Curse of the Gypsy -- The Dead Walk Among Us!

Lon Chaney, Jr with Gypsy in The Wolf Man, 1941

"You must understand that those who return from the abyss will not be exactly as they were before they departed." As Vladimir spoke his eyes flickered like living things from another dimension.

Thus are readers introduced to the evil powers and potential of the mysterious stranger from Europe, the enigmatic Vladimir Buchinsky, in I Know Why the Dogwoods Blush. For those who have read the book, you know what happens next. For those who have not read, don't worry ... I won't spoil it for you. Gypsies have been a standard villain in horror movies and pop culture for decades. With promises ranging from good health to love potions to messages from the dead, the lure of a glimpse into "the other side" always seems to be too much for many of us to pass up. But darn those pesky consequences! The 2010 remake of The Wolf Man, now playing in theaters, is the most recent horror film to take gypsies center stage. Just as the 1941 original starring Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi warned:

Even a man who is pure in heart
and says his prayers by night,
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon burns bright!

This great line was largely believed to be from an ancient gypsy poem but was revealed later to be from the creative mind of original Wolf Man screen writer Curt Siodmak. As Lon Chaney Jr. attempts to find a cure to his curse through the gypsies, he learns that the devil himself may be in the solution! This creepiness associated with gypsy magic and curses can actually be traced to the Bible. The act of "magic" and learning secrets from the dead can be linked to old pagan beliefs and witchcraft. Exodus 22:18 states, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Deuteronomy 18:10 strictly forbids association with an "enchanter, one who uses divination, an observer of times, a witch." Check out the story in I Samuel 28 when King Saul goes to a sorceress, the scary "Witch of Endor," with the request to raise the spirit of Samuel for guidance. That didn't work out well for anyone involved! In 2009, Sam Raimi released the highly successful Drag Me To Hell, another gypsy curse film loosely based on the 1950's classic Curse of the Demon. Even horror icon Stephen King used gypsy lore with his hit book and movie from the 80's, Thinner. With such a rich history in the horror genre, how could I not use such power in Dogwoods Blush? So when Vladimir offers power to the perennial loser, Purvis Hartly in Dogwoods Blush, he makes a promise that seems too good to be true:

You are now a god among men! You can have any woman you desire, punish any man who opposes you, and rise to heights of power that most men never even dream of!

Of course, then there's the pesky "catch" that Purvis never saw coming. What was the catch? In order to bring about Vladimir's longstanding, decades long feud with the township of Timmonsville, he had to perfect the most powerful spell in the history of the black arts. In retrospect, Vladimir's anger stemmed not only from his lust for revenge against Timmonsville but against God and the natural order of the universe dating from the creation of Adam and Eve. Standing with Purvis in the dead of night at the excavated gravesite of the most notorious killer in Georgia history, Vladimir's gypsy curse evoked a change:

And then ... something moved!

As is usually the case when making a deal with the devil, the price of the favor turns out to be more than one can pay. Don't believe me? Ask Purvis Hartly ... if you can find what's left of him! This was only one of the ways I debated bringing back the evil Roscoe Parker from the depths of Hell. For a look at another possibility I considered, check back later for my next post! Enjoy life ... and stay away from gypsy fortune tellers! And as the mysterious Night Terror said to Reverend Spindola in Dogwoods Blush:

Stay away tomorrow night, Reverend. You have been warned!