The Stanley Hotel Redrum, redrum!  Horror movie fans will remember those words vividly from Stephen King’s The Shining, a story about a man who slowly loses his sanity as the caretaker of a large hotel, The Overlook. Did such a place really exist?  A hotel filled with spirits and ghostly activity? Actually King was partially inspired for the story while staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado. King even reports an encounter with the ghost of a distressed young boy calling for his nanny. The Stanley Hotel was constructed after F.O Stanley was diagnosed with tuberculosis.  His Dr advised him to take in the clean mountain air though…

Séances The word séance is French and literally translates to seat, sitting, or session. When we hear the word séance we think of people sitting around a table in a dimly lit room, while a spirit medium attempts to contact the deceased. Usually these experiences are sought by those in mourning who need closure. One of the first widely documented accounts of a séance was in 1848 with Kate and Margaret Fox. These sisters were frightened by loud knocking and banging sounds in their New York home. One day Kate decided to ask the source of these noises to knock in response when she snapped her fingers. This test was…

Ghost on Film Just typing the words “ghost on film” into any search engine will bring up thousands of photos containing “ghosts” or “spirits”.  Many can prove quite disappointing when authenticity is a factor.  With modern technology almost anyone who has spent time with Photoshop can create a convincing “ghost” photo.  Before the digital age when film was developed, or let’s not forget the Polaroid, many believed a ghost was captured whenever a blur, streak, or double exposure appeared.  So how can we tell what is real and what is fake? Research is important.  Examine as many “ghost” photos as possible, the good and the bad.  Some will be quite…

Haunting Profits How much would you pay to experience a haunting?  Some may ask why anyone would want to expose themselves on purpose to spirits.  Others who are interested in ghost hunting feel this is a good way to start out in the field.  While there are tours and events at reportedly haunted locations all over the U.S and abroad, some want a more personal experience.  This is where “haunted” auction items come into play. There are some famous stories of haunted items picked up at auctions, like “The haunted E-Bay painting” that I discussed in a previous article.  Some paranormal enthusiast may be familiar with Harold who is believed…

Built By Fear Imagine living in constant fear.  Feeling as if spirits were following and threatening you and that you must spend immense amounts of time and money to appease them.  This is how Sarah Winchester lived for 38 years until she passed away in 1922. In 1862 Sarah married William Winchester of the Winchester Repeating Arms company.  They had only one child who sadly passed away in 1866 at only 6 months old.  A few short years later William also passed away from tuberculosis. Sarah was very distraught and decided to see a psychic in Boston.  The psychic told Sarah that the deaths to her family were brought on…

Imaginary Friend? There is a theory, occasionally a controversial theory, that the paranormal, ghosts, entities, etc, are best seen by children and animals.  Why is this? Children and animals are very “pure”.  Most do not know what a ghost really is. The best way I can explain this is to imagine a filter in our brains that will tell us what is “rational” and what we see is reality and what we do not see or cannot make sense of therefore cannot exist.  The words “There is no such thing” are rarely spoken unless a reason is brought to our attention.  The older we get the more that filter develops…

Haunted Works of art Have you ever seen a painting that just gave you an uneasy feeling, or perhaps felt the eyes of a portrait following you?  Is it possible that a simple work of art could be haunted?  Art is made to stir emotion.  Some images stay with us or remind us of evil or darkness.  Simple images can “haunt” a person’s mind, but can something within the painting itself be paranormal?  An artist will put much of them self into a painting and at times can capture the essence of another in a portrait, but can this act stir up more than just hidden emotions?  Here are some…

A visit to the Whaley House This month I decided to take a trip to the Whaley House in San Diego, CA.  This location is known as the most haunted house in the United States. This was not only the home of the Whaley family but it was also once a courthouse, the first commercial  theatre in San Diego, a granary, a ballroom, a classroom, a billiard hall, as well as Thomas Whaley’s own general store.  There were also several hangings on the property before the house was built.  This led to the first reports of a haunting by the Whaley family themselves.  They believed a man called “Yankee Jim’…

Poltergeists The word poltergeist comes from the German word poltern meaning rumble or noise and geist meaning ghost or spirit.  These noisy spirits are known to cause trouble. They are characterized by their ability to move stationary objects such as furniture. Some may report hearing knocking or scratching sounds. They have even been known to write notes and at times cause physical harm by hitting or slapping whoever occupies the “haunted” location.  There are rare reports of actually seeing the source of the poltergeist activity and there are two main theories of why and how this activity occurs. The first theory is that it is a ghost that has such…

Mirrors and the Paranormal Whether a believer in the paranormal or not, there is one item every single one of us has that’s been surrounded with superstition and ghostly stories for centuries, it’s in our homes, our cars, and we even carry it with us. The item I am referring to is a mirror. Perhaps this may have all started in Greek mythology and the story of Narcissus.  The story tells of an extremely good looking man who was the son of Cephissus, a river god, and Leiriope a nymph. He was admired by all but would always reject any advances. One day Narcissus saw his own reflection in a…