The Inn also has alleged Ley Lines running through it, including Ley Lines coming from Stonehenge.  Ley Lines are connection points mapped between holy places or ancient sites that are in alignment.   You can read more about Ley lines here.

The claims of paranormal activity at the Ram Inn include:

• incubus/succubus attacks
• apparitions of a witch appearing in a window
• multiple possessions
• photo of an apparition taken on staircase

There were also supposed ritual human sacrifices made on the property as well as being the site of a  pagan burial ground.

Before they begin the paranormal investigation, Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin take part in a ceremonial opening of the gates with local witch Lady Snake.  Nothing like doing an investigation with assumption-led criteria!

Some of the highlights of the evening included:

• audible disembodied voices at several points throughout the night
• Zak feeling extreme pressure in his head during the pre-investigation tour
• unexplained door slamming
• loud thumping noise coming from the attic
• unexplained shadow passing in front of Aaron’s camera (for which they claim they debunked and for which “absolutely no other explanation” exists for the phenomena).  Right.
• growling sounds
• EMF spikes
• Zak Bagans being followed back to hotel room and scratched on the neck by a succubus.  I can’t make this stuff up.

Among all of this documented activity, the only things I can say are not easily explainable are the EVPs.  And maybe the mangey comb-over of the owner.  What do you think?

Photo from Hotel Port www.hotelport.cz

Robb Demarest and the GHI gang were back in the Czech Republic to investigate paranormal activity in a remote castle known by the locals as the Gates of Hell.  Hell, it seems, has many gates nowadays….I thought it was at Bobby Mackeys    The castle is located in Blatce, Czech Republic, and sits atop a hillside in the country, a good distance from any other buildings.  The paranormal investigators weren’t without activity at this location.  Some of the claims of activity include:

• apparition of a woman in a white dress (again…this lady in white really gets around!!)
• flying demons
• dogs going stir crazy inside the castle
• voices, noises, etc…

According to the tour guide, the location was a spot where secret experiments were undertaken by German Nazi’s and was the location of the murder of some by their own kind.  The interesting thing about the castle is the fact that it was not built with any obvious intent, and it’s certainly not a King’s castle, for there are no defenses around it, it has no landview, and was seemingly built upon a hole of which the depths are not known.  Some believe the hole leads to inner earth.  Okay, for one, if it were that deep, it would provide a very plausible explanation for all the paranormal activity, as it probably is a source of magnetic fields and mineral deposits that are known to have effects like EMFs (hallucinations, feelings of eerieness, illness, paranoia, etc…).  At this point I would have said any further investigation is pretty much unnecessary.  But that’s why they don’t have TV shows like this with real skeptics.  There’d be no show!

The one really cool room of the castle, in the cellar, was lovingly called Satan’s Office.   Within the “office” were some gothic looking props; a throne embellished with horns and trident, large cauldrons, and devilish sculptures.  When Joe Chin sat on the throne, he and Ashley heard what they thought sounded like the hanging cauldrons move around.  They were also hearing what they interpreted as a female sounding voice.  This sound was audible even from the production camera.

The evidence they presented was all audio in nature, with the exception of the rock-toss in the attic.  The team even took a dog through the castle once and didn’t observe any strange behavior.

While in the attic, Dustin Pari and Ashley-I-use- science-Godwin were hearing noises and seeing shadow movement.  Dustin threw a stone in the direction of the movement.  Seconds later, they heard something onthe floor near where they stood.  They interpret this as stones being thrown back at them, although there was not a stone visible.  What I noticed, immediatley after Dustin’s toss was the dust that seemed to fall from the ceiling.  I think this stone could have caused some of that to fall  from the wall or rafters up there and was misinterpreted as someone throwing back.

Also in the attice, Barry Fitzgerald’s full spectrum camera seemed to have a mind of it’s own and started snapping photos without human manipulation.  Unfortunately, or no surprisingly, the photos revealed nothing.  Of course, if the shadow figure was doing the photographing, why would it?

I am more interested in the history of the castle.

What do you think of this investigation?  Post your thoughts!

Right away, I am left with a suspecting eye when listening to the eye-witness testimony of author Murray Silver during the pre-investigation tour.  Something about his overly dramatic presentation of the hot spots just leaves me with questions.  I don’t discount his experiences, but they do seem a bit embellished.  Anyway….

The brewery was once a hotel and has many claims of paranormal activity:

• apparitions from everything to civil war soldiers to a lady in a white dress (here we go with the lady in white again!)
• construction crew members’ tools going missing
• people being pushed down the stairs
• physical attacks by a demonic dark figure

Well the activity didn’t take long to start.  While the GA Crew was still reviewing all of their equipment placement they hear a thump and dragging sound from the second floor.  Their response was that of a paranormal SWAT team as they ran up stairs.  Zak ordered them to split up and cover stairs and doorways.  As a writer, the words to describe that scenario are just not effective enough to convey the humor that I was able to extract from it.

Over the course of the evening, their evidence piled up and started to become questionable when they were using the word machine and infrared goggles.  The camera on the device started to malfunction and there was a loud-and-clear EVP revealed by their audio later.  This is perhaps the clearest EVP I’ve ever heard this team of paranormal investigators present, and also the most suspect.  Are they going the way of TAPS with grandiose evidence?  You judge:

They had numerous EVPs throughout their collected data of the night.  None were quite like this however.

They also had a few moments where Nick Groff was acting out of character while in the room where the alleged demonic attacks took place.  I’m just not sure what to think of this investigation right now.  I need some time to review the episode and digest it.  I would love to hear your thoughts, skeptical or not, what did you think?

The Manor House is an Inn on Ireland’s Rathlin Island.  There are claims of full apparitions of a child, dark figures in the doorways, sounds of footsteps, yadda yadda yadda.   For the most part, they were all debunked by the GHI crew.  They had a few personal experiences that they kindly say can “add to the stories.”

In Room 6, there supposedly was an exorcism some years ago and there are claims of paranormal/poltergeist activity in that room (i.e. objects moving around on their own).  When Dustin and Barry investigate, Barry throws some coins on the floor to try and entice a greedy landlord spirit out.  He  thought he heard the coins move and thought he saw a figure moving in the room.  Dustin reported a musty smell in the area where Barry thought he saw the movement, but did not see the same figure.  Nothing was captured by their cameras or audio.

Dustin & Robb successfully debunked the shadowy figure seen from behind the dinning room doors.  They decided that a person could have time to appear in the doorway, then take off out of site before a person would have time to open the door and look around.

While  GHI newcomer Ashley Godwin and Robb investigated one of the bedrooms,  Ashley faintly heard a woman’s voice.   Ashley used amplifying headphones to try and dial inon the voice.  They asked any ghosts in the room to approach her and talk into her device…at this point Robb tried to video record Ashley and found his camera wouldn’t focus on her.  He jumps to the conclusion that it was a mist forming in response to their queries.  Barry debunked this nugget when he noticed a lens flare from another camera that was messing with the focus of Robb’s hand held device.

Is it me, or does it seem like the show’s production almost needs to insert a few token “debunked” episodes every now and then?  I wish I would see this type of discernment and rationale (for those members who actually used it) more often.

Photo from www.discoverczech.com

Ghost Hunters International was back last night with  a paranormal investigation of the Cesky Krumlov Castle in the Czech Republic.  Once again, another large, difficult to control facility with lots of claims of paranormal activity.  Just remember, if your commercial tourist facility needs an economic boost, you can call Ghost Hunters/GHI and tell them you have ghosts!  They’ll do an investigation, decalre the haunting and soon the tourists will be lining up with their wallets open! [/sarcasm]

On with it, shall we?

Robb and Ashley investigate the Castle Theater where an actress supposedly killed herself with a dagger while on stage at the end of a show.  Robb starts an EVP session, in English, because of course the ghosts in the Czech Republic understand English!  Claims are that workers hear a woman’s voice in the theater.  Their EVP session didn’t turn up anything.

Joe Chin and Brandy Green have an EVP session  in the  Depository where the bones of a possible Saint lie.  Nothing happens.

Joe and Robb in the old castle (Tower?) looking for the alchemist, heard voices but could not find a source.

Brandy Green and Dustin Pari in wine cellar with thermal camera; nothing.   While they were in the Tower they also heard a voice.

Barry calls for Dustin and Brandy to “help” in the Summer House.  It was a Birthday set-up.  They surprised Brandy with cake and an impromptu party.  During their review of this footage, Big Joe sees a zip or streak of light in the same room…most likely an insect.  Robb says they know it’s not a bug.  I’m glad he knows this, I’m, not so convinced.

One interesting thing I noticed during the reveal; the woman who gave the tour was very interested in the results of the activity in the Tower.  Also interesting was that the Tower was the only place where there was anything interesting going on.  They captured an EVP of a woman’s voice  and some clicking sounds right before their wireless audio mysteriously lost power/was turned off.  They said it sounded like someone entered the room and turned it off.  While Robb was recapping their investigation and lack of paranormal activity, the woman seemed to want to skip over all that and get to the Tower.  Hmmmmmmm….

Photo: Tom Berault EasternState.org

The guys from Ghost Adventures survived the lockdown at Eastern State Penitentiary unscathed and without the “dude run!” drama. The GA Crew has their own, special kind of dramatics they work with, named Zak.   Instead of doing my typical review of the claims and evidence, I’m going to talk a little about what they didn’t find at Eastern State Pen.

If anyone remembers back when TAPS was at this same location, there was the very controversial (although those of the TAPS faction would call it ‘convincing’) evidence of a black mass running in front of a static camera in cell block 12.  For a long time there was chatter from both believers and skeptics about this one piece of evidence.  I am personally of the school of thought that it was faked by someone…just can’t tell who (meaning either the Ghost Hunters production or the Penitentuary itself).  BOTH parties stood to gain something, so as far as I am concerned, they might as well be in it together.

Usually during a pre-investigation tour, you’ll have a guide telling you of all the claims of various paranormal activity,  pointing out the paranormal hot-spots.  Not one iota of evidence turned up by the TAPS team was mentioned.  Now, I realize that would mean promoting a competing network and production and is probably a no-no in the business, but…

Essentially, what the GA Crew came away with on this one was some EVPs and one interesting photo of some light/mist.  That was it.  And that’s what a vast majority of paranormal investigations actually ever turn up.  So the show uses Zak’s persona of a tough-guy-getting-scared-by-ghosts

Robb Demarest Lead Investigator/Proclaimer of the Hauntings

Barry Fitzgerald Lead Investigator/Tech Manager/Full-Spectrum Camera Owner

Joe Chin Investigator/Rice Lover

Ahsley Godwin Investigator That Uses Science

Brandy Green Case Manager/Investigator/Light-Seer

Dustin Pari Investigator

The prison building seemed small from the TV viewer’s perspective, which is good in that it makes for a more controlled environment in which to investigate.   Anyone who reads my blogs know that this is my one biggest problem with the paranormal investigation of the larger commercial facilities.  They are too damn big to have a controlled environment and there’s the possibility of these facilities enhancing the environment in order to produce some activity.  I’m not pointing fingers, but it does not take a a rocket scientist to figure out that these facilities stand to gain financially from a declared haunting on a TV show.  Case in point, the Queen Mary.   I’m just sayin’.

The claims of paranormal activity at Wicklow’s Gaol include apparitions of children, appearance of blood on the floor, cell doors closing on their own, sounds of movement and even a mist formation.

The paranormal activity was happening right off the bat.  As the GHI crew split up to begin, one of the first things noticed by nearly everyone was the audible movement in the upper levels outside the cells.  Even on camera, footsteps were audible.  Brandy Green kept seeing what she described as fluorescent lights while she was solo in the dungeon.  However, we did not see any of this, despite the full spectrum cameras in use.

Some of the notable evidence they did capture includes:

• Audible footsteps outside of the cells
• EVP in solitary confinement cell – they said it sounded like a growl, but to me it sounded like a male voice saying something unintelligible
• EVP that sounds like “rights” or “rice” (Joe Chin, you’re spot on!..lol)
• EVP from the school room saying something unintelligible
• Interesting illuminations in 2 places outside of the cells caught on full spectrum camera
• Sound of a door slamming
• Personal experiences of being tugged, touched

One thing caught by a viewer that was not addressed by the GHI team:

• A reader sent in a comment on another post saying he saw a figure standing, looking like a soldier or prison guard or some type of uniformed figure approximately 39 minutes into the show.  Brandy and Ashley heard a noise from outside of one of the cells on the upper level.  When the camera pans up and to the left the figure can be seen.  This is the same instant when Brandy saw a mysterious red light.  I checked this out myself and I think it is one of the manikins they have throughout the facility, especially since it does not move and is visible for quite a while.  However, when the girls go up to that level you don’t see any manikins.  Weird.  Anyone else see that?  What else would it be?  Matrixing?  Post your thoughts!

Robb Demarest Lead Investigator

Barry Fitzgerald Lead Investigator/Tech Manager/Full-Spectrum Camera Owner

Joe Chin Investigator

Brandy Green Case Manager/Investigator

Dustin Pari Investigator

Don’t forget to check back on Thursday for a full review and discussion about the episode here In the Shadow of Doubt, and tune into our interactive podcast on Sunday night, July 12th at 8 PM EST where we can have a live discussion about all the shows.  More details about the podcasting later.

As promised, I’m back to talk about last night’s episode of Ghost Adventures here In the Shadow of Doubt.  I gotta say, even as a skeptic, my feet traveled up the stairs to bed just a little faster than normal after watching McScreamy and the GA Crew investigate the paranormal activity at the Bird Cage Theater.  They didn’t come away with overwhelming evidence, but what they had must have hit a chord just right.  Either that or I need to stop watching them after midnight all by myself

After their initial tour, they decided to set up several static cameras that they monitored at a base set up in the bar room.  They investigated several areas of the theater, but they seemed to get the most activity later in the night in the poker room.  An EVP they captured sounded like a deck of cards being shuffled.  Now here’s a great example of assumption-led investigating leading one to conclusions that they would not otherwise reach.  I agree that the sound resembled a deck of cards being shuffled.  But if you heard that same EVP in a different environment, would it still sound like a deck of cards being shuffled?  Could you matrix that sound into whatever fits the environment?  I’m just questioning things here.

Also in the poker room, one of the static cameras picked up a flash of light right at the poker table where the longest poker game ever played supposedly took place.  Now, Zak said on the episode that they tried to debunk the flash of light and couldn’t come up with anything.  There are lots of glasses and mirrors in that room that are capable of reflecting even non-visible light (infrared cameras).

They also grabbed a few EVPs while sitting at the poker table using trigger objects like cap guns (like the ghosts of the wild west wouldn’t know the difference!).  I love the conclusions Zak draws from hearing a male and female disembodied voice together…they must have been having ghost-sex!  Well, they were in a brothel and Zak did get goosed on the groin by a ghost hooker.  So he says.

At any rate, the locals are all convinced of a haunting at the Bird Cage Theater.  Not having been there myself, who am I to argue?