiast and expert.  I must admit that I approached appearing in Trailer Park of the Living Dead with a limited amount of zombie knowledge.  I had watched the classic vintage version of Night of the Living Dead but had not seen most of that film's sequels or the more modern renderings like 28 Days Later, in which I believe zombies have actually sped up quite a bit.  In fact I confess that of the usual lineup of iconic horror characters, my preference lies with those fun fanged denizens of the night - vampires!
     Both vampires and zombies have their fair share of the horror market and fans' hearts - as well as their throats or brains.  I've gotten to play a vampire briefly in Mortal and have stumbled around as a zombie in a few low budget pictures.  I thought I might indulge in a comparison in honor of the approach of Halloween - the holiday when everyone enjoys hearing of or dressing as monsters. 

1.  A Horrific Heritage - For far reaching historic and global folklore, the vampire seems far ahead.  Some point as far back as the biblical Lilith for the vampire's bloody origins.  Plus thanks to Bram Stoker and Dracula, the vampire has a far loftier literary heritage.
WINNER - VAMPIRES

2. The Confidence Factor - Gotta go with zombies on this one.  Ever heard of a zombie questioning its existence or trying to blend in with humanity?  Hell no!  They just want to eat your brains and make no excuses for it!
WINNER - ZOMBIES

3.  Masters of Movie Mayhem - Both Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee made impressive Draculas.  There are few films as atmospheric with creepiness and chills as the silent Nosferatu.  This vampire was hideous to look at, a far cry from today's pretty boy bloodsuckers.  The zombie has also undergone quite a few cinematic makeovers, starting with White Zombie...hey here's Bela again!  But it was Night of the Living Dead that took the zombie from labouring mindlessly at home on a plantation and gave him an appetite for freshly freed organs.  Night of the Living Dead really renovated the whole zombie myth and released low budget movie makers' most graphic dreams.
DRAW

4.  Convention Fun -  I'm no stranger to horror cons, and it seems that the zombie isn't either!  I've seen tables touting the chance to have your picture taken with a zombie, the opportunity to have your zombie portrait drawn, and even been given a zombie survival packet.  I always see a few bloody zombies wandering about.  Course maybe the vampires are just blending in...
WINNER - ZOMBIES

5.  TV Terrors - While The Walking Dead is currently very popular on TV - Vampires seem a lot more active in this field.  TV vampires range from Dark Shadows in the 60's to Buffy to Tru Blood.
WINNER VAMPIRES

6.  The Better Role - This is my favorite category, where I get to plug the two films I acted oh so briefly in.  After the application of latex to my face to give me ghoulish good looks and being soaked with red liquid to prove I meant bloody business, I was ready to join the zombie horde in Trailer Park of the Living Dead.  I'm not sure that I can say that it was a meaty role, but the character certainly was fond of meat as he wandered through woods and pursued an ice cream truck more interested in its drivers then its frosty treats.  There were plenty of victims and organs available for a zombie to indulge in on the set as you get in the zen mindset of a walking monster whose only desire is to satisfy his horrible hunger to the tune of his own growl.  Of course once you're out of that mindset and character there's the cleaning up to do.  A lot.  I think I had a bright pink under my fingernails for a week after the first shoot.  But I've learned that dial's glycerine based soap are a wonder for removing fake blood, so I am wiser now.


Director Kat Lehmer & I on the set of Mortal.

For my vampire role in Mortal, there was no such makeup concerns.  In fact the sole wardrobe instructions were to wear black.  And there was no mindless roaming through the woods, I was on a quite cool set.  The vampire has long been the most talkative of monsters and I was given the challenge of a line.  I delivered it appropriately enough through the various takes.  Okay, perhaps I flubbed it once.
So how do I pick the better role?  I had a great time playing both.  Perhaps I should just wait and see which role I receive an award for.
DRAW









Well I guess my little comparison has ended in draw, meaning I may have a future in politics.







My ponderings on the nature of horror in film, horror conventions and film making are also to be found in my new book Midnight Writings available at www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler

Halloween Treats

As Halloween approaches there are numerous treats associated with the season - colorful leaves, parties with lavish offerings of candy, and scary tales.  The movies are a great medium for terrifying tales dating back to its inception. 

Some of the most spellbinding horror films I've ever seen are silent era offerings from the German expressionist cinema.  The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a captivatingly filmed production utilizing bizarre angles to nightmarish effect as it ensnares its viewers in a sinister tale of a sleep walker causing havoc in a small village.  There's a twist at the end which I've read is a result of  1920's
German censorship.  In 1922  F. W. Murnau treated audiences to another frightening silent Greman classic - Noserfatu.  The film counts as the first adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula (although the name Dracula was not used in hope of avoiding payment to the Stoker estate).  The movie is as spooky as possible with magnificent imagery that has passed into the vault of horror history.

Many horror films have followed, some adaptions of literary classics like the series of films from Roger Corman starring Vincent Price based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe.  The black and white films from Universal in the 30's introduced audiences to Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster.  In the late 50's and 60's British based horror films from Hammer Studios often teamed Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee for full color horror classics with an erotic edge.  Italian horror films intensified their imagery of horror for chilling films like the atmospherically frightening Suspiria by director Dario Argento.  In the 80's American audiences became mesmerized by films with villainous protagonists with supernatural abilities like Pinhead from the Hellraiser series & Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

W. P. Rigler with Malcolm McDowell of the newest Halloween.

And of course there is the movie which draws its name from the holiday - Halloween.  The original Halloween by director John Carpenter is a thrill ride of carefully orchestrated scary moments starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence dealing with a seemingly supernatural madman that strikes upon Halloween.  The recent remake from director Rob Zombie starring Malcolm McDowell boasted a bigger budget, bloodier effects and an all star supporting cast.  

Halloween itself has been showcased by Hollywood in a multitude of styles, ranging from childhood's simple appreciation of it in Meet Me In Saint Louis to 1951's The Man With A Cloak starring Joseph Cotton as a historic writer trying to solve a diabolical mystery.

I couldn't help sharing my appreciation of such Halloween/horror icons as the vampire and the zombie in my new book titled Midnight Writings.  The book consists of my newest scary stories and articles concerning hauntings, horror films and more.  Do check it out at  www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler and order it for yourself as a Halloween treat!

Havre de Grace Ghost Tours - October 2015

The seasons are changing once more, with the warmth and green of summer giving away to autumn's falling leaves which are carried to the earth by cool breezes.  Autumn's my favorite season due in part to the colorful leaves and spookiness ushered in by the oncoming holiday of Halloween.  What better time is there to enjoy a good ghost story or stroll through a picturesque scene of fallen leaves?
Havre de Haunts Tours and Paranormal Research offers the perfect opportunity to indulge in such a pastime.  I'll be leading ghost tours as follows :


In Havre de Grace at the Wolbert grave.
Frank Wolbert was murdered at the Seneca House.

October 9th at 8 :30pm
October 10th at 8 :30pm
October 16th at 7pm & 8: 30pm
October 17th at 7pm & 8 :30pm
October 23rd at 7 pm
October 24th at 8 :30pm


You may ask for me when making your tour arrangements.
For ticket ordering info or more complete details, go to havredehaunts.com
The tour commence at Concord Point Coffee in Havre de Gace.  Walk ins are welcome but tour space is limited.

The tours include commentary concerning Havre de Grace's history and notable visitors/citizens as well as stops at haunted hot spots like the Seneca House and the Joseph L. Davis building.

Havre de Grace's main street boasts several stops on the ghost tour.

Clues You Could Be A Ghost

I like writing horror tales, especially playing around with iconic creatures.  Of late ghosts have been the object of my musings, perhaps partly influenced by the Havre de Haunts ghost tours I led last Autumn.  It is said sometimes ghosts aren't even aware of their condition.  Now I've been feeling odd of late, but not that strange.  Still, there are numerous clues of a ghostly existence such as these...

1. Every evening around dusk a different team of ghost hunters arrive at your house.

2. You have no problems passing through doorways…even when you forget to open the door.

3. Abe Lincoln was president when you were born.

4. Every family reunion picnic is held Halloween night.

5. There’s a tombstone in the graveyard with your name on it.

6. No matter what you eat, you never gain weight on your hips and remain able to float in the air.

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions you may be a ghost. If you’ve answered yes to all of them, you probably are.

Be sure to check out my books at www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler for more supernatural ponderings.

Havre de Grace's Past

At the Frank Wolbert grave in Havre de Grace. 

     As reported in a previous blog, I had the honor of leading tours during the autumn months for Havre de Haunts Tours and Paranormal Research.  I found the experience most rewarding and of late I have furthered explored Havre de Grace's past - with a little help from my friends.

     My friend Theresa was raised in Havre de Grace like myself.  On a lovely September day we got together for me to do a practice run through of the tour.  The result was much reminiscing about growing up in Havre de Grace.  She shared with me a tale I had not heard of before concerning a legend of buried loot and gangster hauntings once in the town's old Bayou Hotel.   

     While taking a full weekend to celebrate my birthday at the start of December, I further explored Havre de Grace with my friend Deborah, who was visiting from Virginia.  She had previously come to Havre de Grace for the Halloween Havre de Haunts ghost tour.  In it numerous interesting characters from the town's past are discussed. One of my favorites is Frank Wolbert, and with Deborah I came across his grave in Angel Hill Cemetery outside of Havre de Grace.

     The Wolbert tombstone was large and impressive.  It is shared by both Frank Wolbert and his brother.  Whether Wolbert finds it impressive or not is questionable as there are reports he prefers to remain in the Senecca house where he lived and died.  His death on August 15, 1967 is not in dispute, but many facts about him remain vague or mysterious.  Some legends claim that the eccentric doctor kept a collection of shrunken heads and an alligator in his basement.  Frank Wolbert's death was a violent one - his head was bashed in and he was found hung from a window of the Senecca house.  The Senecca house is currently home to doctor offices whose employees supposedly often deal with objects disappearing or being discovered in odd places.  When such things happen it is suggested that 'Frankie' (AKA Wolbert's ghost) is to blame. 

     Stephen Senecca was responsible for building the Senecca house, and it is an architectural wonder.  It is also supposedly one of the most haunted places in Havre de Grace.  People have reported seeing odd lights occur in the house at night.  Orbs and odd phenomena in the house's windows often appear in photographs of the place.  For an art class at Havre de Grace High School I did a sketch of the place, drawn to its appearance but utterly unfamiliar with its history. Perhaps I should have added something in one of the windows...  

Autumn Activities

Myself & Scott Wilson of AMC's Walking Dead series.

Havre de Grace has become quite the picture of Autumn with fallen leaves gracing its quaint streets and fading green grass.  The leaves often find themselves being whisked up and about by cool winds.  All in all it was a nice effect for the towns recent haunted history tours. 

I was honored to lead tours for Havre de Haunts Tours & Paranormal Research Group - www.havredehaunts.com .  The Halloween tour was a particularly fun way to celebrate the spookiest of holidays.  It was a fun experience - interacting with those fascinated by the supernatural and history as we took in the view of some of Havre de Grace's older residences and buildings, like the Senecca House and Rodger's Tavern, some of which barely managed to survive the burning of the city by British forces during the War of 1812.   Some of the town's residents may linger on, reluctant to depart their homes despite their deaths.

There are places of purely scenic beauty as well in Havre de Grace, which becomes a marvel of colors this time of year.  Located at the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and the Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace was a place of vital importance for colonial travel and trade.  Today its waterfront areas are still honored.  The town's promenade is a popular spot for exercise or photography.  In fact it was the backdrop for pics taken by Linnea Tober for the first edition of my book, Summoned Secrets from lulu.com - www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler .

Each Fall I also enjoy embarking on treks to local horror cons.  Monstermania in Baltimore, Maryland and Chiller in Parsippany, New Jersey were quite fun - interacting with celebrity guests from various mediums and decades of work.  I got to meet and interact with some of my favorite stars, like Joyce Randolph of the classic TV show The Honeymooners and Scott Wilson who starred in a more recent TV hit, The Walking Dead.

                                          
Autumn seems under way in full force, with one big holiday down and another looming at November's end.  Of course Christmas is closing in, with decorations and such already encroaching in stores!


The State Theatre in downtown Havre de Grace has been without audiences, but possibly not ghosts, for years.

Havre de Haunts Tours

I was born in Havre de Grace. The town has played host to some historic figures of fame as well as some dark deeds. It is believed a few inhabitants of this picturesque town have elected to continue to reside in Havre de Grace even after their deaths.

Havre de Haunts Tours and Paranormal Research was founded in 2013 to preserve the history of Havre de Grace and investigate its supernatural occurences.

In October the group offer tours highlighting Havre de Grace's history and ghostly legends. I'm happy to say that I will be assisting with some tours.

My tentative schedule to give tours is as follows -

Fri Oct 3rd at 7pm
Sat Oct 4th at 7pm
Fri Oct 17th at 7pm
Sat Oct 18th at 8:30pm
Fri Oct 24th at 7pm & 8:30pm
Sat Oct 25th at 8:30pm
Fri Oct 31 at 8:30pm
Sat Nov 1st at 7pm
Fri Nov 7th at 7pm
Sat Nov 8th at 7 pm

For a complete listing of tours go to http://havredehaunts.com where you can purchase tickets and learn more about Havre de Haunts Tours and Paranormal Research.

Havre de Grace currently offers festivities on First Fridays and annual parades for holidays like Christmas and Halloween. The city once offered a movie theater dating back to the silent age of cinema. The theater is no longer active, but its spirits are and may provide ghostly piano music.

Short Chills

One of the first places I placed my writings online was at microhorror.com.  Nathan Rosen is microhorror's editor, a site dedicated toward presenting a vast variety of writers and fiction all with a common goal - to leave the reader with a frightening feeling using a minimum amount of words.

My stories at microhorror.com include:

The Whitechapel Wagers - The bets of two gamblers result in terror for those living in Whitechapel.

Like Taking Candy - A night of Halloween trick or treating has a horrifying effect on several kids.

The Cemetery - All is not quiet in a graveyard - thanks to one of its residents!

Several of my stories at microhorror found their way into my collection of short stories, Summoned Secrets, which is available at www.lulu.spotlight/spotlight/wrigler

Mr. Rosen has honored me by asking me to help in the judging of the 2013 Halloween contest entries and I'm very pleased to say that exciting events are continuing to occur at www.microhorror.com including a new story contest in celebration of Halloween next month.

Havre de Grace - Historic & Haunted

     Nestled at the point where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is a small Maryland town with a French name (meaning harbor of grace).  Its history dates back to colonial days.  And anyone raised in the town can tell you that the city missed out on being the U.S. capital by one vote.  Instead it has had to make due with the title of decoy capital of the country.  To attest to this fact is the decoy museum and a Spring sponsored decoy event.

     The town offers the richness of small town life.  Its waterfront is beautiful.  Parks provide superb scenery that shift with the seasons. 

The town's waterfront promenade offers a spectacular view year round.

Parades mark various holidays, from Halloween to the Fourth of July.  Its quaint main street is brimming with antique shops designed to trap the interest of tourists.  The town has supposedly trapped numerous ghosts as well, if tales from its haunted tours are to be believed.

     An alley way which played host to a gangster's murder during the age of prohibition is supposedly marked by mysterious red blotches that will not fade away from the street's pavement.  The town's old Opera house still holds ghosts that make unexplained noises on the upper floor.

     Other historic links concern a resturaunt where Al Capone once dined during a visit to the town and Lafayette trip to the town during the Revolutionary War.

Terror's Taste

     Oh the splendid spooky chills offered by October amid falling leaves of brilliant colors.  My favorite thing about October has always been Halloween.  As a kid it was the appeal of dressing in costume and pillaging for yummy treats. As an adult I like to celebrate the holiday more simply by watching some frightening films or reading a good horror tale.

     I'm very proud that this Halloween I have out my own horror tale from DonnaInk Publications called Terror's Taste.  Between its covers readers encounter such classic mysteries as Jack the Ripper and the disappearence of Atlantis while the plot unfolds concerning a vampire feud that descends through the ages.  I hope you'll check it out and enjoy.  You can order it from amazon or directly from my publisher at DonnaInk.org

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