J.A. Hernandez
Bio
J.A. Hernandez enjoys horror, playing with cats, and hiding indoors away from the sun. Also, books. So many books—you wouldn't believe.
He runs a weekly newsletter called Into Horror History and writes fiction.
https://www.jahernandez.com
Stories (67/0)
Leannán Sídhe of Irish Folklore
Mention the word "fairy" to almost anyone, and they'll probably think of a tiny human that flits around with translucent wings and a trail of sparkling dust. Most of that image might come from Disney™. But if you look into stories a bit older than Peter Pan, you'll find things aren't nearly as innocent and playful as Tinker Bell.
By J.A. Hernandeza day ago in Horror
La Llorona of Mexico City
If you follow horror films or grew up hearing scary stories from Mexico or the United States Southwest, you may have already heard of the legend La Llorona, but keep reading because you may find a few surprising things you didn't know. If you've never heard of La Llorona, then let me tell you why wandering the streets at night might get you a close encounter of the ghostly kind.
By J.A. Hernandez8 days ago in Horror
Old Book Ghost of Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, Illinois
When you think of a haunting, the image that comes to your mind might be an old house, hotel, or maybe even a cemetery—but when you think of a scary haunting, one that conjures up nightmares and belongs in a horror movie, you might suddenly think of a crumbling, abandoned hospital, or a creepy asylum full of graffiti, broken glass, and rusty gurneys.
By J.A. Hernandez15 days ago in Horror
Coffin Joe of Brazil
"What is life? It is the beginning of death. What is death? It is the end of life. What is existence? It is the continuity of blood. What is blood? It is the reason to exist." — José Mojica Marins as Coffin Joe in At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)
By J.A. Hernandez22 days ago in Horror
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Every horror fan knows the Universal Classic Monsters, as do most people who don't even like horror. I know, I know—it's pretty shocking to realize that some people don't like horror. Horror is everywhere, though, and has become such an integral part of modern culture that it would be impossible to imagine a world without it.
By J.A. Hernandez29 days ago in Horror
Morgawr of Cornwall, England
I haven't mentioned this in a bit, but anyone who has been following me for a while knows that I maintain a massive list of ideas for things to write about. I'm always adding to it, and at the time of writing this, the list is over 1,000 items long. To choose what I write about, I use the old trusty method of generating a random number. Sometimes, themes come up, and occasionally, the randomizer happens to do something even more interesting, like Morgawr, a sea monster of Cornish folklore.
By J.A. Hernandezabout a month ago in Horror
Cooking With Vincent Price
You've probably heard of him, and even if you haven't, you're in for a real treat. There are more than a few surprising things about him that those familiar with him may not know. Vincent saw the rapid rise of and helped shape the film industry, which he's best known for. He was born in 1911 and left the world in 1993 at the age of 82—which means he lived through World War I and World War II, saw the radio become a household item and the moon landing, and was around for the invention and rise of television, lasers, electric refrigeration, wireless technology, the transistor, the computer, and the Internet. That's just to name a few of the incredible and horrifying, sometimes both, things that happened in his life. His works in the film industry cast a massive shadow on himself for other things he did, though.
By J.A. Hernandez2 months ago in Horror
Krampus of Alpine Folklore
What can be said about Krampus that hasn't already been said? Krampus is one of the more well-documented supernatural creatures I've encountered, which makes it tough to dig up something new about him. It's just a good thing for us that, like nearly every other thing I write about, Krampus articles out there on the Internet seem to be mostly copied and pasted from Wikipedia in an attempt to drive search traffic to ad-infested blogs, which almost always means that I can research and write about the more obscure intricacies of frightening folklore.
By J.A. Hernandez2 months ago in Horror
Ghosts of Raynham Hall Museum in Oyster Bay, New York
In a little hamlet called Oyster Bay on the East Coast of the United States stands a home with a fascinating history and a few permanent incorporeal residents. The house is now called Raynham Hall Museum, and if that name sounds familiar, it's likely because you've heard about one of the most famous ghost photos: Brown Lady of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. The two places are often confused because of the nearly identical names, and it doesn't help that they were both built by families with the Townsend name and have reports of a ghost on a staircase. In fact, Raynham Hall Museum took its namesake from Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, but the similarities between the two houses are only superficial, and the history and hauntings are quite different.
By J.A. Hernandez2 months ago in Horror
Ghost of Dreamworld Theme Park in Australia
Let's head on over to Australia's biggest theme park for some fun! History of Dreamworld Theme Park Dreamworld got its start way, way back when amusement parks around the world were booming. It's almost as old as Disney World in Florida. Yes, I'm talking about that ancient time called the 1970s. Time flies, right? Actually - Disneyland in California opened in the 1950s, and the world's oldest known amusement park, Bakken or Dyrehavsbakken, opened in 1583 in Denmark.
By J.A. Hernandez2 months ago in Horror
Glaistig of Scottish Folklore
Ah, Scotland - just picture it. I'm sure you can - and if there were a way to capture and compare our mental images, they would be strikingly similar. Towering mountains and hidden glens, mossy forests and foggy bogs, gently rolling moorlands and glittering lochs, highland cattle and cloven-hoofed ghosts wailing as they chase you for your blood.
By J.A. Hernandez3 months ago in Horror
