The Boogeyman

The Bogeyman, also known as Boogeyman, Boogieman, and Bogieman, is an imaginative creature used by parents to scare children in order of compliance.

In the most common adaption of the Bogeyman, parent's would tell them that if they did not sleep, or if they did not comply to something, that the Bogeyman would come and take them while they were asleep.

This would cause most children to be afraid of their closet and/or under their bed, as these were the places they suspected the Bogeyman would come from.

The Bogeyman has also been known as another term for the Devil.

Some interesting concepts behind the existence of the Bogeyman is that of Thoughtform.

A Thoughtform is a being or apparition that exists upon the belief of it's existence. Some believe that through many minds believing in the existence of one thing, their is a form of mind power that can cause the idea to come to be.

Another similar idea is that Thoughtforms are created based on fear, or negative energy. It could also be that certain spirits or ghosts that feed off of negative energy, take shape of whatever fear that they are feeding from.

In some other countries, the Bogeyman is called the Sack Man, due to the fact that he would carry a sack to take children away. There have been several adaptions in television and movies from this idea, such as those below.

  

This is a character called Oogie-Boogie. He is one of the Antagonists from the movie, Nightmare Before Christmas. He is made out of a sack, and is an expert on kidnapping people.


From this we can see an adaption of the Sack Man in the character. It also to note that the children in the movie are afraid of him, and he shows the same characteristics as you would expect the Bogeyman to show.

This character is known as CandleJack, he is an antagonist in a children's cartoon in which he would kidnap children if any of them said his na

The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, and the Hoodoo Sea, is a supposed area in the North Atlantic Ocean which is said to be the cause for a numerous amount of airplane and ship disappearances.

The apexes of the triangle are roughly pointed to Miami, Florida, and the Island of Bermuda, although the Bermuda Triangle is not recognized by the U.S Board of Geographic Names, and no official file on the area exists.

The actual area of the triangle, which ranges between 500,000 square miles, to 1.5 million square miles, depending on what source has written regarding it, is one of the most heavily traveled shipping lanes in the world, with many cruise ships and planes crossing through it daily.

It has been reported that in the last century, more than 50 ships and 20 air crafts have vanished for completely unknown reasons.

There are many supernatural explanations to the nature of The Bermuda Triangle, which range from extra-terrestrials, to paranormal beings. Such include the theory that an alien ship had crashed into the center of The Bermuda Triangle, and when ships and air crafts traveled above it, the alien technology interfered with that of their technology, causing them to crash.

Another interesting theory is that ancient technology from the mythical city of Atlantis lies within the Bermuda triangle. Similar to that of the alien technology, in the sense that it may have caused problems with the ships and air crafts technology, the Atlantic technology may have also caused disruptions.

There are also more natural explanations, such as violent weather, human error, and the gulf stream, which is a deep ocean current that flows through the North Atlantic, and has enough power to carry away a small plane making a water landing, or a boat with engine trouble.

There is also a theory that the disappearances were caused by large fields of methane hydrates on the continental shelves. Experiments have been carried out to test and prove that the bubbles can sink a scale model ship by decreasing the density of the water. Also, any wreckage and remains of the ship which would rise to the surface would be rapidly dispersed by the Gulf Stream.

With many theories and explanations, it is sure enough that activity surrounding The Bermuda Triangle is, indeed, rather peculiar and interesting. Even to this day, no definite explanation proving exactly what happened to the ships or air crafts has risen, and their disappearances will forever remain a mystery.

Ouija Board

The Ouija Board is one of the most controversial forms of paranormal contact in modern times, but also dates back before the 1900's. Commonly sold throughout toy stores internationally, the use of the Ouija board appears to be harmless, however, various cases and stories of it's use have proved otherwise.


The Ouija Board was first introduced in 1890, from which it was not associated with the idea of paranormal contact until popularized by a spiritual leader during WWI.

To use a Ouija Board, the user(s) put their hands on the pointer, and ask a question. The pointer will then move around the board to spell out an answer, or depending on the question, will move to 'Yes', 'No', 'Sun', 'Moon, or 'Goodbye'.

Although most users will blame the movement of the pointer on a paranormal being, there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon known as the Ideomotor Phenomenon.

The Ideomotor Phenomenon is when a person makes an unconscious movement, based off of a strong conscious decision or emotion. This is also the same when the body reacts to pain, and when the body cries in response to a strong emotion.

However, even with this explanation, strange events involving the use of the Ouija Board, events which although can most probably be explained by scientific fact, have a strong negative effect.

There have been a notable number of complaints and talk of the dangers of the Ouija Board by users. Most who have had a bad experience with it have talked about the feeling of a 'presence', usually one with dark intentions. Some have cut straight to saying that they are possessed, and that they are constantly be followed and/or watched. 

Many occult and religious leaders have spoken out against the use of Ouija Boards, saying that they are dangerous and should be used by no one. A popular spiritualist, Edgar Cayce, also has said that the Ouija Board should not be used, least be those who are not practiced with the act of contacting spirits.

A common belief and/or explanation as to why only certain people have had bad experiences with the Ouija Board, is that certain spirits, whether they be bad or good, can 'latch on' to those will weaker will power, or those who are easily frightened or spooked.

NOTE: On a personal and religious note, which can be taken as you will, there is another 'fact' about the Ouija Board and contacting spirits in general, which will only relate to you depending on your belief.
In the Bible, it is said in a notable amount of places that man is not able to contact the dead, as the dead are no longer there. Having said this, the Bible doesn't say that it isn't possible to contact... other entities.

1 John 4:1 states:

'Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.'

Although this verse explains that there are both good (Godly) spirits and bad (Demon) spirits, since this is also completely based on the belief's of the Bible, it is also wise to note that the Bible talks about refraining from the act of trying to contact the dead.

Simply, according to the Bible, if you are using a Ouija board, any 'spirit' you contact, if you do in fact contact one, regardless of what they may say, is an evil entity in disguise.

Remember, this note is purely a personal and religious idea, one that I felt needed to be noted, and is simply another idea/belief.

Doppelgangers

In modern day terms a 'Doppelganger' simply refers to a look-alike of a person. It can also be described as seeing a 'reflection' of yourself in your peripheral vision, only to find that there was nothing there that could reflect your image.

In fiction and folklore, a Doppelganger was a paranormal double of yourself, typically evil or mischievous.


An experiment in 2006 was taken to produce the effect similar to that of the doppelganger phenomenon. While laying flat on a bad, electromagnetic stimulation was applied to a female patient's brain. She immediately felt the presence of another person in her personal space. Apart from being epileptic, for which she was being treated, she was psychologically fit.

The person she felt was described to be young, and although didn't speak or move, it had a body posture identical to her own. She felt the other person located exactly behind her.

A more intense test was taken, only the patient was sitting up with her arms folded. In this test she felt the presence of a "man" who had his arms wrapped around her. She described the sensation as very unpleasant, and the test was stopped.

The last test involved the patient sitting upright, and asked to perform a language test with some flash cards, while have electrical stimulation applied. She said that the presence she felt, which was sitting beside her to her right, was attempting to interfere with the test, and said: "He wants to take the card; he doesn't want me to read." The effect was disturbing and the test was ceased.


Many cases of people seeing doubles of themselves have been reported, even for that of Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln said that during one particular winter, he had repeated dreams or illusions, and on the evening of his election, he looked into a bureau mirror from across the room and saw himself at full length, but with two faces. After moving from the couch he was lying down on, the illusion stopped, but repeated when he would return. It bothered him and he told his wife about it, she was worried as well.

He attempted this again, and the  two faces returned, one paler than the other, however this was the last time he saw it.

His wife said it was a sign he would be elected to a second term, and the death pallor of one face meant he wouldn't live through his second term.

Demons - The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel

When it comes to demon possession, the most famous case is that of Anneliese Michel. A German Catholic woman who died at the young age of 23. She was born on 21 September 1952 in Leiblfing, Bavaria, West Germany to a strict Catholic family.

At the age of 16, she was diagnosed with epilepsy after suffering a severe convulsion. The first signs of demonic possession occurred in 1973 when she began to suffer from depression and started hearing voices which were telling her that she was "damned" and that she would "rot in hell".

She later began treatment in an unnamed psychiatric hospital. However this treatment did not improve her health. Instead, her depression worsened. She had grown increasingly frustrated and annoyed with any sort of medical intervention as it didn't help. All types of long-term treatment proved unsuccessful, and her conditions worsened in time.

Anneliese began to contrast her condition to demonic possession. She became intolerant of sacred objects and places, such as the crucifix, as she attributed this to her own demonic possession.

In June 1970, she suffered a 3rd seizure at the psychiatric hospital she had been staying, and then was prescribed anti-convulsants for the first time. She talked about "devil faces", which she claimed to see at various times during the day. She was increasingly adamant that her illness was of a spiritual kind, and was convinced that no medicine could help her. She took several different types of drugs up until shortly before her death.

On a pilgrimage to San Damiano with a good friend of the family, Anneliese managed to get an exorcism. After some examining from a vicar, who after seeing Anneliese, declared that she didn't "look like an epileptic" and that he didn't see her having seizures. Also she refused to walk pas a crucifix and refused to drink the water of a holy spring. The vicar believed she was suffering from demonic possession, and he urged the bishop to allow an exorcism.

After being convinced that she was possessed, Anneliese and her parents stopped seeking medical treatment, and decided to solely put her fate into the hands of the exorcism rites.

Over 10 months, between 1975 and 1976, 67 sessions of exorcism, one or two each week, lasting for up to 4 hours, were performed on Anneliese. At some point, she began talking about dying to atone for the wayward youth of the day, and she refused to eat.

On the left are a few pictures of her during the exorcism.

On 1 July 1976, Anneliese died in her home. An autopsy reported the cause of death as malnutrition and dehydration.





Below is a short clip of the exorcism:


Below is the full audio tapes for the exorcism:


Several movies have been loosely based on this case, such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Raining Blobs(Oakville Blobs)

On the 7th of August 1994, it began to rain in Oakville, Washington, at 3:00 AM.

As common as rain was in the area, the residents began to notice that this wasn't really rain, but instead was a gelatinous substance that they had never seen before.

For the next three weeks, the rain continued to fall for a total of 6 times.

An officer, David Lacey, had said that when the 'rain' first started to fall, he was on patrol with a civilian friend. He said that when he turned his windshield wipers on, the rain smeared, rather than washing off. He then had to pull into a gas station to attempt to clean it manually, although he put on a pair of latex gloves to be safe. He describe the texture of the substance to feel like jelly, and to be very mushy.
Later that afternoon, David and many other residents had suddenly become violently ill. They described the sickness as having difficulty breathing, extreme vertigo, blurred vision, and a sense of nausea. Another resident of the area said that everyone in town contracted a flu-like illness that lasted two to three months.

Additionally, several cats and dogs that had come into contact with it also got sick, but died.

Another resident, Dotty Hearn, was found sprawled out on her bathroom floor, conscious but very weak, after an hour of first noticing her symptoms. Her daughter, Sunny Barclift, described Dotty as feeling very cold and sweat-drenched and very pale. Dotty was taken to a hospital and stayed there for 3 days.

While Dotty was being taken to hospital, Sunny remembered the odd rain, and thinking that it had some connection to her mother's illness, took a sample and sent it off to the hospital. A lab technician examined it and found human white blood cells in the sample, but had no idea how they could have gotten in a substance that came from the sky.

The sample was then sent to the Washington State Department of Healthy for further study. A Microbiologist  named Mike McDowell noted that the substance was teeming with 2 species of bacteria, one that lives in the human digestive system.

Due to Mikes findings, the substance was immediately thought to be from an airline human waste system, however this was disproved due to the fact that all human waste from planes is to be coloured blue, and this substance was clear, and that pilots are not allowed to release the waste system while flying.

After another sample managed to get to a research lab called AmTest Laboratories, a researcher called Tim Davis, another microbiologist, believed that he saw a eukaryotic cell; a complex, nucleus-containing cell that is present in most living creatures. This meant that the substance is or had been alive.

One theory about the rain's origins is that the military's naval bombing runs at sea had accidentally destroyed a school of jellyfish, and sent their pieces flying into the atmosphere, only to come back and settle in Oakville, 50 miles inland. However, the idea of this was very much doubted by the residents, due to the distance they would have to travel, and the fact that there was no rotting smell.

Dog Suicide(Overtoun Bridge)

A curious and interesting case of the unexplained mysteries of our world is that of the Overtoun Bridge.
Overtoun Bridge is located in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It has caught the attention of media due to the fact that between the 1950's and 1960's, a numerous amount of dogs have committed suicide by jumping off of the bridge, at a rate of about once a month.
Apparently that not only would all the dogs who died jump from the exact same side each time, but those who survived the fall would return later to jump again, from the same spot.

This mystery became known internationally through the media, and was a common topic of discussion and interest for many a while.





Below is a Documentary about this case, with leading animal behaviourist, Dr David Sands.

Sleep Paralysis(Night Demons)

Have you ever woken up suddenly out of a dream, only to find that you are incapable of moving?

At this point you would probably start to panic, and the fact that you might even sense another presence in the room doesn't help either.

What is actually happening to you is that you are experiencing Sleep Paralysis.

Sleep Paralysis is a phenomenon which occurs upon either entering or awakening from sleep. The effects are complete paralysis, and the inability to speak; most who try can usually get no more out than a strained groan.

Another common and particularly interesting effect that occurs during Sleep Paralysis is that many who experience it have reported feeling a heavy weight on their chests, as well as feeling an 'evil presence'. Some have even seen visual images of dark figures.

Sleep Paralysis occurs more frequently among those who have narcolepsy. It is also easier to happen when you are very tired from staying awake for too long.

Apart from the supernatural theme and explanations for this phenomenon, there is a perfectly informative scientific explanation for why this occurs.



To start, there are 5 stages of sleep. The most relevant stage however, is Stage 5: REM Sleep.

REM stand for Rapid Eye Movement, and it is during this stage that we are in our most deepest sleep, and when we dream. Now during this stage of sleep, in order to keep us from moving around in our sleep from our dreams, our brain releases a chemical which stops our muscles from reacting to our brains signals. Therefore, every night when you sleep and you dream, you are, in fact, paralyzed.

Now the reason Sleep Paralysis occurs, is that for some reason, you can wake up during your REM stage, and usually at this point the chemical is supposed to cease from being active, but sometimes it doesn't. It is because of this that Sleep Paralysis occurs.

Note: From this we can see that Sleep Walking is the opposite of Sleep Paralysis, in the sense that Sleep Walking is when the chemical ceases to stop the muscles in our body from reacting to that of our brain, thus ending up with us walking around and acting out our dreams.

Also, if the body is more exhausted, this can make it much easier for the chemical to stop working, simply because the body is still asleep, which is why it occurs in people who have narcolepsy a lot more.

Shadow People

When you are sitting down somewhere, and out of the corner of your eye, you see a flash, or a shift in the darkness. You look towards where you saw the flicker, only to find that nothing is there.

Most people dismiss this as nothing, however there is a supernatural explanation for this; Shadow People.

According to believers, they are shadow-like humanoid figures, and can only be viewed by your Peripheral vision.

They are generally believed to be evil and aggressive, although there are few who believe them to be Guardian Angels.

In the United States, Shadow People have been described as the most regularly reported paranormal phenomena.

A paranormal researcher named Heidi Hollis was interviewed several times, and she said she believes that shadow people have always existed, and that they feed
upon fear, and can be repelled by positive thinking.

There are others who believe that shadow people are
extra-dimensional inhabitants of another universe.

Below is an email regarding a personal shadow people experience in which the person caught a picture of what appears to be a shadow person.

I have always bumped into shadows ever since we've lived here. Everyone laughed at me until one Thanksgiving when my daughter took a picture of her boyfriend. When she showed me the picture, she said, "What is that?" In the photograph, she was referring to a tall, black, perfect shadow of a  man with smoke coming out of his head that was swirling and went up to the ceiling. So scary looking. I said,"That's the shadow man that I've been seeing". Now, they all believe me and now he is almost constantly around in my bedroom.

It is the same story as everyone else that's written in: darker than dark, fear of someone watching even if you don't see him and they are outside also.

Too much to write about. I just wanted people to know they're really out there. If anyone wants more info or can help me get rid of them, please let me know.

The picture was sent in with the email

Both email and picture were taken from here.

The Bloop

In 1997, a loud and powerful sound was detected and heart by the U.S (NOAA). The sound was traced to a remote point in the south Pacific Ocean.

According to the description provided by the NOAA, it had rised rapidly in frequence for about one minute, and was able to be heard at over 5,000m.

Dr. Christopher Fox of NOAA has said he does not believe its origin is man-made. Although the sound resembles a living creature, the sound is several times louder than the blue whale, which is the loudest recorded animal.

Fox then later stated that the Bloop could be ice calving in Antarctica. A year later, a journalist called David Wolman, made her own opinion on the origins of the sound:

"Fox's hunch is that the sound nicknamed Bloop is the most likely to come from some sort of animal, because its signature is a rapid variation in frequency similar to that of sounds known to be made by marine beasts. There's one crucial difference, however: in 1997 Bloop was detected by sensors up to 4800 kilometres apart. That means it must be far louder than any whale noise, or any other animal noise for that matter. Is it even remotely possible that some creature bigger than any whale is lurking in the ocean depths? Or, perhaps more likely, something that is much more efficient at making sound?

— David Wolman"

Many people interested in the bloop have stated that they believe the origin of the sound to be related to Lovecraft's work.

Below is a video about the bloop.

Dancing Plague of 1518

During the month of July, 1518, a woman named 'Frau Troffea', began to dance excessively in a street in Strasbourg. She continued to dance between 4 to 6 days. Within one week, 34 people had also joined in, and within a month, the number of dancers had peaked to 400. After a while, some people died from heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion. This phenomenon has occurred in numerous places, between the 14th and 17th centuries. It is known as Dancing Mania.

Dancing Mania involved many groups of people, even thousands at a time. It had affected men, women, and children. They all danced until they collapsed from exhaustion.

One of the first outbreaks occurred in Aachen, Germany, in 1374. It soon spread throughout Europe.

Soon after the outbreak in Strasbourg occurred, many people attempted to develop explanations and cures for what was happening.

As it worsened, concerned nobles asked for advice from local physicians. These physicians immediately ruled out astrological and supernatural causes, and rather announced that the plague was a natural disease.

Rather than prescribing the usual treatment, they encouraged more dancing, and even hired people to play music during, in hopes that it would help cease the dancing.

Many dancers would parade around naked, and some made obscene gestures. Some even had sexual intercourse.

Dancers would scream, laugh or cry, and some even sang. They would dance until they broke their ribs, or died from exhaustion.

One of the most interesting things about this event, is that all participants in this dancing all had very odd reactions to the colour red. Anyone who saw the colour red would become aggressive and violent.

How this 'dancing' came about to happen is still being debated, however what is certain is that all those involved seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness, and unable to control themselves altogether.

Personal Post #2

Upon reading a 'scary' story, I find myself automatically looking for whatever twist that I assume the story is trying to bring across. I know it's there somewhere, waiting to try and get me, to make me feel unsafe and vulnerable.

Now of course after reading many stories, it gets rather obvious when it's coming.

So after a while it doesn't affect me, until I have to read some other story with a different approach.

A particular favorite approach of mine is that of a story that is obviously leading up to some dramatic twist, that which is hoping to send shivers down your spine and make you quiver in your seat, but rather leaves you only to find that in the end, there is no twist.

I find myself thinking: "What? Where is the answer? Where is the predictable explanation for the suspenseful and yet dragging story leading up this part?"

At this point I feel somewhat uncomfortable, and slightly creeped out.

It was also at this point that I realized this was exactly the thrill I was looking for.

No explanation, no proper ending, just the idea of what could be, left lingering in my mind, searching for some sort of answer I knew I would not find.

Of course, knowing that a story of this sort ends in such a fashion will ruin the entirety of it, so rather than giving an example, or sharing a link to one that I know, I shall define what it would feel like to read one the best I can.

It is almost like reading a particularly good story, that has captured your interest quite deeply, and you are eager to read the rest. It is, however, at the peak of your interest, that you are, for some reason, forced to stop reading.

Now it is not exactly like this, but this is the closest I can explain without actually displaying a story on here.

For the best stories, including those described in this post and elsewhere, I recommend visiting: Creepypasta

Devil's Footprints

An intriguing case of the Paranormal is that of the Devil's Footprints. The name was given to the phenomenon that happened during February 1855 in South Devon, England. Shortly after the occurring of a heavy snowfall, mysterious hoof-like marks appeared overnight in the snow,  and covered a total distance of 40-100 miles. The footprints were called this because many believed these were the tracks of Satan.

The hoof marks mostly measured to be around 4 inches long, three across, and between eight and sixteen inches apart, and usually in a single file. They had been reported from over thirty different places across Devon and some in Dorset.

An particularly interesting thing about these tracks is that all obstacles including houses, rivers and haystacks were traveled straight over, and there were footprints appearing on top of the snow-covered roofs and even walls that lay in the path of the footprints.

There had also been rumors of 'sightings'.

Apparently, a few people had seen a "devil-like figure" in the Devon area during the incident.

Primary and Secondary source material of evidence has been collated by a noted researcher Mike Dash into a paper entitled: The Devil's Hoofmarks: Source Material on the Great Devon Mystery of 1855, and was published
in Fortean Studies in 1994.

Many theories have been concluded to explain this incident.
The suggestion of "an experimental balloon" was one, which
was apparently released by mistake from Devonport
Dockyard, and had been trailing 2 shackles on the end of it.

Although many theories have been created to explain this
situation, what in fact did make these prints still remains a
mystery.

Source: The Devils Hoofmarks

Personal Post #1

Whether any form of paranormal being is real or not is irrelevant to how the idea of them makes you feel.
The extent of how much one believes in that sort of stuff won't change how one would feel in the dark of the night,
alone and afraid.

But what exactly is it you are afraid of?

You don't know, and no one knows. It could be nothing. It could be your mind playing tricks. It could even be some
sort of demon or ghost.

You will never know though.

You can ponder it all night, or even for the rest of your life, but the fact of the matter is that you will never be certain.

And that's exactly what it wants.

So next time you feel afraid, just tell yourself its all in your head. It won't change a thing.