OMG Are Those Hellhounds?

Have you seen the horror movie where the three teenagers go someplace they’ve heard is extremely haunted, at night, and then encounter inexplicable paranormal activity so bizarre that you wonder if they’ll make it out alive?

What if that wasn’t just a movie? Listen to this episode to hear the real-life paranormal tale of the hauntings at Abbotts Creek here:

How long would you last at Abbotts Creek?

For Clarence Carter, that all-too-familiar horror movie trope became a reality when he and his friends wandered into the haunted woods around Abbotts Creek. At night. After someone’s Dad told them the place was freakishly haunted.

What he encountered (including hellhounds!) terrified him and his friends, so much so that years passed before he could talk about it. Lucky for us, he was willing to sit down and finally chat about his real life paranormal experiences with us.

About the guest: Clarence Carter

Our guest this episode is a podcaster and an author, and he uses his storytelling gifts to keep us on the edge of our seat as he tells us his horrifying, real paranormal experiences from his time in North Carolina.

Want to hear more from Clarence? Be sure to check out his podcast, The Writers Block, where he discusses writing and storytelling with co-host Shaun Nigro, whom we also interviewed.

You can also purchase his latest book, No Honor Among Thieves, at Amazon. And, if you just want to get to know the guy, be sure to follow his Facebook page.

The Writer’s Block, featuring the Homespun Haints

Becky and Diana appeared as guest speakers on an episode of The Writer’s Block. Listen to Chap58: Tongue Thing & Steve with Diana Doty & Becky Kilimnik! At around 25:13, Becky and Diana join the Writers to tell a fully improvised tale about a man who finds himself trapped in a room with a giant baby and a creature with an abnormally long tongue. Becky also made a separate guest appearance on another episode, Chap27: Hellbound with Becky Kilimnik!

Are hellhounds real?

Were those hellhounds Clarence saw, walking like sentries across the silent bridge? And what were they protecting? Because, when you listen to the episode, you’ll note that it really does seem like they’re protecting something.

Where do hellhounds come from?

Long before the Christian notion of Hell, different mythologies spoke of a dog or dog-like beast that would guard the entrance to the Underworld. Cerberus, bearing three heads, stood sentry at the mouth of Hades, and Cŵn Annwn, the hounds of the ancient Welsh Annwn, or land of the dead, would help guide souls to the the other side.

The American South also has its slew of legends about large black dogs that roam the countryside. Many of these legends show these beasts as ominous creatures that attack travelers and others wandering alone at night.

A notable exception is the legend of Long Dog, a story Becky grew up with in east Tennessee. Long Dog has been sighted for over 150 years along the highway of Surgoinsville, Tennessee, and means no harm to the people who see him. Long Dog is just looking for the family he tried to protect the night the highwayman John Murrell killed them all.

Can ghosts be animals?

One of our goals for this season is to feature more stories of non-human, animal ghosts. So far, we did see a manifestation of a cat in The Woman Who Lived in a Cemetery. Sidetable Man, Don’t Eat Me! had a snake ghost story in it. Stay tuned for more stories this season because, yes, the animal ghosts are coming!

Until next time, have a spooky day!