Your Stories...

So for the past couple of weeks I've been ill and my motivation to write has been at a low. I've since recovered and will be trying to get some stuff up for your perusal. In the meantime, if YOU have a scary story or myth to tell please email kay@urbanlegendsandhorror.com and I'll look through any stories submitted and post it on here with full credit and a link to your own blog or website. 

That's IF I get anything in! 

I also have a upcoming project I'll be working on which hopefully people will enjoy. 

So keep an eye on the site, now I'm better I can dedicate some time to my writing!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

- Kay

Films that scare you?

As horror fans go, I'd say I'm a pretty good one. Whilst I don't watch every single horror film I can get my hands on (whilst most would see this a blasphemous, I really can't watch badly made films - which I suppose a lot of horror falls into) I can say that I've seen A LOT of horror. 

Some may never let their child watch a horror film and yet I was permitted to watch such films at a young age. I guess this led to my fascination with the horror genre, I watched films and not unlike a lot of children/teens my age back then I was a HUGE fan of the Point Horror book series (and Point Horror UNLEASHED for us hardcore horror fans). So after overloading myself with scares from an early age I guess it's safe to say that as of now, I don't really become too scared by horror films anymore.

I guess the last horror film that actually scared me was Paranormal Activity 1. Before the inevitable groan escapes those lips of yours, let me defend myself. I was 19, I had just started University and I only had 1 other girl on my floor. We went to watch the film at the nearby Cineworld and well you know what girls are like. Fear breeds fear and boy was she scared... 

I mean you can hate the PA franchise all you want but when you are lying awake at night all alone and you are replaying the film in your head. Picture the scene of Katie being yanked from her bed by her leg. Really. That nonsense is terrifying and that is all my brain could think of that night.

After the Paranormal Activity incident I've been tense during horror films but never scared. My good friend Jordan keeps egging me on to watch Mirrors which I am yet to indulge in. The problem is, mirrors scare me in real life. Seriously. I expect to see a serial killer in the reflection behind me at all times of the day in my bathroom so I'm not entirely sure if watching a horror film based on mirrors would be a great idea for me...

I feel like  I need a good scaring, I'll hate myself afterwards for it (a horror fan who is terrified of the dark) but this can't be it for me. Almost 23 years into my life and there are no longer horror films to keep me awake at night?

I remember watching Darkness Falls when I was roughly 13 maybe 14. That film ended with me falling asleep in the light beams of my TV on the floor. It has now been uploaded onto UK Netflix... Maybe it's time for a relapse into childhood scares!

If you're reading this and you have *the* perfect film to scare the pants off me do comment or send me an email at kay@urbanlegendsandhorror.com.

- Kay

Re vamped the site!

After a couple of years finishing a degree along with other distractions, the website is finally back to the top of my priorities list. 

A new look for the site along with a custom URL (www.urbanlegendsandhorror.com) completes the makeover for now. Once I've gathered a story or two to post for your enjoyment the site will be back in regular business.

For now you should enjoy the new look, read my old stories and follow (or bookmark!) so that you have a front row seat for the new wave of stories and articles that will be coming in!

If you are a horror blogger, you have a story you think would fit right in or you just have something to say, feel free to get in touch with kay@urbanlegendsandhorror.com

For now, adios! I've been working on the revamp all day and now I'm about to go play some games.

                                           

                                                                   - Kay

The Resident Evil Series - Resident Evil: Afterlife

In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead leads them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

The Resident Evil (film) series hasn't always had particularly amazing reviews, not unlike many other game to film franchises. 

I guess the best way to approach these films is to not expect a scare a minute type movie. The games had a lovely way of keeping you up for hours after setting down the controller, I have a particular memory of my brother watching me play Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and having to sleep in my room with me because he was too scared to be alone.

The films don't deliver the same tense atmosphere but they are certainly entertaining! Milla Jovovich was a fantastic choice for the title character of Alice and she delivers in every instalment. 

The fourth instalment looks to be as action packed as the first three. I had planned on watching it in 2d rather than in the widely advertised 3d. However, after reading about it in more depth it seems that the film has been incredibly geared towards the 3d showings so I guess it'll be contact lenses at the ready! (Wearing 3d glasses over your regular glasses doesn't seem like a fun way to watch a film).

It seems to be set 5 years after the third film (?) and Alice has journeyed to Alaska (Where the survivors from the previous film flew to 'safety'). The only survivor she finds is Claire with a spider like contraption embedded into her chest (for those of us who played Resident Evil 5 we will know a bit about this little contraption). We find out that Wesker is behind it (more about him below) and they both go about looking for survivors.

We get to see Claire Redfield have it out with The Executioner in a highly anticipated fight scene(don't worry if this doesn't make sense, the trailer is below). It's nice to see that other people get to have more of a hands on role in the film, rather than Alice doing all the work. It's also worth mentioning that Alice no longer possesses her psychic abilities in this film.

With many of the main cast from previous films having been killed off we will also see the return of Jill Valentine who was popular amongst the loyal game fans. 

Albert Wesker has a role in the fourth film too, seemingly being infected (maybe a lá Resident Evil 5 the game?). He shows of his 'kickass' moves in a fight with Claire Redfield and Chris Redfield(!). 

 

It looks like the makers have decided to include more of the games in this next film which is great. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed Resident Evil: Extinction, the premise that it all took place in daylight completely took any horror element out of the film. The makers did say that it was filmed in daylight as to break away from the usual darkness of most horror films but who's afraid of daylight? 

Hopefully this film will bring back the horror element to the franchise, if not I certainly know that it'll be on action packed ride!

Tap tap tap...

Katie and Joe had treated themselves to a lavish dinner for their 1st anniversary. They had been friends since childhood and always found ways to keep themselves amused despite knowing each other for so long. Knowing that traffic was extremely likely on the normal route home, Joe decided to take the deserted long way home, through a dense forested area.


After about half an hour the car slowed to a stop. Looking over at Joe, Katie knew he was being mischievous and gave him a stern look. "Come on Joe, I want to go home, don't you start" she scolded.


"Aww, come on! There's nobody around" he grinned.


He leant in for a kiss but Katie pushed him away, "I don't think so, this may be our anniversary but I'm not about to get it on in your car" she laughed.


"Oh fine, but you owe me" he huffed, jokingly.

Picture from www.judahsharris.com

Turning the ignition to awaken the car once more, Joe looked puzzled when nothing happened. He turned it again but still, nothing. Rollin her eyes Katie said "Come on, this has been done to death. Get on with it".
"Seriously, it won't start" Joe replied, demonstrating again that the car wasn't responding.


They were stranded in the middle of a wood with nowhere to go. Both checked their phones, Joe's was dead and Katie had no signal.


After what seemed like an age, Joe declared that he was going to find the nearest petrol station or public phone. Getting her coat ready to go with him, Katie nodded. "No, you stay here and keep warm in the car" he said.


"Are you sure?" she asked.


"I'll be fine, I'm pretty sure there's a station about 30 minutes walk away" he reassured her.


Agreeing to stay with the car, Katie lightly kissed her boyfriend on the lips and settled into the back seat of the car. Slightly tired, Katie decided to have a nap whilst Joe was gone.


Tap, tap, tap. The distinct sound of tapping woke Katie up from her 'nap'. Looking at her watch, she discovered she had been sleeping for 3 hours. Puzzled that it had been so long without Joe returning, she peered out the window. It was night time and the density of the trees made it hard to see anything. 


Worried she climbed into the front seat and tried the ignition one more time, a fruitless attempt she knew but she wanted to at least try. She played a game on her phone for a little while having forgotten about how she had been woken.


About 10 minutes after she began playing, the tapping noise had returned. Tap, tap, tap it went. Not knowing what could be making the noise puzzled her. Shining her phone out of the window, she saw that they were not parked underneath a tree despite the area they were in. 


The tapping noise came and went every few minutes. Getting quite worried, she locked the doors and stopped using her phone. 20 minutes passed before any noise returned, this time however, it was a scraping noise that she heard. This freaked her out, lying down in the seat as low as she could, she closed her eyes and prayed for the noise to cease. 


Knowing that something was wrong with Joe didn't help to ease her anxiety, if he had made it to a station he would have returned by now. 


It had been at least 5 hours since Joe had left and about 2 of enduring the strange noises around the car. She was trying to think of anything just to take her mind off the situation. The noise started up again but was interrupted with flashing lights. 


The light filled the car and Katie sighed in relief, Joe must have gotten help. 


"This is the police, stay right where you are" a loud voice sounded through the air.


Puzzled, Katie wondered what on earth was going on. Unlocking her door she was greeted by a police officer looking pale. She looked around at the other officers and was immediately confused. They were all pointing guns right at her. "There must be some mistake, I've not done anything" she explained. 


"Just come with me, you're not in any trouble" the officer replied gently. Walking towards the cars with him he added "We're going to get you out of here but whatever you do, don't look back towards the car". 


Annoyed that he had said this, she looked like any normal person would. What she was greeted with made her throw up instantly on the muddy road. 


Right there on top of her boyfriend's car was a dirty man holding a bloody axe in one hand and her boyfriends severed head in the other. The noise through the night was him tapping on the roof with his axe. 

Horror Update

Hey guys :) 


Sorry I haven't been active in the past week, I was struck down with a virus :( 


I'm all better now and have some stories to post up tomorrow (or today since it's past midnight).


Just thought I'd let you know I'm still here ;) 


Mikayla (Your favourite horror blogger :D)

The Furry Gown.

During summer break, two best friends: Jenny and Laura decided to have a girl's night in. Jenny's parents were on holiday for a week so they had their sleepover at her house. During the night they watched DVD's, put on face masks and had a good time.


At about 11:00pm Jenny decided that they should tell some scary stories to put them in the mood for a horror film. Although Laura wasn't a massive fan of all things scary, she was having a nice evening so she joined in regardless. After telling a few ghost stories they flicked through the channels on the TV to see if there were any horror films playing. They scanned through the many channels pausing briefly to see what was on each. On the news channel there was a report on an escaped inmate from the criminally insane prison in the next county.


"That's fitting for tonight isn't it?" joked Jenny, "Maybe we should grab some bats and go lock all the doors".


"Haha Jenny" Laura replied, warily "We should probably do that actually, best to be safe".


"Ok, you do upstairs and I'll do down here. We'll meet in my room and get our pyjamas on" Jenny laughed.


So the girls went round the house locking all the doors and making sure the house was secure. Laura arrived at the bedroom first. Finding her overnight bag, she changed into her night clothes.


After about 10 minutes she began to wonder where Jenny was. Walking over to the door she listened out for Jenny locking doors. What she heard when she got there made her heart stop. A dragging sound was coming down the hallway, muffled cries following. Running over to the wardrobe she climbed in and watched through the crack in the door. Seeing a shadow in the doorway, she held her breath, her heart almost beating out of her chest.


The bedroom door burst open and a very healthy looking Jenny jumped into the room laughing. Falling out of the wardrobe with fright, Laura gave Jenny her most annoyed look and threw a book a her. "Thanks for that" she said, "I've just aged 20 years".


"Sorry, I couldn't resist" laughed Jenny. Throwing the book back playfully, she changed into her pyjamas and took her dressing gown out of the wardrobe. "Do you like it?" Jenny asked, "My parents bought me it as a way of saying 'sorry we're going on holiday without you'".


The dressing gown was floor length and was covered in luscious black fur.


"It's not real fur, is it?" Laura questioned.


"Noo, we're not that rich" Jenny joked, wrapping the furry gown around herself.


"So what shall we do.." Laura was cut off mid sentence by a muffled bang downstairs. Looking straight towards Jenny she asked, "What have you set up now?".


Looking puzzled Jenny replied, "Nothing, I'm not stupid enough to try to scare you twice in one night". Creeping over to the door together, they listened for another sound. Certain that Jenny was just pulling another prank, Laura pulled open the door and shouted "Oooh, so scary".


The silence was broken with another bang. Suddenly the house was in darkness. Pulling Laura back into the bedroom Jenny whimpered. "I promise that it isn't me, I'm right here, how could I be doing this?".


Grabbing her phone for light, Laura illuminated the room. Seeing the look on Jenny's face made her instantly scared. A scuffling noise pierced the silence. Panicking, Laura instantly dialled the police number on her phone. As the phone began to ring, it made a beeping noise and died.


"Great" she whispered, "What are we going to do?".


"My phone is downstairs, I'll creep down and get it" Jenny replied, pulling on her shoes.


"WHAT? No way! What if someone's down there?" Laura cried.


"It's my house, I know every creaky stair and floorboard, I'll be back in a minute" Jenny didn't wait for Laura's response and she crept out the door.


Heart pounding in her chest, Laura looked out the window to see if she could jump out. 'Nope, way too high' she thought. Before she could return to the bed, a loud noise startled her. Almost in tears, she had no idea what to do. Hearing heavy footsteps downstairs, she hoped that it was Jenny.


After about 10 minutes, Jenny hadn't returned, so Laura decided to go look for her. Creeping out the room, she tried to make as little noise as possible. She'd been to Jenny's house hundreds of times before, so she knew which stairs creeked and which didn't. When she reached the ground floor she heard a shuffling noise. Getting to her hands and knees, she began crawling along the corridor, making sure not to make any noise.

Picture from: www.altitudeart.com

She reached the living room, where Jenny had last had her phone. Crawling along to the sofas she put her hand out to feel for Jenny. "Jenny, are you in here?" she whispered. Making her way to the armchair she stopped. She could feel a presence in the room. Reaching out she felt the welcome texture of the furry dressing gown. "Thank god Jenny". Standing up she groaned "So this was all a trick. Nice. Well you scared me, again".
When she didn't receive an answer, she pushed Jenny playfully. Again no answer. Suddenly the electricity flashed back on and the sight that met Laura was horrific. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she was staring straight at Jenny. Jenny was still wearing her new fluffy gown, but all that was visible of her body was the bloody stump of her neck. Her head was nowhere to be found.


The police found that Jenny had not infact locked all the doors downstairs. She had been playing along, not really believing that her house was at risk. The back door was wide open and a bloodstained, blunt axe was left on the kitchen counter.