Leigh Paynter's Blog

I love horror movies and some of my favorites have been in the subgenre of found footage, so this is my personal recommendation list of the scariest found footage horror flicks from the past two decades.

My first exposure to found footage horror was the Blair Witch Project in 1999. While I found the film intriguing, I ultimately was not scared. The movie Paranormal Activity came with a lot of hype too, but I was also disappointed in it. I like good storytelling, not cheap gimmicks. 

I gave up on the subgenre for a while. 

But in the past decade, there have been some extremely well done found footage movies that turned this subgenre into one of my favorites. The SciFi film Chronicle, had a bare bones plot, but the character development was pitch perfect and it was an excellent anti-hero superhero movie that will make you terrified of teenagers with power. 

But to get back to the found footage horror movies that made my list- I have specific criteria.

Must be scary



A focus on the storytelling



Well acted

So, the following are my top 5 ranked last to best.

As Above, So Below (2014)



As Above, So Below movie poster

An archeologist in search of the fabled Philosopher’s Stone – which can grant eternal life – gets a tip that it’s buried in the catacombs of Paris. She assembles a team to enter the depths and document the exploration…but it turns into a journey into their own psyches and they may or may not have found a gateway to Hell. 

It’s a claustrophobic space and it feels that way. The camera work is shaky. 
Critics panned this movie, but I found it clever. If you are familiar with Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, you may appreciate it more.

Lake Mungo (2008)



Lake Mungo movie poster

This mockumentary movie from Australia begins after 16 year-old Alice drowns in a reservoir. Her family buries her, but then paranormal things start happening…so they hire psychic and parapsychologist Ray Kemeney. 

Turns out, Alice was hiding many secrets and they all point back to a night at Lake Mungo. 

This story is pretty unique and the acting is so well done that you almost feel like you’re watching a real documentary. It’s understated – more eerie and creepy than scary – but the ending… awesome.

Stay for the credits. 

Devil’s Pass / aka The Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013) 



Devil’s Pass movie poster

This horror movie uses a real life mystery in its plot. In 1959, nine university students mysteriously died on a ski trip in the Ural Mountains (Russia). They abandoned their tents and ran without shoes and most of their clothing. Their bodies were discovered in the snow with some of them suffering serious head wounds. It became known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident and was a classified investigation by the USSR for decades. 

In this movie, five American college students are doing a grant study/exploration on what happened. Once on the mountain, mysterious things start happening and the feeling of dread ratchets up. 

Afflicted (2013)



Afflicted movie poster

The Canadian filmmakers are also the actors, but I still enjoyed their performances. 

Two young men, Derek and Clif, take a trip to Europe to party hard. Derek has a one night stand in Barcelona with a mysterious woman and then starts to come down with a creepy illness that is not an STD. The men decide to document it all as Derek grows sicker. The movie capitalizes on the horror of turning – and realizing you’re turning – into a monster. 

This is a contemporary vampire tale that builds in horror. Despite it being low budget, the special effects were pretty darn good. 

Loved the ending.

Hell House LLC (2016)



Hell House LLC movie poster

This is my favorite found footage horror movie with the perfect Halloween premise and probably the best of the entire genre. 

On October 8, 2009, the opening night of a haunted house attraction abruptly ended with an unexplained supernatural massacre, killing 15 visitors and leaving all of the staff dead except for one survivor. 

Five years later, a documentary film crew investigates what happened and goes through all of the behind-the-scenes footage shot by the original haunted house crew. Interviews with the lone survivor – Sara – breakup the other footage… and she has more never-before-seen footage from that night of horrors. 

This is scary throughout the whole movie and builds up the frights all the way through the end.

So, that’s my list of scariest found footage horror flicks. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them.

I love to be scared.

If you are interested in learning more about my nightmares, check out the post on the Nightmare Man.

The post Top 5 Scariest Found Footage Horror Movies appeared first on The Official Website of Leigh Paynter.

If you love spooky places, you will want to visit Sleepy Hollow during Halloween – or at least in the month of October. Sleepy Hollow, NY is best known as the setting of Washington Irving’s hauntingly famous story of the odd schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his encounter with the Headless Horseman in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

6 Fast Facts about Sleepy Hollow during Halloween

The following are quick reasons why you should check out Sleepy Hollow during Halloween season, complete with photos from my own trip to the perfect Halloween town.

Fact One: Sleepy Hollow, NY is real



Halloween in Sleepy Hollow, NY (Leigh Paynter)

Sleepy Hollow is a charming village that sits east of the Hudson River, 25 miles north of New York City. Its name comes from the 17th century Dutch name, Slapershaven.  It means the “Sleepers’ Harbor” an early term from the mouth of the Pocantico River. The first published reference to “Slapershaven” was in 1655 by Dutch colonist Adriaen Van der Donck.

In the 1800s, the village incorporated with its commercially successful southern neighbor Tarrytown to become North Tarrytown.

In 1996, the village voted to reclaim its old name to reconnect with its famous history, so now it is back to Sleepy Hollow.

The covered bridge Ichabod needed to cross to escape the Headless Horseman no longer stands, but there are markers.

Fact Two: Sleepy Hollow embraces spooky



Sleepy Hollow, NY street sign (Leigh Paynter)

The village has gone all-in for its legend of the Headless Horseman. The street signs are orange and black with an icon of the Headless Horseman. The high school‘s mascot is the Headless Horseman. Even the police department has an image of the Headless Horseman on its patrol cars.

I visited in early October and nearly every storefront decorated for Halloween.

Fact Three: The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze can compete with any winter wonderland lights



The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Croton-on-Hudson, NY (Leigh Paynter)

If you are in search of more than the typical haunted hayride and pumpkin patch, Sleepy Hollow during Halloween delivers another fun, Instagramable and family-friendly activity. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is a walk through 7,000 illuminated jack o’ lanterns (fake pumpkins, because real ones won’t make it all season before rotting) crafted by local artisans and arranged in interesting designs and scenes.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze (Leigh Paynter)

It takes roughly an hour to walk through the park. Tickets are in groupings, so everyone has a chance for photos and there is no overcrowding.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze (Leigh Paynter)

It’s actually located just outside of Sleepy Hollow in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.

Fact Four: The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is for conjuring historic figures



Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Leigh Paynter)

If you visit Sleepy Hollow during Halloween, you must visit its cemetery. At 85 acres, it’s large and will take a few hours to fully explore it. The Old Dutch Church, founded in the 17th century (1697), still stands and offers tours.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Leigh Paynter)



Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Leigh Paynter)

The sculptures are beautifully eerie. I didn’t post the grave sites of the famous, because I don’t want to give it all away, but buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery are Washington Irving, Andrew Carnegie, Samuel Gompers, Elizabeth Arden, and William Rockefeller.

Footbridge in Sleepy Hollow (Leigh Paynter)

There is also a reconstructed footbridge leading out of the cemetery into the woods that’s at a site also believed to have a connection with the Headless Horseman.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Leigh Paynter)



Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Leigh Paynter)

I did my own self-guided tour and had a wonderful time exploring and searching for old headstones from the 1700s. However, if you don’t want to go it alone, the nonprofit cemetery also offers guided tours in the daytime and lantern ones at night.

Fact Five: The best haunted walk ever



Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow (Leigh Paynter)

I could not take photos of the actual Horseman’s Hollow walk, but trust me – it was the best! It operates on the grounds of the Philipsburg Manor. The set designs, costumes, and acting are Hollywood cinematic worthy. The walk will take you through the property as you enter different haunted, spooky scenes. Some have real people, others have animatronics inside. Out of all the haunted hayrides and walks I’ve experienced, this one wins hands down.

Fact Six: The best pumpkin beer



Southern Tier’s Pumking beer (Leigh Paynter)

I don’t drink beer, but I do try pumpkin beers. In my opinion, the best one is Southern Tier’s Pumking. I had this one at the River Grill on Beekman Avenue.

In conclusion, Sleepy Hollow is the best town to visit if you love Halloween. I ended up staying in the King’s Room at the historic hotel, The Tarrytown House Estate on the Hudson. There are several other events in October I did not have time to attend, such as a dramatic reading of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and a creepy “unsilent picture” performance. All of the events can be found at visitsleepyhollow.com.

The post Best Halloween Town: Sleepy Hollow, New York appeared first on The Official Website of Leigh Paynter.

The Pine Barrens’ Devil

The Pine Barrens’ Devil is a collection of campfire stories about the Jersey Devil that take place in different time periods of American history. Each story tells the tale of a traveler who disappeared in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens after encountering the Jersey Devil. 

This is not the Mother Leeds’ 13th child story. That one isn’t real. 

My recurring nightmare is pretty real to me, though. Children believe in monsters. Monsters reveal things. These stories come from a child’s imagination. 

A Childhood With The Pine Barrens 

Children growing up in South Jersey grew up hearing the haunting tales of the Jersey Devil. Almost every kid heard the stories from their parents or grandparents. My father would even bring my brother and I on Jersey Devil “hunts” to try to find him or any evidence of him. 

The Pine Barrens, alone, is a very mysterious place. Despite the population of New Jersey, the Pine Barrens remains relatively untouched and will absorb you quickly, spirit you away from the outside world. The local Native American tribes – the Lenni-Lenape – even referred to the area as Popuessing, or “place of the dragon.” 

When I was eleven years old, my parents sold our house without having another one to move into right away. We spent seven months in my uncle’s summer home in Mystic Islands, Ocean County. 

With no friends and not much to do after the long commute from our school in Hammonton, my brother and I would spend our free time hiking the trails of the Pine Barrens and reading at a small library in Tuckerton. 

I found several books in the Tuckerton library that mentioned the legend of the Jersey Devil. Most were just chapters or short stories on sightings of the Jersey Devil within books about the Pine Barrens or American folklore, but I devoured them all. 

I felt this strange connection with the Jersey Devil related to a recurring nightmare that I had for years…

The Night Terror

Beginning from when I was seven, I had a frequent nightmare. It was always exactly the same – a giant man cloaked in darkness, playing chess in my bedroom. The sound of a heart beat was deafening and would speed up the longer he stared at the chessboard. 

I could not move or scream. I do not think he noticed me there in the room. 

Looking back, I think I always thought of the Nightmare Man as the Jersey Devil. 

Despite my childhood research into the Jersey Devil, I never bought into the idea of him as a goat-like creature. He was always more human to me.

My Nightmare Man was a mysterious entity and to this day, I can’t figure out what he wants and why he is in my room.

Campfire Stories About the Jersey Devil

Back to the temporary stay in Mystic Islands… I started creating my own campfire stories about the Jersey Devil – influenced by my nightmares and experiences out on the deep trails of the Pine Barrens – to impress my younger brother, who loved to be scared.

We also only had each other as friends and not much to do during this time, so storytelling became a creative outlet and entertainment.  

“That’s a good one,” he’d say.

I always hoped for that reaction.

He loved to draw and I remember him drawing a scene from one of my stories on construction paper the next day, which made me feel especially proud. 

Chapter Four was the last story; created when I was in high school. 

The Promise

The Pine Barrens’ Devil was a promise to my brother. He was in his mid-20s when he asked me to write down these campfire stories about the Jersey Devil so that he could one day share them with his future children. 

He had a son in 2014. But my brother died just a week after his son was born. 

A Book About The Jersey Devil

The book took me two years to write, because transferring oral campfire stories to pages in a book required so much more of me. I was no longer writing the stories for my brother. He was the only person who heard me say them out loud and the only person I would trust with retelling them in the same voice and drama. 

Over the course of writing, now as an adult, the stories evolved in detail and dimension. Considerable amount of research went into making sure the stories were historically accurate. I developed the main characters’ identities from real people in the news. You may have heard of them…

After hiring a professional editor for an editorial assessment, I agreed to write a new story – one that my brother never heard – in order to help tie the time periods together. This is Chapter Three. It’s different from the others and is informed by a sadness. 

As we age, we try to forget the monsters we saw in our childhood. Maybe that’s a mistake. We probably could have learned something a long time ago.

The post Campfire Stories About The Jersey Devil appeared first on The Official Website of Leigh Paynter.

Halloween enjoys a rich pagan history, and weird and creepy traditions. Explore the October 31 spooky holiday with lesser-known six fast Halloween facts.

FACT ONE – Halloween History: The Holiday Started In Ireland

The ancient Celtic fire festival of Samhain, is believed to be the origin of Halloween. During Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”), people ushered in the harvest and dark period of the year – believing the barriers between the world of the living and the world of the dead weakened in this time period, allowing for cross over. 

FACT TWO – The Background On Halloween Treats

In England and Ireland, even after Christian influence, people would set out gifts of food to please the spirits. They would even dress as ghouls and demons to in an attempt to “trick” the spirits into thinking they were one of them, and therefore not be kidnapped to the underworld. In the Middle Ages, children went around dressed in costume and knocked on doors asking for food and prayers for the souls.

But the phrase “trick or treat” didn’t become popular until Halloween came to America.

The earliest known reference to “trick or treat”, printed in the November 4, 1927 edition of the Blackie, Alberta Canada Herald:

Hallowe’en provided an opportunity for real strenuous fun. No real damage was done except to the temper of some who had to hunt for wagon wheels, gates, wagons, barrels, etc., much of which decorated the front street. The youthful tormentors were at back door and front demanding edible plunder by the word “trick or treat” to which the inmates gladly responded and sent the robbers away rejoicing.

FACT THREE – Immigrants Brought Halloween To America

Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine helped popularize Halloween in America during the mid 1800s and early 1900s. 

FACT FOUR – How A Poem Made the name “Halloween” Popular

Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote a poem titled “Halloween” in 1785. Thus, kicking off the use of the word “Halloween” to describe the holiday of All Hallows Eve. 

FACT FIVE – Bobbing For Apples As Fortune Telling

The popular game had unwed women and girls write the names of bachelors on apples before putting them in the barrel. The name they drew would be their future husband. 

FACT SIX – The Tale of the Jack O’Lantern

A local drunk named Jack managed to capture Satan one night up a tree by carving a cross into the bark. Jack made a deal with the devil, that he’d let him climb down if Satan would vow to never take his soul. 

Jack would go on to live like a fool and a cruel man the rest of his life. 

When he died, Heaven wouldn’t take him and the Devil threw a burning coal up at him. 

With no place to go, Jack put the coal in a turnip to use as a lantern and wandered the earth with no eternal resting place.

Click here to learn facts about The Jersey Devil.

The post 6 Fast Facts About Halloween appeared first on The Official Website of Leigh Paynter.

JERSEY DEVIL by Tom Watters. Instagram: @tomwattersart

The Jersey Devil is the Pine Barrens’ most famous resident. For centuries, people reported encountering a mysterious creature in and around the Pinelands of New Jersey. Six fast facts about the Jersey Devil attempt to explain his origin story and sightings.

FACT ONE – The Jersey Devil Origin Story

The original story goes that in 1735, a witch known as Mother Leeds was about to give birth to her 13th child. During labor, she cursed it by shouting “Let it be the devil.” The baby boy was born beautiful, but soon began to deform before her eyes. He grew cloven hoofs, a goat head and bat wings, and flew out the chimney into the Pine Barrens. 

FACT TWO – A Founding Father May Be Behind The Legend

Historians believe Ben Franklin is the author of the legend of the Leeds’ devil. It’s believed that legend is supposedly propaganda to tarnish the reputation of rival almanac publisher Titan Leeds. 

FACT THREE – The Legend Ties To A Real Family

Titan Leeds’ father was Daniel Leeds, who came to New Jersey from England in 1677. Daniel began to publish an almanac with astrology -considered Satanic by local Quakers, which didn’t earn him many supporters in the region. In 1716, Daniel passed the almanac publishing company to his son, Titan. It’s believed that Titan’s sister-in-law Deborah Leeds is the “Mother Leeds” in the legend. She bore 12 children between 1704-1726. 

FACT FOUR – Historical Figures Claim To Have Seen The Jersey Devil 

In 1812, Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s older brother who exiled to America, claimed he saw the Jersey Devil while hunting near his Bordentown estate. Bonaparte said he first saw tracks in the snow that looked like they came from a two-footed donkey. At that moment, Bonaparte came face to face with a hissing winged creature with a horse head. He said the creature stared at him for a moment. Then, he flew away.

FACT FIVE – Jersey Devil Sightings Grew In The 20th Century

1909 had the most reported sightings of the Jersey Devil – nearly 1,000 reports came in from eyewitnesses throughout South Jersey.

FACT SIX – Where To Find The Jersey Devil 

Most people looking to find the Jersey Devil start at Leeds Point, off Moss Mill Road in Galloway Township. 

References:

Atlantic-County.org

The Week

VICE

NJ.com

South Jersey Trails

Americanfolklore.net

Click here if you’d like to learn about The Pine Barrens.

The post 6 Fast Facts About The Jersey Devil appeared first on The Official Website of Leigh Paynter.

Photo by: Brielle Priest. Instagram: @brielle_priest

The Pine Barrens is an enigmatic forest mostly untouched by man that stretches across the middle of New Jersey. Get to know the Pine Barrens with six fast facts on what makes it a unique place.

FACT ONE – The Pine Barrens Is Larger Than You’d Think

The Pinelands National Reserve is 1.1 million acres and makes up 20% of New Jersey’s land mass. The Pine Barrens stretch through 7 South Jersey counties (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean). It is bigger than Yosemite or Grand Canyon National Park. 

FACT TWO – The Pine Barrens’ Water Is The Purest

The water is brown, but it is the most chemically pure, bacterially sterile water. The U.S government describes it as being close to glacial water. Pine Barrens’ water was valued by sailors for long journeys at sea since it stayed potable longer than any water. It gets its brown “tea” color thanks to the tannins from cedar trees. 

FACT THREE – The Pine Barrens Gets America’s First Designation 

It is America’s first National Reserve – an area of protected resources. Congress established it as a National Reserve in 1978. 

FACT FOUR – Quaker Bridge Still Exists

Quaker Bridge was built in 1772 by Quakers to cross a stream to reach a yearly meeting in Little Egg Harbor. Some stories say Quakers built it after several people drowned in the Mullica River.

FACT FIVE – The Top Destinations In The Pine Barrens



Batsto Village – (Hammonton) 18th Century preserved bog ironworks village and nature center.  Double Trouble State Park – (Lacey Township) a company town from the 1700s with a saw mill and cranberry packing house.  Atsion Mansion – (Vincentown) a 14-room mansion restored to how it was in 1826. Weymouth Furnace – (Hamilton Township) trails and ruins of an 1800s ironworks village. Estell Manor – (Estell Manor) it has tons of ruins since it once was a massive ammunition factory complex during WWI. Smithville – (Mt. Holly) a quaint historic town with cobblestone roads and foot bridges.Mount Misery – (Brendan T. Byrne State Forest) not a mountain, but it has 25 miles of marked trails. 



FACT SIX – The Legend of the Jersey Devil May Go Back Further Than The 1700s

The Lenni-Lenape tribes refer to the Pine Barrens as Popuessing, or “Place of the dragon.” The most famous fabled resident in the Pinelands is the Jersey Devil. 

References:

National Park Foundation

VisitNJ.org

NJPineBarrens.com

Philadelphia Magazine

VICE

Click here if you’d like to learn more about The Jersey Devil.

The post 6 Fast Facts About the Pine Barrens appeared first on The Official Website of Leigh Paynter.

Art by Michael Ramstead

It’s dark and time for bed.
I turn off the television and climb up the stairs.
When I enter my bedroom, I’m an intruder.

He’s there.

Gathered up in shadows, he’s a figure defined by darkness.
His face is obscured by the tall collar of a wool coat and the low brim of a felt hat.

A giant hunched over a table too small for his stature.
He’s staring at a chessboard.
He’s the dark army.
But there is no one else playing for the other side.
He’s alone.

A steady drum beat fills the room.
One deep beat per second and a half.
I cover my ears, but the sound seeps through my skin.

He doesn’t notice me.
He’s focused on the game.
He doesn’t know what to do.
The beat grows louder, faster.
He begins to swell in size.

I sense his anger.

With each beat, he adds another inch to his size.
His presence takes over a quarter of my bedroom.

I know it’s coming.
I tense up, still pressing my palms to my ears, but I can’t close my eyes.

He swells up and moves his left arm above him.
His large fist flies down like a hammer.
It splits the wood.
The chess pieces bounce, but otherwise don’t move.

I wake up. This time, in a new bed.
Nearly three thousand miles away.
I see this man once a year in my dreams ever since I was a child.

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