I've always dreamed of owning an old, spooky house with oddly-shaped rooms and secret cubbies. As long as it didn't come fully equipped with a collection of creatures who call my name in the dark. That's the problem Kim Darby faces, when she moves into her grandmother's old home in the 1973, TV movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.

Kim plays Sally, a stay-at-home wife dedicated to her upwardly mobile husband (Jim Hutton). Though he's not sold on the merits of country living, Sally happily dives into the task of turning the quaint building into a showplace where she can have cocktail parties with her granny-gown wearing friends. (Granny-gowns were all the rage in 1973.).

To help her with the job, she hires a temperamental, shi shi, interior designer and Uncle Charlie (Willian Demarest) to do the carpentry work.

Sally discovers a small, dark room off the kitchen that was once her grandfather's study. The two by four room has a fireplace which has been bricked up with great vigor and the ash door has been bolted shut. Uncle Charlie tells Sally that it must stay that way but he won't explain why. He should have told her that building a fire in a room the size of a VW bus would be akin to relaxing in front of a metal smelting furnace, but no, he has to be contrary and make her curious.

As soon as he leaves, Sally pries the bolts off the ash door and peers in. It's a bottomless chute and from this angle she sees that unbricking it would be hard. Never mind the fact that the fireplace has no floor, so no place to actually put the burning logs, but that's apparently not important.

What is important, is that Sally has inadvertently set them free. At first, they're nothing but squeaky, whispered voices who are a little too excited about the possibilities. Then they go on the attack. They grab Sally's dress as she walks down the stairs and steal her napkin at a dinner party. When she finally gets a glimpse of the two-foot beasts, she freaks out in front of her guests who all think she's gone mad.

But I Want To!

The creatures are truly a thing of wonder in this movie. They have fat, furry bodies and heads that look like a moldy pumpkins. They move beautifully because they're real. Diminutive actor, Felix Silla, who played Cousin Itt on The Addams Family fills out one of the three monster suits. The set designers then created large scale objects such as books and phones to make the creatures look even smaller as the crawl around spying on Sally.

The best scene in the movie takes place in the bathroom. Sally is in the shower, when the creatures come out of the closet. They use a coat hanger to turn off the lights, then one grabs a straight razor with intentions of doing some damage. "No, don't hurt her," whispers the leader. "But I want to!" razor boy whispers back. It's truly creepy and so much fun.

As Sally spirals downward, her husband gets more annoyed than concerned. She's jeopardizing his shot at full partner at the agency and he wants her to knock it off. Her solution, sell the house which angers not only the designer but the whispering creatures as well. They up their terror campaign, but they don't count on Sally's best friend, Barbara Anderson, the one person who believes Sally's story.

In the end, its a full-on battle for Sally's soul as the creatures find ways to eliminate everyone around her. Her only weapon against them is light but these sneaky little monsters are out to prove a point. Flashlights and candles won't help you. You should be very afraid of the dark.

Warner Archive has recently released a remastered version of this excellent TV movie. It's scary without being gruesome and full of chilling cat and mouse play between Sally and her not-so-inner demons. The movie is available through Warner Archive's burn-on-demand program. Visit their movie page to see a sample of the remastered film quality which is much better than the clip I've included below.

Spoiler alert: This clip does show the creatures, so don't watch it if you'd rather be surprised!

The Fact or Faked team returns tonight with the first of six new episodes where they try find out the secrets behind some very compelling video footage.

First up is a famous UFO video from White Sands, New Mexico. In the video, which you see below, a saucer-shaped object speeds through the air, bounces off the ground then rises up only to crash completely.

The video was taken in 1996 and though many would like to believe it's an actual UFO, the more likely answer is that it's some kind of missile test from the White Sands military base. Tonight, the Fact or Faked team puts several theories to the test in an attempt to recreate the actual footage.

In one attempt, they use a model flying saucer on a set of guide-wires then force it to bounce using gravity and a spring release. It's quite an elaborate set up and it's unlikely that an amateur could have faked the footage that way. Still, it's fun to watch, because it's similar to the method used to create the Jupiter II landing in Irwin Allen's Lost in Space. FBI agent Ben Hansen, journalist Jael and tech-specialist Devin are like little kids when it comes to rockets and blowing things up, so they have a great time working out the origins of this video, even though they had to be roasting in the desert sun.

The second half of the episode is devoted to a ghostly apparition captured at the Tonopah Cemetery in Nevada. At the turn of the century, Tonopah was a prosperous mining town. They even had a luxury hotel with baths, steam heat and elevators. But in 1911, tragedy struck. A small fire broke out at the bottom of a mine shaft and 17 men were killed from either breathing the toxic fumes or falling to their deaths when they tried to escape. The victims were all buried in a lonely little cemetery which is said to be haunted by the spirit of man who died trying to rescue others.

The video in this case, is a moving figure caught on a full spectrum camera by a ghost hunting crew. The figure pops up from behind a tomb, moves a few yards then vanishes. At the same time, there is a growing glow at the far end of the frame, which corresponds with the site of a nearby highway.

Lead scientist Bill Murphy, joins stunt expert Austin Porter and photographer Lanisha Cole as they attempt to recreate the footage on a dark and spooky night. They start with the most likely scenario, that of another person walking around in the dark, then proceed to a hypothesis that requires a convoy of emergency vehicles with full-on lights and sirens.

Both cases are fascinating both from a historical and paranormal perspective but are the accompanying videos fact or fakes? Find out when you tune in to Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, tonight at 10:00 on Syfy.

FACT OR FAKED: PARANORMAL FILES -- "Humble, Texas" -- Pictured: (l-r) Devin Marble, Lanisha, Bill Murphy -- Photo by: Kim Christensen/Syfy. © NBCUniversal, Inc.

When I saw this new Supernatural photo, I thought, wow Thelma and Louise and sure enough, they're from the upcoming episode "Slash Fiction."

Season 7: "Slash Fiction"
DOUBLE THE WINCHESTERS, DOUBLE THE FUN — Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are once again on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list when two Leviathans clone the brothers and go on a killing spree.

The subject of a nationwide manhunt, Sam and Dean need to drop off the grid so Bobby (Jim Beaver) sends them to Frank Deveraux (guest star Kevin R. McNally), a quirky surveillance expert, for help. Meanwhile, Bobby continues to search for a way to kill the Levianthans, or at least slow them down, so the real Winchesters can stop their evil doppelgangers.

John Showalter directed the episode written by Robbie Thompson (#706).

"Slash Fiction" - (L-R): Jared Padalecki as "Sam" and Jensen Ackles as "Dean" in SUPERNATURAL on The CW. Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW©2011 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Here are some wonderful photos of James Marsters (Spike) and Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) from Buffy, playing a married couple on Supernatural

COMING SOON:

Here's the plot for the upcoming episode "Slash Fiction"

DOUBLE THE WINCHESTERS, DOUBLE THE FUN — Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are once again on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list when two Leviathans clone the brothers and go on a killing spree. The subject of a nationwide manhunt, Sam and Dean need to drop off the grid so Bobby (Jim Beaver) sends them to Frank Deveraux (guest star Kevin R. McNally), a quirky surveillance expert, for help. Meanwhile, Bobby continues to search for a way to kill the Levianthans, or at least slow them down, so the real Winchesters can stop their evil doppelgangers. John Showalter directed the episode written by Robbie Thompson (#706).

Did you know that Jensen Ackles' dad provided the newscaster voice in the first episode Jensen directed, "Weekend at Bobby's?"

Did you know that the purgatory manual in "Like a Virgin" was made out of real skin - pig, not human.

Did you know that Supernatural: The Official Companion for Season 6 is loaded with trivia, quotes and photos from every episode in the season? Of course, you did but I'm going to tell you more about it anyway.

Season Six began with domesticated Dean and Souless Sam. Grandpa Campbell also returned with a singular goal in mind - do what ever he can to please a demon so he can see his daughter Mary again. It was all about the Alphas, the very first creatures that begat all the rest of the creatures and that meant some terrifying close calls for the Winchester brothers.

The companion book begins with Sera Gamble and Robert Singer talking about a new direction for the series. Then there's a closer look at each of the episodes with trivia, music listings, quotes and black and white photos.

When you hit the center of the book, you'll find gold. Eight full page of glossy color photos including stunning portraits of Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins and a collection of candid, behind-the-scenes shots. There's also a closer look at some of the Sixth Season's best props such as a heavenly blade and the Staff of Moses.

The book rolls into one page bios on the actors who joined the show for the season including Cindy Sampson (Lisa), Nicholas Elia (Ben), Mark Sheppard (Crowley) and Sebastian Roche (Balthazar). That's followed by installments in the Meet the Crew series (Cinematography, Line Producer and Special Effects) and a discussion called "Do you believe?"

Author Nicholas Knight wraps things up with a look at the current tie-in books and past year's conventions.

Oh, but before you close the cover on this companion book, Dean Winchester has a couple of things he wants to say. "11 Clues Your Brother Might Not Have a Soul" and "11 Signs Something Scarier Than the Apocalypse is Coming" will make you laugh while you take a trip down the Season Six memory lane.

Clue 9: You're abducted by aliens and [your brother] puts less effort into getting you back than most people put into choosing their words in a Scrabble game.

I think Dean is very glad that it's a new year full of new promise, new hope and all new monsters.

Season Seven of Supernatural is now airing Friday's at 9:00 on The CW. Season Six is available on Blu-ray and DVD and the Companion Book is also available right now on Amazon. Enjoy.

A giant, man-eating spider? A tree that runs from the scene of the crime? How about a haunted Dodge Charger that's out for blood? Any one of these monsters could end up on an episode of Supernatural, but for author John Passarella, one wasn't enough. He put all of these villains into one book along with a giant gila monster, an escaped ax murderer, a headless horseman and Nazi zombies. Yes, Nazi zombies.

The book is "Supernatural: Night Terror" and it's the newest TV Tie-in release from Titan books.

Sam and Dean Winchester head off to Clayton Fall, Colorado to investigate a series of very strange happenings. A group of drunk teens babbling on about seeing a headless horseman might be written off as fantasy, but when one of them is killed by a phantom car, that's another story.

Actually, it's quite a few stories. The car belongs to the dead boyfriend of Amy Quinn, who happens to be the Sheriff's daughter. But killer tress come from Daniel Barnes' imagination and then there's Olga Kucharski who has a fondness for late night b-horror movies. In other words, everyone's nightmares are coming true. But why? Could it be related to the new sleep research center? Or maybe the horrible factory fire that devastated the company town?

There's plenty for Sam and Dean to investigate and that's the problem with "Supernatural: Night Terror," it's too much. Too many monsters, too many characters, too many paths for the boys to follow and that's a shame. Passarella is an excellent writer. If this were a generic, horror story, it would probably work, but this is Supernatural and Sam and Dean simply don't get enough page time. This is particularly troublesome in the last 300 pages where two whole chapters are devoted to new characters meeting their gruesome ends.

From a character standpoint, Sam and Dean are mostly spot on. Dean gets a couple of heroic moments when he has to save a toddler from the sink hole to hell and throughout the story as he tries to keep Lucy Quinn from becoming the Charger's next victim. Sam picks up on the vital clues that lead them to the answer, all the while battling his own worst nightmare.

Overall, I wish that the author had cut the monster count in half in this book. I understand that the joy of writing a tie-in, is that you can go places they can't go on the show because of time or budget, but Passarella took that thought too much to heart. When the Velociraptors showed up in Chapter Twelve, I nearly put the book down and walked away from this one. Supernatural means you can get away with almost anything, but it doesn't mean you can get away with everything, all in one book.

In the latest Supernatural tie-in novel, Coyote's Kiss, Sam and Dean Winchester travel south of the border to track down a Borderwalker and a band of crazy Aztec demons. Written by Christa Faust, it's the most action-packed of all the tie-in novels and though it's complex in spots, you gotta hand it to her for tackling an area of mythology we haven't seen on the show.

Coyote's Kiss takes place between "Caged Heat" and "Appointment in Samara." Sam is souless, Dean knows it and his condition plays a large part in how they handle the, scarier than they sound, Star Demons. The book is written primarily from Dean's point of view and that could be why there's an inordinate amount of talk about naked people and sexual arousal. (Dean picturing himself in nothing but a loin cloth. . . ) I'm not complaining, but it is unusual for a Supernatural novel.

The other thing that is unusual is the boys' dependence on a female hunter. We've seen this on the series, and it's never gone over very well. I beg you dear reader, give Xochi a chance. Which brings me to my most superficial complaint - the Aztec names. I don't know why, but I have a hard time reading books with words I can't pronounce and this book is loaded with them.

Xochi is one sexy, monster hunter and though Dean has the hots for her, thankfully he keeps both his lower and upper brain in the game. At times, though, she does come across as a Mary Sue, saving the boys from one crisis after another. I can forgive her though because she knows the mythology, the territory and the language better than the brothers, so wounded pride aside, her actions make sense.

The other main character in the story is a teenage girl who gets a massive crush on Dean after he saves her from an angry, shape-shifting Borderwalker. When they realize she's been targeted by a pack of vicious Nagual's, they have no choice but to take her along on the hunt. The relationship that develops between her and Dean is actually quite sweet. As the natural caretaker, Dean wants to comfort and protect the girl, but he doesn't know how to handle her doe-eyed stares and obvious adoration.

The majority of the book follows Sam, Dean, Xochi and Claudia as they travel around Mexico getting both into and out of trouble in every other chapter. Faust does a good job delivering the locations, the odd cast of supporting characters and most of her monsters. The action sequences are long and complex but you never lose track of who is where, unless, of course, you're supposed to. In nearly 350 pages, the Winchesters get chased to the rooftops by giant creatures with obsidian teeth, get cornered by a zombie mob, get arrested by the Federales and fight off a band of reanimated mummies. Dean also gets poisoned and the cure is almost worse than the pain. The most memorable scenes both deal with Dean and the shapeshifters. One appears as a gorgeous, naked woman and just wait until you see how Dean gets a bottle of her "blood." The first time, however, the creature appears wearing Dean's face and a pair of skin-tight, black-velvet, lace-up pants. I don't know Christa Faust, but I imagine she has some pretty wicked dreams that revolve around Jensen Ackles / Dean Winchester. Works for me.

Having said that, you've probably realized that this is a Dean-centric novel. Sam is there and the brother banter is both humorous and poignant. There are a few spots in the action where Sam steps in to save a life, giving Dean hope that is brother is still in there somewhere, fighting to get past the soulless part. Then it's out of the frying pan and into the campfire once again as the boys struggle to stop the Mexican version of the apocalypse.

Supernatural: Coyote's Kiss is now available online and in stores.

My thanks to Titan Books for sending me a copy to preview. Pick up yours and enjoy.

If you could get a complete make-over from an expert, would you do it? Would you trash your wardrobe for a shot on What Not to Wear, put up with the humiliation to drop the pounds on Biggest Loser, or maybe it's your living conditions that need an update like on Mobile Home Disaster?

But what happens when your favorite TV characters get a make-over? Can you say Sam Winchester without bangs. . . ?

For Supernatural: The Anime Series, the artists had no choice but to give Sam and Dean a new look. As I mentioned in my last post, anime isn't about photo-realism. It's about paying homage to the original with just enough form to be recognizable inside the style that fits the genre.

In this new series, both brothers are drawn with sharp angles in the face. Dean's body is solid and square and Sam is long and lean -- as they are on the TV show but exaggerated. They both look younger in the Anime, very reminiscent of the boys in Season One and like the first season, the color palette is darker and full of shadows.

What hasn't changed is the relationship between Sam and Dean. They still bicker, they still question each others' choices and they still willingly put their life on the line to protect the other from harm.

If you haven't watched the first season of Supernatural in a while, Supernatural: The Anime Series is a great way to revisit the stories and characters that started it all. Order your copy of Supernatural: The Anime Series on DVD or Blu-Ray here today: http://bit.ly/p0WOMq !

If you were going to give Sam and Dean a make-over, what would you do?

“I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote Supernatural: The Anime Series on DVD/Blu-Ray."

One of the definitions of the word animated is "full of vigor and spirit." Using that as a gauge, the CW series Supernatural is already animated, even in its live action form. The show takes us on a weekly wild ride into the dark side, introducing us to ghosts, demons, angels and some pretty nasty humans. Still, there's a limit to what even such a great production team can do given the constraints of time, money and tech.

That's where Supernatural: The Anime Series comes in. Animation gives the storytellers a chance to open up the possibilities and really explore the world of Sam and Dean Winchester. With anime, the monsters and settings can be as anything the animators want them to be. They can be bigger and uglier or more illusive (which is often scarier than anything you can see on screen.)

The only thing harder than animating a creature no one has ever seen before, is animating the things we have seen before. The artists behind Supernatural: The Anime Series do an excellent job with the characters and the world around them. You'll see the emotions on Dean's face, the wind whipping at his clothes and you'll feel the tension, like in this clip that depicts the opening of the Devil's Gate.

Several years ago, an artist made a cartoon icon of me. He could have made it look just like me, but instead, I asked him to draw me the way I see myself. In the drawing, I'm thinner, my hair is blonder and I don't have glasses and yet, I look at that little picture and I still see me. The goal of Supernatural: The Anime Series is not to be photo-realistic, but to use color and movement, shadows and sound effects to create an homage to the series we already know and love. Their faces may be sharper but when I look at the front of that box, I see Sam and Dean Winchester ready to put it all on the line in order to protect the innocents from all the evil in the world.

Order your copy of Supernatural: The Anime Series on DVD or Blu-Ray here today: http://bit.ly/p0WOMq !

I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote Supernatural: The Anime Series on DVD/Blu-Ray.

When Supernatural's Sam Winchester tells Dean, "You're my bother and I'd die for you," at the end of "Bloody Mary," he wasn't just making a grand gesture. He really did die for Dean and Dean for him and that's not counting all the times they put themselves in harm's way in order to protect the other.

It all goes back to that terrible night when their mother died and Dean carried his baby brother out of the burning house. Since then, Dean's always felt that it was his special duty to look after Sam and not just because he was the big brother.

The Winchester brotherly bond was born in blood and strengthened by years of having only each other to count on. I guess it's also a game changer when you know the things that go bump in the night are real and out to get you.

I have two sisters and a brother, and though they've never had to put their lives on the line for me, they have been there with help and support when needed. Would they come running if I had a hellhound on my tail or a demon trying to take over my body? Let's hope I never have to find out.

Want to see more of that Winchester brotherly bond? Order a copy of Supernatural: The Anime Series on DVD or Blu-Ray here today: http://bit.ly/p0WOMq !

Here's a clip:

“I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote Supernatural: The Anime Series on DVD/Blu-Ray."