Tuesday 5 April 2016

D - Matilda Dixon & The Dead Men of Dunharrow - Fictional Phantoms #AtoZChallenge 2016


Day four of the AtoZ has arrived and we are on to the letter D (a personal favourite of mine :)). Today I have two very different ghosts for you, although they are joined by the notion of destruction.
Argh! Sorry this is late - I managed to get the time wrong.

Matilda Dixon (Darkness Falls)

Matilda Dixon was once an old lady, beloved by the children of the town of Darkness Falls. She was known to them as the Tooth Fairy because she would give them gifts and gold coins when they lost their teeth.

Due to a fire Matilda's face was scared and sensitive to light and she would only leave her house at night wearing a porcelain mask. Because of this the adults of the town distrusted her.

Mistakenly believing she killed two missing children, they hanged her and took off her mask. She died cursing them.
Now Matilda is a vengeful ghost, visiting children on the night they lose their last baby tooth. Those that see her she kills.

Her only weakness is light. Any light can keep her out, but if the electricity fails or the batteries run out or the wind blows out the flame ... beware!

The Dead Men of Dunharrow (The Lord of the Rings)

The dead men of Dunharrow are oath breakers, cursed to remain in the caverns beneath the Haunted Mountain forever, but Isildur after they hid and did not come to his aid as they had sworn they would.

Their shades linger in torment, never to find their rest, killing those who enter their halls.

They have but one hope, a prophesy that Isildur's heir will walk the paths of the dead and offer them a way to fulfil their oath. Thus releasing them from their curse.

When Aragorn took the path through the haunted mountain during The War of the Ring, the host recognised him as Isildur's heir and followed him, driving away the Crosairs of Umbar and helping to save Minas Tirith.

With their oath fulfilled, Aragorn released them to their eternal rest.

So would you rather face a vengeful tooth fairy or a host of resentful warriors?


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My Other Blogs
I am sharing blogging duties with my sister, Sophie, on two other blogs for the AtoZ as well :

And Sophie also has her own blog in the AtoZ too:

~*~
Other People's Blogs
Don't forget to check out the other participant in this years AtoZChallenge. Click on the image to visit the main site and see the full list.

63 comments:

  1. I actually feel quite sorry for Matilda, even if she did turn into a vengeful ghost preying on the children. I hate that people are maligned because of how they look or a disability or not being the norm, I have less sympathy for the oath breakers but I'm glad they got a chance to be redeemed! Now I want a happy ending for Matilda too lol!

    Mars xx
    @TrollbeadBlog from
    Curling Stones for Lego People

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    1. Matilda is a tragic character - which is what makes her so interesting, because you don't want to hate her, but then she does such terrible things. The film Mama has a similar character, with similar results.

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  2. Ah, I know the Dead Men of Dunharrow very well ;-)
    Never heard of Matilda Dixon, but that's a very intriguing story. Though I don't see why she would turn agaisnt the children, whene it was the adults who doomed her.

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - Jazz Age Jazz

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    1. I think she turns against the children to punish the adults and also, that way they never grow up to be able to hurt anyone like her.

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  3. the matilda story is quite scary...wont let any of the kids in my family find out about her

    zannie A-Z visitor

    http://allfeathersfurandfins.blogspot.co.uk/

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  4. I'm going with the vengeful tooth fairy and hoping not for any power outage :) Kinda of sad with her story though.

    betty

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    1. The misunderstood to monster trope is one that always gets my attention. As I mentioned above, Mama is another movie that used the same trop and it's brilliant.

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  5. I love those ghosts! I need to watch LOTR again...
    I am not a King that can grant them peace, so I guess I'll take on the tooth fairy. *shudder*

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    1. My husband and I pull out the extended versions every now and then and watch them over a couple of days :) Remember to charge your batteries ;)

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  6. I love those ghosts! I need to watch LOTR again...
    I am not a King that can grant them peace, so I guess I'll take on the tooth fairy. *shudder*

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  7. Uhhh, tough question! I feel like you could reason with the dead warriors... but only if you are Aragorn... and I am too old for the tooth fairy. :D

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    The Multicolored Diary
    MopDog

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    1. Ah, but the tooth fairy comes for the children and then takes anyone she can get her hands on :) If only we could all be Aragorn now and then ;)

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  8. That moment in LotRs with the dead men of Dunharrow always stuck out to me. It sent shivers down my spine.

    ~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

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    1. Yep, me too, every time :) It's beautifully done. Still annoys me they never got a big battle in the books.

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  9. Bit too scary for me, I think :) And those pics make me shiver.

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    1. They are both quite gruesome ones today :) Thank you for dropping in.

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  10. I always find the most interesting topics at your blog!

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  11. They are both quite frightful. But the toothfairy ghost is the scariest, since she comes to you.

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    1. This is very true, and she can hide in all the shadows. *shudder*

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  12. I loved the Deadmen! And now I'm totally standing guard over my little girl when she gets near losing that last baby tooth. (shudder)


    @mirymom1 from
    Balancing Act

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    1. It's a well thought out story isn't it, because no one can avoid it :)

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  13. I'm afraid the thought of that tooth fairy would keep me up at night!!!

    Meet My Imaginary Friends
    #AtoZchallenge http://www.kathleenvalentineblog.com/

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  14. Dear Lady Tasha, The "Darkness Falls" above reminds us ... Just learned of a new film (to be released on July 22nd) , called "Lights Out" ..!! Another evil "Ghostie" kept at bay by "Light".

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    1. Oh my, is this a long version of the short film Lights Out? The trailer looks like it. That totally freaked me out - awesome :)

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  15. Thank you for the chills! And for stopping by my blog. You're very kind.

    Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
    I’m enjoying my little focus on music this month. Be well!

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  16. I wouldn't want to face Matilda Dixon in a dark alley! She sounds very scary...but it saddens me that she kills the kids. She should be after the adults. But then again, revenge doesn't always make sense...

    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. Revenge very rarely makes sense because it warps the perceptions. Poor Matilda, but she didn't have to turn into a monster.

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  17. That Tooth Fairy is not to tampered with. I'm going with the warriors.

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    1. At least there's a chance you could sneak past the warriors ... maybe ;)

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  18. I always thought the Tooth Fairy was a creepy idea though my children put their teeth under the pillow too. Aragon did gather a heck of a scary army.
    Susan Says

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    1. The Rock didn't make quite such a creepy Tooth Fairy :) That was an army and a half!

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  19. um, they are both creeptastic and i don't want to tangle with either.

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  20. The Dead Men were among my favorite LOTR elements. :) And I always enjoy a story about a creepy curse. :)

    The Immarcescible Word

    Frox'n'Fox

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    1. Monsters with reason are so much scarier than mindless killing machines, I find. That's why I love films like Darkness Falls.

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  21. I don't remember the Dead Men. I feel a tad sorry for the tooth ghost though as she didn't murder the children.

    JO ON FOOD, LIFE AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

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    1. I feel sorry for Matilda, up until the moment she becomes a monster. Revenge makes her as bad as her persecutors, which is sad.

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  22. Oh gosh, the dead men in The Lord of the Rings was one of the creepiest things ever! Even creepier in the book.

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    1. I need to read the book again, it's been ages.

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  23. Always moved by those dead warriors, especially when they play their part at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, sweeping off the ships.

    But Aragorn is not around so I might have to face Matila (rather than a Nazgul).

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    1. I wonder if it's easier to be brave when you're dead or if they were in just as much danger because of magic?

      It's a bummer not being able to command like Aragorn some times :)

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  24. I've slept through earthquakes, so I don't think I'd wake up when the tooth fairy visited me. I guess I'm safe there.

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    1. Now that is a very useful ability - just sleep through the supernatural. I can just imagine the consternated hands on hips of Matilda :)

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  25. I think I would choose the warriors, to be honest. I have 2 young children, so the tooth fairy is a little close to home and scary ;) See you around on the #AtoZChallenge http://spookymrsgreen.com/

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    1. I respect your reasoning :) Thanks for dropping by.

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  26. That tooth fairy story is pretty awful, and the pictures really add to it. Gives me the shudders.

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  27. Never believed in the tooth fairy, but I'm cool with whatever Middle-Earth has to offer.

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    1. When I was a child I totally believed in the tooth fairy - there was a lot of trouble when I accidentally swallowed one of my baby teeth. :)

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  28. I think the DEAD of LOTR, could just held another hour or so the war would have been over. Very Nice Post... but you know that, that's why you posted it! Right!

    Welcome in the letter "D"... thank you!
    Jeremy [Retro]
    AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2016]

    Stop over and find a free "SIX STRINGS: BLOGGING AtoZ CHALLENGE" Here: http://www.jmhdigital.com/

    HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
    You know you want to know if me or Hollywood... is Nuts?

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    1. Thank you :) Letting the ghosts win everything would have been far too easy a plot device ::g::

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  29. The tooth fairy scares me the most! I am learning a lot. I am out of my comfort zone because stories like this keep me up at night. You are doing such a great job that I can't resist and I must come back for more!

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    1. Thank you - I do hope I don't scare you too much. It's fun to talk about fiction phantoms :)

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  30. I actually felt sorry for Mathilda, but wouldn't want to meet either of these phantoms.

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    1. Yep - neither of them are good for your health :)

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  31. I guess I'd take my chances with the Tooth Fairy. Darkness Falls sounds like an interesting movie!

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    1. I enjoyed it - quite creepy and scary in places, unlike so many others. :)

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  32. Is there a movie for Darkness Falls?! I want to see it!

    One of my favorite scenes in The Return of the King is when the Dead Men kill that eliphant. lol It's dark, but funny at the same time.

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    1. The DVD is £3.40 on Amazon UK and you can get it used from 38c on Amazon UK :)

      Return of the King is a great film with some really great sequences, that is definitely one of them.

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