A new paranormal thriller will open in the U.S. on October 22nd, called Hereafter. The film, which opened in Toronto on Sunday, has received mixed reviews.

Referring to this film starring Matt Damon, and directed by Clint Eastwood, film critic Roger Ebert wrote:

“Eastwood has made a film for sensitive, intelligent people who are naturally curious about what happens when the shutters close.” - Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, in his blog from Toronto

Eastwood is no stranger to suspense thrillers. Play Misty for Me was his cinematic directorial debut in 1971. Like Fatal Attraction after it, this film made men leery of one-night stands with women for a while.

In Eastwood’s Hereafter, Matt Damon plays George, a blue-collar factory worker who can communicate with the hereafter – a gift he has trouble coping with. The “reluctant psychic” soon finds himself connected to a French television journalist named Marie (Cecile De France), who writes a book about her near death experience. Both become connected to Marcus, a young boy who has suffered the loss of his sibling Jason. The brothers are played by real-life twins, newcomers Frankie and George McLaren. The film’s synchronistic events lead to the convergences of these three characters from San Francisco, Paris and London, respectively. Crash meets The Sixth Sense comes to mind.

In fact, M. Night Shyamalan-favorite Bryce Dallas Howard (Lady in the Water, The Village) is also in the film’s supporting cast, as a supporter of the psychic abilities displayed by Damon’s character.

Unlike director Shyamalan’s interest in the paranormal, Eastwood stated recently that at the age of 80, he hasn’t given much thought to the afterlife, except that he doesn’t hope to cross over to the other side anytime soon.

It will be interesting to watch Eastwood’s interpretation of this script. Of which, scriptwriter Peter Morgan previously described to the Hollywood Reporter:

“It’s quite spiritual material, and quite romantic, too. It’s the sort of piece that’s not easy to describe and in the hands of different filmmakers could end up as wildly different films. Quite unlike some of my other material, which I think there were only certain ways that you could shoot it.”

Due to the mixed reviews, audiences may either love it or hate it, like last year’s Paranormal Activity, which I loved. I viewed Paranormal Activity with no expectations and with an open mind. What I found was that it was a fun flick with a terrible ending, but by no means was it a waste of my time.

Despite the mixed reviews from the Toronto premiere, I’ll approach Hereafter with no expectations and an open mind.

In a disturbing news out of Australia, thrill-seeking teens have taken to driving at dangerous speeds to conjure up a rumored ghost.

According to the tale that has intrigued the teens, when a vehicle hits 111 mph along Lemon Tree Passage Road, it is said that a motorcycle ghost will appear in the rear view mirror.

The road between New Castle and Sydney has been the backdrop for many YouTube videos posted by teens trying to prove the tale to be real. The videos have actually captured a white light behind the speeding cars when the vehicles are said to hit that specific speed.

The ghost could very well be a very much alive motorcycle rider playing a prank on local teens and having a jolly good time doing it. It appears as though the teens are having fun endangering the lives of themselves and others on these paranormal inspired joy rides.

Local police, of course, are not having a good time and are not happy at all about this dangerous ghost hunting trend. They do aim to stop it.

A police spokseman has issued a statement for speeders: “We want speeding drivers to know that the only bright light they’ll be seeing in their rear windows will be the red and blue lights of a police car.”

Although several videos are available for viewing, the videos are unsuitable to post.

This is due to the extreme profanity that spews out of the mouths of the screaming and speeding teens in the videos.

If profanity and screaming teens don’t bother you, you can easily find these videos by typing “Lemon Tree Passage Ghost” on YouTube.

When asked about my favorite Arizona ghostly tale over the years, it is difficult for me to pick just one. There are so many area ghost stories that I have yet to write about. Some of the stories I have already written about are favorites of mine.

Narrowing it down, four very different hauntings that I wrote about when I started this blog come to mind, which are all buried deep within the archives of Paranormal Old Pueblo.

The tale of the “Lady in Red” at the former site of Osco Drug in El Con Mall in Tucson is absolutely one of my favorites. A woman in a red 1940′s dress terrified employees of the drug store for years.  Her presence was always foreshadowed by the click-click-click sound of her high heel shoes.  However, I haven’t heard of any more paranormal activity from the lady in red since the store was demolished to make way for Target and the Home Depot. Read more about The Lady in Red

The Old Fort Lowell Historic District in Tucson also intrigues me. As a former resident of the area, there is something different about the feel of the area.  Perhaps it’s the rich history that local residents keep at the forefront to keep it alive for future generations. Perhaps it’s the soldiers at the old fort who still don’t know they’ve died generations ago. Maybe the ruins of the old fort somehow recorded events and keep playing them back. Read more about The Ghosts of Fort Lowell

Located in the Patagonia Mountains, where there is no shortage of ghostly tales and ghost towns, the haunted Bonanza Mine near the U.S.-Mexico border has a fascinating story to tell. The ghost was reported to ring a bell that was no longer there. Read more about The Haunted Bonanza Mine

The Pioneer International Hotel in Tucson is the most tragic (and, yes, my most favorite) tale of all. This tragedy in Tucson resulted in international attention, caused the people of two countries to mourn, and resulted in the modification of fire codes across the country in the 1970′s.  The paranormal experiences in that building, which is now an office building, are still reported today. Read more about The Pioneer