Tag: Ghosts

The Queen Mary: Coven of the Full Moon

Post author By Headless Bob
Post date August 2, 2026
No Comments on The Queen Mary: Coven of the Full Moon

The Queen Mary: Coven of the Full Moon

The Queen Mary (Long Beach, CA) has long been known for its rumored haunted halls. Even on my first trip in the 90’s a tour guide was happy to recount sightings of a little girl in the pool area and odd occurrences in room B340. The Queen Mary has since leaned heavily into paranormal tourism with their Haunted Encounters, Paranormal Ship Walk, and Graveyard Tours. Additionally, their yearly Halloween haunt, Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, uses the legends as inspiration for their walkthroughs.

Coven of the Full Moon

Each month The Queen Mary celebrates the night of the full moon with a special event. Coven of the Full Moon Aboard the Queen Mary with Stormie Gayle is an hour-and-a-half immersive experience where guests are guided through the supernatural history of the Queen Mary and its most well-known spirits. A blend of lunar mysticism and paranormal tour, attendees learn about the power of the full moon and how collective energy can be used to connect beyond the physical realm.

Together, the group will prepare to cross the veil and make contact with the spirits. During the evening tour guide Stormie Gayle uses specialized equipment – including spirit rods, EMF meters, and pendulums – and her mediumship abilities to communicate with the ship’s many ghosts.

Tickets are on sale now for $47.70. Ship admission and validated wharf parking are included. Drinks and cocktails will also be available during the evening for purchase.

Past cocktails have included the “Shimmering Moon” (vodka, creme de Violette, elderflower liqueur, and lemon juice) and “Midnight Harvest Moon” (Reposado tequila, Chambord, cinnamon simple syrup, lime juice, and a dash of angostura bitters).

Upcoming event dates are:

Thursday, August 27th
Saturday, September 26th

I previously participated in a ghostly event aboard the Queen Mary with the Haunted Attraction Network. Read about the full adventure here: 57 Ghosts.

Learn more about the ship and all their tour & event offerings on their official website.

Want to see more of my adventures with The Haunted Attraction Network? Check them out below:

Springtopia 2023

Scream Break 2023

Halloween Drawings

August 18, 2026 No Comments

Day 27 of the #Emilys100DaysOfHalloween challenge is: Draw a Halloween Picture. My artistic talents reside in photography, film, and papercraft. That, however, does not stop me from picking up a

Learn a Halloween Song

August 17, 2026 No Comments

Day 26 of the #Emilys100DaysOfHalloween challenge: Learn to Play a Halloween Song. I have been playing the piano since I was a little girl. I love to try new songs

Spooky Artists

August 16, 2026 No Comments

Day 25 of the #Emilys100DaysOfHalloween challenge is: Support a Horror Artisan. With AI slop flooding the world, now more than ever it is important to celebrate the creativity and beauty

Tags 100 Days of Halloween, Ghost, Ghosts, SoCal

Haunted America Conference

Post author By Headless Bob
Post date February 2, 2021
No Comments on Haunted America Conference

The Haunted America Conference was the first established ghost conference in the United States. This event features new and returning speakers on ghosts, hauntings, the paranormal, and the unexplained — plus how-to workshops, ghost hunts, special events, haunted tours, and much more

Tags Convention, Event, Fan Event, Ghosts, Illinois, Paranormal

Games Legends & Lore Other Games

Hyaku Monogatari – One Hundred Candles

Post author By Headless Bob
Post date April 11, 2015
No Comments on Hyaku Monogatari – One Hundred Candles

Hyaku Monogatari – One Hundred Candles

Hyaku Monogatari – One Hundred Candles (also referred to as “One Hundred Stories” – a literal translation from Japanese), is a traditional Japanese parlor game. Traditionally played on the eve of a full moon in the summer (a time Japanese folklore names as ripe with spirit activity), the game consists of a group of friends telling scary stories, and legend dictates that the evening culminates with the appearance of a spirit.

The exact origins of the game are unknown; records of the game can be found as far back as the 1600s, but the game is believed to be far older than that. Historians believe that the game originated among the samurai class as a test of courage. The book Yurei Attack! The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide by Hiroko Yoda and Mike Alt suggests that based on the name, “Hyaku Monogatari”, the game may have been based on a supposedly true story of an 11th century invasion of Kyoto by supernatural beings, “The Hundred Demons’ Night Parade”.

The tales of the supernatural and folklore that were told during these games became known as “kaidan”

Supplies

The game requires the following elements:

1. 100 candles – they must be slow-burning and able to stay lit for up to eight hours

2. A space with three rooms or two rooms with a long, dark hallway separating them

3. A group of friends with 100 scary stories to tell between them

4. A low table

5. A mirror

6. In the earliest versions of the game all the players must wear blue robes or clothing. In modern times, this requirement has been dropped, though there have been fewer spirit sightings in modern times – best to keep as close to the original as possible!

Playing Hyaku Monogatari :

For the initial set-up, pick one room to make comfy for your guests and another (preferably far away down a dark corridor)to fill with 100 candles. In the candle-filled room, also set up a low table and a mirror. Make sure this room is as dark as possible, so the only light will come from the lit candles. Right as your party begins, light all the candles.

The group arranges themselves in the non-candle-filled room and each participant will take a turn telling the scariest story they can think of. Stories can be about ghosts, monsters, real-life horrors, etc. Each story should only be about 3-5 minutes in length (as you have 100 to get through in the evening – this game does take about 8 hours of your night).

After each story, the teller must walk alone to the candle room and extinguish one candle flame. He or she must then kneel by the table and look into the mirror for one minute. This might not seem like a challenge for the first few trips, but as the night wears on, the room becomes darker and the scary stories begin to put one in a fearful state of mind.

After the 100th tale and the final candle is extinguished, the spirits are said to appear in the mirror. Will your group be brave enough to face them? Many groups choose to end their evening at the 99th tale to avoid welcoming the spirits into their homes.