Tag: Scarina

Arachnaphobes Take Cover!

A team of scientists found eight, count them, eight potentially new species of spiders in an Indian tiger preserve.  Field studies at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is difficult due the bears, bison, tigers of course, and venomous snakes that live in the region, so microfauna like spiders have been ignored.  The researchers found new spiders that fling their webs like nets over their prey, others that resembled bird poop, and the cuddly fellow pictured that fishes for prey and can stay underwater for several minutes.

Source; http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-12/02/new-spider-species

Paging Max von Sydow

Fourteen teenage girls living on the island of Cebu in the Philippines recently came down with a bad case of the ghosts.  The island is supposedly idyllic and beautiful but has a reputation for spiritual possession.  In late November, a girl fainted when she claimed to see the ghost of a young girl.  Thirteen other girls fainted along with her.  The teens all attended the Toong Integrated School.  The parish priest recommended the local exorcist, Friederick Kriekenbeek.  The girls all recovered.  Is this a case of mass hysteria or ghostly possession?

Source; http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/12/02/theres-something-strange-in-the-cebu-hood-14-high-school-girls-faint-after-seeing-a-ghost/

Again with the Spiders!

Abigail, a resident of the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn recently wrote to Gothamist after finding a creepy dead spider and egg sack in her luggage after a trip to Indonesia.  Would this unleash Arachnophobia 2 in Brooklyn?  Louis Sorkin, the friendly entomologist at the American Museum of Natural History says it’s a species known as a giant crab spider.  Happily, the species is docile and even consumes roaches, so yay!  I say if the spiders hatch, charge them rent and thank them for eating the roaches.

Source; http://gothamist.com/2014/12/02/scary_spider_brooklyn.php

Green with Envy

A mysterious, emerald-green cat has been photographed wandering in the Bulgarian city of Varna.  Has Elphaba been experimenting on cats?  Sadly, the possible explanation is a bit more mundane.  The theory so far is that the cat has been sleeping on fabric dyes or some kind of synthetic food dye.

Source; http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/mystery-of-bulgarias-green-cat-finally-explained-9905005.html

‘Tis the Season

UK’s Metro has compiled a list of fourteen creepy Santas so I don’t have to.  Remember, you can’t spell Satan without Santa.

Source; https://metro.co.uk/2014/12/05/14-seriously-creepy-santas-ho-ho-argh-4975273/

Definitely Not the Work of the Elders at All

Remember in July when those mysterious holes started forming in Siberia?  They’re finally frozen enough for some brave scientists to start exploring them.

Until now, the working hypothesis is that global warming caused methane pockets to explode.  They found a lake, estimated to be 35-feet-deep at the bottom.  The hole is on the intersection of two active tectonic faults.  This led the area to have a higher temperature than usual, combined with the effects of climate change, led to the methane explosion.

Elder Gods were not mentioned but I choose to believe this is just a forerunner to C’thulu’s glorious reemergence.

Source; http://www.inquisitr.com/1616310/mystery-of-strange-siberian-holes-solved-scientists-rappel-down-into-darkness/

Looking For a Fun Museum?

Look no further than the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

This is the work of Ms. Joanna Ebenstein and a lifetime of collecting the odd and curious.  The collection ranges from taxidermy to parts of 19^th century hearses and the coolest book shop.  I visited this summer to see Caitlin Doughty, author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory and founder of the “Ask a Mortician” Youtube series, speak about death culture in America.  This is definitely a must-see spot if you’re in the New York area.

Source; http://nyulocal.com/city/2014/11/17/stop-death-morbid-anatomy-museum-library/

Does this Image Remind You of Your Childhood?

The infamous Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz with illustrations even creepier than the stories by Stephen Gammell is set to hit the big screen.  John August, the writer of Big Fish, Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie is set to adapt the stories.

I’m praying to everything unholy that it’s animated and looks like the pictures and has the stories about the kid that finds the big toe in his yard and eats it and the one with Harold the killer scarecrow.

Source; http://www.slashfilm.com/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-movie/

I, For One, Welcome Our Spider Overlords

Tarantulas are on the move in the Santa Ynez Valley.  It turns out that it’s spider mating season and people are being startled as the little guys are on the move.  Their venom isn’t deadly but can cause irritation.  If you see them going at it, leave them alone and maybe play some Barry White.

Source; http://www.keyt.com/news/theres-a-creepy-feeling-in-the-santa-ynez-valley-with-tarantulas-on-the-move/29829976

For the Urban Explorers

American photographer Johnny Joo is releasing his first book of photos of abandoned places, called Empty Places.  The Mirror has twenty creepy pictures of abandoned schools.  I love abandoned places.  I grew up reading about them in Weird New Jersey magazine and if you want more creepy stories, I recommend reading about the, sadly demolished, Lambertville High School.

Source; http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/20-incredibly-creepy-photographs-abandoned-4656005

Nature—Still Scary

The rare black seadevil was caught on film recently in its natural habitat, 2,000 feet under the sea.

Don’t worry about its teeth, at 2,000 feet it’s rarely going to encounter a human.  Plus, it’s only about 3.5 inches long.  The scary part is that the males are entirely dependent on the female to live.  The females are much larger.  A male will bite onto the side of the female and then its body dissolves until there’s nothing but testicles left behind.  The female will live the rest of her life with multiple parasitic males attached to her.  If the male can’t find a female then he’ll die.  Romantic!

Source; http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/24/watch-the-scary-black-seadevil-2000-feet-below-the-oceans-surface/