The Strange World of Ghost Hunting (and its history)

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People have always believed in ghosts in one way or another, but when did we start HUNTING for them, and why? Come learn with me about the world of paranormal investigation media and its complicated history!
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Sources:
Confessions Of A Ghost-hunter by Harry Price
"Give us a Sign of Your Presence": Paranormal Investigation as a Spiritual Practice by Marc A. Eaton
QUEER SPECTRALITIES AND UNTIMELY SUBJECTS by KEVIN CHABOT
Ghost Hunting in the 19th Century- Distillations Podcast Episode 277, Science History Institute
www.sciencehistory.org/distil...
The Broken Technology of Ghost Hunting By Colin Dickey
www.theatlantic.com/science/a...
“Ghost Hunting in the Twenty-First Century” by John Potts in “From Shaman to Scientist: Essays on Humanity's Search for Spirits”
‘Make Me Believe!’: Ghost-hunting technology and the postmodern fantastic by Sarah Juliet Lauro and Catherine Paul
Phantasmic Science: Medieval Theology, Victorian Spiritualism, and the Specific Rationality of Twenty-First Century Ghost Hunting by Brenda Gardenour Walter
Ghost-Hunters and Psychical Research in Interwar England by Joanna Timms
Wandering the Web -- Subcultures: Ghost Hunting: A Passion for the Paranormal by Jack and Lesley Montgomery
Paranormal Technology: Understanding the Science of Ghost Hunting By David M. Rountree
Haunting rhetoric: Ghost Adventures and the evolution of the ghost hunting genre by Shannon Dale
A Haunted Genre: A Study of Ghost Hunting Reality Television by Abigail L. Carlin
Re-imagining the National Past: Negotiating the Roles of Science, Religion, and History in Contemporary British Ghost Tourism by Michele M. Hanks
Ghosts: A Natural History: 500 Years of Searching for Proof By Roger Clarke
“14 Spectral Men: Femininity, Race, and Traumatic Manhood in the RTV Ghost-Hunter Genre” by David Greven, from the book “Reality Gendervision”
Ghostland: AN AMERICAN HISTORY IN HAUNTED PLACES By Colin Dickey
Ghost Hunters: WILLIAM JAMES AND THE SEARCH FOR SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF LIFE AFTER DEATH By Deborah Blum
Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication by John Durham Peters
Video:
Ghost Adventures
Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural
Bleach
Ghost Whisperer
Legend of a Ghost (1908)

[@KazRowe]

Are you ready to start taking... CARE OF yourself this year? Hahahaha (gets pulled off the stage by a comically long cane) Visit bit.ly/31bT7FA and use my code KAZ50 for 50% off your first order of Care/of!

[@savsol5607]

:)

[@Vannahbabes]

Love your necklace 🥰🥰

[@LawrenceRussellSaturnSelection]

They're not ghosts or aliens or spooks. It's always demonic.... I guaruntee it

[@BrodyAIM]

Where did you get your necklace??

[@nicanornunez9787]

Team Shane

[@trevorevans4000]

Shane from Buzzfeed will always be my favorite accidental ghost hunter.

[@kimbimberley]

He's doing a pretty stellar job on their new channel - Watcher, too. New ghosty series out called Ghost Files, it's great

[@orbcat1790]

@@kimbimberley season finale just came out!

[@lronbutters5688]

I’m a Shaniac

[@hereis6655]

he's goated

[@lkcullen1918]

an instant classic "Am *I* a ghost hunter?? I don't wanna be a *ghost hunter* this is all bullshit!"

[@queenmimic7772]

My town has an extreme grudge against the tv show Ghost Hunters. We’re a small town that has been struggling to bring up our tourism so when we heard that Ghost Hunters wanted to come here we were very hopeful it would help. The town rolled out the red carpet for them, helped gather stories, gave them tours, and they were allowed to stay above our apothecary for FREE for two weeks despite the fact that the owner’s only source of income. When the episode came out they painted not a picture of a charming small town with a tumultuous history but a town in the middle of nowhere so crime ridden that no one wants to go there. The two weeks after the episode aired two years ago was TENSE

[@KazRowe]

Thats awful!! Unfortunately not uncommon with many of these shows. 😔

[@alyssajakielek687]

Legit really curious about the details, like what's the town? Because I like learning about places with lore. And were the "ghost hunters" from like tv, or KZbin? You don't have to if you don't want to, I just got really curious

[@queenmimic7772]

@@alyssajakielek687 It’s Ghost Hunters on A&E. I’m not going to share the town because it’s very small and I’m paranoid that it would be easy to find me just from the name, Sorry about that!

[@lexiwexiwoo]

I've never really been a fan of how there's no control from the towns portrayed. Often, they make perfectly sweet towns a grungy image and having been in a small town in the southeast of Oklahoma I know the great parts of small towns get shadowed by the not so great parts.

[@alyssajakielek687]

@@queenmimic7772 ah.. That's kind of worse because they're from a TV show with (presumably) an actual budget... And I'm also kind of relieved that it's not anyone I watch

[@bichiAllen]

Ryan and Shane are lit the only ghost hunting team I'd actually believe if they said they saw a real ghost

[@myrineae]

ONLY if Shane admits it. Can you imagine? I want ghosts to be real just so I can see his face when he finds out!

[@inka-on6mt]

@@myrineae let's be real, a full-body apparition of a ghost could literally punch shane in the face and give him a wedgie but he'd still say it's the wind lmao

[@uniwolfacorn]

@@inka-on6mt no way, he’s said multiple times that he would be willing to believe. They’ve just never gotten any real evidence (because ghosts aren’t real)

[@sdqsdq6274]

@@uniwolfacorn lol , you need to born with the third eye , of course normal people cant see it

[@uniwolfacorn]

@@sdqsdq6274 you should take your meds lmao

[@theohedgpeth261]

One of my favorite paranormal shows was one where they had electricians, building inspectors and plumbers come into so-called haunted houses and investigate the cause of certain thinks, ie cold spots, slamming windows and doors, etc. And they'd just tell the home owner how to fix them lol

[@Shadowonwater]

that sounds familiar, I think I remember watching a video that talked about that

[@nora4642]

Jenny Nicholson did a vid on it

[@binkin7304]

@@Shadowonwater I think this is what Ghost Hunters originally did because the two main guys were plumbers and would debunk things but they stopped doing that after the first couple seasons

[@lkcullen1918]

@@binkin7304 Yes! Their "day job" used to be Roto Rooter lol dang I almost forgot about that

[@maramartaamarhcp]

Someone know the name of the show?

[@stevem.o.1185]

I once found a gravestone with my own name on it from the 1800's (I don't have a super rare name lol) in a graveyard that the internet said was a "portal to hell" (the town was a shithole, so I don't doubt it). Being a bored teenager, I decided to go out there with a tape recorder and ask questions like "are we related" and "is this really a portal to hell?". And I caught a VERY clear EVP saying, "Shut the FUCK up." Wish I still had the tape, but this was over a decade ago, and it's not like anyone would believe me anyway lol. It was almost TOO clear, in spite of the fact that I was the only one out there and heard nothing until I played the tape back.

[@zackattack9228]

Bro 😂

[@manicpepsicola3431]

They really said you're out here disturbing my peace and asking me some dumb questions

[@theadmiral4157]

Maybe the ghost is pissed about the fact that both of you had the same name lol

[@takashiari1598]

Thats funny as fuck lmao

[@arianewinter4266]

I find my name quite often, in those messages of this person just died, they will be missed

[@aakansh45yearsago83]

I'm deeply honored how most of the comments are about Ryan and Shane. I think it'll be nearly impossible for anyone from the ghost-hunting industry to top them.

[@ElSombraRegio7]

Its truly because they didn't take themselves too serious.

[@aakansh45yearsago83]

@@ElSombraRegio7 Exactly lmao. And we don't see much drama between them and the entities in their episodes either, cuz they don't fake it for views and likes.

[@surfinsocal100]

I have had three times where I’ve seen people/animals/masks in places they shouldn’t be and legit thought they were ghosts. Turns out it was just psychosis.

[@nora4642]

I’m sorry but this made me laugh out loud (I’m also severely mentally ill)

[@surfinsocal100]

@@nora4642 it’s okay 😂 but fr I need people to take mental health more seriously because no it’s not a ghost or a evil spirit.

[@NotKiraa]

same here 😭 thought there was a demon following me around and i was having a spiritual awakening but after a trip to a&e i found out i was on the brink of psychosis. even though i believe in ghosts to an extent i think a lot of people’s experiences could just be hallucinations

[@thekarret2066]

That pesky mental illness strikes again! -snaps fingers- /has also had a bout with psychosis

[@erikaczerniejewski495]

I chalked up my "experiences" as possible mental health and then I said "ok this is getting out of control " as faces floated around me as I brushed my teeth. So i meditated an "closed " the door in my mind to that stuff It went away immediately. I've been through more stressful times, deeper depression, nothing came back after I turned my mind off of it. I've always thought that odd as you can't just "meditate" mental illness away in one evening. Otherwise I'd be peachy!

[@oviiembem6302]

I always love the part where ryan said "well, you are now ghost hunter" and shane brain got short circuit due to such revelation.

[@TheKapitan98]

"P.T. Barnum, the circus villain," is the best description of him I think

[@TheLifeofEmily1]

Okay the blue outfit and the beautiful blue tiles on the background ugh Kaz is blessing us with amazing content AND color coordination ☺️

[@tempest2000]

Noticed the same thing!

[@nanamiharuka3269]

i loved the tiles too!

[@naw9549]

Channeling major Tutter vibes.

[@amiscellaneoushuman3516]

it honestly feels like a flex

[@Nicolesid1]

It gives me twilight vibes but like ghost vs vAMPiRE

[@KewlKat626]

I use to be TERRIFIED of ghosts and I kind of blame it on ghost shows like Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters. They always framed ghosts as threatening entities that only wanted to bring you harm. Never trust child ghost, they could be demons, all ghosts are poltergeist, etc. It wasn't until I watched Buzzfeed Unsolved that I finally overcame that fear. Something about Shane's monotone nonchalance and his focus on the history of the places they visited helped me to see these "haunted" locations as places to be loved and appreciated instead of feared. These buildings housed people and lives and you can still find evidence of those lives lived there without living in fear of them. I visited New Orleans with my brother recently and if it had been just a couple years ago I would have been shaking in my boots the whole time but thanks to this new outlook I got to just enjoy a city full of history and culture. The idea that I was walking the same streets, sitting on the same bench, standing in the same building as people from decades before me, stood before headstones of people who died so long ago would have terrified me at a time but now it brings me joy and profound comfort knowing that there were people here before and there will be people here again. Also the fact that nothing bad ever happened to Shane during investigations despite everything he did helped lol

[@bellablogg6097]

Actually, Ghost Hunters never said that. My best-loved quote from Grant Wilson: Remember, they are just people.

[@KewlKat626]

Oh, I like that quote! I will admit I didn't watch a lot of Ghost Hunters and the episodes I did watch were usually prisons so maybe the vibes were different in those investigations? I remember being scared by the things the investigators said about ghosts but it could just be my memory playing tricks on me lol. It's nice to know that they were more respectful than some other ghost shows and didn't try to ham up the evil spirit stuff though!@@bellablogg6097

[@xephnetinos3810]

Ghost hunters was very big on pushing that entities were not evil or scary actually. Their main goal was to put people at ease who lived in those haunted locations and show them it was safe

[@bobbiemontgomery925]

"Ask a Mortician" has a great video all about Mumbler, his life, the long trial and subsequent issues and moves. It's a thorough and enjoyable look into the spirit photographer who is recognized as the original.

[@astreaward6651]

When I went to New Orleans, I stayed at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel because I saw it on Unsolved and thought it was gorgeous. The bartender featured in the episode still worked there and spoke very kindly of Ryan and Shane and said they at least didn't fake any evidence while they were shooting. She didn't specify the people who did fake evidence, but apparently some do. For me, it's the history-related stuff I find fascinating. I don't believe in anything supernatural but there's usually something really cool to learn anyway. Probably why I really like your videos :)

[@scottvelez3154]

Did anything weird happen?

[@astreaward6651]

@@scottvelez3154 No, of course not. Ghosts aren't real lol

[@scottvelez3154]

@@astreaward6651 👻

[@sethk1698]

@@astreaward6651 lol 😆 There's definitely an answer for everything.

[@faeriesmak]

I stayed there before I even knew that were any stories associated with the place. One night my friends and I were walking up the stairs to go back to our room and all 3 of us saw a woman dressed in a long skirt, Victorian style clothing, at the top of the stairs walking away from us and down the hall. She was completely transparent. I didn’t even know that people saw things there until 2 years ago and I was there in the early 90s.

[@virgiltheghost]

Closest I’ve ever gotten to the paranormal was when my cat Ruby died. She was an absolute demon of a cat to everyone but my dad (who had her since she was a kitten) and me. She hated my mom, my little brother, and even my grandma who was probably the closest thing to a real life Snow White. The night we had to have her put down, I couldn’t sleep since she usually slept on my bed and the missing weight was throwing me off. After a while my door opened, and something audibly jumped onto my bed and I COULD FEEL TINY FEET CRAWLING OVER ME. I, a scared shitless 6 year old, refused to move or open my eyes as a flour bag of weight plopped unceremoniously next to me. I kept my eyes closed thinking “if I can’t see it it can’t get me” (ya know, 6 year old logic), and eventually fell asleep. I woke up the next morning to no ghost cat, but a bottle cap right where the weight had settled next to me the night before. (The only ‘game’ Ruby ever played was when we’d chuck a plastic bottle cap somewhere and she’d bring it back, no matter how obscurely we hid it.) I took it to my dad who promptly burst into tears and told me I was probably dreaming, which I may have been, but the fact that there were little teeth dents in the bottle cap made me doubt. My mom also woke up with 2 small claw marks that were swollen and itchy (my mom is allergic to cats, but let Ruby stay for my dads sake). I like to think it was her ghost’s final little goodbye to me, and final ‘fuck you’ to my mom :).

[@vgacoralreef]

that is so precious. honestly it probably was your little cat ❤️ they tend to give one last goodbye

[@pikapal91]

This is shockingly similar to something that happened to me after my cat had to be put down. Like literally the same thing happened. Except when I woke up my shirt was off and I had scratches on my stomach. Not big scratches, just tiny ones. I was hoping this would happen again when we had to put my dog to sleep last week, but no. He never found his way back to me one last time.

[@htinez]

Occasionally i feel a similar feeling like my cat is getting in bed with me but nothings ever there (shes the cat in my picture) and the first time it happened i looked immediately and nothing was there so now when it happens (not very often but once every few months) i wait a bit to see if its my living cat or if its that weird feeling again and its always that weird feeling. It tends to happen around when im really goin through it too. Idk if i believe in ghosts or not but i like to believe that its my cat comin to see me when im feeling down.

[@pablodelsegundo9502]

That's paranormal enough. My dogs (especially the one that died right when the pandemic took off) check in periodically, usually with provable results (ie. I hear him growl or bark while all 3 of my living ones are absolutely still/asleep, I then check the front window and there's a trespasser in our yard or driveway.).

[@kitsch_bitch]

That's such a cute story 🥺 When I was 11 or 12 one of my budgies, Ricky, died so that night I sat on my window sill and sort of 'prayed' to her, telling her to tell my other budgy not to be sad and that everything's fine. While I did that I looked at one of the stars that looked brighter than the others and imagined that that's Ricky. All of a sudden the star started to expand outwards in four rays of light, then went back to looking like a normal star and then expanded again and so on, like it was pulsating (english isn't my first language, sorry if this sounds weird). It definitely wasn't an airplane though, because when the star expanded it became HUGE like nothing I had ever seen before. Needless to say I got scared as heck, slammed the window shut and hid in my bed lol

[@ninamason9001]

I have had. SO MANY. Paranormal encounters throughout the years, but I think the most astonishing one for me was when I was in a production of Antigone. My director wanted to mix film and live theatre as sort of a commentary on "if it bleeds it leads" media, so we decided to show Antigone's hanging via video. The idea was that it was a black box theatre with white curtains all around, and I'd be strongly backlit behind one and "hang" myself. Then my backlight would go dark and the video of my dangling body would play. This necessitated actually "hanging" me for video production, during which I stood en pointe on a clear stepstool to "hang." Yes, with a half-tightened noose around my neck. And as you may guess, at the precise moment everyone was distracted by something else, I slipped. We pause here with me about to strangle so I can tell you about our theatre ghost, Dorothy. Dorothy was supposedly a theatrical professor in the 1920s who died in her office, as an old maid (some versions of the story say she was a lesbian, but either way, no husband and no kids). Ever since, before every performance you had to go up onto the old track (the building was originally built as a gym and the running track was still up above) and put a ticket stub and program on a specific chair belonging to Dorothy, and on opening night, roses. The chair was on no account to be moved unless it was necessary to do so for the stage to be properly visible, and if you did move it for that reason, you had to say "begging your pardon, ma'am, let me get you a better seat." If you did not do this, bad shit would happen--and it did. During one performance where my professor--a skeptic, up until the point of this story--had moved the chair, the lightboard caught on fire. During the Antigone run, our Eurydice chose to be a dick and kicked over Dorothy's chair on purpose, and in that same performance she accidentally stabbed herself with the dagger she was using for her suicide scene. (It wasn't serious, but still. Yikes.) The saying went that Dorothy would take care of you if you took care of Dorothy, and when I worked shows I was always the one taking up her ticket, program, and roses on opening night and telling her to enjoy the performance. Okay, we're back to me in a noose on a 12" stepstool, about to definitely die with four people standing there because they were all having a conversation with the people hanging the lights. (Who needs to have a spotter for the person in the noose, right?) So I slip. In slipping, I kick the stool sideways. I felt the noose tighten. ....and then a pair of hands slipped underneath it and I dropped to the floor. Landed perfectly on my feet. NOBODY ELSE HAD EVEN REALIZED I WAS IN TROUBLE. THEY WERE ALL STILL TALKING TO THE LIGHTING PEOPLE. Dorothy got her roses on opening night, but my professor also made sure she had flowers of some kind every night of the run. And I never saw her move Dorothy's chair again.

[@somegirl8772]

Where can u watch the film??

[@miduchalan1]

I was really big into the legends surrounding a "haunted asylum" I used to live near, until I went on a tour with the local historical society that was led by a guy who used to work there in the 80s or 90s. The tour really made me realize that the people there were just people and there wasn't anything scary about them. After that, the haunted legends felt kind of exploitative.

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

I have the most boring and pathetic supernatural encounter ever: I was at my grandmas and taking a bath, but left my shampoo on the counter, I got up and got halfway out of the tub (one foot in, one out) to retrieve it. When I turned to get back in, I slipped hard. I had nothing to catch myself on and my grandmas bathroom had a large tiled shelf behind the tub. I knew I was going to crack my head on it, and likely slip into the water. Yet, someone caught me and placed me sitting on the shelf. I personally think it was my grandfather who I was named after. So thanks, Papa, for saving me from drowning in he bathtub because I was too lazy to get all the way out of the tub.

[@anceptus]

That isn't boring or pathetic in the slightest. Not only interesting, but also very sweet and heartwarming.

[@Talia.777]

For real?!😳 Didn't you do any drugs possibly? ( No offense, just curious 😁😊)

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

@@Talia.777 nope, no drugs. I was 13 and completely sober. Just lazy.

[@KD-ou2np]

Human memory is unfortunately a very faulty thing, the way we remember things is not always close to how they happened, in fact sometimes it can be really far off. When I was about 6 I was going to say good night to my parents, and I walked out to the living room which had tile floor. I apparently slipped and fell and caught my fall onto the floor directly on my chin, and I later needed 6 stitches. I don't remember how I fell, I don't remember the pain, but I vividly remember my dog was right next to me, and later laying on the bamboo mat in my parents bathroom having my mom frantically try to bandage me up. Obviously I fell down, but the adrenaline of that moment, and the extreme pain, I can't recall any part of falling or hitting the ground or being moved to another room. Its entirely possible that you caught yourself and in the shock of the moment you forgot what happened in between. When an object goes flying at your eyes, your brain will tell your eyes to blink before you even realize its happening, you can watch this on slow motion videos of ppl. Their eyes move before their facial expression shows that they register something about to hit them. Not trying to be a downer or shit on your beliefs, I just think that everyone should be aware of other explanations, and think critically about things that happen to them, instead of explaining things they don't understand with what makes them feel good. Your story is not harmful, but the general idea of explaining the unknown with things there are no evidence for, and based only on emotion, can lead to some very dangerous things, like religious persecution, or people joining cults, or getting scammed into fake buying fake medicine.

[@kindateia]

@@KD-ou2np did you just compare her belief that her Grandpa was looking out for her to cults and religious discrimination?? Not only is the story, just as you said, absolutely harmless, but emotional manipulation is a literal part of the politics and marketing. Somebody believing in ghosts or religion has little to no connection with whether they would be ones likelier to be manipulated in a long run. Trust me, there are lots of ways to abuse people's emotions without getting into paranormal at all. People do it all the time, it's just that these stories are much less fun to debunk.

[@ashleynorton]

Screaming crying because I’ve had “the ghost hunting industrial complex” in my video idea list for months but the queen beat me to it.

[@KazRowe]

LOL oh no please still make it! Everyones got a different take and perspective 🥰

[@FairyPhantasia]

Checking out the channel in the morning. Please do your own version. Also try conspiracies and icebergs 😆

[@1cattails]

I love Shane and Ryan soooo much!!! Ive been watching them since the year they started on buzzfeed all the way to Watcher! I don't remember if I first watched their true crime series or their supernatural series, but they're great

[@julianaandersson8703]

I'm a professional photographer who joined a ghost hunting group in 2005/6.. for the specific reason of explaining how ghosts can't be captured on film... I even was a speaker at a ghost con with a 45 min power point explaining it. As you can imagine, I was very unpopular... People do not want to hear it. Which is fine.. lol.. but so refreshing to hear your well researched history... while you only briefly touched on ghosts and photography, suffice it to say that what were seen as ghosts in an image in the early 20th century and what we see as ghosts in images now is completely different and to me speaks loudly to photographic equipment used... cameras are freaky man... and looking at metadata the most haunted exposure is f/2.8 @ 2seconds with a flash discharge in very low light...

[@EosFunk]

I am DYING for a youtuber to do a deep-dive on how post-911 anxieties encouraged this weird obsession with Christian horror and the paranormal. That whole era is so nostalgic for me - I consumed so much media about vampires, possessions, ghost hunting, etc etc. Still love all that stuff to this day. Those teenage years gothy obsessions later evolved into an obsession with Lovecraftian horror for a while - didn't we almost all collectively go through this in suburban middle class America?

[@Firegen1]

That would be a brilliant video. Inclusive of the Mandela Catalogue as a where we are currently. I also hate that franchise's name but that's my own beef.

[@ana_d_73]

I'm not even American, but I went through that phase. Inhaled all of Anne Rice's vampire novels too.

[@waterwraith1189]

I never really liked that content growing up but my parents always watched it and had it recorded. Was born 2001 so I grew up around that content. That would be a cool video to see.

[@EchanteDante]

Not sure if 9/11 had anything to do with it….I think throughout history things come and go in popularity. I mean look at zombies..they were everywhere in the states there for quite awhile now not as much….but now in Korea they are everywhere. I’m talking about movies and shows of course not literal zombies haha

[@mthsdcs]

You'll have a hard time successfully making a case that 9/11 had anything to do with it, if that correlation even exists.

[@averyjeanne]

I don’t believe in ghosts, but I have always been so fascinated by the paranormal. I believe you can learn so much about a culture by their paranormal beliefs. Also ghost stories are really entertaining.

[@Seiaeka]

I am in this camp as well. As a writer myself, I love the idea of ghosts and paranormal events, but my scientific mind just can't allow me to believe in them because the evidence isn't concrete enough and doesn't stand up to the standards of the scientific method. However, it would be really cool if it were real. XD

[@Iamthatis137]

These are amazing perspectives. I believe in ghosts, but definitely not in the way they are portrayed in popular media. Lol. My belief in ghosts is more in the sense of what Kaz and you two are talking about. I know why I am drawn to the concept, why others are. And it’s supposed to be confusing AND debunkable AND scientific AND religious AND mysterious AND cathartic AND generative... we get the idea. I think, amongst all of this, it is a concrete way for us to at least tackle the idea of actually correcting the mistakes of the past that were never corrected and expanding our perspectives so that we can do better. 👻😊

[@Aster_Risk]

I think I enjoy paranormal and creepy stuff more since I think it's all bullshit.

[@wellesradio]

@@Iamthatis137 You can’t separate the media portrayals from your beliefs, though. Everything you believe about ghosts comes from the culture you live in and in our cultural landscape, that is all media. I’m willing to bet everything you believe about ghosts has its roots in fictional television, movies, and books. You can’t just “I’m not like other girls” this one.

[@PaulRWorthington]

Yep - I don't believe, but I'm fascinated by these beliefs, and I'm writing about them as well.

[@billykidman2091]

Imagine you're a long dead ghost named Apple Tater about to order dinner at the ghostly Fazolis when a discovery camera crew flings you into their realm just to roast you on national TV.

[@dankim7831]

I just can't explain that one hotel room where there was a lot of screaming and multiple people notified the staff about it, suspecting domestic violence. And a hallway camera caught it too. As soon as a security guard or staff member opened the door, the screaming stopped, and he said that the room had all its furniture flipped over. It was unoccupied

[@TheTaylorwailer]

I’m a skeptic but I very much enjoyed Buzzfeed Unsolved, one because I can let myself get pulled into the creepy and dark atmosphere of their surroundings and then Shane to ground me and make me laugh. Recently I’ve even been binging Creepypasta and SCP narrations because letting myself wonder about the what ifs for a brief few moments is kind of fun.

[@jameswhite153]

and now they're back in the ghost game.

[@myrineae]

Have you checked out their new show yet? Ghost Files.

[@Boggythefroggy]

I also was addicted to ghost hunting shows as a kid and Shane and Ryan are a favourite of mine just to watch them goof around in creaky houses haha. Also those tiles behind you are gorgeousssss.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

I think women were the spiritual mediums and the ones with the connection to the spiritual world pre 911 because women have the ability to give life. Women have the ability to make life out of nothing so women have always had a closer tie to death because we're able to give life. if that makes sense. there's a long tradition in paintings and artwork that go to the Middle ages and earlier called The maiden and Death which picture beautiful young girls usually teenagers dancing with a skeleton or death. I think it's the same reason that the True Crime genre appeals to women so much. Women are drawn to death and have this subconscious association with death.

[@stanfordsan]

My cousin used to be the lead investigator for ghost hunters international. On one hand it was cool and surreal to see a family member on a national TV show. On the other hand I was a bit jealous that he got to travel the world visiting old castles and lavish hotels and see a slice of history of so many different countries.

[@pigeoncube8881]

when my family first immigrated to the US, we lived in the back of a church for a few years that was haunted. the story was that the ghost was the man who built the church and he was mad that it changed denominations. probably about half of the congregants of the church even knew him when he was alive and swore the ghost was him. my dad basically cared for the church as thanks for giving us a home, and he talked about toilets flushing on their own, seeing a door open by itself when he was locking up at night, musical instruments playing on their own. the thing is that i have very clear memories of living there, but none of the ghost. the best i can do for memories of him is hearing echoes since the halls and sanctuaries of churches are very big and empty when no one else is there, and i genuinely just believe the ghost was just echoes of something else in another room and maybe a congregant staying late when it was assumed everyone was gone. i've even considered that maybe someone homeless had been secretly staying there, but i don't think that really matches the facts. the funny thing is that my little brother swears he knows for a fact there was a ghost, even though he was far too young to remember it

[@richardmulkey1772]

usually migrants who seek out shelter in churches are illegal...

[@bo.sleeps]

i live in louisiana. after Katrina there was a period taxi drivers in New Orleans stopped picking passengers up because sometimes they said they’d disappear mid ride. i think after tragedy peoples emotions are so heightened that they end up having these strange experiences. very interesting stuff

[@TheSolitaryGrape]

I've heard similar stories of taxi drivers in Japan after the 2011 earthquake/tsunami/nuclear plant disaster. Kyle Hill has a video called "The Fukishima Nuclear Disaster" that talks about it a touch, it's a very good video you may enjoy since you enjoyed this!

[@PrincessFidelma]

@@TheSolitaryGrape aww, you beat me to it! I can't think which channel I saw it on.

[@Ella-yn3mi]

​@@PrincessFidelma theres an episode of unsolved mysteries about it on netflix

[@fredocorl9048]

or just dumb

[@myrineae]

This is seen as common occurrence in Asia when a tragedy hits.

[@scarlettblythe]

Your comments on recordings of people who have died being uncanny, and being "cemeteries" reminded me strongly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander beliefs here in so-called-Australia. Some groups have strong taboos around images, recordings and even the name of the deceased after they have died. I admit I don't know the hard details of why (it seems to vary between groups, which makes sense) but it is a cool parallel.

[@lkeke35]

I've read about this! In some cases they believe they cannot travel on to their afterlife because part of them has been trapped in an image or recording.

[@stratkitten]

As an American and believer in the Afterlife (though not as most would think of it) I'm fascinated by the fact that i've seen some broadcasts with the disclaimer for Torres Strait islanders that images and names of the deceased will be broadcast...

[@Biancaleigh693]

As a Australia too I'll just double confirm this. The government sometimes takes out portions as well to protect this belief. Not always. Recently photos of the deceased had a warning about it to indengenious Australian but because they were the police and needed info. They still posted it. I appreciate they stil put the warning at the top in bold writing

[@Nonameforyoudangit]

Petition for Kaz + Watcher collab. Could be anything: Ghost Files, Pretty Historic, Puppet History....

[@curator3539]

My favorite ghost experience I had was at Jerome, AZ. A friend and I were walking in what used to be where the brothel was with a spirt box and stepped away from him (I'm female and we thought maybe someone would talk to me on my own) and I said "My name is -name- does anyone want to say anything to me?" and there was a long drawn out 'DAAAAAAAAMN' over the spirit box. So that was the time I was hit on by an old west ghost! LOL!

[@_gremlinboy]

It's really funny because I'm not even like, a skeptic by any stretch (as a witch who talks to ghosts sometimes just in case they're around) but I've always felt like I know the exact muscle twitch/cramp Zack could have experienced which absolutely feels like someone copped a squeeze, and I just find it really funny to imagine that he got a nervous butt cramp and just freaked the hell out

[@shroomshroom5945]

This cracks me up 😂

[@cazuelatime]

My ghost encounter as told by my mother; i was 5 years old, and my grandmother was visiting. She and my mom heard me laughing for a looong time in my moms bedroom. When my mom went to check on me i said that i was laughing at the jokes the old man with the little book was telling. My grandfather had died about 3 years before i was born and he used to take a little notebook the size of a palm full of jokes to remember. Needless to say my mom and grandma were freaked tf out lol.

[@PrincessFidelma]

😭 that's adorable!

[@simi5558]

ok thats actually cute wtf

[@arsonistnpc]

Ive had various "paranormal" occurances in my life (I say so in quotes because they're all easily explainable,) but there's one thing that happened that I've not been able to explain! (Warning for two kitties talked about in a past tense, one from being laid to rest and the other from being rehomed!) My mom and dad got married, and as a wedding present (delivered a few months after the wedding) they were presented with a kitten- her name was Molly. My mom adored Molly, and always treated her well and made sure she was the healthiest she could be Flash-forward to the year this story takes place and we have two cats now- Molly, and Nikki. Nikki was around 5 or so, i believe? She was a rescue so we didn't know the exact age. Molly was, at this point, nearly 18 years old. She was having health complications from the old age and we wanted to get her laid to rest before she painfully did so herself. We had her cremated and put in my parent's bedroom, on a shelf in their closet. Now, Nikki never really liked Molly, so she was didn't really seem to 'notice' Molly was gone. But the night after we got Molly's ashes back, I was having trouble sleeping because I was young and had never really had any first-hand experience with death or the remains before and just had a sick feeling all about me. Then, I heard Molly meowing- though that's a graceful description, it might have been more appropriate to call it croaking. One of her health complications was kitty dementia, and she would often 'forget' where she was and meow out of confusion/terror. The meow I heard sounded EXACTLY like Molly's old meowing. It was coming from either the hallway right outside of my parent's bedroom door, or from just inside their room. Nikki was sleeping in my room, on my chair, and she woke up almost immediately and her tail puffed up. I remember looking back and forth between Nikki and my mostly-closed door, petrified that I might see Molly walk through the crack into my room. Molly meowed seven or eight times, and I just laid there. I didn't fall asleep until an hour or so after that, because Nikki stayed sitting still and watching the door intently (minus the puffed tail) so I did too. None of the rest of my family heard it (or was woken up by it) so I'm the only witness of this, but I SWEAR I wasn't dreaming it. I've always had a problem with remembering dreams and I can still remember this as clear as I can for it happening 4+ years ago. I've not heard Molly meow since, but i'm kinda happy about that lmao anyways. ive rambled for too long. it was fun to relive this memory for a moment to write this, though :-p

[@danstevens6455]

One explanation for your experience could be what is called a grief hallucination. Oliver Sacks the famous neurologist said about 30% of people who lose a dear loved one see them again (grief hallucination) not long after their deaths.

[@arsonistnpc]

@@danstevens6455 i wouldve thought that too if not for my other cat reacting as well- and at the time I slept with a light on, so it wasn't me just mis-seeing something in the dark. I also wasnt particularly close to the cat who died, she was my parents' and not mine- she might've been the only pet who passed who I didn't cry over? But I was also pretty young so idk

[@daemondays]

“DID SOMEONE JUST SCRATCH ME?!” I will never forget that line. Me and my dad always watched Ghost Adventures and I had several seasons on dvd. I love your content!!

[@nonmigratory8738]

The last point you made about haunted places showing our cultural anxieties regarding how we treated people in the past made me think (I’m from the UK, I know jack all about this, apologies) about how so many American spooky stories start with someone building on indigenous burial grounds or sacred spaces (bear in mind my main touchstones for this are Scooby Doo and Are You Afraid Of The Dark and Goosebumps because I’m a massive scaredy cat). Obviously it also incorporates the whole “spooky BIPOC” trope as well, but I think it really does speak to that deep cultural guilt that (imo) has never really been addressed in North American culture. Again, from the UK, possibly talking out of my hole, just something that occurred to me.

[@bun4647]

American here, I think you're onto something! As somebody who grew up in the deep south where lots of awful stuff happened, I can totally see this applying. I've always been freaked out by extremely old looking buildings/things that are clearly left over from wartime, and places like the biltmore house (giant historical plantation mansion place) always spooked me even as a small kid. A lot of this stuff is shown in scary media which is probably why it scared me even back as a child who was too young to comprehend any deeper meaning

[@Firegen1]

Other Brit here but bipoc so can come at it from either side, you are definitely on to something. There used to be a brilliant website of American ghost folkore - very similar to the Lore podcast - that folded I think four years ago. The stories were cited as much as they could be and the amount that start "in this town, that State, by the place where this community lived". On the site it included local folklore about civil war sites, previous communties areas of Native American people and areas of slave trading. Recurring places of unaddressed mistreatment and violence. It isn't a pattern but more of a Freudian excuse to not address those historical misjustices. Which I know I've said on BUN to insensitive commenters. These stories exist in colonial settlements where my family come from and historical houses in the UK where female presenting ghosts are always victims of circumstance. It's societal guilt

[@5tinygrapes]

100%. Coin Dickey's Ghostland (mentioned in this video and a very good read if you're interested) talks about this specifically. There is absolutely a component of racist "ahh non-white non-Christian beliefs ahhh!!" and disrespect. There is also a different component. Colin Dickey who loves em dashes writes: "the narrative of the haunted Indian burial ground hides a certain anxiety about the land on which Americans-specifically white, middle-class Americans-live. Embedded deep in the idea of home ownership- the Holy Grail of American middle-class life- is the idea that we don't, in fact, own the land we just bought... Americans live on haunted land because we have no other choice." (i.e., all land here is stolen, often violently, from a people that, let's be honest, never got justice). Could be a manifestation of guilt, retroactive punishment/justice for the past, manifestation of fear of actual justice being served in the land of the living.... So many ways you can look at it. No matter what though it all comes back to 'something deeply bad happened here, how do we reckon with that'.

[@MegaVirus700]

Seems possible, as an American, the main hauntings we hear about from the UK are old insane asylums or poor houses. Both of which were treated horribly

[@notyourmum7883]

this is a really good observation too

[@ladyofshalott]

Yesss! Spaghetti and apple tater!!! I was so happy for those two to make an appearance in the final episode (and am looking forward to Shane and Ryan's new ghost hunting show on their own channel Watcher). Also, I've had some weird experiences that definitely have made me less of a skeptic. One was a particularly creepy feeling sword in a museum (I've been to many museums before and after that one sword with no problem and this one sword gave me a strong feeling of nausea. It stopped when I left the room. No one else seemed to have an issue so I don't know lol). There was also a thing where something appeared to follow me home and my cat at the time hissed or growled at it - meaning the air (which was extremely unlike her - she hadn't done that before that or after it). So that was weird.

[@notyourmum7883]

The final point about ghost stories and haunted locations reflecting the anxieties and failures of a nation really moved me. This was such a great and in-depth analysis of the supernatural I loved it.

[@kevinlofy9225]

I worked at a VERY haunted hotel and had a chance to meet many ghost hunting tourists and many paranormal investigator “celebrities.” The broification is very real. People seemed disappointed when there wasn’t a grizzly murder causing a vengeful spirit or a demon scratching tourists. A lot of misrepresentation of real history and a lot of embellished retelling of events and experiences. A lot of people want the adrenaline pumping experiences depicted on TV, but seeing the production of those shows made me realize the excitement of those shows needed to play on universal fears to capture their audiences. So when the tourists stop by expecting paranormal Disneyland, it was the job of locals and employees to keep their excitement up. Imagine getting psyched up for a roller coaster and getting on an elevator. Anyhow… great video! Good historic information and perspective. I always told people that a ghost story tells a lot about the person telling it.

[@celestialclown5907]

I lost my mind when you mentioned Ghosts Whisperer! Every Friday night, 7pm my 10yr old self was OBSESSED with Melinda. Loved how every episode it started with "My name is Melinda Gordon and I've seen Ghosts since I was a little girl" and then proceeds to act surprised when a ghost appears. I still play an episode or two as a comfort lol

[@LWolf12]

I wish that series got like, one, maybe two more seasons. It seemed like it was ramping up to something then it ended.

[@TheBaron75]

i once had an experience of sleep paralysis and I can completely understand why someone could interpret it as a ghostly apparition. My (very dead) mother appeared at the footof my bed and told me I it was time to get up. I remember saying "But Mam you're dead. Oh this is a dream!". She was even wearing a sheet over her head, a floral patterned one like in Beetlejuice!

[@sicahjehiah8729]

i cried a few times throughout this video (especially at the end) because your analysis of society's anxiety around death / the dead is extremely HEAVY and profound, in a very unsettling + deeply human way. Thanks for this, im so glad i found and subscribed to you. You cover a WIDE array of topics, all of which are incredibly interesting and reflective

[@juanote8943]

A couple years ago me and a friend were drinking on my front porch. I used to live in a pretty decent neighborhood, almost no one walked by at night. Around 3am we see a little girl on goverment school uniform walking by the street. She must've been like 10 or 12 years old. We kinda got worried sick by her. What was a little girl doing so late by her lonesome? With a school uniform on a sunday. We stood up and tried to talk to her, keeping our distance to not seem like creeps or something. We asked her a couple of times if she was lost, if she need to call her parents. The girl kept walking, mumbling something. She turned on a street, after a couple seconds we turned and saw nothing in there. This street to which she turned was flanked by a supermarket's back to the right, and a long and tall wall to the left. Its a long street with a clear view, well lit. It was so silent that if she tried to run we could've heard her steps, specially with the school shoes she was wearing. We stood there for a momment. Then my friend says "Man, fuck this". And we went back. That's the spookiest thing I've lived, excluding really intense nigthmares xd

[@FieryArtemis]

I was surprised that there was no mention of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Whether they are legitimate paranormal investigators or charlatans, they had a relatively large impact on modern ghost hunting as well. I feel like a lot of their stuff paved the way for shows like "Ghost Adventures."

[@myrineae]

Legitimate charlatans who caused REAL harm to people. Ed was also a domestic abuser.

[@andrewshepherd1633]

Personally, I think they have had way too much coverage elsewhere and I think she covered the topic fairly well without having to cover ground already covered a ton elsewhere. Heck they are still getting publicity after the "experiment" of the show run by their son-in-law on the 28-day cycle on Netflix. *shrug* I'm fine without it.

[@thekarret2066]

I think it's curious that they both had backgrounds in being authors prior to their demonologist era... Makes me think they were using their creative writing skills to try to make people think their tall tales were facts.

[@squamish4244]

And a couple of great, classic haunted-house movies.

[@snappylobster3118]

One of the most interesting moments I saw on Ghost Adventures really illustrates the connection of ghost hunting with grief. There had been a couple that would occasionally join them on ghost hunts at a particular location. Sadly, the man killed his wife and then himself. They went back to that location and one of the guys breaks down crying, begging one of them to come through and communicate with them, asking him why he had done it, telling the both of them how much he missed them. It was so illuminating as to why someone would seek out spirits- to help soothe the unknown mystery of death.

[@wintergray1221]

I saw that one. I remember being shocked because I hadn't heard about the murder/suicide incident.

[@Mamamagnolias]

Kaz is so calming to me and a balm to my overwhelming brain. I want to know everything about everything with my ADHD, and their videos are highly comprehensive for a short burst of time and I’m so happy I found them!

[@KMakoENVtuber]

I use paranormal reality tv as a sleep aid mostly. The one thing about a lot of these shows and the paranormal that I do like is when they investigate historical locations. Ghost Adventures is getting way too close to a Diet Exorcist reality show when they go to people’s houses for investigations, but when any of these shows cover historical landmarks, I find it a great way to learn about historical events…that is as long as that history is backed up by records.

[@Wceric1]

One thing I heard a while ago about Ghosts that has never left my mind was; “If Ghosts were real, and they not only had the ability to hurt us but also actively wanted to- There would be a LOT less white people in this world.” And ever since I heard it, that has always, always stuck with me.

[@Talia.777]

😆

[@insaneoking]

But there would be a ton of racist white ghosts too right? Honestly all this just sounds horrible and I don't like to think about it at all

[@Firegen1]

🤭🤭🤭🤭😅 Ok that got me.

[@Smile4theKillCam456]

@@insaneoking this is definitely a two way street lmao, plus wouldn’t “negative energy” more likely produce a ghost than like ambivalent ones?

[@vgacoralreef]

but also a lot of those who move on don’t want to hurt other people since they are on a higher plane of existence

[@mallowhoney]

My ghost experiences, be they hallucinations or real, are almost exclusively ghost cats. I have severe anxiety disorder so I DO have hallucinations when my symptoms are at their worst, because my mind is in just so severe a state of fear. But even when I'm not afraid, I've felt a cat brush past my leg, only to look up and see all three of my cats fast asleep and VERY comfortably so, as if they haven't moved in an hour. I see the shapes of cats out of the corner of my eyes when I'm doing something as mundane as brushing my teeth. My beloved childhood cat died in this house and my dad's steadfast semi-feral companion cat died here too. My youngest cat, less than 2 years old, was orphaned and solo in my back yard, meaning nothing good could have happened before I met her. So the idea that there's a few late, dear cats hunting ghost mice around my house wouldn't surprise me. Either way, it's less of a frightening thing that happens to me and more comforting, since even 13 years after she passed on I miss my childhood cat. If I could see her again and let her know I'm alright that'd be a relief, possibly enough justification on its own for a hallucination. Fascinating stuff for someone who likes mysticism AND is a psychologist.

[@alljustletters]

that happens to me all the time, too! i'm 100% sure it's just tricks of the mind, but i do like to imagine that my cats who have passed are around

[@maryeckel9682]

I sometimes feel something jump in my bed and walk over my feet, then settle down at the foot of the bed. It has never been my present cat. My former cat, who died in 2016, slept at the foot of the bed. I don't know what to think.

[@insaneoking]

I get that a lot too. I think in my case, it's just my mind filling in blanks. My brain is so used to cats being there, that when I feel a breeze brush against my leg or see a shadow in the corner of my eye, it jumps to "oh we've had this experience before. It's a cat." It usually happens when I'm distracted and my brain is just trying to make quick judgements about the world around me. It's really comforting to think it's one of my childhood cats coming in for a visit though

[@lachousalle31]

I think that's just a symptom of having cats and a trick or the mind. Happens to me too. Sometimes I feel my cat jump on the bed or I see movement in the corner of my eye and then notice my cat is sleeping. It's weird.

[@Firegen1]

Regardless of if it really is happening or not, I think that is the nicest ghost experience I've ever heard. I hope it's true and stays true for you and I am a hardline cynic/Shaniac. Cats could beat the rules of plane shifting. They are the most likely candidates.

[@rutaskadis]

i work in a haunted historic home museum and found this fascinating! i do believe in ghosts although working in a haunted house has actually made me MORE skeptical. we encourage people to try and find another explanation before immediately jumping to the paranormal, which honestly makes it way cooler when we cannot find said explanation. i've also found it's a great way to get people interested in the history of the city, especially subjects tourists tend to shy away from (particularly histories of enslaved people and women), and i like to think they walk away with some perspective... plus the knowledge that they are almost always walking on unmarked graves :)

[@carcinogenicoak3057]

Ghost stories are very fascinating, as it doesn’t just help bridge the past and future together but also helps mythologize local histories. My own little tri-county area has a rather unknown ghost story of a town in the lake nearby. Legend goes that if you boat out onto the lake in the dead of night, you’ll hear the church bells of the drowned town still ringing and calling the displaced people home. It’s amazing, if also sad to think about.

[@EmiEvergiven]

As someone that often struggles with an intense fear of death and badly wants to believe but is also incredibly skeptical this was a really healing video, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this.

[@Rachel-fi4sc]

I was in a similar place to you, afraid of death and finding that great spilling into completely unrelated things. Ask a Mortician here on KZbin has really helped me. She might be good for you, too? She's basically made it her life's work to destigmatize death so that it's no longer this huge, terrifying, unspeakable taboo.

[@niccir2885]

My family used to love Ghost Adventures and never missed an episode. Over time, however, the over-acting became too much and instead of being an interesting, fun show it just became obnoxious. Especially when they would fail to debunk things that had very obvious explanations. What made things even worse was Zak deciding to start bringing more and more religion into the themes of the show and more often than not blaming "hauntings" by "evil spirits/demons🙄" on "satan worshipers" and witchcraft. The agenda shifting from finding evidence of ghosts to "witches bad, catholic priests good" was ultimately the reason we stopped watching.

[@calci2679]

Funny thing: my very Catholic family friend hates Ghost Adventures because they use FAKE Catholic priests to do their “exorcisms”. It’s shady as hell that they can’t even do that part right lmao

[@raccoonmartha1033]

Same I was obsessed with the show and watched it at my grandmas every Saturday. Even though it’s fake it was still fun to watch and learn the history about different places.

[@coyoteartist]

It seemed like at first, they cared about giving actual history facts along with things. Then I sawr an episode where they were at the Odd Fellows Home in the town my mother grew up, a place she even had even gone to school at for a year before a bigger school was built and I ended up so pissed at them, it wasn't even funny. Their obnoxiousness and coldness to the humanity that had existed there, on top of being in a place I'd seen in a town i knew and loved, put me off them permanently.

[@wintergray1221]

@@coyoteartist I'm a little confused by your statement. Did they present false information about your mom's old school?

[@coyoteartist]

@@wintergray1221 No, they didn't, In fact I don't recall them actually really presenting any facts about the place at all. It was probably a feeling that was already growing. It just took a place I knew to feel like I didn't want to watch this anymore.

[@CallMeMeepMeIfYouWannaReachMe]

I've been told by my coworkers that the upholstery shop we work at is haunted but I've never experienced anything. One coworker had a decent list of stuff she saw and heard and said I must be very oblivious to things happening around me lol. A water bottle fell off a shelf but the place isn't built that well so there's a high chance that me walking by the shelf made it fall. Some of the stuff she told me about would scare the crap out of me so I'll stick to being oblivious to my surroundings. My mom has had a ton of experiences though.

[@CGI_Andy]

Ghost/spirit experiences that I remember vividly was going to a concentration camp in Germany (the most intense feeling I've felt) or visiting old European churches. It was like I could feel their sadness and it created a weight on me. This video was very interesting and I enjoyed it. I loved Ryan and Shane's ghost hunting series. Keep up the good work Kaz. I'm so glad I found your channel!!! :)

[@Sofia-ge6wm]

The fact that the moment I saw this notification I IMMEDIATELY CLICKED ON IT- But anyways I've had two paranormal experiences so I thought I'd share them! I was at the Winchester Mystery House a few years ago on a tour with my parents and walked away to look where we were heading next down a long and winding hallway. On the wall, I saw a tall and thin shadow it stayed there for a few seconds and then darted down the hallway. I still remember how fast I walked back to my parents after it happened. My second experience was at my High School, I was in the bathroom and there was someone humming. I just thought there was another girl in there and wasn't bothered by the humming, it was very pretty. I suddenly got the feeling of like 100 eyes on me, intensely staring. I *very* quickly finished and went to wash my hands. The feeling was still going so I quickly scanned the bathroom. No one was in there with me, but the humming was still going. I bolted out of that bathroom and the intense watching feeling didn't go away until I got back to my classroom. Those were my two experiences, hope you enjoyed them, and sorry if my grammar and punction were really bad.😅 Edit: Recently found out that my high school has been around since the 1800s. So who knows how many of its old students or workers haunt the school now?

[@sofialima4521]

The bathroom one!! I wouldn't be able to walk, let alone run anywhere hahaha

[@Sofia-ge6wm]

@@sofialima4521 I ran so fast I nearly tripped running up the stairs back to class

[@vapidrabbit198]

I visited the j. Paul Getty villa in California when I was a kid. It’s really awesome! Completely modeled off a real ancient Roman villa, but the interiors are decorated with historical furniture (much of it seemed to be pre-Revolutionary French, as I remember)…. Suddenly I started feeling really unwell, like when people get “jumped” by spirits in those ghost hunting shows (though this was a good decade before the show ghost hunters was created). I was dizzy and profusely sweating and trembling. I had to go outside and chill for a while… I actually thought I was getting sick when it happened, or that it was a blood sugar thing… but I’ve never felt anything like that since then. I’m still pretty skeptical, but it’s one of those situations I always wonder about….

[@Sofia-ge6wm]

@@vapidrabbit198 Oh god that's so scary

[@DoomCabbit]

I really appreciate your disclaimers about the usa-centricity of your videos. So often content creators act like the usa is the default, and it can be frustrating going into a video thinking it'll have a more worldly view only to realise the author just meant within the usa. The disclaimer lets me and others know right away the scope of your video topic and it's very appreciated.

[@penelopesthoughts]

this is such a lovely video. i love the bit about asylums and prisons feeling so haunted because we have failed the people who passed in those places, and the connections you draw are just wonderful. thank you for the time and effort you put into your channel!

[@khiluxxe7975]

You ate that ending speech up😩 this was so good!!

[@Arcanist_Gaming]

There used to be a competitive, teen ghost investigation show on YTV called Ghost Trackers, and if I recall correctly the girls almost always won, and they were definitely better at it. I am _very_ pleased to report KZbin apparently has episodes of this available. I know how I'm spending the rest of my post-shower afternoon lmao EDIT: Most of them are people pointing a camera at the TV with abhorrent ISO settings. Sad face :(

[@Aster_Risk]

I'm from the US and they aired Ghost Trackers on HBO family I believe. I loved that show, and regularly check for episodes hoping someone will finally have a good upload.

[@Arcanist_Gaming]

@@Aster_Risk Oooh! I'll make a mental note of that and see if I can get it with my VPN at some point! Much obliged.

[@aimeelanglois4436]

I was also an avid fan of Ghost Adventures when I was younger! I always loved the idea of possibly finding real evidence of ghosts, but at some point I realized that was never going to happen, especially on a show like that lol. But when Buzzfeed Unsolved came around I liked it so much more because it took a more realistic approach with Shane providing a skeptic's perspective. This was an excellent video about the genre and field of the paranormal! I wish more people would take a sincere approach to ghosts/afterlife so we could discuss more of the philosophical aspects than just the scary or unsettling mysteries. Great job researching this as well!

[@laurieleaf9465]

I personally don't believe in ghosts at all, but i love hearing the stories behind them .My old secondary school used to be a convent, and there was a really popular story about it being haunted by the ''headless nun''. The story goes that one day, a nun stuck her head out a window, which fell down and cut her head off, and since then she's haunted the school, specifically the room she died in, which was always a different temperature compared to the rest of the school and the wifi in there never worked. She was also supposed to haunt the teacher's corridor at the top of the school, which everyone always reffered to as heaven, including the teachers and principal, way before i started there. It was a really old building, which became a convent in the 1870s but was a family home before that, and over the years it got many extensions, so it has lots of oddly shaped rooms and corridors and way too many stairs, as well s stained glass windows and random statues, aka the perfect setting for a ghost movie.The school was also about 20 metres up the road from a historic gaol, which has a very gruesome past and many ghost stories. This got a bit off topic, but personally i find the history behind ghost stories fascinating, and way more interesting than the 'ghosts' themselves.

[@blooberry7901]

I've got two weird experiences (tw animal death in the 2nd story). When I was young (think 7 and under) my family did lots of trips down and up the West coast. At many rest stops, my sister and I would meet a kindly old lady at a refreshment table who didn't speak. She'd have the usual fare of rest stop volunteers, but nobody else interacted with her. My sister and I would take some hot cocoa and cookies and be on our way without another thought... but then as we got older we realized, no, how could one old lady be at most rest stops from Cali to WA? We didn't see her after that. This, of course, isn't a very concrete experience, but I still look back fondly on my kindly cookie spirit. The "realer" experience for me was when our family dog passed. My sisters and I had spent the day playing games together with Hunny dozing on the couch. After we had all dispersed, I went up to make some food in the kitchen, and as I passed the sliding screen door I saw Hunny sitting and waiting to be let in. I went to go make my food, but started when I remembered that I had just passed her on the couch. I was overcome with a sinking, dreadful feeling. It was like I knew before I got there what I would find, and sure enough she was unresponsive and losing warmth. That was a hard night, but she spent her last hours being loved and surrounded by her favorite people in her favorite spot, so I like to think her image in the glass was the last little thank you and goodbye from the best girl. On a different note, I really don't think you were disrespectful or overly anti-ghost in this. In fact, I think your analysis gave a lot of leeway and room for interpretation from all parties. You can tell from the way you present that this topic is close to your heart, and I think you do it justice 😊

[@chel3062]

I used to watch "Ghost Hunters" with my mom back when it was on SyFy channel. We loved it because they rarely found evidence and they truly seemed to go about trying to debunk things rather than prove that every little noise or feeling was a ghost. They were also very catious to call a location "haunted" and they never claimed "orbs" were real evidence, nor did they use spirit boxes. And they certainly never did all the over-the-top possession stuff that Ghost Adventures did. I honestly have never looked into all the rumors and whatnot that I've heard over time about their evidence, mostly because I never wanted my illusions shattered. But after watching just a couple episodes of Jason and Steve's new show, I feel duped and betrayed. It's stupid, but it really was such a fun part of my life growing up, watching Ghost Hunters, and even now, their older episodes feel genuine, but the newer stuff is so clearly bs. I get so mad when I think about it now. Currently, the only team I trust is Ryan and Shane. I love those guys.

[@candygirl5412]

I’m usually skeptical about ghost hunting equipment, even though I’m a big ghost believer, but I remember watching this video of these guys using a spirit box but only one person could hear the answers through headphones. They couldn’t hear what was being asked thanks to the static being so loud and the replies they gave out to the ones asking questions were direct answers, even though they couldn’t hear what was happening. I think it’s the coolest way to do spirit boxes now.

[@chuggaa100]

Why are you a ghost believer? Was there a specific event that made you that way or is it just something you choose to believe in? I only ask because I used to be one as a kid but "grew" out of it, but I still get those "what if" thoughts all the time.

[@candygirl5412]

@@chuggaa100 I feel like I’ve always had spooky things happen to me. I remember being in my grandparents house and was sitting in a room by myself, then I suddenly felt like there was someone else in there with me, but it was only me in this small room. Then the feeling got super intense and I felt a sharp pain on my hand and a scratch mark showed up the next day. I’ve also had my friends say they hear things in that room when no one is in there. Plus when I was little my parents said I’d see an old lady in their room and that house we lived in was very close to an Indian burial ground. Not to mention all the creepy stuff I’ve experienced at my friends house because it all used to be Indian land.

[@_Fern_]

Sam and Colby is the main one that comes to mind, the method is called the estes method btw and I find it really interesting too :))

[@rezhaadriantanuharja3389]

now, say that the ghost exists and it wanted to communicate with these hunters. How in the world could it know how to manipulate the spirit box to say exactly the intended answer? Maybe feasible if the hunters had left the spirit box for months so the ghost was able to be quite proficient with it, but of course nobody has ever done this

[@user-hp7gc2oy7d]

Tfil?

[@lilyazaleamc]

As a long time ghost hunting fan (started with Ghost Adventures when I was a kid and I’ve been a huge BUN/now Ghost Files fan since the beginning), I really enjoyed this video! You explain things so well and I learned a lot. You have a new subscriber!

[@Vanasthana]

I just found your channel and I am loving your content and am so sad because I just know I am going to binge it all within a couple of days...so excited to see more content from you in the future! Wishing you happy vibes

[@Sexhaver9000]

Had to click immediately when I saw the Ghoul Boys in the thumbnail

[@jessicaclakley3691]

Omg I loved Ghost Adventures!! That was until Zak got so damned full of himself and the show really went down the demonology rabbit hole

[@bunnycrofts8127]

You can tell the quality if the episode by the state of zak's eyebrows. Natural? Good episode. Plucked to hell and back? He's gonna be full of himself.

[@jessicaclakley3691]

@@bunnycrofts8127 lmao I never realized! Thanks for the heads up

[@calci2679]

It went downhill after Nick was pushed out

[@jessicaclakley3691]

@@calci2679 absolutely agree!

[@KMakoENVtuber]

*any noise* ITS A DEMON

[@grimmsus1469]

this is the second of your video essays i’ve watched and they’re so good thank you for the awesome content!

[@Bakedbri]

First video of Kaz’ I’ve stumbled upon and the conclusion was so good I got goosebumps! Beautifully done ❤️

[@isaacperson129]

I definitely relate to the feeling of wanting to help spirits in places like hospitals and asylums. It makes you think about how if you had been born earlier you or someone you love might have been in them

[@sarasthoughts]

I used to LOVE watching Ghost Hunters (the TAPS team) after school. The cast was not male-only, they were full of empathy when talking to spirits, they got scared but also made jokes and had fun on the investigations. Ghost adventures felt too exagerated to me and it took itself too seriously. This transitioned perfectly into my love for the Ghoul Boys lol

[@kaycem]

the taps were assholes to each other (the amount of interteam drama was RIDICULOUS, esp in s1 & 2) but always respectful to the ghosts; i also liked that they were committed to debunking, so when they co-signed evidence it's bc it was pretty solid. i originally liked the same about the ghoul boys - the first few seasons on buzzfeed - but sadly their antics in the last buzzfeed seasons become more the "ghost adventures" type and now on watcher it's not even about ghosts or ghost hunting anymore, which is really disappointing; i like them, but don't take their hunting seriously these days.

[@abbigailcrowley3502]

I am 6 months late but I have to tell you how happy I am that I was not the only one going through a ghost adventures phase in 2011. I really thought no one else experienced that, especially at the same time as me, because the episodes were a few years old already but that makes me so happy lol

[@elizabethsayeau8305]

“the past is the past, and theres nothing we can do to change that except go to these places and cry out into the ether for these spirits to speak back because maybe this time, someones listening” hit hard. like a straight up knife to the chest moment for me

[@cinemaocd1752]

Every single ghost hunting show needs to go into the space with a handy man, a carbon monoxide sensor and at least one person who absolutely does not believe in ghosts for starters. Having said that, your EVP is super creepy and I listened to it like six times and it weirded me out. I've had my own inexplicable paranormal experiences but I remain extremely skeptical.

[@SamAronow]

What you are describing is _Paranormal Home Inspectors,_ and the producers _still_ insisted on ending with “actually the ghosts were real, ignore the mundane explanations.”

[@hedgehog3180]

Sadly there's no money in doing that.

[@ToShanshuinFiction]

When I was like 12, I lived in a duplex in Pennsylvania which was converted from a boarding house in the early 1900s. I watched my closet slowly open on its own most nights, but thought it was a problem with the rolling door, like it wasn't level-y'know, specifically at night. Then my friend slept over on the living room couch, and the next day asked if I left my room to check on them, cause a shadow about my size stood in the hallway when she woke up. I said no and thought they were having a nightmare, but another friend from out of town stayed the night months later, same story. The two girls had no knowledge of each other, so I stopped leaving my room at night for about a year and slept with my back to the closet. and a few years ago in Colorado, well into adulthood, I lived alone in a basement and heard a woman laugh directly behind me in my room while I was reading. Now I'm in Oregon, as far away from those places as possible, and nothing's happened. Hoping it stays that way.

[@jesswomack4772]

Colin Dickey's Ghostland is a masterpiece of history and ghostlore. It completely changed my outlook on ghosts and hauntings. I love that you referenced it in this video.

[@AllegedlyHuman]

I'm in a really strange position when it comes to ghosts. On the one hand, I have had vivid experiences, first-hand encounters and sights shared with others. On the other hand, I am deeply skeptical, and am well aware that I was plagued by anxiety and mental distress during the years I believed myself able to sense ghosts. I'm in a middle ground, torn between belief and disbelief, of fear and fascination alike. Without going into too much detail, most of the experiences I had were not of the pleasant kind and left behind trauma. Yet still, I find myself drawn to these things, despite knowing how it affects me. At the end of the day, I like to pretend they aren't real, if only for my peace of mind, yet there still persists that niggling doubt

[@paradoxcipher6186]

The fact that you can't admit you were in the Ghost Adventures fandom without laughing is so damn relatable I call it Ghost Bros (Brahs) and watched religiously up until a few years ago because it's frankly a riot

[@amyburcher863]

I kind of have a weird position with ghosts. I have a health condition that sometimes manifests in experiencing things that aren't there (it's all to do with my dream cycle in my brain kicking in when I'm awake). So I've had what could easily be painted as ghost experiences. One regular one was the sensation of someone sitting on me when I was on my bed. It wasn't unpleasant it was just weird. It used to really freak me out by I've gotten the hang of it. Me and my friends have joked that if I ever encountered a real ghost or burglar i would confuse it by just telling them they weren't real and calmly going about my business.

[@pineapplepizzasandwich1974]

You absolutely HAVE to watch their "reboot" on their new channel Watcher. It's such a step up over buzzfeed unsolved. And some of the stuff they capture is absolutely hysterical, like shane having a fistfight with a ghost. XD

[@deansneed3243]

Great video! Kaz, you are a truely talented artist and I love the wit and enthusiasm you put into whatever subject you present (the recent "Cottingley Fairies" episode is a delight). Many years ago I too was a devout fan of all things ghost. I even wrote a book of local ghost stories and conducted "haunted tours" in the small Colorado town in which I live. But, as time went on I was haunted more and more by doubt and my own conscience. I came to realize about 99% of what I had always accepted as true ghostly evidence could be rationally explained away and started feeling guilty about what I was doing. So many people, who sincerely believed in the paranormal, came on our tours and took every word we said as gospel and it made me sick to my stomach for not telling them the whole truth. It was when certain "business partners" wanted to create a "Ghost Hunters" like program and charge people to "investigate their houses" and "cleanse them of evil spirits" that I decided enough was enough. I got out of the ghost tour business, probably for good. I still like to collect ghost stories, for fun, and still sell the little book I made, but now look at it more as local folklore (which, to be honest, it always was) and I promote it as such. Do ghosts exist? I really don't know. But In a world where such things as the duckbilled platypus or the Kardashians can exist, anything is possible. I still remain, a little sadder but a little wiser, an open-minded skeptic. Something we all should be.

[@mintjaan]

Hearing the Name John Peters not being followed by "you, know the farmer" feels off.

[@ryanrobb3343]

I used to “ghost hunt” (most just sitting in the dark talking to yourself) and my now ex brother in law was that over the top machismo tough guy. Your comment on how it’s these tough burly men risking themselves is spot on. He would say how what we do is noble and we are risking ourselves to find the truth! Honestly he was and ass who faked evidence on more than one occasion to help improve the group portfolio. Sadly it’s hard for me to take ghost hunting seriously ever again and I try to keep an open mind but I unfortunately cannot.

[@taylorharvey8084]

I feel odd randomly commenting but, I am absolutely in love with your videos! I just found your acct yesterday but I've been watching them all night lol you have such an awesome way of explaining things and you are truly captivating! Love it I can't wait to see what you create next!

[@Alchemistress33]

Omg ok first video here and I am HOOKED! I love your narration style. & Ghost Whisperer is a CORE memory for me!!

[@edisonlima4647]

"So he tried to prove this medium to be a fraud..." Ok... "By tying her down, torturing her, shoving unsavory things down her throat and burning her with hot pokes, leaving her scarred for life. In the end, he failed to disprove her trances were real." Wait, whaaaat??? Jesus Christ, that went from zero to horror film villain in a single sentence! In fact, I'm surprised that wasn't adapted into a horror film, already, where the villain is not even the ghosts -be them real or not - but a frustrated man going over the edge to fight what he thinks is a dangerous fraud (with or without the support of his friend, a supposed friend of the woman?), followed by a dark ambiguous ending, not only on his not proving her to be a fraud, but also in that... would it even be worth it if he did? The gender politics of the whole thing alone are a prime subject for cinematic discussion.

[@bunnycrofts8127]

I like the way your brain works.

[@notyourmum7883]

oh man i'd love to watch this

[@seraphjohanson3402]

I don’t believe in ghosts at all, but ghost hunting media is just too fun. Great video!

[@whyishoudini]

I love this channel, very well put together videos, quality content, comfy host and it's tons of info about my favorite era of modern history. One of my favorite channels to recommend people!

[@bringmeliara1286]

i love having hauntings explained, to see why people would experience these things. its so much more interesting to me to see what buck-wild perfect storm situations come up. I'd be in the non-believer camp full-stop if i hadnt grown up in an intensely haunted house. There was a man in a hat who stood by a window in one room (sometimes in other corners of the room too) that everyone in my family, and even some friends and neighbors, knew about. You could hear someone running up and down the stairs very often, or hear everything in one room being thrown to the ground. Sometimes i would wake up in the middle of the night because something was shaking my mattress, and while i wasnt there when it happened my brother once said his whole mattress folded up on him and he came into my room crying. just lots of little things, like dogs barking at nothing and shadows in the hallways walking towards you. for now im thinking most were just hallucinations, because i do experience crazy things under stress or during pits of depression, and there was a lot of trauma in my childhood that i wasnt equipped to deal with. but i cant speak for other family members, since we're not open like that. there was one thing that im not so sure about though. a coworker and i were closing up shop and while i was checking the isles a bag of chips launched out of the shelf and hit me. hard too, like someone full-force threw it at me. i was on the far side of the isle, none of the other bags were disturbed, and my coworker was all the way at the register. no idea how that happened lol

[@jenh101]

I love randomly finding out creators I watch are fans of unsolved, and I find it disproportionately pleasing that you’re one of them! (Like the way it makes people happy when 2 of their friends meet and really get on). Your videos are always super interesting and engaging, and I love it when you cover subjects with a connection to the macabre. I think Unsolved is by far the best ghost hunting show I’ve watched. A lot of other shows take themselves way too seriously and/or ham it up way too much for me to find it even slightly credible (usually doing something dramatic but completely uncheckable like screaming ‘dude, I swear I felt someone touch my arm, I got shivers, did you hear that?’ *scratchy background noise at max volume* - ‘god, I hope the mike picked that up… did you see that? Did the camera catch that?’ *cut to fuzzy shot in various shades of black*). Unsolved, well, Ryan, does this stuff as well but it seems a lot more genuine, he gets overexcited but Shane is always there with a counter point (and of course, a counter counter point) And they’re just hilarious as a duo. Hopefully the new show will be as good.

[@thinkfirst1989]

Didn't expect to tear up at the end of this video but here we are. I HAVE had 2 ghost experiences I'm 100% sure of. I was visited by the ghost of my friend who passed away from an overdose, and my grandmother was present at her burial. The feeling of their presence was not like a memory, not scary. It was really them, it was a new experience with them. The experience of my friend's visitation was so unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, it completely changed my outlook on life after death. I always wanted to believe, but I know we all have our doubts that life goes on in some way. But though I tried, I had little faith until that evening. I was driving to an Equinox party, along a stretch of road when I was overcome with the idea that I was driving near her house, that some turn off up ahead would take me down her road, that I could so easily make the visit. The road I was driving wasn't near her house or town, however- and there was scarce a reason for it to have reminded me of her, all of the sudden like that. I arrived at the party, at a venue she and I had never attended together- we had never even gone to a party together, although we did both like to go out. But as the night went on I could not shake the feeling that someone familiar to me was there, not the friends I'd come with. I am kept involuntarily searching the faces in the crowd and looking over my shoulder- feeling like I was about to lock eyes with a friend. I took a break from dancing and walked into the sculpture hall. There was a sort of Sphinx statue and around the base people had left little items- everything from a Pokemon card, to a flower of Queens Anne's Lace, a crystal, a note, a matchbox car....and then I saw her photograph- a memorial vignette. And in that instant, I knew she was there. I turned around but of course I didn't see her, but I had a very specific sense of where she was, tears came to my eyes, but she was smiling. She was happy, as if to say- "Here I am! Gotcha!" For the rest of the night I could feel exactly where she was near me, she just wanted to have fun with us at the party, she just wanted to visit. I even cleared the front seat of my car for her when we left. We'd always show each other music, so I suggested we check out some new tracks from this artist I thought she'd like to. A woman's voice came through the music, little by little. This song that I'd never heard... was a song about ghosts trying to speak to us. I wept. And for the miles of the ride I just talked with her. I could feel her responding, not quite like words but more the idea of what she meant. Another friend from the car caravan joined me at the next put stop and I told her about it. My living friend told me SHE had been feeling intense spiritual energy all night, was overwhelmed, and that's why she had to leave the dance floor earlier. For some reason- at the pit stop though- she felt compelled to join me in my car, though we didn't know each other so well. My ghost friend slowly faded into the background of the conversation, happy to have visited with me, and be understood. The impression of her presence still lingering- with an tapering ebb and flow.

[@stephh1149]

that is so beautiful ❤️

[@shroomshroom5945]

This made me sob like a baby. Wow..

[@Ollie_nel]

I resonate with the last portion. I think the reason I want ghosts to be real is so that some of the most vulnerable can be shown care and empathy that they likely weren't shown while they were alive.

[@cabwaylingo_]

your backgrounds + outfit combos are always 10/10 but this one was my fav

[@lichqueenlilith5694]

I still think 1 of my favorite moments from ghost hunting shows was (not sure if it was GA) when some dude was investigating outside a haunted building at night, and got scared after he backed into a bush. I’m p sure sure he said smth like “HOLY SHIT SOMETHING’S BEHIND- oh… it’s a bush…” then a super dramatic graphic popped up on screen that said “BUSH (not paranormal)” it was hilarious

[@josephporter2040]

Everyone in my family has a story about my grandmothers house from hearing a screen door slam (they don't have one) to a little angel figurine getting thrown across the kitchen. I've spent a large portion of my life there but the most I've got is thinking I saw her passed dog turn the corner into the living room. Sadly, I think that's just visual memory. Loved this episode!

[@claudiaelodie]

I was a huge ghost show watcher. I remember watching Ghost Hunters for their one live Halloween episode and the faking it fallout. I have sooo many personal experiences, and experiences with other people present that I believe . Saw civil war widow, heard talking and music, saw shadow people, had my hand grabbed, and so much more.