Tell me a Ghost Story (+ Ghosts Photoshoot + My ghostly drawings): Posting some eerie articles this October

in #photography5 years ago (edited)

ghosts - Priscilla Hernandez.jpg

Dormant in the corner of your eyes... always there always hidden to your sight (The Underliving, one of my songs)

I confess I'm very fond of ghosts stories told or read by dim light... Do you ever wondered why Ghosts are usually represented by white sheets? Keep on reading for some ghostly art and facts.

Me and my friend Arashi lurking from the shadows as ghosts... This picture was taken barely some days ago while I was on holiday staying at her house (pd. her house is not that "gloomy" we achieved the effect overlaying some grunge textures on top, though there is no heavy edition to the original pictures taken in collaboration with @hedac.

ghosts - by Priscilla Hernandez.gif

My nightgown is rather Victorian and I had an extra chemise on my suitcase as I had gone to Barcelona to do a performance and we were both just back from it. In Spanish there is an expression that says "muertas de cansancio" (dead tired) and we joked about it... once in the nightgowns we started to creep and crawl through the corridor.

We had lots of fun... and here are some discarded shots:

ghostscorridor.jpg

I used my own stock of pictures to add "shadows" on the walls, like these I made taking shadowsplay pictures of myself behind a hanging sheet

ghostlyshadow.jpg

ghost shadow - by priscilla Hernandez (yidneth.com)-3.jpg

Which takes as back to the final edit of the chose still: "Lurking from the Shadows"

Lurking from the shadows.jpg

Share your ghost stories

grave - by priscilla Hernandez (yidneth.com).jpg

Above: Ghostly picture of myself taken by @hedac during the filming of my video for my song "Nothing" which is a Ghost lullaby. We used long exposure to appear translucent. You can re-visit that old post here:

I have always loved good ghost stories. I have a rather eclectic collection of "spectral literature", myths and legends. I myself paint and design ghostly figures and creatures often:

I have a sleep disorder called Sleep paralysis so I've experienced what is considered the paranormal way too many times and I understand it's just a sleep disorder. That is why I do not believe in ghosts but I do enjoy a good ghost story. Probably many of them are born from this kind of hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences in the limites of "dream and awareness". In fact most "otherwordly" contacts are in fact Sleep Paralysis experiences and can be explained, but that will be covered in another post... but feel free to share your ghost story with me:

My favourite ghost tales (Literature)

Mine are "Lost Hearts" and "Whistle and I'll come to you, my lad" by British writer M.R. James (1862-1936) who is considered along with other authors like Sherindan Le Fanu the creator of some of the finest ghost stories ever written. M. R. James would be the writer who would later inspire H. P. Lovecraft as an author. In fact a creature very similar to the well known Chtulhu is described in one of James stories, who he used to read by the fire to his students every Christmas... Ghost tales by the hearth... !

Why the white bedsheets?

M. R. James is responsible of my of the cliches in spectral tales, the figures moving in a picture, including why ghosts are often represented by "white sheets". Of course the origins are in the burial shrouds that looked similar to the bedsheets, noone would like to see one dead person standing covered in a shroud, right...
There are numerous depictions of people dressing with bedsheets to impersonate ghosts in the XVIII century All Hallows Eves in some plates and advertisements in London celebrations.
But there is a story in particular in which the "entity" is actually made of a bedsheets and believe me if you think bedsheet ghots are not scary... READ THAT TALE "Oh Whistle and I'll come to you, my Lad" (link to free legal source down there). There was nothing romantic in the ghosts described by M. R. James, just the feeling of "dread" and "menace".

If you are curious, this and many other ghost stories by M. R. James are avaiable to read from Project Gutenberg online Library because they are now Public Domain.

Oh Whistle and I'll Come to you, my Lad (Free online read at Project Gutenberg)

Whistle_and_I'll_come_to_you_illustration.jpg

Above: Illustration by James McBryde (1904) for that story. Public Domain. McBryde was a close friend of M. R. James but he died after drawing only four illustrations for his ghost tales, being this one of them.

A face of crumpled linen

I also made some drawings inspired in M. R. James tales like "Lost Hearts". The ghost is covering a hole in her chest.

Priscilla Hernandez- M.R.James LOST HEARTS - by Priscilla Hernandez (yidneth.com).jpg

Above. My own illustration for LOST HEARTS (Watercolour, sold)

But I also love the romantic Nature of spectral tales of apparitions... the Ladies in White . I subtitled my first album Ancient Shadows as "The Ghost and the Fairy" and very much represents the duality of my own persona. But sometimes people are not haunted by "ghosts" but by "longing", as places are not haunted by wraiths but "desolation".

off the lane - by priscilla Hernandez (yidneth.com).jpg

Above ghost veiled me by the ruins of Eugi, promotional picture for my second album The Underliving

It's also said that moths represent people or creatures you have lost and loved that still circle around you lingering and living out of the love you still have for them... Of course these are only tales... but I think the concept is very romantic.

moth - by priscilla Hernandez (yidneth.com).jpg

Moth visitor that got into our car some weeks ago... her wings were accented in golden

But you know moths fly to light when they're blind in delight

Maybe that's the origin of my love and obsession for moths... I think they are so beautiful with their muted colours.

Share your favourite Ghost movie

I like the spectral kind (not the gory kind). From romantic apparitions to menacing haunted houses...
What are your favourites books, stories or movies about ghosts?
This article belong to some "Spooky creepy" October moody entries, but don't worry there will be "light" and "Nature" and "Music" too... Allow me to pave some "All Hallows Eve"
My favourite "ghosts" movie is Poltergeist (1982) (of course the original) produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper. Some other honourable mentions are "Lady in White" (1988) and "Lady in Black" (1989).
BBC would also transform my favourite M. R. James ghost stories into TV specials, and the 1968 version of "Whistle and I'll come to you, my lad" is probably one of the weirdest.

So aren't you spooked yet?

I'll continue to bring some haunting posts during October...
Oh moody, misty, glorious October!
And I'm preparing a little special music video for Halloween, so leaving an animated gif. of what I'm doing as sneek peek
Until then.... boo!

candle - by Priscilla Hernandez.gif

Above GIF of forthcoming Halloween music special filmed just yesterday. Stay tuned.

I am currently finishing my third album and some of the songs are again rather "spectral" being my favourite "Even my Ghost would pass me by" which is likely the saddest song I've ever written. Trying to imagine a suitable video for it.

She says she's not the ghost, but me

Translucent, incorporeal, intangible, untouchable... protected... invisible...


This is the second of the Eerie October Halloween posts... Check previous one at:

https://steemit.com/music/@yidneth/come-little-children-hocus-pocus-ost-cover-music-video-the-witch-in-the-woods-hike-abandoned-ruins



Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com

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PRIS!

My ghostly sister! You know I love this stuff too. 👻

I'd never heard that about moths. Amusingly enough, there's been a moth trapped in the house the last few days. I saw when he came in, but he was so freaked out I couldn't catch him. Assumed he had passed, but he came out again last night to say hello. Moving slower... I wish he'd let me get him and let him out... Maybe tonight. ❤️

Thanks for the reminder about M.R. James... It's that time for a good spooky story and a cup of tea.

As always, your posts are top notch.

hahah I know, and me too... and that's we miss Carrie House of Horrors :)... Aww hope that little moth made it to safety... I honestly adore them

wow.. this post wondered me ! its great as always dear yidneth <3

My favourite ghost stories are the ghost stories of Edith Wharton and Henry James! I too, like spooky, not gory.

Oh and it was nice to 'sort of ' chat with you the other night at the @helpie online meeting. I'm gald to have joined the @helpie channel/discord etc, it seems like a crazy fun group!

My favourite Ghost film is: " I am the pretty thing that lives in the house". So worth seeing, if you have not. Here is a trailer of it.

I don't have netflix so I must wait for it to be on dvd and such to watch, but very intrigued, already bookmarked, I know of this and the hounting of hill house that I want to see from that channel.
Yes helpie is fun, they will overfeed you with cookies and me plague you with rat memes LOLhahaha we´re a crazy bunch!

Wow, you've got a little bit of everything here! I love eerie, creepy, spooky, dark stories so this is perfectly timed for the Halloween festivities :)

I think my favorite ghost movie is The Sixth Sense. Sadly, it's great the first time. (no spoilers from me)

Yes, I saw the movie, has become iconic too though I never found it frightening at all... more of a drama maybe, no spoilers ;-)

Whoa what a wonderful post filled with goodness!
                       
From the first scary spooky photo, to the explanation why ghosts love to dress in white, it is amazing. I am certainly enjoying myself reading your post, Miss Many Talents <3.

Thank you, I thought I'd mingle in there some October specials a bit darker and moodier (preparing something too) specially for the date :) and aww thanks for the reading as well.. the photo is from last visit to Barcelona barely a week ago, I finished the concert and me and my friend were so tired and we started to play silly hahah

Recuerdo cuando era un niño visite con mis padres un pueblo lejano y triste, en la noche yo corría tras las luciérnagas y poco a poco me fui alejando en la penumbra, al seguir distraído por los fogonazos intermitentes de pronto desaparecieron y fue entonces que vi a lo lejos un puente viejo de hierro y concreto que se mezclaba con los arboles, fue allí que vi a la figura espectral de una mujer vestida de blanco con su cabello largo que poco a poco, paso de un lado al otro del puente viejo, su imagen era traslucida y se desvaneció al final del camino, yo regrese corriendo y les conté lo sucedido a mis padres, ellos solo reían, muchos años después regrese a ese pueblo lejano en comisión de un trabajo rápido y en una reunión de compañeros pude escuchar que uno de ellos hablo de la novia que salto del puente en plena tormenta, desdichada por un amor traicionero encontró la muerte, mi impresión fue absoluta y entonces comprendí lo que vi cuando era un pequeño niño en aquella penumbra, guarde silencio desde entonces.......
Mi película favorita es "Los otros" (the others) de 2001 dirigida por Alejandro Amenábar y protagonizada por Nicole Kidman.
mi novela o libro es "Drácula " publicada en 1897 por el irlandés Bram Stoker, gracias @yidneth por este post tan interesante y tenebroso, la buena lectura es maravillosa.

Gracias por compartir tu recuerdo, es curioso que a veces las cosas tienen explicación, de jovencita fui yo misma tomada por fantasma (no una sino en dos ocasiones) para que veas que a veces las cosas que no se explican pueden tener explicación racional. Pero si la imagen era traslúcida pues no lo sé explicar... yo la verdad es que tengo afición al tema más en un sentido romátnico o metafórico pero disfruto oyendo de estas historias podamos o no explicarlas. Escribes además muy bien. :)
Los Otros se inspiró fuertemente en la novela "Otra vuelta de Tuerca" la película es muy correcta e inquietante pero te recomiendo ese libro del que quizá cogió de más sin acreditar.
Drácula es un clásico... no incluyo vampiros en el género de fantasmas aunque si te gustan los vampiros te recomiendo leer Carmilla (que viene a ser una versión femenina de Drácula y de hecho anterior)

What? No mention of La Llarona? My dear, thou art remiss! ;)

I absolutely love ghost movies, and certainly prefer "spooky" over "gory", the only exceptions being the early 1980's slasher films, which were more spooky than gory; typified by Friday the 13th I - IV (the fifth being a cop-out, and the rest being most tepid, until the Raime boys got involved with Jason Goes to Hell, which redeemed the series)... Anywho...

It's difficult for me to nail down my exact favourite ghost movie, because there are so many good ones. But if I had to settle for one, it would most certainly be: The Changeling, with George C. Scott.

This movie will blow your mind. It is so well done, and dripping with pathos. It's a masterpiece, for real. Be sure to watch IN THE DARK. (Coffee is recommended.)

Actually llarona is always mispelt. Spanish word is Llorona (woman who cries). The changelling... Agreed and should have mentioned.Absolute CLASSIC

Not sure I have seen In the Dark, will check

I meant that you must watch The Changeling in the dark, lol. Serena chickened out. =)

Oh I have watched "The Changelling in the Dark" and actually I was left alone one New Years Eve when I was like seven or eight they and aired it on TV, my parents had gone to a party and my older brothers had left to celebrate too, so there I was alone as a child, watching that on tv, in the dark one night...
damn those... frekking stairs :/ hahahah

But have you seen Ghost Story, with Fred Astaire? ;)

Yes, from the early eighties, actually the seventies and early eighties were quite a good moment for this genre
I also loved "The watcher in the Woods" and I THOUGHT it was a ghost story yet it turned not to be.

Yes! The Watcher in the Woods is a great film. I would love to do something similar one day. Believe it or not, I have an idea for a G-rated slasher, if you can believe it. Okay, well maybe PG, but still it's a whole different sort of concept.

I was going to say the chaneling, it is one of my top five! I also love the lady in black and the woman in white, which is a silly sort of made for TV ghost film you can watch on youtube from the 80s.

This is so gorgeous and so gothic ! I love it !

So deep and so richly filled with beautiful and interesting stuff, I love this post very much <3 And that moth at the end is absolutely stunning omg * ___ *

Excelente post, @yidneth, magnífica la creatividad desplegada en la preparación y realización de las fotografías. Quedaron espectaculares. Lamentablemente no pude escuchar tu tema "Nothing" porque tuve por acá problemas con el acceso a Dsound, pero estaré pendiente apenas el internet se arregle ya que deseo escuchar tu interpretación. Gracias por compartir tan interesante contenido. No se si has tenido la oportunidad de leer la novela Cumbres Borrascosas (Nombre original: Wuthering Heights) de Emily Brontë. Si aún no lo has hecho te la recomiendo, creo que te fascinará. Allí los espectros juegan un papel importantísimo en una trama super original sobre un amor que va más allá de la muerte. Un placer visitar tu blog.

El post de Nothing incluye un videoclip que se puede escuchar directamente desde youtube, todos los posts de dsound tienen "espejos" ya sean los videoclips (en este caso) u otros reproductores. Sí, he leído cumbres borrascosas, la verdad es que las películas son más románticas, pero la novela siempre me provoca un poco de rechazo, porque por más arquetipo romántico que sea Heathcliff también era cruel. Aún así disfruté del libro (aunque prefiero Jane Eyre de su hermana) y recomiendo la version con Juliette Binoche y Ralph Fiennes que quizá sea la que explora mejor los aspectos más fantasmagóricos del libro.

Those ghost pics look like they could have been fun to set up XD Shame the corridor wasn't slightly wider, the "twins" style reject shot was pretty great too.

I probably have a lot of ghost stories, and I know I've read a lot of ghost stories and seen some horror/thriller movies, but nothing is really standing out as being a particular favourite. I'm looking forward to your videos :)

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