ScareFest 2015

On Saturday, my boyfriend and I made the two and a half hour trip to Lexington, Kentucky to visit the country's largest horror and paranormal convention---ScareFest! I hadn't been to ScareFest since before Luke was born, so I was really looking forward to it! ScareFest, which is owned and operated by Patti Star, the president of Ghost Chasers International, is in its 8th year. It seems like in the past, every time I wanted to go, we had something else planned that weekend or something else prevented us from going, but this year nothing was stopping us!

The trip up was pretty uneventful except for some rain. It cleared up for awhile, but as soon as we got out of the car at the Lexington Center parking lot, it started raining again. Getting soaked was NOT a great start to the day. Anyway, we got there around noon, with the first speaker we planned on seeing starting at 12:30pm. We planned on attending a talk by Ben Hansen, from SyFy's Fact or Faked, called "Profiling the Hoaxers: Eliminating the Hoaxers from the Truly Unexplained."

Unfortunately, Ben's presentation relied heavily on the PowerPoint presentation that he prepared and there was NO SCREEN in this particular room.  Apparently there HAD been a screen, but it was moved and misplaced the night before during a wedding rehearsal. Ben also had NO MIC, which wasn't a huge problem in this particular room, but a performance was going on in the lobby at the same time involving very loud music.  At this point, I was getting frustrated, so I can't imagine how Ben felt.  Still, he turned it around and pulled off a wonderful discussion. Even without the actual photograph/video examples his presentation was educational and entertaining as he spoke about his background, different investigations presented on the show, book recommendations, and how easily a hoaxer can be caught---just by talking to him/her IN PERSON. Ben really stressed the importance of interviewing people face to face, since so much of our communication is done non-verbally.

I was quite content with what was presented, but due to the snafu, Ben agreed to reschedule for later that evening, for anyone wanting to see the full presentation later on in a different room, which I thought was very gracious of him.  And, on a personal note---he's just as cute in person as he is on television!  He just seems like a funny, smart, and overall sweet kind of guy. I probably could have stuck around and fan-girled for awhile, but we had to move on to the next presentation.

We arrived at the American Horror Story panel a few minutes before it started, so we got stuck in the back. It made seeing a little hard and honestly I watched most of the discussion through the giant phone the chick in front of me was holding up, recording with.  Still, our location gave us a chance to get a first glimpse of the crew waiting outside the room to be introduced. Again, I felt a twinge of fangirl crop up when Amazon Eve (Erika Ervin), Naomi Grossman, Matt Fraser, Jamie Brewer, Rose Siggins, and of course, Jyoti Amge came in.

I've been a huge fan of American Horror Story since the first season, but Aaron only started watching it with me during Freakshow and fell in love with little Ma Petite (Jyoti Amge). In fact, I think Jyoti was the big draw for a LOT of people, as most of the people we were sitting near were discussing her before the show.  I thought it was hilarious how she keeps insisting that people don't treat her like a baby, yet whenever she spoke (she had someone interpreting for her) the whole audience let out a collective 'Awww!,' me included, lol. You just couldn't help it---she was absolutely adorable and Aaron and I agreed that she looks much tinier in person. But, the entire panel was extremely interesting to listen to...and kinda dirty, lol. The orgy scene kept coming up, and apparently a few members of the cast had had some previous experience!

Naomi sort of led the pack, but each member present had plenty to say, and said it very well. Before Freakshow even aired, I was fairly familiar with most of the people on the panel, having read about them, or watched documentaries or other shows they'd been in.  Still, it was definitely cool to hear them in person discuss their experiences on the show, but also what they had been doing AFTER the show. One touching moment came when a fan asked about people with different disabilities and different issues relating to and looking up to the cast members and Matt told a story about a little boy he had recently met who had the same physical disability as he did.  He was able to connect with this little boy, but he was also able to talk with his parents and give them advice and tips on things the little boy would be experiencing, how best to deal with those things, and how to make day to day activities a little easier.

After that, we took a quick break for lunch in the convention center's food court. I had chicken strips and fries and Aaron had a hamburger from Sunset Strips. It was a disappointing meal, but was enough to sustain us for the next few events. Following lunch, we headed back to see Josh Gates, formerly of Destination Truth.

The line to get in to see Josh's presentation, which was simply titled "Destination Truth with Josh Gates", literally wrapped down one side of the hallway and down the next. I honestly didn't think we'd get a seat, but miraculously, there was plenty of room for everyone. Again, being seated toward the door, we got the first glimpse of Josh waiting in the hall to be introduced. In the past, I had heard that Josh can kind of be a jerk to people when he's 'off the clock,' but I guess since he was being paid at the time, none of that shone through, lol. He was actually a really likable, really hilarious guy to listen to.

His talk was set up as a Q and A session, and the audience had plenty to ask, especially about his many, many travels. Much of what he talked about I had either seen on his shows or read in his book, but his skills as a story-teller made it just a really unique, fun experience. And yes, like Ben Hansen, he was definitely a cutie in person.

Immediately following Josh's discussion, we headed upstairs again to see the Fright Night panel. When Aaron and I were looking over the schedule of events, planning on what to see and do, he mentioned that he really enjoyed the movie. I had never seen Fright Night, so we decided to watch it together...and I was hooked. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the film and it was a real treat to hear William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys talk about their experiences. As an added bonus, director Tom Holland was there via Skype. The crowd was a little thinner than it was for AHS, so our seats were good and Aaron even got to ask a question about working with Roddy McDowell that elicited a wonderful response from everyone on the panel.

By the time that panel was over, it was 6pm and we were getting tired and hungry, but we weren't done yet! We spent about an hour going through all the vendor booths and took home some awesome goodies. We bought Luke a plush Bat Girl and two t-shirts. I picked up a book from C-Bus Paranormal and a RHPS Riff Raff Funko figure. Aaron picked up a few gift items, and we got mom an answer mat to use with her pendulum.  The vendor floor was over double what it had been during our first visit over 6 years ago, but I think we at least got to see everything once. There were some really cool props, stilt walkers, plenty of people wearing crazy awesome costumes, tattoo artists and body piercers, celebrities, paranormal teams, and more.

Overall, I had a great time, even though things started out a little rocky. There were so many other seminars I wanted to attend and speakers I wanted to hear, but there just wasn't enough time to fit everything in. I also would have liked to have focused more on the paranormal side of the conference, but since I was with Aaron, I tried to make sure we did things that would interest him as well---and I don't regret it. Both horror panels we went to were fabulous.  Hopefully, we'll be back again next year!

The Man with Two Faces

Tonight's American Horror Story: Freak Show blog isn't about a sideshow performer, but it is about a human oddity that has gained quite the cult following lately on the internet.  I hope you enjoy the interesting (and, rather frightening) tale of the unfortunate Edward Mordake.

Edward Mordake was from a noble English family.  He was an accomplished musician, a scholar...and a recluse.  That's because Edward, who was otherwise a handsome and healthy young man was plagued with a rare disorder known as Diprosopus.

Diprosopus, also known as craniofacial duplication, is an affliction of the SHH protein.  It results in a duplication of parts of the face (or even the whole face) on a person's head.  It is not a result of a conjoined or parasitic twin as many believe.

Animals who are born with this affliction and survived have become quite a pop sensation.  The most popular are probably Ditto the Pig, who lived well into adulthood, and a cat who, at 12 years old, is the oldest living "Janus" Cat in the world.  Diprosopus cats are known as Janus cats, after the two-faced Roman God.

Unfortunately, humans born with craniofacial duplication rarely survive.  Most are stillborn, and a few live births only live for up to several hours. Edward Mordake, however, beat those odds.  Mordake, which was an alias, was first written about in the 1900 text Anomalies And Curiosities of Medicine, by W.B. Saunders.  Saunders wrote that Mordake's extra face was actually the face of a beautiful female.  Yet, Mordake was convinced that "his devil twin" was evil.  When Mordake would weep, his second face would smile and sneer.  It could blink and its eyes could follow you about the room.  The lips constantly were in motion, as if spewing a never-ending barrage of gibberish, but no sound was ever observed...at least not by the physicians who attended to Mordake or the few family members who were allowed short, infrequent visits.

Mordake was harassed each night by the devil twin's whisperings.  It kept him awake with the terrible, nasty, vile things it would say.  Finally, Mordake reached his breaking point.  He secured some poison and committed suicide at the age of 23.  His last wishes were that the devil face be destroyed before his burial and that his reclusive lifestyle be honored in death.  Mordake was buried in an unmarked grave with only a few close family members in attendance.

Ella Harper, The Camel Girl

If you caught last night's blog, I wrote about how Season Four of American Horror Story will officially be subtitled: Freak Show.  In honor of this revelation, this week I'm featuring some of my favorite sideshow performers and human oddities.  Yesterday, I featured Fanny Mills, The Ohio Big Foot Girl.  Today is another beautiful young woman, Ella Harper.

Ella Harper, known on the sideshow circuit as The Camel Girl, was born in Hendersonville, TN sometime between 1870 and 1873.  She was born with a condition known as congenital genu recurvatum.  In layman's terms, Ella was born with knees that could bend the other way, allowing her to walk on all fours.

Not much is known about Ella's life, but we do know that she worked with W.H. Harris Nickel Plate Circus and received top billing during the 1886 season, where she was often accompanied on stage by an actual camel.  Her pitch card stated that Ella had been in show business since 1882.  Despite earning an estimated $200 a week working with the circus, Ella left after that season to pursue an education.  There is no mention of her after in the annals of sideshow history.

So what happened to Ella, the Camel Girl?  It is believed that Ella got married in 1905 in her home state of Tennessee and passed away in 1921.  She only performed a short four years, but in those years she traveled extensively, was featured in every local newspaper of every town she visited, and was touted as one of the best human oddities to ever be put on display.

UPDATE April 2015: A researcher named Ray has gone above and beyond with piecing together a complete history of Ella Harper after her time in the sideshow business.  Please go check out the following article: Finding Ella (my search for The Camel Girl).

American Horror Story Freak Show: The Ohio Big Foot Girl

American Horror Story is one of my absolute all-time favorite television shows.  I love the unique change of story lines from season to season and I love the creepiness each season brings.  I also REALLY enjoy the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) references to actual people, events and situations found in paranormal research.

And, while we're on the topic of things I love...I have always had a fascination with circus and carnival culture and history, especially the "freak shows."  Therefore, I was thrilled when last week, the rumors of American Horror Story Season 4 being of a carnival theme were confirmed.  I was even more thrilled when today, Ryan Murphy (creator and producer) tweeted that the official subtitle for Season 4 was going to be "Freak Show!"

In honor of this revelation, I wanted to do a series of bonus blogs this week featuring some of my personal favorite human oddities and sideshow attractions. But, I feel like a caveat is in order:  In no way are these blogs intended to be mean-spirited or exploit/make fun of the people featured.  In fact, I want to do just the opposite; there still remains a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions about the freak show culture and how these poor people who were different were snatched from their parents as babies and forced to be displayed like animals.  While obviously not all performers were happy with the lot they were given in life, many performers found a wonderful and accepting family within the circus or carnival.  It wasn't unusual for the owner of the circus to legally adopt and treat these children as his own.

Many of these performers grew up perfectly well-adjusted with shockingly normal lives.  They got married, had children, were educated and had hobbies.  For so many of these people, the freak show was not just the ONLY work available to them, but it was GOOD work, allowing them to comfortably support themselves and their families.  And with that, here's the first profile:

The Ohio Big Foot Girl

 Fanny Mills was born in 1860 and was raised near Sandusky, Ohio.  She was the daughter of English immigrants.  As a young adult, Fanny was described as being a petite woman, weighing in at about 115 lbs, yet her legs and feet had swelled to an enormous size!  Her custom-made shoes were a size 30, and were made from three goatskins.  Pillowcases were used as her socks.

In 1885, Fanny joined the traveling "freak show" circuit under the name of The Ohio Big Foot Girl, and the accompaniment of a nurse who assisted Fanny with walking and day-to-day tasks made difficult or impossible by her disability.  Fanny's "gimmick" was that her father was offering a dowry of $5000 and a farm to anyone who would marry his unfortunate daughter.  Fanny had plenty of offers on this fake promotion concocted by her promoters, most by gold diggers.  She respectfully declined these, but actually would quietly marry a man named William Brown.  Brown was the brother of Fanny's nurse, Mary Brown.

Unfortunately Fanny's career was cut short when illness forced her into retirement in 1892.  Ironically she and her husband DID return to her parents' farm near Sandusky, where Fanny would die in May of 1899.  Her funeral was reported as well attended, with services being held at the family's home, and private burial at Oakland Cemetery.

It would later be learned that Fanny suffered from what is now known as Milroy Disease, which wasn't classified until 1891, only eight years before Fanny's death.  Milroy Disease affects the lymphatic system, and is most often characterized by lymphedema of the lower legs, as the vessels swell with fluid.  This is an extremely rare genetic disorder in which an overwhelming number of sufferers are female.