tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383138131740133732024-03-18T21:24:52.080-07:00Exorcist RepositoryThis is the place where all updates and future write-ups will go. To see the narrative of my original Exorcist investigation, go to my "Related Blog" entry. Note: As of 7/23/11, I reserve the right to re-post interesting e-mail I receive on this is subject, with all identifying info removed prior.Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-47734045922842752622013-10-21T18:05:00.000-07:002013-10-21T18:05:10.981-07:00GHOST ADVENTURES: THE EXORCIST HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As it is my policy to make new blog entries only when I get additional information on “The Exorcist” case (or something even peripherally related to it), I wanted to add this here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So my sister, Deb, texts me several weeks ago to let me know that the next night on the Travel Channel there would be a program airing, “Ghost Adventures”, in which the host(s) of the program are paying a visit to 8435 Roanoke Street in St. Louis County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8435 Roanoke is famous for being the home where, in 1949, an exorcism ritual took place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such it has become a local landmark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This exorcism, and the case surrounding it, made for William Peter Blatty’s book, “The Exorcist” and the film of the same name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong>Ok, if you’ve already read my investigation blog on this case </strong><a href="http://mikesbigblogorainydayfunexorcistkid.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">MIKE'S BIG BLOG O' RAINY DAY FUN - EXORCIST KID!</span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong> then you know that my conclusions were (and are) that this was not so much an ado about nothing, but rather that there were other reasons behind 14 year old Ronnie Hunkeler’s behavior at the time.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One of the “guests” on the “Ghost Adventures” program is Eileen Dreyer, who is the niece of Father William Bowdern, the Exorcising Priest, and the person upon whom the book and movie character of Father Merrin is based.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The show’s hosts meet to speak with Eileen at another location, and not at 8435 Roanoke, because she refuses to be anywhere near that house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently she believes in leftover bad juju, despite the fact that her late Uncle Bill allegedly caused the Devil to vacate the boy, thereby leaving it up to the Lord’s emissary, St. Michael, to take Lucifer “out in back o’ the woodshed”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We also have Mr. Greg Meyers as a special commentator, who is some sort of local paranormal investigator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Meyers said of the house that “Satan was here”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is wrong, because (spoiler alert!) Ronnie wasn’t possessed to begin with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read the full story at my Exorcist Kid Blog, because everything I have to say about it has been said there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At some point in the program, Mr. Meyers shows a photo of a scratch that he says he <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>received from an unseen force while in the house on a prior occasion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The primary purpose of the “Ghost Adventures” crew being at the house that day and night was to set up their electronic equipment in the Northwest Bedroom (where Ronnie was) and run tests of some sort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had recorders to pick up EVP’s (Electronic Voice Phenomena) and some type of heat sensitive cameras to detect any kind of ethereal movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Believe me, all this preparation works out great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They get “spirit orb” images and “voices” supposedly saying things like “Ouija”, “Devil” and “Diablo”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem with this is that I have a very hard time believing footage that I know can be altered in post-production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">No offense intended to the people on “Ghost Adventures”, but if they set up all this equipment and then nothing happens, they don’t have a show, the network pulls the plug and the Travel Channel doesn’t get to sell time to run ads for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies (Snap!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crackle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>360 Degree Head Spin!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I suppose it’s better to have staged “reaction” shots to things that allegedly happened and then “enhancing” them afterwards to complete the effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note: hyperventilating adds that nice “terror touch”, too, so don’t forget that!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Other things: they show a crack in the window of the Northwest bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we know that it wasn’t already there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there’s a sound of something falling and hitting the floor upstairs (the crew looks to be in the living room on the main level when this happens).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we know that it wasn’t someone in the bathroom maybe dropping a bar of soap or knocking something else over?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I don’t know, maybe I’m just being too skeptical about this, but I didn’t really SEE anything that convinced me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Reaction” shots just don’t cut it for me although they do for some other people, I guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever success these shows have in convincing viewers that they’ve seen or heard something that is NOT on camera, is due in large part due to the skill of the editor(s).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On the other hand, you couldn’t get me to go in that house, either, because there’s something in the back of all our minds which is suggestible if one has advanced knowledge of what happened there in 1949.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure I’d be skittish as hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we get conditioned so easily.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Proof?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Try this experiment: for the next two minutes you are forbidden to think about chocolate pudding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">See?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I just gave you not-so-subliminal suggestion and you can’t HELP but think about chocolate pudding now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it’s the same kind of thing with regards to this house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you know an exorcism occurred there, you automatically have a dread about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yes an exorcism took place there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little doubt exists about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did it drive anything out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, and not just because there wasn’t anything TO drive out, but also because they took Ronnie elsewhere to continue this ritual day in and day out until the boy – in a manner of speaking – cried “Uncle”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The current owner of 8435 Roanoke was not mentioned by name in “Ghost Adventures”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, since the owner revealed himself in the Booth Brothers’ documentary film “The Haunted Boy” – and the fact that anyone with a computer can find out about the house via public records – I have no qualms about telling you that his name is Nick Everly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick check earlier revealed that he still lives in the house today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would he still be there if frightening things were truly happening?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In “The Haunted Boy”, Mr. Everly freely admitted (as I’d theorized in the Exorcist Kid Blog) that he bought the house after seeing a story on it in a local newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also talked about making some use of the Northwest bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time of the interview, there wasn’t much in the room and it looked like it needed some work if it was going to be occupied – even as a guest room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Between the DVD release of “The Haunted Boy” and the time this episode of “Ghost Adventures” was shot, Nick had the room re-modeled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a bed in it now and pictures hanging on the wall (no cross that I could see, though), so it’s ready for occupancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe Nick is thinking of renting out that room as a type of “Bed and Breakfast” thing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure would help him pay the mortgage and keep up with the taxes a whole lot better, I venture to say.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Then that would also raise the “spectre” (sorry, couldn’t resist) of having goth chicks and/or mentally ill folks running around his house whipping out their ouija boards to try to “open doorways”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Anyway, this episode of “Ghost Adventures” was interesting ONLY because of where it was being filmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s always fascinating to get the occasional peek into 8435 Roanoke to see the basics of how it’s laid out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than that, you could watch any one of a number of shows like this and still get the vicarious thrill of having gone “Ghost Hunting”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Happy Halloween, kids!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-28138655791393845172013-04-26T16:56:00.000-07:002013-04-26T16:56:38.968-07:00THE FRIEDKIN CONNECTION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2JN49k3hwA-_upedzyNQvThwPNJB-QxZARvw7G6CRa0vzqvE9gsPqC-_tZmxr0-C6lD4hWl1j-ne00wxDoKHH4FV5R2Kf1ClRfOP0-h9n-vYyhQ2Ms5TBRi3-I70zQ42o6KRoO9Gmgw/s1600/THE+FRIEDKIN+CONNECTION.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" lwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2JN49k3hwA-_upedzyNQvThwPNJB-QxZARvw7G6CRa0vzqvE9gsPqC-_tZmxr0-C6lD4hWl1j-ne00wxDoKHH4FV5R2Kf1ClRfOP0-h9n-vYyhQ2Ms5TBRi3-I70zQ42o6KRoO9Gmgw/s320/THE+FRIEDKIN+CONNECTION.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
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(Note: this write-up also appears on my other blog, <a href="http://thesplattingnun.blogspot.com/">THE SPLATTING NUN!</a>)<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mr. Friedkin warns us right off the bat that this is not a typical, “tell-all” memoir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True enough, that; there are no decadent Hollywood behaviors described (unless he’s talking about scenes in his films) and no “kiss and tell” aspects are to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t need that anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is his work which should be celebrated and not any Caligula-like excesses. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Of course with this blog being called the “Exorcist Repository”, I was anxious to get to read the behind the scenes stuff in regards to the movie itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hoping to read new information about the making of the movie that I hadn’t read before.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In discussing the pre-production and casting of THE EXORCIST, Mr. Friedkin talks about Linda Blair winning him over in her audition for the part of Regan MacNeil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He queries her about her thoughts on the infamous masturbation sequence in the script.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks her if she knows what masturbation is and she asks, “Is it like jerking off?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Have you ever done that?”, he asks Linda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She replies, apparently without blinking, “Sure, haven’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow, after an exchange like that I guess I would have cast her as Regan, too.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mr. Friedkin writes a bit about the so-called Exorcist “curse”, in which an unexplained (even to this day) fire broke out on the set and delayed filming for weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the kind of story that newspapers and gossip rags ran with at the time, more grist for the publicity mill.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was a bit disappointed to see that Mr. Friedkin did not mention anything about how Evangelist Billy Graham had supposedly declared that a demon was living within an actual print of the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, maybe Dr. Graham’s contention was a bit “out there” – even for the director of THE EXORCIST.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, this was a movie about the triumph of good over evil – God vs. Satan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that God wins here seems to have been overlooked by a lot of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, I heartily disagree with the assertion that the movie is “evil”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about evil getting its ass soundly thrashed and then handed right back.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mr. Friedkin goes on to describe the bickering between himself and William Peter Blatty during the film’s production and then years later when they were re-inserting footage for DVD that was left out of the original cut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, both men can look back now and laugh about their disagreements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">William Friedkin also went on to do other films, probably none of which got such worldwide attention as THE EXORCIST.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movie CRUISING may have come close, but for reasons that I’m sure were not intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">CRUISING, by the way, is only one of two movies that made me want to crawl into a bathtub for days on end to wash the movie experience completely off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other movie that made me feel that way was the Nicolas Cage film, EIGHT MILLIMETER.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mr. Friedkin tells some interesting tales about his career to include his latest movie, KILLER JOE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">THE FRIEDKIN CONNECTION is well worth reading if you are a fan of his work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if you are not, you will likely find something to admire or interest you within these pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Many thanks to Stephanie Salah of Harper Collins Publishing for seeking me out through this blog and for her kindness in sending me a review copy of this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-19266158754490472522012-10-09T15:57:00.002-07:002012-10-09T15:57:30.262-07:00ANNELIESE: THE EXORCIST TAPES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong>(Note: This write-up is also posted on another of my blogs, </strong><a href="http://thesplattingnun.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">THE SPLATTING NUN!</span></a><strong>)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ok, this is NOT a bona-fide documentary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As mentioned on the DVD cover posted above, this may well be the most famous possession in history, being that the one which was the basis for THE EXORCIST has been credibly debunked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For more on this, check out:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ANNELIESE: THE EXORCIST TAPES is a <u>re-creation</u> of events, using actors, although you will see no screen credits for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose that this is to carry over the illusion that you are seeing the ACTUAL film shot during Anneliese Michel’s 1976 exorcism(s).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been suggested through other sources that some film DOES exist, but I didn’t spot any filmclip here that looked to be the real deal.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From what I know of the actual events, Anneliese did not kill anyone during her possessed state, as the film suggests, nor did she lead anyone to commit suicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makes a good story, but ‘tisn’t true in the scheme of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too bad, really, because there was one person, a bully cameraman who kept calling Anneliese “you crazy bitch” and taunted her to undress for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He deserved to became a grease spot on the carpet and I will tell that he DOES get his in the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The priest is played by Christopher Johnson whom I instantly recognized as the actor who played Josef Mengele in one of my recent favorite movies, NAZIS AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">BUT….<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">….what makes the movie worth having is how well it’s put together AND the fact that there are audio clips of the real Anneliese during her exorcism(s) played at key points in the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the playing of these audio recordings, you see on your TV a “screen card” which tells you what you are listening to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I don’t speak much German anymore (being 30 years removed from living there as a young soldier from 1979-1982) and unfortunately, there’s no translation of what’s being said between the priest and the voice issuing forth from Anneliese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a pity, really, because it would have been quite interesting to know.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The movie IS an attention-grabber despite the fact I was initially let down that this was not a genuine documentary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are intense moments in it (not to include the “urine walk”, which I gather was a nod of the head to “The Exorcist”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Highlights are when the priest tells the family and camera crew just which entities are possessing Anneliese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to give it all away, but can you say “Sieg Heil”?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One of several highlights has to do with the “scientific” film crew slowly beginning to understand the true meaning behind Anneliese’s possession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Anneliese Michel died on July 1<sup>st</sup>, 1976 in her hometown of Bavaria, Germany of what was deemed to be starvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Anneliese’s parents and the priest were charged with negligent homicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve seen the movie THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, you’ve seen the Americanized version of the Anneliese Michel story.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Below are two pictures taken at Anneliese’s Bavarian gravesite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Copyright owners maintain all rights to these images.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And, as a study in contrast, below are pictures of Anneliese before and during exorcism.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I found this movie over the past weekend on Saturday, October 6<sup>th</sup> at a local K-Mart in the Missouri town where I was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular K-Mart has a really neat Halloween section and someone there took great care to put their inexpensive scary DVDs prominently amongst the decorations, costumes and seasonal candy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, ANNELIESE: THE EXORCIST TAPES was easy to spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Actually it wasn’t a lone DVD; there are 3 other features that were included: THE AMITYVILLE HAUNTING (which I will be blogging about here soon), A HAUNTING IN SALEM and 100 FEET.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paid only five bucks for all four films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This wasn’t the only DVD set I found that day, but with the discovery of ANNELIESE: THE EXORCIST TAPES, it was by far the most interesting find of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Recommended but it is not, of course, for kids or those with sensitive dispositions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ANNELIESE: THE EXORCIST TAPES is from The Asylum Home Entertainment. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Website: </span></b><a href="http://www.theasylum.cc/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">www.theasylum.cc</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-6237972332529089552011-10-24T17:59:00.000-07:002011-10-24T18:01:26.345-07:00RONALD HUNKELER'S CLASS PICTURE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHxlw0W3pjD0PgJwYCxeiqPCt0vav3cpBiXXTGr7EQzjf_zUncp2UU26q0pUclnpS2k8Q4NtGDQkwIpUKclUI5lpgmZiDoDkcf9tzR9YopY1SP97yX1he5gr7ISZSG5tZR8tr61i65Cs/s1600/Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHxlw0W3pjD0PgJwYCxeiqPCt0vav3cpBiXXTGr7EQzjf_zUncp2UU26q0pUclnpS2k8Q4NtGDQkwIpUKclUI5lpgmZiDoDkcf9tzR9YopY1SP97yX1he5gr7ISZSG5tZR8tr61i65Cs/s320/Picture.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>I've put a green "X" (not necessarily short for "exorcism") on Ronnie's jacket lapel so that you can easily identify him. Special thanks to an anonymous reader of this blog, and my original Exorcist blog (</strong><a href="http://mikesbigblogorainydayfunexorcistkid.blogspot.com/"><strong>MIKE'S BIG BLOG O' RAINY DAY FUN - EXORCIST KID!</strong></a><strong>), for providing the first clear copy of this photo that I've seen. In other prints of this one, Ronnie's face is usually blurred out. </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Pleasant looking fellow, isn't he? Oh if only his fellow students had known what happened to him just a few years earlier....</strong></div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-47698257250502963292011-07-24T06:08:00.000-07:002011-07-24T06:08:32.564-07:00INTERESTING E-MAIL<div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235976" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">One of the most interesting things about doing a blog such as <a href="http://mikesbigblogorainydayfunexorcistkid.blogspot.com/">MIKE'S BIG BLOG O' RAINY DAY FUN - EXORCIST KID!</a> is that people stumble across it periodically and are so moved by what they've read that they contact me via the site.</div><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235976" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235976" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">I am most grateful to hear from folks on this issue. As I've contended before, it's interesting to see that even today the subject of whether Ronnie Hunkeler "was" or "wasn't" is still discussed over 60 years after the event(s) occurred. </div><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235976" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235976" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">Jim Richardson was kind enough to allow me permission to re-post his letter here. I did, however, leave off his e-mail address for obvious reasons. </div><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235976" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">__________________________________________</div><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235976" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">Dear Mike, Jim Richardson here, </div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">A big HELL – o from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311512284_0" style="border-bottom: #366388 2px dotted; cursor: hand;">Knoxville Tennessee</span>, the buckle on the Bible belt, where Southern Baptists keep alive the image of/fear of The Devil in their everyday lives. I am writing because I just did (for the hundredth time) an internet search on the name Ronald Hunkeler, NASA’s favorite possessed boy, which led me to your most fascinating blog from last year. I have to say it’s the best thing I’ve read on the case in ages (and trust me, I’ve read everything I can get my hands on about it), and I will be earmarking it so I can come back to read it again and again. Well done! </div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_2_131149348235978" class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">My roots of interest go all the way back to the time of the release of <i>The Exorcist</i>, which (when I did get brave enough to see it) scared the bejesus out of me, whereas you found it ridiculous, and I’m convinced that that has to do with my Southern Baptist upbringing and the fear of Satan (for the record, I no longer believe in him) instilled in us (former) Baptists . I have had a love/hate relationship with the film, and only at almost 50 yrs old do I count it as one of my favorite movies of all time, and only now can I watch it without being disturbed for two weeks afterward. I read the Thomas Allen book in the early nineties and was stoked and determined to find out all I could about the original case. Then came the intriguing and insightful Mark Opsasnik (sp?) article, and, while it kind of trampled my meadow, I forged ahead with my interest, so much so that on a visit to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311512284_1" style="border-bottom: #366388 2px dotted; cursor: hand;">St. Louis</span> I took the time to brave “The Hood” and seek out the Alexian Brothers Hospital on Broadway so I could add the exorcism site to Jim’s Morbid Tour of America. Had I known at the time the whereabouts of Aunt Tillie’s place and the Hunkeler house in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311512284_2" style="border-bottom: #366388 2px dotted; cursor: hand;">Bel Nor</span>, I would have made them my <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311512284_3" style="border-bottom: #366388 2px dotted; cursor: hand;">Mecca</span> as well. That’s another trip.</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">Having long believed that the case had psychological bearings rather than supernatural ones, I’m inclined to agree with almost everything you’ve put forth. Almost! From a seed planted in the Thomas Allen book as well as an interview he did on TV fingering Aunt Tillie (sorry) as the culprit who molested Ronald, I have long believed molestation (by psychological accounts, invariably present in cases claiming demonic possession) was behind the mysterious meltdown the kid had, leading up to the most famous exorcism in history, and until your wondrous blog I believed, like everyone else, that the aunt was the villain. I never dreamed the grandmother might have had a hand in it! I know you based that on private information given, but where did you get the idea that the mother (Odell) was complicit? Was that private, family related info as well? Curious. </div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">The only part I might take issue with you on is the claim that the diary is so totally unreliable. Exaggerated maybe, but I can’t believe that all the priests and witnesses would be so willing to lie about what they saw, or thought they saw. I also think Ronald, troubled though he clearly was, wasn’t just playing a prank, as Mark Opsasnik claims – a prank that got him out of a year of school. I have never known a single kid that wanted to engage in something that would cause him to be put back a year, into a class behind his own with a bunch of strangers. I think he had some severe psychological problems that led to him acting all this out, and I’ve often wondered if there wasn’t some of the rare instances of telekinesis that is supposedly present in troubled youths going on that might have made Ronald THINK he had something inside of him that could cause weird shit to happen. Far fetched, I know. Whatever happened to him sounds like it colored his adult life, brilliant though he must be as a NASA scientist. I find it particularly interesting that he still displays a volatile temperament and that he has on obsession with spackling holes in the walls that aren’t there – holes that perhaps remind him of when he was a kid and heard scratching sounds coming from the walls and floorboards? </div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">Anyway, this is my longwinded way of saying I LOVED your blog and hope you’ll do a sequel. I think you’re probably better at sequels tham William Peter Blatty.</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">Best!</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1172874705MsoNormal">Jim Richardson </div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-90699753587230658522010-12-28T16:57:00.000-08:002010-12-28T16:57:30.069-08:00RONALD HUNKELER - AS HE MIGHT LOOK TODAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijq-wvcnRmRSCkmo5zURByhJ0i10hlWileIxCUG-PF4U4iveeNMTOHrx8ojRFSuO97sZQt6WGQHz9ZcnFgO0lilLussPJf6bwO4bghSc85VPZFchHLJUrtkHeo5CjiNVIMATOc_gLJjgA/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijq-wvcnRmRSCkmo5zURByhJ0i10hlWileIxCUG-PF4U4iveeNMTOHrx8ojRFSuO97sZQt6WGQHz9ZcnFgO0lilLussPJf6bwO4bghSc85VPZFchHLJUrtkHeo5CjiNVIMATOc_gLJjgA/s1600/untitled.bmp" /></a></div> <strong>(Ronald Hunkeler Today?)</strong><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Ok, here we have a photograph purporting to show Ronald Hunkeler as to how he looks in modern times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I compare to this to his 1954 high school photo, the characteristics and facial features appear to me as if they are the same person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could well be wrong about this, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will attempt to verify this as much as I can and see what turns up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></b><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Trying to enlarge this photo only distorts it, so for now this is the largest it can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps one of you out there has a program that will get around this problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once again, thank you to Andy Black for finding this and letting me know about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that as time goes on we may be able to learn more about Ronnie’s post-exorcism life and as/if I do so, I will share with you what I can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></b></div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-42970531998092822942010-12-28T16:46:00.000-08:002010-12-28T16:48:40.011-08:00THE RITE OF EXORCISM (ALBUM)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDixTximv15K4vo5xMXvZJK8O2jazSr9K6uREu2SPopKdUTL9l1JXOpJG9kNMZug6xyNGxRzjK0mtXRlpZudLtJgMI6t-kiflgxUs5l8EcNQrHBchgnvqgzsz9IpjaxejgYTsSYi6vJM/s1600/RITE+FRONT+COVER.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDixTximv15K4vo5xMXvZJK8O2jazSr9K6uREu2SPopKdUTL9l1JXOpJG9kNMZug6xyNGxRzjK0mtXRlpZudLtJgMI6t-kiflgxUs5l8EcNQrHBchgnvqgzsz9IpjaxejgYTsSYi6vJM/s1600/RITE+FRONT+COVER.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<strong>Thought I'd post a link to where you can download an album on exorcism that was released in 1974 to cash in on, well, some film or another - can't seem to recall which one, though. Hmm....</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Anyway, click here: </strong><a href="http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/06/the_rite_of_exo.html">The Rite of Exorcism</a> <strong>at WFMU's wonderful site. You can download both sides of this album and, uh, "enjoy". </strong><br />
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<strong>WFMU's "Beware of the Blog" is one of my most wonderful sites on the net. Check it out!</strong>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-4990312837904472302010-11-22T18:05:00.000-08:002010-11-22T18:05:02.355-08:00RONALD HUNKELER - JULY 1964<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRSn_vnH-Eb9SN2TEPWgpLVaURe6RYvlDquxI0_J0rsjvEXWZJT7tXgQKL77OBu3Sy10JXLtnm3RfHxVS7GHM6Bk7OK-M5MEhT-erv3gFJ84faVRQ2JflvAZwZzNbAdXdcdAgvDhlywI/s1600/HUNKELER+NASA+PICTURE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRSn_vnH-Eb9SN2TEPWgpLVaURe6RYvlDquxI0_J0rsjvEXWZJT7tXgQKL77OBu3Sy10JXLtnm3RfHxVS7GHM6Bk7OK-M5MEhT-erv3gFJ84faVRQ2JflvAZwZzNbAdXdcdAgvDhlywI/s320/HUNKELER+NASA+PICTURE.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> (click to enlarge)</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday I was fortunate enough to receive an e-mail from Mr. Andrew Black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’d done better digging than I had on the NASA website initially and came up with a Goddard Space Center newsletter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>features a picture, in profile, of Ronnie doing working with foam of some kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is really before anyone, but for a small group of people, knew anything of his past.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m only posting the page with Ronnie’s picture on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to see the whole thing, go to: <a href="http://library01.gsfc.nasa.gov/goddardnews/July_27_1964.pdf">http://library01.gsfc.nasa.gov/goddardnews/July_27_1964.pdf</a>. </span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Interesting pic because this is the first photo I’ve seen of Ronnie with dark hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The newsletter is dated July 27, 1964.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point we were two years past John Glenn’s historic “Space Walk” and only four years away from the first man on the moon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ronnie had a hand in this as well.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks, Andy, for your kindness in hipping me to this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep up the good work.</span></b></div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-64990028628712224232010-11-21T16:48:00.000-08:002010-11-21T16:48:33.640-08:00The Haunted Boy - The Secret Diary of The Exorcist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTk66daxFwIPJw8rn9HvVzIZIujo3dH48DGz22C2Iqptstkar-3AQGx5Ft50kDYUYWNwnThxgQE4Ym9NF3DWJZksqxXkOE6uHWFvYoGzORkiCgAZRGZBOe6VwVPAPiVFcAn4kSVeOw1I/s1600/THE+HAUNTED+BOY+DVD+INSERT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTk66daxFwIPJw8rn9HvVzIZIujo3dH48DGz22C2Iqptstkar-3AQGx5Ft50kDYUYWNwnThxgQE4Ym9NF3DWJZksqxXkOE6uHWFvYoGzORkiCgAZRGZBOe6VwVPAPiVFcAn4kSVeOw1I/s320/THE+HAUNTED+BOY+DVD+INSERT.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First of all let me say that this DVD was quite a bitch to find – none of the retailers I checked had it, nor could they even order it for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t do the online ordering thing, so when a gentleman by the name of Andrew Black contacted me after having read my Exorcist Investigation blog, he very kindly offered me the loan of his print of the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very BIG thanks goes out to Andrew.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Where do I start?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had some initial dread about this movie because I was afraid that it – like so many others I’ve seen before – was going to treat the exorcism “diary” as fact and not as the misrepresentation that it has been shown to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turns out, I was right – they are using the same diary written by Father Raymond J. Bishop. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was, therefore, prepared to be utterly discouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On that point, I was wrong. </span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Booth Brothers (Christopher and Philip, who look like Aerosmith roadies) have made some interesting paranormal documentaries before and certainly this one is no different in that it is well-done and intriguing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is due, no doubt, to their considerable skill as editors, producers and directors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Christopher and Philip do nothing really to dispel the legend that the diary was found in a locked room in a former asylum to tell/sell this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to believe this story, one first has to believe that the diary is genuine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first half of the diary is reconstructed by things the boy’s mother and grandmother were telling Father Bishop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Proof?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good Father had to get the info second-hand from someone since there is no indication that he made a trip to Cottage City, Maryland where Edwin, Odell and Ronnie Hunkeler lived, to personally observe any of the alleged phenomena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m reminded of the “discovery” of Hitler’s Diary in some haystack and, later, the finding of Jack The Ripper’s Diary as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither of those turned out to be anything, but it’s interesting to see what people will swallow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps we ARE a nation of Linda Lovelaces after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s look at some facts here:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part of Ronald Hunkeler’s 1949 exorcism took place at 8435 Roanoke in Bel-Nor, which is a house in a St. Louis County, Missouri, suburb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The residence belonged at the time to his paternal uncle, Leonard Hunkeler and his family, so Ronnie never LIVED there (as is intimated in the film).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The northwest bedroom is said to have been the place where it happened and I’ve come across nothing in my research to contradict that small detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ronnie became too disruptive in the household and had to be moved before any “casting out” could be completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As such, the Church’s position was that Ronnie was still “possessed” when the final move to the Alexian Brothers Psych Ward took place.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That being what it is, logic would tell you that no “entity” could have been cast out at 8435 Roanoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keep in mind that Catholic exorcisms are designed to return a demonic entity from whence it came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think any entity the boy was reported to have had would’ve taken up residence at 8435 Roanoke after leaving Ronnie’s body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, in the unlikely event that we could believe ANYTHING Ronnie had said, the boy related (again, from the psych ward, mind you) that he saw St. Michael cast “the Devil” into the fiery pit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fanciful flight of imagination there from the Ron-ster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or perhaps he was just guided to say that by clergy as an act of contrition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So we have the film-makers and their crew, along with a “psychic” and a ghost hunter, standing in THAT bedroom at 8435 Roanoke trying to conjure up the “demon” that they seem to be convinced has been sub-letting the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big mistake for two reasons:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There wasn’t one to begin with.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you go looking for “trouble”, you are likely to find it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if it’s all in your head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two relatives of Ronnie’s are interviewed in short segments on the DVD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not identified by name and their faces are “tiled” out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t verify who the younger lady they talk to is (her voice is NOT electronically altered), but I am guessing that the elder lady Christopher is talking to is Leonard Hunkeler’s daughter, Janis (whose voice IS altered).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janis is approximately 4 or 5 years older than Ronnie, which would put her at 80 years of age or so now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the initial diary is correct about her, she was the one who notified the clergy at St. Louis University that there was a problem with Ronnie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, she was probably the person most responsible for the exorcism in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s likely a good thing, because the little puke needed some sort of ass-kicking to help him straighten up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note: read my Exorcist Kid blog<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><a href="http://mikesbigblogorainydayfunexorcistkid.blogspot.com/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Calibri;">http://mikesbigblogorainydayfunexorcistkid.blogspot.com</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to learn what Ronnie had to say, via his attorney, about the “possession” in 1998. You will find other tidbits of info there that you probably didn’t know before, including the fact that Ronnie’s old man never bought into the whole “possession” theory.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the film we also get to see where Ronnie temporarily stayed at the old St. Vincent’s Asylum in St. Louis, which has since been converted into senior living apartments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judy Perry, Ex-Manager of the apartment complex, revealed that the fifth floor of the building, where Ronnie’s room is said to have been, is unused and has been empty for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also indicated that there have been complaints from the tenants of strange occurrences there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Later, Ms. Perry tells the story of a nun, who worked there when it was still an asylum, had told her that they had to take care to keep Ronnie’s nails trimmed because he tended to scratch himself – on the chest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sound familiar?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This lends credibility to the contention that the little brat was doing this to himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At one point, mention is made of – now get this – the “haunted furniture” (from the Alexian Brothers’ exorcism room) that was removed prior to the hospital being demolished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mover named Brad Givens talks about how heavy the bed was and if I’m understanding correctly, he’s saying it could only be lifted and moved by four strong guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m gathering that he’s not believing the bed could move on its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The “haunted furniture” was moved to a classified military compound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do get to see the alleged exterior of this facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if the furniture is in with the autopsied alien corpses, UFO debris and Bruce Lee’s cryogenically frozen body?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was doing my initial research for my Exorcist blog, I did run across the name of the current owner of the former Leonard Hunkeler residence at 8435 Roanoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose not to use it in the piece, but am changing my mind here because Nick Everly goes on camera in “The Haunted Boy” to explain (as I’d originally theorized) that he bought the house BECAUSE of what happened there and not in SPITE of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, it is hard to work up much sympathy for him when he relates the story of being called by police while at work telling him that they had to chase some guy in a devil outfit off Nick’s front lawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gee, who’da ever thought THAT would happen?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ok, then we get to hear examples of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), recorded in Ronnie’s exorcism room at the house on Roanoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the “voices” is picked up as saying “F—k Me”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great, now we’ve got a pottymouth entity running (floating?) around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Must have been a sailor in its previous incarnation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or a former Ozzy Osbourne family member.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">An interesting experiment would be to set up EVP equipment at McDonald’s, after hours, and see how many “spirit” voices are recorded asking for “some fries with that”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or in any abandoned asylum to see if perhaps a long-disembodied voice will say something like “stop eating the phonebooks!”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t trust any recording that can be altered in post-production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are three featurettes - “The Haunted Delivery”, “Digging Deeper” and “Behind the Screams”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In “The Haunted Delivery”, we have the film crew at 8435 Roanoke, accepting the delivery of a whole stack of Domino’s Pizzas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christopher appears to want to have a little spooky fun with the Pizza Deliveryman and asks him if he’s ever seen the movie “The Exorcist”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Deliveryman indicates that he has and then Christopher explains that the exorcism took place in this very house asks him if he wants to see the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Deliveryman has to overcome some initial trepidation but finally goes upstairs into the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s sort of treated with humor even though the Deliveryman appears just a bit nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m guessing that this all happens before they do the equipment set-up and filming in the room.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Digging Deeper” is an exploration of the basement area of St. Vincent’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s in ruins, but the most surreal footage in this segment shows that someone drew a “smiley face” on one of the walls in or near the shock treatment area. </span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Behinds The Screams” seems to shows the crew back in Ronnie’s room using something identified as a “Paranormal Puck”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This “Puck” has a computer screen which they are using to make “contact”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An unseen “user” identifies itself as “God” and then “types” in LOL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the main feature, the “entity” has identified itself as “Angelknot” and also as “Effendi”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Extras also include an off-camera voice saying that Father Cleary had reversed his position and was now indicating that he thinks the boy was acting up because of being molested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, there is mention that his Aunt (Tillie) was molesting him – this has been a theory for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it is more likely that it was his maternal grandmother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least this was what Ronnie was telling boyhood friends at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One specific thing that really annoyed me about this DVD is that the title seems to have been partially ripped off from Investigative Journalist Mark Opsasnick’s ground-breaking article, “The Haunted Boy of Cottage City”, which smashed all the previously-believed myths about the story behind “The Exorcist”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was highly influential on me and was one of two pieces I’d read which started me on my own odyssey to see what I could find for myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Opsasnick is not given any credit or recognition in “The Haunted Boy” DVD, although it is obvious that his writings on the case helped to inspire this documentary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is, however, an acknowledgement made to Chad Garrison, whose Riverfront Times article “Hell of A House” was the other big influence on me and, apparently, on the Booth Brothers as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They talk with Chad for a minute or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chad told me in a reply to my initial e-mail inquiry that he and the photographer walked through the big house at night and did not feel any vibes at all, even though they had “tried”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite a few things I see wrong in the movie, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still highly recommend it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found it to be well worth the time to watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I wish someone out there would completely “bust” the diary and do the real, REAL story, the Booth Brothers do manage to make a fascinating and entertaining film despite the shaky, unbelievable base upon which it is built.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-4570424123041600822010-11-18T17:44:00.000-08:002010-11-18T17:44:00.341-08:00THE "CAPTAIN HOWDY" SITE<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Just discovered a website out there devoted to the movie version of “The Exorcist”. It’s called captainhowdy.com and follows all news related to upcoming releases and products. I’ve been in contact with the site’s webmaster and he and I are linking to each other’s sites. I’m linking there today and he’ll be doing so on his next site update. This is THE place to go for all things Exorcist. </span>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-37171554818205763712010-11-18T17:42:00.000-08:002010-11-18T17:46:54.374-08:00LETTER FROM A DEMONOLOGIST<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Earlier this evening, I had the pleasure of hearing from a gentleman in New York in regards to this blog. I was pleased to see that my efforts here are getting a bigger and bigger audience. It was slow to take off, but seems to be gaining momentum.</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">With his permission, I am sharing this e-mail with you now, only identifying him as "Jim D". Other than that, the text of this e-mail is pretty much as it was when I read it today. However the four sentences which comprise the last paragraph are from a second e-mail he sent, answering my reply. He discusses some sensitive things in the second e-mail, so I didn't wish to violate a potential confidence by sharing that as well.</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Jim's e-mail is </span></b><a href="mailto:Dukes2352@aol.com"><b><span style="color: #3366cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Dukes2352@aol.com</span></b></a><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He discusses his vocation in the e-mail should anyone need his assistance. He took over from Ralph Sarchie whose book BEWARE THE NIGHT is utterly hair-raising. </span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Not to be read just before going to sleep, let me tell you!</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Here's what Jim had to say:</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">"Hi Mike;</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I read you post re. the Cottage City youth. Although I disagree with your ultimate conclusion (I believe the possession was, in fact, quite real) , I loved your professional and objective research. You did a great job.</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I retired from the NYPD as a Captain on 29 April 2010. I'm also a veteran of the US Navy Reserve. I am a p/t college professor, and also a p/t demonologist. I'm also very busy lately. You may want to check out a book entitled "Beware the Night" by (Retired NYPD Sergeant) Ralph Sarchie. A great read, and I'm actually his de facto successor.</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I don't know exactly why I'm emailing you, but I've discovered that psychological pathologies and preternatural phenomenon aren't mutually exclusive, at all. In fact, angelic trash often seem attracted to persons with emotional vulnerabilities. Put another way, selfish, nasty, unstable people still become possessed, and, therefore, still require relief. I exorcise places, and never people - they require a validly ordained Catholic priest, with Church permission. I'm a layman, and I know my limitations. Most demonic haunts can be alleviated via holy water and specific prayers, i.e. the Holy Rosary and the Pope Leo XII prayer. I also believe that people, such as Ronald Hunkeler, often suffer PTSD, as do many of my brothers in uniform, in addition to other, perhaps numerous, underlying psychological challenges. The presence of real psychological illnesses doesn't preclude the reality of the possession. In fact, they often are joined at the hip.</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I could go on, but I may already be boring you. Good work, although I do dissent re. your ultimate conclusion. Should you ever need to talk, or experience any phenomenon in your home, which does happen, email me. Everyone else does, so you're welcome. Often, cold spots, dark shadows, night time, i.e. magical, whisperings, scratchings, fear, chaos, among other tell tale signs - all indicate a visit from the demonic. I offer my services pro bono, should you ever be in need. God bless you and your wife.</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />
</span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Absolutely; feel free to post my email, and you may include my personal email address, also. Just please use "Jim D." Bishop McKenna and I speak, and he refers Long Island / NYC cases to me. I'm not sure where you're located."</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-7469528529902500142010-11-18T17:40:00.001-08:002010-11-18T17:45:10.475-08:00J. W. OCKER'S O.T.I.S. (ODD THINGS I'VE SEEN) SITE<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This blog is starting to get some minor local media attention and as such, I thought I needed to start linking more directly to peripheral sites that may have related topics. </span></b><br />
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Mr. Ocker visited the Cottage City, Maryland house as part of his photo essay project to document extraordinary landmarks he's visited. </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Check his archives as well because he has been to the Jason Miller (Father Karras in the movie) bust in Miller’s home town. There’s also his visit to the very steps that Father Karras tumbles down at the climax of the film. This site is still a tourist attraction today. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There are plenty of other wonderful things to see at OTIS, including the burial site of one of the suspects in the Jack the Ripper slayings, the graveyard used at the beginning of the movie NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and the WAR OF THE WORLDS monument in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. </span></b></span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Such is the case with J. W. Ocker's ODD THINGS I'VE SEEN site (</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.oddthingsiveseen.com/2009/01/house-of-exorcism-boy.html"><b><span style="color: #3366cc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">http://www.oddthingsiveseen.com/2009/01/house-of-exorcism-boy.html</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">). </span></b></div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338313813174013373.post-88806834964712050052010-11-18T17:39:00.000-08:002010-11-18T17:45:28.224-08:00<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #777777; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif';">My first real update of this blog.<br />
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In my initial entry, I reported that Aunt Tillie’s daughter had made a reconciliatory gesture to her cousin Ron Hunkeler via an online bulletin board. It’s looking as though she was either unsuccessful in reaching him or, if she did, might have been rebuffed.<br />
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In checking the daughter’s Facebook page there is no one with the last name of Hunkeler listed on her “Friends” page. I find that this is also the case in checking other family members pages – no Hunkelers found. <br />
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There ARE Hunkelers on Facebook, though. Not Ronnie, but his son and his son’s ex-wife. I found a listing for someone I presume to be Ronnie’s grandson (the son, the son’s ex-wife and the grandson are all linked via Facebook friends). I’m pretty sure that this is a correct assumption because this young man does kind of resemble Ronnie as he looked in his younger days. <br />
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Kind of sad, really, when you think about it. If I found all these folks as easy as I did, they could find each other as well. Leads me to wonder if there’s still tension that extends all the way back to 1949. Got to hand it to Tillie’s daughter, though – at least she made an effort to put right whatever she deems to be wrong. Can’t successfully work things out if only one side is making the effort.<br />
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It wasn’t important to me at the time, but when I was hot and heavy into all the Hunkeler research I never really came up with the name of Ronnie’s ex-wife. Nowadays, though, it fairly jumped out at me as I was doing other things. <br />
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She and Ronnie divorced in 1986. This was probably after nearly 30 years of marriage, I would say. The woman whose name I came up with fits comfortably into the right age bracket. I’ve got her connected at some point with Ronnie’s son’s name, so with this fact, the age thing and because she kept her married name, this has got to be the same lady. <br />
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I’d really love to hear her story about living with Ronnie, but she’s probably not all that enthused about discussing it. Guess I couldn’t blame her. I continue to wonder, though, how long it was before she knew anything significant about Ronnie’s past – or if she ever did. <br />
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As for “Suzy”, Ronnie’s post-divorce girlfriend, I’ve found someone on Facebook under “Suzy’s” real name. I can’t be sure that this is the same woman, but since the last name is not all that common, I’m thinking that this could be the lady. If it is, she completely extricated herself from Maryland and started a business elsewhere. I haven’t decided if I want to contact this lady or not. <br />
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Curious to see where (if anywhere) this will take me next.</span></b></div>Mike Madonnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02342900031156829526noreply@blogger.com1