Supernatural is an American horror television series centred around the terrifying journey of the Winchester brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles), who were taught to seek and battle mysterious spirits after their mother was killed by a demonic force years earlier.

To celebrate the release of Season 6, HeyUGuys were invited deep down into the London Tombs in an attempt to discover paranormal activity of our own. Admittedly, I couldn’t resist a bit of research into what the evening would entail and from what I could see the experience was guaranteed to bring excitement, horror, pulsing hearts and was certainly not for the faint of mind. To be honest, having always been a little sceptical when it comes to the supernatural, but not completely closed to its possibilities, I was both excited and nervous leading up to the evening.

On arrival (10pm) our group of around 9 were given a tour of the tombs, which was revealed to have formerly been  a plague pit. Each room was themed rather differently from dismembered limbs hanging from the ceiling, to freakish baby dolls, stuffed animals to a human centipede room. After this came a demonstration of the ghost hunting equipment we were to be using throughout the night, including Dowsing Rods, EMF meters, K2’s, Ouija Boards and Planchettes. Now, having become familiar with our surroundings and comfortable with the gadgets it was time to get down to business and find some ghosts!

With a small torch being our only source of light, in the otherwise pitch black room, we all huddled around a table with our index fingers slightly resting on top of the glass, looking on expectantly for any signs of movement. Nothing. Even with Jane’s (The Paranormal Expert) numerous attempts to summon the spirit, which included banging on the table, telling “Shadowman” to come forward as well as the infamous horror cliché “we are not here to hurt you” nothing could be seen nor heard. Not wanting to give in to the logical side of my brain which believed it all to be a hoax, I agreed to be used as ghost bait and was taken alone into a long dark tunnel. Maybe it was my desperate willing to see something, or that I’m lacking a sixth sense, or more realistically there was actually nothing there at all, but when Jane said I had walked through a spirit I was pretty sure it was just a cob web.

After a few hours of not much happening, the electric anticipation which once gripped our group was beginning to dwindle. There was a slight elevation when the glass began to move seemingly on its own but this soon diminished when it was revealed that a journalist (or possible covert worker) was indeed moving it himself. From there, the event became somewhat amusing. It was no longer engaging and despite being underground in a room filled with gruesome props, yawns were being exchanged. However, this could have possibly been due to how late it was.

At around 2am we finally gave up and Jane put it down to it being an “inactive” night, needless to say I have my doubts. With the hope of witnessing turning tables, conversational Ouija boards and visible figures but seeing nothing of the kind, it was hard not to feel a little cheated. I’m a firm believer of trying everything once but in this instance, I’d rather leave the Supernatural seeking for the television show, which has proved to be a much greater success.

Supernatural Season 6 Complete and Supernatural Season 1-6 Box Set are out 7th November on DVD and Blu-ray.

The Supernatural Event at the London Tombs was hosted by Haunted Happenings.

To mark the release of Supernatural Season 6 on DVD and Blu-ray 7th November, Warner Home Video have given us three copies to give away on DVD.

The stunning conclusion to Season 6 of the Winchester Brothers’ adventures comes to a head in SUPERNATURAL SEASON 6: VOLUME 2, available on DVD November 7^th 2011. Also being released for the first time is SUPERNATURAL THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON and SUPERNATURAL: SEASONS 1-6 BOX SET, out on DVD and Blu-ray November 7^th 2011, courtesy of Warner Home Video.

Still reeling from the events in Season 6: Volume 1, Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki – Friday The 13^th, TV’s Gilmore Girls, and Jensen Ackles – My Bloody Valentine, TV’s Smallville) continue their epic battle between good and evil. The story reaches a thrilling climax as the souls locked in purgatory finally escape and Castiel (Misha Collins – TV’s ER and 24) reveals an immensely powerful secret that could alter the course of Sam and Dean’s future forever.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who plays the character Sam Winchester in Supernatural?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 7th November at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

© 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Originally envisioned as a feature film, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series looks set to reach viewers via the smaller screen instead. Deemed unfilmable by Gaiman himself, the project is currently being acquired by Warner Bros. TV from sister company DC Entertainment, who are presumably looking to prove the comic’s creator wrong.

Considered by most circles a seminal piece of work in the medium, Sandman follows the trials of Morpheus, the so-called Lord of Dreaming. A deity who literally personifies dreams, the character started out in the horror fold, before quickly expanding to cover other genre’s with the introduction of The Endless. This group comprised siblings Destiny, Death, Destruction, Despair, Desire, Delirium and, or course, Dream; taking place in a series of domains such as reality and The Dreaming, among others.

Originally touted to involve Roger Avery during its feature film days, DC quickly resorted to talks with HBO when thoughts turned to TV. THR are reporting that when the project failed to develop, however, Warner Bros. TV stepped in. While Gaiman has enjoyed limited involvement to date, it is still early days. At the top of Warner Bros.’ current list stands Eric Kripke, creator of the CW’s Supernatural. The director stood down from his creation after it outlived his five season plan, showing a level of integrity which will no doubt sate the many devotee’s Sandman has acquired over the years.

While the possibility of a big screen outing for The Endless looks less likely than ever, at least it now rests in capable and experienced hands. Stay tuned for more details.

It’s been ten years since The Blair Witch Project hit movie theatres. Yesterday i looked at it’s production and the impact it had at the box office and on the industry in general in The Blair Witch Project: Ten Years On – Part 1. Today i’m looking at the film itself, and tomorrow i’m going to discuss how the Blair Witch phenomena still influences Hollywood today in The Blair Witch Project: Ten Years On – Part 2 .

Due to one of the biggest marketing campaigns in history, there was a tremendous amount of buzz around Blair Witch when it was finally released. Everyone was talking about the movie, and it was ambiguous whether the film was authentic ‘found’ footage, or a fictional movie. Many attended showings of Blair Witch fully believing what they were about to see was genuine, particularly in the early screenings.

Heather, Josh and Michael are three student filmmakers, and they have come together to film a documentary about an old local legend, The Blair Witch. Using rented equipment, they begin by travelling around the small town, questioning locals about the story. Some know very little, but others know a lot more about it. The filmmakers are told that an old witch lived in the woods, and murdered local children. Once finished in the town, the trio set off into the woods, with a tent and supplies, to look at where the killer supposedly roamed.

They find some mysterious small rock formations, and film plenty of footage. On their second night, they make a fire. During the night, they are terrorised by frightening noises, and are freaked out. They decide the next day to leave the woods, but in the middle of a non-descript forest, struggle to make sense of the map. Over the next couple of days, still lost, desperation sets in. Constant disturbances at night deprive them of sleep, discoveries of unusual symbols and formations haunt their day.

Hungry and terrified, infighting begins. As the band begin to lose their grip on their sanity, Josh becomes separated. Fearing they’ll never see their friend again, Heather and Michael discover a derelict old house. Is that Josh they can hear inside? Or the unspeakable evil of the Blair Witch?

In trying to track down a copy of Blair Witch, i was surprised at the reaction i got from people about the movie. No-one had a good word to say about it, and for a movie that made hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide, that baffled me. There are two ways to assess Blair Witch, so i’ll explore both routes.

The first is to look at it through the eyes of those who saw it at the time, in an atmosphere of ambiguity. The (often very poor) handheld camerawork does give the film a very convincing air of authenticity. The interviews with locals come across realistically, and are indistinguishable from those in real documentaries you’d find on obscure cable channels. The trek into the forest begins convincingly, and the young actors are enthusiastic and good natured. Many of the scenes, particularly during the night, are shot in a very organic way, with short cuts and fast movement. As the fear builds up over the days, the changing attitudes of the filmmakers and their fraying relationships are portrayed well.

As the movie progresses, however, and the disturbing phenomena become more pronounced and therefore farfetched, the boundaries of believability then close in. When their equipment is interfered with in the night, the fantasy element begins to come clear. Then when a present is left for Heather and Michael outside the tent after Josh vanishes, any semblance of realism disappears. As a result, the spooky conclusion, though eerie and well shot, is rendered moot. The illusion has already been shattered. A shame, because if the lead up had been toned down to believable levels, audiences would have left the theatre still unsure of whether they had witnessed a true story.

The other way to look at Blair Witch is as i look at it now, as simply a fictional movie. The legend is laid out quite well, and as they enter the woods it’s still holding your interest. The problems begin when it gets dark in the wood. The poor camera work, combined with a lack of light, make the movie difficult to follow. During the night disturbances, the poor sound quality makes it difficult to hear what the protagonists are reacting to. As the movie goes on, the lack of scripted dialogue and hands-on direction means the storyline meanders, with very little interesting progression. The dialogue becomes repetitive, and the whole experience is in danger of becoming tedious.

The storyline picks up somewhat when Josh disappears, and ironically the elements which disable your suspension of disbelief are the saving grace of the plot. With the possibility of a visceral finale, some momentum is generated. Unfortunately, the conclusion is nowhere near just reward for the patience required to reach it.

As an experiment, and a marketing phenomena, The Blair Witch succeeded in it’s goals at the time of release. Going into the movie with some level of faith in it’s authenticity would have made it a great watch. Re-watch value, however, is virtually nil. Difficult to watch for all the wrong reasons, it’s best left remembered as a one time great movie experience.

Come back tomorrow, as i look at movies that have taken a cue from The Blair Witch Project over the last ten years, and discuss how the phenomenon fundamentally changed Hollywood marketing techniques forever.

Bazmann