Freaky Phenomena

 A new documentary titled "Unacknowledged," directed by Michael Mazzola, alleges that Marilyn Monroe was about to go public with her knowledge of the truth about UFOs, and that she was killed to prevent this from happening. The documentary follows Dr. Steven Greer, who believes that the United States government has been covering up knowledge of the existence of UFOs for decades.

Reportedly, Monroe knew that UFOs were real and extraterrestrials exist. Actor Burl Ives (a 33rd degree Mason) is on record claiming that Monroe did not die from a drug overdose as reported.

The documentary's evidence hinges on an alleged wiretap of a conversation between Monroe and a reporter, only three days before Monroe's death. The reporter was investigating Roswell and other UFO-related incidents. Monroe's information presumably came from her alleged affairs with John F. Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy, during which she allegedly learned about JFK's visit to a "secret airbase" where he inspected "things" from outer space.

Monroe reportedly threatened to hold a press conference to "tell all," and died shortly thereafter.

Monroe famously suffered from depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, as well as well-documented issues with abuse of amphetamines, barbitruates, and alcohol. She locked herself in her room at 8PM on the night of Saturday, August 4, 1962. Actor Peter Lawford called her that night, hoping to persuade her to attend his party. Monroe was slurring her words and asked Lawford to say goodbye to several people for her, including himself. According to the coroner's report, Monroe died soon after. Her death was classified a "probable suicide," and was caused by a shocking amount of barbiturates in her system.

 La Lechuza is a horrifying monster native to northern Mexico and southern California and Texas. Many Latinx people have been warned by their abuelas to avoid La Lechuza, who hunts at night and brings instant death to anyone unwise or unlucky enough to encounter her.

According to some legends, La Lechuza is a witch who sold her soul to the devil. In others, she is a simple old woman who was executed by the townspeople for a crime she didn't commit. Regardless of La Lechuza's origin story, in the here and now, she is an owl-like demon who swoops down in the night and kills with a simple touch. Even the lightest brush of one of her feathers will kill the hapless victim instantly.

La Lechuza is drawn to negative emotions. She may lurk near a bar, hoping to swoop down on the patrons as they stagger out into the darkness at closing time. If a couple is having a loud argument in the night, La Lechuza may perch in a nearby tree waiting for someone to storm out of the house. And naturally she enjoys killing small children, who are warned to never leave the house after dark.

La Lechuza is associated with storms. A thunderstorm at night is an ill portent, and a wise person will stay strictly indoors on a stormy night. La Lechuza may also try to lure people outside by making a sound like a baby crying, or by whistling a call. Whistle back to La Lechuza, and your fate is sealed.

Should you have time before she swoops down and snatches you up, La Lechuza can be repelled by a handful of salt and chile powder. She may also be warded off by reciting The Magnificat (also known as the Canticle of Mary).

Even so, if you survive a La Lechuza sighting, you may still fall ill. It is best to visit a curandero (Mexican shaman) as soon as possible, to have La Lechuza's curse lifted from your blood.

 In the 1950s, an Italian painter named Giovanni Bragolin created a series of  maudlin paintings of tearful little boys. The boys were staring directly ahead, which made them appear to be looking straight into the eyes of whoever viewed the painting, and created the "it's eyes are following me" effect. 

These paintings were licensed and distributed worldwide, and became a popular item of mass produced art in the 1950s and 1960s. And that's where things got weird.

An urban legend quickly arose, that these paintings were tied to house fires. If you hung a painting of a crying boy, so the legend said, your house would catch fire - but the painting would survive unscathed.

This legend grew for years, particularly in England. The Sun held an event in 1985 wherein painting owners could "donate" their paintings to be burned en masse in a bonfire. This would reputedly lift the curse and break the cycle.

More recently, Steven Punt investigated this legend for his radio show "Punt PI." He found that the paintings are indeed quite fire-retardant, possibly due to a safety varnish. It also helps that they are printed on compressed board, which is not nearly as flammable as canvas. Punt found that the twine for hanging the painting is the only particularly flammable part. And of course, when the twine breaks, the painting will tend to fall flat on its face on the floor, which will also help save it from damage.

Punt's conclusion was that the legend of the "Crying Boy" painting was just a series of coincidences. But could something more be at work here?