3 Scary Events That Really Happened on Halloween

October 31st is fun for most kids and adults, but for some it is just downright spooky. Here are three events that really happened on Halloween which would scare even the bravest.

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time

It was in 1992 when a 16 year old Japanese foreign exchange student accidentally rang the doorbell of his soon to be killer. Wanting to attend a Halloween party, the student went to the neighbour’s house instead, who opened the door armed with a .44 Magnum revolver. When the student said he was there for the party, the neighbour ordered the student to freeze but he misunderstood the command and tried to enter the home. The neighbour then shot him, was arrested, but acquitted of manslaughter.

The death of Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini, the famous magician, claimed he could take a punch to the stomach without being knocked down, so on October 22, 1926, a McGill University student took him up on the offer. Even though he braced himself, the student’s punches left Houdini in a lot of pain, and after two days he decided to seek medical attention. Instead of following doctor’s orders, Houdini performed instead of undergoing emergency surgery and when his performance was over, he collapsed. It was nine days later on Halloween that Houdini passed away.

A deadly finale

In 1963, the Indiana State Fair held a “Holidays on Ice” skating event for hundreds of attendees. Unbeknown to anyone, including the event organizers, propane gas had been leading from a tank in the poorly ventilated Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum. During the final act, the propane gas caught on fire leading to a massive explosion. 74 people were killed and 400 people were injured.

For more spooky and scary stories like this, whether it is Halloween or not, check out the selection at www.ribemedia.com.

The best horror novels made into movies

Whether you love all things horror novels or movies, then watch out. These classic novels have been made into some of the best horror movies to hit the screen.

‘The Birds’ by Daphne Du Maurier - Daphne wrote some of the most compelling and terrifying novels in the twentieth century. In her story ‘The Birds’, it follows a farmhand, his family, and community who are attacked by flocks of birds and seabirds in kamikaze missions.

Carrie by Stephen King - Carrie White isn’t the most popular of fashionable girl but she has a gift; she can make things move by concentrating on them. For instance, a door would lock or a candle will fall - all with her mind. This was both a power and a sin as she was able to do kind acts for friends and also by taunting her classmates. Her powers caused her to be normal and go to prom. However, after one act of cruelty, her gift turns into a weapon of horror that her classmates wouldn’t forget.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Probably one of the most monstrous stories of all time, Frankenstein's follows Victor Frankenstein and the creature he created. On the surface, the novel is tense and steadily mounting horror, but on a lower level, it explores deeper the end of conscience and solitude.

The Shining by Stephen King - Jack Torrance has the perfect chance of a fresh start when he gets a new job at the Overlook Hotel. As an off-season caretaker, he has plenty of time to reconnect with his family and write. However, once the harsh winter kicks in, the quaint location becomes even more remote and sinister. And the only person to notice the weird forces are a uniquely gifted 5-year old, Danny Torrance.

Discover more horror novels at www.ribemedia.com.

The best three twists in horror movies

When it comes to horror movies, it isn’t just the fear and the gore that keeps us watching, it’s the plot twists that come along with it. Here is a rundown of the best plot twists in horror movies.

The Wicker Man (1973)

It may be old now, but this plot twist is still the best of any in the horror genre. If you haven’t seen the movie, Edward Woodward plays Neil Howie, a British policeman from the mainland that has gone to a remote Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. When he gets there he finds that the islanders are all part of an ancient cult and he believes the girl has been taken to be offered as a sacrifice to the Pagan gods the islanders worship. The twist: the girl isn’t the sacrifice, Neil Howie is, only he discovers this too late to escape and is imprisoned in a giant Wicker Man that is slowly burned (and Howie burned alive with it) as the islander's dance around it with joy.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

A movie that we all know the plot twist in now, but when it first came out, the twist came out of nowhere. If you don’t know what we’re talking about. Bruce Willis plays a psychiatrist that is called to help extremely disturbed people, one of whom is a boy, Hayley Joel Osmond, who sees dead people. As the movie progresses Willis helps the boy seemingly unaware of what it means for him. The twist: Bruce Willis is dead all along. He’s been dead since the opening sequence.

Psycho (1960)

When it comes to truly beautiful movies that can horrify and chill you, Hitchcock is a man that really knows what he is doing. With Psycho he not only delivered a horror movie that has withstood the test of time but gave a truly wonderful twist, that begged audiences not to tell as “it’s the only one we have”. If you haven’t seen Psycho, it’s the tale of Norman Bates running Bates Motel that his guests are being murdered in, seemingly by his mother. The twist is that his mother is dead, her bones are in the attic, and it is Norman that is dressing up in his mother’s clothes and wearing a wig.

For more on the best plot twists, visit www.ribemedia.com where you will find the best that the horror genre has to offer.

How the Leprechaun became a horror staple

St Patrick’s Day is a time for everyone to become a little bit Irish – if you are not already – but when it comes to horror fiction, the biggest contribution Irish folklore has made to the genre, rightly or wrongly, is the leprechaun.

A staple of many ancient Irish stories which were passed down orally, the leprechaun is depicted in a number of ways, but generally as a small happy-go-lucky creature who can turn nasty is treated badly. The image of a leprechaun has become something of a stereotype over the years, and is even often seen as a little derogatory to Irish people.

But it seems that the leprechaun’s sinister edge has proved useful to horror writers when it comes to books and movies.

An early example of this is in the 1959 movie Darby O’Gill and the Little People, which was based on the books of Hermione Templeton Kavanagh, which, although a Disney movie, contained some menace and depicted some leprechauns as mischievous and devious.

But the character really came into the horror genre with the Leprechaun movie series of the 1990s. Featuring a then-unknown Jennifer Aniston in a leading role, the movies center around a leprechaun who has had his gold stolen and will go to any ends to get it back. This includes a bloody killing spree with some equally gruesome measures employed to stop him.

There were eight Leprechaun movies as well, but the first two are considered the best of the series and were the only two receive a theatrical release, with the rest either going straight to video or being made for TV.

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Must Read Contemporary Female Horror Writers

One of the things that really sets modern horror apart, whether it’s on the page or the screen, is its diversity. With new perspectives leading to bold new ideas and writing, these are some of the female horror writers you absolutely must read.

Lauren Beukes

The South African writer has risen to prominence as one of the leading names in contemporary horror, and with good reason. Her writing is visceral, fast-paced, and intelligent,  leaving your mind racing and your stomach feeling a little uneasy. Her novel Broken Monsters is an almost Cronenbergian body horror take on racial identity and how society dehumanizes the physical bodies of those it marginalizes.

Carmen Maria Machado

With her short story collection: “Her Body And Other Parties” set to be adapted into a tv show in the coming year, Machado’s star has never been bigger. And it’s richly deserved, her writing is very much in the vein of authors like Kelly Link and George Saunders, who defy easy categorization. But with a Shirley Jackson like streak of feminism and psychological horror laced through it.

Livia Llewellyn

And now to a name that deserves far more recognition than she garners, Livia Llewellyn is one of the more unique and distinctive voices in modern horror. Combining Lovecraftian otherness and a tremendous prose style that is at once elegiac and precise, with a horror sensibility that could be best described as psychosexual, preoccupied as it is with human appetites and bodies. Of particular note is her short story collection Furnace, one of the finest collections to be released in the last decade.

If you’re a horror fan and you’re searching for more must-read books to add to your collection, head over to www.ribemedia.com where we have a comprehensive selection of horror eBooks and audiobooks.

Best horror books for Young Adults

The horror genre is wide ranging and though some of the more gruesome adult horror books might not be suitable for children, we’ve put together a list of young adult horror books that are not only great reads, but entirely suitable spine chillers for younger readers to enjoy.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Coldtown is a place that you can never leave. Once you pass through the walled gate of the city, you are trapped there with the vampires that are being quarantined there and their human prey. Tana is a girl that wakes up one morning surrounded by corpses. The only things left alive in the room are her, her infected ex-boyfriend and a restrained vampire. Knowing her ex might turn into a vampire, Tana goes with him to Coldtown to get through the infection without drinking any human blood.

Diary of a Haunting by M Verano

Paige’s parents have just been through a very high profile divorce, so she and her mom move to Idaho to start a new life. Paige isn’t exactly thrilled by the idea and when her mom rents an old mansion, she is convinced it is the worst thing that has ever happened to her. Yet, there is worse waiting for her. The mansion is a house of horrors and the story is told through the diary, photos and letters that Paige has left behind.

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

This young adult horror book is one that draws on Agatha Christie for inspiration. Using the idea from her classic murder mystery, And Then There Were None, McNeil brings ten privileged teens to an island, which is very remote, for a party. But this is no ordinary party, it is a cover-up for revenge and the ten start to be murdered one by one.

To find out more about the best horror books for young adults, visit www.ribemedia.com where you can find lots more about the best young adult books to read.

Ideas About Satan and Hell That Were Inspired By Paradise Lost (Even If You Didn’t Know It)

The notion of heaven and hell are something that most people have imagined at some point in their lives. However, did you realize that some of the most common assumptions were actually spread as a result of a book? Here are three ideas about Satan and hell that were inspired by Paradise Lost (even if you didn’t know it).

Satan is Arrogant and Selfish

Satan believes that he’s just as good as God, or maybe even better. Despite being banished to the lower echelons of the afterlife, Satan never relinquishes the idea that he’s better than the Supreme Being. This selfishness drives his actions including the corruption of Adam and Eve.

Satan is Seductive

The idea that Satan is able to seduce humans comes from John Milton, as that’s the role that Satan adopts in Paradise Lost. In the Bible, the serpent in the Garden of Eden is nothing more than a serpent while Milton explores the idea that the devil can shapeshift and adopt alternate identities. While God inspires unquestioning loyalty, Satan is charming and persuasive and manages to fill up hell by virtue of his charisma.

Heaven is Below Hell

Until Paradise Lost there was no concept that heaven was above and hell was “down there”. However, Milton described the dimensions and where they lie in relation to the Earth, with Lucifer’s domain lingering below. The physical locations of heaven and hell were created to develop the theme of hierarchy within Paradise Lost but the concept expanded into popular culture and is now widely accepted as fact.

To read more of the classics, head over to www.ribemedia.com. With great books like Paradise Lost, you’ll find lots to enjoy online.