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The Ghostly History of Poveglia Island

When I think of going to Italy, a deserted island is the last thing on my mind. I want to eat my way across the country, take in all the scenery, admire every piece of art I can find, see where my great-grandparents were from, and stop to see a good friend in Olbia! However…this little abandoned island is said to be one of the most haunted places in the world and I one thousand percent want to go there!..

The Hands Resist Him

This was painted by Bill Stoneham in 1974. It started out innocently. He found an old picture of him and a childhood friend that was taken when he was around five. He decided to paint it. So simple, a painting of a pleasant memory. Nothing sinister…

Do You Want to Be a Horror Writer?

Writing can be hard sometimes. Though we mostly write personal opinions here at Scary Matter, we do put in quite a bit of research to get our facts straight. I can only imagine how hard it is to write an entire novel or screenplay!..

The Changeling

There’s nothing like turning off the lights, getting under a blanket, and watching a good creepy movie. The Changeling (1980) is definitely one of those movies. This one of my favorite haunted house movies. It’s got everything a proper ghost story should have: a grieving man, unexplained noises, a seance, and a hidden room…

The Dock Street Theatre

The southern United States has a very rich history. And thanks to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, it has quite a haunted history as well. It seems like everywhere you go there’s an old battleground or a building that has a ghost that’s tied to back then. Charleston, South Carolina is no exception. And The Dock Street Theatre in the French Quarter of Charleston is no exception.

What Makes a Good Horror Story

I know that everyone has their own idea of scary. But let’s face it, we’ve all been there. You sit down with a “horror novel” and a few chapters later you’re ripping it up to use in the fireplace. The story is too slow and the plot has been done a thousand times. Does anyone want another story about the tortured vampire falling in love with a mortal, and then turning them (even though they swore they never would) after a zillion chapters so they can “be together for eternity”? …

Horror Movies – The Beginning

Have you ever seen the first horror movies? Grainy, black and white, by today’s standard not even the tiniest scare to be found! However, if you think about the time period, and the fact that the motion picture itself was brand new and still kind of creeped people out, it’s no wonder they were so easily scared. Did you ever wonder where it all started?

Norman Bates – Psycho or Victim?

I’ve watched both Psycho (the original, not the remake…I refuse!) and Bates Motel. The storyline of Bates Motel differs from the movie. In the book and movie, Norman is an adult, but he’s a teenager in the series. In my opinion, both portrayals of Norman were fantastic…

T.M. Wright

Not many people have heard of T.M. Wright. He floats quietly in the horror genre like one of the ghosts in his stories. Ramsey Campell called him a “one-man definition of quiet horror”. No slashers. No blood, guts, and gore. Just spooky…