Of Flowers & Vampires

Tanya Erin Paoli by Batmobile at Monstermania in Cherry Hill.

     I met Tanya Erin Paoli several summers ago at a Monstermania convention in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  It was our first in the flesh meeting, although we both are in an upcoming film from Trinka Five Films by director Kat Lehmer called Mortal.  I'm a bit vampire, she's a star in it playing Ava. 

     Paoli described Ava as "Very mysterious.  She is ever changing and timeless.  Ava is a sad story.  She can be cold, and yet caring.  Her dreamy presence mesmerizes, or seems to heavily impact whoever she encounters.  She is so deep and full of wisdom, but can be quite elusive."  Her enthusiasm for the film continues.  "My favorite role so far would be Mortal.  Kat is a dream to work with, and I hungrily anticipate the premiere of this movie.  Like a fine wine it ages to perfection, and when the time comes.. I feel it will be the project I've worked on that I am most satisfied with, because I had so much fun making this film with her, and the wonderful crew."

     But the actress is not content to rest on her vampire laurels in the arena of horror cinema.  A more recent acting challenge was to appear in director Phil Stevens independent horror film - Flowers. 
    
     "I am Flowers girl # 4. I am someone who died in this killer's house who basically is trapped in purgatory," Paoli commented.  "We don't have names. I believe Phil was trying to get us all to be nameless and just  emote which is why there are no words in this film.  It is all pure acting."

     Outside of acting, Paoli has numerous interests of which her enthusiasm for crystals are at the forefront.  "When I was a little girl people always gave me crystals.  My father, grandmothers, grandfather, random people, friends.  Crystals have always just been something I've been not only fascinated with because they are beautiful, but because they carry the vibration from the womb of the earth.  I enjoy collecting them, selling them, trading them, researching their metaphysical healing properties, and doing crystal healings with myself and basically everyone I know!  Crystals, rocks, and minerals are our friends.  In this new age of technology I feel we are all allowing ourselves to be cut off from Nature and this is one way to stay connected to the vibration of the earth always.  There are so many uses it is endless, and I could talk for days about them.... I actually went to Burning Man last year and worked with crystals with people and I must say it was one of the high points of my life.  I'm very honored that my spiritual sister Anastasia from Flowers was with me under the same tent doing her healing work with people as well.  It was such a profound beautiful experience that I wouldn't take back for anything." 


 

The Prisoner Anniversary

The Prisoner turns 48 today.

The cult classic series had its British television premiere on September 29, 1967 and was unlike anything else contained on the small screen.  Dynamic and enigmatic, episodes revolved around such controversial themes as the manipulations of society, drug use and the rights of the individual.

The Village was the show's mysterious setting - a picturesque place where those with important information deemed too sensitive to be widely known were kept.  Who ran the Village was a secret, especially to The Prisoner's protagonist played by Patrick McGoohan.  McGoohan's work on the series stretched beyond that of actor to occasional writer and director, as well as shaping the series as a whole.  Patrick McGoohan had previously found fame on TV in the show Danger Man which imported to the United States in an incarnation known as Secret Agent.  The Prisoner had its roots in the spy craze of the 60's but was altogether a different kettle of fish.

I entered The Prisoner's fandom as a teen when that and other classic British series occupied the 11pm time slot on Maryland Public TV.  I found the adventures of The Avengers and Dr. Who quite stylish and engaging.  These British classics became my TV favorites - and The Prisoner was at the top of the list. 

Everything about The Prisoner is top notch, from the writing to the direction.   The exciting opening title music by Ron Grainer (also responsible for Dr. Who's original theme) began royally with rumbling thunder.  There was something just so magnetic about McGoohan - especially as he drove his car and strode the corridors to offer his resignation during the show's opening credits.  Patrick McGoohan's character of Number Six seemed a champion of independence and intelligence - something very appealing to me.  The Prisoner rebelled against a succession of village bureaucrats, all referred to as Number Two played weekly by (mostly) different actors.  The series introduced me to numerous great British actors like Leo McKern who menaced The Beatles in Help!. 

The Prisoner doesn't look its age - probably because the colorful fashions were evoking a style instead of an era and the setting was deliberately obscure.  The Village could have been everywhere, but its meaning and entrapments were uniquely surreal.  A large weather balloon type object called rover was the security system of the village.  When an attempt at escape was initiated the rover bounded into action, impressing itself onto its victim.  The science of the village was beyond technology.     

The Prisoner can easily be considered an ancestor of enigmatic and challenging programs such as David Lynch's Twin Peaks and J. J. Abrams' Lost. There was even a 'reboot' Prisoner mini-series from AMC with Ian McKellan as Number Two.  But for fans of the original iconic series there can be no replacing the image of Patrick McGoohan grimly guiding his car or shouting out his declaration of independence on the village's beach at the beginning of each episode.

Patrick McGoohan as Number 6 often undergoes 'treatment' in the village.

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.

Wondering if You're a Werewolf?

The following occurrences generally reflect the problem of lycanthropy...

1. The number of your neighbors mysteriously eaten skyrockets on nights of a full moon.

2. After seeing your palm, most gypsies refuse to look you in the eye.

3. Your lover isn't the least bit kinky but gets out chains for you to wear when the moon is full.

4. Unexplainable flea problems.

5. There's a large amount of fur found shed in your bed on nights after the full moon.

6.  Every time you hear the phrase, "Listen to them - the children of the night.  What beautiful noise they make!", you get a really, REALLY, strong urge to howl.

Welcome to the Library...Shhhh!

This is National Library Week, an observance first started by The American Library Association in 1958. 

As I think back, libraries grew and evolved for me. The library of my elementary school was a colorfully whimsical place of an intimate size. Plastic frog chairs offered a fun place to sit and read. The books featured on the shelves carried gold badges proclaiming their perfection for young minds. Dr. Suess was there. Young readers were offered adventures on the western frontier or in magical lands. Visual thrills were abundant in the books.


My middle school’s library was larger. Its books were larger as well. And they featured less pictures. At the very front of the library was a case of encyclopedias and biographies, to which we were often led for research - back in ye old days when research wasn't magically provided by the press of a button. There were still magical adventures present in this place…thanks to Tolkein, Bradbury and other enlightening authors whose appeal crossed generations. And this library had a wondrous heart – an oasis of plants and a tree that reached up to the skylight over head. I remembering staring at that sight on melancholy days for a bit of an uplifting inspiration.  I think it’s that library that comes quickest to mind when the word is mentioned. A wondrous mix of books - for pleasure and work - with a beautiful living centerpiece showing that books are meant to be a part of life.



The cover of Summoned Secrets.

Other libraries have left their touch on me – like the Spartan college libraries, one of which had walls lined with posters for classic movies I had yet to see but would.


But alas some libraries were underappreciated, especially in the growing computer culture. A teacher at the local community college referred appropriately to the place as a bowling league with an unused library. And when I took a course at a small college at the start of this century, a younger fellow student complained about not being able to find enough info on her topic. When the instructor asked what library books had been used, the student responded with a confused look. The internet had been used…not the library. It is nice that technology allows us to carry so much information in the palm of our hands…a library’s worth. But as a place, I think libraries remain kinda cool and special.

I was even led to write a story of a fantastic library. Appropriately enough, it is called The Library and can be found in my book, Summoned Secrets.  If you'd like to add it to your personal library, you can find it at http://lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler .  Thank you internet. 
  

90's TV Classics

TV's about to look like the 90's all over again, due to the proposed return of two cult classics - The X Files (returning to its former home on Fox for a limited run) and Twin Peaks.

Paranoia seemed highly popular in the 90’s, especially if one judges by the coolest programs on the air waves. Twin Peaks seemed to usher in the decade’s dark obsessions with its odd characters and unsettling visions occurring in small town USA, but it was The X-Files (whose mottos include ‘The Truth Is Out There’ and ‘Trust No One’) that seemed to make paranoia a TV fashion. The investigators of The X-Files routinely encountered aliens and ancient monsters while never quite managing to prove their existence. The show’s creator, Chris Carter, launched two other series of X-Files stylistic sensibilities – The Lone Gunmen, and Millennium. The first series continued the outrageous adventures of conspiracy crazed computer masterminds who had regularly appeared on The X-Files. Millennium was something a bit different, with complex storylines dealing the darkest motivations of human nature as well as destructive Biblical prophecies. After all a new millennium was looming with the dreaded Y2K bug approaching.

Myself & Lance Henriksen (Frank Black on Millenium) at Monstermania.

Millennium gets my vote as the best series of the 90’s due in large part to an excellent turn by Lance Henriksen as Frank Black, a tortured former FBI profiler in league with the mysterious Millennium group. The group is comprised of talented investigators whose interest in violent crimes often goes beyond the mundane goal of simply catching a killer.

Other favorite series of mine from that era includes…

Twin Peaks – “Who killed Laura Palmer?” was the catch phrase of the early 90’s.

Babylon 5 – A complex sci-fi narrative charting treachery and intrigue on a space staion playing host to alien ambassadors.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Even the normally optimistic Star Trek franchise painted a bleak picture in this entry focused on the aftermath of war and corruption on another planet.

Forever Knight – Before TV’s Buffy took a swing at a vampire, this series delved into the remorse felt by its title character after ages of evil acts as he continued his interaction with fellow vampires.

   

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.