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Fortean Documentaries

Stormkhan said:
I can't help giggling when reminded of this series. I enjoyed it but ...
I recall, a long time ago, watching a late night cable TV series from America which featured a spoof of this called "Bulls**t or Not?" and presented by Henry Silva.
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The one where Jack The Ripper was actually the Loch Ness Monster? .. that was from the comedy film 'Amazon Women on the Moon' .. the show being called "Bullshit or Not" ..

 
Thems were the days ...
*sigh*
I honestly think they used Silva because of his passing resemblance to Palance.
 
Ghostwatch is now available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.

Pretty sure it is a very recent release there, makes me wonder if it has something to do with Michael Parkinson's passing, or just coincidence
 
Possibly. Marketing has to be quick on the ball.
Luckily I got my DVD years ago.
 
MrRING said:
This is Fortean by way of the incredible images they produced....
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Celebrated photographer, creative director and filmmaker Anton Corbijn’s first feature documentary SQUARING THE CIRCLE (the story of hipgnosis) tells the story of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell, the creative geniuses behind the iconic album art design studio, Hipgnosis
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I watched the film tonight (it's very very unusual for me to ever get a night off, but this was a unique experience). It is simply superb....please do go & see it.

So many wonderful insights into Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, 10CC, Peter Gabriel, Wings, Led Zepplin and the gloriously-chaotic creative processes that is:was Hipgnosis. Great production/direction, a total overall joy to behold...
 

‘Realm of Satan’: Meet the Church’s Magicians, Porn Stars, and Broomstick Makers​


Satanists are inherently nonconformist, so it’s fitting that Realm of Satan—a documentary that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21 —upends expectations.

Focusing on a collection of diverse international disciples of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, director Scott Cummings’ feature debut is a unique non-fiction affair that provides no background information, little context, and scant dialogue. It also boasts zero fly-on-the-wall material, instead presenting a series of carefully staged portraits of its subjects that aim to convey their lifestyles, personalities, and philosophies. Think of it as an 80-minute art installation in which Satanists are rendered—and deliberately render themselves—performative characters in a diabolical play of their own making.

Whereas Satanists sometimes argue that their religion is merely one about freedom—of thought and desire, and from rules and judgement—Realm of Satan contends that they’re far closer to the devil worshipers that movies, books, and TV shows have made them out to be for decades. Since everything in Realm of Satan has been self-consciously orchestrated to highlight these individuals’ dark and demonic visions of themselves, there’s nothing particularly scary about their appearances, attitudes, or practices, most of which come across as over-the-top affectations.

Nonetheless, Cummings’ film does occasionally strike upon a legitimately unnerving sight which suggests that these folks aren’t just playing around but, in fact, sincerely want to commune with the abyss.

https://dnyuz.com/2024/01/22/realm-...s-magicians-porn-stars-and-broomstick-makers/

maximus otter
 
Dunno if this has been said before, but I only discovered last night that there's a few copies of A Leap in The Dark TV series on You Tube.
Last night I watched the one where the 'ghost' of Ratcliffe Wharf was invented.
Plenty of names to recognise, a bit dated, but good fun.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=a+leap+in+the+dark+tv+series
Also look up the children's TV series "The Witches and The Grinnygog".

I think I'm more entertained and interested in old (1970s/80s) Fortean documentaries than the modern stuff that's around. Even if some has been debunked.
 
BBC 2 has just started showing a documentary series on the origins of the Amityville Horror and Netflix will have a series on Rael from this Wednesday the 7th of Feb.
 
DrPaulLee said:
I saw this on x/twitter earlier. Roger Cook didn't just doorstep villains!

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This is so intriguing as many of the electrical issues reported also occurred at Ripperstone Farm, the 'heart' of the Welsh Triangle UFO wave of 1976-77, and also close to a military base (RAF Brawdy)
 
The UFO movie They Don't Want You To See is a good watch and I enjoyed it.

It takes a look at the facts that they know and offers explanations from a science viewpoint. What I personally like about this sceptic film is it isn't nasty. It doesn't bait, poke fun at or attempt to humiliate people.

I was impressed with the explanation of the U.S. navy videos released as I know next to nothing of how they examine them.

It is available on Prime video, free to Prime subscribers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/d...22cff1c92681a18bf409ae398e1872a&gclsrc=3p.ds&
 
'Files of the Unexplained' on Netflix. Laughed at the title as they're obviously trying to avoid 'Unexplained Files', 'The Unexplained' and similar due to the shear number of these across media platforms. We randomly chose 'File: Missing Yuba County Five' which basically didn't seem that unexplained to me, but hey there is a slight mystery involved I guess. Some of the usual classics in this limited series, but at around 30 minutes an episode these are hardly brain fodder.
 
The Doomsday Cult of Antares De La Luz: A small scale Chilean Cult which had a larger effect due to human sacrifice.. The founders names was originally Ramon de la luz but he changed it to Antares de la luz, Antares being a rather bright star. He was a musician, tutored village kids, talking heads in the documentary speak well of his pre-cult activities. He took to using hallucinogenic drugs, mostly consisting of ayahuasca-derived substances after going through a ceremony with a shaman who appears in the film. He formed a cult whose members lived a regimented lifestyle. Shortly afterwards he discovered he was God. Now how could you disobey the edicts of the Supreme Being? Several cult members are also interviewed and footage of them with the police is also shown. They don't try to downplay their roles in the crimes but do plea that they were under duress and heavily drugged. You'll have to view the documentary ro learn how the cult moved from sacrificing animals to slaying an infant. Interesting documentary, could have been tightened up though, would have benefited from a 15 minute cut in it;s 100 minute running time. Directed by Santiago Correa, Written by Valerie Schenkman. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
Atomic Cafe (1982)
Chilling on so many levels, not least of which is the regular 'wipe 'em out' mentality of advocates in US leadership at the time. Never was a panacea any more than burning down the entire forest to take out the rats is either effective or reliable. I'm looking at you, 'yahu.
 
Here it is. The grab bag of Fortean phenomena from 1975. Many of our younger readers might never have seen how cool televised Forteana was half a century ago. I love the corny ambience, the robotic way people address the camera, the moody sfx, everything about it really. Enjoy.
 
Stormkhan said:
Dunno if this has been said before, but I only discovered last night that there's a few copies of A Leap in The Dark TV series on You Tube.
Last night I watched the one where the 'ghost' of Ratcliffe Wharf was invented.
Plenty of names to recognise, a bit dated, but good fun.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=a+leap+in+the+dark+tv+series
Also look up the children's TV series "The Witches and The Grinnygog".

I think I'm more entertained and interested in old (1970s/80s) Fortean documentaries than the modern stuff that's around. Even if some has been debunked.
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Watching an episode of A Leap in the Dark, about the Vandy affair. This is fascinating! I knew nothing about this. but listening to the three scientists debating the scenario is excellent - a little dated, but very good.
 
Stormkhan said:
Dunno if this has been said before, but I only discovered last night that there's a few copies of A Leap in The Dark TV series on You Tube.
Last night I watched the one where the 'ghost' of Ratcliffe Wharf was invented.
Plenty of names to recognise, a bit dated, but good fun.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=a+leap+in+the+dark+tv+series
Also look up the children's TV series "The Witches and The Grinnygog".

I think I'm more entertained and interested in old (1970s/80s) Fortean documentaries than the modern stuff that's around. Even if some has been debunked.
Click to expand...
Now watching the one about the ghost of Ratcliffe Wharf - mostly playing 'spot the sober person'...
 
I found Secrets of the Paranormal World on Sky Catch Up
(also available at https://player.stv.tv/summary/tvf-paranormal-world)
I thought it would be a U.K. based series and have only watched the first episode on exorcism which, surprise, surprise, is shot mostly in the States by British hosts.

The main star of the show is the Reverend Robert (Bob) Larson. Bob is 80 years old and according to the show he reckons he has carried out 40,000 exorcisms. I did a bit of research and on a web site he is associated with he says he has carried out 50,000 exorcisms in 50 years of ministry. https://boblarson.org/

That to my mind equates to 1000 per year or 20 per week or 3, on average, per day. But hold on, in the Show he says he has turned away an equal number of people who he didn’t believe were possessed, so on top of the actual exorcisms, he must have examined another 50,000. This means Bob has dealt with 100,000 people or an average 6 per day, for 50 years.

That makes Bob a very busy boy and you must wonder how he gets around to undertake all these Exorcisms. Well luckily Bob can carry out an exorcism over Skype for a little under 300 US Dollars. Bob has a couple of guys help him with the exorcisms which on the show seems to be the laying on of soft back books when the possessed get a little agitated. Bob has been attacked, scratched, gouged and had his ribs broken during his years of deliverance.

After the Bob interview the hosts flew to Bologna to interview a Roman Catholic priest who is also an exorcist. The priest was born in Canada but has obviously forgotten how to speak English since he was ordained in1979, as he conducted the interview in Italian. The priest became an exorcist 14 years after ordination but never informed us how many exorcisms he has conducted. Luckily, unlike Bob, he has not been attacked at all during the rituals he has conducted, but that may be because he has 10 people to assist during the rite and hold down the possessed. If only he could employ two guys with soft back books like Bob, it would save him a fortune in wages. Even though our RC priest has never been attacked the Devil did try killing him in a hire car one night. Serves him right for letting on he was hiring a car to drive to Bologna during the ritual.

This series is riveting and I can’t wait to see the next two episodes. Our old buddies Derren Brown and Uri Geller make guest appearances.

Edit: A bit more research (https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE...serGroupName=anon~40d4fe03&aty=open-web-entry) has uncovered additional assistance that Bob can call on during busy periods. I could not access the whole document linked above but the first few paragraphs illustrates Bob is not alone in his Battle against the hordes of hell.

I recently attended Larson's "Demon Proofing Prayers Seminar" in Denver. This was an introduction to the "Teenage Exorcists" Larson's demonslaying apprentices. This trio of precocious proteges includes Larson's daughter Brynne, and sisters Tess and Savannah Scherkenback (who is more 20-something than teenage). Larson says, "We have found that our female, teenage exorcists are particularly effective at curing the possessed." (2) He maintains there is a global shortage of exorcists, so he is grooming these girls to meet the demand. Larson's International School of Exorcism has produced over 100 new exorcists the world over. (3) His online institution teaches courses in curse breaking, and procedures for casting out demons.
 
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The Gullspång Miracle: A Nordic Mystery

This was a wild ride - spiritual miracles, a possible murder mystery... and as Jim Morrison once said, "people are strange".

On iPlayer:

When two sisters buy an apartment in the small Swedish town of Gullspång, they experience their own divine premonition. To their surprise, the seller is identical to their older sister who died by suicide 30 years earlier. What begins as an eerie story of family reunification soon becomes a Pandora's Box, as all three women's lives spiral out of control. A real-life Nordic mystery, the film takes the audience on a wild ride of unbelievable twists and turns.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001zhyk/storyville-the-gullspang-miracle-a-nordic-mystery
 
Grimsdyke said:
I just finished watching this. A fantastic documentary which frustratingly left more unanswered questions then resualtutions. Recommended.
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Very gripping documentary about events that seemingly begin with a bizarre seeming coincidence and possible family secret that includes Nazi experiments using twins. Highlighting the contrast between belief systems and concepts of 'family', the number of twists and turns is astonishing. I'm still unsure about much of what I saw, but it's a great documentary because of that.

Here's a brief interview with the Director.

https://nordicwatchlist.com/2023/06/14/the-gullspang-miracle/
 
Paramount+ and Showtime have combined for a series of UFO documentaries and put them in full on YouTube. Both Paramount+ and Showtime are normally pay TV like cable.

 
kamalktk said:
Paramount+ and Showtime have combined for a series of UFO documentaries and put them in full on YouTube. Both Paramount+ and Showtime are normally pay TV like cable.

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Not available in UK unfortunately.
 
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