Shutter Spirit Photography Contest

Enter to win a digital SLR camera starter kit! Includes digital SLR camera, camera bag, memory card, and more. Everything you need to be a spirit photographer. Ghosts NOT included.

Story:

A newly married couple discovers disturbing, ghostly images in photographs they develop after a tragic accident. Fearing the manifestations may be connected, they investigate and learn that some mysteries are better left unsolved.

Spirit Photography:
Shinrei Shashin is a phrase used to describe photos where ghosts or spirits decide to show all or part of themselves when a photo is taken. Ghosts/spirits show up for many reasons including hate for the person having their photo taken, expressions of distress, hate, jealousy etc. Spirits make their presence known through orbs, mist, apparitions, and ectoplasm. The term orb is the popular name given to typically circular anomalies appearing in photographs. In photography and video, orbs appear to be balls, diamonds, or smears of light with an apparent size in the image ranging from a golf ball to a basketball depending on the distance of the dust particle to the lens. Orbs sometimes appear to be in motion, leaving a trail behind them. There are two main trains of thought regarding the cause of orbs in photographs. The first school sees it as a fairly clear-cut case of flash or ambient light reflection off of dust, particles, insects, or moisture droplets in the air in front of the camera distorted by the digital cameras CCD lens being unable to focus, i.e. they are naturalistic. The opposing school maintains that orbs are paranormal in nature and spirits, i.e. non-naturalistic and ghost like. Ectoplasm (from the Greek ektos, "outside", + plasma, "something formed or molded") is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy supposedly "exteriorized" by physical mediums. Although the term is widespread in popular culture, the physical existence of ectoplasm is not accepted by mainstream science. Other researchers have duplicated, with non-supernatural materials, the photographic effects sometimes said to prove the existence of ectoplasm.

From the executive producers of "The Grudge" and "The Ring" comes Shutter. In theaters March 21st.

- The Monster

One-Third Believe In Ghosts

News coming from the Associated Press this week.

About 34 percent of people polled by the Associated Press and Ipsos say they believe in ghosts, the wire service reported. That's the same proportion who believe in unidentified flying objects, exceeding the 19 percent who accept the existence of spells or witchcraft.

Forty-eight percent believe in extrasensory perception, or ESP.

The roughly one-third who believe in ghosts and UFOs is about the same as the 36 percent who said they are baseball fans, the 37 percent who said the United States made the right decision to invade Iraq, and the 31 percent who approve of the job President Bush is doing.

A smaller but still substantial 23 percent say they have actually seen a ghost or believe they have been in one's presence, with the most likely candidates for such visits including single people, Catholics and those who never attend religious services. By 31 percent to 18 percent, more liberals than conservatives report seeing a specter.

Three in 10 have awakened sensing a strange presence in the room. Fourteen percent, mostly men and lower-income people, say they have seen a UFO.

Spells and witchcraft are more readily believed by urban dwellers, minorities and lower-earning people. Those who find credibility in ESP are more likely to be better educated and white: 51 percent of college graduates, compared to 37 percent with a high school diploma or less.

- The Monster

Kill, Baby... Kill! Trailer

This weekends trailer is for the 1966 Mario Bava eerie gothic ghost-story Kill, Baby... Kill! A small Transylvanian village is haunted by the specter of a homicidal adolescent girl, believed to be "Melissa" the murdered daughter and vengeful ghost of Baroness Graps', who wants to collect all of the souls of the hapless villagers.


- The Monster

Halloween Countdown: Halloween Pop-Ups

Halloween Pop-Ups

Push these vinyl characters down, then watch 'em pop back up! These pumpkins, witches and ghosts make frightening favors.


- Mrs. Monster