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Ghost Adventures – Ripleys Believe It or Not – S16E01

ga-ripleyTo kick off the new season, Zak and team visit the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum in Hollywood, California due to claims of bizarre happenings and employee experiences. One employee, who no longer works there, claims she was touched. Another claims to have seen a shadow. A third, claims to have heard voices and had something follow her home.

The museum has shrunken heads, body parts as well as items that were supposedly used in rituals, such as a Japanese sword used in beheadings and a Hate Doll. Zak immediately clues in on the mummified foot and says it’s a cursed item, because items that come from Egyptian tombs have curses on them. That old curse from the time of King Tut is still kicking around.

As they talk with Brittany, she claims to see people in the museum who are tribal. Cari claims a black shadow followed her home and sleeps in her bed. She also has dreams of being in a cave where she is tortured.

This brings Jay to focus on the Hate Doll, which is basically a large voodoo doll. Nails are driven into a statue and each one represents the wish of harm to come to an adversary. Because of this, Zak says it’s a charged and dangerous object.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Billy are using the geomagnetometer, which has never been proven to be a scientific device, and get readings from -30 to 190 within a few steps of each other. Just what is this device measuring? It seems pretty unreliable from those measurements alone.

As the investigation starts, you could have bet money that Aaron would start to feel dizzy and doesn’t like what’s going on around him.

This is followed by a mysterious light coming on because some gaffer tape fell off it. Zak is convinced and adamant the tape didn’t peel or fall off. It has to have been torn off by unseen hands, because tape is sticky.

For the next part of the investigation, Zak is allowed to hold the supposed mummified foot from Egypt. He then has visions of a beautiful woman. At this same time, a stick figure appears, which is a spirit come to watch the event. And as Zak is clearly told of the appearance, he drops to the ground in pain as though attacked by this unseen force.

Next, as Billy says there are two skeletons overlaying, something we have seen before, Zak says he’s channeling the Egyptian princess.

Moving on to another experiment, Billy turns on a positive ionizer to fill the room with positive ions. He switches over to filling the room with negative ions. They are associating positive ions with something being good, and negative ions with something being bad. They are skipping over the idea of polarity and charges.

But with these ions in the air, Aaron, who is below the experiment, becomes affected like a rat in a maze. He becomes confused and disoriented, wandering back and forth without purpose. He also claims to hear chanting. Said chanting was not captured.

When he gets close to the tribal mask so he can put in the spirit box, there is a loud bang. He now has no idea what to do or where to go. He’s starts to come unglued as he talks to Zak about his experience and even has tears in his eyes. He says he’s being affected by the mask in cabinet, which was created by a cannibalistic tribe. Or so the card in the display reads.

Because of the effect, Zak is convinced as to how dangerous these objects are. This leads him to bring out the Paranormal Puck. This turns into a conversation where Zak asks if they are in danger. When the answer is ‘killed’, Zak becomes nervous. So where is this mysterious cursed item? According to the electronic oracle, it’s beside him, with the coins. This means the fountain full of coins underneath the Hate Doll is cursed and people putting money in there are worshipping the doll and giving power to the idol.

While there are no shadow figures, nobody gets touched, no booming voices, no actual evidence of any kind, Zak feels this Ripley’s museum is haunted and haunted by something dark.

And just to put it out there, if you work in a place called an Odditorium, which features items of supposed dubious past and then have nightmares about the bizarre practices of some tribesmen, it doesn’t mean the item is haunted or that you have a demonic attachment. That’s just letting your imagination run away with you.

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Ghost Adventures – The Slaughter House – S15E17

image Halloween may be over, but Zak heads to Tucson, Arizona to investigate where he feels a  dark energy is feeding on the blood of the living. This is confirmed by performers who claim to have been scratched, received bruises and had blood drawn from puncture wounds. The dark entity feed on the animal sacrifice, but now it needs human blood.

The haunted attraction is the Farmer John Meat Packing Plant, that operated from 1962 to 2004. And by Zak’s explanation, every meat processing plant in the country is haunted and a portal for evil because of all the blood that has been spilled. I doubt he has the same notions when eating a steak or having a hamburger.

While doing interviews, Zak gets a blip on the spirit box and feels a form of energy is holding him in place. Zak interprets this EVP as "woman in trouble" because the people affected are women. Other evidence includes a photo of a performer where a dark mass appears out of nowhere. This can also be interpreted as someone put their finger over the flash. When Dakota has a stomach pain, they feel it’s demonically inspired.

The investigation includes a guest, Post Malone, and they are all jumpy as cats. Post  jumps at every shadow and noise, including the raccoon or cat they capture moving around. Not to be outdone, Aaron throws in his comment of feeling sick, and when they turn their hacked up SLS toward him, there’s a stick figure on his back.

Going to the location of the captured black mass, they leave Post on his own to see what happens. In a panic attack he begins to sweat and pull at his neck. As they bring out the Talking EVP and point it at Post, they get the words, Dirty, Afraid and Really.

In another burst of words it offers up Cattle and Cow. It also offers plenty of other words and numbers that aren’t mentioned.

Since Post Malone has heightened senses, meaning he’s scared out of his mind, Zak sends him off alone with a chest mounted camera. In this state of panic he feels something is walking next to him. We then Aaron getting sick to confirm Post’s experience.

Amidst this, Post hears someone gasp. Zak immediately comments how cold it is. However, neither the gasp nor the cold spot are recorded. They also claim there is a growl and it’s coming toward them. When it gets close, they run like hell in the other direction.

Finally, Zak goes into a trance and acts spaced out as though possessed. Zak asks the entity touching him to say his name. He gets a response of "Zak" and "gotcha" on the spirit box.

For the big finale, as they bump into a Halloween prop and scare themselves, Zak asks the prop for it’s name. Zak believes he gets, "Satan" as a response.

Zak got out of this investigation, exactly what he put into it. He goes above and beyond to illustrate just how dangerous this location is. Yet, it’s a business trading in the thrill of fear. And obviously not dangerous enough to close down and turn away a profit.

It’s also hard to put any stock in their claims when they don’t have any actual evidence. Getting scratches and bruises from wandering around in the dark next to exposed machinery and jutting bolts in the wall, aren’t signs of Satanic forces. Further, this is the second Halloween attraction Zak claims is haunted by Satan. So which one is he at?

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Ghost Adventures – Phelps Dodge Hospital – S15E16

ga-phelps-hospital With the holiday break behind us, Zak and team head to Ajo, Arizona to investigate the Phelps Dodge Hospital. It was established in 1918 to tend to the medical needs of the workers of the open pit copper mine. According to Zak, the energy stored in that copper is helping an entity choke the hospital caretaker, Ignacio.

Ignacio lives in the hospital by himself and says he gets choked in his sleep. What Zak describes as “air intake being restricted by an unseen force” can also be attributed to sleep apnea. Or perhaps even having a reaction to the environment itself since the building is completely run down.

Zak talks with Jose, a retired miner who runs the Ajo Museum, who confirms there were many deaths at the mine. This is also confirmed by Louie, President of the Ajo Historical Society Museum, but he adds there were many child deaths from malnutrition, whooping cough and measles.

They talk with two paranormal investigators who’s big experience was having their recorder tapped by an unseen force. For all the ominous build up, that hardly seems sinister or even evidence. But, as they listen to the recording, something falls to the floor. As Zak states, it’s a heavy metal plate falling off a rotting door. It’s hard to agree with the “thrown” part though.

The main goal for the investigation is to watch Ignacio sleep to see if they can uncover the entity responsible. It’s clear that Ignacio’s living conditions are pretty poor with peeling walls, debris and lots of things held together with duct tape. He’s probably choking on lead based paint.

The investigation starts with a camera on Ignacio and the Talking EVP. Through the night they get the words, Figure, Attack, Hold Hands, Finger and Arm. As the names of body parts as displayed, Ignacio reacts to them. When Arm is displayed, he scratches his arm. For finger, his finger points.

Zak goes to the upper floor and concludes there is poltergeist activity. To document it and showcase how much of a coward he really is, Zak tells Aaron to stay up there alone.

Aaron gets a metal scraping sound, which is another plate falling to the floor. Again, it’s falling, not being thrown.

Zak brings the SLS camera to Ignacio’s bed and a stick figure appears. To Jay, this isn’t human. But it only appears for a moment, and doesn’t come back.

Jay and Billy head to the basement where they don’t capture anything

Back on the upper floor, Aaron admits he is once against scared out of his mind and is acting disoriented.

Billy brings out the Spirit Sweep device, which doesn’t capture anything either.

Zak decides to go find Aaron and a ridiculous exchange of words takes place. They capture something on the recorder which Aaron says is, “I want to kill Zak Bagans.” Zak becomes defensive and tells Aaron he’s wrong and it absolutely doesn’t say that. He questions why Aaron would say such a thing. “Is that what you want it to say?” he asks and doesn’t want to be around Aaron in the dark. It’s an argument from a petulant 8 year old child.

For the final part, Ignacio wakes up after feeling something pull his arm. However, he wasn’t choked in the middle of the night.

Despite trying to form links to haunted Indian land, miner’s deaths, dozens of child deaths, and even a child stealing legend, they don’t capture anything. Ignacio lives in a ruined building, with tons of crap hanging from the ceiling. He would be better served sleeping somewhere else getting checked for a sleeping disorder.

With the holiday break behind us, Zak and team head to Ajo, Arizona to investigate the Phelps Dodge Hospital. It was established in 1918 to tend to the medical needs of the workers of the open pit copper mine. According to Zak, the energy stored in that copper is helping an entity choke the hospital caretaker, Ignacio.

Ignacio lives in the hospital by himself and says he gets choked in his sleep. What Zak describes as “air intake being restricted by an unseen force” can also be attributed to sleep apnea. Or perhaps even having a reaction to the environment itself since the building is completely run down.

Zak talks with Jose, a retired miner who runs the Ajo Museum, who confirms there were many deaths at the mine. This is also confirmed by Louie, President of the Ajo Historical Society Museum, but he adds there were many child deaths from malnutrition, whooping cough and measles.

They talk with two paranormal investigators who’s big experience was having their recorder tapped by an unseen force. For all the ominous build up, that hardly seems sinister or even evidence. But, as they listen to the recording, something falls to the floor. As Zak states, it’s a heavy metal plate falling off a rotting door. It’s hard to agree with the “thrown” part though.

The main goal for the investigation is to watch Ignacio sleep to see if they can uncover the entity responsible. It’s clear that Ignacio’s living conditions are pretty poor with peeling walls, debris and lots of things held together with duct tape. He’s probably choking on lead based paint.

The investigation starts with a camera on Ignacio and the Talking EVP. Through the night they get the words, Figure, Attack, Hold Hands, Finger and Arm. As the names of body parts as displayed, Ignacio reacts to them. When Arm is displayed, he scratches his arm. For finger, his finger points.

Zak goes to the upper floor and concludes there is poltergeist activity. To document it and showcase how much of a coward he really is, Zak tells Aaron to stay up there alone.

Aaron gets a metal scraping sound, which is another plate falling to the floor. Again, it’s falling, not being thrown.

Zak brings the SLS camera to Ignacio’s bed and a stick figure appears. To Jay, this isn’t human. But it only appears for a moment, and doesn’t come back.

Jay and Billy head to the basement where they don’t capture anything

Back on the upper floor, Aaron admits he is once against scared out of his mind and is acting disoriented.

Billy brings out the Spirit Sweep device, which doesn’t capture anything either.

Zak decides to go find Aaron and a ridiculous exchange of words takes place. They capture something on the recorder which Aaron says is, “I want to kill Zak Bagans.” Zak becomes defensive and tells Aaron he’s wrong and it absolutely doesn’t say that. He questions why Aaron would say such a thing. “Is that what you want it to say?” he asks and doesn’t want to be around Aaron in the dark. It’s an argument from a petulant 8 year old child.

For the final part, Ignacio wakes up after feeling something pull his arm. However, he wasn’t choked in the middle of the night.

Despite trying to form links to haunted Indian land, miner’s deaths, dozens of child deaths, and even a child stealing legend, they don’t capture anything. Ignacio lives in a ruined building, with tons of crap hanging from the ceiling. He would be better served sleeping somewhere else getting checked for a sleeping disorder.

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Ghost Adventures – Sin City Exorcism – S15E15

image Staying close to home, Zak does an investigation in Las Vegas, where his friend Anthony has come to him stating his mother died in his arms while possessed by a demon. Zak believes Anthony and his family are in a life or death situation and links the nearby crimes of a shooting, a fire and a stabbing to the dark entity that invades the home.

Anthony claims his mother would get sick on her birthday ever since they moved into the house. In the end, she was throwing up gooey black material and claims she made a deal with the aliens-demons.

Anna, Anthony’s on and off girlfriend for 6 years, admits Anthony talks frequently about suicide and that she feels depressed in the house. She also agrees that Anthony has rage and punches walls. The many holes can still be seen as we move from room to room.

And as we go through the house, we find the mother’s room locked with electrical cord wrapped around the door handles. Anthony says a girl in a white dress hides in there.

As the investigation starts, Bishop Bryan Ouellette and Sister Mary, who have been involved in previous (dubious) exorcisms, show up to lend a hand. More of the story unfolds as the sister’s reveal their father was "crazy", killed a cat and two dogs, and was said to perform Satanic rituals in the house. We also find out the mother’s remains are still inside, sitting on a shelf.

With the Satan angle established, Bishop Bryan performs a blessing on Anthony and Anna. This puts Anthony into an agitated state where he starts shaking and can’t feel his hands. On cue, Zak becomes distressed and angry and needs to leave the house. We come back moments later to find Anthony and Anna in tears.

Zak recovers from his outburst, sneaks off and unlocks the mother’s bedroom. Aaron says the energy coming out of there is "intense." This stirs up the whole house so Anthony and Anna are whisked to the safety of the garage.

Bishop Bryan and Sister Mary, sit Anthony down and continue with their blessing. This leads to more grunting, growling, pleads for help, threats of violence and a whole lot of crying.

Zak and Aaron take this opportunity to search through the mother’s room, looking for what might tie the dark entity there. They find a small cabinet with a lock of hair, a common item for a mother to carry, but Zak takes it as a dark totem and cursed item.

Aaron turns on the Spirit Box and gets a female voice. This is followed by "Satan". How he hears any of these voices is a mystery since he is yelling and jumping around with abandon. But As Zak is about to touch a safe, they get the word, "stop".

The SLS camera captures a stick figure in the room, which makes a jerky move toward them. Billy then says he feels like he was punched and has to leave the house. In the garage, he and Anthony both claim to have "stabbing" pains.

Bishop Bryan feels the next course of action is to remove the mother’s ashes. He believes there is dark energy associated with them and Sister Mary believes there is a hex on them. This is because the mother was consumed by the dark energy at the time of her death by the father’s Satanic worship. A bold claim with no evidence.

The ashes are given a blessing, then removed to Zak’s museum. The house is then given an exorcism. Bryan and Mary, start in the mother’s bedroom and focus on the small cabinet Zak found earlier.

They too are taken aback by the lock of hair and a jar containing something dark and burned at the bottom. This could be residue from the "black stuff" Anthony’s mother expelled before she died.

The final act is to burn what I assume is the hair and some other items from the bedroom cabinet. Additionally, Zak puts the ashes in a display case and puts his crucifix around the box.

As with so many other stories of the "demonic", it’s hard to ignore the many examples of mental illness presented.

And what should be made of the obvious police SUV in the street?

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