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The Real Life 'Purge' And Christmas

The Real Life ‘Purge’ And Christmas

Over the years you at one point must have heard people say, or post on social media, that they either wonder if or wish that the Purge was or could be real. The 2013 film The Purge gave audiences uncomfortable feelings, or awkward excitement… and spawned four sequels and a television series. The story takes place in a dystopian/utopia society where once a year all crimes are legal (but people seem to REALLY be into the murdering kind), and the films focus on either an individual or groups of individuals trying to survive the night of lawlessness. In the films the idea behind having a Purge was to give the masses a release resulting in lower crime rates during the rest of the year and the economy thrived from it, spoiler alert, in real life just one purge night would completely destroy a country financially since all emergency services (like fire fighting) would not be in service, a lot of

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Dec 12, 2021
The Real ‘Curse Of Akkad’

The Real ‘Curse Of Akkad’

In the recently released horror game The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, like the previous titles in the series, the basis of the game’s plot comes from historical events, in Man of Medan it was the urban legend during WWII of a ghost ship, in Little Hope, it was the Salem Witch Trials, and now in House of Ashes it’s the Curse of Akkad. At the start of the story, we see the Akkadians sacrificing Gutian soldiers with Naram-Sin of Akkad watching over before the curse takes shape in a supernatural way dooming Naram-Sin and the Akkadians. Historically there was mentioned a curse that befell the ancient ruler and his people, but what was it really? Let’s get right to it! Naram-Sin of Akkad was a real ruler, the fourth out of seven rulers of the Akkadian Empire that is now modern Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. It was said that he and the empire fell out of favor

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 22, 2021
Horror Fuel

A First Look At The True Story Inspired Film ‘Vampir’

Branko Tomovic‘s arthouse horror film Vampir has been picked up for distribution by Reel Suspects, Variety reports. The outlet also shared the first image from the film. The European film was inspired by real vampire cases that occurred in Serbia in the 1700s. Filmed in English in Siberia, Vampir stars Gorica Regodic (Next to Me), Joakim Tasic (Santa Maria Della Salute), and Eva Ras (Love Affair, The Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator) In the film, “After witnessing a crime in London and looking for a place to hide for a while, Arnaut (played by Tomovic) is offered a job by charming yet ruthless local Vesna (Regodic) to look after a cemetery in a small remote village in Serbia. He soon starts to have nightmarish visions and is frequently visited by the mysterious older woman Baba Draga (Ras) who guides Arnaut into the darkness. Only the village priest (Tasic) seems to be trying to keep him safe from the sinister

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 26, 2021
Horror Fuel

Film Documentary ‘Horror Noir’ Is Coming To Blu-Ray!

RLJE has snagged the rights to Shudder’s Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror and will be releasing it on Blu-ray and DVD next month. Based on the acclaimed book of the same name by Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, Horror Noire takes a critical look at a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and embraced both black filmmakers and black audiences. The film also explores how black voices in front of and behind the camera, shaped and impacted the genre. Horror Noire features interviews with critically acclaimed filmmakers, and stars in the genre, including directors William Crain (Blacula), Ernest Dickerson (Bones), Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood), Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us), Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned); actors Tony Todd (Candyman), Keith David (The Thing), Paula Jai Parker (Tales from the Hood), Â Richard Lawson (Scream Blacula Scream), Rachel True (The Craft); and authors Tananarive Due (My Soul to Keep), and Dr. Robin R. Means

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

Zodiac Killer’s Cipher Finally Broken After 50 years

In the 1960 and 70s, the Zodiak Killer left Californians gripped by terror. After many taunting letters were sent to The San Fransico Chronicle newspaper, a coded letter, known both as the “Zodiac Cipher” and the “340 Cipher” (named because it features 340 characters) arrived in 1969 and reportedly would reveal the real name of the killer if broken. As for how the Killer got his nickname, he signed his letters as the “Zodiac Killer.” Five decades later, a group of private citizens is now claiming that they have decoded the message after fourteen years of work. The team, spread across the globe, includes American software engineer David Oranchak, Australian mathematician Sam Blake, and Belgian programmer Jarl Van Eyeke. Law officials, including the FBI, have been unable to break the code. In a statement to CNN, Oranchack said, “It was incredible. It was a big shock. I never really thought we’d find anything because I had grown so used to

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 12, 2020
Horror Fuel

This Is Halloween: The Origins And History Of Our Favorite Holiday

Halloween is our favorite holiday, but have you ever wondered how it came to be? Let us fill you in. The holiday known as Halloween originated with two separate festivals, the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) and the Christian’s All Saints Day. Celts from Britain and Ireland celebrated “Samhain” (Summer’s End) as far back as 2,000 years ago. This was the time when they held festivals celebrating the dead, the harvest, and the beginning of the new year (November 1st). The Celts believed that on the night before the new year the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was at its thinnest. On that night it was believed that the dead returned as ghosts. At sun-down people donned costumes and masks, huge bonfires were lit, people gathered around with many dancing around the fire, as sacrifices were made. All to pay tribute to the Celtic deities. After the celebration, each family took

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 31, 2020
Horror Fuel

Vampires & Nazi Gold: Don Wildman Talks About New Series “Buried Worlds”

Travel Channel host Don Wildman is famous for his intriguing and often spooky series such as “Mystery at the Museum”, “Weird Travels”, “Beyond the Unkown”, “Cities of the Unkown”, and “Mysteries at the Monument”. Now Wildman is taking us on a darker adventure with his new series “Buried Worlds with Don Wildman” which will delve into mankind’s darkest mysteries and legends. I sat down with Wildman to talk about the new Travel Channel series that premieres on Monday, June 8th at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The premiere explores the history of the vampire. Horror Fuel: “I’m such a fan I love so many of your shows. I can’t wait to see your new series, “Buried Worlds”. Don Wildman: “Let me give you a little background. I come from this world of the paranormal realm, from the outside in. I’m like everybody else, I was raised on Edger Allen Poe and the great horror genre, I was a big fan when I

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jun 8, 2020
Horror Fuel

Debunking “100 Years Pandemic” Meme

Now that social distancing, lockdowns, and shelter in place events are going on around the globe, many people have time on their hands… so much so that they’re now posting clips from bogus articles that first appeared in January of this year and shared on many not so relevant/scholarly/trustworthy news sites, today Horror fuel is challenging these claims! According to the article and the meme that was birthed from it, every 100 years there’s a major pandemic and that we should be worried. The article and meme mention the 1720 Plague, the 1820 Cholera Outbreak, the 1920 Spanish Flu, and tops it off with the misnamed 2020 “Chinese” Flu. Let’s start off with the first claim, the 1720 Plague which is convenient that it appears that’s when recorded human history must have begun according to the ones who began these claims as no other years are mentioned before this one. Historically there was indeed a plague in 1720, it was

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Apr 4, 2020
Horror Fuel

New Black Death Mass Grave Discovered

During the outbreak of the bubonic plague in England, it was common to see mass graves in and around cities due to dense population, but the recent discovery uncovered in a rural part of the country might change the picture of how the plague affected communities. In Lincolnshire, a mass grave of 48 people (21 of them children) was discovered. The site of the grave is located at Thornton Abby where a hospital was attached to the Abby at the time of the plague. The bodies were buried days apart from each other and were carefully placed in the graves after the bodies were wrapped. The ages of the victims range from a year old to 45 years, researchers also believe that it’s possible that plague victims younger than 12 months were buried at the site as well but being so young there are rarely any skeletal remains. DNA extracted from the teeth of some of the remains contained DNA

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Feb 20, 2020
Horror Fuel

Understanding The Terror Behind ‘The Terror: Infamy’

If you’re like me, you’re super excited for the first episode of The Terror: Infamy that will premier tomorrow night on AMC. Needless to say, I can’t contain my excitement since I really loved the first season and have looked forward to this season after hearing about it on Twitter. Before you watch the season premiere tomorrow, there are some details that you should really know if you want to understand a couple of big plot points for the show. I’ve mentioned some things in a past article about The Terror: Infamy but I’ll go a bit into detail this time so you can look like a smarty pants while watching the show and explain things to your friends or family if they say they don’t understand what’s going on. First, just like the previous season, the story was inspired by true historical events. The title of the second season “Infamy” is most likely in reference to President F.D. Roosevelt’s

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 11, 2019

More from History

The Real Life 'Purge' And Christmas

The Real Life ‘Purge’ And Christmas

Over the years you at one point must have heard people say, or post on social media, that they either wonder if or wish that the Purge was or could be real. The 2013 film The Purge gave audiences uncomfortable feelings, or awkward excitement… and spawned four sequels and a television series. The story takes place in a dystopian/utopia society where once a year all crimes are legal (but people seem to REALLY be into the murdering kind), and the films focus on either an individual or groups of individuals trying to survive the night of lawlessness. In the films the idea behind having a Purge was to give the masses a release resulting in lower crime rates during the rest of the year and the economy thrived from it, spoiler alert, in real life just one purge night would completely destroy a country financially since all emergency services (like fire fighting) would not be in service, a lot of

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Dec 12, 2021
The Real ‘Curse Of Akkad’

The Real ‘Curse Of Akkad’

In the recently released horror game The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, like the previous titles in the series, the basis of the game’s plot comes from historical events, in Man of Medan it was the urban legend during WWII of a ghost ship, in Little Hope, it was the Salem Witch Trials, and now in House of Ashes it’s the Curse of Akkad. At the start of the story, we see the Akkadians sacrificing Gutian soldiers with Naram-Sin of Akkad watching over before the curse takes shape in a supernatural way dooming Naram-Sin and the Akkadians. Historically there was mentioned a curse that befell the ancient ruler and his people, but what was it really? Let’s get right to it! Naram-Sin of Akkad was a real ruler, the fourth out of seven rulers of the Akkadian Empire that is now modern Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. It was said that he and the empire fell out of favor

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 22, 2021
Horror Fuel

A First Look At The True Story Inspired Film ‘Vampir’

Branko Tomovic‘s arthouse horror film Vampir has been picked up for distribution by Reel Suspects, Variety reports. The outlet also shared the first image from the film. The European film was inspired by real vampire cases that occurred in Serbia in the 1700s. Filmed in English in Siberia, Vampir stars Gorica Regodic (Next to Me), Joakim Tasic (Santa Maria Della Salute), and Eva Ras (Love Affair, The Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator) In the film, “After witnessing a crime in London and looking for a place to hide for a while, Arnaut (played by Tomovic) is offered a job by charming yet ruthless local Vesna (Regodic) to look after a cemetery in a small remote village in Serbia. He soon starts to have nightmarish visions and is frequently visited by the mysterious older woman Baba Draga (Ras) who guides Arnaut into the darkness. Only the village priest (Tasic) seems to be trying to keep him safe from the sinister

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 26, 2021
Horror Fuel

Film Documentary ‘Horror Noir’ Is Coming To Blu-Ray!

RLJE has snagged the rights to Shudder’s Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror and will be releasing it on Blu-ray and DVD next month. Based on the acclaimed book of the same name by Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, Horror Noire takes a critical look at a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and embraced both black filmmakers and black audiences. The film also explores how black voices in front of and behind the camera, shaped and impacted the genre. Horror Noire features interviews with critically acclaimed filmmakers, and stars in the genre, including directors William Crain (Blacula), Ernest Dickerson (Bones), Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood), Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us), Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned); actors Tony Todd (Candyman), Keith David (The Thing), Paula Jai Parker (Tales from the Hood), Â Richard Lawson (Scream Blacula Scream), Rachel True (The Craft); and authors Tananarive Due (My Soul to Keep), and Dr. Robin R. Means

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

Zodiac Killer’s Cipher Finally Broken After 50 years

In the 1960 and 70s, the Zodiak Killer left Californians gripped by terror. After many taunting letters were sent to The San Fransico Chronicle newspaper, a coded letter, known both as the “Zodiac Cipher” and the “340 Cipher” (named because it features 340 characters) arrived in 1969 and reportedly would reveal the real name of the killer if broken. As for how the Killer got his nickname, he signed his letters as the “Zodiac Killer.” Five decades later, a group of private citizens is now claiming that they have decoded the message after fourteen years of work. The team, spread across the globe, includes American software engineer David Oranchak, Australian mathematician Sam Blake, and Belgian programmer Jarl Van Eyeke. Law officials, including the FBI, have been unable to break the code. In a statement to CNN, Oranchack said, “It was incredible. It was a big shock. I never really thought we’d find anything because I had grown so used to

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 12, 2020
Horror Fuel

This Is Halloween: The Origins And History Of Our Favorite Holiday

Halloween is our favorite holiday, but have you ever wondered how it came to be? Let us fill you in. The holiday known as Halloween originated with two separate festivals, the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) and the Christian’s All Saints Day. Celts from Britain and Ireland celebrated “Samhain” (Summer’s End) as far back as 2,000 years ago. This was the time when they held festivals celebrating the dead, the harvest, and the beginning of the new year (November 1st). The Celts believed that on the night before the new year the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was at its thinnest. On that night it was believed that the dead returned as ghosts. At sun-down people donned costumes and masks, huge bonfires were lit, people gathered around with many dancing around the fire, as sacrifices were made. All to pay tribute to the Celtic deities. After the celebration, each family took

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 31, 2020
Horror Fuel

Vampires & Nazi Gold: Don Wildman Talks About New Series “Buried Worlds”

Travel Channel host Don Wildman is famous for his intriguing and often spooky series such as “Mystery at the Museum”, “Weird Travels”, “Beyond the Unkown”, “Cities of the Unkown”, and “Mysteries at the Monument”. Now Wildman is taking us on a darker adventure with his new series “Buried Worlds with Don Wildman” which will delve into mankind’s darkest mysteries and legends. I sat down with Wildman to talk about the new Travel Channel series that premieres on Monday, June 8th at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The premiere explores the history of the vampire. Horror Fuel: “I’m such a fan I love so many of your shows. I can’t wait to see your new series, “Buried Worlds”. Don Wildman: “Let me give you a little background. I come from this world of the paranormal realm, from the outside in. I’m like everybody else, I was raised on Edger Allen Poe and the great horror genre, I was a big fan when I

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jun 8, 2020
Horror Fuel

Debunking “100 Years Pandemic” Meme

Now that social distancing, lockdowns, and shelter in place events are going on around the globe, many people have time on their hands… so much so that they’re now posting clips from bogus articles that first appeared in January of this year and shared on many not so relevant/scholarly/trustworthy news sites, today Horror fuel is challenging these claims! According to the article and the meme that was birthed from it, every 100 years there’s a major pandemic and that we should be worried. The article and meme mention the 1720 Plague, the 1820 Cholera Outbreak, the 1920 Spanish Flu, and tops it off with the misnamed 2020 “Chinese” Flu. Let’s start off with the first claim, the 1720 Plague which is convenient that it appears that’s when recorded human history must have begun according to the ones who began these claims as no other years are mentioned before this one. Historically there was indeed a plague in 1720, it was

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Apr 4, 2020
Horror Fuel

New Black Death Mass Grave Discovered

During the outbreak of the bubonic plague in England, it was common to see mass graves in and around cities due to dense population, but the recent discovery uncovered in a rural part of the country might change the picture of how the plague affected communities. In Lincolnshire, a mass grave of 48 people (21 of them children) was discovered. The site of the grave is located at Thornton Abby where a hospital was attached to the Abby at the time of the plague. The bodies were buried days apart from each other and were carefully placed in the graves after the bodies were wrapped. The ages of the victims range from a year old to 45 years, researchers also believe that it’s possible that plague victims younger than 12 months were buried at the site as well but being so young there are rarely any skeletal remains. DNA extracted from the teeth of some of the remains contained DNA

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Feb 20, 2020
Horror Fuel

Understanding The Terror Behind ‘The Terror: Infamy’

If you’re like me, you’re super excited for the first episode of The Terror: Infamy that will premier tomorrow night on AMC. Needless to say, I can’t contain my excitement since I really loved the first season and have looked forward to this season after hearing about it on Twitter. Before you watch the season premiere tomorrow, there are some details that you should really know if you want to understand a couple of big plot points for the show. I’ve mentioned some things in a past article about The Terror: Infamy but I’ll go a bit into detail this time so you can look like a smarty pants while watching the show and explain things to your friends or family if they say they don’t understand what’s going on. First, just like the previous season, the story was inspired by true historical events. The title of the second season “Infamy” is most likely in reference to President F.D. Roosevelt’s

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 11, 2019
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