Categories
Music

“O Death” American Folk Song

“O Death” American Folk Song

There is something about American folk songs that can be hauntingly beautiful. Perhaps it is because of the mystery of their origins, or perhaps it is the fact that they are shaped by many musicians over time detailing hardships and perilous struggles. “O Death” is one such folk song that has been dragged from the shadows by the popular PS4 video game, Until Dawn.

History of the Song

“O Death” stems from early musical traditions of southern Appalachia, with its origins obscured by history. Research suggests that it may have originated with Lloyd Chandler, an American Appalachian folk musician, after he had “a vision from God” in 1916. Paired with its morbid lyrics, this backstory only adds to the song’s aura of uneasiness and mystery.

Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs

The song first became popular in the late 1920’s when banjo player Moran Lee “Dock” Boggs recorded the song. During the 1960’s – 70’s the song had a resurgence and Boggs recorded a new version for a 1963 album.

The original song itself alternates between lyrics from a dying man and Death himself.

“O, Death
O, Death
O, Death
Won’t you spare me over another year
Well what is this that I can’t see
With ice cold hands takin’ hold of me
Well I am Death, none can excel
I’ll open the door to Heaven or Hell
Whoa, Death someone would pray
Could you wait to call me another day
The children prayed, the preacher preached
Time and mercy is out of your reach
I’ll fix your feet til you can’t walk
I’ll lock your jaw til you can’t talk
I’ll close your eyes so you can’t see
This very hour, come and go with me
I’m Death I come to take the soul
Leave the body and leave it cold
To draw up the flesh off of the frame
Dirt and worm both have a claim

O, Death
O, Death
Won’t you spare me over another
My mother came to my bed
Placed a cold towel upon my head
My head is warm my feet are cold
Death is a-movin’ upon my soul
Oh, Death how you’re treatin’ me
You’ve close my eyes so I can’t see
Well you’re hurtin’ my body
You make me cold
You run my life right outta my soul

Oh Death please consider my age
Please don’t take me at this stage
My wealth is all at your command
If you will move your icy hand
The old, the young, the rich or poor
All alike to me you know
No wealth, no land, no silver no gold
Nothing satisfies me but your soul

O, Death
O, Death
Won’t you spare me over til another year
Won’t you spare me over til another year
Won’t you spare me over til another year”

Until Dawn - PS4 Game

The version from Until Dawn was arranged by composer Jeff Grace. Grace was no stranger to the horror genre, creating scores for We are What We Are, The House of the Devil, and The Innkeepers, among others. His version of “O Death” used Amy Van Roekel‘s strong vocals to emulate a traditional folk sound, while giving the melody a modern edge with a pounding beat and powerful strings.

The song was shortened for this version and the lyrics changed:

 

 

“O Death, O Death
Won’t you spare me over ’til another year?

 

 

Well what is this, that I can’t see?
With ice cold hands taking hold of me
When God is gone and the Devil takes hold
Who will have mercy on my soul?
O Death, O Death, consider my age
Please don’t take me at this stage

 

 

O, Death. O Death
Won’t you spare me over ’til another year?

 

 

O, I am Death, and none can tell
If I open the door to Heaven or Hell
No wealth, no land, no silver nor gold
Nothing satisfies me but your soul
I’m Death, I come to take the soul
Leave the body and leave it cold
O Death, O Death
Won’t you spare me over ’til another year?”

 

 

It removes the references to illness and also adds the cryptic, “When God is gone and the Devil takes hold” line – both changes that reinforce the game’s theme of violent monster-caused deaths as opposed to the original version’s focus on illness and death of more natural causes. But the changes also have another significance, they continue the folk tradition of music changing and adapting over time. This new version is now popular among gamers in the 2010’s,  and I look forward to seeing how the song grows and changes in future covers and re-imaginings.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Entertainment Movies News

Kickstarter – ‘Tis the Season of the Witch

Kickstarter – ‘Tis the Season of the Witch

This feature-length gem from Mystery Library Productions has been recently posted to Kickstarter and is hoping to raise $80,000 by February 29th.

“An ancient power struggle between warring spirits is about to be rekindled in the most unlikely of places: a small-town high school in the Midwest. Now Charlie, his best friend Griz, and amateur reporter Phoebe must unlock the mystery, stop the evil forces that threaten the school, and save prom all in one, blood-soaked night.”

Set in 1985, this film hopes to be full of nostalgia – including genuine 80’s hits if its funding goals are met. We can also look out for a fun mix of fantastic characters including witches, goblins, Krampus, and Santa.

Director-Producer Brett DeJager has created some beautiful films in the past, focusing on atmosphere, sets, costumes, and practical effects. Judging by the teaser trailer, this film looks like it could have a shot at being a festival favorite if provided with the ample funding it deserves.

Watch the teaser and back the project!

Tis the Season of the Witch Official Teaser from Mystery Library on Vimeo.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Music

Daddy’s Gun – Sarah Bettens

Daddy’s Gun – Sarah Bettens

Daddy’s Gun is a song from Sarah Bettens’ 2007 album, Shine. Despite the upbeat tempo and beautiful melody, its message regarding the gun-related deaths of children is chilling.

The lyrics are written from the perspective of a child who shot her playmate while playing with her father’s gun:

“Looked at me and hit the ground, I couldn’t hear a single sound. Daddy could you check outside and tell me he’s alright.”

Every time I hear these words and imagine the confusion and fear of a small child who has yet to fully understand the consequences of his/her actions, I tear up. I cannot even begin to imagine what a parent would feel upon hearing this from their child.

Adding to the haunting message is the statistic presented in the music video: every 3 hours a child is killed by a gun. While the song itself sends shivers up my spine for its morbid perspective, this statistics scare me even more.
 
Gun violence is certainly a hot-button issue, but this creepy song does shine light on it, showing that the issue was close to the singer’s heart.
 
No matter where you stand on gun issues, the deaths of innocent children is horrifying. Watch the video and feel the chills.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Movies

15 Second Horror Films

15 Second Horror Films

The inaugural year of the 15 Second Horror Challenge saw 200 entries from 145 directors from around the globe. The result was a fascinating bunch of horror micro-shorts designed to startle and creep the viewer out. Started by Andrew J.D. Robinson, the only rule for this competition was that the films had to be no longer than fifteen seconds.

Guest judges included Lloyd Kaufman, Nicholas Vince, Barbie Wilde, Kevin Martin, Jessica Cameron, Jennilee Murray, Jill Sixx, Uwe Boll, Lee Demarbre, Darious J. Britt, Feel The Fear Entertainment, Cellar Door Film Festival, Here Lies, House of Targ, and Audrey’s Costume Castle.

It is extremely difficult to tell a cohesive story in such a short amount of time. Of course, the staff at TheHorrorofBeingEmily.com were up to the challenge. We created two fun shorts for the competition. Ultimately,  Moriah Burton (our lovely animator and friend) was named as one of the Top Three Female directors for her work on these shorts.

Want to see all the films? Check out Workobey Film’s official 2015 15 Second Horror Film Challange playlist.

If you think that you can do better, submissions will be accepted for the 2016 challenge starting on April 1st, 2016. You can follow the festival through Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the latest news.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Music

Spooky – Classics IV

Spooky – Classics IV

Spooky by Classics IV is the perfect song for a lover of all things horror. Its jazzy tune has a timeless feel, keeping it relevant and well-known for over 50 years now.

With lyrics like, “Just like a ghost, you’ve been haunting my dreams, so I’ll propose on Halloween”, it is a wonderful theme song for this mistress of macabre.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Home Decor Lifestyle

Halloween Shopping 2015 – Round 2

Halloween Shopping 2015 – Round 2

2015 has been a solid year for Halloween merchandise. Retailers have begun to put out a wide array of creepy fare – and made of the offerings are sturdy and solid. Here are some more highlights of the shopping season:

This 75″ tall animated prop consists of three cackling witches who come to life and stir a big black cauldron. While the cloth is a little bit cheap, the animatronics are well done and the sound works well with the pieces. The cauldron has room for a fog machine (purchased separately) for a spooky effect.  With a little DIY improvement with some fabric, these witches can be an amazing addition to any yard display (but be sure to be mindful of rain, as this can damage any animatronic props).

Target has an impressive selection of sturdy tombstones this year. They are made of a heavy plaster, which should keep them from blowing away in the wind (a problem I often have with my own yard display). The price per item is a little steep, but these products appear to be built to last. My favorite is the “Lost at Sea” tombstone – which is topped by a menacing looking octopus.


I have seen a lot of props, so I like it when there is something a little bit out there and different. Skeleton cats & dogs have been the rage for the past couple years, but Kmart has this fun little 5.5 inch fish. I also have to give it a few bonus points for the clever product description that begins with “Who forgot to feed the fish?”.

There is still time to find all sorts of fun decor for Halloween 2015. Feel free to let me know your favorite finds via the comment section or by tweeting to @EmilyIsHorror !

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Entertainment Movies

Around the Cinema: Wolverine

Around the Cinema: Wolverine

The Horror of Being Emily’s Mistress of Macabre is returns on another episode of Around the Cinema.

This episode focuses on Hugh Jackman’s recent announcement that he will be done portraying the X-Men character, Wolverine, after his next film. Jackman has gone on record saying that Tom Hardy would be his top choice for a replacement, but the Around the Cinema panel members have their own ideas for the best replacement.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Entertainment Movies

Around the Cinema: Moose Jaws

Around the Cinema: Moose Jaws

The Horror of Being Emily’s Mistress of Macabre once again appears as the resident horror expert on Around the Cinema.

Here the discussion is about Kevin Smith’s upcoming film, Moose Jaws. News leaked that in this film Smith would be killing off one of his most iconic characters, “Silent Bob”.  The Around the Cinema panel shares their thoughts and theories regarding the shocking news.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Entertainment Movies

Around the Cinema: Wes Craven

Around the Cinema: Wes Craven

The Horror of Being Emily’s Mistress of Macabre is now the resident horror expert on Around the Cinema. Check out episode #5 where Emily and the Around the Cinema panel discuss the works of the late Wes Craven.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Games Video Games

Spooky’s House of 1000 Jump Scares

Spooky’s House of 1000 Jump Scares

Spooky’s House of 1000 Jump Scares is an indie game developed by Lag Studios that can be found on Steam. It is a free to play game but does have DLC for $9.99. The official synopsis is:

“Can you survive 1000 rooms of cute terror? Or will you break once the cuteness starts to fade off and you’re running for your life from the unspeakable hideous beings that shake and writhe in bowels of this house? They wait for you, they wait and hunger for meeting you.”

This is Spooky

The game starts out innocently enough – the rooms take anywhere between 5 to 20 seconds to get through and the graphics maintain a cutesy feel; like this little guy:

Hi Little Tree Stump!

The beginning of the game is mostly just cheap jump scares, with the “Specimen 1” monsters (see the above tree stump). These wooden boards randomly pop out every once in a while accompanied by a loud terrifying sound.

But with every 100 rooms, new levels of terror begin. Monsters of increasing strength begin to pursue you and some of the rooms have small puzzles to solve. The player quickly realizes that getting through 1000 rooms will not be as easy as it first seemed. The rooms become more detailed and more sinister, and in addition to new monsters, even the cutesy cardboard-like cutouts degrade into nightmare-fuel.

I Will Never Sleep Again

Gameplay is first-person style. Movement can at times be a little clunky, especially when you are trying to navigate twists and turns in the pathway while being pursued by a terrifying creature. It is not too complex to figure out how to play the game. Of course, there are still challenges as you encounter new creatures – occasionally leading to terrifying death scenes like this:

Wait for it... Wait for it...

Sound is an important part of the game. Aside from being used to startle the player with the “Specimen 1” monsters, it is key in figuring out if a monster is pursuing you. Sure, you can look behind you, but I’d rather not see this:

 The most clever aspect of the game is how the creators weave in references to other iconic horror games. While delving deeper into the house, you go through areas themed like “Silent Hill”, “Amnesia”, “Alice”, and even more. There are also references to non-horror video games, with mini arcade games randomly appearing in certain rooms. These allow the player to take a break from the tension while playing macabre versions of racing games, PacMan, and fighting games. Trying to figure out the references added another layer of fun to the game.

The only area where the game lacks is story – not that we need much to enjoy the gameplay. There is clearly an attempt at some sort of backstory. Throughout the rooms, a scattering of notes can be found, telling the story of another individual who was once trapped in the house. There are also large computers which give an overview of the various “specimens” (monsters), and references that Spooky may be in charge of some scientific research facility. These aspects, however are never fully explained.

Ultimately, the game was terrifying, spooky, and – not so surprisingly – chalk-full of jump scares. Play with the lights out and the sound up!

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »