Book Review: Informania: Ghosts By Christopher Maynard (2000)

#053/ ∞ — [random Egypt photos]

Pengabdi Setan (2017)

Pengabdi Setan, also known as Satan's Slave, is an Indonesian horror movie written and directed by Joko Anwar who also worked on other Indonesian horror films such as Perempuan Tanah Jahanam (Woman of the Damned Land aka Impetigore, 2019) and Ratu Ilmu Hitam (The Queen of Black Magic, 2019).

In the film, the matriarch who fell ill more than 3 years ago passed away under mysterious circumstances, setting a chain of horrific motions haunting her children Rini (Tara Basro), Tony (Endy Arfian), Bondi (Nasar Anuz), and Ian (Muhammad Adhiyat). Set in the early 1980s, Joko Anwar sets the mood with dim lighting and plot twists, evoking a building sense of suspense that climaxes into a horrific peak involving fertility cults and zombified pocongs.

Aside from the riveting storyline and awesome cast and crew, one thing that stuck with me is the soundtrack. Throughout the entire movie, snippets of Kelam Malam, performed by The Spouse and introduced as the matriarch's hit song early in the film, further set the mood playing throughout the movie with its haunting melody and suggestive lyrics.

The easter egg ending features Darminah who, for those who don't know, appeared in the 1980 version of Pengabdi Setan making this movie a remake, though some suggest it is also a prequel given that the 2017 setting was 1981 while the 1980 setting was 1982. Regardless, the seductive ending scene set against Diwajahmu Kulihat Bulan by Sam Saimun also set the mood for the sequel which we will see soon this year in 2022.

Happy Hauntings!

“The best aid for supplication is humility.”

— Imam Ali (a.s.), Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9945

Mango & Sticky Rice by Khristina Cruz

My favorite piece from Will Draw For Good 2020. You can check out her Insta here

"Your handwriting. the way you walk. which china pattern you choose. it's all giving you away. everything you do shows your hand. everything is a self portrait. everything is a diary."

Chuck Palahniuk

The Argent 

A Ghoster mini-comic. 

Read online

If you love the multitude of horrors found at the SCP wiki, you'll enjoy this short horror comic by Azam Raharjo, inspired by our resident strangler, SCP-173 him/her/itself (??). You can check the comic out and his other works here. His Twitter link is also available here for a follow.

Introduction to the Six Common Types of Spirits to Expect When Going on a Spook Hunting Session

Spook-spotting requires preparations and one of the preparations needed is figuring out exactly what type of spirits we are dealing with. Depending on the case, the spook could be one of the following six:

1. The Detached or Replay Spirits. The most common spirits to encounter, replay spirits are shades of the dead that "replay" the events of their tragic deaths over and over again. They tend to keep to themselves and have minimal to zero interactions to living humans.

Protocol: Observe and record their activities without interruption. Communication may be attempted but don't get your hopes up. Even if some of them interact, there is nothing to be done for the spirit themselves. The surrounding psychic energy keeping them trapped will, according to the first law of thermodynamics, eventually dissipate, though how long they will remain trapped, only time will tell.

2. Poltergeist. German for "noisy spirit", it is the second most common spirit to encounter. Always invisible, it makes its presence known through noisy disruptions hence the name. They tend to come and go as they please, though they often focus their antics onto a particular person or family, even buildings. Though violent, it is rarely murderous.

Protocol: Be prepared with backups when dealing with these types of spirit. Chances are, your cameras and other recording equipments will be thrown about during the spook-spotting sessions. Don't forget to bring a few sets of first aid kits. There will be bruising and scratches.

3. The Interactive Spirit. Third most common spirits to encounter and the most diverse. They can range from curious benign spirits to malevolent vengeful ghosts. These are the types that have unfinished business with the living, and if encountering one, it is advisable, though not warranted, that you try to help finish their earthly business.

Protocol: Be cautious. Interactive spirits are temperamental and the slightest agitation can send them flying off the handle. Observe in groups for security, preferably 5:1 in human-to-spirit ratio. If you have a skilled negotiator, bring him or her along. These types of spirits are generally attached to a particular person or building. So if the negotiations go sideways, it is advisable to destroy said building or individual to release the spirit's bond from the earthly plane.

4. Transport or Vehicular Ghost. This is one of the rarer spirits on this list. They behave similarly to detached or replay spirits. However, it is still unknown what triggers their manisfestation. It is also uncertain whether these can be considered spirits at all.

Protocol: Observe and record as normal. Corporeality of vehicular spirits have not been tested since these spirits usually appear far away from observers. For vehicular spirits that appear close to the observer, take caution as people approached by said spirits often report feeling anxious and unexplained dread when approached by these apparitions

5. Animal spirits. About as rare as vehicular spirits, cases of actual animal spirits are still quite uncommon because often witnesses confuse seeing animal spirits with demon cats or hellhounds. They often haunt their previous owners and can be either benign or malicious, depending on how their owners treat them when they are still alive

Protocol: Be nice. These spirits still have an attachment to their owners and it's best not to provoke either them or their owners. Keep your documenting equipment on standby as most cases involving animal spirits only document quick animal-like motions or mannerisms only their owners recognize. Full body apparitions are rare.

6. The Omen Spirit. Rarest of the six spooks and the hardest to document. They typically appear to a particular person or group and they never stay long. Sightings range from pale shades to full-body apparitions.

Protocol: Be vigilant and keep your documenting equipment on standby all the time. You'll have a better chance to capture it on camera if the spirit is attached to a group rather than a person.

These are the Big Six though there are variations within each of them. Some may argue that since vehicular spirits behaved very similarly to detached spirits, these two should be within a supergroup of their own. But whatever your arguments may be regarding spirit classification, always keep your wits about and have a safe spook spotting session wherever you might be.

Happy Hauntings!

Zombie setting where the undead are drawn towards unhygienic scents, so survivors constantly bathe to avoid being eaten.

Zombies are docile when adorned with flowers.

Settlements overgrown with herbs and flora.

Barely any banditry; everyone is focused on farming and gathering.

Different human factions and towns named after flowers like Lilies, Orchids, Roses, etc.

Instead of immediately killing an infected survivor, they’re given special funeral rites - the zombie is covered with flowers to keep them calm, and  allowed to walk out from the settlement to join the hordes.