THE TERROR OF THE 'TUBE: Victoria Champion

If there were ever an ultimate abyss wherein mysterious horrors dwelled, swimming restlessly in murky foul waters, awaiting our aghast and bewildered attention so they can seize the moment to slither insidiously into the moist crevices of our brain and fester there, that place would be the most popular online video sharing site in the known darkness of the universe — YouTube.

Many nights have found us cowering in dread and shivering in semidarkness. Our computer screens cast pale sickly light on our goosebump covered skin. With wide eyes, we peruse the frightening smorgasbord of paranormal videos available.

It is a horror buffet for the fearful yet hungry core of our souls.

We indulge in clip after tasty clip of tingles and shocks. Gluttons for the eerie sensation of being creeped out, we torment our psyches with alleged evidence of the supernatural.

Ghosts swoosh and hover, their sudden appearance astounding and terrifying their unwitting accomplices — the cell phone camera operators who scream and flee in abject panic. We watch their desperate retreats gleefully. That will teach them to go into abandoned buildings! We cheer on the angry specters who supposedly pursue them, whilst simultaneously rooting for the trespassers to get away unscathed.

The cemetery at night is a place few dare to invade, yet amateur sleuths walk bravely in for us, and we ride on their shoulder, seeing through their cameras’ eyes. Good-natured jostling and rustling in the shadowy night breaks the semi-somber tone of the spooky expedition. Giggly yet hushed grass-tramping creates an ambiance more of hijinks than horror. A phantasmal figure emerges from behind a gravestone. Run! We cheer and squeal in sympathetic fear and delight, thankful for the foolishness of others.

Poltergeists in private homes shake cameras and throw objects, or stack thingamajigs in bizarre patterns, apparently vying for us to be made aware of their presence. But what is the message they are attempting to send us? They seem to be merely busy mischievous spirits seeking our attention, and we give it to them.

Never before have the undead had such a huge audience.

What about that strange voice on the tape recording? Is it really saying something intelligible or do we hear what we need to hear? Did it just say, “Die”? Perhaps it is best for the investigators to err on the side of possibility and vacate that area as soon as possible! It is a good thing we are safe on our side of the illuminated screen … aren’t we?

Demons crawl across the floor, pop up in front of the camera, and startle us. Faces morph in the mirror, and entities sneak their way into photographs. Don’t look away! We do, but we gather our courage and turn back to the screen for a better look.

Not wanting to be made fools of ourselves, we try to solve the enigmas, debating the merits of the case in the comments section. Is it really a ghostly face? Is it pareidolia? Is it fake?

Eventually, we chuckle, and readily forgive the hoaxers and silly pranksters because they entertained us for those brief minutes. Yet, deep inside our still disturbed minds, we wonder — could it be real?

On Halloween, we never need to leave our homes to seek out encounters with the restless undead — if we only choose to believe for a little while in the frightful stories of kindred souls seeking to bring a little fun into our lives.

I’ll be watching the scares along with you, my fellow horror chasers, in the most haunted place on Earth — YouTube.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Victoria Champion is a writer of Dark Fantasy Horror.

Her fantasies contain subtexts and origins in disturbing folklore and mythology, with a heavy dose of terror and the supernatural. Her fiction explores subjects that are frightening, fantastical, paranormal, psychological, romantic, and erotic. Some genres she fits into are horror, dark fantasy, paranormal romance, weird fiction, speculative fiction, and fairy tales.

Victoria currently lives in Austin, and has previously lived in Houston, Sedona, and New Orleans.

Raised Catholic, she broke away from the church as a teenager and began a long love affair with the occult and the hidden mysteries of the world. Possessing a lifelong interest in the strange and preternatural, she is an avid fan of fantastical films and literature. Despite an interest in the stories and psychology of belief in anomalous legends and the paranormal, she has found peace in the realm of skepticism and considers herself a realist.

A hobbyist visual artist, she draws and paints figures surrounded by mystical and subtextual symbolism, as well as stand-alone shapes suggestive of free-floating thoughts and fears.

You can find out more about this author at http://victoriachampion.com.

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OCTOBER 13 GIVEAWAY: 

===== UPDATE: GIVEAWAY CLOSED! ECOPY WON! =====

Wanting full-on, in your face horror with a dash of spice? Today's giveaway is just that. HOUSE ON BLACK HELLEBONE ROAD is erotic horror that will have you screaming out this author's name. 

But you've got to be quick! Just ONE ECOPY is being given away! 

Go to the Official HALLOWEENPALOOZA Event Page (link below) and comment "I WANT TO WIN" in the October 13th post announcing today's giveaway and THE HELLEBONE HORROR is yours!  

https://www.facebook.com/events/164385847097718/170224466513856/?notif_t=like

House on Black Hellebone Road is Book #1 of The Hellebone Horror trilogy.

Alone at an isolated manor, real estate agent Luisa unwittingly opens the door to a sexual encounter with an enigmatic stranger and experiences a transformation that will alter her desires forever. She finds herself struggling to hold on to her humanity while she copes with a growing obsession to satiate an unspeakable hunger.

This story contains mature subject matter (including explicit sex and gore) and is intended for an adult audience.

This ebook contains the erotic horror story House on Black Hellebone Road. This original novella by Victoria Champion is 17,500 words.