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A friend of a friend of a friend claims their house is haunted, and I've been invited to see for myself. Should I go? You know I'm a debunker and a card carrying member of Skeptics Are Us.

They claim they hear sounds at night and voices when nobody is there.Things have been moved around they claim. Should I go? If I go, I might dress up like Max von Sydow from the Exorcist.

I would go just out of curiosity. Normally I tend to avoid possession things such as games etc. But I somewhat find it interesting with places that are supposedly haunted. Reminds me of when I went down to West Virginia in the town of Williamsburg and got to hear about the hauntings there.

If you want to go, why not? My limited experience with that type of thing is that nothing much happens. If there are ghosts, they don't appear on cue.

I even take my gun in the shower!


I'm not a believer. I have never experienced anything I couldn't find an explanation for. Some people I've met, I'm convinced, they're convinced that ghosts are real. Still doesn't mean they are. If people want to see, hear or experience a ghost, they will. Even if there's nothing there.

So I'm going to head over there in about a half hour and stick around till about 3 or 4 and see what turns up. I'll be a good boy and not call people names if they believe in things that go bump in the night. But if someone is trying to hoax this or if there is a legitimate answer, I'm going to tell them.


Alright. Lets go huntin'!!

Kolchak wrote:I have never experienced anything I couldn't find an explanation for.

Pauly Shore?

Two or three Halloween seasons ago, I took a tour hosted by a local group of ghost hunters. They took us to various downtown locations and told us about the "EVP"s (I think that was the terminology) they had recorded there. One kind of disturbed me. They went to what used to be the library (now an arts center) and told about the ghost of a crying child, a little girl around 5 yrs old, down in the basement. Now, I didn't like hearing that, because I don't want to believe that a little child's spirit would be left to cry in the dark forever. I want to believe that the child would go to God. In fact, I have to believe that the child would go to God. So if they really heard something that sounded like a child, what was it? That is a creepy thought to me.

I have never seen a ghost, but I don't rule out the possibility that there are ghosts. I just don't think I want to mess with that realm of experience over-much. You know, the Bible forbids it, which makes me think there might really be something there, but maybe it's not something that is good for us.

A grant of one hundred million dollars was paid to the Math and Science departments at MIT, to try and explain Pauly Shore. After five years of continuous study, it was the only time in MIT history that an answer could not be found. Nobody can explain Pauly Shore.

In a related note; it is illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, ten Canadian Provinces and their three territories, all US commonwealth possessions and the nation of Zambia to refer to what Pauly Shore does as comedy. While nobody knows for certain what Pauly Shore does; it is a known certainty it is NOT comedy.

In yet another related incident, people who call themselves fans of Pauly Shore collectively have IQ's that are the lowest among all upright walking hominids.




Well I went to the haunted house. Nothing happened. A buddy and I sat there in the den like two morons waiting for slimer to show up, while the family of the house slept. Around 1AM, I began to feel something....I began to feel like a FOOL!!!! Toughed it out until almost 4AM, and we packed it in. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilcho. Bupkiss!!!

We were promised moving furniture, photos and paintings falling off the wall, the TV turning on and off by itself. The doors to closets and rooms opening and closing. Lights turning off and on by themselves.

A total cluster and late night GOOSE-EGG!!!!

We hit the local Waffle House on the way home and that turned out to be the most enjoyable part of the night! I treated myself to steak and eggs....And I had the steak cooked medium rare!

I got a call from the friend of the friend who started this whole Chinese Fire Drill and was told that while we were there, the ghost/s were peaceful....Maybe they're scared of cops? But today the spirits moved some of the chairs in the kitchen. Oh really?! Watching Poltergeist again, are we??

I should send them a bill....

Or at least a copy of the movie Bio-Dome!!

Murfreesboro wrote:

Two or three Halloween seasons ago, I took a tour hosted by a local group of ghost hunters. They took us to various downtown locations and told us about the "EVP"s (I think that was the terminology) they had recorded there. One kind of disturbed me. They went to what used to be the library (now an arts center) and told about the ghost of a crying child, a little girl around 5 yrs old, down in the basement. Now, I didn't like hearing that, because I don't want to believe that a little child's spirit would be left to cry in the dark forever. I want to believe that the child would go to God. In fact, I have to believe that the child would go to God. So if they really heard something that sounded like a child, what was it? That is a creepy thought to me.

I have never seen a ghost, but I don't rule out the possibility that there are ghosts. I just don't think I want to mess with that realm of experience over-much. You know, the Bible forbids it, which makes me think there might really be something there, but maybe it's not something that is good for us.

I agree you can never rule something out, but I'm highly suspicious of EVP's. I've heard some that claim to be children, and I'm convinced they're frauds and hoaxes. Some of the EVPs I think are done by the women in the ghost hunting group who can make their voices go higher. Other times, I'm convinced they just get kids to say something and insert it at the proper time on their recorders. It does not matter the type of recording equipment used, it can be faked. Penn & Teller and Kris Angel have done some really good exposes on that. The reason they use children or child like voices is for the psychological effect. I heard one idiot on Coast to Coast AM one night actually say on air, that IF they were going to fake something, it wouldn't be a childs voice....Only a low life would do that, he said.....He was right about that.

Oh, yeah, it's a field rife with fraud, I'm sure.

I have had a little personal experience with telepathy, which of course has nothing to do with ghosts. But the thing is, I know how unpredictable it is, and how it will work one time, but not another, and I never know why it works or doesn't. So I would not be convinced that there were no ghosts in a house just because I didn't personally witness them. None of this extrasensory/supernatural stuff obeys the scientific method.

That's an interesting thought.

Well that sounded disappointing Kolchak, but what would you do if you really did experience a ghost haunting?

We all know my stance on it. In otherwards: I'm just confused. That's the best way to describe it.

I'm with Murf on this one though. Maybe the ghosts don't like putting on shows for skeptics.

The only way you'll be able to prove ghosts are real is for the skeptics to see them. This is America. The onus is on the people who want to prove that ghost, bigfoot, ufos and other such phenomenon is real. Habeas Corpus. Bring forth the body of evidence for all to see.


This isn't rocket science, but this field is littered with frauds, phonies and loonies with no education and even less common sense. Have marginal employment at best. I've met people who claim to have seem bigfoot, been on ufos, and been talking to spirits since they were 10 years old, but are either unemployed or making minimum wage at Burger King. That doesn't do much for a persons credibility or show their sanity when it comes to believing their way out tales of the paranormal.

What would I do if I saw one?

I'd question if I saw what I thought I saw. That is why you must have additional corroboration by a second witness. Even then we need to assume we are mistaken. We look at the possibility of a hoax. A hoax or a rational explanation are going to be the answer 99% of the time.

If at the end of the day I could not prove a hoax or mistake of a natural variety, I'd be content with my sighting BUT would know, admit and demand that no one believe my story, based solely on my word, even if my word carries more weight than most people.

A man only has a good reputation as a straight shooter if he doesn't go off believing any and all fanciful tales. And because anyone INCLUDING me can be wrong or can be fooled.