Thursday, September 6, 2012

It's not real, I say. Or, is it?




Last week I received an email from my sister with a link to an article and video about what I thought was just a book written by a museum director at the University she works at in North Missouri, Kirksville to be exact. I didn't have time to peruse when I received it, so I ear-tabbed it (is that a word?) for weekend down time. A few days went by. Finally Saturday morning dawns, one of my most favorite days, and I'm sipping coffee and going through emails. I found hers and clicked the link, and my expression changed from mild interest to an "oh my God" face.

"The dibbuk box is the inspiration behind the new horror movie 'The Possession.'"

My sister wrote: "He believes the box he has is possessed basically, and has done tons of research, and they made a scary looking movie. And there you have it."

The link: http://www.heartlandconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=794765#.UD-oX


I love scary movies. I have a few friends that join me in the hunt of the scariest movie ever. Most of the time, we are disappointed. Gone are the days of The Exorcist, and The Amityville Horror. Well, that's partially true anyway. The Ring didn't disappoint, and the Japanese version of the Grudge, "Ju-On" had me sleeping with the light on for a week. One sister shares the love of scary movies, the other stays so far away from them you can't find her if it's playing in the house. Melissa and I love Halloween, dubbing it our favorite probably because of the memories of watching it together being attached. There are more, but I digress......

We had just made plans the night before to go see The Possession, that very Saturday afternoon. As I delved into this article and watched the video, I was stunned to find that this movie is based on a book titled The Dibbuk Box, a very real item that exists in the home of Jason Haxton, the director I mentioned earlier.
Whaaaaat?

I immediately went to my Kindle app on my phone and downloaded the book. By the time I stopped reading I was four chapters in, and it was time to get ready to go meet my friends.

Now listen, here's the thing. Do I believe that a Jewish wine cabinet is haunted? Doubtful. I won't dig in too far about whether I believe that a young girl can be possessed by a spirit that is trapped inside a box, or if you watch a video and then answer a ringing telephone to hear "Seven Days" you will then die on that seventh day (the Ring) or that a young girl can become so possessed by a demon that she spews green slime and talks in tongues (the Exorcist). But I won't mock these stories either.

Jason talks about that very thing, in The Dibbuk Box, the mocking of it, and what ensues after, so they say.
I'm not one to invite any sort of bad karma or even idea that something like this can occur. I just politely read, watch, and go on my way.

Although I haven't finished the book yet, I have to say that Jason Haxton meticulously describes his experience with this box in vivid detail, including prior events to when he obtained "possession" (see what I did there) of the box. It's a fascinating story, and one I can't wait to finish.

From:  http://tsup.truman.edu/item.asp?itemId=453 ;

The Dibbuk Box is one of those head-scratching enigmas in the paranormal community. The box itself forces us to ponder big questions: Are curses real? Can spirits get attached to inanimate objects? Is there magic and mysticism left in the old religions of the world?

If this is not your thing, the horror film watching and telling scary stories about things going "bump" in the middle of the night, the movie is defintely not for you. I have somewhere along the line, developed a useful tool I will call disassociation. A movie will show you when it's going to have something jump out at you, come on people. If the screen is pitch black and it's silent, something wicked this way comes in about two point seven seconds. I won't say my heart doesn't pound or I don't flinch, but I remind myself that this is a movie set, and I picture the director yelling "Cut!" after the scene, and then the actors laughing. It's not real, I say. It isn't.

Or is it?

See you soon friend,
Tiffany

PS I seriously can't listen to Tubular Bells (The Exorcist soundtrack) and not get chills! Or really, the Halloween theme song for that matter, eek!

4 comments:

agetron said...

I am pleased to read in your blog that you like the story that I have shared.

Best!
Jason Haxton

website: www.dibbukbox.com

Anonymous said...

Oh Jason this really makes my day! Thank you so much for commenting, you have written such a fascinating story so eloquently, I'm still reading....

Anonymous said...

Wow! You got a comment from the author! I just introduced myself in the parking lot so I could congratulate him on the success. He says the movie is #1 right now. I told him I have him on my Pinterest page on my "Making Movies" board. :) It's so inspiring for me how far his story has gone, as you can imagine. Scary scares me, I'm afraid. But if it's the right kind of scary I do like to indulge. And, YES, no mocking I say!

Anonymous said...

TOTALLY cool that you got to meet him, I aspire to one day. The book is fascinating, I'm savoring each chapter =)