Tuesday Terror: Most Haunted (2002 – eternity)

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In this long running tv show from the UK, a team of paranormal investigators visits haunted places around the world. Every episode begins with Yvette, host and lead investigator, doing a daytime walk through the property while giving viewers a mini history lesson. Then, at night, she and her team stumble around in the dark asking spirits to reveal themselves through knocking/making noise or feats of strength (for example, moving a glass).

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The Most Haunted team has gone through several changes, but the core members are Yvette, Karl and Stuart. Depending on the season, they are accompanied by psychics, mediums, demonologists, historians, parapsychologists, etc. It’s a bit like the Scooby Doo gang without a dog.* Even though they may carry cameras everywhere, the ghostly activity that gets them screaming is always just out of view. If it is a particularly nasty entity, our heroes can have stones and pebbles thrown at them or are scratched by unseen hands.

The Most Haunted crew would do live shows** (3 to 4 hours) from time to time. Not only would there be a studio audience camped outside of the haunted place, viewers were invited to call in and give there own psychic impressions (for a fee). Watching them perform live is a bit amazing. If you have a sharp eye, you can see a momentary slip here and there but they push right on ahead. It reminds me of old tv talent shows where people would spin plates; there’s so much going on at the same time that it’s hard to focus.

There’s been a bit of scandal, a drinking game and that time they tackled The Winchester House. If you ever visit the UK, you can join the Most Haunted team on an adventure.

Currently, Most Haunted is being shown in the UK on  Really. You can find many of the earlier seasons on YouTube. I would suggest any of the Most Haunted Live shows or the older programs featuring psychic Derek Acorah.

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*There is a dog on the current season – Watson. I think he only appears with Yvette on her daytime walkabout.
**Technically, Most Haunted Live is a separate show but it’s the same cast.

Tuesday Terrific: A Wrinkle In Wakanda

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Different universes, I know, but wouldn’t it be great:

If Mrs. Which had visited Eric as a young teen, before his heart was too hardened by life? Or if Mrs Whatsit had taken W’kabi on a grand adventure. What if Mrs. Who talked him into goint to therapy?
Shuri is a young genius who recently lost her father. Her and Meg need to talk. Meg could use a weekend in Wakanda to get away from a world that wants to crush her spirit (and the horrible adults who say she should let it).
What would Nakia do if she learned how to tesser?
General Okoye could give Meg a different prospective about being a warrior. Wouldn’t you like to see her making sense of that field of flowers?
What if vibranium gets all of the Mrs high and they have a tessering party in the throne room?
How about Queen Ramona giving Meg’s mom parenting advice?
M’baku barking at Meg’s principle?
What if the father tessered into the ancestral plane and got chased by panthers?
What if Killmonger found Mrs. Who reading books with his father?
What if Charles Wallace rode a rhino at recess?

Tuesday Terror: The Relic

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Thanks to Black Panther, there has been a real-world focus on how museums acquire indigenous artifacts and if they have a right to retain them. The art world may have been grappling with this question internally for years but now articles are appearing on my far-from-museum-centric timeline. It’s brought back to mind a great creature feature set in a museum –  The Relic.

Chaos and mayhem descends on a Chicago museum when a fierce monster begins stalking it’s exhibits. What is this beast? Where did it come from? Does it have anything to do with a recent shipment the museum received from a pompous anthropologist who made direct contact with an indigenous tribe? Hmmm.

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The Relic is a fun movie that in several ways follows the Jaws/terror at the beach formula. There is an important event that MUST go on even though people have been murdered. See, the 1st victims are expendable; obviously the creature isn’t interested in people with money. The wise, but low class policeman must be put in his place. It’s not long before the museum realizes that going on with the party is a mistake.

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Behind the scenes, office politics are on overdrive. It’s fun watching haughty, pretentious people get their comeuppance.

There’s also a nice nod to Dracula: material acquired for museum research arrives on a ship that does not have a living crew. It deceptively suggests a familiar villain.

On the creature itself, how is this big, bulky thing able to stay hidden until it decides to party? The nature of the museum exhibit gives it a wonderful place to hide. What is it? There’s an explanation in the movie that boils down to a fascinating method of self-defense (or warfare, depending on your point of view).

Bottom line: Museum anthropologist need to be careful what they take from other cultures.

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Tip: If someone on your job has been murdered in an unusual way, call in sick for the next couple of days.