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Streaming Service Hidden Gems

7/29/2019

So I know it’s been a long time since I posted a blog on here. As some of you know I have gone through a long period of personal and professional turmoil and writing has taken a backseat. Now I feel like things are beginning to stabilize and I’m ready to get back to both the blogs and hopefully Wormwood 2 will be in the pipeline. So seeing as it’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog post I thought I’d ease my way back with some movies that I think you guys would enjoy.

With all the streaming services available (Hulu, AmazonPrime, Netflix, etc.) it’s become more and more difficult to find good films amongst all of the noise. So I was looking for a few movies that seem to have flown under the radar but are definitely worth watching. Here are a few movies I stumbled upon that I'd consider hidden gems on the streaming circuit.

I was in the mood for some above average, smart action/thrillers. I think I hit the jackpot.

The first movie was "Den of Thieves" starring a grizzled looking Americanized Gerard Butler. Now I know Butler is known mostly for formalized character work in the vein of the "Olympus has Fallen" trilogy, but he can be kind of a chameleon for example "360" where he was virtually unrecognizable. Although Butler is not quite as altered here “Den of Thieves” is reminiscent of "Heat" (the 1995 blockbuster) without the star power of Dinero and Pacino. It's about special forces trained gang that tries to take down (rob) the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Reserve. The movie has a lot of automatic weapon street shootouts similar to "Heat"s final act, which if you remember was one of the best traffic-filled firefights in movie history. The action is wrapped around a decent storyline with some good acting. It's not an Oscar contender, but then again it's not that kind of movie. “Den of Thieves” is successful in what it's striving for, pure action-packed entertainment that you’ve become emotionally invested in because of the well-done character building.

The next film I watched was a total surprise "The Foreigner" which was one of the best genre movies I've seen in a long time. It stars a weathered Jackie Chan playing a heartbroken father named Quan. He is a Citizen of England who immigrated from China and now runs a small takeout restaurant in London. Quan has a muddled past that includes being trained by both the US and Chinese black ops unit after the fall of Saigon. I know you guys hear the name Jackie Chan and you think "Rush Hour" slapstick humor and crazy martial arts with cheesy dialog and nothing too heavy. Believe me when I say this movie is the furthest thing from that. Chan plays the role of an emotionally somber seriousness that you've never seen from him. This is by far the best role and actions of his legendary career. Pierce Brosnan adds star power and solid chops as a former IRA agent tied and twisted to the bombing that killed Chan's daughter. With nothing to lose Chan systematically breaks down Brosnan getting the names of the terrorists responsible for his daughters' murder. This movie is a real gem, great acting, great story and the action is believable with Chan insisting (as usual) on doing his stunts with no use of CGI gimmicks. Chan's sixty-three-year-old character Quan shows the pain and the wares of age which are taken into account during every fight scene... I highly recommend this film, don't let the names Brosnan and Chan make you think of the Hollywood, bad acting shoot em ups. Give the "Foreigner" a chance you'll be pleasantly surprised. I compare it to "Man on Fire" one of the best revenge movies.

The last couple of movies I'd recommend are "Sweet Virginia" and “The Harvest” two underground thrillers that are a change of pace from the above but shouldn’t be missed.
“Sweet Virginia” starring Jon Bernthal, who is best known from The Walking Dead and The Punisher is a movie full of ever-increasing tension. This is a slow-burning indie thriller that burns a bit hotter before the end and is filled with dread because of a great score and dour scenery. Bernthal is a Motel Manager who becomes involved with a psychopathic hitman. It might be the weakest movie on this list simply because it's subtle. Don’t let that stop you from checking it out, it still has enough good acting and interesting characters to be worth a rainy Sunday.

And

"The Harvest" starring Michael Shannon is an eery and dark coming of age story that flips the script on the usual tropes. I don't want to say too much because the twists and turns and frightening helicopter mother portrayal by co-star Samatha Morton who channels Kathy Bates in "Misery" are all tremendous. It reminds me of early Stephen King and is more along the lines of a medical thriller/horror movie. There's nothing supernatural, but plenty of terror and a great story. The director John McNaughton insists on using celluloid film as opposed to digital and a full orchestral score. It pays off, creating an atmosphere of tension and dread... The two teen leads steal the show. I recommend this movie for both fans of Horror and Mysteries who like a good plot twist.

With so many avenues of entertainment, it's become difficult to wade through the noise and find memorable movies. If you're like me you love finding these overlooked gold nuggets and suggestions from everyone on a blog like this can lead you to some great films. So what are some of the movies that have snuck past the general public that you think deserves a closer look? Please post any movies that you’d recommend on the streaming services.

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UPDATE!

7/28/2019

Dear Fans and Book Lovers,

We are very sorry for keeping you guys waiting. We have been experiencing problems with the transition leading to unforeseen delays. New blog posts will be out in SUMMER 2019.

We are currently expecting Wormwood II will be released in 2020

Check out my AUDIO BOOK of The Man with the White Face. Click Here

Check out my other audio book of Wormwood. Click Here
Wormwood is also available on kindle. Click Here

Thank you for waiting patiently,
- The Micah Ackerman Book Group

CAMP CONNECTICUT DISSECTING A HORRIFYING LOCAL LEGEND

5/22/2015

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So in the last month there has been a new addition to the "Wormwood" family. Now you can get "Wormwood" in audiobook format. It's available on Audible, ACX, Amazon and Apple Itunes. So if you are interested in listening to the book just go to any of those sites and type my name and Wormwood into the search engine. I also wanted to let everyone know that the sequel to Wormwood is still in the works. Its been slow going, but I anticipate it's release early this summer.

Many times when I write a blog post I'll pick a subject or incident that is relatively well known and try and dig up some information that most people haven't found. For this blog I wanted to concentrate on a local (to me) paranormal urban legend that there simply isn't a lot of information on and dissect it.

In Colchester, Connecticut deep in the woods off of a lonely dirt road is a place called Camp Connecticut. It has become somewhat of a destination for ghost hunters and I wanted to find out why. When I started to research the camp I came across many accounts of people hearing strange noises (children laughing or whispers), ghostly lights and many photographs of orbs.

Usually an area with a paranormal reputation comes some lurid story of death or tragedy linked to the haunting. When it comes to Camp Connecticut, however the history is very murky and the more I looked into the camp the stranger the history became. The camp was once a very popular summer destination for kids from all over Connecticut and neighboring states. The place seemed to be a thriving, happy business, but something happened that changed all of that....

At some point during the late seventies or early eighties something occurred and the camp quickly and quietly closed down. I have heard a couple of differing opinions of specific incidents that caused the owners to shut the camp's doors forever. The first revolves around a story where two camp counselors go crazy and kill everyone at the camp including and up to sixty children. The problem with this story is that a tragedy like that would have been all over the news, not only locally, but also in the national media. The second story also includes two psychotic counselors, but this time they lock all of the children on a bus. While the children are locked on the bus they take a young girl into the woods and torture an rape her.

The counselors then try drown the girl in the camp pond and try and cover everything up by burning the buss full of witnesses. Of course the children locked in the bus are able to escape and the counselors run off into the woods never to be heard from again. I suppose this story is slightly more plausible, but I would think that there would be at least some newspaper reports of the incident.

So now the property lies abandoned, which has created a creepy environment of dilapidated cars and a bus, as well as cabins and some kind of shrine-like church area. Many local, amateur paranormal investigators have journeyed to the camp and have reported strange feelings of unease, a ghost truck that makes no sound, but drives up and down the dirt road and the sounds of children playing. There has also been reports of white ghostly apparitions that wander the grounds. The area is now owned by a local group called "The Oddfellows." This is from the website paranormaCT.com:

" A wide variety of phenomena have been reported by explorers. Screaming or laughing children have been reportedly recorded on EVP’s, pain in the midsection, orbs, and various apparitions have all been reported. Many people believe that there are cult rituals or satanic activity happening on the grounds, maybe by the Oddfellows themselves, but again this is just speculation. Much of the phenomena is concentrated on the front gate, by the road entrance on Old Hebron Road."

In my opinion this is the prime example of an urban legend made up to keep drunken teenagers away from an area where they could hang out and cause trouble. If anyone has any experiences from the camp or knows some of the actual history, please post it in the comments section below

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The Creepy Story of the Medvegia Vampires

4/20/2015

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First there is a lot of book news for this upcoming week. My novel Wormwood will be on sale for only 0.99¢ starting tonight at midnight. The sale runs from April 21st until April 28th. You can get the book simply by clicking on the links next to this post.

Also my new short story "Shadow People" will be free for the next 4 days. Starting at midnight tonight you can get the story FREE on Amazon by clicking on this link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UB84UDO

This story has never been FREE before and will only be available for five days.

The last piece of info that I have is that Wormwood will soon be available as an audiobook. I anticipate the audiobook's release by May 1st on Audible and ACX.

In the past I have posted about reportedly true instances of vampirism. There were the reported incidents at Highgate Cemetery in England and the "Mercy Brown" vampire story from Rhode Island. Today I want to talk about another incident that reportedly was of a real life vampire, or in this particular case... Vampires.

Back in the mid 1720's a group of doctors were requested to investigate a small village in Serbia called Medvegia. It was reported that a man named Peter Plogojowitz had died, but was later witnessed by villagers walking the streets of the town. To add to the hysteria reportedly nine people fell ill with a deadly sickness that had been somehow connected to blood loss. This is an excerpt from the book "The Everything Vampire Book." :

"In 1725, Peter Plogojowitz, by rights an average man of little distinction, passed away and was buried in the Rahm district of Kisilova. Just over a week later, a mysterious twenty-four-hour illness, which some report as involving a loss of blood, struck nine villagers of varying ages resulting in their deaths. Plogojowitz's wife claimed that her dearly departed husband had paid her a visit in order to collect his shoes (some accounts claim he visited his son for food on several occasions and when refusing dear old dead dad, the son died). This substantiated the reports — prior to their demise — from those who fell ill that Plogojowitz not only visited them but attempted to strangle them."

So as was common in these situations Plogojowitz was dug up and examined for signs of decomposition. Supposedly Peter showed no signs of rotting away, in fact he looked "fresh" and had shown signs of hair and fingernail growth. He also had fresh blood running from his mouth. Again here is an excerpt from The Everything Vampire Book:

With the cooperation of authorities and military personnel, the poor man was dug up, and according to accounts did indeed bear the telltale signs of a vampire. Some of his skin had sloughed off to show new skin underneath, his hair and nails had grown, there was blood near his mouth, and he appeared relatively intact. It should come as no surprise that his appearance was cause for panic and anger. Plogojowitz's corpse was staked through the heart, after which it was reported that fresh blood leaked from his chest and out the mouth and ears. The poor man's corpse was promptly set alight and burned to ash. Naturally, this gave cause for all of his alleged victims to also be exhumed and measures taken, such as garlic stuffed in their mouths, to make certain they would rest in peace.

Coincidentally the strange attacks stopped after the staking of Plogojowitz. All was well in the quiet village for a couple of years, but then a man named Arnod Paole returned to the village from war. Reportedly whil off fighting in what is now Greece, Paole said he had a run in with a vampire. He went through great lengths to try and prevent himself from becomming one of the undead here are Paole's words from a book called the Repertum: "TheRepertum states that Paole “had eaten from the earth of the vampire's grave and had smeared himself with the vampire's blood, in order to be free of the vexation he had suffered.” Unfortunately for the former soldier, his “cure” proved futile, and he allegedly spread his tall tale around the village"

It wasn't long before Paole died from a fall off of a wagon. Again villagers reported seeing Paole walking about and he was accused of four deaths:

As with Peter Plogojowitz, these accusations became grounds for digging up Paole to examine his corpse for signs of vampirism, which they did forty days after his burial. Again, the folkloric signs of the ultimate nightcrawler came into sharp focus. According to the Repertum, the villagers found that Paole was “quite complete and undecayed, and that fresh blood had flowed from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears; that the shirt, the covering, and the coffin were completely bloody; that the old nails on his hands and feet, along with the skin, had fallen off, and that new ones had grown.” As was customary, a stake was driven through Paole's heart, and he “gave an audible groan and bled copiously.” After he was done scaring the knickers off everyone with his final death knell, he was burned to ashes.

The strange thing about these accounts to me are the eye-witness reports. The stories not only come from villagers, but also from esteemed and educated people like doctors and town councilman. It seems like a lot of these stories come from the same part of the world ... Eastern Europe which leads me to believe that it is a cultural phenomenon of the time. Here is the report from the doctors who were summoned to investigate the cases. This is from Vampyres.Ca:

"In their report, Visum et Repertum (Seen and Discovered), the officers told not only what they had heard from the villagers but also, in admirable clinical detail, what they themselves had seen when they exhumed and dissected the bodies of the supposed victims of the vampire. Of one corpse, the authors observed, "After the opening of the body there was found in the cavitate pectoris a quantity of fresh extravascular blood. The vasa [vessels] of the arteriae and venae, like the ventriculis cordis, were not, as is usual, filled with coagulated blood, and the whole viscera, that is, the pulmo [lung], hepar [liver], stomachus, lien [spleen], et intestina were quite fresh as they would be in a healthy person."

Again, the one thing that sticks out to me is the clinical detail by educated people. This wasn't just Urban Legend passed between a bunch of farmers...What do you think?

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THE VAN METER VISITOR: GHOST? CRYPTID? ALIEN? OR HOAX?

4/1/2015

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Before I get to today's post I want to let everyone know that my novel "The Third Gender" is on sale for .99¢ for the next day and then it will revert back to its original price. Download it by CLICKING HERE

Also I have two short stories that are now FREE. You can download DeathWalk here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J81PJOE

My other Short story that is FREE is "The Man with the White Face"

Today I would like to talk about the "Van Meter Visitor." Back in 1903 in the town of Van Meter Iowa something that couldn't quite be explained happened. Some kind of creature was spotted flying between rooftops. supposedly this strange entity was the size of a man with smooth, bat-like wings. The beast had one horn protruding from it's forehead which emitted a blinding light. Many respected towns people witnessed the entity and some even fired shotguns, possibly wounding it. here is an excerpt from The Des Moines Register:

"THE STORY GOES LIKE THIS: Over a series of nights in the fall of 1903, several respected and prominent men of Van Meter reported a half human, half animal with enormous, smooth bat wings flying about. It let off a powerful stench and scared the daylights out of them because it moved at speeds never seen before. And it shot a blinding light from its horned head. Shots were fired each time, first by implement dealer U.G. Griffith as it flew across building tops. The monster shrugged them off like a minor nuisance. The next night the town doctor and bank cashier Peter Dunn separately saw the creature and opened fire. Dunn even took a plaster cast of the “great three-toed tracks.”

The following night, O.V. White, reportedly a dead-eye with a gun, was awakened from his slumber in his quarters above the hardware store and shot at the creature that was perching atop a telephone pole. This awakened Sidney Gregg, who had been sleeping in his store nearby. Gregg said the monster hopped like a kangaroo. Even the local high school teacher saw it and deemed it some sort of antediluvian monster."

The creature or spirit was followed to an abandoned mine close by the center of town. A group of men posted watch outside of the mine and at one point two of the anomalies flew out and circled around before flying off. The creature returned the next morning to a mob of armed men. The monster used a loud noise and a gut-wrenching stink to defend itself.

Many of you guys may remember the time that I have posted about the Mothman. It seems that this is a similar creature. You may also remember that a creature like this was also seen around Chernobyl. So could we be looking at a mysterious species? Could these be intelligent beings that have come here from another planet? Or is this a different sort of thing?

Other theories are that the Van Meter visitor could possibly be a ghost. Perhaps it's the spirit of a miner that perished in the nearby mine and maybe that light is a headlamp that miners use. Or could this be a demon? We have all heard descriptions of demons that sound like they could fit the bill.

What do you think happened back in 1903?

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HORRIFYING LEGENDS OF THE GRIFTER, SATAN'S SPHINX AND THE RED MIST

3/28/2015

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So I am running a sale this weekend... My new novel "The Third Gender" is on sale for only 99¢ until Monday. get it by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QMZRAAK

Throughout time there have been stories or "urban legends" about pictures, songs or movies that simply by viewing, listening or watching will cause you to go crazy and even in some case commit suicide. For example in 1935 a song was released called "Gloomy Sunday" (also known as the Hungarian Suicide song). Rumor has it that if the song is heard by certain "sensitive" people they will commit suicide and the music has been supposedly linked to countless suicides.

There have been other instances of this sort of thing and I even had a prior blog post on Operation Mk Ultra, where the government itself used a combination of drugs, sleep deprivation and subliminal messages and videos to attempt mind influence. I thought today I would talk about some of the Urban Legends of this sort that are out there now.

The first one is a movie called "The Grifter". This movie supposedly started to circulate in 2009. The video reportedly shows horrifying images; including acts of torture, mutilation and the sacrifice of an infant. Subliminal messages and chanting is accompanied by a soundtrack full of strange sounds, music and tones. Supposedly this video can cause nightmares, seizures, hallucinations, nausea and even suicide. This is from Listverse:

"It has been said that the video was recorded in the 1930s and portrays a collection of strange pictures and sounds. In one part of the movie, the words “Your race is the one that is dying” appears while a picture of a plant rotting is seen. The footage displays close up shots of corpses and people who have been possessed by demons. It has been described as the most disturbing video available on the Internet. However, many feel the tape is a hoax and nothing more than an urban legend. The story of The Grifter has spawned an Internet meme in which threads that discuss hoax videos are considered to be trolling for information on bizarre clips."

The next movie that is rumored to be out there is called Satan's Sphinx. The legend behind this video states that it surfaced in 2006 supposedly uploaded by government officials that were testing subliminal messages. The video is said to cause homicidal urges, self-abuse, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, insanity and a general feeling of depression and unease. This again is from an article on Listverse:

"The urban legend says that the Satan’s Sphinx video contains a high pitched audio track that will irritate the viewer. It holds images of blood, death, and murder that are continually run over the screen. The pictures rotate so fast that it becomes impossible for people to individually identify them. At this point, incoherent whispering is heard and the screen begins to flash. People get dizzy, but don’t want to turn the movie off. The footage is said to last 3:49 and will cause the viewer to become depressed and sleepless. After the experiment, the clip was banned by the U.S. government with all traces removed from the Internet."

The interesting thing about this video (other than the still shot above) is that it was rumored to have been intentionally put out by the government. The story states that it was secretly uploaded, but that the results were so intense that the testing went way out of control. This is the same government that can't even get a bill passed to help our veterans without squabbling and infighting, but I don't put anything past them when it comes to the idea that they'd want to control our minds.

The last video I want to talk about is kind of personal to me. I'm a huge fan of Spongebob Squarepants, so when I learned about this particular urban legend I was shocked. The video was actually made to be an episode of Spongebob, it's called "The Red Mist." Again here is the information that Listverse has on the video:

"As the story goes, a disgruntled Scottish animator named Andrew Skinner developed an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants in 2004 named Red Mist. He tried to pass the episode off as the official season 4 premiere and sent it to Hollywood for approval. In California, animators watched the tape and discovered a dark secret. The video starts with the picture of a salesman at Squidward’s house. He knocks on the door and says: “the red mist is coming,” in which Squidward is confused. The tape flashes to a picture of Squidward playing the clarinet in front of a large crowd and Spongebob can be seen violently booing the performance.The body language of Squidward is depressed. He returns to his house and sits in a chair with a blank look on his face. The audio turns scratchy and trees can be heard in the background. Squidward starts to cry and the tape begins to flash. At this point a series of real pictures come to view. The images show the body of a dead boy with his face mangled and entrails exposed. The shadow of the photographer is visible and the tape shows pictures of a deceased girl. The song Amazing Grace is played and the video goes into a sequence of frames in which the boy is mutilated. The words “Do it” can be heard, while Squidward pulls out a shotgun and commits suicide.The story suggests the tape was made by Andrew Skinner of Fife, Scotland and delivered to the animators at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California in November of 2004. The event was so horrifying that three of the animators were hospitalized, including Barry O’Neill, Grant Kirkland, Jr. and Alyssa Simpson. One editor named Fernando de la Peña retired and an intern named Jackie McMullen committed suicide. It was reported that the tape was later tracked to Andrew Skinner who was arrested for nine counts of murder, including the two children seen in the video.

After viewing the tape, a copy of the footage was made by an intern at Paramount Studios and released to the Internet. However, it was quickly removed by police and only a screenshot of Squidward’s red eyes remains. Research on the story doesn’t bring many results. Except for one article from 2002 that briefly mentions a man from Fife, Scotland named Andrew Skinner that was arrested for attempted murder."

To me the intriguing thing about this is that there are so many actual names attached to the urban legend. Not only does the story list victims, but it also lists the perpetrator: Andrew Skinner from Scotland. being a Spongebob fan and having kids who loved the show while they were of the corresponding age, I find this story extremely disturbing.

So what do you guys think? Are these simply Urban legends? or is it possible that these videos not only exist, but that they can have such a horrifying affect on the viewer?

My opinion is that it's very possible for images and movies to have a disturbing affect on the senses. Anyone who's seen Batman and Robin with George Clooney knows exactly what I'm talking about. That movie made me nauseous and left me deeply scarred.

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THE CREEPY PHENOMENA OF BLACK STICK MEN

3/18/2015

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A new Phenomena has been reported recently and I thought it sounded interesting so I decided to let you guys know about it. Reportedly in the last few years people have seen entities which can only be described as Black Stick Men. These creatures appear to be black stick figures that often are sighted around dusk or dawn. Reports have had them walking on the sides of roads or in alleys and they seem to follow the unlucky person who witnesses them.

Another strange thing about these stick figures is that they make no sound and cast no shadow. Rumor also has it that the figures are often charged with some form of electricity (most often reported as static). People who encounter these reportedly shy beings often have strange feelings of anger or agitation. The theory is that whatever energy these entities are charged with, causes an atmospheric effect that makes people feel very strange at the least.

The stick figures should not be confused with Shadow People, but it may be possible that they are all somehow related. What little is known about these creatures is based on eye-witness reports. They don't seem to be tied to any particular haunting, tragedy or area, but one thing is for sure... Incidents in which Black Stick Figures are witnessed has increased recently.

This is from the Spirit Seekers website:

"The details, of what little there are, about these creatures/apparitions seem to be consistent from story to story. The appearance usually takes place along a deserted road, or in an alley way, away from bright lights and prying eyes. The person encountering the stick men more times than not report being tired. The figures move smoothly as if gliding, they do not make any sound although the air around them is reportedly charged with static.The actual stick men themselves seem indifferent to us unless provoked or if they realize they have been spotted. Then they will flee quickly or in some rare instances will approach quickly in a frightening display of aggravation. However, there have been no reported incidents of anyone being touched or harmed by the mysterious beings.The only indications of their intent have been reports of vague feelings of malevolence, though some feel this has to do with the disturbances in the atmospheric/barometric pressures that often accompany a sighting."

If anyone out there has witnessed these creatures please post your experiences below in the comments section.

In other news I am currently working on making all of my short stories FREE. "The Man with the White Face" is currently FREE on Amazon.com, Kobo, Apple iTunes, Scribd. Page Foundry and Barnes and Noble. The next story to go FREE will be "Bait."

The only short a story that I am not going to make FREE is my new story "Shadow People" but you can get it by clicking on the link below for only 99¢

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UB84UDO

I also wanted to let everyone know that my novel "Wormwood" will soon be out in Audiobook form. I hope to release the Audiobook at some point in late April or early May. The sequel to "Wormwood" that has the working title: Blackened is coming along really well. I anticipate the release of the novel about a month after the Wormwood Audiobook.

Thank you everyone for your support! Remember to help keep this blog going please pick up one of my books and or sign up for my mailing list. If you're on the mailing list you will receive updates, news on sales and freebies

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THE HORNET SPOOKLIGHT AND THE DEVIL'S PROMENADE

3/16/2015

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Before I get into today's blog post I want to let you guys know that I'm running a few sales. My short story "The Man with the White Face" is FREE on all channels. You can pick it up in the kindle version by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IQCYU46

I'm also having a sale on my new novel "The Third Gender" for the next couple of days. It will be only $1.00 until Wednesday, March 18th. You can get it by clicking on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QMZRAAK

In the middle of swamp country on the Oklahoma/Missouri border appears an unexplained phenomena called the Hornet Spook Light. The light seems to hover above the ground anywhere from a few feet in height to ranging high above the tree tops. here is the description from wiki:

" The Spooklight is commonly described as a single ball of light or a tight grouping of lights that is said to appear in the area regularly, usually at night. Although the description of the light is similar to that of other visual phenomena witnessed throughout the world, the term "Spooklight" when standing alone generally refers to this specific case. Numerous legends exist that attempt to describe the origin of the Spooklight, one of which involves the ghosts of two young Native American lovers looking for each other."

The light has been reported since the mid to late 1800's with the first documented case occurring in 1881. Which seems to disprove one theory that states that the Spooklight is nothing more than passing car lights on a nearby interstate. There wouldn't have been car lights back in the 1800's and even if it was argued that "wagon lights" were the culprit it's hard to believe that wagon lights could be seen above the trees.

The are that has the most sightings is a long dirt road just outside of the small community of Hornet, Oklahoma. This area is referred to by locals as "The Devil's Promenade." Other theories or explanations for the mysterious light range from swamp gas to certain atmospheric conditions similar to the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

The website AmericanLegends.com has this to say about the Spooklight:

"The ball of fire, described as varying from the size of a baseball to a basketball, dances and spins down the center of the road at high speeds, rising and hovering above the treetops, before it retreats and disappears. Others have said it sways from side to side, like a lantern being carried by some invisible force. In any event, the orange fire-like ball has reportedly been appearing nightly for well over a one hundred years. According to locals, the best time to view the spook light is between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and midnight and tends to shy away from large groups and loud sounds."

The Paranormal stories are many. The first is of a lost prospector who died in the area carrying a lantern. The land in that area is rich in Zinc and Lead and back in the 1800's many prospectors came to the area and were often lost in the swamp or possibly even killed by Indians or their greedy compatriots. Another story states that the Spooklight is residual spirit energy that was left from the attrocities committed on "The Trail of Tears" and that Indian spirits have come back to make sure that no one forgets.

Here are a few more stories again from the webiste AmericanLegends.com:

"Other interesting legends also abound about the light that provide a more ghostly explanation. The oldest is the story of a Quapaw Indian maiden who fell in love with a young brave. However, her father would not allow her to marry the man as he did not have a large enough dowry. The pair eloped but were soon pursued by a party of warriors. According to the legend, when the couple was close to being apprehended, they joined hands above the Spring River and leaped to their deaths. It was shortly after this event, that the light began to appear and was attributed to the spirits of the young lovers.

Another legend tells of a miner whose cabin was attacked by Indians while he was away. Upon his return, he found his wife and children missing and is said to continue looking for them along the old road, searching with his lantern.
Others say the Spook Light is the ghost of an Osage Indian chief who was decapitated in the area and continues to search for his lost head, with a lantern held high in his hand."

Sightings of the Spook Light are common, sometimes even reported to be seen inside vehicles. A few people, who have been walking along the road at night, have even claimed to have felt the heat of the ball as it passed near them.

So what do you guys think the Spooklight really is?

Here is a video for your viewing pleasure about the Spooklight

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SHADOW PEOPLE AND THE HAT MAN: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

3/6/2015

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On a couple of occasions I have posted blogs about shadow people and more specifically "The hat man." The responses to those blogs were amazing. People from all over the world left comments that described their personal experiences and sightings in vivid detail. Some of the stories are absolutely terrifying.

So after reading all of your accounts I started writing a short story called "Shadow People." The story is about a man named Jabari who has witnessed Shadow People on a couple of occasions. They always precluded a tragedy. His life starts to get comfortable and he almost forgets about the shadows... almost.

Jabari's new wife is pregnant with their first child and he starts to see the Shadow People again. He fears for the safety of his soon to be family and searches out a way to rid his life of these unwanted and horrible creatures. In the process Jabari is introduced to Dr. Prado a demonologist, together the two men face off against the apparitions. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the story is now available on Amazon.com click on the link below to get it!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UB84UDO

Here are some of the eyewitness accounts that have been posted on this blog. Thank you to everyone who posted, your stories were so inspiring.

Posted by Juan on July 7th 2014:

"The hat man. The other day my sister in law was telling a tale about slender man and I stated that I had experienced with a similar apparition many years ago. We looked up slender man and told her that is not the figure I saw years back. Then I looked up dark figure in coat and hat and the pictures and drawings are exactly what I saw. I was astonished by how many people have seen this figure. My first encounter was about 13 years ago when a presence woke me up. I saw a tall lanky man in a coat and a wide brim hat standing next to my bed looking at me. I jumped up thinking someone had broken in and started swinging at the figure only to catch air. This is when I realized this was a ghost or something. He vanished. In coming weeks I was awoken by his presence about 3 more times and every time he was standing there looking at me. Never moved never made a sound but I could clearly make him out. I have not seen him since. Nothing bad ever happened but I will never forget the eerie experience."

Posted by Spencer on November 2nd 2014:

"The Hat Man visited me 3 or 4 times when i was 9 years old. I'm 57 now. I remember like it was yesterday. But I hadn't thought about it for many many years until someone on coast to coast am w/ George Noorey mentioned shadow people and the Hat Man. That got my attention FAST!!! My experience was like so many others. Wake up late at nite. Dark figure of a man in a trench coat and that hat. Standing in the doorway observing me. and i could tell he was really there but not. I couldn't see thorough him but he didn't seem solid. If that makes any sense?? And he would just stand there. That's all he ever did. I got the idea for some reason that he was of some importance that i couldn't comprehend. I always pulled the covers over my head when i got tired of looking at him. I would still like to know what the hell the Hat Man is all about. I'm amazed that it is reported world wide."

Posted by Brandi on September 27th 2014:

"It was late at night when I had finally gone to bed and I don't quite remember the exact date nor day of the week, but it was sometime in the school week and not the weekend. I do not remember if there was anything special about the night other than the fact that I did not dream, which is EXTREMELY rare for me. Instead, I had been abruptly awaken in a sweat and had some kind of adrenaline-spike, breathing hard and scared for some reason. The most horrifying part was that I could NOT move, which absolutely terrified me just as much as the fact that I could see a tall man, dressed in a black trench coat and sharp-rimmed hat just like how everyone has been describing him. Unfortunately, my vision is terrible and I require my glasses if I want to see any facial features from that distance, but of course I had been sleeping so I did not have my glasses to aid me and even if I had, I was completely paralyzed at the time, unable to do anything but think. Not even scream.

Anyways, so the man's features were unknown to me and it was pretty blurry, kind of shadowy like people have been saying. However, I could have sworn that he he had long-ish, kind of wet hair that was almost shoulder-length. Here's where the True Blood possession moment."

Posted by Querube on October 23rd 2014:

"For years I tough this only happened to me, and now just doing some research I found this blog.

I must say, this was the most surreal experience I had in my 30 years of life, I was only 13 years old when I was seating in my kitchen alone, eating a bowl of cereal and watching tv like any normal kid just waiting for my parents to arrive from work. (this was around 3pm)

Suddenly I felt the urge to watch the hall next to the kitchen, and I saw this super tall shadow wearing a trench coat and a hat, not a regular hat, but a really old one, a top hat of the 20s or 30s, he didnt have legs, he was floating across our hall, and went straight to our door and dissapeared.

I never saw his face, I just saw him so clearly, I started screaming and crying, I was so terrorized by this thing, whatever it was, I called my father crying on the phone telling him what just happened, he was so scared he tought a thief was in the house, but I told him that thing vanished in our front door.

This was the most terrifying day of my life, it was so real, I still cant understand what happened, I never saw him again, and I hope Ill never see him ever, Im a really analytical and logical person.

I hope some day I can find an explanation of who is this man that appears around the world, its more scary now that I know Im not the only one.

*Sorry for my english, I dont live in the United States, Im from Panama."

Posted by Cierra on December 31st 2014:

"I have seen the hat man one time. I am just now finding out that this is a common entity people have been seeing. About a year ago my boyfriend and a buddy of mine were at my house. My buddy left around 11 or so. The side door next to my room is hard to shut just right. Basically only myself and my family know how to close this door properly. My mom woke me up in the middle of the night screaming that the door was wide open. She was very angry closed the door and went back in her room. I drifted back off to sleep. I woke up shortly after terrified. I felt something was not right. I tried to nudge my boyfriend without making sudden movements but he would not wake up. At the foot of my bed was the hat man. He just stood there staring at me. I stared back at him unable to move or even blink. He may of stood there for a few minutes. He smiled at me and disappeared... but I could not see his face he was only a silhouette. Somehow I knew he smiled at me and I could see it. Kind of hard to explain. After he left my room I had this feeling that he took something from me. I don't know what it was but the feeling was extremely over whelming. Not physically but he definitely took something from me. I think that the door being open in the middle of the night may have invited him in. I have not seen him since that night."

Posted by Marz on January 1st 2015:

"I was for Years old so 1984. We were in a parking garage, my mom left me in the car to go get her check or something. I seen him clear a day. He was about 6'5 long trench coat black lIke Josey Wales type hat. Red eyes and I mean like fire red. I've been looking for this guy forever and now all.of a sudden it a phenomena everyone is talking about. I thought I was the only one who seen this Thing. I remember smelling smoke like electrical smoke really badly. He had long claws and scratch the cars he walked through. Then next thing he was gone. So two years go buy and I see him again in the same parking garage. This time I asked my mom why this guy she works with is so scary and I explained it to her and she said she don't work with anybody in that description especially with red eyes. She blamed it on movie my sister watched with me to scare me. I researched not one movie or show ever featured this Haman guy I looked for months every twighlight zone every night gallery tales from the crypt, nothing so I know I wasn't daydreaming and I say that cause it always occurred around like 3 in the afternoon. I'll never forget him I've had nightmare about that apparition for my entire life....."

To read more of these stories you can go back in the archives and find the two shadow people blogs or follow this link.

http://www.micahackerman.com/blog/the-hat-man-paranormal-phantom-of-death-or-hoax#comments

In other news:

My novel "The Third Gender" is now ranked on the Amazon Best-seller list. It's the first time it has made the list in it's categories. Thank you so much to everyone who has bought a copy. I appreciate every single reader.

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DYSTOPIAN MOVIES ON NETFLIX: TWO SOLID PICKS

2/24/2015

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Before I get into today's blog post I wanted to let everyone know that today I am doing FREE days on some of my short stories, so if you haven't had a chance to get them... now's the time.

DeathWalk - my take on the zombie genre

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J81PJOE

and

The Manuscript

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J6GUH52

Both will be FREE on Amazon today. The two stories are also free on all of the other sales channels, so if you have Kobo, Apple ITunes, Scribd and or Nook. You can pick them up there as well!

Every so often I post reviews about hidden gems or decent movies I find among the endless piles of dreck on Netflix. I almost always stick to horror, sci-fi and most of all Apocalyptic/Dystopian types of films. I write Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian novels so... Today I would like to review two such movies that I found. One of them was a mainstream release, but it's been awhile since its been in everyone's "to watch" list. The second movie is definitely more of a Indie film. Both were recently added to Netflix and I think both are worth watching.

The first movie is the remake of Robocop. If you guys are fans of the original movie you may have mixed feelings about this remake. The original Robocop was gritty and raw, it pulled no punches. The remake is designed to appeal to a broader audience. It's slick and everything from Robocop himself to the "drones" are done up in a flashy way. I think the movie works as a standalone Sci-Fi movie more-so than a remake. The stories are similar, but the original story line was altered some to get rid of some of the drugs and violence. The remake is set in a future that doesn't seem so far away, crime has risen in the United States to heightened levels and the feeling is there that regular cops just aren't enough.

Robots are being used to fight foreign conflicts and we see a glimpse of them in action fighting insurgents in some Middle Eastern war zone. The robots are doing such a good job overseas, that there is call at home to use them on the crime riddled streets. This almost seems like a statement on our own militarized police forces of today, where armed personnel carries are used in some large cities. In the movie the problem is that the American public doesn't like the idea of highly armed robots walking around when they don't feel emotion. So the creator of these military robots comes up with the idea of putting a man inside the machine. So along comes our main character Detective Murphy. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but Murphy becomes so much more than even his creators can handle.

Like I said above; I think that the remake works on many levels as a piece of entertainment. There are some problems, but the acting is top notch. We have Gary Oldman as the doctor who is in charge of the melding of man and machine. We also get Michael Keaton as the head of the company Omnicorp. who runs the robot campaign and comes up with the Robocop idea. I liked the movie, but in my opinion it doesn't hold up to the original. Is it worth watching? Absolutely.

The second movie I wanted to review and let you guys know about is an Indie film called Young Ones. This movie was a really unexpected gem. It's set in a not so distant future where the United States is thrown into a seemingly endless drought. Farmers are left fighting for survival in a desert wasteland. They need to get water diverted to irrigate their dusty patches of sand so they can grow food to survive. The film is divided into three parts based on the three main characters.

The first part centers around Ernest Holm who is a rancher and a father. He has fought through the drought and has fought through his own demons (alcohol). His biggest asset is the fact that he has a donkey. Ernest is desperately trying to convince the builders of a pipeline to divert water onto his farm. He trades with these "contractors" and it's a very rough world. Ernest is played by Michael Shannon and I think he's the best character in the movie. Shannon plays the part with grit and sympathy. It's a great piece of acting.

The Second part of the movie is about Flem Lever a man who is in love with Ernest's daughter. He is willing to do anything and everything to survive. His father had been kicked off the land which Ernest now owns. Flem also has to fight through his own demons and ends up caught between his own conscience and what he feels he must do to survive. Flem is played by Nicholas Hoult and again the acting is solid. This movie has a lot of surprises and like I said above I don't want to spoil it for you.

The third part of the movie is about Ernest's teenage son Jerome. Jerome must skirt the line between knowing all of the secrets of the film and protecting his older sister. He's also trying to be a teenager at the same time. It's a very complex back story and again the acting is superb. Jerome is played with tenderness in a inhospitable world by Kodi Smit-Mcphee. I have a feeling that we will see Kodi go on to a really solid acting career.

I really liked this movie. While you can tell the budget isn't of blockbuster status the acting and direction is very appealing. We see many different advanced technologies from robotics to futuristic ways to treat paralysis. At first the way that the movie was divided into three segments annoyed me, but in the end all the stories were basically one and it worked on many levels.

WORMWOOD SEQUEL UPDATE: I know that a lot of my readers are eagerly awaiting the launch of the sequel to Wormwood. The book should have been out by now and that was the plan, but life kind of got in the way. I had personal trouble (divorce) and I wasn't able to write to the standard that I feel the sequel deserves. Now things are going much better for me and the sequel is back in full swing. The release will be delayed until the spring, but it most assuredly will be out eventually. I apologize for the delay.

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Streaming Service Hidden Gems

UPDATE!

CAMP CONNECTICUT DISSECTING A HORRIFYING LOCAL LEGEND

The Creepy Story of the Medvegia Vampires

THE VAN METER VISITOR: GHOST? CRYPTID? ALIEN? OR HOAX?

HORRIFYING LEGENDS OF THE GRIFTER, SATAN'S SPHINX AND THE RED MIST

THE CREEPY PHENOMENA OF BLACK STICK MEN

THE HORNET SPOOKLIGHT AND THE DEVIL'S PROMENADE

SHADOW PEOPLE AND THE HAT MAN: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

DYSTOPIAN MOVIES ON NETFLIX: TWO SOLID PICKS

Micah Ackerman

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