Internet is Killing the Urban Legends (Bummer)

I was listening to a spooky podcast the other day and they were discussing urban legends. Some I had heard of before and some were new to me. I was enthralled in the stories and loved the detail. Each tale kept my attention and made me want more. Now, I’ve lived long enough to know that much like myths and other legends…there’s always aspects of truth tossed in with a few fibs or embellishments here and there. But…that’s what makes them so good.
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Ever heard of the Goatman? Resurrection Mary perhaps? Cry Baby Bridge? The Pigman? Maybe that haunted house down the road? I would bet that no matter what town you live in, there is at least one urban legend that has been told year to year from one person to another. It’s always fun to haze the new kid at school or the latest family in the neighborhood with a spooky tale or two.

I love urban legends because they invoke the imagination. They let people share stories and form bonds over scary rumors and fairytales and can even open the lines of communication that may otherwise be closed. You can’t tell me that when someone starts talking about an urban legend that your ears don’t perk up, and you move a little closer to them…because you are curious. Right?

With the entertainment factor of urban legends being so welcomed by most, what happens when it’s gone? You see, as I listened to the podcast and after each story they discussed, they basically debunked it. And by this, I mean they would state many times “I found this or that on Google” or “I couldn’t find anything on the Web to back up the story” which essentially led me to have a realization and thought out loud…the internet has killed the urban legend! Oh Crap!

Urban legends flourished throughout the world from one generation to the next…because the majority of the time no one could find information to dispute the stories…until that medaling Internet came along! So now, anytime someone starts to capture the imagination of a crowd with a timeless tale everyone’s going to whip out their cell phones and jump on Google. Takes the fun out of it…right?

I’ve told myself many times that “ignorance is bliss” and I still believe this to be true…especially when it comes to the topic of urban legends. I mean, come on, who the Hell wants to know the truth? The truth or the actual reality of a legend is…well…boring. Give me the made up, embellished tall tales that I’m accustomed to. 

Why Are Cornfields So Scary?
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Was watching the movie Signs the other day (more on that movie later). And a question popped into my head…”Why are cornfields so damn scary?”

Maybe cornfields aren’t scary to some. I’m sure corn farmers aren’t afraid of their own crops. But come on, just about every horror film out there has some sort of cornfield in them. Not to mention the horrifying scarecrows…which even the “happy” one’s look terrifying. They’re like the scary clown of the farmland. Anyway, the cornfields…I believe that the reason they are so scary is for one good reason…
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You can’t see into them…it’s the fear of the unknown. And to quote one of my other favorite movies A Christmas Story…”I mean, my God, there could be anything in there!” Which holds true for those blasted cornfields. What’s the major fear most people have…the unknown.

Many people won’t swim in rivers, lakes or the ocean because they can’t see what’s underneath them…the unknown. Most people are afraid of the dark because they can’t see what’s in front of them…the unknown.

If you look towards a cornfield your mind starts to wander. As you see the stalks moving back and forth and you hear the large leaves rubbing against each other or the ears of corn bumping into each other…your mind conjures up perhaps the worst-case scenarios of what could be lurking in there…is it ghosts? Aliens? Bigfoot? Dogman? Demons? Or perhaps it’s just the wind…or maybe a delicate doe deer just wandering through…no, it’s got to be that menacing scarecrow finally come to life and is out for revenge coming to tear me apart?

I don’t know what is in there…and that’s what is so terrifying.

Stand at the edge of a cornfield sometime and just look. It will only take a minute or so before you start to see things, hear things and get that eerie chill down your spine. And if you take a walk inside a cornfield…those feelings are ten times worse…cuz then you can’t see anything around you except stalk after stalk. And if you ever go in at night…well…forget it…you’re dead.
 
So, back to the movie Signs. It is now one of my favorite films. I watch it about 3-5 times a year, however, when I first saw it, it freaked me out so much I wouldn’t watch it for years…like 15 years. What got me was the cornfields, yes, but the biggest “Scare” or “Popcorn spiller” for me was the scene where the news broadcast is showing the kids birthday party in Brazil. When the alien walks across the little alley way…oh man. I reacted just like Merrell did. It’s a brilliant movie with great bits of humor, suspense and setting. 

What Influenced Writing Scary Stories?
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After contemplating this question I believe a reality moment happened today. You see, before I would always say that I never really had any kind of horror or scary related influence because I was never a horror movie fan. Well, I should clarify that I had seen a few scary movies in my youth such as Jaws, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc. but I never considered myself a horror movie watcher. I know people who are hardcore horror buffs, but I never thought of myself as such…in fact, not even close. I spent much of my 20’s thru my 40’s never really looking for scary things to watch or read. It honestly never dawned on me until recently that I actually did have quite a bit of influence growing up…

As a kid, I remember watching shows with my mother like The Munsters, The Addams Family, Twilight Zone (my absolute favorite), Tales From The Dark Side, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, and late night weekends watching Elvira. I also remember movies like Dark Night of the Scarecrow (Made for TV, still one of my first favorites), The Lost Boys (one of my all time favorites), and funny enough…even eating the famous monster cereals Frankenberry, Count Chocula, Yummy Mummy, Fruit Brut and Boo Berry. …and do you remember Freakies cereal?

I believe honestly, I spent a good 20 years of my life in denial when it came to the horror or scary genre of books, movies and shows. Not exactly sure why. In my mid-40’s I got hooked…and I mean hooked…on all the new ghost reality shows that came out; Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, Haunted Towns, Haunted Asylums, Paranormal Caught on Camera, My Haunted House, Haunted Woods, and on and on.

Now with all of that, I have to give the biggest credit to my daughter Sadrie. She’s really the one who “jump started” my spooky story writing. It was a night on the screened in porch the fall of 2017. My wife, son and daughter and I had dinner on the porch and somehow we got to talking about scary movies and stories. I think I mentioned something about writing some type of spooky story (never honestly thinking the idea would go any further) but having doubt on whether I could actually pull it off.   And my daughter just says, “Why don’t you just write one Dad.” So, I replied, “You know what, why don’t I.” and as if a bolt of lighting hit me (figuratively) I grabbed a notebook and started writing.

When I sat down on the porch to write I heard the train that often goes by our subdivision. A story suddenly and immediately popped into my head and my hand couldn’t write fast enough for my churning brain. My first spooky story “Stone Hollow” (In Wicked Harvest: Michigan Monsters & Macabre – Series One) was born. And to this day it’s still my favorite of all my stories. 

​Writers Block
I get this question quite a bit…Is Writer’s Block real?
Well I can say without a doubt that it is real for me. I believe it is different for every writer and it affects them different ways. No writers are exactly alike. Some may never get punched in the face with writer’s block, while others get a daily dose of it. I can tell you what it’s like for me.
The official definition:
The condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.
And
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. ... The condition ranges from difficulty in coming up with original ideas to being unable to produce a work for years.
I have a mix of hours, days and weeks where I get overloaded with ideas and I am constantly and frantically writing them down on notepads or typing them into my phone and then I have days where as they say, “The struggle is real” where I have no thoughts or ideas to write down. I have moments where I can sit down at the computer and type for hours and then I have moments where I sit down at the computer, type about 10 words, then get up and walk away…because I have nothing. Literally (and I hate using that word) nothing.
Some writers find ways to break though bouts of WB and have done it successfully. I myself may have done it a time or two. At times you absolutely have to find a way to break through because you may have a deadline to meet. Results can be disastrous at times. You read through what you wrote and think, “What the Hell is all that?” and start all over again.
So I say to you that yes, writer’s block is a real thing and if anyone tells you different, they are either lying or are not writers. Just my opinion of course.