Sunday 11 December 2016

Troll cat in scandinavian folklore

I recently found out about "The Troll cat" a folklore from Scandinavia about witches familiars. It was actually interesting to read so I thought I'd write up this post and share it with you. 
(Obviously I'm not encouraging you to do this of course) 
Do you ever get tired of going to the store to buy milk? Life is so much easier when you have others to run your errands isn’t?
If only such a luxury could be afforded. Well, you know, there is a way. .. and the only things you need are readily available to you.. You know strands of your hair, your nail clippings, some straw, your own blood, just inexpensive, convenient ingredients.


You’re going to make yourself a troll cat- your own little servant who will suckle at the udders of cows and regurgitate the milk into a pail that you will leave outside of your home. 
Your own personal troll cat will, like most felines, be a master thief able to steal cream from the houses of others and bring it right to you. It may materialize in the form of a rolling ball of fur or the in the shape of an ordinary cat.

Here's how to make it. 
 Take your straw, hair and nails and roll them into a ball, then prick your finger with a needle and squeeze out three drops onto your creation. 
One. 
Two. 
Three. 

Now, recite this incantation:
I give you blood, Satan gives you power.
You shall run for me on earth, I shall burn for you in hell.
You shall travel through forests and fields,
 gathering milk and cream

Of course there is a price. But it’s just eternal damnation, no biggie. 
You don’t have the power to animate your creation, so of course you’ll have to call on the abilities of our dark father.

And that’s all there is to it! Remember to take good care of your troll cat, any damage to it is damage to you, and if you’re feeling a little ill, keep him near you, as you must be buried with him or you’ll have to dig yourself out of a fresh grave to retrieve the little milk thief.


Good luck!


The Jólakötturinn yule cat of Iceland


If you’re not sporting a new outfit on Christmas Eve, you might just receive an extremely unwanted visit from the Yule cat, or as he’s known in Iceland, the Jólakötturinn.
Although he sounds adorable, the Jólakötturinn is actually a giant, demonic feline that prowls around the snowy rural areas of Iceland where he sniffs out, hunts down and eats those (or the food of those) unfortunate enough to have not received a new outfit for the holidays. 

Apparently this old folktale has a moral behind it and encourages children to donate to the needy, it may also have ties with production and the harvesting of wool before the winter period arrives, promoting a responsible work ethic.

Either way, it’s always best to err on the side of caution in the face of potential death, and pray for that ugly sweater from your grandma to be nestled safely under the tree this year.  Jólakötturinn knows exactly what gifts you have, because he’s been watching you of course!


Friday 9 December 2016

Christmas horror movies


I truly messed up Halloween over here at RLIH, so since its horror all year 'round for us, I’m going to make up for it with a bloody Christmas. Starting off with a selection of Christmas themed horror flicks.



Black Christmas (1974)
 I really enjoyed the original “Black Christmas” and although it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, it was the first Christmas themed horror film that came to mind. It’s about a bunch of sorority girls who start receiving harassing anonymous phone calls around Christmas time. The threatening behavior of the killer inevitably escalates, and the girls begin to get picked off one by one.
You can watch it in full on YouTube [X]

Rare exports (2010)
A Finnish horror / fantasy / thriller. A reindeer butcher in Lapland is losing his animals to what he believes may be a wolf. He sets a trap to catch the animal, but instead captures Santa- a very different Santa to the jolly, fat bellied man we all know and love.
Watch here [X]


Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater - 'The Present'
Jolly old Santa rewards the good and punishes the bad; and tragically for the drunken party goers in this film, they receive more than just a piece of coal for their years’ worth of bad behavior. This lesser known Japanese short turns Santa Claus into Slasher Claus and doesn’t fail to deliver on the blood and gore.
Again, watch it in full on YouTube here [X]

Gremlins (1984)
If your kid brother or sister asked for a hatchimal this Christmas, make sure it’s not a mogwai purchased from a cloudy eyed old man in Chinatown - and if it is, remember not to let it get wet and don’t, under any circumstances, let it eat after midnight.
Seriously though, Gremlins is a classic, it’s got to be on this list.
Watch it [X]

Krampus (2015)
Just in case you missed this one last year, now would be a good time to check it out.
A little boy having a bad Christmas accidentally calls upon the anti-Santa- a goat legged demon who punishes wrong doers at Christmas.
Watch [X]

Treevenge (2008)
Throwing this one in as a bonus, because it’s fucking awesome. Christmas tree’s revolt from their lives of oppression and humiliation to take revenge on those who cut down, decorate and display them in their homes.
See it here [X]

Thursday 8 December 2016

mrhandcuffs and the suitcase bodies


In June of 2014, highway workers in the town of Geneva, Illinois found two suitcases that had been purposely dumped at the side of the road.
Inside were the decomposed remains of two contorted dead women who had been stuffed inside. 
One of the women was naked, bound and gagged and the other was bound at the wrists with her hands behind her back.

An ex-cop, a man in his early fifties named Steven M. Zelich, was charged with the murder of the two women. He confessed and during the investigation revealed the details of the crime stating that he met both women online, possibly on a fetish or BDSM website, he couldn’t recall. 
Some reports state the site was called “collarme”, and that he went by the user handle “mrhandcuffs”- the site does not seem to be currently active.

(Steven Zelich. Image source gazetteextra)

The first victim was identified by her dentals and tattoos as Laura Jean Simonson, who was 37 years old at the time. 
She had been reported missing more than six months previously by her family and was described as petite and vulnerable. The pair had checked into a hotel together in November, but analysis of the security footage from the establishment shows that only Zelich appeared to leave.


Friday 2 December 2016

Siriraj medical museum, Bangkok, the body of serial killer Si-Oui and Chulalongkorn university museum of bodies exhibit


A while back I visited the Chulalongkorn university medical museum in Bangkok, Thailand.
As you can see in my photos below they had a lot of skeletons and wet specimens of both humans and animals.


That was a while back, and I haven't been since, but after googling "medical museums" in the hope of finding another interesting place to spend a day I saw that they had a new exhibit of amazing plastinated human bodies on display.

 I found these images on the official website for the university and also on another bloggers page (He has a really informative post regarding the history and process which I urge you to check out if you want to know more



I also visited a few similar places including the Siriraj medical museum. 
The Siriraj Medical Museum is often treated as a macabre stop for tourists bored with temples and shopping malls, and is a gruesomely fascinating formaldehyde pickled nightmare world for the curious.  
It includes a gallery of suicide (photos of death and a description of the cause), an exhibit of Siamese twins in jars, forensic evidence from crimes, cadavers cut in half and heads in jars. 
Although extremely valuable and educational for students in the medical field, it is not for the faint of heart. 

The hospital is also home to the preserved body of Chinese immigrant and serial child killer cannibal “Si-oui” (or Si Ouey) who stands tanned and varnished in a big glass display box, staring out at visitors with his sunken hollow eyes. 

(Pic: trip adviser)

Si-oui (often spelled Si Ouey) is probably Thailand’s most infamous serial killer, responsible for the deaths of half a dozen young boys. He suffocated them and ate their hearts and livers as he believed the consumption of the organs gave him special powers.

If you want to visit the museum for yourself you can find it here:
2 Wanglung Road Khwaeng Siriraj, 
Khet Bangkok Noi, 
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10700,
 Thailand

Check if it's open or not before you go, because I went there once and it wasn't. Boo.