A fortune teller is someone who professes to use psychic talents in order to divine an individual's future. Some also claim to have the ability to commune with the deceased, transferring messages from passed loved ones in the afterlife to their surviving family members.
In most cases fortune tellers are charlatans who use keen powers of observation and psychological manipulation to con people out of money by supposedly providing them spiritual comfort. In horror fiction, fortune tellers often hail from Gypsy stock or, at the very least, wear the trappings of what one would come to expect from a Gypsy.
Funhouse, The: A busty middle-aged fortune teller and palm reader named Madame Zena worked at at a traveling fun fair. After being heckled by four customers named Amy Harper, Buzz Dawson, Liz and Richie, Madame Zena prostituted herself to a ride assistant wearing a Frankenstein costume for one-hundred dollars. The man embarrassingly ejaculated prematurely, but when he begged for a refund, the fortune teller refused. He then strangled her to death while slamming her body against an electrical panel, which subsequently shorted out all of the power to the park. Kind of a crappy fortune teller if shed didn't see that one coming.
Puppet Master: Dana Hadley, also known as the White Witch, operated a fortune telling operation on the boardwalk of Los Angeles, California. She carried about a stuffed dog, which she named Leroy. Unlike others of her trade, Dana actually did possess some modicum of psychic power. Along with several other gifted psychics, Dana visited the Bodega Bay Inn to pay respects to a deceased colleague, Neil Gallagher. Dana had no compunction regarding her feelings for Neil and she let his widow, Megan Gallagher, know straight off how she thought Neil was a complete bastard. Dana was later attacked by animated puppet known as Pinhead. He accosted her in her room, breaking her leg. She pushed him away and crawled into the hallway. Pinhead followed her to the elevator and began to punch her repeatedly. She managed to push the maniacal toy away, however, she didn't count on another killer puppet, Blade, providing back up. Blade entered the elevator car and sliced Dana's throat wide open.
Wolf Man, The: Maleva was an old gypsy woman who traveled with her caravan to the village of Llanwelly in 1941. Her son, Bela, who worked as a fortune teller was also a werewolf, and Maleva was charged with not only keeping others safe, but keeping him safe as well. Bela was killed by Welsh aristocrat Larry Talbot, who beat him to death with a silver-tipped walking stick. Maleva presided over Bela's funeral and even exchanged words with a priest who expressed displeasure with the gypsy's pagan funerary practices. Maleva noted that these were customs that the gypsies had clung to for over a thousand years. "I could not change them, even if I wanted to", she was quoted as saying. Maleva approached Larry Talbot and explained to him how her son was a werewolf. She further illustrated that anyone who survives being bitten by a werewolf, would in turn become a werewolf themselves.
In television[]
Dark Shadows: Magda Rakosi was a Gyspy woman and a fortune teller. She was married to a man named Sandor and was the older sister of Jenny Rakosi. Magda and Sandor once worked at a traveling carnival where he assisted her as a knife thrower. As they grew older, Magda achieved some success with fortune telling and used a crystal ball and tarot cards as the instruments of her craft. By the late 19th century, Magda had become the spiritual adviser to old Edith Collins of Collinsport, Maine. Though none of the other family members held any regard for the Gypsies, Edith valued Magda's skills immensely. To this end, she allowed Magda and Sandor to stay at the dilapidated ruins of the Old House on the Collinwood estate.
Episode 701: Magda consulted her crystal ball and saw an image of the secret room of the Collins Family Mausoleum. Believing this to be the hiding place of the Collins family jewels, she sent Sandor to find them, but all he found was the vampire, Barnabas Collins.
"Dead Right": Madame Vorna was a fortune teller who read the fortune of an ambitious waitress named Cathy Finch. She advised Cathy to marry a grotesque man named Charlie Marno, who as fated to die soon, so Cathy could inherit his money.
In comics[]
Nightstalkers: Madame Jasmine was a small-time criminal featured in the pages of the Nightstalkers comic book series. Created by writer D.G. Chichester and artists Ron Garney and Tom Palmer, she was introduced in Nightstalkers #2. Madame Jasmine worked alongside two other grifters known as Moorek and Bronskon. Through her agency, the group swindled paying customers out of their hard-earned money by pretending to reunite them with the spirits of their deceased loved ones.
This article relates to the Dark Shadows franchise. This template will categorize articles that include it in into the Dark Shadows miscellaneous category.
This article relates to the Ghost Rider comic and film franchise.
This article relates to the Nightstalkers comic book series.
This page is a miscellaneous article relating to the Wolf Man film franchise. This template will categorize images that include it into the Wolf Man miscellaneous category.
