• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Fortean Documentaries

gncxx said:
the case is far from common.
Click to expand...
See that's where it diverges from my reality and my framework. I don't care a damn if others cry 'naive' of me. The boy's family were, in one way or another, complicit in his death. They could not face their own corruption, even when the boy had been slaughtered. How could anybody be so willfully blind?
 
I don't think you're naive, just not jaded. I was about 10 years old when Ted Bundy went to trial and the made-for-TV movie about Kitty Genovese was aired. It changed my point of view about the world. I learned that some murderers can blend in - be handsome even, and people might not come to rescue you if they know you're being murdered.

I got into true crime then because this new awareness me feel vulnerable as a young girl (soon to become a young teen) and I wanted to understand the threat. So, I learned that while some criminals are cunning planners, others only get away with it because a family member or close friend refuses to turn them in.

But you're right to hold onto the belief that there are fewer criminals than good decent sorts. But, maybe it's also good to understand that some nice families may not be as nice as they appear. That some people won't do the right thing unless prodded.
 
Gwenar said:
I don't think you're naive

...

it's also good to understand that some nice families may not be as nice as they appear. That some people won't do the right thing unless prodded.
Click to expand...
Appreciate your attempt to slap me into being there, Gwenar. ;)

No, I'm not naive, that's why I found the doco so brutal. Here's my original point. There's a documented murder and a documented cover-up with no subsequent investigation into THE FAMILY. What TF is wrong with US law that me, not being naive, can see that the mother and sister know a bunch more than they're telling, but no law is being enforced to bring them to justice and account for their duplicity. Is this yet another sad-end of political correctness where the 'feelings' of the apparent aggrieved are now seen to be more worthy than bringing them to account in the murder of this youth?

The reason for the family's acceptance of the imposter is worrying though.
Click to expand...
This is at the heart of it. I'm not saying they did him in (they may have), but they definitely know what happened. You don't have to be a seasoned detective to see that. It isn't 'the way of the world' that gets to me, it's the offhand response to the obvious by the authorities. The FBI agent is very clear that she is waaaay suspicious of the two, but waht has happened as a result? What about the boy??! It's too open-ended when there are very obvious implications for the family. The facts:

1. The sister coached the imposter from the very beginning - implying that she knew he could not be the boy himslef, and is clearly complicit in the deception of the authorities. No charges laid or investigation entered into.
2. The mother and sister both helped the imposter to settle into their former child's role back in the US as smoothly as they could. Why? Because they wanted to smother any interest in the investigation. If they were really aggrieved and looking for true closure, they would have howled aloud from the outset. They didn't. Therefore there are, as far as I can see, two main motives for their complicity in deception. Either they were too cut up to challenge the imposter (possible), and their desperation for closure drove them to lie to themselves and avoid any further emotional stress (a mental/emotional self-delusion - plausible). Or, they know what happened to their boy and want to protect themselves and the perpetrator from prosecution, and this bloke was a convenient cover allowing them to avoid any further legal snooping.

In my opinion, the second scenario is the most likely. I think it highly likely that the ex-boyfriend killed the boy and disposed of the body with the mother and sister's knowledge, even encouragement. Why is anybody's guess. But they definitely know what happened.
 
That's certainly what the documentary makers implied. I feel that we will hear one day what did happen. Perhaps when someone dies or goes to prison, say, and is no longer able to keep others quiet with threats.

Many people are frightened into complicity when they are close to a murderer. Knowing that someone is capable of killing is enough to keep them quiet.

It's easy to say that witnesses should speak out, but if they have been forced to help conceal the crime they are implicated. They would be treated like any other criminal and might not be safe from the actual murderer or the murderer's associates. They are unlikely to take that chance.
 
Ahhh.. I see what you're saying, Skinny. Not naive, just irritated at law enforcement. Yeah. If there's not enough hard evidence, and the parties maintain their innocence, there's not much they can do. They can only wait and hope someone comes forward.

I spoke with a judge recently who was appalled when a perp met an extremely high bond. He was forced to set bond by law. Then, he had to let the man out when the bond price was met.

And this is where I'm frustrated. I see what you're saying to a certain extent Escargot, but this man did not have money for bond. Someone helped him - most likely his family. He is not a threat to his family. He was caught attempting to abduct a child and the evidence in his car showed that he most likely would have murdered the child after. But, he's threatened suicide in the past and that's probably why the family wanted him at home. :roll:

If that was my family member, I'd feel terrible for him because he's obviously sick - but I wouldn't put others in harms way to help him.
 
Not much Fortean about this, but a really engaging doco about boxing Irish clans in Ireland and England carrying on a hardcore feud through fistfighting. Hits close to home, coz some of my father's uncles and cousins are Quinns and his mother was a Clarke and her mother's people were Joyces. All that boxing culture's gone from our generation and we've no sons ourselves. 7 daughters (but they've still got the stiff-necked strain - no doubt about that. 8) )

This Youtube account also terminated.
 
skinny said:
Not much Fortean about this, but a really engaging doco about boxing Irish clans in Ireland and England carrying on a hardcore feud through fistfighting. Hits close to home, coz some of my father's uncles and cousins are Quinns and his mother was a Clarke and her mother's people were Joyces. All that boxing culture's gone from our generation and we've no sons ourselves. 7 daughters (but they've still got the stiff-necked strain - no doubt about that. 8) )

Knuckle: Irish Bare-knuckle Fighting clans
Click to expand...

Snatch is on TV. Brad Pitt does the pikey character well. He's a natural. The one punch knockout is a load of shite but. I like this film.
 
Thanks for that - fascinating!
He is right about so many things, and I'd love the Star Trek future he proposes to actually happen - but will it? Too many vested interests are in the way.
 
Mythopoeika said:
Thanks for that - fascinating!
He is right about so many things, and I'd love the Star Trek future he proposes to actually happen - but will it? Too many vested interests are in the way.
Click to expand...

Plus some of us would rather not live in a heavily militarised society, even if it was a benevolent dictatorship.
 
Here's a quaint old school BBC series on haunted castles in Ireland with links to those of Scotland, Wales and England. Ghost stories are fun, but these docos give some architectural and family history too.

Castle Ghosts of Ireland
 
I just finished watching Mysterious World by Arthur C Clarke. Made before I was born but still fascinating and brilliant. Better than the documentaries of today - Monster Quest and the like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._ ... ious_World

I have been given a lot of his books to read, but who knows when I will get around to that I still have a massive list of to watch/read.

All recommendations still welcome though. 8)
 
This looks like a good one. Focuses on the medieval period in Europe and the so-called barbarians' cultural contributions to modern Europe. Presenter's a bit of a Wally tho. Just starting it.

The Dark Ages: An Age of Light
 
skinny said:
This looks like a good one. Focuses on the medieval period in Europe and the so-called barbarians' cultural contributions to modern Europe. Presenter's a bit of a Wally tho. Just starting it.

The Dark Ages: An Age of Light
Click to expand...
I've been looking into the Early Middle Ages in Northern Europe, recently. A fascinating period. A lot of the interesting stuff, like the rise of the Roman Church, the Franks and the Carolingian Empire, tends to get passed over, from a British perspective.

Have to watch it, when I get the chance. :)
 
This one is quite good. Historical revision, but little in it of Fortean interest. I learned that the Huns were into skull-elongation, so ... hm.
 
Just saw The Imposter last night, wow.

My theory of what happened... white text to try and avoid spoilering for those who haven't seen it.

Kind of began to put 2+2 together early on when they mentioned the brother who was strangely not among those interviewed in modern times - I expected a different resolution with him doing jail time.

When Nicholas apparently calls for a lift home the mother is said to be sleeping (although later it is implied she and Jason were heavy drug users, so that may have been "sleeping"). Nicholas makes his own way home to where his sleeping/"sleeping" mother and Jason are the only ones at home.

Something happens, either a blow-up from Nicholas at Jason for not picking him up, or Nicholas returns to find his mother and Jason "sleeping" and with drug paraphernalia lying around. There is either a row/fight in the first scenario that ends with Nicholas dying accidentally or purposely or he decides to try the drugs, or take some if he is already around that scene, and overdoses.

Jason either wakes to find an OD'd kid, or finds himself with a dead kid brother after whatever fight/row may have happened - he then disposes of the body, either with the knowledge of the mother or not, and reports that he never came home after calling for a lift. He then tells the police that Nicholas came back to try and break in a few weeks later to plant the notion that Nicholas is still out there.

That theory could be completely wrong, maybe he was abducted, maybe he just ran away. I don't think there is clear and conclusive evidence that this was the case, but the body language of the mother and the information we are presented with regarding Jason gives a lot of weight to that theory.

I think it is unlikely, but not impossible, that the sister knew what happened but I think she probably had a vague idea and the idea that Frederic's arrival would blot out the belief that maybe her brother had been killed by her own relatives led her to believe so strongly when the evidence was so obvious that it wasn't him.
 
Not sure if anyone else has posted about this but "Monumental Mysteries" is a fun watch on the Travel Channel, hidden away on Sky. Followed by "America's Darkest Secrets" which is a bit more fun if you like a quick conspiracy fix :)
 
Upcoming "slime mould" documentary, with trailer...

The Creeping Garden is an independently-produced feature-length documentary, directed by Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp and with an original soundtrack by Jim O’Rourke, depicting the world of myxomycetes, or plasmodial slime moulds, and the diverse array of research currently being conducted around them. The film boasts stunning original macroscopic time-lapse footage of these overlooked organisms, filmed within its natural habitat and in a controlled laboratory setting, and features interviews with artists, researchers and scientists involved in the fields of the visual arts, music, mycology, computing and robotics to explore ideas of biological-inspired design, emergence theory, unconventional computing and scientific modelling.

The slime mould has found itself long overlooked by many within the scientific community, and is all but unknown to the layman outside it. They are all around us in the natural world, and yet for most part invisible to the human eye, we remain blithely indifferent to each other’s presence. However, small groups of scientists, artists and visionaries have begun to find within the intriguing behavioural patterns of this peculiar life form extraordinary metaphors and practical applications that seem to belong to the world of science fiction.
Click to expand...
http://www.creepinggarden.com/
 
Just finished "My Amityville Horror" about the events from the boy's (now middle-aged) perspective. Fascinating study of the man. He seems to be in some kind of delusional loop wherein those who are taken by his stories affirm his constructed paradigm while those who challenge them merely reinforce his self-righteousness. Quite sad what happened to him, really. Worth a watch.
 
Found this on youtube: Mind Over Matter telekinesis documentary

It's light on the debunking, discusses the Princeton lab results, Uri Geller, etc.
No sign of the Amazing Randi that I could see. :)
 
An old-school road trip across the US late last century. Hadn't seen this before, but very much enjoyed the journey. Covers most aspects of the UFO mythology, and may be of interest as a reminder of the type of doco that drew some of us to Forteanity.

The title is "Area 51 and the Hidden Secrets of Groom Lake" but it doesn't get there until very late in the film.
[Dead link]
 
Last edited:
That's a good one, Skinny! :D I probably wouldn't have watched it without your description, because - well, area 51, it's a secret military facility, what else is there to know? :p The pleasantly atmospheric yet totally sensible approach of that documentary is not what one would expect from the title.

The part with Lloyd Bushman was pure gold.
 
Last year I revisited the excellent old Discovery Channel series Ghosthunters, which aired (for 28 episodes I think) from 1996 to 1997 but was often repeated over the years. Most of those in the U.K. will probably remember the series, but if you missed it the first time round or only saw it the once I'd really recommend you give it a watch. I managed to download the complete series, and I think most of them are on youtube.

I was especially interested and impressed by a psychic named Eddie Burks (6 December 1922 – 23 August 2005) who featured in a few of the episodes, as from personal experience I could interpret some subtle body language of his that made him come across (to me at least) as being very genuine and conscientious in his ability.

Here's part one of the first episode, The Gorton Poltergeist:

 
Thanks for that, Fr. The old In Search Of series' are now on Youtube too. Some very good little eps among those.
 
The BBC World Service series 'Witness' has an episode about Roswell. Only 15 minutes long, pulls it to bits! :D
Available on a podcast.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top