Faith Can Move Mountains... But Dynamite Works Better

Monday, October 31, 2011

Don't Look Now, But The Ghost Of Countess Bathory Is Right Behind You



 Once again, Hallowe'en has come upon the land. That magical time of year of tricking, treating, ghost stories, and when our darkest parts of our imagination get to run free for the night. It's also the time of year when endless reruns of Hallowe'en gets replayed over and over again on cable channels, and Donald Pleasance keeps trying to kill Michael Myers. Michael does, of course, have it coming....


Lots of jack o'lanterns get carved, of course, and some people put a lot of particular effort into decorating their homes for the festivities.
"Gentlemen, Operation World Domination begins this Monday. The odd decorations the humans put out are central to our plans. Let me explain..."
One pumpkin to rule them all....
"Now, witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational jack o'lantern."

Here in Ottawa, we have many a ghost haunting some of the public and less public places scattered throughout. Like other cities, there's a touring company that runs several Haunted Walks, telling the ghost stories of the city. I thought I'd touch briefly on three of them.


The luxurious Chateau Laurier hotel was commissioned a century ago by railroad baron Charles Melville Hays. In 1912, it was finished, and Hays was coming from Europe with a large shipment of furniture for the grand opening of the hotel, but unfortunately he took passage aboard a certain ship you may have heard of. Hays and his furniture went down aboard the Titanic. Since then, there have been sightings of the great man in the hotel, among other ghosts...


The Carleton County Gaol (or Jail, depending on your nationality) is now used as a youth hostel and small museum, but in its day it was a prison downtown, where hangings took place of condemned men, including the convicted assassin of Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of our Fathers of Confederation. The place is haunted of course, and having had been in there, I can say that you can feel the coldness of it, the sensation that you're being watched. It's a creepy, creepy kind of place to even briefly visit.


Watson's Mill is on the shore of the Rideau River in the village of Manotick, a short drive away from the city. Indeed, I was just there myself this weekend. The 19th century era grist mill is still in operation today, producing flour and selling bread. The building is open for visits, the equipment remains in place, and there's a spectral presence too. A young wife of an owner paid a visit to the mill one day a century and a half ago, and was killed in a tragic accident. Her ghost is still said to be seen in the mill and the grounds. Having had been on my own in the attic space during my last visit... I did have the distinct feeling of someone else there with me....


At this time of year, cartoonists get busy with the theme of the supernatural, of course, so I thought I'd  collect a few of them from the last few weeks for you. Plenty of ghosts, witches, monsters, and such to go around for everyone. And no, don't worry, just because there are the odd vampires in the mix doesn't mean it involves any glittery ones....





Even editorial cartoonists get into the act this time of year....


One might, if one is a fan of the genre, feel the need to participate in a Zombie walk, such as these fine folk did recently here in Ottawa. It was a bit strange to keep passing people with blood on their faces through the streets... and then realize there was a point to it.....



Coming for Hallowe'en 2012... Barbie: Malibu Serial Killer...

And so I bid you a Happy Hallowe'en. Mind the ghosts and goblins. And if you see any sparkly vampires, take out the stake. You'll be doing the vamp a favour by putting them out of their misery.















15 comments:

  1. I knew there would be zombies!

    Happy Hallowe'en, partner!

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  2. I don't know these sparkly undead you keep talking about...LOL

    However, I do like the nutritional facts on the witches cauldren...very cute.

    Happy Halloween, William...

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  3. Spooky but funny in a sick altered version of reality....LOL

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  4. I took that haunted tour one Hallowe'en. I remember being cold, very cold.

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  5. Great post! I'm loving that you still put the apostrophe in Hallowe'en!

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  6. I remember this teacher at my primary school. We were convinced she was a witch, and around Hallowe'en we'd look at the moon to see if she was flying past on her broomstick.

    She could have taught lessons in cruelty to Hitler, and she was old enough that she probably did.

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  7. Interesting. I'll not do those Haunted Walks. I figure they're a waste of money.
    Cartoons were great. Thanks for this Halloween Post.

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  8. I can't believe you were alone in a haunted attic. You're braver than I am. Funny post.

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  9. I've always suspected Barbie was a serial killer ...

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  10. Aw, that kitty is so cute. Love the witches trick-or-treating for "baby Ruth".

    I visited Chateau Laurier once for high tea, was definitely a different experience from the one you speak of above, which actually sounds cooler... had I known. My bro and his gf stayed at the Gaol once and the pictures alone creeped me out. So did his stories of the sounds he heard in the night. Hopefully it was just the old pipes!

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  11. Hi William. I passed the Liebster Blog award on to you. Thanks for all the laughs!

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  12. those are hysterica! And those are some serious pumpkin carvers... omgosh! elvish? and the Deathstar?? Wowsers.
    And even tho I just knew that video was gonna have something big and scary pop out, it still made me jump.. lol!
    zombie walk would be fun!!

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  13. Great morning humor. I especially liked the one with Galactus in the background. That's probably because I'm a Geek.

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  14. Awesome pictures! I love the zombie ones!

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