Ghosts of California

Using testimonies by pioneers and witnesses of the times, delve into the feverish visual culture the media generated – with far-fetched examples of canine television games, seduction manuals, aerobics class while holding a baby, among others.

Forrest J. Ackerman styles himself as the number-one fan of science fiction and horror movies, and he has the collection to back it up: more than 350,000 books, publicity stills, lobby cards, props, posters and paintings related to his obsession.

The greatness, fall and renaissance of Hammer, the flagship company of British popular cinema, mainly from 1955 to 1968. Tortured women and sadistic monsters populated oppressive scenarios in provocative productions that shocked censorship and disgusted critics but fascinated the public. Movies in which horror was shown in offensive colors: dreadful stories, told without prejudices, that offered fear, blood, sex and stunning performances.

X-ray images were invented in 1895, the same year in which the Lumière brothers presented their respective invention in what today is considered to be the first cinema screening. Thus, both cinema and radiography fall within the scopic regime inaugurated by modernity. The use of X-rays on two sculptures from the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum generates images that reveal certain elements of them that would otherwise be invisible to our eyes. These images, despite being generally created for technical or scientific purposes, seem to produce a certain form of 'photogénie': they lend the radiographed objects a new appearance that lies somewhere between the material and the ethereal, endowing them with a vaporous and spectral quality. It is not by chance that physics and phantasmagoria share the term 'spectrum' in their vocabulary.

In 1954 the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency conducted an investigation into how the comic book industry was supposedly contributing to the moral decay of a nation's youth. The investigations were spurred on by a number of articles that blamed comics for the rise in juvenile delinquency in post-war America. Chief among the critics was Doctor Frederic Wertham, whose book, "Seduction of The Innocent" has been blamed for nearly single-handedly crippling the entire comics industry. "Confidential File" was aired in 1955, after the senate hearings and the formation of the Comics Code, but it serves as a perfect example of how the media reacted to the comic book industry, and sought a scape goat by blaming the comic book publications for society's own lack of responsibility in raising its children.

In 1973 the Halloween industry would be changed forever When Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA, hosted their very first Halloween Haunt event. Many years later, employees of the park known as "Street Monsters" developed a new scare tactic that involved sliding great distances across concrete asphalt in order to surprise and scare the guests of the event. In this film you will hear the stories of the Street Monsters who invented or who refined this skill into what it is today and also see what it takes to be a Street Monster at this event.

A poetic journey through the inner world of a grieving filmmaker who tries to find solace in talking to her ghost. Different stages of grief are visually linked to seasonal changes in nature. The filmmaker finds reflections of her mindscape in the surrounding scenery and wildlife.

A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.

This retro documentary, based on the book by world-renowned paranormal expert and author Gaynor Baldwin, explores the haunted history of the Isle of Wight - said to be the most haunted place on earth. Also known as 'Ghost Island', no one really knows what lurks in the shadows. Dare to find out?

3 locations, 760 hours of investigation, condensed into a hair raising 90 Minutes! The most thorough paranormal investigation ever conducted! A location so active as exorcist had to be flown in! With its violent land lawless past, Old Town Saginaw may be one of the most haunted places in the United States. Running through Old Town like a main artery is the infamous Hamilton Street. What will investigators uncover amongst the centuries-old structures? What lurks in the shadows awaiting them? Watch the disturbing evidence unfold as investigators spend an astonishing 24 months exploring prohibition-era tunnels, a former mortuary and a hotel/saloon inhabited by a malevolent demonic entity. Witness the most thorough paranormal investigation ever conducted!

Blitzkid performs at the famed Conne Island venue in Leipzig Germany during the Hellnights 2012 tour (part of their farewell European Return to the Living tour).

Mass hysteria breaks-out over an alleged demonic possession in an Indiana home. Zak Bagans then buys the house, sight unseen, over the phone. He and his crew soon become the next victims of the most documented case of demonic possession in US history.

This short film documentary features Shaw Desmond, founder of the International Institute for Psychical Research. Shaw relates several famous British hauntings.

Three paranormal investigators enter what is said to be the most haunted location in the Midwest. Over the last 100 years, the property has housed thousands of deaths, murder, suicide, and countless acts of foul play.

A documentary on the making of Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case trilogy.

This is the true story of a love triangle that takes place entirely online. Lies lead to murder in real life, as a teenage vixen (screen name 'talhotblond') lures men into her web. Revealing a shocking true crime story that shows the Internet's power to unleash our most dangerous fantasies.

With the help of elaborate re-enactments, TV star Thomas Gottschalk tells the dramatic story of King's life: his journey from alcoholic, penniless and completely impoverished author to multi-millionaire who was almost fatally injured in a car accident.

In the town of Xoco, the spirit of an old villager awakens in search of its lost home. Along its journey, the ghost discovers that the town still celebrates its most important festivities, but also learns that the construction of a new commercial complex called Mítikah will threaten the existence of both the traditions and the town itself.

Is the Burlington County Prison Museum haunted? Do the spirits of executed prisoners continue to roam its halls? The answer will shock you! A group of paranormal enthusiasts entered the Burlington County Prison, in Mount Holly, New Jersey, to capture photographic, video and audio evidence in hopes of validating eyewitness testimony.

Journalist Emily Siu searches for the ghosts thought to dwell hidden in the clouds of incense fume and firecracker smoke amongst the modern Macao metropolis. She encounters people who have learnt the healing arts of the occult but begins to feel the grasp of the supernatural on her own psyche.