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31 Scary Story Nights: October 3rd “Swamp Witch”

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Welcome again readers to my series of 31 scary stories!  Our countdown to Halloween is in full swing, and our last two tales were chilling to say the least!  Tonight’s selection is slightly different.  Swamp Witch isn’t a traditional story.  In fact, it’s not necessarily a regular story at all.  It is in fact a song.

Written by Jim Stafford in 1974, Swamp Witch‘s lyrics tell the story of Hattie the Swamp Witch and her effect on one small town out in the bayou.  The lyrics work well as a stand alone poem that can be read aloud as a story, and I hope you and your family enjoys it as much as I do!  As a bonus, however, I’ll place a for the song before the lyrics!  There’s just something about Stafford’s delivery that makes the song even creepier…

Let’s take a trip to the bayou together!

***Writer’s Note:  We here at iHorror are big proponents of responsible parenting.  Some of the stories in this series may be too much for your little ones.  Please read ahead and decide if your kids can handle this story!  If not, find another story for tonight or simply come back to see us tomorrow.  In other words, don’t blame me for your kids nightmares!***

Swamp Witch music and lyrics by Jim Stafford (1974)

Black water Hattie lived back in the swamp
Where the strange green reptiles crawl.
Snakes hang thick from the cypress trees
Like sausage on a smokehouse wall.
Where the swamp is alive with a thousand eyes
An’ all of them watching you.
Stay off the track to Hattie’s Shack in the back of the Black Bayou.Way up the road from Hattie’s Shack
Lies a sleepy little Okeechobee town.
Talk of swamp witch Hattie lock you in when the sun go down.
Rumors of what she’d done, rumors of what she’d do,
Kept folks off the track of Hattie’s shack
In the back of the Black Bayou.

One day brought the rain and the rain stayed on
And the swamp water overflowed.
Skeeters and the fever grabbed the town like a fist
Doctor Jackson was the first to go.
Some say the plague was brought by Hattie
There was talk of a hangin’ too.
But the talk got shackled by the howls and the cackles
From the bowels of the Black bayou.

Early one morn ‘tween dark and dawn when shadows filled the sky
There came an unseen caller on a town where hope run dry.
In the square there was found a big black round
Vat full of gurgling brew.
Whispering sounds as the folk gathered round
“It came from the Black Bayou.”

There ain’t much pride when you’re trapped inside
A slowly sinkin’ ship.
Scooped up the liquid deep and green
And the whole town took a sip.
Fever went away and the very next day the skies again were blue.
Let’s thank old Hattie for savin’ our town.
We’ll fetch her from the Black Bayou.

Party of ten of the town’s best men headed for Hattie’s Shack.
Said Swamp Witch magic was useful and good
And they’re gonna bring Hattie back.
Never found Hattie and they never found the shack
Never made the trip back in.
There was a parchment note they found tacked to a stump
Said don’t come lookin’ again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, then…what do you think readers?  It doesn’t get much creepier than that!

Join us again tomorrow for the next installment of 31 Scary Story Nights here at iHorror!
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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

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Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

The Strangers

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

The Strangers

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The Strangers

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

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It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

Great Movie Ride

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

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Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

Home Depot Prop

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.

Terror Dog Prop
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