Paranormal Pop Culture Week in Review: A round-up of the week's news to know when talking about the unknown:
A New Zealand woman sold two vials of holy water (shown left) she said contained the ghosts of an old man and young girl - which she says had been exorcised in a $100 bargain exorcism - for US$1,983 at an online auction site (visit for the comments alone). The auction attracted more than 200,000 views and was eventually won by an electronic cigarette company. She said the proceeds, minus the exorcism fee, would go to an animal charity. Two questions: Who charges for exorcisms? If you had to pay for an exorcism, wouldn't you want to avoid the budget option that probably just ticks off an evil spirit? (Reuters)
The UFO NewsCorp coverage craze continues with something eerie over Lake Erie when an Ohio EMT catches what he claims is photo and video evidence of a craft "making line formations and triangles in the sky." (FOXNews)
Nessie may be occupying prime real estate in a new Monopoly Highland Edition game that will replace London landmarks with Scottish ones. While not yet official, the Loch Ness Monster is a top contender to replace the coveted Mayfair spot from the London version (which is the most expensive space on the board, similar to Boardwalk in the U.S. version). Scots get a chance to vote on the top slot with the British makers of the game, Winning Moves, with polls closing on April 2, and the game being released in October or November this year. Of course, if Nessie wins the race, and we have no doubt she will, she'd already be prepared to be a landlord - hard to find and surfacing only when you're not ready for her. (Telegraph)
Zombies are organizing in Oz to protest Australia's lack of an adults-only video game rating - which prevents games like Left4Dead 2 from being sold there. Instead of being walking dead (this time) the zombie hoard is actually a group of protesters who will be gathering at the Hyde Park Fountain in Sydney on March 27 for a citywide shuffle, but will be taking part in a promotional photoshoot tomorrow (or today, I guess, when you consider wacky Australian time zones). Called the Epic Zombie Marchmarch, the group has organized over Facebook. Blow their minds and eat their brains, zombie protesters! (via NetworkWorld)
Author Seth Grahame-Smith continues to enjoy attention as, depending on your point of view, either breathing a little excitement into literature and history or tainting it with his new book, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The film rights to the book have already been picked up by Tim Burton, and Grahame-Smith's other book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is also being made into a movie starring Natalie Portman. Add to that, the upcoming PP&Z graphic novel - which PopCandy so nicely gives us a sneak peek of - and you've got a guy with a mini-monster-mashup empire on his hands. Can The Old Man and the Sea Serpent be far behind? The trailer for Vampire Hunter below.