Ghost Adventures

Ghost Adventures – Return to Linda Vista Hospital – S06E05

For this adventure, we head back to the Linda Vista Hospital, which they visited back in 2009. As Zak reminds us, this is the location where Nick saw a full bodied apparition which startled him quite badly, sending him reeling out of the room. That was a scary bit of business.

But they aren’t going back for the heck of it, Zak has a wild new piece of machinery he wants to try out. This is some sort of weird "ghost pod" which is supposed to help generate enough energy for the spirit to manifest itself. It sort of seems like that wild box we saw in the Halloween episode a few years back. That seemed like an electrified box of death and this doesn’t look all that much safer.

Another odd part of this investigation is the fact that the hospital is going to be torn down to make room for apartments. That sounds like a hell of a place to live doesn’t it? I’m not one to immediately believe everything I see or read about, but there are some things better left alone. I can’t say I’d want to live in an apartment complex build on the remains of hospital with this kind of history. It’s like you’re asking for trouble. Did we learn nothing from Poltergeist?

But anyway, back to the hospital itself. To get a sense of what happened there, Zak and crew head to the morgue to talk to the coroner about his experiences in working with the hospital. It’s no surprise to learn of the stabbings, overdoses, beatings and gunshots. The surprising part is the morgue area where all three of the guys wander around with the Jane and John Does. I have to say, that was pretty damn creepy. It kind of looked like a warehouse.

After all that strangeness, they work to get started on the investigation and we get a glimpse of this new machine of theirs. It looks like a big bird cage with lots of voltage coursing through it. Why does it make me think everyone is getting electrocuted? But we also have a guest for this episode. Chad Lindberg has shown up to checkout the proceedings. Hey, he’s played dead a few times, this should be easy, right? Actually he seems pretty cool and level headed.

But before we start the investigation there is movement on the thermal imager. Billy sees something moving back and forth across the monitor. It doesn’t have a heat signature and doesn’t really seem to be going anywhere. To prove it’s not an animal, Zak brings in a dog to show the yellow heat signature. So what do we have? There does seem to be something moving on that screen.

Another guest they bring down is Kimber who’s been a nurse at the hospital. She gets the voice of someone saying, "can you help, anybody?" They also seem to get a voice saying, "help yourself?" The comment for "help yourself" doesn’t really seem to fit with anything. Help yourself to what, some organs?

A part where I think they strayed is Chad asking, "What happens after we die?" which is of course one question no one seems to ask. Do we agree with the answer of "Linda Vista"? I think Aaron is a bit off the mark there. But who knows, maybe winding up in a hospital is part of the answer.

Two other EVPs worth noting are when Zak asks which one of them they don’t like "why are you talking". Personally I think that’s a goofy question. Why does Zak and others naturally assume the spirits don’t like them and want to cause harm? Way to project there guys.

The other is "Do you remember Nick?" with a response of "I do." Is the spirit really answering Nick? Is she trying to make an appearance again?

For the finale, Zak has pictures of the pod with some sort of mist or haze surrounding it. He believes he’s captured body features in the photo. Because of the size, are they from the little girl? Is that the girl who was hit by the car or was it the woman Nick saw? Are they one in the same? I kind of wish they would have spent more time on that pod thing. Seems there was tons of build up to it, but we don’t get too much insight into it. I guess it will make an appearance in another episode?

So what you do think, did they capture something in the pod?

For the most part, I think this episode was a little light on evidence too. They get a couple of muted noises, creaks and bangs, and all the usual things you would expect from an abandoned building that’s coming apart while at the same time is home to who knows what kind of animal.

Did Nick reach his spirit and help her to get free of the building or will it turn into an apartment complex around her and the new residence will have an expected guest from time to time?

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Ghost Adventures – The National Hotel – S06E04

Zak, Nick and Aaron head out to Nevada City, California and another gold rush town with a checkered past. As with any mining towns there are stories of murder, prostitution, greed and envy, just like the last episode we watched. It has all the makings of some interesting experiences.

So what are the claims of this city?

There are reports of a girl seeing an apparition while lying in her bed. That woman was supposedly floating above the floor. There are also reports of a little girl that rides her tricycle around the hotel.

There are mining tunnels under the city that collapsed and killed Chinese miners. Is this a real story or is it just another story that’s been handed down? There is speculation as to whether or not those are real mining tunnels. To find out more they head over to The Old Brewery/Stonehouse to ask about the history. They’re lead to a tunnel opening and promptly head down. The owners have converted some of the caves into storage. It’s certainly odd and by all means creepy. Where does it all lead to? That part seems to be worth investigating.

Unfortunately, they really don’t confirm or dispute the mining accidents. It looks like a mining tunnel with some makeshift support beams. However, considering the less than spectacular working conditions of the time, a cave-in would be pretty much guaranteed.So I have no doubt miners of some sort lost their lives in that mess.

Finally, there is the confirmed story of a local drug dealer (Kevin McClure) who shot and killed himself rather than surrender to the police. He shot himself in the head and died in the bathroom of the hotel room.

The investigation starts with Aaron and Billy doing an EVP session at the entrance of the tunnel opening in The Old Brewery. They spend quite a bit of time talking and listening, but walk away without gathering any evidence.

Zak and Nick head over to where Kevin shot and killed himself, but after multiple tries they don’t get any responses.

As they move locations they try to make contact with the little girl that supposedly rides a tricycle around the place. They set up an EMF teddy bear which starts to light up as though something is trying to play with it.That’s some pretty interesting stuff right there. It doesn’t appear anything is around the bear, but it lights up. As Zak says, there was no voice captured to go along with the incident. Does this mean the bear is having a short or was there a little girl trying to play with it?

As the investigation comes to an end Aaron heads upstairs and gets all turned around when it comes to a set of doors between two rooms. Aaron claims that the doors are locked, but when he walks around the corner and checks the doors again, it’s unlocked. Is the lock faulty? Is someone really opening it? Is Aaron just confused?

Mining towns are always pretty damn cool and this place sounds like it has just as dubious a history as other gold rush towns. But is this one haunted? Did Zak and the gang capture enough evidence to support the claims? I think they came up a little empty handed on this one, but at least they didn’t claim everything was absolutely proof of the paranormal. I do like that Zak has been refuting a lot of the stories people have been telling him.

It will be interesting if they feel compelled to go back into those tunnels.

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Ghost Adventures – The Copper Queen Hotel and The Oliver House – S06E03

I was very excited for this episode since I’m a big fan of Arizona and have been to the very places Zak, Nick and Aaron are investigating. I didn’t stay at either of these locations, but Bisbee is a pretty eclectic town and the legends run pretty deep.

Interestingly, we have two stories we’ve heard many times before. We have a story of lost love, where the woman declares her love, only to be scorned by the married man. She takes her own live by hanging herself in the hallway. I’m not sure why she would come out of her room to hang herself though. Why so public a display? You would think the pain would be more personal.

There is also the story of the Sheriff that finds his wife with another and shoots up the joint in revenge before ultimately taking his own life. Like so many other stories there isn’t an evidence to support this one. It sounds like a hell of a thing, but there’s nothing to say it really happened. Considering the time and place, it wouldn’t surprise me that such a thing would happen, but this particular yarn doesn’t have any supporting facts.

As far as the claims go, I can’t say that any of them really stand out. Cold spots, people being touched or tugged or seeing a woman in a mirror sounds like claims we’ve heard hundreds of times before. Furniture stacking is interesting, I’m sure Ray and Igon would be impressed, but where is the manager to corroborate the story? There was another guy who saw the whole thing, but strangely, he’s absent.

We all know the greed, lust, envy and general lawlessness that took place in those early miner days, it wouldn’t surprise me to find the city is charged with energy. I didn’t personally experience any, but what do Zak, Nick and Aaron come up with?

As they start their investigation in the Oliver House they come across what the believe is a woman screaming and someone saying, "I’m angry." They also hear the sound of chains being rattled around. One thing we need to keep in mind is that this is a working house complete with plumbing and the sound of rattling pipes could come across as screams, footsteps and even chains. Is the house just settling or is Jakob Marley wandering the halls of the Oliver House?

The second part of the lockdown takes place in the Copper Queen where the prostitute took her life. There is also the spirit of, "Billy", a young boy that seems attached to the hotel. The get some interesting phrases like, "Put down the rope." As Zak comments, is this someone trying to talk the prostitute out of taking her own life? There are also plenty of footsteps all over the place. Again, are these real or the sound of the pipes rattling?

But the big evidence is the shower curtain moving as they try to make talk to Billy. Apparently he gets distressed when the water is running. I discount that he screams when you turn on the water. That happens far too often and definitely sounds like some leaking plumbing.

So what about that curtain? Was it moved by the water? Was it warm air rising out of the tub? Did a spirit get in or out of that tub? I’m not calling fakery of any kind, but if you wanted to make things move it certainly wouldn’t be hard since we don’t see the bottom of the curtain. Just sayin’.

In the end what do we have here? Well, I think these are two pretty cool locations that I would like to go back to and see for myself. I think mining towns like Bisbee are full of wild stories, ill deeds, ruthless characters and misdeeds. Some are based on true events while others have taken on a life of their own. Since these stories are so old and the records so bad, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. Are these two locations haunted? I think it’s worth looking into some more.

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Ghost Adventures – Peabody Whitehead Mansion – S06E02

For this episode, Zak, Nick and Aaron head out to Colorado to investigate the Peabody – Whitehead Mansion, a location that is supposedly haunted by the spirit of a doctor who lost too many patients during the war and Governor Peabody who ruled over this town with an iron fist, breaking up unions and showing no signs of gratitude for workers of any kind.

Like the previous episode, this one sort of goes all over the place looking for a direction to follow. They start of at the mansion with Phil Goodstein who comes across as a little nuts, a little eccentric, a little overzealous and in desperate search for his 15 minutes of fame. His self-promotion and quoting his own book is annoying to say the least. I’m sure he has a ton of knowledge and information to offer and share, but wow, you just want to run the other direction.

After that meandering diatribe they meet up with Nicole who tells them about a tour she took where the guide talks of a rape and murder. To be honest, this is the stuff of urban legend. I’ve heard dozens of stories where someone is murdered and their body is walled up inside the building or cemented into the foundation. Since this event took place in the 70’s, there should be some sort of record of the crime either with the police, the newspapers or something. This is the part that always seems off to me. Stories like this take on a life of their own and everyone seems to talk about them, but when you go looking for evidence you come up empty. Like with so many other ghost stories, maybe you need to get a nugget of truth before sharing this kind of story with everyone you come across. As I’ve said before, these kinds of story are 99% rumor and have grown in breadth and scope with every retelling.

Did I miss something or did we really not get into the history of this place? It was built by Doctor Whitehead who apparently had a less than spectacular career. It wasn’t something they spent too much time on, but it sounds like he lost far more patients than the saved. And was he haunted by the spirits of the patients he lost or by his own incompetence?

Additionally, there is Governor Peabody who was apparently a badass when it came to dealing with unions. He no tolerance for them and went out of his way to crush them. Ok, so the guy was an asshole and a rich one at that, what were his specific crimes? Did he pay to have people taken out? Did he abuse and beat employees? What did he physically do to them? Sounds like a real prize, but I don’t see where he is responsible for anything. Maybe I missed that.

As we get more of the history of the house we hear another cliche story about the place. How many times have we heard this one? A young woman falls madly in love only to lose her love and pine away. In her ultimate desperation she takes he own life because she simply can’t go on.

To try and find some validity to the stories they’re hearing, the guys go off to the University of Colorado at Denver to talk with Doctor Noel who’s a History Professor at the University. He’s never heard of the stories and doesn’t sound too convinced about them being real. However, he does offer up some information that the local student center might have a checkered past. It used to the Tivoli Brewery and there were some accidents which may have taken some lives. Not too many specifics I’m afraid, but Zak and the gang do a quick investigation there. They pick up what sounds like some voices and some footsteps. Is it really, "get back there"?

The non-nonsensical part of this story involves the wait staff at the local restaurant. The closing of several businesses is blamed on the ghost of Governor Peabody. I’m not sure I understand the rationale here. He didn’t like people so he made these businesses fail by ensuring they ended up with clumsy waitstaff? Uh, what the hell? I’m just not on board with that one.

And then the experiment they try has me baffled as well. They’re going to eat five meals and see if the staff has some sort of experience? Where did this idea come from and what is it going to prove? Let’s see, these people know who you are and what you do, you keep saying "is this weird?", "have you ever done anything like this before", "this might seem odd" and don’t anticipate this will have an impact on a person? Wouldn’t you naturally assume they would then start to think it’s odd, weird and unusual and because of that their mind would start looking for, expecting and experiencing things that aren’t really there? How suggestive can you be?

Nothing against the two waiters, but is it really that unusual to have red hands when working in the kitchen? After all those suggestions are planted into your head you wonder why you feel creepy? Serving five meals to three guys in the dark for no good reason would make me feel weird too. I can’t buy into this experiment at all. I don’t see that it proves a thing.

I also don’t see why they brought UFC Fight Brendan Schaub into the investigation. We’ve seen this kind of silliness from the Ghost Hunters. There’s nothing wrong with the guy and in fact he seems an alright kind of guy, but I don’t get the angle here.

Once the investigation finally gets underway the main focus is to try and find out about the rape and murder. In fact, I would say they’re fixated on it. They try to find out who did the crime and feel they get a voice saying "she was raped". He follows that up with "it is violent here." The voice makes reference to a body being buried by the street and says "found it" when Zak goes to a certain spot of the basement. Interesting to be sure, but have the wound themselves up so tightly that no matter what came across the end result would be the same? Did they expect to hear something like this so that’s exactly what they interpret it as?

The voice follows up with "he’s scared" and when asked "who’s scared" the voice replies with Brendan, the UFC fighter. It’s funny and a little odd. Are they really having a conversation? Are they really getting voices that know about the murderous events and can see that Brendan is a little freaked out? Some parts of this investigation have some validity, others seem absurd.

When all is said and done it’s hard to know what to believe with this one. The events listed here and the same old stories we’ve heard a dozen times before. The details are completely lacking and the investigation is so single-minded that you could have predicted the outcome before it even started. When you build things up like this you’ll hear what you want to hear and you’ll see what you want to see. I think there is a lot of bias here and even crazy Phil has his own agenda going on here.

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