Kampung Kreepy

I spent last night watching T he Houses October Built 1 (2014) and 2  (2017). I also saw Hell Fest  (2018) again. Yes, it was a long, scary night. For those who haven’t seen the movies: The Houses October Built and its sequel are found-footage flicks about five friends who embark on a road trip to document some of America’s scariest haunted house attractions. Their filming provokes a few of the haunted house staff. They find themselves in even deeper water when they try to track down an underground extreme haunt known as the “Blue Skeleton.” Hell Fest features a group of teenagers who bump into a serial killer when they visit a horror-themed amusement park. The park is basically one giant haunted house. The movies aren’t bad, and they’re a must-watch for anyone who loves haunted houses. For me, I don’t get the lure of the attractions. Full disclosure: I’ve said this before in the blog. I was terrified years ago at a haunted house in Eugene, Ore., run by the Jaycees. I was ready t

American ghost hunters investigate a tropical island with a dark past ... A man returns to the Thai holiday destination that was devastated by the 2004 tsunami ... A woman goes to Singapore to claim her inheritance after her father dies in a freak accident ... East meets West in this collection of short horror stories set in the United States and Southeast Asia. Coming in October …

Some of you already have put out the pumpkins and bought the mums, and it’s still September. But when you’re looking forward to something fun, you want that anticipation to last. I understand. To help with that anticipation, I’ve compiled a list of 10 movies that are sure to put you in the Halloween mood. Not only do they take place at Halloween, but they’re all about celebrating that zany, wacky time of year when the ghouls and goblins come out to play. Watch one of my recommendations a week (and two a week for the last three weeks) to amp you and the kids up. Most of the movies are kid-friendly, but I’ll add a warning if they’re not. Many of you have already seen most of the movies. Watch them again with the kids. Kids have no problem watching the same movie over and over again. I know. The Teletubbies theme music is seared into my brain. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween (in September)! The movies are listed in no particular order. 1. Hocus Pocus (1993) This Disney movie is so well-

I haven’t blogged for the past two weeks because I’ve been busy preparing my manuscript for a beta reading. It’s the forthcoming second installment of my Geomancer’s Apprentice series. Today I thought I would discuss yaoguai and mogui, the two types of monsters that appear in the books. Yaoguai means “weird devil” in Mandarin, China’s official language. In Chinese mythology, a yaoguai is the malicious spirit of an animal, a plant or even an inanimate object. Yaoguai have magical powers that include the ability to transform into humans. They seek immortality because they want to be treated like gods. These monsters just want a little respect, like the rest of us. Yaoguai aren’t all evil. According to some texts, yaoguai may also be gods who transgressed the heavenly laws. As punishment, they are demoted to yaoguai and must live out their days among humans. Photo: Pixabay.com The most common example of a yaoguai is the female fox demon, or “huli jing.” Such demons usually take the f