Halloween Blogfest: Pamela K. Kinney

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Beware of Tall, Dark and Creepy Men at Halloween
Just in time for Halloween and as a writer of horror and nonfiction ghost books, I thought to introduce you to a creepy being you would not want to meet in a dark alley. The Slender Man is an urban legend of a mythical creature often depicted as a tall, thin figure wearing a black suit and a blank face and purported to have been in existence for centuries. Believers tie his appearances with many other legends around the world, including; Fear Dubh (or, The Dark Man) in Scotland, the Dutch Takkenmann (Branch Man), and the German legend of Der Großmann or Der Grosse Mann (the Tall Man). According to the legend, he can stretch or shorten his arms at will and has tentacle-like appendages protruding from his back. Depending on interpretations, this creature is not unlike the men in black UFO stories. He can cause memory loss, insomnia, paranoia, coughing fits (nicknamed “slender sickness”), make photograph/video distortions, and can teleport at will. Where he comes from is as much a mystery as what he wants. All that is known is that there is evidence of him existing for far longer than one would expect. Those who see him often wind up missing or worse, their mutilated bodies are impaled upon a tree, their organs removed, and then replaced in a systematic way. Sightings of this creature have been seen in many places around the world, including the United States. Earliest argued reference to the legend is within the cave paintings found in the Serr da Capivara National Park, Northeast of Brazil, dating from as far back as 9000 BC. A strangely elongated character leading a child by the hand, but there is no reference to the extra appendages. Another like Slender man is Der Großmann, German for “The Great Man,” is often translated as The Tall Man, too. The Tall man also abducts children, just like the Slender Man is supposed to.

The story goes that those who have seen him are frequently found to be maniacally writing strange messages, and drawing mad scribbles of a dark, faceless figure. It is advised that one stops investigating too much, otherwise will find that you become the subject of unwanted interest. There is even a mock documentary in vogue of “Blair Witch” you can see at Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysgQ9spsphk&feature=player_embedded.

Slender Man has inspired an ongoing series of amateur adventure games titled “Chzo Mythos.” Published by Ben ‘Yahtzee’ Croshaw in 2003, one of the main villains is called Cabadath. It is also referred to as “Tall Man.” Making his first in-game appearance in Trilby’s Notes, the character in the third installment is a tall, thin man dressed in a long, black, high-collared coat with tails that reach to the floor and having a blank face.

Other popular culture characters may be based on the idea of this being. Like the horror film called “The Tall Man,” that came out in 2012: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1658837/. Interviewed by Wizard magazine, Dr Octopus creator Stan lee claimed he remembered a story his Romanian-born mother Celia told him, about a man with “many boneless arms.” That inspiration created the distinctive tentacle harness used by Dr Octopus. In the Phantasm movie series, the recurring character of the Tall Man shows an obvious physical resemblance to the move humanoid appearances of the Slender Man. Similarly, the character of the Reverend Henry Kane in Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III is also thought to be modeled on the Slender Man. The television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured an episode entitled Hush. In this episode, a series of creatures known as The Gentlemen stole the voices of the population of Sunnydale, rendering everyone in the town unable to speak. In appearance, these fiends in the episode resembled tall figures the Slender Man. Another are beings called the Silence in two Dr. Who episodes from last season, “The Impossible Astronaut” and “Day of the Moon.”

But there’s no Slender/Tall Man. Still, just in case I am wrong, if you see a extremely tall, thin man dressed all in black not far from a children’s playground, maybe you should take heed. Especially before you forget. . .

Leave a comment and tell us about a legendary creature that scares you and be entered into a drawing for a download of Spectre Nightmares and Visitations.

Pamela K. Kinney

Journey to worlds of fantasy, beyond the stars, and into the vortex of terror with the written word of Pamela K. Kinney.

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Pamela K. Kinney is a published author of horror, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, and nonfiction ghost books published by Schiffer Publishing. Two of her nonfiction ghost books, Haunted Richmond, Virginia and Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales, have been nominated in the past for Library of Virginia Literary Awards. The others from Schiffer Publishing are her new 2012 release, Haunted Richmond II, plus from 2011, Virginia’s Haunted Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Other Haunted Locations. Also just released are two short horror stories, “Donating” in Inhuman Magazine, Issue 5 December 2011 and “Bottled Spirits” in BuzzyMag.com in June 2012, plus “Azathoth is Here” was reprinted in by Innsmouth Press in Innsmouth Magazine: Collected Issues 1-4 in Kindle and ePub formats. And of course, she has her horror and dark fantasy tales collected in one book, Spectre Nightmares and Visitations, published by Under the Moon.

Under the pseudonym, Sapphire Phelan, she has published erotic and sweet paranormal/fantasy/science fiction romance along with a couple of erotic horror stories.

She also has done acting on stage and in films and is a Master Costumer, costuming since 1972. She even does paranormal investigating.

She admits she can always be found at her desk and on her computer, writing. And yes, the house, husband, and even the cats sometimes suffer for it!

Return once more to Richmond’s haunted places and check out its interesting and sometimes scary legends, too. There may be no building safe in this town, as you may find that even a comic shop like Stories holds more than comics within its wall. Step back in time at Henricus Historical Park as the dead colonists, Civil War soldiers and other haunts welcome you to take a tour. Discover that not only is there the Richmond Vampire out for your blood, but the Werewolf of Henrico waits for you beneath the full moon. It seems that the War Between the States is still being fought between ghostly Confederates and Union soldiers at Cold Harbor, Sailor’s Creek, Parker’s Battery, Petersburg Battlefield, and other Civil War sites in Richmond and its surrounding counties.

All this, plus a sea serpent, a lost city, ghostly cats, Bigfoot, haunted churches, parks, colleges and more, await your visit to a very paranormal Richmond and its surrounding counties.

The dead don’t stay dead in this town!

Comments

  1. Wow, fascinating. I would love to learn more.
    debby236at gmail dot com

  2. That was a very interesting post, does sound like a character wouldn’t want to meet, but would love to read about him.
    skpetal at hotmail dot com

  3. Glad you enjoyed learning about this being. 🙂

  4. “But there’s no Slender/Tall Man. Still, just in case I am wrong, if you see a extremely tall, thin man dressed all in black not far from a children’s playground, maybe you should take heed.”

    You will have me looking now at every playground! LOL Thanks for sharing this!

  5. Great post. I would not want to meet this guy and now when I pass a playground I will be looking over my shoulder, and walking faster.
    thank for sharing
    Lynda

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