BIZARRE THINGS - Evil Festers in Florida

Well I haven't done an installment of BIZARRE THINGS around here in a long time, but I now have good reason for one. It seems that just in time for Halloween, bizarre and creepy things are festering down here in the Florida swamp. And I naively thought all the evil lurked in other faraway places.

First is the discovery of a large metal pot by a canal here. Two guys who were fishing in the canal, saw the pot and thought they'd take it and sell it, but when they opened and dumped the pot out...it contained a human skull, some other bones that were not human, a Voodoo doll and 3 horseshoes! They ran up to a store that was near to the canal and called the police. How is that for creepy? Who knew that Voodoo was being practiced in this neck of the woods?

Secondly, the police are busy piecing together clues from 30 murders that were suspected of being perpetrated by Florida's own 'Vampire Rapist'. Back in the 80's they found 6 driver's licenses belonging to 6 murdered women in John Crutchley's desk at his workplace, but were never able to link him to the victims. Crutchley was convicted of raping a woman after drinking over 40% of her blood....Yipes! It's a wonder she even made it out, and Ewwww Gross!!! The victim managed to escape from his home and get to authorities, which allowed him to be arrested. And now they've found another skull in the woods that they think may be linked to the 'Vampire Rapist'. So they had the face reconstructed on the skull and are now receiving phone calls that may provide the evidence they need to finally solve some of the murders. Unfortunately, this whack job of an idiot won't face his punishment or conviction for the crimes because he died in prison in 2002. Wow....Voodoo and Vampire Rapists here in sleepy lil' Florida...who would have thunk it?! Eeegads....what a BIZARRE place it's turning into around here! Makes you really want to come down here for vacation now doesn't it?!

In other happier, albeit still darkly bizarre Halloween news, it seems that Universal Studios / Halloween Horror Nights sponsored a Give Away Contest with the prize being a 'Halloween Wedding' at the park. Creeptastic couple April Richardson and Adam Cochran were the lucky winners of this 'horrific' wedding package. A wedding complete with a Haunted House backdrop, a Hearse, a Spider Web Cake and Chainsaw wielding Clowns....what more could a ghoul girl ask for on her wedding day?! Watch the video to see this most Wickedly Frightful Wedding!

Die by the Drop

What do Jack White (White Stripes), Johnny Depp, Dr. Facilier (Princess & the Frog), Ville Valo (Lead Singer of HIM), Remy LaBeau (X-Men Wolverine Movie) and the Baron Samedi have in common?
This is how my mind works...it's very 'visual' in nature. I see images, lots of images and then suddenly something clicks in my mind and one image suddenly reminds me of another image and then another. My brain starts connecting the dots on snippets of information and random images viewed at completely different times....sometimes those individual images were even viewed over many years. But a spark happens....some synapses fire, and I begin subconsciously searching through the large picture catalogs in my head and pulling these random images and thoughts together.

At the time this is happening, I know not, why these varied images are removing themselves from my memory banks and subsequently repositioning themselves together into one new file. I can only liken it to the animation you see while copying and pasting files in Windows. You know how it shows the files floating up out of one file and then landing in a new file folder? Well that is how it seems to work for me, yet it is happening only in my thought process. It hasn't yet manifested into the physical realm. Until today....

Today I decided to act upon the subliminal happenings in my head to see if there was any rhyme or reason for it. I wanted to pull it out of my head and put it into physical form, not unlike the way Harry Potter and Prof. Dumbledore would hold their wands to their heads and pull their thoughts out physically.

So it all began when I viewed this new video of Jack White and his latest band The Dead Weather. The video called "Die By the Drop" has a wicked cool voodoo/witchcraft vibe to it....at least to me it does and I love it. But as I watched it, these other images of people and movies I'd seen started forcing themselves into my thought space. It was as though I'd seen Jack White's character in the video before somehow, it reminded me of things I'd already experienced. So I decided to just go with the images that were coming to me and see what they all had in common and this is what I surmised...

Either all 6 of these dashing devils are simply manifestations of the same individual, or else they all share the same 'Stylist'. I can't actually say which one gets to claim having cultivated the 'look' they share first, but I think chronologically speaking, Baron Samedi is the original version. I must also confess that as strange looking as some may find these men to be....I find their looks rather unconventionally sexy. Maybe it's the suppressed 'Goth' in me. So what do you think....do you see an eerie resemblance to this not so motley crew of men?

For your viewing pleasure (or lack thereof), I've posted the Dead Weather's "Die By the Drop" video below. Earlier the buffering was slow, so I would suggest letting the song buffer until it's 3/4 of the way finished, then restart it to watch it all the way through. I just LOVE the styling, clothes and makeup in this video....sinister yet sexy! Enjoy!

The Shadowman Cometh

It is a known fact that I am always late to everything. So it was no surprise to me that I just now tonight, watched my new favorite Disney Animated Cartoon for the very first time. It was my daughter who watched part of it at school who first came home last week and said, "Mom, we watched Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" today at school, and you would really like it." "It's set in New Orleans, and has Mardi Gras and VooDoo." So tonight we all sat down to watch it and boy was she right! I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!
I have always been a sucker for Disney's animation anyway. I was totally enchanted by both TinkerBell movies. But this one had the BEST villain of them all, in my humble opinion. Dr. Facilier aka 'The Shadowman', embodies everything that's ever intrigued me about old New Orleans. The rich history and magic of VooDoo, the hauntingly beautiful cemeteries, the bayous, the Cajun people and the back drop of the Old South. It illuminates the culture of the French/American city, replete with its lively jazz music, the raucous Mardi Gras celebrations, the spicy Creole cooking, stately plantations, wisteria covered porches, moss strewn oaks, alligator infested cypress swamps and my favorite Southern mascot....the Firefly!
Dr. Facilier, voiced by Keith David (also voiced the black cat in Coraline), is one of the most fantastically evil villains to ever grace a Disney Animation. Dr. Facilier's Emporium is a feast for the eyes with its tarot cards, voodoo dolls, alters, candles, talismans, potions, masks and other visually appealing tools of the necromancy trade. His booming bass voice, long lean figure and top hat with a skull all upped his creepiness factor. (You can make your own skull top hat here!) But it was probably the 'shadow people', or his 'friends on the other side' that sealed the deal for me. I loved them! My son was very disliking of them however....they really struck a nerve, and I think they scared him just a bit. That is how great they were....fantastically creative animation as always from Disney. But I admit that I also equally loved the lighter animation of the Fireflies and the Frogs dancing on the lily pads as well. Everything about this movie was appealing to me, but most especially 'The Shadowman'! I've posted my favorite song clip from the movie below. It's a fantastic song called "I've Got Friends on the Other Side"...enjoy! (Warning: the volume increases at 1:49 so beware.) And I've also posted for your enjoyment, a little behind the scenes video clip called "Conjuring the Villain", featuring Keith voicing his sinister character, and the villain's brilliant animator, Bruce Smith. If you haven't seen the whole movie....then I highly recommend that you do! (All Rights belong to Disney of course.)

Black Magic Marketing

Beware....."weak hair can be fatal"!!

I majored in Advertising/Public Relations in college. So I've always had a keen eye to how things are 'advertised' and 'marketed'. I am one of those people who totally believe that 'presentation' is everything. I absolutely love to get a gift that has been creatively wrapped. For me...that is as much of the thrill of the gift as the gift itself. So my aesthetic, creative sensibilities, coupled with my very warped sense of humor, was both surprised and devilishly delighted when I ran across the 'Black Magic' marketing campaign. The sheer cleverness of the concept alone deserves accolades, but the creative targeting on the part of the marketers just completes the package in my opinion. Now I know some of you won't agree with me. In fact, I did state that I have a 'warped' sense of humor sometimes....so there may be those of you who feel this is somewhat manipulative or cruel. But I must confess...it just makes me laugh and smile! The wickedly creative Keo Karpin Hair Vitalizer marketing team has launched a unique 'Black Magic' inspired campaign, that seizes on the local fear of voodoo in the superstitious Indian culture and their love of long healthy female hair. As you may already know, black magic such as voodoo, often draws its power from personal items such as nails or hair. So the hair product campaign arrives to women in a small package that contains a tangle of hair, and a voodoo doll with pins. Each doll comes with an enclosed card that states “weak hair can be fatal,” but Keo Karpin Hair Vitalizer with vitamin H therapy will offer protection by preventing any harm to your hair. HA! Dark genius I tell you! Not only is the packaging so cleverly creative, but the concept and campaign itself is tightly focused and customized for the local market they are trying to reach. Now I suppose it could really scare some recipients who might be very superstitious or paranoid about voodoo and black magic! But I personally would buy that product, JUST to get the voodoo doll and packaging!! Life would be so much more entertaining if everything were so creatively presented to us, don't you agree?

Voo Doo Kitty

What do you get when you mix Black Cats with Voodoo? You get Voodoo Kitty that's what! You can pick up your very own Voodoo Kitty at www.mysticvoodoo.com. And this is the end all be all site for Voodoo. Everything you wanted to know, you can find out here. It's rather fascinating actually. Too much work for me personally...but I dig the theory. Of course the core component is that you have to BELIEVE in it for it to work. Hmmmm... I wonder how you find out whether your intended victim believes in it before you commence to poking pins in their eyes?

"These black cat Voodoo poppets are loaded with charms, beads, buttons, and what-nots to bring you the best of luck in all of your endeavors! They are stuffed with aromatic, magickal herbs to bring you the best of luck and happiness. Each cat comes with catnip to use as an offering, 7 removable whisker pins, and instructions for use as a focusing tool in meditation. "

Ha...'Whisker Pins'...if that ain't the Cat's Pajamas then I don't know what is! This lil' cutie would be a great Halloween gift. I'd love to have one. Maybe the Great Pumpkin will leave one on my doorstep this Halloween! Oooh...I wonder if they make an Owl?

Voo Doo Curses

Okay...those of you who know me well, know that I have a somewhat warped sense of humor. And I know for a fact, that some of you share that same attribute. So I found this web site to be a total hoot. But for those of you who are easily spooked...this may not be your cup of tea. This site is called Pinstruck.com http://www.pinstruck.com/whatispinstruck.htm and it "allows people like yourself to vent on their friends and enemies by sending them personalized voodoo curses via e-mail. Do you have a lot of people on your nasty list? Let PinStruck.com help you get revenge on those unfortunate folks in a completely passive aggressive and anonymous fashion."

There are disclaimers of course, that it is all done in good fun and is not real. But some people are just paranoid and do not appreciate this kind of dark humor. And then there are those who go one step further and REALLY get hacked off about it. These folks then send the company some rather choice feedback. And THAT my friends, is the funniest part of this site. You MUST go to the 'Victim Feedback' page and read...absolutely hilarious. But here again, there are warnings of strong language if that offends, because there are some people who will find NO humor in it at all. I however, laughed and laughed while reading through the feedback. And I thought long and hard about which one of you I was going to send one to...ha ha! But just in case it might have actually scared someone or made them upset...I excercised restraint. Hard as that was!

But my curiousity did get the better of me, and I wanted to know what it looked like...so I sent one to myself so I could check it out. I personally think it is super cute and very funny. A little Wendy Voo Doll with pins stuck in it and my curse on a note. How clever! But then again, I am weird and have a dark sense of humor. And I also believe it's all in good fun...but what do you think? Would you send any out? At least check out the website to see what it's about, and go read the 'Victim Feedback' section to give yourself a good laugh for the day.