photo taken from wikipedia.org
After the phenomenon he had with Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson once again wanted to make another dark and violent foreign-language film. After a year of filming in sometimes unbearable weather, Gibson released Apocalypto. The story revolves around the decline of the Mayan civilization. The story is told though the eyes of a jungle hunter named Jaguar Paw, as he witnesses his people relocated and killed as the civilization is reaching its decline.
As many of you may be thinking, the word apocalypto simply means “a new beginning.” It is similar to our interpretation of the word Apocalypse. It simply means a big change is about to happen, whether it be bad or good. This film showed how the Mayans were declining and were soon to be conquered by the Spanish conquistadors. Gibson most likely made this film with a Christian interpretation in mind. He wanted us to realize a change is happening similar to the Mayans’ experience.
The main message of this film, which could definitely be used as a metaphor for modern-day usage is taken from a quote by William James Durant: “No civilization is conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within.” Does that make you think?
Ian Historical Horrors
photo taken from wikipedia.org
In 2002, Simon Wells brought his famous ancestor’s beloved story to the silver screen. This was Hollywood’s second-attempt to interpret the time travel story on film. Although the film did not do as well as expected, it has had its share of fans over the past few years. With a renewed interest of science fiction as is being seen, this movie will prove that it can stand the test of time.
The film departs very radically from the plot of the novel. In the movie, a time-traveler named Alexander builds a time machine to go back in time to stop his love from being murdered. Yet, as he uses his machine, he comes to the ultimate reality that the past cannot be changed and that we can only live in the present. Although the metaphors for society and mankind are still in the film as they were in the original, they are toned-down in favor of very complex visual effects and action sequences.
HG Wells, while he would have preferred a more strict interpretation of his novel than what was put on-screen, he should have been happy that his story has taken on many different interpretations. Since the story lasted this long, this truly proves Wells’ true accomplishment as a writer and story-teller. The ultimate message you will get from this film is that the future is the only place to look. Looking into the past does nothing for anyone. Instead, we can only look ahead to what our destiny holds.
Ian Science Fiction/Fantasy
photo taken from travelks.com
Fort Leavenworth is one of the most famous forts in America and is the oldest continuously operating military post west of Mississippi. In 1880, the Sutter family was headed to Oregon when they stopped at the fort. When the children of the family went out to get firewood, they never returned. Their mother Catherine couldn’t accept the fact that they were gone and searched the whole winter for her children. She drove herself to the point of exhaustion and eventually died of pneumonia. Her ghost has been repeatedly seen in the surrounding area with a lantern and tattered clothing calling the names of her children, still searching for what she had lost.
There are other ghosts at the famous fort as well, including General Phil Sheridan’s wife. The Sheridan House is haunted by the angry wife because when she was on her death bed, the General went away on a business trip. Her ghost has been reported throughout the house in a very bad mood, walking the halls. Another is the ghost of General George McClellan, who was a Union General during the Civil War. He has been spotted in the old officers’ quarters enjoying a cup of tea, apparently for the rest of eternity.
(Source: Cohen, Daniel. Hauntings and Horrors. 2002.)
Chris Haunted Places
On the morning of October 3rd, 1963, Coleen Buterbaugh, who was the secretary at the University of Nebraska Wesleyan, was asked to deliver a message to someone in the White Memorial Building. As Coleen walked through the halls she looked into a room and noticed the figure of woman in front of what seemed to be a music cabinet. The figure was tall and thin and had her arm extended as if she was reaching for something in the cabinet. The figure then disappeared into thin air.
Immediately after, Coleen looked out the window where normally she would see the school’s dorm building and a street. However, when she looked out all she saw was grass and trees. Also, even though it was the fall, she had the feeling she was looking out at a summer day because everything seemed so still to her. This is when she realized that she had been placed into a moment back in time. After this experience, Coleen did some research and found out that a lady had been a teacher that looked exactly like the figure she saw. Her name was Miss Mills, and she was a faculty member at the University from 1912 to her death in 1936, which was about 30 years removed from Coleen’s experience.
(Source: Cohen, Daniel. Hauntings and Horrors. 2002)
Chris Haunted Places
photo taken from tour.co.saint-marys.md.us
Point Lookout Lighthouse is a lighthouse that marks the entrance to the Potomac River in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The lighthouse was first lit in 1830 and was used up until 1965. It was needed to warn ships of the shoals and beware them of the entrance to the river. Once the Navy and state of Maryland took the lighthouse over, the tenants began reporting their experiences of unexplained voices, sightings, and other phenomena.
The paranormal activity known to be present at this lighthouse is mind-blowing. You can see pictures, videos, and even sounds online to give you some sort of experience as to the activity present. The pictures that you can see normally show a cone-shaped light (spirit) present. The videos and sounds range from a variety of different types of sounds. Some sounds heard are screams, drum beats, dogs barking, and mysterious voices.
To find out more information on the Point Lookout Lighthouse and to check out the photos/videos/sounds, visit the lighthouse’s official website here.
Jason Haunted Places
