Ghost Stories

I finally started watching American Horror Story this week and it got me thinking about why people enjoy ghost stories so much. Of course, it’s fun being scared because we get a bit of an adrenaline rush, but I think there’s a lot more to it.

 People are always curious about the afterlife, and ghost stories give us a safe place to explore that curiosity. We want to feel like there’s more to life and if ghost exist, we know something else is coming. Ghost stories also can help us feel closer to people who have passed on in our lives. Ghost stories make it seem possible to reconnect with those lost loved ones. Who wouldn’t want to talk to, or interact with a deceased relative?

So we create stories that reinforce the idea that ghosts are real, that there is more to life than what we can see with our eyes and people dive into them because it’s what they want to hear and believe.

Why do you think people enjoy ghost stories so much?

Weekly News Round-up 2/21/13

A man in Oklahoma died from what may be spontaneous human combustion. Read about it here.

Here's a story about a haunted mirror that sold on Ebay.

A photo of a strange creature in New Jersey can be found here. The article actually does a nice job of explaining why the image is probably a fake.

The Top 5 Things Not to do on a Ghost Hunt

Here’s my short list of some behavior to be avoided while ghost hunting.

1. Run. Sometimes stuff happens on ghost hunts and people get spooked. It’s never a good idea to take off running. Mostly because you could hurt yourself, but also because your fellow investigators will laugh at you later.
2. Act like you know what you’re talking about. The second you insist things always/never happen a certain way, the exact opposite is guaranteed to occur. This happens in ghost hunting and life in general.
3. Get angry or emotional. Spirits seem to target people who are in a bad place emotionally. If you show how you are feeling, you could easily be a target for something nasty.
4. Do nothing but goof around. I like having fun on ghost hunts and we all joke around, play pranks on each other and have a good time on occasion. But if that’s all you are doing on a ghost hunt, you’re cheating yourself out of some really amazing experiences because you will miss what’s going on around you.
5. Fall asleep. It’s easy to get tired when you work late in the night and spend hours just sitting in dark rooms. But if you fall asleep you will definitely miss any chance of interacting with the spirit world and you’re really just wasting your own time and energy. You can always just stay home and sleep. Caffeinated drinks have become a staple on ghost hunts.

Can you think of any other things to NOT do on ghost hunts?

Weekly News Round-up 2/14/13

NBC News has an article discussing the remains found in Siberia by Russian scientists as well as some criticisms.

A ghost hunting group posted some evidence they captured aboard a Navy Ship. You can read about it and see the video here.

There was a report about a demon possessing a student at a school in Jamaica. You can read about it here.

Haunted Dolls

It’s a common belief in the paranormal world that spirits have the ability to attach themselves to or posses various objects. Some of the most common haunted object stories I’ve encountered have been about haunted dolls.

It seems like almost every place I’ve investigated has had at least one resident creepy doll. I think it’s mostly because old dolls sometimes look scary and people like to bring them to haunted locations. Sometimes investigators will bring dolls if they think there might be a child ghost inhabiting a building and leave it behind for the ghost to play with. Others are dolls that belong to the residence. Either way, they are creepy to run into in a dark space.

I’ve never actually seen a doll do anything paranormal on an investigation, but I have heard plenty of stories from fellow investigators, so I think it is a possibility. It makes sense that something with human characteristics and potential emotional ties would be fascinating to a ghost.

Do you think haunted dolls are a real thing or just another story?

Weekly News Round-up 2/6/13

A woman involved in a murder trial claims she dated a man who thought he was a vampire hunter. You can read about it here.

Russian scientist claim to have found the remains of a creature some believe could be a Siberian version of the Loch Ness monster. The article is here.

Thousands of purple spheres were found in the desert. Read about it here.

What Type of Equipment Do You Need to Ghost Hunt?

What Type of Equipment Do You Need to Ghost Hunt?

This question comes up a lot when I talk to people about ghost hunting. A lot of people are interested in ghost hunting, but don’t want to spend a ton of money buying equipment. The truth is, you really don’t need a lot of stuff to go looking for ghosts. A flashlight and an open mind are often enough if you are just looking for a spooky/fun experience.

However, if you are interested in recording your findings, there are several pieces of equipment that will help you. Some of them are things you may already have.

1. A digital camera with a good night setting. I tend to take a lot of photos during ghost hunts. I’ll often take hundreds of photos and most of the time nothing shows up in those photos, but every so often, something pops up that’s out of the ordinary.
2. A digital recorder. This is a staple of any ghost hunting group. EVPs are easy to catch in the right locations and I’ve learned a lot of information from EVP’s we’ve caught on our recorders.
3. A video camera with night vision. These can be expensive, especially for quality video, but there’s nothing quite like seeing something paranormal play out in front of you and then being able to go back and watch it again on video. Worth the investment if you plan on ghost hunting on a regular basis.
4. A spirit box. There are several versions of these available and you can even make your own out of an adapted radio. Some of them scan radio frequencies while others are simply boxes with words imputed inside. The idea is that a spirit can manipulate the boxes to interact with the world. I’ve seen some pretty impressive responses to the ghost box and they can be a lot of fun to use.

There’s lots of other equipment available but these four things are the items I think are the most useful for ghost hunters. Is there any equipment you think should be added on to the list? Have you ever used any of these items?