Comments from Wanda's Eerie Radio Interview Episode #50:
Congrats on Episode 50! Wanda was a great guest and can she weave a story! Also her good cheer lent a lot to her stories. The interview alone just showed how nice of a person she was and I would not object to having her on the show again.
Wanda was a great interview, and very easy to listen too. Great show!
I want to thank you for a bitter sweet show, the reason it was a bitter sweet show to me was because when I heard Wanda Lou Willis I wanted to cry, she sounds just like my mother's mother who passed away a few...like 8 years ago. I just wish that my Gram could have heard the show...I hope that I am half as enthusiastic as Wanda when I get to be her age...if I make it that far. It was a real treat to hear her. THANK YOU. What a really wonderful thing that you all gave us listeners.
News Flash #10
Click right HERE to view Wanda's Guest Speaker profile on the Phenomecon 2008 website.
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:08:00 GMT: In this episode, we talk to Wanda Lou Willis, one of the guest speakers at this year's Phenomecon. We also discuss the latest Indiana SPI Investigations.
Latest Guest: Wanda Lou Willis
Author, folklorist, screenwriter, holder of a vast knowledge of Indiana history, and an authority on the Crump Theatre... but also gardener, needle-crafter, dog lover, and the woman who always signs her emails "Hoosier hugs", Wanda Lou Willis speaks with DK, Fizz and Gina on this week's EERIE Radio episode.
Lotus Petal Cinema is Nashville Brown CountyIndiana's Premier Independent Cinema & Entertainment Venue
Directed by: Dan T. Hall Color; Rated: PG; 62 minutes
Explore haunted sites with filmmaker Dan T. Hall as he searches for answers to paranormal questions that still resonate from his 2006 documentary Central State: Asylum for the Insane. Go inside the Rivoli Theater closed since 1992 in search of evidence of “Lady Rivoli.” Travel to a bygone era at Tuckaway House, where turn-of-the-century celebrities are said to still pay frequent visits at 3 a.m. And follow the film crew through the Hartford City Jail, witnessing unexplained phenomena as investigators wander the cells and traverse the dungeon level. These and other unexplained events are captured in this haunting documentary. Ghost Stories: Walking with the Dead features historical intuitive Marilene Isaacs, of Bob & Tom Radio Show fame; Dr. Laurel Clark, President of the School of Metaphysics; Shaman Ravenwolfe Teu; demonologist Tracy Bacon; folklore historian Wanda Lou Willis; medium Larry Brown, Arthur Findley College of Study, UK; and members of Indiana Paranormal Investigations, among others. Indianapolis-based independent filmmaker Dan T. Hall, whose documentary CentralState: Asylum for the Insane sold out the IMAX last year, is known for his diversity in subject matter and genre. Other credits to his name include the feature films, EZ Money, The Lil’ River Rats and the Adventure of the Lost Treasure and 587: The Great Train Robbery. Hall is currently in preproduction on a psychological thriller.
Showtimes: Saturday, October 27, 2007; 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 & 10:00pm Sunday, October 28, 2007; 12:30, 3:00, 5:30 & 8:00pm Wednesday, October 31, 2007; 3:00, 5:30 & 8:00pm (Halloween)
In a good ghost story, the wind doesn't just blow. It screeches, it howls, it bangs against the window like an angry fist.
And there isn't just a full moon. There's a glowing harvest moon, an eerie witches' moon, a baleful, gleaming, glimmering moon.
A good ghost story is all about imagery, said Wanda Lou Willis, a folklore historian and author of "Haunted Hoosier Trails," and "More Haunted Hoosier Trails."
It's about telling a good story with such vivid language that it paints a picture for the reader, she said, and makes those goose bumps show up just when you want them to appear.
The right words, she said, are essential.
"You want something that chills them, something that puts them in a place -- whether it's outside or in that old abandoned house," she said. "You want to use the right language to set the tone."
But imagery alone isn't enough, she cautions. Your character can't be stranded in the woods forever, after all.
"Use that language to move the character forward," she said. "Describe everything he or she sees -- and use all the senses. Make them see the shadows, hear the creaks and the rattling chains. Raise those hackles. Give some chills."
If you know what you want to say, but you're not quite sure about the imagery, that's OK, too, said Willis, who often speaks to groups about writing as well as our haunted Hoosier heritage.
"I always tell people -- write it down. Write your story. Then walk away. Come back later, read it. If it's not scary enough, then you can find a way to make it sound creepy."
Ghost stories, she reminds, don't necessarily have to end badly. They can be funny. They can be mysterious. There can be a rational reason for those bumps in the night.
"Maybe there's this abandoned house with all these strange noises, and a giant turkey has taken up residence," she said. "The 'ghost' can be served for Thanksgiving dinner."
The main thing, she tells prospective writers, is to be creative, and have fun.
"This should be a fun project," she said. "Never think that just because you haven't done it before that you can't do it now. Eliminate 'can't' from your vocabulary. You can. You might just surprise yourself."
On Tuesday evening, October 30, 2007 at 7:30pm, the WFYI (Channel 20) program Across Indiana is going to air their Halloween special from last October.
Wanda was involved in planning this half hour special and is also in the Big Foot segment.
The producer, Aric Hartvig, was also in the Big Foot segment and won an Emmy for On-air Talent in this segment.
The following is a quote from the write-up about the show from the WFYI Magazine: "For those with a taste for the unexplained, Across Indiana zeroes in on Halloween with tales of psychic detectives, Big Foot sightings, and other other-worldly adventures."
News Flash #5
Wanda will be an extra in a brand new Vizmo Films psychological thriller entitled "Pain."
More information will be coming very soon!
Filming of the scenes for the extras will take place on Friday, September 7, 2007 at 8:30pm at Club Industry.
She will be presenting and also participating in the all night ghost investigation...
This will be the 1st annual Halloween Event at the Historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, Indiana! Experience the spooky and haunted town of Franklin for yourself. Meet authors and speakers on ghosts and hauntings, take part in a real ghost haunt or seance, watch The Shining on the big screen and take a tour of haunted Franklin.
According to IU alumna Wanda Lou Willis, IU is one of the most haunted campuses in the country.
As a sequel to her popular book, Haunted Hoosier Trails, Willis recently published More Haunted Hoosier Trails (Emmis Books). In this county-by-county compilation of hair-raising tales from around the state, she singles out IU Bloomington as the spookiest place in Monroe County and possibly one of the most “spirited” schools in the country. Her vivid descriptions of the gruesome legends associated with campus landmarks are definitely not for the faint of heart. Willis had a theory as to why her books are so popular. “First, I believe it’s because everyone loves a haunting tale. We all want to be scared a little or a LOT!” she said.
Willis, a fifth-generation Hoosier and folklore historian who specializes in Indiana folktales, taught folklore for many years at IUPUI and is a popular presenter at schools, libraries and historical societies around the state. She was hard put when asked if she had a favorite IU legend, but finally admitted, “I like the story of the little boy who plays jokes on the Tudor Room staff by messing up the tables and tossing the silverware about. Also, I think Herman Wells would smile if he knew that the students of his beloved school have added him to the body of folklore that abounds on the IU campus.”
Dan T. Hall's CentralState docu/drama, in which Wanda has a small part, premiered last Saturday night, October 21st (7:00pm) at the IMAX theater - Indianapolis; it was a HUGE success, the 400 seat IMAX was sold out!! The IMAX was already thrilled last week with the way ticket sales were going so they decided to run the movie one more night -- this Saturday, October 28th -- just before Halloween.
Ticket holders for all of the screenings can fill out an entry form to win a chance to investigate with Indiana Paranormal as well as an opportunity to win other great prizes including a 1-hour reading with Marilene Isaacs and a set of autographed books by Wanda Lou Willis!
Here also is a link to the Central State website flash page, to see more of the story behind this docu/drama:http://www.central-state.com/
Warning: May be disturbing to some viewers
Pictured below: Producer/Director Dan T. Hall and Wanda Lou Willis at Central State; still photo from the film.
News Flash #1
Girlfriends Day Out!
"Rest your weary feet from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season."
Wanda will be appearing at the Indiana History Center on Thursday, December 7, 2006 from 2:00-3:30pm, sharing the tales and history of Christmas ornaments and folklore.
