interview
Interviews with authors, film directors and horror snobs of all kinds; conversations that will unsettle, and shed light on all things dark and mysterious.
The Secret Society That Became a Global Conspiracy Legend
The word “Illuminati” instantly evokes images of shadowy meetings, powerful elites, secret handshakes, and hidden symbols controlling the fate of nations. Over time, the idea of the Illuminati has evolved from a short-lived Enlightenment-era society into one of the most famous conspiracy theories in the world. But what is the truth behind this mysterious name, and how did it grow into a global obsession?
By Irshad Abbasi about 4 hours ago in Horror
My Life Under CIA Control
How the CIA Used My Mind as a Battlefield—and How I Won It Back In the summer of my sixteenth year, while my peers were learning to drive and obsessing over prom dresses, I was being taught how to disappear. Not physically, but mentally. I was being dismantled, piece by piece, by men in white coats and gray suits who viewed my consciousness not as a human soul, but as a territory to be conquered.
By Irshad Abbasi about 12 hours ago in Horror
A 12-Year-Old’s Descent from Urban Legend to Attempted Murder
In the quiet suburbs of Waukesha, Wisconsin, in May 2014, a story emerged that seemed more like a horror movie plot than a police report. Three 12-year-old girls went into the woods to play, but only two walked out willingly. The third, Payton Leutner, was left bleeding from 19 stab wounds, the victim of a calculated sacrifice intended to please a fictional internet character known as Slender Man.This case remains one of the most disturbing examples of how the digital world can bleed into reality, blurring the lines between childhood imagination and dangerous delusion.The Myth of Slender ManTo understand why two pre-teens would commit such an atrocity, one must understand the "deity" they served. Slender Man originated in 2009 on the Something Awful forums as a "Creepypasta"—a type of internet horror legend. He is depicted as a tall, faceless man in a black suit with tentacle-like appendages.For most, he was a fun, spooky story. But for Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, he was terrifyingly real. They believed that in order to become his "proxies" and protect their families from his wrath, they had to kill someone.The Day of the AttackThe plan was orchestrated over several months. On May 31, 2014, following a birthday sleepover, Morgan and Anissa lured Payton into a local park under the guise of playing hide-and-seek. Once in the woods, the situation turned graphic.Morgan Geyser carried out the physical attack, stabbing Payton 19 times with a five-inch kitchen knife while Anissa encouraged her. The blade missed Payton’s heart by less than a millimeter—a distance described by doctors as the "width of a human hair."After the attackers fled, Payton displayed incredible resilience. Despite her life-threatening injuries, she crawled out of the woods toward a nearby bike path, where a passerby discovered her and called 911.The Legal and Psychological AftermathThe case ignited a global conversation about the impact of the internet on developing minds. Both girls were charged with first-degree intentional homicide, but their defense teams argued they were not monsters, but children suffering from severe mental health issues.The FindingsMorgan Geyser: Diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia. She truly believed Slender Man would kill her family if she didn't act.Anissa Weier: Diagnosed with shared delusional disorder (folie à deux), meaning she had been drawn into Morgan’s delusions until they became her own reality.Ultimately, both girls were found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Morgan was sentenced to 40 years in a psychiatric institute, while Anissa received 25 years. Anissa was released under strict supervision in 2021, while Morgan remains under institutional care.Lessons from a Digital TragedyThe Slender Man stabbing serves as a grim reminder of the "echo chamber" effect of the internet. For these girls, the more they read about the myth, the more evidence they found to support its existence."I believed that if I didn't do it, Slender Man would come and kill my whole family in three seconds." — Morgan Geyser during police interrogation.This case forced parents and educators to realize that the "monsters" children find online aren't always just digital images; they can become psychological catalysts for real-world harm. It highlighted the desperate need for better mental health screening in schools and a more nuanced understanding of how children process online folklore.Conclusion: Survival and ResilienceWhile the story is often centered on the attackers and the myth, the true hero is Payton Leutner. Her survival was nothing short of miraculous. In later years, Payton spoke out, showing remarkable strength and a refusal to be defined by the 19 scars she carries.The Slender Man case stands as a cautionary tale for the digital age—a reminder that while the internet is a place of infinite creativity, for the vulnerable, it can also be a place where the shadows grow far too long.
By Irshad Abbasi about 12 hours ago in Horror
The Ninth Hour of Malachi : SEASON 4
Chapter 12 (Climax and Immediate Aftermath) CHRONICLE LOG: Final entry in the retrieved portion of Father Pavel’s journal. The entry consists of only two words, written in a shaky, almost illegible hand, before the page is consumed by a jagged tear: "She awoke." The whereabouts of Father Pavel remain officially undisclosed.
By Tales That Breathe at Night12 days ago in Horror
The Unnamable of State Route 87
The Night on State Route 87 It was a usual drive on a well traveled road in Arizona. State Route 87 was a route William Church knew like the back of his hand, often traveling to and from Phoenix. So well in fact that he felt safe enough to bring his wife and travel with her across the desert. Something he went back and forth with in his head seeing how the desert heat and endless terrain can often be unforgiving. What if the truck broke down and they were left stranded? The drive time was about an hour on a night where the moon rose faster than anticipated, and stars started to shimmer bright, twinkling like a mother smiling back at you, on this night a little too bright for the vast expanse.
By Lobo Miasma23 days ago in Horror
The Ninth Hour of Malachi : SEASON 3
SEASON 3 Chapter 9 FATHER PAVEL’S PRIVATE JOURNAL: Entry dated November 5th, 2003. We found the root. It is a chamber beneath the foundation, clearly pagan. Ana is down here, but she is barely visible, encased in some type of crystalline growth...the stone has accepted the entity, and the girl is the final mortar. The anchor is here, not a relic, but a crude, petrified heart. Malachi will not yield until we destroy the physical core of its power.
By Tales That Breathe at Night28 days ago in Horror
The Ninth Hour of Malachi : SEASON 2
Season 2 Chapter 5 BROKEN DOCUMENTED FACT: The Monastery of the Silent Veil was built on the ruins of a pre-Christian pagan site known for ritual sacrifice. Historians note a significant number of suicides among the early monks, with bodies often found twisted into unnatural postures, mimicking the position of a figure being broken on a wheel. The term "Malachi's Hour" first appears in a 13th-century text, referencing the ninth hour of the day...the hour of ultimate darkness before dawn.
By Tales That Breathe at Nightabout a month ago in Horror
