Auburn team chases ghosts, spirits

From Auburn.com: Auburn team chases ghosts, spirits
t's after hours at the White River Valley Museum and a ghost hunt is in progress.

For years, rumors of a resident ghost, perhaps a spirit attached to one of many artifacts lining the shelves in the museum's storerooms, have persisted.

Hilary Pittenger, a curator at the museum for six years, said she believes she’s seen the ghost.

“My first experience was before I’d heard anything about her,” Pittenger says. “I was in the back room just doing some cleaning. I saw something walk past that was white and had a textile feel to it, like it was fabric.”

When Pittenger informed coworkers of her experience, they told her of similar encounters.

"Every time after that it's just been walking into a room and getting that feeling that you've walked in on someone that wasn't expecting you," Pittenger says. "There was nothing scary, just a vague irritation or surprise."

Without the distractions of patrons, David Vacknitz and Stephen Johnston of the Auburn Paranormal Activities Research Team roam the museum’s displays and storerooms, collecting evidence they hope will prove that a spirit from the other side inhabits the museum.

Johnston, 26, holds a video camera with a digital voice recorder mounted on it, looking for proof of electronic voice phenomenon (EVP). Johnston explains that sometimes the recordings capture voices, or other noises that are possibly spirits trying to communicate with the living.

Meanwhile, Vacknitz works his way through the museum’s main display rooms, measuring electromagnetic fields for anomalies.

“We always break out the EMF detector first,” he says.

In addition to measuring the electrical energy that might be put out by a spirit or ghost, Vacknitz explains, high levels of electromagnetic energy, such as that given off by old electrical wiring, often can have an effect on human perception.

“The human body has reactions to high EMFs and people susceptible to high levels,” Vacknitz says. “They can cause headaches or nausea or even hallucinations.”

For Vacknitz and Johnston, it’s all part of their normal investigation process, which they’ve been doing since APART formed in 2005.

Vacknitz, 37, has long been interested in the paranormal.

“As a kid I watched all the shows about ghosts or hauntings,” Vacknitz says. “I’ve seen all the movies and all that type of stuff. I’ve had occurrences where I’ve had things talk to me, or I’ve felt things or seen things.”

His experience with the paranormal pales next to Johnston’s, however.

“We don’t use the term sensitive, everybody is sensitive to a point,” Vacknitz explains. “But Stephen is autistic, so he has a tendency to be a lot more open without meaning to be.”

The sensitivity has earned him the nickname “Scooby Doo” with the group.

“That’s because every once in awhile something will spook me and I’ll run in place for five seconds and then bolt,” Johnston says. “I have been scared, sometimes at nothing, and sometimes for reasons. I’ve been choked and scratched. I’ve had physical things happen to me. I don’t know what it is, but they like me.”

Unlike many organizations that thrive on the adrenaline rush involved in investigating spooky places, Vacknitz and Johnston contend that APART is different, seeking to help people deal with the unexplained.

“We just want to help people,” Vacknitz says. “It can be draining and tiring, but who else is out there to try and help people with these things? I figure if I can help one or two people, that’s good, that’s what I set out to do. We don’t want to be one of those groups that go in, investigate and give them tapes and say this is what we’ve found, goodbye. You’re not helping anyone then, so what’s the point to doing it?”

That’s why APART is at the museum.

Team at work

The investigation begins like all APART investigations.

“We go to where the incident is, get their story and take a walkthrough,” Vacknitz says. “Just get a feel for how things are laid out and see if we can find anything that might be causing what they’re experiencing.

“We always to try to rule things out before we make a determination.”

After interviewing Pittenger and museum director Patricia Cosgrove, who hasn’t had any experiences with the presence but is eager to find out what’s behind them, the APART crew gets to work.

Pointing out a life-size cardboard cutout of a woman in period dress, part of the museum’s displays, Cosgrove tells APART, “sometimes we find that moved around.”

In the storeroom, Vacknitz claims to feel something brush by him, despite being alone in the area. He also claims to smell flowery perfume or cologne.

For Johnston, it’s footsteps without feet around to make them.

The investigation goes on with Johnston breaking out his iPhone and setting up the video camera on a tripod. He begins to ask direct questions, trying to coax the spirit into communicating.

“We use anything and everything that will get us some proof,” Vacknitz explains.

On the phone, a program called Ghost Radar looks for anomalies in the EMF, using the many sensors on the phone to search for peaks and assigning an algorithm to them that produces a word.

“Sometimes we get really interesting results, sometimes it’s gibberish,” Johnston says.

Tonight the phone spits out several words – football, tea, David, pattern, cave, Thomas – seemingly gibberish.

An hour into the investigation, APART is wrapping up when they come across the cardboard cutout again. A quick glance at the wall behind the figure reveals a poster advertising a football game. In the window of the replica storefront by the cutout, boxes of tea fill a display.

Although Vacknitz says they typically spend much more time investigating, he and Johnston are satisfied with the night’s work. Now the real work begins for the duo, analyzing the data they’ve recorded. Regardless of how the investigation turns out, Vacknitz is satisfied with the handful of instances he and Johnston experienced.

As to whether the museum definitely houses a spirit, the jury is still out.

Johnston says the recordings captured nothing out of the ordinary, no EVP or voices from the other side.

There are the Ghost Radar words and personal experiences, however.

“While (Vacknitz) and I believe there is something there, we cannot say for sure it’s a woman or man, or maybe even residual energy attached to an object,” Johnston says.

He adds that APART hopes to take a little more time to investigate the museum further.

“I’m not here to make anyone believe anything,” Vacknitz says. “If you believe, great, if not, fine. Unless you’ve experienced something yourself, I can’t sit here and show you a picture and say, ‘it’s right here’ and make you believe. There are lots of people who think it’s BS, and I can’t change their minds. But there are also people who’ve come out with us for a time and started to believe. It really depends on what they’re open to.”

Ghost Hunting Software – The Paranormal Log & Analysis Notebook Review

From Hillybean: Ghost Hunting Software – The Paranormal Log & Analysis Notebook Review (zjebvqhe93)
This paranormal ghost hunting software is created by Dennis A. Batchelor. He has finished actually 100s of investigation though out his 30+ years, and he remains quite energetic and luxuriate in a solid “Ghost Hunt”.

What Is The “P.L.A.N”?

The Paranormal research and ghost hunting software is created to just watch your entire investigation, manage evidence and list complete reports and save your researches for easy and fast for future reference. It has a amount of great features:

1. Tracks researchers certification level.
2. Tracks all of your equipment & kits.
3. It posts e-mail to all members at the same time.
4. Integrated car fill features when making a report.
5. Enables user to set password protection for reports.
6. Import/Export EVPS and pictures.
7. Bit-by-bit instructional videos.

Let’s wait and watch what the real users say:

Angela: Thanks for this great software I am enjoying what I see I simply set it up on my Asus Eee netbook PC, I’ll give it a large test run it seems great. I do think many teams invest plenty of time looking for something established to have their evidence & info on the location’s neatly together. That in its self can be a nightmare hunting to download a method build for all to make use of! It will get everything from that… this indicates so simple to use & simple yet powerful in what it does! My days simply became much simpler!

Michael H. Founder, Boise City Ghost Hunters: I believed the tool was really easy to maneuver. It follows the path of the research process properly. It is very helpful making one spot to save all the data for every individual case. I appreciate you for creating this kind of powerful software.

Sonya S.H. Longmont Colorado: Simply one word…Amazing! I’ve been using the PLAN, and I have to say it is quite helpful for our Paranormal group. The PLAN makes it far easier to maintain monitor of everything, Have points in order and arranged.

Please visit the Real Ghost Pictures (http://www.picturesofghosts.org/ (http://www.picturesofghosts.org/ghost-stori)) website to have more The P.L.A.N Review.

Patricia Rieger Branham - Independent Sacramento Ghosthunter

From Sacremento Press: Patricia Rieger Branham - Independent Sacramento Ghosthunter

Question: Tell us something personal about yourself? Your hobbies, family life, recreational activities, etc.

Answer: I was born and raised in Sacramento. I came from a large family of six children. I was a mother figure to my siblings. I worked for the California State Legislature and California Board of Prison Terms. I retired in 2001. I am married with two children, two stepchildren, and five grandchildren. I am a photographer, and currently my work can be seen at the Sierra Framing Shop in Lincoln, California. I am also an artist using the mixed media theory. I am also a returning student to Sierra College where I am finishing up my AA in Social Psychology.

Question: You consider yourself as an independent paranormal investigator. Where have you investigated? What kind of equipment do you use? Have you worked with any other groups?

Answer: I joined my first paranormal group in 2009. As a member of the group I first learned the techniques in regards to “Ghost Hunting.” I enjoyed the fact that much of the hunting served as a “community service” to individuals, easing their concern and fears and in many cases solving their issues with simple physical solutions. I was interviewed on Access Sacramento regarding my paranormal work. I have personally investigated the Carey House in Placerville, private homes, civil war cemeteries and other historic cemeteries. The equipment I use is the digital voice recorder, camera, and EMF meter.

Question: What group did you with?

Answer: API (American Paranormal Investigators).

Question: How many countries have you been to? What did you do in Venice?

Answer: I’ve been fortunate to have traveled to Italy as my husband has family living outside of Milan. We visited Rome, Florence, Asisi, Luca, and other ancient cities. We traveled through the Tuscany region. Also, my husband and I honeymooned in Venice – now how romantic is that? It was on New Years and we attended an international ball on the Piazza of San Marco. We also went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Vatican. This past October my husband and I traveled to the UK. In Cork, Ireland we visited an historic woman’s prison. Walking around the prison (The Women’s Gaol) I noticed that part of the prison was closed as it had not been renovated. The doors were sealed off. Later walking passed the doors again, one was slightly opened. A quick check to see if anyone was watching, I slipped through the open door and went as far back into the prison I could reach. I snapped photos of the original writings on the prison cells, photos of the cells and old windows. Upon review of the photos I found a possible face or two of women. I informed one of the young docents and she said, “oh my gosh, I have worked here for 2 years, and have never been in that part of the prison. Was the door opened for me????

Question: Tell me about your uncle. Your uncle has a unique history with Preston Castle.

Answer: My uncle, Frank White, was the Assistant Head of supervisors at Preston School of Industry (Ione, CA) in the late 50s and 60s. As a small child I would ‘hang out’ with him at the school, swim in the pool, eat in the cafeteria and stayed with my uncle and my aunt in the Preston Housing circle which remains today. My uncle personally gave testimony to the murder of Anna Corbin at the ParaCon Conference of NorCal Paranormal. Anna was the beloved head housekeeper at the school and was tragically killed by one of the wards. It has been reported for years incorrectly as to the whereabouts of her body. My uncle personally viewed Anna’s body and testified at the murder trials. You can watch my uncle here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_NjrKxOovI

Special Note: I will have to mention HPI’s connection to Preston Castle. When Shannon McCabe and I, did the documentary – Conversations with a Serial Killer by Two Four Productions in England, in regard to Richard Trenton Chase aka The Vampire of Sacramento, we did a segment of this filming at Preston Castle. A lot of people do not realize this, but HPI was the first paranormal investigating team inside of Preston Castle and Conversations with a Serial Killer was the first documentary. Following us later were Ghost Adventurers, Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab. After that Preston Castle was a big hit with many other paranormal groups. Shannon found the place for our filming and we spent the whole night there, in which the entities called 2 female investigators ‘whores, whores, whores’. You were able to hear the entities with your own ears and this was captured on film.

Question: What fascinates you with the paranormal?

Answer: When asked about “ghost hunting,” I explain that it is really not “ghost” but spirit contact. These individuals had lives, families, hardships, love and losses. There are messages that perhaps need to be delivered, situations left unresolved, issues that are loved to be expressed. To be a part of this is very rewarding and gives hope to the after life we all seek.

Question: Have you ever had any paranormal experiences?

Answer: Yes. I was always intuitive to certain family members, but when I lost my dear friend to a tragic passing the activity became very real. I felt her presence, mentally heard her voice reaching out with her frustration of passing and her grief. She contacted me in many forms: the volume on the TV, my burglar alarm and just the overwhelming sense of her presence. Currently, there is a presence in my home, non-threatening, that comes and goes. We have had the experience of doors being unlocked, locked tight, and unlocked again. My mother who is passed loved Christmas, the family usually gets a Christmas hello in one form or another. At the same time in three separate homes, a Christmas ornament was slapped across the room from the tree.

Question: Tell us about Groveland Hotel.

Answer: I joined one of the first groups to “ghost hunt” in this historic hotel outside of Yosemite Park. Lyle is the resident ghost. It was fascinating and really peaked my interest in joining a local group.

Question: What books, TV shows, movies do you like?

Answer: Hooked on Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Adventures, My Ghost Adventures, Celebrity Ghost Stories, and any paranormal programs that I find of interest. Non fiction books, history, political and enjoy “feel good” movies. Enchanted Cottage is one my favorite movies. I will throw this in…”Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is my favorite song!

Question: If readers of your interview have any questions, how can they get a hold of you?

Answer: Yes, and I can be reached at pbranham56@gmail.com

Special Note: Patricia when in Hawaii visited the office of Dog the Bounty Hunter, but unfortunately he was not working on that day.

Question: Thank you for this fascinating interview! Do you have any words of wisdom for your readers?

Answer: Thank you Paul, it was my pleasure to meet and be interviewed by you. As for words of wisdom: Believe!!

Pictures of Patricia's Trip to Ireland:
https://picasaweb.google.com/113085620574413968867/IrelandCork?authkey=Gv1sRgCJjivKGbqfSUTA&feat=email#

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Swag That Was Given Away Tonight:
Thank you Shannon McCabe for the Swag!
http://s970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/PaulDaleRoberts55/Ehrhardt%20Oaks%20Park/

Interview conducted on 12/2/2011 Friday at Starbucks - 4701 Madison Avenue, Sacramento, CA.

Hunting for haunts inside historic Philadelphia prison

From New Jersey.com: Hunting for haunts inside historic Philadelphia prison

Do you believe in ghosts?

Well, as a fan of the paranormal — I love watching the TV shows “Ghost Hunters” and “Ghost Hunters International” — I wanted to know if they actually do exist.

Paranormal investigator Kris Williams, who got her start with TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) in 2003 and has appeared on both ghost-hunting shows, was invited to investigate Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia — once home to some of the most notorious criminals, including bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton and Al Capone — and I got to join her on her haunted hunt.

Kris, along with Aaron Sagers of paranormalpopculture.com and Tony Bruno of 97.5 the Fanatic sports radio, was a guest at the historic prison for the 20th anniversary Terror Behind the Walls encore event and paranormal investigation held in early November.

When I arrived at the prison, I was taken to where Kris, Aaron, Tony and some others were greeting guests, signing autographs and snapping pictures with fans.

They were all equally excited to have me there (representing a local newspaper) and I, of course, was ecstatic — this was a dream come true for me.

After chatting for a while and closing up the 2011 haunt for another year, Kris, Aaron, Tony and I, as well as a group of guests who purchased tickets for the investigation, made our way to the central rotunda in the heart of the prison.

For the first part of the investigation, I went with Kris and a group of about six guests plus our tour guide into Cellblock 10. This cellblock is one of the cleanest in the penitentiary and has several artist installations in the cells.

For the most part it was quiet in there.

I had my K-2 meter (a gadget which measures electromagnetic fields) and Kris set it up in the middle of the block. However, it didn’t get any hits.

Upon listening to my digital voice recorder the next day, I didn’t hear anything strange there either.

Next, I joined Aaron in Cellblock 4. This was an entirely different and disturbing experience.

I’ve never been scared at Eastern State (well except for those scary guys — actors — during Terror Behind the Walls) but, in Cellblock 4, I was scared. I didn’t like it at all. It felt very heavy — not pleasant.

An inmate beat a guard to death in this cellblock because he thought the guard was putting something in his food. They were actually putting vitamins in his food to keep him healthy.

After we were settled, Aaron asked us to choose a cell and sit down on the step in front of it. As soon as I sat down, I felt something touch my back just above my waist.

Thinking it was my jacket falling, I reached back to fix it.

My jacket was in place.

I am a skeptic looking for proof — a symptom of watching “Ghost Hunters” — but I was freaked out. I didn’t want to sit there anymore. So I stood up for the rest of that portion of the investigation.

About an hour into the investigation, I heard what sounded like someone make an agreement sound, “mmm. hmm.”

I asked if it had been anyone living, and it wasn’t.

Later, when I listened to my digital recorder, the voice was there, but is still unexplained.

During our time in Cellblock 4, a few brave investigators walked to the end of the cellblock alone, where they said they felt a real heaviness, an overall creepy feeling.

Several people in our group reported seeing “shadow figures” moving at the end of the cellblock, but again, being a skeptic, I blamed it on my eyes playing tricks on me in the dark.

While listening to my digital recorder, I heard several things that I’ve yet to figure out and I believe to be EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon).

One hour and 20 minutes into the investigation, my recorder picked up a strange yell that sounded like it was off in the distance. I know for a fact, no one in our party yelled at any point during the evening and no other groups in the prison were close enough. So we couldn’t possibly have heard any of their yells.

Then, approximately four minutes later, a voice very close to my microphone clearly whispers, “thank you.”

I was alone with no one near enough to whisper into my recorder.

Finally, Aaron asked us to again choose a cell, stand in front of it, and stare into it.

This few minutes of quiet felt like an hour because of the tense feeling that surrounded me. Toward the end of our time in Cellblock 4, I took a picture into the mostly pitch-black cell.

When I turned the camera around and looked at the screen, there was a strange, white blob in the center of the frame. Curious, I took another picture. Then another. This blob did not appear in the two, other photos.

I showed Aaron the pictures on my digital camera, and he came over with his flashlight to check out the cell, to see if there was anything reflective in the shot, a bug flying around or dust that could create this kind of anomaly in a photograph.

There was nothing. And Aaron was unsure of what caused the orb.

I’m not a big fan of orbs, and most paranormal investigators aren’t either, but this one is pretty weird.

My final investigative spot was Cellblock 15 — Death Row — which is located outside between blocks 2 and 14.

According to those who had investigated the night before — this was a two-night investigation — Death Row is an active spot in the penitentiary.

On the first night of the investigation, two EVPS were caught — “Leave” and “Get out.”

So, upon entering the cellblock, I placed my K-2 meter and digital voice recorder on the floor and another guest placed two twist-on flashlights next to them.

These kinds of flashlights are sometimes used to communicate during paranormal investigations.

It was all quiet for a while until finally, Kris asked someone to turn on the flashlight and one of them lit up. From then on, it was a back and forth all night, with both flashlights going on and off, intelligently responding to our questions, and the K-2 meter reacting simultaneously.

While the flashlight action was interesting, my voice recorder caught even more evidence in Death Row than in Cellblock 4.

Kris and the other investigators were asking many questions that were being answered by using the flashlights, but also their voices.

Some of the responses I heard weren’t clear, but were definitely there, such as a four-syllable sentence, a quiet “yeah,” a creepy and breathy moan, both which caused my hair to stand on end.

Then, (whoever was with us) started to respond even more intelligently.

One investigator stated, “I don’t think you can turn on both flashlights at the same time.”

The response, “Can’t,” is heard loud and clear on my recorder.

Approximately five minutes later, while discussing trigger objects — familiar objects that sometimes spur activity — “Help me,” can be plainly heard.

Kris explained that our group was not there to judge anyone, but we were just trying to figure out what happens after death.

The response was two, loud hissing, heavy-breathing noises that coincided with both flashlights being lit. The group responded to the flashlights, but not the sounds, which were apparently only audible to my digital recorder.

A minute or so later, someone said, “You know you don’t have to stay here, right?”

The clear response, “I know,” was captured, at the same time a flashlight turned on in response.

Seeing the reaction via flashlight, Kris asked, “If you know you’re able to leave, why do you keep coming back? Is it a matter of feeling guilty?”

It was then that the responses got a bit erratic. The flashlights were going off and on quickly and non-stop.

“Are you mad right now?” I asked, and the recorder picked up the scariest sound of the evening.

The sound can only be described as an anguished yell.

My recorder turned itself off two minutes later.

As my first, real paranormal investigation, Eastern State was the perfect place. I love the site — day or night — and its deep history.

And to share that experience with Kris Williams — one of my favorite paranormal investigators — and, apparently, some unseen residents — made this the assignment of a lifetime.

For information about Kris Williams, visit kriswilliams.com and visit Aaron Sagers at paranormalpopculture.com.

Time Keeps On Slipping Into the Future

Sorry for the dearth of posts recently...I've been working on a project, wanted to devote all my time to it, and kept telling myself...it'll be done today so I can get back to blogging here tomorrow.

The next day it was... okay, it's definitely going to get done today....

Well, today it is done... so back to posting here on a daily basis tomorrow. (With the first post appearing tomorrow afternoon while I'm watching football!)

Thanks for your patience.

UK: 17 Dec, 2011: Special Ghost Hunt At Cusworth Hall, Doncaster

PR: Christmas Special Ghost Hunt At Cusworth Hall, Doncaster, With Chris Conway – 17th December 2011
Chris Conway Christmas Special. Come and join Most Haunted’s popular Medium Chris for this spectacular event. Treat yourself this Christmas. The historical and much loved Cusworth Hall in Doncaster, set amongst a backdrop of picturesque scenery of woodlands and fields Cusworth Hall has been one of the most exciting and interesting places we have ever held a paranormal investigation at.

It was built in the 18th century and was once home to the Battie-Wrightson family, Cusworth Hall is ,no longer a family home but it has now been converted into a museum for all ages, however it still maintains many period features on display for all to see under the stewardship of Doncaster council.
Dare you enter the ‘hearse room’, or find out what spirits reside in and around this spooky building.

It is said to be haunted by a number of individual spirits, including the ghost of the grey lady, a man is seen standing by the grand fireplace in the entrance, and children have been seen and heard in the classroom area based in the basement, as well as a Victorian dressed lady. There is said to be the spirit of a former worker who fell to his death in a tragic accident, whom is said to make his presence known to visitors on numerous occasions.

The team all agree that Cusworth Hall is one of the most active places we have ever investigated on ghost hunts, needless to say we are certain this event will be a sell out!.

Channel Guide: Unpacking Our Obsession with Paranormal Investigation Shows

From Film School Rejects: Channel Guide: Unpacking Our Obsession with Paranormal Investigation Show
by Amber Humphries

The title is super cryptic so I’ll explain the premise of Ghost Hunters for anyone who has somehow managed to escape its hypnotic appeal: Ghost Hunters is a reality show in which some dudes (Roto-Rooter plumbers turned paranormal experts) hunt ghosts. Really, though, saying that The Atlantic Paranormal Society (or TAPS) “hunt ghosts” makes the series sound a lot more thrilling than it actually is.

The paranormal investigators on Ghost Hunters, just like the paranormal investigators on the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures or A&E’s Paranormal State, visit purportedly haunted locations with an arsenal of scientific sounding gizmos (Electromagnetic Field detectors, thermal imaging cameras); the technology lends an air of objectivity to the proceedings. Flying in the face of this objectivity: a typical episode basically just consists of people walking around in the dark, bumping into stuff, flipping out at the slightest little sounds, talking about how they just got the chills, and whispering, “did you hear that?” repeatedly (add a game of “light as a feather, stiff as a board” and you have every sleep-over that I went to in middle school).

There aren’t any ghosts on these shows. There have never been any ghosts on these shows. There will never be any ghosts on these shows. There is absolutely no rational reason why anyone should be watching these shows. Yet, we are watching them. In fact, we’re watching the hell out of them. Ghost Hunters has been airing on the SyFy channel for an astounding seven years.

Ghost Hunters
So, why is a paranormal investigation series in which, arguably, nothing ever happens cancellation-proof? How do we explain our attraction to this genre? On Halloween night while flipping between Ghost Hunters Live on SyFy and the Ghost Adventures movie on the Travel Channel, I arrived at three possible answers to these questions.

1. I know they’re never going to find a ghost but they might find a ghost.

First of all, no they won’t. At least they’ll never be able to collect any evidence that definitively proves the existence of ghosts. (Wouldn’t we have seen the footage on CNN or some other major news network if they had?) This being said, I can still understand and relate to that irrational anticipation and excitement. It’s the same hopeful but ultimately foolhardy logic that prompts us to buy lottery tickets or watch Dinner for Schmucks—we know that it’s going to be a complete, soul-crushing waste but maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised. Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures may not prove the existence of ghosts but the longevity of these shows does prove that we haven’t all been turned into hardened, world-weary skeptics and that, like Fox Mulder, we desperately want to believe. Perhaps that’s something that should be celebrated. On the other hand, they say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So, there’s that.

2. They’ve totally found ghosts on these shows.

Now, the other school of thought is that there hasn’t been an episode of Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures where there wasn’t some kind of paranormal activity. Changes in temperature, unexplained noises, garbled “spirit voice” recordings, and orbs of light witnessed in photographs and video footage, are more than enough proof for most viewers, completely justifying the continuation of this genre now and forever. There’s no rationalizing or arguing with that kind of unshakable belief. Just don’t show one of those grainy, night vision videos to a Eureka fan. They’ve suffered enough.

3. Paranormal investigators have abnormally high levels of charisma. Fact: the primary ingredient in AXE Body Spray is essence of ghost hunter.

A couple of years ago, I went to Dragon*Con in Atlanta and the Ghost Hunters panel was packed. While walking around the convention floor, I saw a family—all wearing Ghost Hunters t-shirts—carrying around some fancy plaque with “TAPS” inscribed on it that I can only assume they’d planned on presenting to the show’s eponymous ghost hunters. I personally feel that Grant and Jason, the two lead investigators, are completely devoid of personality. But clearly, I’m in the minority. Sure, these shows appeal to a niche audience but they are an incredibly devoted and apparently large niche. Viewers relate to these investigators on some level. They like them. It’s fitting that a reality show about the intangible should be appealing for a reason that is as unquantifiable as the charisma of its star