The Dark Archive

Any horror fan knows who Ed and Lorraine Warren are. Even if you don’t, you’ve probably watched at least one horror movie, series or story based on them.  They’re most well-known for investigating haunted houses, poltergeists and supposed demonic entities. During their lifelong careers, they claimed to have investigated over 10,000 cases including some of the most infamous hauntings across the world. Including Amityville , Annabelle, The Perron family and many others.  Ed was a self-professed, self-taught, demonologist, author and lecturer and artist. Lorraine was a supposed clairvoyant and psychic medium who worked closely with her husband. The Occult Museum In addition to investigating hauntings, the Warrens also collected and contained many supposedly haunted items. They kept them in the back of their house in Monroe, Connecticut where they also founded NESPR, the new England society for psychic research. The museum displays many haunted or cursed items, most famously the ...

The Ghost of Uniondale - Myth Legend and The True Story  The ghost of Uniondale is a staple when it comes to South African ghost stories and urban legends. It has inspired movies, tv series, and a song, made famous by Anton Goosen. It has also made the little town of Uniondale a tourist hotspot. It’s a tale as old as time, a cliché by today’s standards. A man picks up a hitchhiker on a deserted stretch of highway, only for her to disappear without a trace a few minutes later. Though, what makes this story just a bit more believable, is that there is a true story tied to this event. Even though many people will argue that this has nothing to do with the ghost, and the legend is exactly that, just a legend.  Who was the 'ghost of Uniondale?' Maria ‘Ria’ Charlotte Roux was born in Krugersdorp in 1946. She was the second youngest of four children and by all means came out of very normal family. Her mother was a housewife and her father was a principal for a local school in Riversd...

A Peculiar Situation  In Brimsdown, Enfield, London, England, Peggy Hodgson lived with her four children in a rented council flat at 284 Green Street. In August of 1977, their lives would be turned upside down when a mysterious haunting took hold of them and wouldn’t let go, up until 1979. These events would further go on to inspire the movie, The Conjuring 2 . Peggy Hodgson was a single mother and divorcee. She had two daughters, Janet aged 11 and Margaret, aged 13, as well as two sons, Billy and John. She had separated from their father 3 years ago and had found herself in council housing. The family was struggling financially and Peggy struggled to find work as a former housewife with no skills outside the home. They often had to go without necessitates and the children’s father wasn’t present in their lives.  The Haunting Begins  On August 31st 1977, at around 9:30 PM, Peggy would go to check on Janet and Margaret to make sure they had gone to bed. She had reported he...

Fear is a strange thing. When it comes to what some people might consider entertainment, there’s an odd love for anything scary. From spine chilling horror movies such as The Conjuring to roller coaster rides , and crime thrillers, humans seem to mostly enjoy the adrenaline rush of fear but there are a whole host of other reasons we might enjoy a good scare once in a while. Fight or Flight Reponses At the heart of this fascination seems to be the fight or flight response. When confronted with something we perceive as a threat, such as those few tense moments before a jump scare, our body releases adrenaline. Adrenaline increases your heart rate and heightens your senses, but also causes a burst of energy and excitement. Controlled Fear and Thrill seeking For many, watching a horror movie, walking through a haunted house or going on a rollercoaster, offers many a safe way to experience fear, without being in actual danger. Because to many, the allure of fear is mainly based i...

Released in 2013, The Conjuring has gone down in history as one of the scariest horror films in cinematic history. While its claims of being based on a true life haunting have been debated, the actual family the movie took inspiration from experienced a true life horror of their own. The Perron Family Haunting In January of 1971, the Perron family moved into a secluded, 14-bedroom farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. The family was made up of Carolyn and Roger Perron and their 5 daughters. Almost immediately after moving in though, strange things started happening. It started small, brooms and other small items would go missing, or they would seemingly move on their own and appear later in different spots around the house. Small piles of dirt would appear on freshly cleaned floors The girls reported seeing and encountering apparitions and hearing mysterious voices. Some were friendly but most came across as angry and restless. The family would often hear mysterious knocks and scrat...

Exterior of the Amityville House - courtesy of Wikimedia Commons    The Amityville House is a horror staple. Few paranormal cases have gripped the public quite like the haunting of Amityville. It had all the hallmarks of a classic ghost story, blending true crime, alleged supernatural activity and the fear and paranoia of the unseen.  But what really happened in the house on 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville New York? A Real Life Tragedy In the early morning hours of November 13th 1974, a 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jnr. murdered all six members of his family while they slept in their beds.  Initially DeFeo blamed it on a mob hit but eventually he would confess, but pleaded insanity. Claiming that voices had urged him to kill his whole family. Throughout the years Ronald DeFeo Jnr. has changed his story multiple times, even going as far as blaming his sister for the murders. While courts dismissed all of his pleas, this planted the first seeds in the minds of the public....

What makes up a good horror story? Writing good horror can be very tricky, mainly because fear can be very subjective. Different things scare different people. While some might get a thrill out of a good monster or slasher film, some might prefer something more psychological that can really make their skin crawl.  Though, whether your story scares anyone or not, there are a few basic building blocks that make up not only horror, but good storytelling in general. Setting and Atmosphere: Every great horror story needs a good setting. The environment is more than just a setting, it’s the backdrop of the fear itself. Think of the creepy mansion on the hill that’s been empty for ages or the abandoned amusement park where no one goes. But things don’t always have to be so obvious, you can even try a setting where things are usually safe. Like the sleepy town where nothing ever happens or a seemingly normal looking apartment building. Whichever route you choose, make sure you flesh out y...