Ironic and Unusual Physical Deaths

Prior to incarnating on earth, it is believed that our soul creates a contract detailing what lessons we will focus on learning while on the physical plane. These contracts also include contracts with other people, geographic location, who will be our family, etc. Built into this contract, of course, is free will, and it is believed that in each contract we build in 5 exit points or events where we can choose to leave our physical bodies and cross over to the other side. I do believe this concept, however, I personally also believe the God’s will also plays a part.

Incorruptibility – Divine Souls that Don’t Decompose

St. Bernadette

Incorruptibility is a belief of the Roman Catholic Church that God intervenes to keep the bodies of those humans who are deemed saints from decomposing. The criteria for being recognized as a saint are three miracles. The miracles would be reported by a person who prayed to the would be saint and asked them to intercede on their behalf. One of these miracles included incorruptibility, but that is no longer the case. The Roman Catholic Church still recognizes, however, a corpse that does not decompose is a divine act of God.

Toys "R" Us Toy Demonstrations by a Ghost

Many believe that only buildings can be haunted and that the likely cause is a person’s death on the premises. There are a great percentage of hauntings that can be categorized under these circumstances, but it is also possible that a person can be attached to the land. This leads us to the unfortunate and heartbreaking story of Johnny Johnson.

Johnny Johnson (or Yonny Yohanson) was a young Scandinavian immigrant who was studying for the ministry in the late 1800s. One summer he took a job working on the farm of wealthy landowner Martin Murphy, Jr. in Sunnyvale California. It is said that at some point during his employment with Murphy he contracted encephalitis, which caused brain damage. Johnson never completed his ministry study and stayed on as a hired hand due to his mental impairment.

On This Day: Mt. Vesuvius Erupts - The Ghosts of Pompeii

August 23 in AD 79, the citizens of Pompeii, which was one of four cities that flourished at the base of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius, were celebrating the Feast of Vulcan, the god of fire with a citywide festival. The city of Pompeii, at that time, was home to approximately 20,000 people, in addition to vacationing Romans who owned holiday villas in the city. Ironically, the volcano Mount Vesuvius began to stir which may have appeared to be a sign that the god Vulcan was pleased.

The next morning, on August 24, Mt. Vesuvius started to erupt and the city once full of frivolity was now set into a frenzy trying to evacuate. The entire event took approximately 19 hours with 6 of those hours being a steady rain of tephra. The total accumulation of the tephra was 25 meters deep. The town of Pompeii had been silenced.

1,700 years later archaeologists began to uncover Pompeii and discovered many buildings, tools, and even artwork preserved under the volcanic ash. One archaeologist noticed there were large holes in the ash and realized that the holes were actually the forms of the bodies before they had decomposed. Plaster was injected into the holes, which resulted in an eerie discovery. The ash and pumice that buried the people of Pompeii preserved forever their last moments on earth and their eternal death masks.

A wide spread belief was that the Pompeii citizens died of ash suffocation, but that is not the case. The true cause of death was Thermal Shock. The people were exposed to heat at 250 degree Celsius at a distance of 10 kilometers and their death was instantaneous. No manner of shelter could protect them.

What remains are the casts of men, women, children, and animals in their last poses and facial expressions as they perished. If you believe in reincarnation, as I do, it is quite possible a few of us may be looking upon ourselves in a former life.

Kerri L. Schultz

Hocus Pocus originated from the Catholic Church?

Hocus Pocus! Poof! You’ve just been turned into a frog! No words provoke more imagination and magic than the words Hocus Pocus. This short incantation has become a very common phrase used by magicians and entertainers to announce a mystical change. Did these words come from the book of a great witch? The truth is that Hocus Pocus has an interesting and debatable history. Some theories of its origin are:

Hax pax max Deus adimax – Derived from a pseudo-Latin phrase used as a magic formula by conjurers.

Hovea Pwca – This is Welsh for a goblin’s trick or hoax. The goblin is a shape-shifter whose name is associated with the devil and Ochus Bochus.

Ochus Bochus – Hocus Pocus may also have come from the Ochus Bochus who was a magician and a believed demon of the north. There is speculation the Bochus is actually a corruption of the name Bacchus who is the god conjuration who turned water into wine. Christ also turned water into wine which is considered his first miracle.

Hoc est corpus - Some believe that Hocus Pocus was used as a parody of this phrase taken from the transubstantiation part of the Roman Catholic mass. The words mean “this is (my) body)” . For those who are not Catholic, transubstantiation is when the priest symbolically changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

Whether Hocus Pocus is said by an entertaining magician or an authentic conjurer, there is a common thread linking all of the possible origins together and that is a change. The magician changes a bird into a bouquet of flowers. It can be called an illusion or a hoax. The priest symbolically turns the water and bread into the body and blood of Christ. Water is turned to wine miraculously by Jesus.

The most interesting and ironic aspect of the origins, however, surrounds the connection to the Catholic Church who condemned witches and magic. Remember the next time your hear a little child say “Hocus Pocus” as they wave their wand that their magic conjuring words are not wholly attributed to witches but derived from Catholicism. Very ironic!

Kerri L. Schultz

Movie Curses - Real or Coincidence?

There is nothing more intriguing than a movie curse that plagues actors and crew members with strange misfortunes, sometimes even deadly misfortunes, simply because of their part in a film. I cannot say that I believe that there is a dark cloud of negativity hovering over the production of the movies I’ve researched, but the events certainly appear more than just coincidence.

The question that repeatedly sounded in my mind was “Why?”. What would cause these groups of people, who were brought together to create entertainment for others, be drawn into a web of ill fate? Is it possible that the subject matter attracted the negativity? Collectively, I am positive the cast and crew focused on the fear of the films they were making, and those types of emotions can easily generate a thoughtform and attract situations of fear into their lives. The cause of movie “curses” may never be known, but the facts are worth reviewing.

Let me know what you think!

Are the circumstances involving these films merely coincidence or is there something more sinister lurking about?

Twilight Zone the Movie

July 23, 1982 in Ventura County, California, production was set to film a scene with Vic Morrow who played the role of Bill Connor, a racist, who is taken back in time and placed in various situation where he is the victim of racism. The movie had scenes of Bill Connor being a Jewish man during the holocaust, a black man about to be lynched by the Ku Klux Klan, and a Vietnamese man trying to escape from United States soldiers.

This particular day was the filming of the scene of the Vietnamese man who was attempting to escape from a US Army helicopter with two Vietnamese children. The two Vietnamese children were played by My-Ca Dinh Le, age 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6). In the scene, the helicopter was to hover over the three actors while an explosion occurred nearby. The scene began filming, and the helicopter hovered only 25 feet above them. This was too close to the pyrotechnic explosions which damaged the helicopter and caused it to crash on top of the actors. Morrow and Le were decapitated and Chin was crushed underneath the helicopter. No one in the helicopter was injured.

Is it possible that the negativity involved in the subject matter had something to do with the incident? Or was the helicopter crash a very unfortunate and tragic accident?

Superman

The first victim associated with the alleged curse of Superman is George Reeves who played Superman on television in the 1950’s. Reeve died of a gunshot wound to the head in 1959 which was considered a suicide. An investigation later revealed there were no finger prints on the gun which would lead one to believe it was a murder, but the authorities continue to rule his death a suicide.

Christopher Reeve played Superman in 4 major motion pictures beginning in the late 70s through the late 80s. Reeve, whose name is eerily similar to Reeves last name, did not have any tragedies occur during the filming of the Superman movies. The alleged Superman curse struck on May 27, 1995 when Reeve was thrown from a horse while in an equestrian competition in Virginia. He suffered a cervical spinal injury that paralyzed him from the neck down making him a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. Reeve was admitted to the hospital early October 2004 to treat a pressure wound that was causing sepsis. Shortly after receiving an antibiotic for the infection, he went into cardiac arrest and then slipped into a coma. Reeves suffered another cardiac arrest eighteen hours later and died on October 10, 2004 at the age of 52.

Margot Kidder who played Lois Lane in the Superman franchise also fell on some troubled times. Kidder experienced a manic episode in 1996 and was found by Los Angeles police naked and cowering in undergrowth with bashed-in teeth. She was placed in psychiatric care and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It is reported that she has gotten her condition under control and has not had a manic episode in years.

Richard Pryor, who played Gus Gorman, a talented computer hacker in the 1983 Superman III, was yet another alleged victim of the Superman movie curse. Three years after Superman III, Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He also suffered from heart problems and in 1990 underwent a triple heart bypass. Nine days after his birthday, in 2005, Pryor suffered another heart attack and was unable to be resuscitated. He was 65 years old.

Poltergeist

Researching the alleged curse of the Poltergeist movies, I have found many mentions of the use of authentic skeletons in the pool scene. Apparently, this was confirmed by JoBeth Williams on E! True Hollywood Story about Poltergeist. Honestly, if there is any truth to this fact, I find it morbid, simply because the premise of the movie was based on the remains of people being desecrated. I would not attribute the “curse” to the use of authentic skeletons, but the death of 4 of the movie’s actors does appear suspicious.

Dominique Dunne, who played Freeling, the oldest daughter, was murdered in 1982 shortly after completing work on Poltergeist. Dunne met and moved in with a Los Angeles chef, John Thomas-Sweeney (born and raised in Hazelton, PA). The relationship soon became abusive and Dunne ended the relationship. On October 30^th, Sweeney approached Dunne in the driveway of her home in hopes of reconciling. Dunne refused and Sweeney became enraged and strangled her, some report that this happened for at least 4 minutes. Dunne fell into a deep coma and died five days later on November 4 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

No one will ever forget the creepy rendition of “God is in his Holy Temple” sung by Julian Beck as he played the ghost Rev. Henry Kane in Poltergeist II: The Other Side. Beck was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1983 prior to accepting his role as the revengeful preacher. He died just two years later at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City at the young age of 60.

Will Sampson, who played the Native American Shaman named Taylor in the 1986 movie Poltergeist II: The Other Side passed away on June 3, 1987. Sampson was in need of a heart and liver transplant. His death was due to post-operative kidney failure and pre-operative malnutrition problems. He was only 53 years old. Once of Sampson’s more famous roles was Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Heather O’ Rourke, who played Carol Ann Freeling, the daughter who disappeared in the house, died on February 1, 1988 at the age of twelve. Her cause of death was intentional stenosis, septic shock and cardiac arrest. O’Rourke became ill in early 1987 and was allegedly misdiagnosed by Kaiser Permanente Hospital as having Crohn’s disease. The medicine that was prescribed to treat the condition made her cheeks puffy which is evident in many picture and in the last Poltergeist III movie. It was later discovered after her death that she did not have Crohn’s disease, but suffered from and acute bowel obstruction. Her family sued Kaiser Permanente Hospital and settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Poltergeist III was her last performance.

There were also some unusual phenomena reported from the cast. JoBeth Williams said that each day she returned home from filming, the pictures on her wall would be crooked and she needed to fix them. A prop malfunction caused the clown to actually choke actor Oliver Robbins who played the brother, Robbie Freeling. Finally, during a movie photo shoot, a bright light covered the face the Zelda Rubenstein that could not be explained. She later acknowledged that at the same time the picture was taken, her mother passed away.

Rosemary’s Baby

A handful of misfortunes are attributed to the Rosemary Baby curse which I am sure received recognition based on the theme of Satan worship in the movie. The film’s composer died of a blood clot the year after making the film, which ironically, was the cause of death of one of the character’s in the movie. Soon after the film was released, producer William Castle suffered kidney failure. Most notably, the director Roman Polanski suffered a devastating loss when his wife, Sharon Tate, and unborn child, were murdered by Charlie Manson and his family. Curse or Coincidence?

The Omen

The cast and crew of the Omen, yet another movie centered around Satan, had numerous unfortunate events and close calls.

• Script Writer David Seltzer’s plane was hit by lightning as was Gregory Pecks, and Executive Producer Mace Neufeld’s plane.
• The IRA bombed a hotel Neufeld was staying at during filming. The hotel restaurant was also bombed which was where the director and actors were scheduled to eat that day. No one was killed.
• Special effects consultant John Richardson crashed his car in Holland on Friday August 13, 1976. When he got out of the wreck he looked up and saw a sign that allegedly read “Ommen, 66.6km”.
• One of the film’s tiger handlers died.
• Gregory Peck’s son shot himself.
• A plane scheduled for use in film production was rescheduled and the plane was used on a commercial flight. The plane later crashed killing everyone on board.

Curse or simply Coincidence?

Written by Kerri L. Schultz

On this Day - The Pied Piper of Hamelin - Truth or Fairytale?

Everyone has heard of the Pied Piper not many know that the story stemmed from actual events in June of 1284 in Hamelin, Germany. The town of Hamelin was experiencing an infestation of rats and mice. A man, dressed in attire of many colors, mysteriously came into town and struck a deal with the people of the village. He promised to rid the village of the rats and mice but for a price, and the villagers agreed. The Piper pulled a small fife from his pocket and started to play. The vermin came running out from every house and began following the Piper who led them to the river where they were drowned. The Villagers soon regretted the amount they promised him and refused to pay.

The Piper left but returned on June 26, again dressed in colorful attire and playing his fife. This time, however, all of the village’s children came out of their houses and began following him. The Piper led the children out the town and they were never seen nor heard from again.

The citizen’s of the village recorded the event at town hall:

In the year 1284 after the birth of Christ

From Hameln were led away

One hundred thirty children, born at this place 

Led away by a piper into a mountain.

On the new gate of town hall the following was inscribed:

And on the new gate was inscribed: Centum ter denos cum magus ab urbe puellosduxerat ante annos CCLXXII condita porta fuit.

[This gate was built 272 years after the magician led the 130 children from the city.]

Many theorized at a possible cause for the disappearance of the children. Some believe the Pied Piper is symbolism for Black Death and the children died from disease. Another theory is that the children willingly abandon their parents to become the founders of their own colony in Eastern Europe. And yet another theory is that the children were sold to a recruiter from the Baltic region of Eastern Europe.

Despite all of these theories, proof of their fate has never been unearthed.

Kerri L. Schultz

Enemy is Killed by Slain Foe’s Teeth

Traditionally, in ancient times, it was common to behead your defeated foe and display their head as a trophy for a hard fight won. This was such the case of Sigurid the Mighty of Orkney who won his battle with Máel Brigte. Returning to his home, Sigurid strapped the head of Máel to his horse’s saddle. Most unfortunate for Sigurid, he did not realize that Máel’s teeth grazed against his bar leg as he rode and breaking skin. This caused a fatal infection and Sigurid soon died.  It appears Máel won even after death.