Introduction Paranormal activity means unusual things that occur, that is not normally expected. Paranormal means beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation. According to Stefanik (2000) “investigation into paranormal activity evolved into the field of parapsychology”. Ghosts, spirits, and scary stories have always been a part of our nation and society for years. Spiritual movement of the late 1900s, had people fascinated with spiritual hope that there would possibly be life after death (Stefanik, 2000). People in society set out to do research, not just focusing on the reality of life after death, but to study a variety of forms on psychic phenomena (Jason, 2000). As life goes on paranormal activity will always be a myth to some people and will be reality to others. Vampires are preternatural being, commonly believed to be reanimated corpses, which feast on the blood of sleeping persons at night. According to (Origins and History of Vampires. 2000) vampires are “mythical creatures of the night that lived in dead bodies, feasted on the lives of the unsuspecting people and prolonged their unholy lives by drinking fresh blood. Before vampire traits, vampires were defined as ghosts, evil spirits, ghouls, and demons. According to Origins and History of Vampire 2000 “The term vampire did not exist until 19th century. The word caused an uncontrollable outburst of fear. According to “various evil spirits roamed the lands and caused havoc upon population that tried to defend it by using various folklore tales and religion. (3) Accounts of Topic Vampire Attack When hanging out with my friends I used to watch horror, scary, mystery movies and sleep in front of the television, while the show still running(Vinay, ... ... middle of paper ... ...ck in Texas. Retrieved from Ibtime.com: http://www.ibtimes.com/first-zombie-apocalypse-now-vampire-attack-texas-721508 Reporter, I. T. (2012, July 5). First 'Zombie Apocalypse' Now 'Vampire' Attack in Texas. Retrieved from Ibtimes.com: http://www.ibtimes.com/first-zombie-apocalypse-now-vampire-attack-texas-721508 Stefanik, J. (2000). Research Issues in Parapsychology. Retrieved from syr.edu: http://wrt-intertext.syr.edu/VIII/stefanik.html Stefanik, J. (2014). Retrieved from dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paranormal?s=t Vinay. (2004, December 5). Vampire Attack. Retrieved from About.com: http://paranormal.about.com/u/sty/paranormal/generalinfo/weird-sighting/vampire-attack.htm Vinay. (2004, December 5). Vampire Attack. Retrieved from About.com: http://paranormal.about.com/u/sty/paranormalgeneralinfo/weird-sighting/vampire-attack.htm
Supernatural traditions was basically people in the “sixteenth and seventeenth centuries” (Dr.Heffner) who believed that the reason somebody was acting different was the doing of the devil, the supernatural tradition is also known as the “demonological method” (Dr.Heffner) during the stone age they would perform some type of surgery, where they would cut open the victim’s skull and drain the evil spirits out of there brain, “Ancient Chinese, Ancient Egyptians, and Hebrews, believed that these were evil demons or spirits and advocated exorcism” (Dr.Heffner) if after the exorcism the victim still did not show and improvements, the victim was then torture to leave them with a body that was no use for the evil
Carmilla is an example of a woman who loves her food far too much. Carmilla is consumed entirely by her food, even sleeping in a coffin of blood: “The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic; and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed” (Le Fanu 102). There exists a unique relationship between the vampire and their victims. Food becomes defined in terms of victimhood, distinctly separated from humanity’s general consumption of meat. The need for human victims makes hunting synonymous with courtship, as intense emotional connections are established between the vampiress and her food. As seen in the intense relationship developed between Laura and Carmilla, the vampire is “prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons” (105). For Carmilla, cruelty and love are inseparable (33). The taking of the victims’ blood for sustenance is a highly sexualized exchange of fluids from one body to another. The act of consumption is transformed into an illicit carnal exchange between the hunter and the hunted.
One of the most interesting and misunderstood cultures is that of the Eastern Europeans and, most notably, the myths of the vampires. Vampire myth has its greatest hold among the West Slavs and the South Slavs (Willis 2006). The vampire was created for different reasons, but the main two were to “curse” those who were evil and to explain the natural decomposition of the body. Those who are worst affected were also the most misunderstood: werewolves, sorcerers, witches, sinners, and the godless. In certain places, like Bulgaria, murderers, robbers, prostitutes and others who were socially undesirable (ibid). Vampires were thought to roam the earth at night, biting victims and sucking out their souls, eventually leading the individual to wither and die. They were also connected to many untimely deaths of family mothers, with one belief that vampires could even kill family members by chewing on their burial garments (Barber...
For years, ghosts and poltergeists have been a part of our popular lexicon. From stories told around the campfire, to motion pictures like The Haunting, to books like the Scary Story series, everyone has heard a good ghost story or two. Many people claim to have actually been party to a few supernatural experiences themselves. But for as long as we have told these frightful stories, science has been attempting to explain them beyond the typical bump in the dark.
Zombies are disgusting, zoned out monsters with skin that is generally pale and falling off and they are often missing limbs. They stumble around with no sense of direction and one intention, to eat the flesh of any creature with a heartbeat. Vampires on the other hand are attractive, sexual, and graceful monsters who suck the blood of humans with the intention of creating new vampires. The origin of zombies comes from Haitian voodoo, where “zombie” translates to “spirit of the dead”. It was believed that a voodoo priest could give a person a powder known as coup padre that would make a person appear to be dead. The public would burn this person, believing they were dead, and the voodoo priest would exhume the body which would be physically intact but have no memory and become a mindless drone of the voodoo priest. The origin of vampires comes from Europe in 1347 at the start of the Black Plague. Vampires were created to explain the Black Plague and how the disease spread. It was believed that if a person died and had a second soul, the second soul would walk the earth, killing the person’s family and friends and eventually everyone in the town. Although zombies and vampires are completely different in almost every way possible, they both express society’s conscious and unconscious fears and anxieties and transcend social norms and taboos.
Paranormal activity better known as parapsychology is a non-fictional idea. Parapsychology is the scientific study of interactions between living organisms and their external environment that seem to transcend the known physical laws of nature. (Teresi, 2000) The Society of Psychical Research was established in London in 1882 (Teresi, 2000). Major parapsychological studies had not begun appearing in mainstream scientific journals until the sixties and early seventies (Teresi, 2000).“Furthermore, groups such as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) which publishes the Skeptical Inquirer and the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) have been formed to disseminate credible information on the paranormal. Credibility should be less of a problem in the future” (Teresi, 2000).
To begin with, there are many sources to show that vampire bats are misunderstood. First, research by Stefan Klose gives evidence vampire bats should be saved. For example, research by Chris Kraul, journalist for the Los Angeles Times, shares the opinion of an expert research zoologist, Stefan Klose. Klose speaks his heart for the creatures by saying at feeding time it always remind him “how close these animals are to us and how incredibly intelligent they are- certainly more exotic and wilder than my neighbor’s dog.” Thus, Klose also points out that are only three species of vampire bats and that we should save them. Secondly, Klose also gives evidence these vampire bats have led to medical discoveries that are beneficial to people. For instance,
Everyone has a slightly different interpretation of the supernatural but the interpretation which we can start with is Shakespeare’s. Everyone of Shakespeare’s time found the supernatural fascinating. Shakespeare interpreted the supernatural as witches, magic, unnatural and evil and he expressed his beliefs in the play, “Macbeth” very clearly, as he portrayed the three deformed women with control over the weather and the ability to predict the future. These three evil witches with magical powers were the creation of Shakespeare’s interpretation of the supernatural. Shakespeare’s contemporaries believed in the supernatural very strongly and a majority of them were frightened of it, including the king of that time, King James I of England.
aranormal activity has been a cause of fear and excitement throughout history. The unknown attracts the curiosity from those who wonder whether the supernatural is real or a figment of the imagination. Ghosts are one of the supernatural beings whose existence is questioned every day. Many want to deny the existence of ghosts because they are terrified of other phantoms who may exist and ignore the evidence that has been brought forth throughout the years. However, ghosts are supernatural pheromones whose existence still impacts today’s society.
When most people think of paranormal activity they instantly think of ghosts, spirits, or even demons. Paranormal activity is more than that. Paranormal is when something is beyond normal and activity is the state of being active. Some people like to say it’s their imagination, but me personally, I think it is much more than that. Paranormal is used to describe something unordinary that lack a scientific explanation (Cha Cha Inc., 2006). (McGuire, 2010) stated that supernatural or paranormal events which occur when people are not seeking them out can be very difficult and frightening. Most people wonder about the different ways paranormal activity can be explained. A few different examples of paranormal activity are ghosts, levitation, telegraphs, etc. Footsteps, abnormal sounds, shadows, and even moving objects are all signs of paranormal activity.
Vampirism is not an author’s imagination, or terminology, but for some category of people; it is a life dogma and path they willfully and viciously want to follow. According to Foster, vampirism is about selfishness, and denying other people’s rights to live in order to meet one’s own demands. The unusual vampirism, through the detailed description, complex syntax, and unusual diction, demonstrates the destructive consequences of violence on human beings leading the lives of the victims as well as their families to be shed into pieces.
Through the years there has been many ideas to what goes bump in the night. Mysterious, unsolved happenings blamed on the so-called supernatural. There are many myths, legends and lore based on these so called mysterious happenings. Through this research paper I am going to help to explain the biggest threats, conspiracies, and misunderstandings of aforementioned legends, myths, and lore.
Does the supernatural simply flare and then fade forever? More specifically, do vampires die? Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan claim in their essay, “Why Vampires Never Die,” published in July 30th 2009, that the reason paranormal creatures are immortal is due to the fact that they stress what is corporeal in humanity, whereas vampires accentuate the endless and everlasting desire within mankind. They deem that in a society fixated on the transient, something truly endless grasps a distinctive charm. Furthermore, their core idea is that the individual craving for vampires hasn't been altered, albeit how radically society has been reformed. That in actuality, present scientific progressions have amplified one’s interest of vampires and monsters, and that forms inherent fears that will stay with people persistently. Del Toro and Hogan take advantage of multiple rhetorical elements such as telling the story in a compare and contrast manner, making use of similes, using a more connotative language, and having a unique structure of text.
Fangs, dead, blood, and bats. Those are some things that come to peoples minds when they think about vampires. In Webster’s International Dictionary vampires are defined as “a bloodsucking ghost or reanimated body of a dead person, believed to come from the grave and wander about by night sucking the blood of persons asleep…” Whatever people think of vampires, they are not really what they are believed to be.
For many years, people have debated whether or not spirits are real. Some people get scared at the fact that there might be something unknown lurking in their house in the middle of the night making their footsteps known to everyone in it. Maybe that person feels watched upon or feel some kind of presence in their home, or even sees shadows moving their way through rooms. Different people around the world have their own opinions based on religion and experiences when talking about angels, demons, and the spirits that have life after death. New technology is getting closer to detecting these energies happening in the world today. The history of haunting dates back many years, and more people want to get involved because of the new technology.