OCTOBER 1: ONE TERRIFIC WEBSITE

Odd Things I've Seen (a.k.a. O.T.I.S.) is an especially cool website that caught my eye several years ago and my interest hasn't waned since.  Hailing from New Hampshire by way of Maryland, J.W. Ocker has been running O.T.I.S. since 2007 and has such a vast array of fascinating entries, it can keep a person entertained for hours.  He updates frequently and somehow keeps finding new things to write about.  His wife Lindsey is a professional photographer and you can find her work all over the site, as most of the pics include J.W. and bring life to all the entries.

If you are a fan of the television shows Oddities or perhaps Mysteries at the Museum or the likes, you'll be absolutely engrossed by O.T.I.S.  He's also an obvious fan of Edgar Allan Poe, with several entries regarding the macabre author included within, and Ocker notes that he is getting closer to having a special section devoted to Poe on the site.

J.W. is also a published author, with his second book, The New York Grimpendium debuting today as a matter of fact (order it here!). His first book, 2010's The New England Grimpendium, won a Lowell Thomas Silver Award from the Society of American Travel. They are both travelogues about his experiences venturing to some of the creepiest destinations you can imagine. Many of these places are documented within the webpages of O.T.I.S.

Some of what you can expect by clicking on Odd Things I've Seen (and I'm not going to link them all, you can find them easily by using the search bar on his site) - believe me, you'll be there a while!

• The West Virginia Penitentiary
• Night of the Living Dead cemetery
• Salem, Massachusetts
• Sleepy Hollow, NY
• Dario Argento Museum of Horror
• Elm Street
• Twin Peaks filming locations
• Jonestown Massacre mass grave
• House of Exorcism Boy
• Danvers State Hospital
• Exorcist stairs
• Lizzie Borden B & B
• The Mutter Museum
• The Gates of Hell

There are literally dozens of macabre entries sure to whet your appetite for the weird and wonderful.  Along with ghastly relics and locations, there are also a ton of historical accounts and items you'll want to read about. 

I've chatted here and there with J.W. and he is an extremely personable guy who is also a big fan of horror, as you can imagine by the website's content. We've also had some discussions about movies on occasion, and I think he can probably deduce I'm insanely jealous of all the fascinating places he's been!  I'm hoping he continues for many years to come...

And no, O.T.I.S. is really not his day job!

Odd Things I've Seen on the web: http://www.oddthingsiveseen.com/
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OddThingsIveSeen
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWOcker