Alam Nyo Ba?

PLOT: Desperate for companionship on a post apocalyptic Halloween night, the Last Girl on Earth gets more than she bargained for, when something far more sinister arrives on her doorstep.

REVIEW: Post-Apocalyptic stories can often feel much like the same thing over and over again. So I was excited to see Hallowarrior take the concept, and do something a bit different with it by focusing on the holiday of Halloween. It follows Pumpkin (Shapiro), who holds out hope that she’s not the only person left in the world and puts out radio messages with her exact location. She’s so lonely that she doesn’t even think about how that could possibly go wrong. So when a mysterious group shows up, she’s none the wiser until it’s almost too late, and now she has to fight to survive. Oh, and she really likes to decorate for Halloween.

Milly Shapiro does well in the role of Pumpkin, and you can really feel her loneliness. I’m also not sure if anyone has a better scream in horror, as it’s utterly guttural. Unfortunately, the character is a bit underdeveloped, and everything feels half-baked. They don’t really take advantage of some of her weird tendencies (like digging up her parents to hang out on Halloween), and she doesn’t take charge soon enough. I was really hoping for more of a Becky, who would be able to kick ass, but Pumpkin doesn’t have much fighting spirit. She always has to be coerced by Wendy, the girl who takes a liking to her from the group of strangers.

Things pick up once Shannyn Sossaman and AJ Bowen arrive, but they are so plainly evil that it just makes Pumpkin look dumb for not noticing. I get that she’s very lonely and isn’t thinking straight, but they may as well have nametags that say “Hello, I’m a bad guy.” There’s not much subtlety there. While the group that they’re with is interesting in theory, they’re all wasted, without enough time to even establish them as proper threats. And can we please stop doing the cannibal thing in a post-apocalypse? At least this one makes a good excuse for it, but I immediately stop caring when that element is introduced in these kinds of films.

Also, I’m not sure if it’s just because I was traumatized by Return of the King as a kid, but I hate extended wrap-ups and this one is pretty egregious for how little actually happens within the story. I zoned out and realized it was still going, despite nothing really advancing forward. Maybe they were just trying to get it across a certain runtime threshold, but it feels like it’s never-ending.

Hallowarrior is ambitious with its ideas but never quite manages to execute them fully. I kept waiting for it to enter a higher gear, but it always just sort of stays in first. While the synopsis makes it seem like we’d be getting horror Home Alone, that’s not really what this is. The intruders mostly just walk into Pumpkin’s Halloween décor. I really wanted traps that would mess these guys up, so that was disappointing. There are a few moments of violence but it’s always pretty brief.

I could absolutely seeing Hallowarrior connecting with others, but it just didn’t land for me. I can appreciate the production design and the good performances, but I wasn’t invested in these characters or this world. The more time I spent in it, the less unique it felt, and the decision-making just further cements that. I also wish films would focus on creating just one story rather than trying to set up for sequels. But I’m glad Shudder is still doing movies like this, even if this one didn’t work for me.

Hallowarrior is now streaming Shudder and AMC+.

The post Hallowarrior Review: Fun Concept that Never Reaches its Full Potential appeared first on JoBlo.

Earlier this year, John Carpenter‘s Toxic Commando debuted on consoles and PC, bringing undead monsters and mutants from the famed filmmaker’s imagination into an interactive realm. Still, when asked what he’s been playing lately, by Reece Feldman, the horror aficionado said he’s in the throes of Fallout 76, and isn’t afraid to dive into Fortnite. However, when Carpenter isn’t dabbling in video games, he’s often fielding questions about his classic films, including his 1982 psychological horror classic, The Thing.

The Decades-Long Mystery of The Thing

While speaking with Carpenter at the Academy Museum gala, Feldman inquired about The Thing‘s ending, which movie fans have debated for decades. When asked what he thinks is the worst theory someone has given him about the ending of that movie, Carpenter said, “Every idea people have is not the right one. I know the right one.”

Slightly taken aback, Feldman asked if anyone had ever guessed the correct interpretation of the ending, to which Carpenter replied, “It’s right in the movie too. There is a big clue. No one has guessed it.” Clearly, Carpenter isn’t ready to give up the goods and would rather let fans figure it out for themselves, if ever.

Next, Feldman asked Carpenter if he could recall the first horror film he ever watched. After rifling through the file cabinet of his mind, Carpenter replied, “It was a science fiction movie called It Came From Outer Space. It was in 3D, and a meteor exploded in my face, and I was terrified and overjoyed at the same time.”

Where It All Started

Earlier this year at Fan Expo, Carpenter said he’s working on a sequel to The Thing, though the project’s official status is unknown. Besides, it’s not like the man doesn’t have his hands full. When he’s not making movies, he’s making music, consulting, or producing a variety of projects, including his most recent endeavor, the John Carpenter Presents Something Wicked podcast.

What’s Next for the Horror Master?

What do you think is The Thing‘s true ending? Would you like to see a real-deal sequel to Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece? Would Kurt Russell return in some capacity? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

The post John Carpenter Says No One Has Ever Guessed the True Ending to 1982’s The Thing appeared first on JoBlo.

It feels like everyone and their mother has been watching Mike Flanagan’s Carrie. It’s a pretty drastically different take on the story, and while I didn’t love it (check out my review HERE) there are some wonderful performances. Two characters that have always been a bit underdeveloped in all the adaptations and even the original novel, are both Billy Nolan and Tommy Ross. Thankfully, with 8 episodes to play with, these characters are able to be expanded upon a bit and given much more dimension.

I spoke to Carrie stars Arthur Conti and Joel Oulette about their roles, and how the audience finally gets to know them more than just superficially. We get into what it meant for them to be able to bring these characters to life, and just evil Billy is for a certain incident on a bridge. Hilariously, I also just found out that Arthur is the son of comedian Nina Conti, who is currently on S22 of Taskmaster. As a massive fan of the show, I regret not knowing of their familial ties when the interview took place. You can check out the full interview in the embedded video above.

And don’t forgot to check out my interviews with Summer Howell & Samantha Sloyan and Matthew Lillard and Amber Midthunder HERE. And stay tuned for my talk with Mike Flanagan himself later this week.

Carrie plot:

Misfit high‑schooler Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) has spent her life hidden away inside the walls of her home with her fiercely protective mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). After her father’s sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.

All 8 Episodes of Carrie are now streaming on Prime Video.

Related

Carrie Interviews: We speak with Summer H. Howell, Samantha Sloyan, Matthew Lillard and Amber Midthunder about the new series

The post Carrie stars Arthur Conti and Joel Oulette discuss how different their Characters are from past iterations appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: A prequel to Friday the 13th focusing on a young Jason Vorhees and his mother, Pamela (Linda Cardelllini).

REVIEW: There was a time, a glorious age called the 1980s, when the Friday the 13th franchise was one of the most dependable things in the world. You could expect a new entry in the series to show up almost every year. Additions have been more sporadic since then, and we’ve recently endured the longest rough patch in F13 history. For seventeen long years, ever since the Friday the 13th reboot was released in 2009, the franchise has been bogged down in development hell and legal issues. There have been stretches of time when it looked like Jason Voorhees might never return to the screen at all. So when the TV show Crystal Lake was announced, it almost felt like a miracle. But the road to the series becoming a reality was predictably complicated. Bryan Fuller and Jim Danger Gray were originally at the head of the project before production company A24 decided to go in a different direction. Fuller’s version was reportedly going to be a Hannibal-style reinvention, with each season deconstructing one of the first four Friday the 13th movies. Brad Caleb Kane ultimately became the showrunner, and the series moved from Canada, where Fuller’s take on the concept was gearing up for production, to New Jersey, where the original Friday the 13th was shot.

And now Crystal Lake has finally been released into the world. The Friday the 13th franchise has received its first substantial live-action addition in almost twenty years. And it’s a welcome one that absolutely feels like it was worth the wait.

That doesn’t mean Crystal Lake is perfect. Some decisions will divide fans, some mythology changes might make them shake their heads, and at least one major piece of Jason Voorhees history never should have been delved into in the first place. A couple of episodes are also less interesting than the rest. But overall, it’s a highly enjoyable show. In fact, as of this writing, I’ve already watched the entire season four times.

The most important thing Crystal Lake gets right is Pamela Voorhees. Linda Cardellini takes on a role originally played by Betsy Palmer 46 years ago, giving us a Pamela who feels like a fully realized human being. The original movie gives us only fragments of Pamela’s life. We know she lost her son Jason when he drowned at Camp Crystal Lake, that she blames the counselors and eventually those who want to reopen the camp, and that she has completely unraveled by the time the movie takes place. Here, Cardellini gets an entire season to explore the woman behind that madness.

The show’s Pamela is grieving, protective, frightening, and increasingly unstable. The tragedy in this story isn’t just that she ends up becoming a murderer, but that a mother who lost the person she loves most gradually loses herself as well. The early scenes involving Pamela and young Jason are among the season’s strongest, with the writing giving Jason an innocence that makes the tragedy of his drowning hit harder than ever before.

It’s also interesting that the show presents Jason as a child who can speak and interact with people, which isn’t what every fan has assumed he would be like. (Some books and comics have previously suggested that he was a little creepy from the start.) That choice might not work for every viewer, but I found this version of Jason to be very likeable. He dreams of being an outdoorsman, has a friend, gets picked on by bullies, and loves his mother. Pamela describes their connection as being “joined at the heart,” which is exactly how their relationship should be presented. Unfortunately, the show later introduces friction between them that I didn’t care for. I want Pamela and Jason to remain connected, even as their relationship becomes more disturbing. Their bond is one of the franchise’s most important elements, and it shouldn’t be weakened.

If you have a deep affection for the original Friday the 13th, you’ll probably get more out of Crystal Lake than someone who only knows Jason as the guy in the hockey mask. I absolutely love the sequels and Jason is my favorite slasher icon, but I also think the original movie is underrated and too often overshadowed by what followed. It’s one of the greatest horror movies ever made and one of the creepiest slashers of all time. I watch it multiple times every year. Crystal Lake understands that movie and often feels like an extended love letter to it. It’s reverential of the original Friday the 13th, even when it changes our understanding of things we saw in that film.

As mentioned, this production took the franchise back to New Jersey, using Blairstown as downtown Crystal Lake, just as it was in the 1980 film, and bringing locations from the original movie into the new story. Hartung’s Diner is back, as are familiar characters like Dorf, Ralph, and Enos. Barry and Claudette, the counselors who were the first people to ever get killed in a Friday the 13th movie, are even characters here! The show also recreates moments from the original, sometimes so faithfully that it feels like falling through a portal and landing in 1980. Harry Manfredini’s music returns for the title sequence, too, and hearing that familiar sound attached to a new Friday the 13th project is wonderful. Of course, recognizing something from an older movie isn’t enough to make a new story worthwhile. Fortunately, Crystal Lake generally finds ways to give its callbacks new context.

Some of the changes work better than others. The original movies established that Jason drowned in 1957, while Crystal Lake moves the event into the early 1970s. That’s a change I would normally be against, but I can accept it here because it was a legitimate creative choice rather than an arbitrary changing of numbers. Kane wanted to set Crystal Lake in the ‘70s so the show could “touch on all the pop-culture artifacts that were tangential to the America from which these movies were born.” He wanted this to be a “mixtape of genre,” covering everything from slasher horror to ABC Afterschool Special drama, martial arts movies (one character is a big Bruce Lee fan and likes to practice throwing his shuriken), and paranoid conspiracy thrillers. The variety can be a strength and a weakness, but it makes the show feel bigger than a straightforward prequel. The town is populated by people with their own lives and problems, even when Jason isn’t lurking nearby.

The supporting cast helps sell that approach. William Catlett’s Chief of Police Levon Brooks is a sympathetic lawman whose relationship with Pamela becomes complicated, while his journalist sister Briana Brooks (Devin Kessler) gets drawn into a mystery that’s very different from the stories she normally covers. Gwendolyn Sundstrom makes Jason’s only friend Grace an important emotional part of the season. Cameron Scoggins is entertaining as the frequently ridiculous Officer Dorf, who has more depth than you might expect. Nick Cordileone captures the energy of Walt Gorney’s Ralph, and Hamish Linklater brings something unexpected to the material. Not every storyline works equally well, and Linklater’s character is likely to be especially divisive, but the cast kept me invested.

One thing that bothered me about the show was the decision to expand Jason’s origin story. I won’t get into the specifics, but the series gives information about his early years that goes far beyond anything hinted at in the original movies. I never wondered about these things, and I never wanted an explanation. The mystery surrounding Jason has always been part of the appeal. The franchise spent years building him into an almost unknowable figure, but now Crystal Lake has revealed something major about his past. I appreciate that the show doesn’t reduce everything about Jason to a single scientific explanation, still leaving room for him to be mysteriously unique, but I don’t think the mythology created for Crystal Lake needed to be part of Friday the 13th.

The pacing isn’t always great. A large portion of the second episode revolves around a self-help seminar and while I understand how that material fits Kane’s desire to explore early-1970s culture, it feels like a detour that won’t connect with many fans. Later, the series devotes an entire episode to Jason’s past, bringing the present day story to a halt to explain things that didn’t need explaining. Friday the 13th has never required so much explanation.

The directing is a mixed bag, although there’s a lot to admire. Michael Lennox directed the first three episodes, and I felt that the premiere’s first 34 minutes achieved a level of absolute perfection. They deliver old school Friday the 13th vibes unlike anything we’ve gotten in decades. The next three episodes, directed by Celine Held and Logan George, contain some of the season’s best sequences, including recreations of familiar moments that are both heartwarming and impressive.

The final episodes, directed by Quyen Tran, are more uneven. The origin flashback is my least favorite episode, and the finale feels rushed. It’s the shortest episode of the entire season, which shouldn’t be the case. There’s strong material in there, including a tense sequence involving Levon, Pamela, and a group of dangerous outsiders, but some developments are handled too quickly, like there was a hurry to get to the end credits.

Still, Crystal Lake knows how to deliver the pleasures of Friday the 13th. There are bloody kills, counselors, drugs, sex, campfires, bad decisions, and people wandering into the woods when they really shouldn’t. There’s even an open Camp Crystal Lake. After so many movies that only reference the camp as an abandoned place associated with death, it was very cool to see it functioning as an actual summer camp again.

I didn’t love every minute, every storyline, or every expansion of the mythology, but I loved spending time in this world again. Seeing the original locations and familiar characters, hearing Manfredini’s music, and watching so many little details from the movies brought together in a new story made me very happy. It has its ups and downs, but overall, it’s a wonderful ride.

I want to see Jason back in the hockey mask, going after another group of ill-fated youths, as much as any other fan, but I was surprised by just how nice it was to visit with Pam again. There are years of Friday the 13th history to fill in between the end of this season and the beginning of the original movie, and I really hope we get a second season to explore them.

Jason Voorhees is back. The woods of Crystal Lake belong to him and his mother. And I’m eager to see what they’ll do to anyone who trespasses in their territory.

The post Crystal Lake Review: We Binged the Entire First Season appeared first on JoBlo.

Scarlet Stallone is branching out like a gnarled, haunted tree grasping at passersby under a harvest moon for her next big project. According to Deadline, the Tulsa King star and Fears to Fathom creator Rayll are joining forces to bring the horror video game franchise to screens. Stallone’s SRYN Productions has optioned the rights to the franchise for film and television adaptations.

Bringing Real-Life Terror to the Screen

Created by Mukul Negi—better known to the gaming community as Rayll— the Fears to Fathom franchise has carved out a seriously chilling niche as an episodic anthology of standalone psychological horror games ripped straight from terrifying real-life accounts. Instead of leaning on cheap jump scares, supernatural beasts, or bloated mythology, Fears to Fathom masterfully tightens the screws on dread, proving that the most petrifying terrors often stem from ordinary situations going completely, horribly wrong.

What is Fears to Fathom?

The franchise includes installments such as Home Alone, Norwood Hitchhike, Carson House, Ironbark Lookout, Woodbury Getaway, and Scratch Creek, each featuring a different protagonist. The first chapter, Home Alone, has over 2.3 million downloads on Steam, while other entries in the series have sold more than 1.25 million copies. The games do especially well during Spooky Season, when gamers and streamers are gearing up for Halloween festivities.

“I’ve been playing video games since before I could read, and the first time I played Fears to Fathom, I was hooked. I’ve played every one since,” said Stallone. “Rayll’s games are grounded and genuinely unsettling, because the horror comes from situations that could actually happen to you. I love working with Rayll; we’re a great team, and I’m so excited to expand that world while keeping what fans love.”

From Steam to the Big Screen

I’m more than a bit shocked that I’ve never heard of Fears to Fathom. I keep my finger on the pulse of all things gaming (it’s my most significant passion outside of music), yet this series is new to me. Am I out of touch? Have I become an old man? Don’t answer that. I haven’t finished my coffee yet and cannot contend with harsh truths until my second cup at least. It’s cool to see Stallone spreading her wings and influence into gaming. It’s a complicated entertainment arena to navigate, though it sounds like she’s passionate about the medium and wants to help create something worthwhile. I’m all for it.

Have you played any of the Fears to Fathom titles? What do you think about Stallone entering the gaming space? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Scarlet Stallone Takes On True Horror With ‘Fears To Fathom’ Film & TV Adaptations appeared first on JoBlo.

Some stars refuse to leave the building, even after the curtain falls. The ghost of Marilyn Monroe is said to linger near a Hollywood hotel mirror. The spirit of Elvis may still be shaking things up at Graceland, and somewhere between old movie studios, famous mansions, hotel rooms, crime scenes, and concert halls, a few other celebrated guests may be staying behind to star in their very own real-life ghost story.

Whether it be late, great Hollywood icons, rock legends who met a tragic end, presidents who never left the White House, or legendary outlaws with unfinished business, our world is full of bone-chilling tales of dead famous folk floating amongst their living fans. But what keeps these spooky tales alive? Are people witnessing the real restless spirits of the stars of the past? Or is this all just wishful thinking? Either way, if you’re afraid of ghosts, especially famous ones, then stay away from Hollywood, or Vegas, or Disneyland—or, you know what, pretty much any place where a famous person lived, ate, partied, or died.

Would you act out a real-life jump scare if a long-dead Hollywood icon suddenly appeared before your eyes? Would you investigate? Would you run away? Would you call the Ghostbusters? Or would you simply just curl up under your blanket like Haley Joel Osment and whisper, “I see dead celebrities”?

Are these celebrity ghost stories true, or are these just Hollywood fantasies of fans desperate for a final performance? Some are intriguing. A handful are hard to deny. Many are hard to trace. Some kind of seem like ghoulish tourist traps, and a few seem to have been created on the internet. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t truth behind them.

Let’s take a tour of some famous places where some famous people supposedly stayed behind.

Hollywood’s Most Famous Celebrity Ghosts

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel may be the biggest celebrity ghost hangout in town. Marilyn Monroe is said to appear in a full-length mirror that once stood in her cabana suite. Montgomery Clift, who stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel while filming From Here to Eternity, is said to haunt Room 928. In that room, you can hear him practicing his bugle or pacing around as he rehearses his lines.

But this hotel is not the only place where you can find Marilyn Monroe. Her ghost appears in many places, actually: at the home where she used to live, near her grave at Westwood Memorial Park, and at places all around Hollywood. The more beloved the star, the more places that seem to claim a piece of her.

James Dean’s ghost is another one that’s been spotted around. Some local stories say that Dean or his Porsche have been seen near the highway where he died. And there are some other tragic stories out there that lead people to believe that his Porsche was cursed, as it went on to kill again.

John Wayne is said to haunt several places, always dressed up as a cowboy, of course. You can see his ghost at the Alamo, where he reportedly talks to fallen soldiers. And when he’s not at the Alamo, John Wayne’s ghost seems to be haunting his old yacht, the Wild Goose, again dressed as a cowboy. Some have seen him at the historic El Rancho Hotel along Route 66, where classic Westerns were filmed. Guests and staff at El Rancho have reportedly seen full-bodied apparitions of John Wayne dressed as a cowboy. Of course, they’ve felt cold spots, and the sound of a horse can be heard when there was, like, no horse anywhere to be found. And John Wayne would ride horses.

Walt Disney and the Ghosts Haunting Disneyland

Walt Disney is said to ride a ghost train around Disneyland. In fact, Walt has been seen throughout Disneyland, walking around the park. There have been some reports of Walt-shaped shadow figures that leave behind a tobacco smell because he liked tobacco. His ghost is said to have whispered, “I’m still here,” letting everyone know that even death is not going to stop the boss from keeping an eye on his creation.

Walt Disney is also said to be haunting his former apartment above the Main Street fire station, and the lamp in the apartment window apparently turns on by itself. So, the Disney staff has just left it on as a tribute to Walt Disney.

Haunted Hollywood Studios and the Spirits of Classic Movie Stars

The celebrity ghost stories continue at the studios. Lon Chaney, the silent film star remembered as the original Phantom of the Opera, was said to appear on Universal’s Stage 28, which is where the 1925 film was shot. Rudolph Valentino, the silent-era Latin lover, is linked to his former home, Falcon’s Lair, and to Paramount’s lot. Other legends place Judy Garland at Broadway’s Palace Theatre, where she is said to be heard humming some lovely tunes.

The spirit of Orson Welles can be encountered at a Los Angeles bakery. Some accounts add the scent of Welles’ favorite brandy and cigars popping up every now and then out of nowhere. Lucille Ball is said to linger at her former Beverly Hills home, where later owners reportedly heard voices and found objects moved around. Joan Crawford’s old home has its own stories of disturbances and exorcisms, too. And George Reeves, the actor who played Superman on television, is said to appear in his old home wearing the costume that made him famous.

Charlie Chaplin is said to return to Musso & Frank’s, where he supposedly favored a particular booth. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard are linked to the Oatman Hotel in Arizona, where the two famous star-crossed lovers reportedly spent their wedding night. Carole Lombard is also said to haunt her former home, and there’s been talk of her spirit at her plane crash site.

Silent film producer Thomas Ince, actress Thelma Todd, actor Clifton Webb, and comedian Redd Foxx have all been associated with hauntings. And even the ghost of Anna Nicole Smith is said to haunt the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, where she died.

John Belushi seems to still be partying at the Chateau Marmont. One account says a young child staying in his bungalow pointed to John Belushi’s photograph and called him the funny man—you know, the one he’d been seeing running through the hallways. The spirit of John Belushi seems to enjoy entertaining those with eyes innocent enough to see him. John Belushi’s ghost is still out there running through the hallways, which is even more bizarre when you think about how Belushi inspired Slimer in Ghostbusters.

Rock Stars Who Allegedly Haunt the Living

It seems like almost every dead rock star has a ghost story. Just assume that all of them do, but here are some worth mentioning. Amy Winehouse and all of the other members of the 27 Club seem to have returned to visit the living. Janis Joplin reportedly haunts the hotel room where she died. Staff and guests of the hotel have described closet doors opening and closing and lights flickering when her name is mentioned. The room has also become a shrine, with fans leaving artwork, notes, and bottles of Southern Comfort.

Courtney Love said she saw the ghost of Kurt Cobain shortly after she and their daughter moved into a Los Angeles home. Kurt appeared and said hi, then vanished. There are many reports of Jimi Hendrix’s ghost hanging out at Electric Lady Studios in New York City and at his former flat in London. Jim Morrison is said to linger at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, where the Doors recorded many of their albums, and his surviving bandmates have described vivid dreams in which he appears.

Dan Aykroyd said that Mama Cass Elliot’s former home was haunted by her “lovely spirit,” describing jewelry being moved around, exercise machines turning on in the middle of the night, and the feeling that someone or something had climbed into bed with him on more than one occasion. Again, just like Ghostbusters.

Sid Vicious is said to linger at the crime scene where Nancy was killed. Allegedly, some say Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, or Ritchie Valens—or all three—haunt the site of their plane crash, where people have reported phantom lights and mysterious music. And on February 3rd, the anniversary of the tragic plane crash, locals claim they can hear a small phantom plane flying around. As you might know, this was known as the day the music died.

Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Michael Jackson: Ghosts of Music Legends

Of course, Elvis Presley is said to haunt Graceland, Las Vegas, and Nashville. Many staff members report lights flashing and, you know, Elvis-shaped shadows. There are rumors that some people hear a phantom piano playing. Even Mr. Wayne Newton has witnessed the ghost of Elvis. He saw him sitting there on a balcony during one of his performances. And many sightings seem to occur backstage at the Las Vegas Hilton.

The ghost of John Lennon is said to haunt the Dakota, where he was murdered. There are rumors that Yoko Ono reported seeing him in their living room, sitting at his white Imagine piano. Of course, another John Lennon ghost story comes from Paul McCartney. While the surviving Beatles were recording “Free as a Bird,” Paul recalled strange things happening and the group feeling John Lennon’s presence.

Liberace is said to haunt the Las Vegas restaurant he once owned, with reports of electrical glitches and objects moving. The ghost of Frank Sinatra is said to make appearances around his old stomping grounds. The same goes for the ghost of Hank Williams.

Then there’s Michael Jackson at Neverland, which we actually have footage of. In 2009, after Michael Jackson’s death, viewers thought they saw a figure cross a hallway during a CNN tour of the ranch. And that figure was kind of shaped like a Michael Jackson shadow, maybe. Is Michael Jackson’s spirit moonwalking through the halls of Neverland? You be the judge. And look at this amazing footage.

When Living Celebrities Encounter the Ghosts of Dead Stars

Some celebrity ghost stories aren’t tied to a single place. They follow a person into a dream or a film set or just a private encounter. What happens when dead celebrities start visiting living celebrities?

Kendrick Lamar has described dreaming that the spirit of Tupac appeared to him with a message to keep going and keep the music alive. La Kint has made a much more unusual claim that Tupac “took over her body.” Helena Bonham Carter said a psychic told her that Princess Margaret approved of her playing her in The Crown. Catherine LaNasa said that the ghost of her former husband, Dennis Hopper, visited her after his death, then returned in a dream to tell her he was no longer in pain.

While living on the former property of O.J.’s wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, Megan Mullally and her husband, Nick Offerman, described hearing strange sounds in the house and feeling the spirit of Nicole. Ana de Armas said that the spirit of Marilyn Monroe would visit the set of Blonde and would somehow connect with the cast. And Loni Anderson recalled feeling Jayne Mansfield’s presence while portraying her in a television movie.

All these accounts tell us about the people who report them just as much as they tell us about the famous dead. These ghostly encounters seem to come across more as affection for the dead celebrity or unfinished grief. They’re just sharing some, you know, afterlife admiration, some artistic respect. But whatever this is, these living celebrities think they have a strong connection to dead people who had the same occupation as them. And, yeah, some may be joking, and some may just be dreams or memories or imagination that take on a supernatural shape, but, like I said, there’s always some truth behind it.

Presidential Ghosts: Abraham Lincoln and the Haunted White House

Historical figures count as celebrities, right? Celebrity ghosts aren’t just limited to movie stars and musicians. Anywhere you go in Washington, D.C., or Savannah, Georgia, everyone’s like, “George Washington’s ghost is in there,” or “Abraham Lincoln’s ghost is seen over there.”

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous celebrity ghost legends. There are stories of him all over the place, but the best ones are of him in the White House, where there are many reports of Abraham Lincoln looking out windows or appearing to visitors. There are actually a lot of dead presidents in the White House who do not want to leave. Andrew Jackson is said to stomp around and swear. You’re not allowed to swear in the White House. There are other collections of ghost stories that feature the spirits of John Adams, Harry Truman, and Thomas Jefferson. The details vary, but the stories have all been repeated for generations.

I like these presidential ghost stories. They show that a historic figure can become part of a building’s identity, and these presidential ghost stories usually make White House tours a little more fun.

Betsy Ross is said to linger in her Philadelphia home. Benjamin Franklin has been linked to the library of the American Philosophical Society. And there are figures from British history popping up all over British places, such as Henry VIII, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Prince Edward V. In fact, I’m actually sure that every country in the world probably has a celebrity historical figure ghost story.

Infamous Ghosts: Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, and Other Outlaws

The world is big. There are a lot of ghosts out there, and a lot of them are famous, and a lot of them are infamous, like the outlaws and notorious figures who have their own haunted addresses. The bloody ghosts of Bonnie and Clyde are linked to the Louisiana site where they were killed. And Al Capone, he apparently is haunting Alcatraz. People claim to hear banjo music near his cell. Jesse James is said to haunt his family farm. Bugsy Siegel’s ghost is still doing gangster business at the Flamingo in Vegas and a Beverly Hills mansion. Aaron Burr haunts a New York restaurant in a building that was once his carriage house.

There are just so many out there. People have seen dead poet Dylan Thomas, magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, and writer and humorist Mark Twain, who also have their fair share of famous ghost stories throughout the years.

Why Celebrity Ghost Stories Continue to Fascinate Us

These celebrity ghost stories kind of give us a way to talk about death in a more, you know, comfortable, fun way. You’ve got Monroe in a mirror, Lennon at the studio, or Lincoln at the White House. These stories turn the afterlife into an image that we can picture and a place that we can visit.

When adding a leading man or a doomed starlet to your ghost story, people seem to listen up a little bit more. They want to believe a little bit more. And for some people, it’s kind of nice to have a celebrity accompanying the question, “What happens after we die?” Turning the biggest mystery ever into a spooky motion picture for our imaginations, featuring our favorite movie stars, with music by our favorite rock stars, written by our favorite dead poets.

Being a part of such a ghost story makes the witness feel as if they’re co-stars with a famed performer, like death is not going to stop them from sharing a scene. Maybe they keep coming back because we aren’t finished remembering them. We preserve their voices in recordings, their faces in photographs, and their performances in theaters and on streaming, and their names are forever echoed in the places where their stories are being told.

A celebrity ghost story is not exactly proof of an afterlife, but a celebrity ghost story is an example of the mark a person can leave on a culture, a building, or just someone who admired their work. The person may be gone, but the story stays. And sometimes that story becomes a ghost story. The energy lingers, and the legend lives on.

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Joe Bob Briggs, the legendary drive-in movie critic and horror host, has joined the cast of The Eye from Beyond, an upcoming creature feature inspired by 1950s science-fiction horror and the practical gore effects of 1980s genre movies. Briggs joins fellow The Last Drive-In personality Diana Prince, better known as Darcy the Mail Girl, along with horror veterans William Ragsdale (Fright Night) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp).

Directed by Justin M. Seaman, the filmmaker behind The Barn franchise, The Eye from Beyond is being developed as a throwback monster movie featuring practical creature effects and plenty of old school splatter. Seaman co-wrote the screenplay with Pat W. Dougherty, who is also producing and serving as first assistant director.

The film is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, where its creators have already reached their initial funding goal. Additional contributions will help the production expand, with campaign rewards ranging from Blu-rays to an opportunity to be killed on-screen alongside a horror icon.

What is The Eye from Beyond about?

The official synopsis for The Eye from Beyond reads:

It’s the story of a terror that falls from the sky upon the little sleepy town of Creek Hills during the weekend of the Fourth of July. A threat that mutates everything it touches, and turns the animals, people, and insects into blood-ravaging alien mutants. Now the residents must band together to defeat THE EYE FROM BEYOND.

The film aims to combine the atmosphere of classic 1950s science fiction horror with the practical gore associated with 1980s creature features. Its creators cite Night of the Creeps and the 1988 remake of The Blob as points of comparison for the kind of monster movie mayhem they want to deliver. They’re building an original story around familiar genre ingredients, including an extraterrestrial threat, a small town setting, and a community forced to confront something beyond its understanding.

Zane Hershberger serves as the cinematographer alongside Scott B. Hansen, who is also a producer on the project. Practical effects and creature design are being overseen by Cody Ruch and Samantha Sanford, whose work includes The Boy from Below and The Barn Part III.

In addition to Briggs, Ragsdale, Rose, and Prince, the cast includes Giulia Pisano, Genna Pisano, Michelle Santiago, Brett Wagner, and Jessa Jupiter Flux.

Does The Eye from Beyond sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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