evil

Creating and displaying Jack-O-Lanterns during the Halloween season is a tradition that has been passed down for centuries in nations all over the world. Children are especially participatory in this holiday ritual; In the United States, most families make a day-long outing of searching for the perfect pumpkin before helping their children carve out their nightmarish imaginings into the vegetable. In many small towns, a Jack O’Lantern, or the depiction of one, is used to signify houses which are participating in another popular Halloween tradition: Handing out candy. Before European immigrants who settled in America discovered the pumpkin, native to their new country, was perfect for this tradition various other vegetables were carved to hold candles; In England, beets were hollowed out and carved with macabre expressions. In Ireland, where the tradition of the Jack O’Lantern originated, large turnips and potatoes were first used. While this tradition is reserved mostly for the young and young at heart, the origins are much more sinister than one could imagine. Irish legends tell the tale of a man known as “Stingy Jack”, for whom Jack O’Lanterns are named. Jack was well-known in his village for being a manipulative, deceitful drunk; In fact, he was such an abhorred human that tales of him told by the townspeople were impressive enough to summon the Devil, who was unconvinced of the man’s evilness. While drunkenly wandering the town one evening, Jack came upon a dead body lying on the cobblestone path. As he approached, Jack noticed the face was distorted in a demonic grimace and discovered this “dead body” to be the Devil himself. Convinced Satan had finally come to collect his rotten soul, Stingy Jack requested the Devil join him in a final drink before dragging him into Hell. The Devil obliged, but after finishing off a round, Stingy Jack did not have money to pay, as his nickname would suggest. Jack asked that the Devi transform himself into a silver coin which he would use to pay the tab. The Devil was so impressed by Jack’s display of manipulative cleverness that he once again granted his request, and transformed into a coin. But Jack did not pay as he had promised; He instead slipped the coin which the Devil had transformed into inside a pocket, containing a crucifix. The cross in Jack’s pocket prohibited the Devil from turning back into his true form. Jack agreed to let Satan go only if he agreed to leave Jack alone for a year and to never claim his soul. Eventually, Satan agreed and was set free. One year later, the Devil paid a second visit to Stingy Jack who was once again, roaming the streets of his village in a drunken stupor. Stingy Jack believed the Devil had finally returned to collect his soul, despite their deal made one year earlier. He begged for an apple hanging high in a nearby tree before being taken into Hell, again manipulating the Devil to granting his request. Satan climbed the tree to retrieve the apple; Meanwhile, Stingy Jack was busy carving a large crucifix into the base of the tree so that he would be unable to come back down. Jack negotiated another ten years in which he would not be visited by the Devil and after he agreed to the conditions, allowed Satan to come out of the tree. Of course, Stingy Jack did eventually die. When Jack arrived at the Gates of Heaven he was turned away for his deceitful and manipulative nature in life. He met with the Devil one last time to ask to be allowed into Hell. This time, the Devil did not give into his wishes as he was still butt-hurt over being tricked by this man before. In a final gesture of good will, Satan gave Jack a burning coal straight from the fires of Hell to light his way and sent him off to eternally wander through the night, stuck between this word and the next. The Irish began referring to the soul of Stingy Jack, sometimes seen carrying a carved-out turnip containing the coal given to him by the Devil as “Jack of the Lantern”, eventually shortening it to, “Jack O’Lantern”. The Irish began creating lanterns for themselves with sinister faces, similar to the one Jack must have seen on the Devil when they first met. The lanterns would come to be displayed on All Hallows Eve to ward off Jack of the Lantern and other evil spirits wandering the earth. Make sure to carve your Jack O’Lantern every Halloween, if you don’t, you may be visited by spirits so evil, not even the Devil will claim them.

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When Sean Robinson’s grandmother passed away, he inherited a painting that had been in her attic for over 25 years. The piece entitled, The Anguished Man, had been an unwanted gift from a friend that Sean’s grandmother stowed away in the attic insisting it was “evil”. She claimed a dark figure had been lurking through her house ever since she received the painting and that strange noises such as crying were coming from it. The artist who created The Anguished Man was an incredibly disturbed individual who mixed his own blood in with the oil paint when painting the piece and committed suicide immediately following its completion. Sean Robinson, being a skeptic, did not believe in his grandmother’s story or the supposed paranormal events she experienced after receiving it. Shortly after Sean displayed the painting in his home, he and his wife began seeing a dark figure, as his grandmother had claimed seeing. The couple said strange noises seemed to be coming from the painting including scratching an a man crying. Sean described, “We have heard crying coming from te corner of the bedroom. We started seeing the dark figure standing at th bottom of the bed, just staring at us. It seems to be a middle-aged man but his features are not very clear.”. Sean’s wife was so unsettled by the happenings in their home she refuses to live with The Anguished Man. Mr. Robinson, on the other hand, has gained quite a bit of attention on the web from filming supposed activity surrounding the mysterious painting and releasing the “evidence” on YouTube.

Unfortunately, chances are the “haunted painting” is a hoax. After all, no one even knows the name of this twisted, tormented artist who created the painting with his own blood before dramatically taking his own life. Nevertheless, it has gained a substantial amount of attention from the paranormal community, being studied by Ian Lawman and John Blackburn of Mysteria Paranormal. Lawman and Blackburn have taken The Anguished Man to some of the most notoriously haunted locations in the United Kingdom including 35 Stonegate at York and Chillingham Castle in Northumberland. During the investigation at Chillingham Castle on May 18, 2013 John Blackburn along with more than 20 witnesses claim the room went icy cold during a séance and a large, dark figure appeared in the middle of the circle. Following a series of questions from Blackburn directed towards the painting, a large wooden bench bangs on the floor, seemingly in response. The bench then violently flipped upside down by an unforeseen force. John Blackburn said the events of that evening were the strangest thing he’d seen in his time as a paranormal investigator. While I do not necessarily doubt the events witnessed by over twenty paranormal investigators at Chillingham Castle, it is difficult to say whether or not they were brought on by the painting. As most ghost believers and enthusiasts know, Chillingham Castle is considered to be one of the most haunted locations in the world and has provided solid evidence of the existence of apparitions over the years. Fact or fiction, the tale of The Anguished Man is certainly one of the more morbid and unsettling stories of the spirit world.

Watch more videos of The Anguished Man and follow Sean Robinson on YouTube

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