One night, I saw this tall dark stranger enter the room. Maria was a sleep and as I watched in fear, he seemed to glide across the room towards her bed.

He stood for a moment, watching her sleep before preceded to lean down over her.

Just then, she awoke, but before she could scream, she was caught by seductive look in his eyes.

I sat quietly as within seconds, as if mesmerized by his glace, she moved her head slightly to allow the stranger to kiss her exposed neck.

Suddenly, he stopped. Something had shone in his eyes. Her crucifix had slipped from beneath her nightgown and he looked away pointing at the offending pendent.

Maria, under what seem to be an hypnotic spell, pulled the chain from her neck to allow him to continue with his intentions, and slowly, he began sucking her blood with a loving caress.

Afterwards he caressed her cheek, gave one last longing look and then with a swish of his cape, he disappeared.

Who was this lover of the night and where did he come from?

That was when I started to fall in love with Count Dracula…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well years went on and as I watch Christopher Lee continue his role as Bram Stoker’ famous character of the vampire Count Dracula, I became fascinated with this legend of a man.

Back in 1897, Bram Stoker wrote this fascinating gothic tale inspired by one of the best-known figures of Romanian history, Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler)  was from the Order of the Dracul (Dragon) ruler of Walachia at various times from 1456-1462.

Before writing Dracula, Stoker spent several years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires.

Although he never travelled to Romania, Stoker crammed his book with descriptions of many real locations that can still be visited to this present-day.

As a dream of mine to go to the Carpathian Mountains and seek out the history of Vlad Dracul, we seem to have managed to do so in spades.

The way this came about is quite fortunate really.

A few years back another group was considering an event to investigate a castle in Romania. I’m not sure where as details were not available at that time and I thought it would be fantastic to do this.

I had forgotten about this until I was accused of fancying a 90 year old Christopher Lee and was trying to find a decent picture of him as Dracula, with his seductive gaze and not the look with his bite of death.

Whilst searching, I then came across Bran Castle, renowned for being a Top 10 on the Most Haunted List and remembering the other group’s intentions, thought I would ask them if it would be possible to investigate.

A response was not anticipated but to my surprise we had received acknowledgement with a price for holding an overnight investigation.

Unfortunately this was at the tune of £3,500 GBP.  But after a bit of haggling, we decided to try and go for this….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So UK Shadow Seekers in conjunction with UK Mystic Nights are proud to offer a Once in a Lifetime Paranormal Investigation, in Transylvania, Romania.

Set deep within the Carpathian Mountains, surrounded by an aura of mystery and legend, Bran Castle, also known as Dracula’s Castle is reputed be one of the World’s Most Haunted Locations.

No investigation has ever taken place at this temporary residence of Vlad the Impaler.

Most Haunted and TAPS have investigated other castles associated with Vlad, but now UK Mystic Nights & UK Shadow Seekers has the chance to investigate the 3rd Transylvanian Castle, which was also once his princely prison, too.

With the earliest mention in 1377 through to modern day, this castle is rich in history.

Apart from the infamous stories of Vlad the Impaler, it’s now stands as a museum dedicated to the history of the surrounding area and of the Royal Residency of WW2.

There are many different ghosts and apparitions that are said to roam ‘Dracula’s Castle’.

According to locals the castle has numerous claims of paranormal activity.

Within the Great Hall and especially in the torture chamber, loud banshee like screams can be heard reverberating throughout the castle in the middle of the night.

With access to 95% of the castle, including the Towers, Prison and Tunnel to investigate and report back to the owners.

Other Interesting Facts:
In 1931 explorers dug up the tomb of Vlad Dracula the Impaler…they found only animal bones.

In Romania, Vlad is still remembered as a saviour to his country, with many praying for his return…

Some even believe Werewolves roam around at night looking for victims.

Even people of the village believe that they exist not only in the castle but in the mountains and surrounding areas as well.

Why not take time to explore Romania and include the Paranormal Investigation whilst your there……

Could You Spend the Night in Dracula’s Castle?
Vlad Dracula los invita (Vlad Dracula invites)

Due to a couple of cancellation, we have had to reopen this events.
Please contact the UK Shadow Seekers< if you are interested
Places are very limited so hurry and reserve your place now.

He noticed a lump in his nether regions and told me about it. It was checked and within weeks of his finding the lump, it was removed by a cancer specialist, Along with one testicle and his lymph nodes.

He went through a living hell of pain, sickness, nausea and had to endure a lot of suffering but he pulled through. We thanked God that the cancer was in remission. We were told that after seven (7) years of good health and no cancer returning, he was therefore cured. Eight (8) years later, there is was again. But this time on the other testicle. And this time around was worse than the first time.

The chemo alone almost killed him. The chemo procedure would kill the tumour, Which had then grown to the size of a grapefruit, and once diminished in size it would grow back within weeks. It got to be more painful until he cried and wanted to just die. After a while even the morphine wasn’t helping him with the pain. He went from being a strapping big boned person to a thin, circles under the eyes, withdrawn human being.

But I believed no one should ever just give up. Just because the word cancer is stated doesn’t mean the end of life. One must fight to be alive, no matter the health situation and giving up was not an option. And I guess through it all, I guess I put this positive thought into my son and he believed me that through faith and positive thought he then endured more chemo procedures, dialysis and two (2) bone marrow transplants. He was then told that he’d have to be on dialysis for the rest of his life.

One particular day when he was in the hospital for several weeks of treatments, I had an overwhelming urge to drive down to Chicago, Illinois where he was at. I live five (5) hours away in Wisconsin and would generally visit him on the weekends and spend the nights on a cot beside his hospital bed. But that day the compulsion was so strong that I felt the urge to go then and there to surprise him with an early visit. So I packed quickly and I left. I deep down just knew I had to be there, so I drove the long distance feeling an urgency I could’t explain nor understand, but I accepted it anyway.

Once I arrived at the hospital I had to put on the usual gear of mask, gloves, booties over my shoes, as well as a hospital gown and cap as he was in the isolation ward. As I entered his room I gasped. What I saw made the blood rush to my face due to the fact a pool of blood was already on the floor beneath his bed. It was almost the size of the bed itself and it was spreading. I panicked as a rang for the nurse because I thought he was dead. I know I wasn’t supposed to touch him but I did anyway. I shook his shoulder and pleaded with him to “please……wake up!!” After a few moment his eyes slowly opened and he weakly said “Mom, you’re here. I was just dreaming about you.” I held his hand as the nurse rushed in, saw all the blood and rang for help. The emergency doctor came and together they tried to stop the flow of my sons blood as it erupted out of the tube that was coming out from high on the right side of his chest and neck area.

His blood was so thin from the chemo that it wouldn’t clot, hence the leakage from the tube projecting out of his body. I could see the urgency in the eyes of both the doctor and the nurse. I held onto my son’s left hand, squeezed and started to pray ‘The Hail Mary’ out loud. He joined in with me as we prayed and prayed and prayed. I could see the doctor starting to panic himself because all the gauze and adjusting of the tube wasn’t stopping the lifesblood from dripping speedily out on my sons body and making an even larger puddle of red on the floor.

My son’s voice got weaker and lower as I continued to squeeze his hand even tighter. I prayed even louder and told him “Don’t give up, don’t give in”. He squeezed my hand back and I could feel the strength in that squeeze getting stronger and stronger as we prayed. We had to have prayed to the Holy Mother Mary at least a thousand times or more during those moments of total stress. I glanced up across at the other side of the bed where the doctor and nurse were working and saw the doctor give a surprised look to the nurse and saying “Oh my god, it’s clotting……it’s clotting!!” I knew then that my son would make it.

Would you believe that after that holy accident my son was eventually taken off of dialysis because his kidneys were working on their own? His hair grew back a light brown and curly whereas before the bone marrow transplant his hair was blond and straight. We assumed the donors transplant had to have passed along with his bone marrow the curly gene also. After several months his hair again grew straight and blond as before. His appetite improved. He was able to keep food and liquids down. And he gained weight.

Our prayers were indeed answered that that fateful day. I thank God and his mother, Mary every day for my son’s life. As I age, my son is the one now, holding my hand, in a sense, as he cares for me and does for me as he wouldn’t have been able to do it if he had died that day those years ago. I often wonder why I had had such a strong compelling urge to be with him that afternoon of enlightenment. Was God or my son’s guardian angel pushing me to hurry up and go be with my son to save him that day? Because if I wouldn’t have arrived in his room at that precise moment, I am sure, in fact I just know, that my son would have perished.

May God have mercy on my son’s soul and on mine and all our loved ones. And me He will always be with us, as well as, His saintly mother, throughout eternity…………AMEN.

Ron battling with cancer.

Ron today (2011)

As told to SJB by Judith Hurta.

So far far a trailer and an initial short episode called The Black Crow of Narth have been completed. The writers are Giles Milner and Rob King. David Broomfield filmed the short, and the cast is made up of Milner, King, Leo Rand, Tina Archer, Graham Moughton and Mat Walker.

Giles said: “I’m very pleased with what we’ve managed to achieve with such a small team and no budget. We’re now looking for funding to make a full length pilot episode to present to production companies.We want to show off more of the Forest and rural Hampshire with Spooky Castle in the future, we have an amazing area steeped in folklore and myth that is perfect for more stories that work well with the ideas and adventures from the game.”

To take a look at the trailer and short episode check out the website at spookycastle.moonfruit.com

Most Haunted - Logo

Bad joke maybe, but it has been announced by Sky Living through their Facebook page that they no longer have any interested in renewing Most Haunted for another series or one off episode which I’m sure sounds like fantastic news to many if not all sceptics out there. However Sky Living went on to state that Antix Productions which is owned by Karl Beatties will be given the rights that allow them to take the show to other stations.

Sky Living:- We have decided not to re-commission Most Haunted and will be giving Antix Productions the right to take it to another channel if they wish. We would like to thank Yvette Fielding and Karl Beattie for all of their hard work and commitment over the years .

Sky Living - Facebook Screenshot

Don’t worry if you need to fill up with all things paranormal and supernatural, Sally Morgan is sticking on the Sky Living screens for a while longer as is the Bedlam series.

We recognise our customer’s appetite for paranormal programming and have recently aired a series about popular psychic Sally Morgan and original scripted drama Bedlam, which proved to be the channel’s most successful commissioned series in its history.

Many praised the end of Most Haunted and were calling for it over the years to be axed. They believe it didn’t come sooner enough. Despite all the debunking of the show, allegations and gossip, Most Haunted still seems to stick in the hearts of many even with the loss of Derek Acorah when he left the show some years back.

So will you be watching if it meets our screens again? Do you welcome the idea of Most Haunted coming back from the dead? Do think it should remain buried in the history of good or poor TV?

Conisbrough Castle - Courtesy Of http://instyle-photography.co.uk

Growing up in the UK makes me proud of our heritage, our iconic sights, beautiful pubs, manors and castles. Understandably those which are privately owned can only be marvelled from a distance but those which are public I believe should be there for us all to enjoy and help promote throughout the world, it seems the English Heritage maybe don’t agree. When searching for the English Heritage you will find the following in Google:

English Heritage exists to protect and promote England’s spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood.

SJBowers contacted the English Heritage on behalf of RTBF TV, a major public television station in Belgium which is their equivalent to our BBC. We were looking to film at Conisbrough Castle for a paranormal documentary, they were looking for ghost stories and everybody loves a good ghost story, especially at a castle. We were told to call the Press office and so we did, we then got told to ring another number for Film locations. Success, they inform our company that we need to provide a proposal and a copy of the stations public liability insurance and so we waste a large proportion of time fulfilling their request and upon submission we hear nothing back and so we call to check up on what is happening only to then be told they do not deal with this Castle and it was in fact the Ivanhoe Trust they provided us with a number which was wrong, we found another number which did not work and so resorted to visiting the Castle. The staff at the castle then inform us that Film Locations are incorrect and have it wrong, they should indeed take care of any filming requirements for the Conisbrough Castle as they have done for the past three years since it was passed to them from the Ivanhoe Trust, yes you read right, three years and they have not been aware!! The process then starts again, we contact them and are informed to submit the proposal again.

We are now on the Thursday, the day we had hoped to film, we called Film Locations only to be confronted with the question “Why did you leave it so late?” in a rather rude and untoward tone. Later we are told it is now too late and they would not be able to entertain our request on that day. We asked about filming on the Sat only to be told to submit the proposal again but moments later informed it was still not possible. We appreciate time was short as it was, but giving us the run around and wasting our valuable time did nothing to help the matter!

Conisbrough Castle - English Heritage - Courtesy Of http://instyle-photography.co.uk

We at least received a apology from Film Locations (shortened):

I’m afraid we were given poor information about the site by an English
Heritage rep who was, I’m afraid, unaware of a management change at the
site.
I apologise for time it’s taken today to reach a conclusion on your enquiry.

RTBF TV is a French speaking station with a potential reach of 4 million viewers and an average viewership of 350,000 to 500,000. This documentary also has a potential to air in France where people love paranormal related topics. Imagine the potential to increase tourism to Yorkshire and all the monuments, beautiful buildings and locations featured in this documentary. Imagine the potential it has to increase revenue to local businesses in a time of need and desperation where people are constantly being laid off work. The potential boost to our economy could be great.

Over the years I have personally brought thousands of tourists into English Heritage properties around the UK in addition to the occasional film crew at other historic location. Now I start to question, really should I be pushing business to charity which I feel is failing the British people, is this not our history? Is this not our Heritage? The English Heritage is there to protect and promote. I feel by preventing a documentary with a huge potential vewiership they are not protecting the castles ability create a sustainable income which can be used in preserving the site for years to come. They are not promoting the castle to the best of their ability and finally they are not protecting the jobs of those whom work at the castle. This is not just a disservice to my company but a disservice to their own staff whom work incredibly hard ensure the castle can be enjoyed by all!

Pontefract Castle cellar - Courtesy Of picturesofengland.com

We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Ian Downs who manages the site of Pontefract Castle for helping us out at such short notice. If anyone is visiting Yorkshire and gets a chance they should pop in, although it is rather derelict, the site and remaining walls are beautiful as are all castles. They also have a rather eerie cellar area where the civil war prisoners were kept, its said there are ghostly sightings down there. You can see where etchings were made in the walls which supposedly date back, however they would not have had the tools required and so only the things on person could have been used….

We would also like to thank Eddy from Warmsworth Hall, near Doncaster as well as the Holiday Inn for being such a great company to work with, they bent over backwards to make this a truly exceptional experience. They also host paranormal events if you or your group is interested in visiting.

Other locations doing our country proud are the Golden Fleece (York), Guy Fawkes Pub (York), numerous shops up and down the Shambles (York), Fire and Police Museum (Sheffield), Travellers Rest (Mexbourough).

I should imagine after they read my article and review here that they would wish no further contact with myself however if I am entirely honest I believe from now on I will no longer bring tourists to Heritage sites nor help promote national treasures under their grip and control. Although this might only represent a few thousand people over a few years, it is still their loss.

Even though the they claimed it was to late now, do you think this could be because the documentary required ghost stories and this was of a paranormal nature?

Do you think the English Heritage should be more open to paranormal events where the location benefits from increased exposure and improved profits which in turn help fund restoration and preservation?

Do you think this makes our country look bad or the Heritage unprofessional?

All we can do is hope that the Conisbrough Castle reverts back to the Ivanhoe Trust, they were much more of a pleasure to deal with and they permitted various other types of events.

Conference Banner - Seriously Strange

When?
Saturday and Sunday 10th – 11th September 2011

Where?
University of Bath, set just outside the beautiful and historic city. Regular buses are available to the campus from the train station, but there’s also plenty of on site parking next to the conference centre for only £2 on the Saturday and free on the Sunday. Accommodation is also available on site, from only £21 a night (optional).

What?
Lectures run throughout both days, covering a huge range of subjects including ghosts and hauntings, mediumship, vampires, werewolves and much more! There’s also live experimentation that you can take part in, or simply watch from the sidelines. And everyone’s holding their breath for the announcement of the Big Surprise … !

What else?
To truly celebrate in style, there’s also the Gala Dinner & Disco on the Saturday night which is also held on campus. Get a chance to eat with and chat to other attendees and speakers alike, whilst dancing the night away to mark 30 years of serious psychical research! (Optional)

Sounds fantastic! How do I book and find out more?
Simple. Just visit www.seriouslystrange.org.uk

We anticipate this amazing event to book out, so don’t delay – reserve your tickets today!

Just last week Leandro was spotted with a new “Katie Price” tattoo.

Sally said to The Sun newspaper

“Katie’s very happy at the moment. Will it last? Yeah! I think it will. Katie is desperate for something to last, for longevity.” and ”I think she now wants a bit of peace in her life and Leandro gives her that. He gives her a sense of being grounded. It’s a pity people knock that.”

Sally Morgans new show, Psychic Sally: On the road starts tomorrow night at 8pm on Sky Living.

By Ellie, Supernatural World

The little boys mother quickly turned around and looked in the direction in which he was pointing.

The mother claimed she saw “a bright flash of light above the trees infront of them, then a few blinks in the north, then a blink to the east and it was gone, all the time there was no sound”.

Other witnesses who reported seeing the same thing said “there was a ball of light which zig-zagged across the sky before disappearing within a few seconds.

No photographs or film footage was captured during the unusual event which took place on 18th June 2011 at 11:45 p.m.

During the last few months, New York has currently had more reported UFO sightings than usual.

By Ellie, Supernatural World

Sanju, from Nagpur, India started experiencing breathing problems one night in June 1999 when he was 36 years of age. An ambulance was sent for and Sanju was rushed to hospital. Doctors believed Sanju had a giant tumor and declared he should have emergency surgery to remove it.

Once Sanju was on the operating table it soon became very clear that it was no tumor. As the surgeon reached into Mr Bhagat’s torso he was greeted by a deformed little body. Slowly the surgeons removed limbs, hair, hands, feet and a jaw.

Sanju had infact a very rare and bizarre medical condition called fetus in fetu. Whilst in the womb Sanju’s fetus had started dividing into two, creating twins. the split however, was never completed and Sanju’s body carried on growing and developing around his twin.

After the extraction of the “parasitic twin” was removed, all of Sanju’s discomforts and pain completely disappeared.

But CNN reports  there are natural, scientific explanations for what have often been labelled as paranormal or supernatural occurrences in the two great expanses of ocean.

“The vast triangular area of ocean with imaginary points in Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico — popularly known as the “Bermuda Triangle” — has long been associated with mysterious disappearances, paranormal activity and even fissures in the fabric of space itself,” says the cable news channel. “Interest in the region began after a group of military planes carrying 14 men inexplicably vanished somewhere off the coast of southern Florida in December 1945.

“Before losing radio contact, it’s claimed the flight leader was heard saying: ‘We are entering white water, nothing seems right’ …”

Hours after the disappearance of the US Navy’s Flight 19, a further 13 crew-members  – dispatched as a flying search party — themselves vanished. Neither group’s remains were ever discovered and the modern Bermuda Triangle legend was born.

Later disappearances — including two British commercial flights in the late 1940s – attributed to the area’s alleged paranormal forces.

“A raft of books, like ‘The Devil’s Triangle’, ‘Limbo of the Lost’ and ‘The Riddle of the Bermuda Triangle’” all contained supernatural explanations — from UFOs to “wormholes” to technology left over from the mythical lost continent of Atlantis,” said CNN.

“However, in later years, skeptics have argued that the number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area is, statistically, no more significant than in any other part of the ocean.

“Indeed, the area is today one of the most heavily traveled shipping lanes in the world, and most appear to get by without so much as dipping oar into another dimension.”

The Bermuda Triangle continues to exert a powerful grip on the popular imagination. The recent Jack Black version of “Gulliver’s Travels” used the Triangle as a plot device. And an upcoming fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise starring Harrison Ford as well as a new Brad Pitt project and the second film in the teen-oriented Percy Jackson series will boast Bermuda Triangle-themed narratives.

Bermuda also sits on the western fringes of the Sargasso Sea — another region of the Atlantic which CNN says “has an intriguing reputation for robbing sail boats of their crew, leaving nothing but empty, wandering vessels.”

Among its supposed victims was the tall-mast ship “Rosalie,” which sailed through the area in 1840, but was subsequently found drifting and derelict with her sails set and no crew on board.

“Grisly 19th-century paintings show sailing vessels being devoured by monstrous weeds, and the area has featured in books by Jules Verne, among others,” said the cable news outlet. “But the mystery of the Sargasso is no longer much of a mystery.

“Surrounded by some of the strongest surface-water currents in the world, the ’sea within a sea’, as it is known, is effectively cordoned off from the rest of the Atlantic.

“This isolation gives the region its uncharacteristic temperature and surprising tranquility — causing wind-powered sail boats to come to an absolute standstill and creating all the ingredients for a nautical fairy tale.”

bernews.com