Thursday, June 5, 2008

Ozark Witches

Here’s a 2-page warning to my pals in or around the Missouri / Arkansas Ozark areas--- PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!

From the March 1951 issue of Adventures into the Unknown #17


14 comments:

  1. Hello Karl , I remember watching "Alligator People" late at night on TV when I still was a brat even if the story had been largely ripped off by a comic book read just few months before ( an Italian comic titled "Mister NO"mixed this story with the fifties' remake of "the most dangerous game" , with nazis hiding in the Amazon forest ) I have the memory of a great thriller movie until the guy with an obvious rubber alligator mask gets on the scene ...Thanks for bringing back this memory , the bride of the swamp comic story is goo too ...

    Best Regards

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  2. I meant "GOOD" not "GOO" ...

    apologies for the mistype

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  3. “Witches in da Ozark hills? Yep, I’v seen me sum of ‘em. Spooky old hags conjerin’ up black magic from iron kettles. Shore, thar’s a heep of ‘em here and you best be on yor toes or they’ll change ya inta a toad. Ever time I spot one ‘em thar Devil’s Snuffboxes I put it away in my overall pocket jus in case one ‘em whirlwinds show up. I’m lucky, since my good ol’ hound dog can smells ‘em a mile away!"

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  4. I think the cheesecake in this one has gone "off"... :)

    I notice that both this story and the Alligator Chick one above use that old werewolf legend as a basis--where the hunter traps a big wolf and it gnaws off its paw to escape, so he wraps up the paw to take it back to town and prove he's wounded the beast...only when he gets there the innkeeper's wife has her hand all bandaged, and he opens his package to discover her severed hand!

    Here's a version of the tale, under the title "Shewolf"

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  5. Anonymous6/05/2008

    I'll be in the Ozarks later this summer hunting for witches. Actually, I'll probably play more Galaga than witch hunting, but I'll keep my eyes open. The Ozark Hillbillies used to make a pretty good potato chip too.

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  6. As a former Ozark hillbilly (from Arkansas), I can tell you that there was lotsa witches (male and female) around. They were all relocated retirees from Northern urban areas, (the Ozarks is a beautiful area, and land was cheap there) and they thought it was funny to constantly make fun of the local people because we spoke differently and had different customs.

    Well, they may not have been REAL witches, but they sure were a curse!

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  7. Anonymous6/05/2008

    I LOVE THE ARCHING CAT IN THE 3RD PANEL ON PAGE ONE. THAT DARN CAT!!

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  8. The Ozarks is quite a cool and interesting place, and having been there countless times in my life I've only recently realized that I live a scant two hours away from the midwestern equivalent to Trannsylvania! Not only is hillbilly black magic and witchcraft running rampant there but you also have to contend with the ancient restless indian spirits, for even in death they will try to sell you their moccasins and walnut bowls while barring you from blowing all your money on mini-golf and batting cages!

    Todd: your hillbilly accent is a little too perfect, I now have a feeling you were putting on one of those "educated Ozark acts" when we met at Culvers! Ha ha! Classic.

    And Phibes: Beware the Dogpatch Arcade Witches when you get to Bagnell Dam, their giant leader still stands guard over the cavernous entrance, holding his sinister lantern and waving his evil hand at those he chooses or denies entrance to. Do not be fooled by his smiling, MAD, outer appearence, he allows you to see only what he wants you to see. (TIP: He can be foiled easily enough though with a roll of quarters and a high score.)

    Thanks for stopping by Max, haven't seen your drunken head rolling around here for some time! And what an interesting coincidence with Silvano and Vicar both mentioning nazis and she wolves in the same comments section. I think I smell a THOIA concept forth with to brew in the future... crystal ball is still in the shop though, more on that later.

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  9. Max--You're from Arkansas too? No way! I had no idea such a large percentage of the LOTT D hailed from the land of the Razorback...

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  10. Anonymous6/05/2008

    Karswell knows of what he speaks.

    Someone should make a cheesy teen slasher flick featuring scantily clad kids at Party Cove and an angry Ozark witch.

    Wait, that sounds like a Scooby Doo episode.

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  11. Not exactly what jeffos describes, but...

    The Witchmaker (1969)

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  12. Anonymous6/05/2008

    Karswell didn't even mention the castle ruins near Bagnell Dam. That would be the place to begin filming a slasher movie. But to Karswell's other point, I'll bet there is a good book to be written about local legends in that area. And to my Arkansas friends, I believe that The Legend of Boggy Creek took place there. That sort of fits today's Swamp Creature category.

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  13. Ah yes, the Fouke Monster.

    Or, as my friends at Kindertrauma call him, "Old Fouke-Face"!

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  14. They forgot to mention that witches evidently like to dress in cheerful, sprightly stripes or polka dots, but at least the artist managed to convey that.

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