Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

 I'm generally not a big fan of Haunted House movies that were released after 2010, particularly the Conjuring series, or, honestly, any haunted house movies that deal with possession, poltergeist activity, or exorcisms. Don't get me started on Ed and Lorraine Warren or other woo peddlers. However, The Other s is very different. Nicole Kidman's spectacular performance brings realistic gravitas to an interesting historical, supernatural drama by adding an element of believability missing from most. The shocking third act reveal additionally sets this one apart. 

The documentary style effectively grounds this one as a realistic crime story, but the horror elements continually surprise, sewing elements of supernatural doubt. 

When I was a kid, long before I began delving into folklore, collecting stories, and thinking about how differently stories are told in an oral form than a written one, my friends and I used to visit Holy Cross Road in an effort to experience supposed supernatural phenomena. This concept is commonly referred to by folklorists as Legend Tripping. Adolescents tend to venture out at night to explore places that are considered supernatural or haunted. Often certain rituals are carried out in order to either prove that kids were there, or just to prove that they aren't scared. Holy Cross was definitely the premier place for teenagers to go when I was in High School. I'm not certain it still maintains this status, but we certainly had fun going there. Our first trip there was an adventure in itself. I had heard many stories about the place -- it maintained quite a reputation. These stories ranged from the tame (unexplained noises) to the truly bizarre (gnomes, floating men, shot ...

My landlords like the sight of weeds the size of trees. Here are some of the plants that we contend with daily. Straight out of a Swamp Thing comic, they are beginning to take control of the earth.