Paranormal

When will the Ghost Hunters be exposed?

It seems there’s a lot of evidence mounting that indicates the Ghost Hunters team may be taking some liberties with their investigations. A lot of analysis has been done since Halloween 2008 when Grant was supposedly pulled in all sorts of directions by an unseen force during the live investigation. Since then, many people have gone back to review their footage to see if their claims match the evidence. Some, are even going back to the very first episodes where they claim to have gotten some of their very best evidence.

If you have a look at these two articles over at Haunt Jaunts you’ll see several of the clips people are talking about and some questions you should consider as you watch the evidence for yourself.

Thoughts on Ghost Hunters Faking Evidence

The Faked Footage Ghost Hunters Doesn’t Want You to See

Further, we have the somewhat vague but interesting comments made by former Ghost Hunters case manager Donna LaCroix. While she didn’t say any faking had taken place, she did make comment about unusual editing, that people need to think for themselves and that everyone is out to stab you in the back. Not exactly the hometown atmosphere you would expect.

It would be naïve to think that there’s not millions riding on the success of Ghost Hunters. With it’s "humble" beginnings as two blue-collar plumbers who investigate the paranormal into the now multiple franchises, with a slew of copycats, there’s big money to be made. And clearly Jason and Grant have made a few dollars along the way since we all know they bought the Spalding Inn together. There’s a lot on the line to keep people watching.

If you go back to those first episodes, Jason disputed just about every piece of evidence and said it would be hard for him to rule something as haunted unless he had conclusive proof. Now? He labels everything as having paranormal activity, skipping the use of the word, "haunted". Is the evidence any more solid? I don’t think it is.

So is the Ghost Hunter franchise taking a few shortcuts to make good television and keep people interested? As they admit, they’re dealing with something that you can’t inherently prove. Can they really be accused of faking something that most people don’t believe in anyway? Are they pulling strings and setting up scenes for the paranormal to appear? Considering the grainy green glow of the camera, how hard is it to trace something that isn’t there or have people fill in the dots to make something appear? People will believe what they want to believe. No one is actually being charged for their services, right?

Did they skip 2009’s Halloween special to let the fervor die down since everyone would be watching with hawk eyes to see if there were any shenanigans and they just didn’t want to risk it?

It seems like calling their evidence into question is not just an isolated incident anymore. Are they walking a very fine line and it’s only a matter of time?

Real evidence of creative license?

Other Articles of Interest:

Ghost Hunters International – Hitler’s Ghost

So the team kicks off the relaunch of the season with an attempt to track down Hitler himself. But not in Berlin, but in Argentina where it’s rumored he escaped to after he faked his death at the end of the War. In a now rundown hotel it is claimed that Hitler spent a great deal of time with other members of his party. It’s also claimed he had reconstructive surgery to change his appearance and then supposedly blended in with the natives. Hitler, hanging out at the beach sipping fruity drinks with umbrellas in them? Seems unlikely that’s for sure. But putting all this crazy conspiracy theory aside, let’s get to what happened.

First, I’m excited about GHI coming back. While I don’t think they’re paranormal investigations are any better than anyone else’s, the places they go are amazing. Who wouldn’t want to visit Dracula’s Castle or Castle Frankenstein, or churches overrun by Satanic cults? Their European destinations have an incredible history which is the part I enjoy hearing about.

So what did the team actually find? They claim to have gotten lots of footsteps walking up down the halls. Rob gets hits off the meter as he asks questions. And while asking questions there are loud bangs and the sound of a door shaking.

The big evidence is a photo of what looks to be some sort of alien sitting on the bed. There does seem to be some sort of blob there, but it doesn’t look human. Of course, the picture happens to coincide with a fair amount of light glare from the opposing camera.

So was there any evidence of Hitler? Nope. He’s not in the house. Maybe he was out by the pool or planning his next coup somewhere. But honestly, just about everything in this episode can be explained. The photo is a trick of light, as just about all of them are. It’s an interesting shape but I don’t put much stock In it.

The sound of boots walking? It’s an old building, that could be anything. We know for sure there are birds nesting in the place. If there’s one animal you do see, there’s dozens you don’t.

And the lights on the meter as Rob asks questions? You can always discount that as an electrical short, faulty battery or just the device acting randomly (I’m not saying that’s what it is though). It was really about the only interesting thing that happened, but I don’t think it’s enough to hang an entire investigation on.

The rattling of the door? Nearby trucks, trains, planes and buses could all make the door shake.

As with any old building a lot of the sounds they’re hearing seem rather normal. The meters lighting up was pretty interesting, but I find it odd that whoever is holding the camera can’t seem to focus or hold it steady long enough to film the meter. When Rob is getting activity the camera is shaking wildly and the meter is continually going off the screen. And if it is on the screen, it’s constantly trying to refocus so you still can’t see it. Have you people never heard of a tripod and manual focus? Set the damn focus and leave it!

It was a neat location and it was fun to see the GHI team back in action. Hitler was a no show, but they did their part to add some more mysticism to the hauntings of this Argentinean hotel.

Other Articles of Interest:

Paranormal State S04E05 – Haunted Sex Dungeon

When you’re having financial problems you can always blame it on the paranormal or a curse. That’s the case with Ken who believes he is cursed and that the house he lives in is evil. Ken hears voices from his boathouse and just generally thinks the house is bad and working against him. In fact, he’s blaming everything on the house. His financial problems, lawsuits and bad tenants are because of the bad house. Clearly it can’t be his financial stupidity, or choice in picking renters it has to be an outside force.

There is the claim the house is built on Indian land which is both sacred and a burial ground. The whole thing is being set up like the Amityville Horror.

During the first dead time, Chad lets loose with his typical barrage of expletives and then says he hears a voice in the room with him. Can’t anyone just calmly say they heard something? Does it always have to be bleeped out?

Ryan calls in Chip to give the lowdown on the house and what happened there. While taking the tour he almost slips and falls down the stairs. He claims he was pushed by something. Wandering up the stairs while blindfolded clearly had nothing to do with losing his balance.

The best part is when Chip goes to the sex room and touches the bondage furniture and gives out a wail of a scream. He says there is pain and all sorts of emotions associated with it. Well yeah Chip, it’s bondage furniture, that’s how it works. That right there was the best part of the show.

So, what do they do with the house? Toss out of the bondage furniture and everything should be set right. Apparently Hans, the German who owned the house previously doesn’t approve of all that freaky business in his house.

The closing scene of the son and father taking out the bondage toys is just hilarious. Here son, let’s just put this big cross out by the curb and the trash guys will take it away for us.

I guess we should be glad there wasn’t an exorcism.

Other Articles of Interest:

Paranormal State S04E04 – Boy Pushed Me

This episode makes even less sense than the previous one.

Start off with a boy who falls out the second story window. He claims a bad boy pushed him and that he’s scared of him. Right off this sounds like a family who can’t cope with a stupid accident in the family. It wasn’t that I simply wasn’t paying attention, it was the work of an evil spirit.

The kids have bad dreams about dying and being stabbed (too much Xbox at a friends house). Further, they say there are cannibals outside in the woods. The parents think there is something evil in the house causing all the problems. Certainly no child in the school would make up stories about a haunted wood where cannibals live, that’s just silly talk.

Ryan brings in a medium who says she feels something about a "quick death" and that something is warning her about the woods.

During their first dead time Chad sees his normal shadow movement. This guy sees shadows every single time. Are we sure he’s not just seeing himself standing in front of the damn lights?

To get some history of the location they talk with a local reporter who says that a boy and his dogs disappeared in the woods where the house currently stands. The reporter says the name of a suspect which is also a name heard on one of the tapes another paranormal group captured.

Ryan and team move outside for their next dead time and low and behold they hear twigs snapping and things falling from the trees. Of course my first thought it’s nothing more than branches falling or squirrels running in the trees. They do capture some sort of movement on the camera but no one can make out what it is. Chad goes with fast moving fog. You see shadows in every room and you now say this is fog?

Again they pretty much have no evidence so they go with the idea that because the family cut down trees when clearing the land for the house that they pissed of Mother Nature. Mother Nature is looking for some payback so they plant some trees to make things right. Eilfie does a little chant in the woods and that’s the end of that.

Plant a tree, ward off evil.

Other Articles of Interest:

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