Journey into the Odd: Archive of the Afterlife

 

 Archive of the Afterlife

 

I don’t believe in ghosts or curses, but I do love a good ghost story.  I’ve always been interested in the concept of storytelling whether it is urban legends, mythology or simply a spooky tale told around a campfire.  Any place that is steeped in that kind of lore is naturally a siren call for story seekers, such as myself, which makes Archive of the Afterlife a noted spot to visit. Located in the town of Moundsville West Virginia The Archive of the Afterlife is a two-room collection of various acclaimed haunted objects and funeral memorabilia.  The 

Archive itself is located in a rather derelict and slightly spooky school house that has now been converted into a rather derelict and slightly spooky municipal building, as most of this retired schoolhouse looks as if it’s falling down around the business that are kept in it. Even with all the signs reassuring you that you are in the right place the abandon feel of the building makes you constantly question whether or not any of these businesses are actually still operating out of here, in fact despite sharing the building with at least four other businesses the Archive of the Afterlife was the only one that was actually open.  

After some searching The Archive of the Afterlife was found up a flight of stairs to the right of the main entrance, so once you climb the stairs you are greeted by a large sign with the archives logo making it hard to miss the exhibit.  

Once Inside a fairly large collection of assorted artifacts are displayed not limited to strange masks, prison items and creepy dolls with each, for most part, having some kind of story behind them

I will admit that upon entering I was a little taken aback by the rather cluttered feel of the Archive.  I don’t usually expect much when going to these kinds of places but I was expecting something a little more… organized. Much of the archives first room feels like your grandmother’s attic with various Knick knacks and antiques just strewn all over the place.  To the archives credit however, they are working out of a very small storage space and they are continuously obtaining new artifacts so it is hard to try and find a place for everything but it still feels very cluttered.  

 The cluttered nature of the archive doesn’t really change the experience much and the second room has more space to show off its collection however the one thing that I did find to be an issue was that many of the exhibits don’t even have information cards or the cards are on the floor and one has to bend down, almost to the ground, to read them.  This can lead to a frustratingly confusing experience when you see a giant stuffed tiger just awkwardly sitting in the middle of the room with no information to help you understand why it’s there.

Fortunately, the staff are incredibly helpful more than willing to answer any questions you may have about the exhibits or their organization. After a short chat it was learned that roughly 90% of the objects in the exhibit were, as far as the owners could tell, legitimate items with a haunted background or were pulled from haunted locations.  There were a few objects I was told that were in the museum solely to add atmosphere and help increase the creep factor but they were very few and far between.  The museum curator also admitted that many of the items and the stories behind them had to be taken on good faith as some of the cases had no way for proving the claims that were made, for instance there is a wall which contains an assortment of jars that hold dirt and soil from various famous haunted

cemetery’s and houses but without witnessing the individual scoop up the sample there is no real way to prove that every jar came from the location that was claimed. To try and cut down on fakes and hoax’s the curator said that they do tend to stick with people they have worked with before and have proven trustworthy, but when they have to deal outside of their usual circle of contacts the curator claims that both she and the owner are slightly empathic and can usually tell If someone is being dishonest or not, so that is up to each individual to decide if that claim is enough to trust the authenticity of the items they take in. 

For me however, I simply enjoyed the stories.  Whether they be true or not the items that did contain actual stories and not just “felt powerful vibes” were rather interesting and fun to read about.  But as fun as creepy dolls and masks are the museum’s real showstoppers were in its second room where they had a full embalming table, several caskets and even and old bedframe from a now defunct asylum.  These morbid tools of death are small gems of history and fascinating to be able to see on display.

 

The Archive of the Afterlife is not for everyone and it certainly isn’t something you want to plan a whole vacation around but if you happen to be near the area and enjoy tales of ghosts or just have a passing fancy of the macabre then it’s not  a bad way to spend and afternoon.

 

A Heads Up Before You Head Out!

. there is a parking spot behind the school. It says parking for school attendants only and is gated but since the building is no longer an actual school, I assume its safe to park there and I didn’t have any troubles when I did.

. the archive is very difficult to locate in the building if you’re not sure where to go. When entering go to the right and there should be a set of doors leading to a flight of stairs, go up the stairs to the second floor and straight down the hall it’s not hard to miss after that.

. once again, I emphasize this is more archive than traditional museum and a relatively small one at that so plan accordingly.

. there are other business in the building but none of them were open when I went so its hard to say how often they are in operation, if ever.

. find our more information on the Archive's Official Website  and their Facebook.

Cinema Saturday: The Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra

Cinema Saturday Presents : The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

Year: 2001

Run time: 1hr 30 min

Rating: PG

Movie Grade: B+

Principle Cast:

Director/Writer/Dr. Paul Armstrong: Larry Blamire

Fay Masterson :Betty Armstrong

Andrew Parks: Kro-Bar

Susan McConnell: Lattis

Brian Howe: Dr. Roger Fleming

Jennifer Blaire: Animala

Skeleton: Himself

Synopsis:  A meteorite lands on earth carrying a precious mineral that is sought after by a psychic Skeleton, two bumbling aliens and a geologist. 

Spoiler free review: If you love old B movies or you just love to make fun of them this comedic parody of those wonderful silver era films is a treat for you.




Review: 

usually when a backwater blog tells you that they are going to review a black and white independent film one would expect some sort of pretentious French film about the meaninglessness of life while focusing on someone’s eye ball for 15 minutes.  But not here, this cinema Saturday were going to visit the greatest independent satire of 1950 B movies starring a skeleton ever made, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. 

Many modern movies have tried to imitate or parody the old low budget drive in B movies from the 50’s and 60’s but capturing that era’s unique quirkiness is no easy task and many would be filmmakers fail to achieve that delicate balance between being pleasantly cheesy and just being plain bad.  Most of these failures might be because most films simply try to mimic another old B movie instead trying to put their own personal spin on an old idea while or perhaps they just expect the audience to be less critical “because it’s satire”, either way most of these films end up in the same garbage heap as their predecessors.

Then comes the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra which hits that corny sweet spot. The films “accidentally on purpose” style of bad film making really sells the whole movie on being knowingly satirist while also staying true to the essence of what made the old black and white films fun.  I have honestly never seen a crew work so hard at being purposely terrible and still come out with such an amazing finished product. 

The actors all deserves awards for how well they play terrible actors in a fifties B movie. I mean it must take some real discipline to purposely try and overact a scene or intentionally delay a cue.   Andrew Parks, who plays Kro-Bar even admits that is motivation for playing the character was imagining himself as a small time actor and the character of  Kro-bar was the best role he had ever gotten in his life so he was going to ham it up in hopes of being noticed, it’s this kind of dedication to a practically no budget film that personally I think helps the movie feel more genuine.  I can’t help but be caught up in the infectious zeal that the crew has for their movie.

Lost Skeleton is delightfully cheesy but this double edge sword is the reason Lost Skeleton will not resonate with everyone.   Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is not trying to be a “good” movie it is purposely cheap with Z grade special effects, questionable editing and cringe inducing dialogue which may be a turn off to someone who has no love or experience with the genera.  Like most satire Lost Skeleton of Cadavra needs a certain appreciation for the genera it is making fun of otherwise the main point of the humor will be lost on the viewer.  

  Larry Blamire's  immense commitment to his project is clearly demonstrated by how many hats he juggled during this movie as was writer, director, and actor,  really helps the film feel like a labor of love rather then some of the soulless studio cash grabs that get put out on a regular basis.

Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is arguably among the best parody B movie out there  and he cheapness of the film only adds to the appeal. Any lover of Shockley Sci-fi will most certainly fine  themselves completely enraptured by the side splitting comedy that Is The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.

 But humans are such fickle creatures, can they ever truly be pleased? 

…. hmmm, I wonder.

….. Oh well. 

Fast facts:

. nearly all the props for the film were either bought on ebay or found around the cabin where the film was shot.

. filmed at the infamous Bronson canyon, the cost of the permits’ needed to film at this location were the film’s most costly expense.  Running them nearly a tenth of their budget.

. during one shoot the team had to bribe a noisy construction crew to leave for an hour so they could finish shooting a sequence.

. a sequel was produced with the hopes of doing a third film but lack of funding caused the project to be abandoned.

Quotes:

Ranger Brad: Oh, say... You don't believe those old legends about the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, do you?

Dr. Roger Fleming: Ranger Brad, I'm a scientist, I don't believe in anything.

Kro-Bar: You know, this talking that we are doing is very helpful in getting to know your people and mine. Why, as we observed you from afar, we thought of you as little more than pleasant entertaining monkeys, so dirty and foul.

Dr. Paul Armstrong: I don't understand. Why does she need an Amish terrarium?

Betty Armstrong: Don't the Amish live in open air, like us?

Dr. Paul Armstrong: Of course, Betty, it's absurd. Putting the Amish in glass cases would be inhumane.

Skeleton: Stop that giggling. It makes me uncomfortable.

Mini Commentary:

:38: not even a full minute and it already feels like a real B movie. This is going to be great!

7:10: And Now you Know: these animal shots were filmed by the crew then later edited to the film to make them look like stock footage.

15:17-32 that is some serious dedication to a mad scientist laugh, how does he not pass out?

17:41 Fleming is using a children’s Jr. science kit to do his experiments. It’s little touches like this that make the movie.

20:10 that look when even you don’t know what your own alien device does

23:58:  I love that the aliens must take these completely unnecessary poses to transform.

27:26:  These names are so much more ridicules then their alien names.

29:35 everyone has made this face when having guests over at some point

30:24 probably one of the best lines in the movie.

35:00 sheesh, that is a mouthful. I wonder how many takes it took to complete that sentence.

38:00 When your dinner guest suggests something so outrageous that you have to wonder is that something I need to worry about?

41:  in the span of three minutes the exact phrase “horrible mutilations” is worked into the script nine times.

43:  the dinner party is arguably the best sequence of the movie.

44:40: The Skeletons conversational dialogue never fails to make me laugh.

52:47 And Now You Know pt 2: the click from Animala was a cue for the camera crew to know that
the dance sequence was starting.

53: I have no idea why being four different forest Animals give Animala hypnotics powers…. But I’m absolutely on bored with it.

1:02:00: I like that he must give out his full name and title

1:05:43: that’s a spit take right there.

1:08:00 that’s what you’re going take away from all this is?

1:11:00 those two came over a 1000 miles? … wait, they would have had to travel…Oh! I get it, funny.

1:16:47:  that long pause as you know he is considering licking it.

1:20:25 I love how Paul not only comes in after his wife but basically just uses her same quip.

1:22:03 fight of the century.

BE ASTOUNDED BY THE HYPNOTIC DANCE OF THE SEDUCTIVE ANIMALA!!

Journey Into the Odd: Oklahoma Rattlesnake & Venom Museum

Journey into the Odd:

Oklahoma Rattlesnake & Venom Museum

Oklahoma may be official home of the cowboy but lurking in its elevated plains and forested areas are over forty-six different species of snakes that also call this midwestern state home.   With so many slithering serpents its not a wonder that Oklahoma would be the only state outside of New Mexico to construct a herpetarium around some of the deadlier members of the species.  The Oklahoma City Rattlesnake & Venom Museum is a very modest collection of common to exotic venomous animals displayed in a flashy if not cramped
walk-through exhibit.  The collection of animals was impressive especially considering they are a tiny unaffiliated attraction that basically sums up to one man’s privet collection.  In addition to the rattlers the Museum advertises they also had a number of different snakes including a black mamba, Pit Viper and even a fully-grown King Cobra named Zeus.  The real surprise outside of the King Cobra was a massively big tortoise.  It was explained by the owner that the Tortoise had been a gift from the zoo he worked at and even offered to let the patrons scratch it’s neck like a puppy which brought great joy to both this reviewer and said tortoise.  The staff were very friendly, though sometimes a little “too” friendly as they could be a little pushy about making sure you saw “this” animal or “that” one and in a small confined place like the museum that could make some people a little uncomfortable or overwhelmed.  Some of the animal cages seemed rather small for the animal’s they were holding but none looked unhealthy at the time of the visit and since the owner is a former zoo employee, I can only assume that all the animals are well looked after.  What the Museum lacks in space It more then makes up in showmanship, all the animal cages are intricately designed to represent the animal’s natural habitat while also allowing museum attendees to be able to see the animal’s up close and personal.  The Rattlesnake & Venom Museum is not the reason you go to Oklahoma City but it is a nice detour if you happen to be in the area and are looking for something fun and inexpensive to do while in town.

Heads up before you head out:

. there is no official website just a Facebook page

.  the museum closes at 4 but is open every day of the week.

. there is merchandise for sale but no official gift shop and the merch do not have not prices labeled.

. admission is free, you can make a donation if you like but it is not required.

. Parking is very limited and being on a major road walking is a bit of a challenge too so if you go during a high tourist season just know that you might have to wait until a space at the museum opens up.

Cinema Saturday: The Relic

CINEMA SATURDAY PRESENTS: THE RELIC

Year: 1997

Run time: 1hr 50 min

Rating: R

Movie Grade: B+

Principle Cast:

Director: Peter Hyams

Writers: Amy Holden Jones (screenplay)

Penelope Ann Miller… Dr. Margo Green

Tom Sizemore… Lt. Vincent D'Agosta

Linda Hunt… Dr. Ann Cuthbert

James Whitmore… Dr. Albert Frock

Synopsis:  A surprise shipment from Africa unleashes a brain eating monster in the Chicago field museum.

Spoiler free review:  standard creature on the loose plot line but exotic setting and cool creature effects make it stand out above its competitors.

Review: 

It’s no secret that I love monster movies. Claws, drooling teeth, the works the more creepy creatures in a movie the more fun I usually have, but the market is sadly oversaturated with budget titles relaying on cheap effects and even cheaper storytelling to turn a quick dollar.  Company’s like Asylum and syfy have degraded the genera to a point where it’s hardly even fun anymore.  I really want to get excited for a stupid premise like Two Headed Shark Attack but when I actually watch the film it’s boring, with low payout for the hour and a half of tortuous dialogue and dead-end plotting.   That’s when I like to delve into the backlog of horror cinema and pull out the simple tried tired and true monster on the loose formula where it’s cheesy but very satisfying. This is where The Relic comes in, a mutated brain eating monster that terrorize a bunch of high-class socialites in the Chicago Field Museum? Yes please. 

The Relic is standard creature feature fare but the quality of the film and the devotion of the crew set the film well above its competitors. The Director Peter Hyams wanted to create in his words an “upscaled horror movie” and his finished product while perhaps not any kind of A class material certainly makes a strong case for high tier B movie ranking.   There are a lot of well-done creature features but The Relic feels different from all the 90’s monster films, mostly because it played its story completely straight and serious.  Most 90’s monster movie such as Tremors or Lake Placid played the whole monster angle a little tongue and cheek with goofy characters and plenty of jokes to break up the tension but The Relic goes for pure horror channeling Ridley Scott’s alien, whom the director was noted fan of.  The seriousness of the film is rather refreshing take on the whole genera there are a few silly lines and bad jokes but their kept to a bare minimum and the cast never spends time trying to insult a monster that most likely does not have the intelligence to understand you or the self-awareness to care.   Even though the film is more serious some the characters can come off a little hammy at times but never enough to break you out of the illusion of the film.  In fact, most of the actors do a fine job making you believe in them as real people and not just monster food, well except of Nameless security guards 1 and 2.

If there is one major flaw with the film is that its lighting is dark, I’m talking pitch black can’t see your hand in front of your face kind of dark.  The Director was a big fan of hiding the monster, and what you can’t see is far scarier than what you can.  Which works well enough as the museum beastie Kothoga is only in the movie for about 5 minutes and it’s still  an entertaining watch but while on the big screen it was still possible to make out what was happening but when converted to VHS and DVD the film would end up for all intense and purposes featuring  a lot of sequences  that were basically just long shots of black with scary noises or dialogue.   This was fixed for the now out of print blu-ray release but only to the affect that you can now see the film closer to how it was originally intended there are still many nearly pitch-black shots with boosted flashlights being your only source of light in a scene.

But even with darkened rooms and hard to see action when Kothoga finally shows up it is spectacular and another notch in the fantastic works of Stan Winston and his crew. the monsters design utilizes the hybrid nature of the creature to the full effect with its lion body and spider like fangs along with an assortment of other hodgepodged animal’s mixed in. 

If you’re looking for a good Creature Feature for your Halloween marathon or just want to see what a monster movie can look like when it’s not treated like a big joke then check out the “upscaled Horror” film The Relic.

Fast Facts:

. beetle guts were made out of guacamole

. ending of the movie changed because test audience did not cheer when monster was killed

. director considers this an upscaled horror film

.Linda Hunt and James Whitmore were divorced for 18 years at the time of this movie and thus did not have any scenes together.

. flashlights in the film were boosted to give off more light then normal.

. the film actually opened up at #1 when it was predicted to be #4

Quotes:

Margo Green: “You really are a gerbil!”

Margo Green: I'm an Evolutionary Biologist.

Student: What's that?

Margo Green: Someone trying to figure out where our tails went.

Margo Green: Using superstition to bring people to the museum is like hiring topless ushers for the Bolshoi Ballet.

Dr. Albert Frock:

Well if they did, I might go to the Ballet.

Agusta: “ We got a homeless ex con who get his jollies from ripping out people hypothalamuses? What’s he doing? Starting a hypothalamus collection?

Mini commentary:

2:44 this seems like a really bad idea.

3:00 : oh look its primeval cosplay.

3:31 these people are totally trolling this white guy and it is pretty funny ill admit.

9:05 that cat got some major distance, what? did they throw the cat act the actors?

15:20 right let’s just fondle all the unknown artifacts with your bare hands. I thought you guys were scientist.

16:20: the adventures of tweedle dumb and dumber.

17:42 don’t do drugs kids or monsters will eat you.

26:23:  right like it’s the polices fault that you barged up there like a mad woman despite being told not to.

27:54: Clearly, we have different definitions of the word empty since that crate earlier most certainly had leaves in it.

29:00 snarky autopsy lady check

32:50 with a murder investigation going on I don’t think just randomly deciding to explore the museum is a good idea.

32: 40: geeze someone get that poor monster an inhaler.

35:47 not sure if amusing or stupid, I guess it was kinda funny.

39:20 forget the Inhaler thing sounds like it needs a new lung.

58:00  I get that you want darker lighting to create atmosphere but... dang.

1:07:57 Now you know: by the directors’ own admission even he doesn’t have any explanation as to why the sprinklers are going off other than the fact that he thought it looks cool.

1: 21:25: you sir are way too excited about someone being murdered in your museum

1: 21: 3 :  aww yeahh this is the kind of monster carnage I came to see… I mean Oh no! that poor swat guy.

1:33:00: why is that the first-place women in movies put things?  I mean sure the average person is not going to just shove their hand in there but it also seems rather impractical for the character to try and hold an object between her bosom. I dont know why am even talking about this, wasn't there supposed to be a monster in here somewhere?

1:36:37 that is a great monster entrance and such a beautiful beastie.

1:39:55   When date night goes horribly wrong.

1:42:00 Things I learned from the movies; Animals explode when you light them on fire.

ala alien Dr. Margo Green gets and up close and invasive encounter with Kothoga.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters *review*

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a high action, high risk kaiju extravaganza that’s sure to please new and old fans alike, which is why it’s such a surprise that public opinion of the film is so divided.  While I never expected across the board praise, since despite much attention they have received recently, kaiju are still a rather niche genera, I certainly did not expect such backlash of what is otherwise a perfectly acceptable and entertaining entry in Godzilla’s long history.

So, what caused such diametrically opposed opinions?  To answer this lets analyze King of the Monsters in depth to find what elements worked and which ones less then desirable.  First let’s look at the overall tone of the film. As a rabid G-fan I appreciated the daunting task of recreating the Showa era Godzilla movies in a modern-day setting. Its no easy task to create the goofy, nonsensical, adventure feel of the Showa era in our more no nonsense and fear ridden culture.  Everyone these days want things to be more grounded more “relatable” so much that many of us have lost that sense of wonder and imagination that used to be so prevalent on the silver screen.  Theatrics are a dead art and trying to keep everything as “real” as possible is what sells tickets these days so it was really refreshing to see Dougherty combine the two elements in a way that should appeal to anyone who just want to have a good time. 

But a Godzilla film is only as good as its monsters right? So how do Godzilla and co.  stand up?  Amazingly well actually.  Each of the monsters have their own unique look, color scheme and personality adding a lot more flavor to the film as these inhuman creatures brought plenty of human characteristics to their interactions and conflicts while still retaining that animal like quality that the film emphasized so much.  Mothra’s gentler nature has never been better displayed in contrast to Godzillas more violent one, not to mention the character work in showing Rodan’s arrogance as he easily destroys the human forces only to brought low by Ghidorah, however if there is one monster worth spotlighting it is King Ghidorah. Ghidorah is the one monster I have always wanted to see in CGI so that this magnificent and complicatedly designed creature could really shine without all the limiters placed on a suit actor and King of the Monsters does not disappoint.   The tech wizards on this movie really earned their pay check as King Ghidorahs trio of head have never looked more alive always writhing and each displaying their own distinct personality interacting with each other as much as the other monsters around them. The only real downside to the monsters was that I did feel a little cheated by the lack of emphasis on Mothra and Rodan as the promotional material made is seem that both monsters were going to be as prominent as King Ghidorah and possibly lead to a major battle royal among all four monsters, in fact neither Mothra or Rodan actually fight with Godzilla, but even though the two monsters had smaller roles it did nothing to detract from the flow of the story or the excitement of the conflict.

So the Monsters are great and the action is great what is actually the major complaint the dissenters have with the film?  Well that would be the “human plot” which has been described as stupid, nonsensical and silly.  But if you have ever watched a Godzilla film you would now that I just described about 75% of the human stories in Godzilla films.  I fully admit that the Eco terrorist plot line was a bit ham-fisted and logically character motivations fell apart left and right not mention how many characters were so much characters as quip machines. This was all to be expected from the trailers and understandably alienated some film watchers however that said the human plot worked a lot better then I was expecting and the characters far more entertaining then originally theorized.  The humans are still the weakest part of the film but they hardly overpower the rest of the film.

If anything the visual feast that is Godzilla King of the Monsters more then makes up for any shortcomings in the film. The film was shot beautifully with an excellent usage of color and music to make each of the scenes pop with a magical aura to them.  Sequences like Mothra’s emergence from the cocoon were absolutely breathtaking rivaling GMK* for her best transformation sequence.   The film is loaded with imagery like this from King Ghidorah’s advent into DC to the Ancient lost city of Godzilla worshipers. Let’s not forget the phenomenal score by Bear McCreary who’s remixed

overtures for each monster are enough to give any fan goosebumps.

Godzilla King of the Monsters is a fun, wild entry to the annuals of Godzilla history and if you came to see giant monsters your going to get plenty of giant monsters and there really is no reason to come out of the film disappointed unless giant monsters aren’t your cup of tea, but then I don’t really understand why you went to see this film in  the first place.  So go get your popcorn and soda and just enjoy the spectacle that is King of the Monsters because it gives you exactly what you expect.

Final Thoughts:

. Rodan being Ghidorahs little **** is pretty hilarious.

.The Argo is a great nod to the old Sci-fi vehicles of the franchise like the super X or griffin.

. "Mothra Queen of the monsters"  well, there's goes my drink.

. Ok, so Godzilla gets a military escort in this one too but it’s the air force that gets the honors this time.

.  not sure how I feel about this symbiosis thing I always like it better when Godzilla and Mothra are at odds and actively trying to kill each other.. I wonder what the internet has to say about....*closes laptop lid*  that's enough internet for today.

. Loved all the metaphors to royalty, the false king bit had me rolling.

. On that note A+ to director for keeping Ghidorahs extraterrestrial origins.

. When Doughtry said be modeled King Ghidorah after his three dogs I was really curious to see what he had in store and the antics the three heads get into do not disappoint.

. missed opportunity to not play blue oyster cults Godzilla during the final fight.

. this movies basically confirms what I've always said that if we are comparing kaiju to superheros Godzilla is superman's power set with batman's personality. 

.The movie is not perfect but lets all be honest here if we are going to trash King of Monsters for corny plots, lackluster character motivations and cheesy acting then we need to rethink our evaluation of the Marvel movies because Godzilla is the same quality as most of those films .... if not better then a some of them.  Yeah that's right I went there,  gauntlet thrown.

*Godzilla Mothra King Ghidorah: All Monsters Attack

Journey into the odd: Mothman Festival

Journey Into the Odd: Mothman Festival and Museum

In 1966, on a brisk November evening, a lone car full of friends drove home completely unaware that the events of that night would change their lives and the lives of their sleepy little town forever.  On their way back home, Roger and Linda Scarberry along with Steve and Mary Mallettte would witness something unexplainable.  According to the accounts the young couples would later give as they passed by the old abandon power plant their headlights would fall upon a strange grey horror in the shape of a man but with two large wings and bright red glowing eyes.  Panicked, the couple floored their vehicle leaving the mysterious creature behind.  This would later become one of the earliest sightings of the infamous Mothman of Point Pleasant West Virginia.

1966 was a year full of hardship for Point Pleasant but over the years the little town has embraced its single year of terror and tragedy, moving on from the destruction of the silver gate bridge to focus on the mysterious events of those 12 months in 1966.  This healing process included erecting a museum and a statue dedicated to the mysterious Mothman and in 2002 Jeff Wamsley, director of the Mothman Museum, decided that holding a festival in order to help bolster Point Pleasant’s economy as well as providing a fun weekend of escapism for locals and tourists alike would be just the thing to keep his home town relevant.

It was not until this year that I actually discovered the festival, I had been aware of Point Pleasant and its famous monster since childhood and the statue and the museum had been on my radar for years as a must-see travel destination.   I’ve just never had the time or money to make the journey but when some financial difficulties forced me to move to rural Ohio I was looking for something to just help with the frustrations of my current status, so I began looking at places I could travel to that were fun, relatively inexpensive and close.  So, when I found that point pleasant West Virginia was only a mere 3 hours away I began doing some research into the town and it’s lore and when I discovered there was a whole festival dedicated to the Mothman legend I knew that the time to visit the mysterious town of Point Pleasant had finally come.

Its hard to describe the giddy feeling of anticipation as you actually travel to accomplish something you have wanted to do since childhood, to visit a place that you have only read about in books to be able to go an visit that place, to experience it and know that it is real and that you are there, well dear reader I can only say that I hope and pray each and everyone of you get to experience that feeling in your lifetime.

As I made my own journey through the backwoods of Ohio and west Virginia I couldn’t help but feel as if I was star of my own personal horror story, an out of towner following road signs to a small little town in where mysterious happenings had occurred, I couldn’t help but let my imagination run away with itself for a little while making even the driving up to Point Pleasant entertaining. 

Despite leaving later than anticipated the drive up to West Virginia was still very relaxing with little in the way of traffic until we actually entered into Point Pleasant where we finally hit the festival traffic, but in comparison to some conventions I’ve attended traffic moved at a reasonably brisk pace.  The hardest part was trying to find parking as there were only a few signs for festival parking and none them actually directed you to where it was, I would later find the entrance to the festival parking lot down a side street but by then it didn’t matter anymore,  there are a few local business that will let you park in their lots but anyone traveling down for the festival will want to be wary of signs discouraging parking as these would be park at your own risk.

The festival itself was a surprisingly large street festival where they closed down the town’s main street to setup dozens of booths, food stands and rides for everyone to enjoy.  The most surprising thing about the whole celebration was that while Point Pleasant’s infamous monster was the center theme of the whole affair it wasn’t much different than any other community day fair in any other town, with plenty of events that would make it a fun family affair, making what could have been just a few die-hard enthusiasts sitting in a room sharing conspiracy theories a much more involved and entertaining event.

I was informed by the locals that this year was biggest year the festival has ever seen, which probably has something to do with the vault 76 booth giving out free Fallout swag to advertise the latest game that takes place in West Virginia.  I didn’t get a chance to visit the booth as the wait was almost twice as long as the museum and I had come here to experience the festival and museum so I chose to pass on the cheap plastic video game swag and enter into the legendary Mothman Museum.    

The Mothman Museum itself was a two-room warehouse with the front room being the gift shop/front desk and the back room being the actual museum. The museum portion was larger then expected but still quite small and a casual look around probably would take no longer than 15 minutes. However, if one wanted to actually indulge in all the museum had to offer one could spend a good portion of their day in there, because as I entered into the museum I was intrigued to find that the majority of the museum was mostly furnished by written material, newspaper clippings, letters, magazine articles and so on.  There was a lot to read and I myself, only reading a few articles in depth and skimming over most of them, spent about 30 minutes in the museum. Along with all the Mothman elements the museum also had a section dedicate to one of their hometown hero’s Mary Hyre and a memorial for the Silver Bridge incident, making the Mothman museum a kind of time capsule, a preserved memory of one incredibly bizarre and tragic year for this little town.

The gift shop was also a nice treat with plenty of paraphernalia to waste your money on, even if some the items could be found for much less online.  The gift shop felt like and attraction all itself with all the different merchandise to look over I probably spent over 15 minutes just perusing through their novelties.

Upon leaving the Museum I enjoyed various booths and food trucks that were scattered all across the festival while making my way to my last major event for the evening which was the TNT area bus tours.

The Bus used for the tours was very nice and made for a comfortable and pleasant ride through out Point Pleasant but the tour itself was a little on the shallow side. Our host for the tour was a young woman whose family ran the museum and a wise cracking teenager that laughed at his own jokes.  The woman gave out some interesting information but most of it were things that I had already read about or just general information nothing that really stood out as exceptional and her co-host mostly made bad jokes without providing a lot of real substance.
  

The highlight of the trip was arriving at the TNT area and entering into one of the old-World War II bunkers used for storage dynamite and other explosives. It was dark and eerie in in the middle of the day and with lush forest and marshy lands surrounding it it’s easy to see how someone could let their imagination run away with them or how something strange and mysterious could appear at  a moments notice.

The trip back to point pleasant was rather uneventful and as I stepped of the bus I knew that while I enjoyed my short excursion across Point Pleasant I probably wouldn’t waste any more money by taking the tour again deciding that next time I would instead do my own off the beaten trail exploring of the mysterious TNT area. With the tour done I took some time to soak in a little bit more the festival grabbing a cup of Island Noodles from a local, which were delicious, and finally set off for the journey back home.

 My short time spent at this weekend affair is one that will always make me smile looking back on it. the Mothman Festival exceeded my expectations and was light on the wallet making it an amazing weekend getaway for anyone even remotely interested in the Mothman legend, and even if you have not interest in the Mothman the Festival itself is still a lot of fun and a nice opportunity to explore a small town that otherwise would just be passed through.  I highly recommend the event and even if you cant make the festival the museum and statue are open year round for anyone passing by the little Town of Point Pleasant.

A heads up before you head out:

.The Festival is free but some activities may cost money such as the museum and tours.

.Cell phone reception during the festival is almost non-existent or at least it was for AT&T, other services may have better luck but plan accordingly.

.The tour claims that it lasts about 2 hours when it really wraps up in one

.A tour ticket will also act as free admission to the museum.

.Parking can be tricky so the earlier you can get there the better but when in doubt just follow the crowd.

.The festival is a street festival so make sure you have some cash on you for any vendors that done take cards.

.Many of the local restaurants on the festival strip are full up all day so if you’re looking to eat at any

.of them make sure you have enough time for a 20 min and up wait time.

.Further information can be found on the Mothman Museum site and the Mothman festival site.