Teen Exorcists: Women Who Expel Demons On Stage

Brynne Larson and Tess and Savannah Scherkenback are all-American girls from Arizona, who enjoy martial arts and horse riding. But something sets them apart from most teenagers - they perform public exorcisms and often appear on TV chat shows.

Eighteen-year-old Brynne met sisters Tess and Savannah about eight years ago at a karate class.

"We just really hit it off," says Savannah, aged 21. "I don't know what happens but somehow you bond when you're punching one another and throwing knees. We were working out together, learning how to fight and how to defend ourselves and defend others."

They are now karate black belts, but because of their particular Christian beliefs, they have also decided to do battle - they say - against evil spirits or demons. They believe that these demons can possess a human being and cause suffering, depression or addiction.

"A demon can't just come into anybody whenever it chooses to - God doesn't allow that," says Brynne.

The teenage exorcists are skilled in martial arts and black belts in karate

"What happens is when someone sins or does something, or something's done to them that allows the demon to come into them, that's called the legal right or the reason that it's there."

The young women have been trained by Brynne's father, the Reverend Bob Larson, who says he has performed more than 15,000 exorcisms. They have appeared alongside him in America and overseas, including the UK.

"Every single country has a specific kind of demon," says Tess, 18, who loves music and reading.

They believe that the UK in particular is a hotbed for "witchcraft", because of the popularity of J K Rowling's Harry Potter books.

"The spells and things that you're reading in the Harry Potter books, those aren't just something that are made up, those are actual spells. Those are things that came from witchcraft books," says Tess.

The teens see themselves as "freedom fighters". During an exorcism they brandish silver crosses and Bibles while confronting the so-called demon to make it return to hell.

"I'd have to say my special skills [are] probably the enforcer or the lead exorcist. I can take on those demons," says Brynne.

The teenage exorcists are greeted on stage as if they were celebrities. There is applause and they announce to the audience that they look forward to "kicking some demon butt".

But Brynne denies that it's a theatrical performance.

"Honestly, I've never tried to do any showmanship at all, I'm just demonstrating the power of God," says Brynne. "We're not doing it to play up to the cameras. I've seen some amazing things in private with nobody there."

The young women's mentor, Brynne's father, disagrees with critics who say it's dangerous to teach teenagers to perform exorcisms.

"We think it's OK to train teenagers to get drunk and have sex, but to do moral things for God, oh let's not train them to do that," says Larson.

He asks for a voluntary donation of a couple of hundred dollars or pounds when he and the girls perform a one-to-one exorcism, and rejects the idea that spiritual services have to be free of charge.

"Money and motives, anytime someone is in God's work it always comes up," he says.

"People will pay thousands of dollars to go to drug rehab or to pay psychiatrists but there's this idea that spirituality needs to be for free.

"The average megachurch pastor in America, it's not uncommon for them to make up to $1m a year. Well I can assure you we are nowhere near that."

Brynne, Tess and Savannah perform an exorcism in Ukraine

Exorcism is an ancient practice and one that appears in many different religions, but many believers doubt the existence of demons.

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, saw spirit possession as a neurotic delusion, and demons as repressed "instinctual impulses".

Before undertaking a one-to-one exorcism, Larson says he asks clients to complete a psychiatric questionnaire to identify if they have any mental health problems. He says it is important for anyone with mental health problems to receive medical care and psychological support.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

I don't really have time to go to school, but I'll just sit at my desk and work on calculus or read all my books”

Brynne Larson

Brynne's mother Laura Larson, says the girls are sincerely trying to help people.

"This is a family who lives by what they believe," says Laura, "and I think the teenage exorcists are making a difference, whether you believe in what they do or not, they are committed and they stand by what they believe."

She did not actively encourage her daughter Brynne to become an exorcist she says.

"Given the environment you would think that we would have been grooming them at the table, 'OK now how do you define this? What kind of demon is this?' But that really wasn't the approach.

"In fact I was the opposite, I didn't really keep her from doing deliverances but I didn't encourage her.

"Then her friends Tess and Savannah just started getting this training and she said, 'Mum can I please go along, I really want to learn,' and of course I mean I couldn't say no".

Tess, Savannah and Brynne have all been home-schooled. In Brynne's case it was because her father's profession led the family to travel widely.

"With going [to] over 20 countries and stuff, I don't really have time to go to school, but I'll just sit at my desk and work on calculus or read all my books," she says. "This is so much better than going to a stinky old school room."

Brynne and Tess have been awarded places at college this year, while Savannah is already a college student. But as well as continuing their education they are determined to continue their spiritual battle against what they see as the forces of evil.

What do the teenage exorcists believe?

• That exorcism can cast out a demon or evil spirit which has possessed a person
• That these demons have names like Abaddon and Jezebel
• That God cast the angel Lucifer out of heaven and he became Satan
• That the angels who were cast out of heaven with Lucifer became demons
• That a demon can be provoked to come to the surface, what they call "manifesting"

My Ghost Story S06E21 Bloodcurdling by ghostvid

Barnidge: Ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night

Say hello to another Halloween, a day famous for ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night. That makes it pretty much like any other day for Phyllis King and Loyd Auerbach.

King, a psychic who lives in San Ramon, discovered her portal to the afterlife more than three decades ago when a deceased teenage acquaintance made a startling appearance in her room. She since has helped dozens of clients communicate with dead friends and relatives.

Auerbach, a parapsychologist who lives in Martinez and teaches at HCH Institute in Lafayette, is a specialist in paranormal investigations. He's studied more than 1,000 apparitions, hauntings and poltergeists in a career spanning more than 30 years.

Neither attaches any mysticism to Oct. 31, but the occasion does provide a dandy excuse to explore a world they have embraced and most of us prefer to ignore.

Paranormal experiences run the gamut, Auerbach said, from the explainable to the otherworldly. He cites as an example of the former his first investigation, in 1979, when a Petaluma woman reported seeing household objects moving, windows opening and closing and a ghost clad in black armor.

"There were no ghosts," he concluded after extensive study. "What the woman was seeing was an unconsciously created image of physical stuff happening. It was my first poltergeist case, caused by her unconscious ability to do mind-over-matter tantrums."

A less explainable phenomenon came years later in Livermore, where four family members saw a female ghost move about their house but never discussed it among themselves until a 12-year-old in the family volunteered that he knew everyone was seeing a ghost.

"His mother asked, 'How do you know that?'" Auerbach said. "He said, 'The ghost told me.'"

When asked about the spirit who had talked to him, the boy shared details of the ghost's long-ago life, which he had no way of knowing but were later confirmed by her surviving relative.

Both Auerbach and King say spirits sometimes simply "hang around" a location for reasons unknown. King experienced such a presence in the company of six psychics during a convention in Long Beach. In a stateroom aboard the Queen Mary where cigar-puffing Winston Churchill was known to have stayed, they all heard indistinguishable chatter, on and off, accompanied by the smell of cigar smoke.

King reaches out to the dead only at the request of clients. She can sense a spirit's willingness to be contacted by a change in the "texture" of the energy or by a sudden chill that makes her "goosebumpy." Her clients mostly are women. Men tend to be disbelievers.

Auerbach, who said hauntings can involve people who are still alive, recalled one in Westchester County, just north of New York City. A couple who'd lived in their house for only a few months reported hearing noisy groaning and moaning that sounded like amorous activity in the next bedroom at 3 a.m. nearly every night.

Auerbach discovered that years before, when windows were left open on spring and fall nights, the young couple who previously owned the house often had awakened the next-door neighbors with their enthusiastic cavorting in the wee hours.

"Somehow," said Auerbach, "that young couple had left a real significant, positive imprint on that location."

It seems not every bump in the night has to be something bad.

Contact Tom Barnidge at tbarnidge@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Can Ghosts or Spirits Hurt You?

Some groups are adamant that you can never be hurt from paranormal entities. I disagree with the statement. In this field, one cannot make blanket statements. There’s always a gray area, and all possibilities exist. Sadly, we have dealt with people who have indeed been impacted by paranormal entities. But I must be honest, it is rare.

• Ghosts

Now, I can make a statement here. “Ghosts will never, ever hurt you.” I stand 100% by this statement because we recognize the word “ghost” as being a residual energy – one without thought, without awareness of the living or its surroundings, and without any ability to interact with the living. Since residual energy cannot interact with the living, they cannot directly injure a living person.
Now that does not mean a ghost (as we use the word) cannot indirectly cause harm. Say you see a residual haunting that is traumatic; you may attempt to flee and injure yourself on the account of being hysterical. You can stub your toe all the way to falling down a flight of stairs – there physical injury can occur – but it was not the ghost itself.One thing to think about is the emotional aspect of a residual haunting. If you happen to see a traumatic residual haunting, that may impact your emotional health. Is that directly from the residual energy, no, but it is an indirect result of the image or sound that you hear.

• Spirits

Yes, they can hurt you both emotionally and physically. It is rare, but it can happen. Sometimes their harm is unintentional as a result of a frenzied state. Sometimes spirits may not realize that what they did impacted a living person. I don’t want to alarm anyone – I want to be clear, it does happen, but it is not common.

Some people can feel that they are pushed, tripped, scratched, burned, or objects seemingly thrown at them. But with anything paranormal, one must rule out other possibilities before thinking of the paranormal. Most feelings of being pushed or tripped are actually crooked floors or stairs that are not level, or consistent in their rise or width. Many scratches at night are caused by us, not a paranormal entity.
There are malevolent spirits that are around that can cause both physical and emotional harm. A malevolent spirit is a spirit of a human who died that was perhaps a bit too angry or criminal in their lives. Since spirits maintain their personality when they were alive, there are spirits who intentionally cause harm to others out of revenge or their pleasure. We have worked with people who have had traumatic experiences with malevolent spirits who caused them great harm both emotionally and physically. We have dealt with several people who feel that they are getting choked, with witnesses actually seeing their necks constricting or hand-marks after the fact.As for the unintentional sometimes their actions can cause scratches if they are distraught enough or throw a bit of a tantrum. Some cases their intent to “push” to gain attention was a bit too hard or happened when someone was not braced for it – how does one brace for an invisible push?

• Demons

Most definitely yes – physically and psychologically. They want to destroy lives and as such they can cause significant psychological damage first and foremost and move on to physical attacks. Demons are very dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

• Angels

Never.

• Poltergeists

Usually injuries are limited to the focus of the poltergeist activity. Psychologically, the focus already has emotional problems that cause the activity to begin. But physically speaking, some level of injury can occur in some genuine poltergeist activity.

What to do if you are Concerned?

Fear is never a good thing when it comes to the paranormal as it does not accomplish much. In the case of malevolent spirits and demons, they relish fear and they want more. So the key is to remain positive and have faith that you are protected by God (whatever faith you subscribe to), the Angels, Guardian angels, and even familiar helpful spirits (loved ones). One small exercise you can do for protection is called the Universal Light Prayer. When you recite the prayer below, envision a bright white light coming down and protecting you, your loved ones, and your home. Visualize this light pushing away any negative forces and acting as a barrier where nothing can penetrate to harm you or your family.

“I am surrounded by pure white light.Nothing but good can come to me.Nothing but good can go from me.I give thanks.I give thanks.I give thanks.”

As long as you have faith in it, it will work. This is called psychic protection.
If you are religious….pray! Pray to God, the angels, your guardian angels. They are there to help – all you need to do is….ASK! Saint Michael is a powerful ally and we have some spine-tingling experiences when we invoked his help. Due to our strict privacy guidelines, we cannot give examples, but we can still be speechless over the power of prayer – it is truly inspirational.

Conclusion

So, while harm can happen, it is rare, and most of the harm comes from our recklessness in fleeing or from our own feelings when we experience what we think is paranormal. Bottom line – we cannot say that harm will not happen – that is just not true. But we will say that it is unlikely. One thing we preach is to trust your instinct – it is an amazing defence mechanism. Like the old saying goes … it is better to be safe than sorry.

GHOSTS & SPIRITS

The belief in the existence of ghostly manifestations of the dead is culturally universal. Although a culture’s belief system may differ on whether said ghosts are typically malevolent or benign, the consensus is that they are the soul of a person once living. These manifestations will appear as an exact reproduction of physical features as well as clothing, and can be depicted as such in artwork from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Many cultures celebrate rites to appease ghosts in the form of ancestral veneration. The Chinese Ghost Festival, and the European traditions of All Souls Day to name a few- all cater to, and offer food to restless ghosts who may be lurking about. Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos as well as the Bon Festival in Japan are geared more to ancestral worship- inviting the spirits of ones ancestors to temporarily partake in food and entertainment.

The differences between these two entities however (Ghosts and Spirits) could not be more diverse.

GHOSTS

“Everyone lives the life of their choosing.
Not just what they chose, but what they're choosing.”


Ghosts have traditionally been seen as spirits looking for revenge, or people who have died a violent or gruesome death. Although this may be true in some cases, the true description of a ghost is someone who has decided, for whatever reason, to stay behind and not go to where they are supposed to. Most do so out of choice, although some individuals may not realize that they have actually died. Ghosts can be conscious or unconscious.

It is interesting to note that ghosts are people who are allowed free will following their death. This is hard for many people to accept and understand. This cannot truly be classified as “purgatory” in all cases, as many ghosts are apparently very happy to be where they are. We have received EVP voices that have told us, “We can go at anytime,” as well as hinting that they could even tell us how they died. It is true, however, that most if not all ghosts have some type of unfinished business that they use as an excuse to keep themselves here. Whether they feel that they died too soon, or are holding on to the belief that something needs to change before they can move on, their personal views and emotional needs take precedence regardless of whether they are still in their physical bodies.

It should also be taken into account that ghosts are more attracted to locations rather than to people. This has been incorrectly stated on certain paranormal television shows that, “ghosts follow people.” While it is true that in extremely rare cases ghosts can apparently follow the living, our research has shown completely the opposite. This means that a ghost may have been given the free will to stay here, but they do so with limitations. A ghost’s range of travel is not infinite- they are bound by the restrictions of a location. They cannot bi-locate (appear in different places at the same time) as Spirits do. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter what type of structure is built on a location that is haunted, and why even newer homes may harbor some type of deep, dark, spectral secret. For ghosts it’s all about Location, Location, Location.

Because ghosts are more attracted to locations, it should be no surprise that cemeteries are rarely haunted. Since ghosts stay in places that make them comfortable, cemeteries would not be at the top of their list. Ghosts who do stay in cemeteries are either persons who still believe they are protecting something (such as ghosts from the Civil War), or someone who is so completely heartbroken and filled with grief that they have chosen this location to wallow eternally in their own self-pity. Spirits on the other hand DO visit cemeteries, whether they are buried there or not. They may visit the gravesites of their friends and family, or they may be just chillin’ with other Spirits having what we might consider to be a Paranormal Party.

Also, if you see or hear stories about a “man in black” at the cemetery, please be aware that this is the Gatekeeper who is not a ghost at all. The Gatekeeper doesn’t like to be bothered when he’s at a cemetery, so if you do see him, please give him a wide berth (this is more of a friendly warning than a plea for good manners).


RESIDUAL HAUNTINGS

“In many ways, time and space are where the irresponsible learn to become responsible.”

A Residual Haunting is not the same thing as a conscious ghost. What we are witnessing when we see a Residual Haunting is the playback of a moment in time almost like watching a movie. These playbacks are mainly visual, but can also be auditory. They are normally attributed to traumatic, life-altering events. Think of a Residual as a psychic footprint.

Residual Hauntings can occur anytime and anywhere as they are random in nature. Historical places where life and death situations took place are prime spots for Residuals. To name a few:

• Gettysburg and other war-torn locations

• Ghost Ships

• Old Asylums/Sanatoriums

• Prisons

• Hospitals

• Any old structures including residences and businesses.

The living cannot interact with any entities during a Residual playback and vice-versa.

We have had many clients explain the Residual playbacks they have seen and they are extremely fascinating accounts. One of the main components we’ve noticed in all stories is that the playback itself appears to consist of events that transpired before something tragic or violent had taken place.
We have yet to receive word of a Residual where the viewer actually witnessed a murderous or violent act- what was witnessed were the preceding events prior to such acts. Here’s a prime example- the owner of a restaurant that used to be a Speakeasy would see this same Residual over and over again. Two goons are sitting at a table having a heated conversation with an attractive girl in 1920’s flapper attire. The witness could never tell what the argument was about, but knew that the conversation wasn’t going well. When the girl angrily gets up from the table to head up the stairs, the one goon also gets up and follows her. He turns around and looks behind him once, before reaching into his suit coat pocket and bringing out a large knife. He then comes right up behind the girl ready to strike her with the knife, whereas immediately all of the participants fade and disappear. There was no rhyme or reason when this playback would occur, and the original witness and some of her employees claimed to have watched it a number of times. Just like a photograph, a RESIDUAL haunting, saved in time and space by highly-charged emotional distress, will playback itself time and time again.


POLTERGEISTS


“There must be a bug in the system, because according to our records, we’ve never been told exactly how powerful we are.”

The meaning of the word “Poltergeist” (or “noisy, racketing ghost) means something very different to paranormal investigators. The description of a “Poltergeist” is an invisible entity that manifests in an unruly manner by being noisy, or performs the violent manipulation and movement of objects. Families are suddenly terrorized by inexplicable phenomena such as: broken dishes, showers of stones, mysterious fires, objects that levitate than are thrown and broken, or the violent moving of furniture. However, paranormal research has shown that poltergeist activity usually revolves around a pre-teen child or adolescent. We call this person “The Agent.”

Hormonal and emotional changes are rampant during our pre-teen years. This can create hostile and resentful-type energies. In particular individuals, these pent-up energies can explode outward, thus creating a disturbance in the physical environment displayed in the form of a psychokinetic disturbance. This is more common with pre-teen females than males, although either gender can become the ‘Agent.’ Exorcism and/or house blessing is not effective, and can make things worse since an adolescents rage is directed toward authority.

If a client writes to us saying that they have a “Poltergeist” in their home, one of the first questions we would ask them is how many children they have, and what their ages are. It’s no surprise that most people are not thrilled to hear that their teenage son or daughter may be the cause of said activity, as it is a lot easier to blame an outside entity for such odd and sometimes violent occurrences. To pin down the source of the activity, our first recommendation is to note if activity increases around the ‘Agent’. The best way to do this is to document the difference in activity level when the ‘Agent’ is in the house and compare it to when they are gone. In a very high percentage of these cases, when the main source of the psychokinetic energy is gone, the activity completely disappears. This proves that the ‘Agent’ has been the source of the disturbances.

To make matters more confusing, the ‘Agent’ will not even be aware that they are causing the disturbances, and are just as terrified as the rest of the household when turbulence happens. Furthermore, when the ‘Agent’ has a fear of the activity along with the rest of the household, this will only cause the disturbances to become more intense.

Poltergeist activity starts and stops suddenly. It can last anywhere from a few hours, few days, to a few years. Once the determination has been made that it is indeed the ‘Agent’ causing the activity, our recommendation is to help the ‘Agent’ get rid of some of that pent-up energy. Physical exercise during this time is very important, and sports that are geared to improve self-esteem are recommended. Actually, Karate has appeared to be very helpful with these types of individuals. If there has been a major change in the family dynamic of the household such as a divorce or a change in residence/schools, then a more emotional outlet may be needed, such as psychotherapy.

And ladies, please take note that our pre-teen years are not the only time we are blessed with such hormonal changes. When going through changes from PMS, peri-menopause or menopause, these fluctuating energies may again explode outward. Electricity may be affected- especially appliances, light bulbs and even street lights. I tend to blow out a lot of light bulbs and street lamps during certain special times, and you don’t want to get me near any type of electronic equipment or it will cease to function if not completely blow up. Things sometimes fly off of the shelves directly at me during this time too, especially at the supermarket. This activity is annoying and sometimes embarrassing and I am unaware of myself consciously performing such feats, but I’m sensitive to the fact that during these episodes I have temporarily become the ‘Agent.’


SPIRITS



“Would you believe, that here, in the unseen, just a breath away from "there," in time and space, we have gardens with such sweet fragrances they actually caress passersby? That we have melodies so rich you can actually see them dancing through the air? And colors so exquisite they tickle all of your senses?”


Keep in mind that most of us will not become ghosts, as we will go to where we are supposed to. For the sake of simplicity, Todd and I like to separate ghosts from people who have passed over to the Other Side. We simply call them Spirits.

Spirits are people who have gone to where they are supposed to. If your grandfather comes to visit you and tells you that he’s doing fine now and not to worry about him anymore, this is not the Ghost of your grandfather. This is the Spirit of your grandfather. 75% of all bereaved persons have experienced such visitations.

Spirits can and do come back and forth from the Other Side to visit and they will do so intermittently. They may choose a more emotionally removed person to appear to pass on messages. If your mother died and the two of you were very close, you may still be grieving for her years following her passing. She knows that appearing to you may impede your bereavement and this is something she wouldn’t do. Bereavement is a training process so to speak, and is something very personal that we all much face and learn how to deal with. So to let the family know that she’s okay, she may appear in a dream or even in person to someone more removed such as your spouse (which my father actually did) or a niece, or even one of your friends. Or they may not appear to anyone at all. You cannot force an issue such as this- Spirits choose if and when they will appear. It’s not like we can download an App on our iSpirits and pick and choose who we want to talk to over there. And to be frank, Spirits have a lot of things to do where they are and they do get busy. More often than not, if they do visit us they tend to leave signs more than making appearances, especially when they’ve been gone for quite some time.

On the night that my father died, Todd and I drove to Salem to be with my mother and wait for the funeral home to arrive. He had died peacefully in his rocking chair, holding a bottle of water and watching “Three’s Company,” his favorite television show. I took a walk back to my father’s bedroom and noticed that there were three Funeral Cards laid out on his pillow. One was for his mother, the other his father, and the third one his brother. I brought them out and showed them to my mother and to Todd. My father had suffered from slight dementia for a number of years, and my mother said she had no idea where he had been keeping those. And how odd that they were out laying on his pillow? I am still curious on whether my father did that before or after his passing to let us know that these were the people that came to get him as well as his way of saying goodbye. Personally, I think it was afterwards.

Spirits can announce themselves with signs and they like to do this quite often. If your grandmother baked the best cookies you’ve ever had, the scent of those cookies may waft by when she is visiting you. Your father’s pipe smoke may linger in the air when he’s checking in with you. Perfume is another favorite. Another choice are items that were very personal to them such as flowers or favorite types of animals (butterflies, birds, cats, etc).

Spirits can manipulate many things in our physical environment to announce their presence, very much like ghosts can. Sometimes it may be hard to tell the difference. Spirits can affect anything electrical such as lighting, appliances, televisions, computers, and even phones! I would tell the story about the phone call I received at 2:30 in the morning from my deceased father about 4 months after his death, but I think I’ve made it pretty clear already that he’s fairly active and visits us often (and I admit that the phone call slightly terrified me at the time, which is why he most certainly hasn’t done that again). My dad has an affinity for my kitchen and this is usually where he pops in. This is not surprising- the man loved food.

Spirits can pick up and move physical items, and even bring you little presents. My father appeared to me in a dream about 8 months after his passing and in this dream I asked him to leave me a sign when he’s around. He said he’d drop pennies for me to find and that is how I would know. So whenever I find a penny, I thank him.

Todd has a friend from his high school days who was killed in a car crash. When Ronnie started visiting us, he used to leave chewed up gum on my kitchen counters until I told him to knock it off. That’s nasty. Now he leaves whole sticks of gum or empty gum wrappers when he pops in for a visit, which is perfectly fine. An odd little present to leave for us it’s true, but certainly one that we can attribute to him specifically. You may be receiving signs and not even be aware of them, or they may be so blatant that there is no other explanation for them. Regardless, it does us all good to take the time and pay attention.

Animals and very young children will see visiting Spirits because nobody has told them that they don’t exist. This is why babies look over your shoulder and giggle. Dogs and cats will sometimes run and play and talk to someone who you cannot see. These are people that they may have known and remembered. Even if they never met them while the person was alive, they know that this visitor is someone they can trust. Many if not most young children before the age of five will see Spirits and may tell you about it. Stories have been recounted to me time and again of 2 and 3 year olds telling mom and dad about how “Nana” was in their room last night to sing them a lullaby or “Gramps” was sitting at the foot of their bed and had brought them a baseball. This happens all the time and should not be viewed as anything paranormal, but a normal occurrence. What could be more normal than our friends and relatives visiting us?

Unfortunately the closest the living have to visiting those who have passed on is a visit to the cemetery. Our earthbound, physical bodies do not allow us traveling allowances to and from the Other Side. Many people ask me if Spirits hear us when we speak to them. You can be assured that they do. Even your beloved pets who have passed over hear you when you speak to them. Spirits hear everything, they watch everything, and they know everything. They know what’s in your heart and what you are thinking. Ghosts on the other hand are still earthbound, so ESP is not something they are blessed with. They may be able to manipulate the physical environment better than they used to, but they cannot read your mind. Only those who have passed over correctly gain all of this knowledge. Ghosts also have no boundaries and no understanding of when they have crossed the line. Spirits have infinite knowledge of this, and one of their main concerns is not to upset you. You may beg them to come and visit you, but they will know whether you are truly ready for this or not. And if you are not ready, they will not come regardless of whether you think you are.

American society as a rule tends to be very prudish when discussing death and the afterlife which I find slightly humorous based on the huge spiritual/medium movements that were so popular during the Victorian era. I find the current way we view death as a society severely lacking if not bordering on stuffy. Why we promote such a phobia of death in this society is beyond me.

Personally, I wish there were people at every hospital whose main purpose is to counsel patients who have had NDE’s (Near Death Experiences) or to simply offer guidance to someone who is getting ready for their transition from life into death. Instead, doctors and nurses are taught not to “speak of such things” when people getting ready to die say aloud what relatives are in the room with them, or when someone is brought back to life after being flat lined- recounting what they saw with infinite detail.

I spoke to many patients when I volunteered at a Hospice who would whisper to me that they wouldn’t be there the next day, and they were always right. Some of them even pointed to the corners of the room, smiling, and when I asked them if there was someone special here to see them they would answer with a definitive yes. These deathbed visitations from Spirits would normally transpire up to a week before a person would ultimately pass, but it could be quicker. I think it all depended on the person who was dying and if they were ready to go once the visitations began. Also, it should be noted that sober family members and friends of the patient, as well as Hospice employees and volunteers (myself included) have witnessed such phenomenon. In my opinion, deathbed visitations should be regarded as the highest evidence of the afterlife that we have, and are not just a by-product of an individual’s dying brain.

Most other cultures do not have such morbidity to death as we do here in the Americas, as is seen by such celebratory forms of ancestral worship in China, Japan,Mexico, and parts of Italy where they actually invite their ancestors back year after year to partake of food and enjoy entertainment provided for them. These cultures have an understanding that death is just a process of life, and a journey that each of us will have to experience. This very healthy and accommodating way of dealing with death goes as far back as the Egyptians as well as the ancient Greeks, who put coins on the eyes of the dead so the deceased could pay the ferryman to take them into the Underworld. In most other cultures, special arrangements are made to help the deceased transition from this world into the next, and these arrangements do not stop once the individual has been laid to rest. InAmerica, we have neglected such a concept. Dead and buried, we say.

Additionally, there are some persons in our society who seem to have no problem desecrating cemeteries and vandalizing tombstones- something other cultures if not most of us, find abhorrent. This is a pointless act of violence against our own ancestors and I deem it one of the lowest of the low. Endless Spirits have come up to me in cemeteries expressing their concern over a relative’s broken gravestone, or the remains of party trash laid about the cemetery grounds. This is something that they just can’t understand, and I cannot disagree with their complaints. So, if you’ve done anything like this, just know that the dead know all about it and they’re keeping an eye on you. Spirits rarely get angry, but this type of action does seem to upset them.

As a footnote, Spirits love celebrations. Marriages, holiday celebrations, births, even their own funerals and Celebrations of Life in their honor. Spirits are silent witnesses to all of our festivities and special moments in life- both the grim as well as the gleeful.

Pacific Paranormal Research Society

http://nwpprs.com/Ghosts___Spirits.html

Accounts Of The Mysterious & The Paranormal

Lionel Fanthorpe shared updates, and accounts of the mysterious and the paranormal. Fanthorpe detailed several theories that may help explain psychic experiences, including traditional ghosts, time slips, parallel universes, extraterrestrials, natural recordings and mental phenomena. "Those six categories could embrace every report of everything paranormal that has ever been put in the archives," he said. Fanthorpe suggested that parallel universes could be the source of doppelgängers and recounted a story about a 19th century school mistress who watched from a window as her other self strolled through a garden. He also reported on a plumber who witnessed time-shifted Roman soldiers marching through a cellar as well as an electrician whose vehicle shut off as he neared a field where a large silver UFO had apparently landed. The plumber hid in a ditch as unusual-looking beings examined the vehicle before returning to their ship and taking off, he noted.

Fanthorpe related some of his favorite stories throughout the night. One such account took place in 1795 and involved three teenagers that happened upon an amazing find on Oak Island, a small island off the coast of Nova scotia. The lads discovered a ship's block and tackle hanging from the branch of a tree beneath which was a shaft that had been dug and refilled, he explained. Digging revealed a platform of logs every ten feet and flood tunnels that appeared to have been put in place to protect something, Fanthorpe continued. The purpose of the shaft and why it was built remain unsolved to this day but it may have been constructed by the Templars, he added. Fanthorpe also discussed the intriguing tale of Spring-heeled Jack, a Victorian figure known for his frightening leaps, as well as the story of a young man who in 1924 found ancient artifacts, including stone tools and tablets with an unknown alphabet, in a hole on his grandfather's farm in France.


Biography:
Lionel Fanthorpe was born in England and has worked as a journalist and teacher. He is currently Director of Media Studies at Cardiff Academy and is a fully ordained Anglican Priest working part-time and unpaid for the Church in Wales. Lionel is President of ASSAP (The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena) and is also the President of BUFORA (the British UFO Research Association). He's now a popular TV and Radio presenter and celebrity guest on chat shows. Lionel is also the author of over 250 books.



Lionel Fanthorpe Amazon Books & Kindle Downloads

Ghosts and Spirits – The Untold Facts!

The subject of ghosts and evil spirits intrigues almost everyone. The web is full of theories and stories about beings from the other world that tend to spark fear in the believers. In this space, the Indian Paranormal Society, debunks some myths and highlights some lesser known facts to help you get familiar with the unknown!

Emotional Vampires: 

Have you ever met anyone who was so negative about everything at work or life that they drained your energies or left you emotionally drained, when you were around them?

These people are called Emotional or Psychic Vampires who are so badly enveloped in their own woes that they have no clue of the negative effect they have on people around them.

The draining effect these people have on others is similar to the psychic attacks done by demonic spirits. If your own stress or negativity can drain you emotionally, then you are your own Emotional Vampire.

Hemography

There have been many instances where people have reported some words, blood stains, hand and foot prints appearing on random things such as wall, clothes, paper, fabric, etc without any human involvement. This particular type of phenomena is called Hemography.

Do you smell something that is not present physically?

Phantosmia is a form of olfactory hallucination. This word was taken from the Greek Phanto meaning Phantom and Osmia meaning smell.

Can evil spirits attack or harm you?

It is true that some people have been attacked by malevolent spirits. It is usually due to the person being afraid of what the spirit can do to him or her. Attacks happen when the evil spirit believes that it can overpower or bully a person.

These attacks are not dangerous and involve hair being pulled, push, pull or a shove. Some reports involve burning sensation, bruising or minor scratching. Yet other reports include larger items being thrown or even the person being thrown away. Even though there are hundreds of stories about it, there is no prominent proof that a spirit can seriously harm a person physically.

Spirits are largely impotent when it comes to physical ability. The biggest threat is a psychic attack which can manifest as feeling claustrophobic, fear, anxiety etc.

Evil spirits are bullies who use psychic attacks as an attempt by a malevolent person to possess a weak-hearted person. 

Facts:

• The word haunts implies visiting a place frequently. It is not related to spirits only.• Spirits are consciousness of living beings that survive physical death. • Spirits wants attention from living people. They manifest themselves in order to get attention. They necessarily don’t want to harm people.• Paranormal activity is independent of time. It will occur at any time of the day.• Sound of footsteps, smell (rose, sandalwood, pungent and rotten eggs) and knocks at the door are the most common symptoms of a haunted place.• A place can be haunted by spirits for 100 years without anyone getting even a hint about it.• Evil spirits are bullies. They fear from people who stand for themselves.

Myths: 

• Ghosts can kill humans. • Ghosts have twisted legs.• Ghosts wear white clothes.• Ghosts can enter into someone’s body and control the mind.• Spirits bring misfortune and cause loss of wealth.• Djinns can overpower people. They are powerful only because we empower them with our belief system)• Spirits are responsible for someone’s ill health and mental state.• Spirits can be captured in a bottle.• All spirits are evil.

"If you want to learn about spirits’ behaviour, look into your eyes and ask yourself, how would you behave when you are stuck emotionally and mentally in a place without a physical body." 

–  Reverend Gaurav Tiwari

Information courtesy: IndianParanormalSociety.com

This Amazing Chinese Mansion Is Abandoned Because It's Haunted!

This expansive stone mansion—known Chaonei No. 81—is an architectural anomaly in Beijing. Once a church, then a home, today the building stands out for its ornate Baroque style, yet it lies in decay. Why? Because it's probably haunted, and no one wants to go near it.

The New York Times has the scary story of a place cloaked in legend and deep disrepair. Built around 1900 as a gift to British colonists, by the end of the civil war in 1949 the manse was home to a high-ranking nationalist official. As the communists were marching through the city to declare victory, he fled to Taiwan leaving behind his wife (or maybe concubine), who, in despair, hung herself from the rafters of the opulent mansion.

Chaonei No. 81 has been riddled by rumors of paranormal activity ever since, and with the exception of local daredevils who have snuck in to photograph it, the place is repellent to nearly everyone who encounters it. In fact, members of the Red Army who took up residence there during the Cultural Revolution fled, and locals still won't set foot inside. According to one ghost forum, the government tried to raze the place some years back, but halted the project after some construction workers mysteriously disappeared.

Perhaps in an admission of defeat, the home is now listed on the historic register, so it can't be demolished. But nothing is being done to preserve it, either. Money isn't the problem here—there's new construction going up all over Beijing. Again, the problem is obviously local ghost lore:


It has led some to suspect that the derelict state of the home has more to do with ghosts, or at least the belief in ghosts, than with costs. Potential tenants might be shunning the home, some say, because of a tendency among many Chinese to avoid all things related to death. The superstition is so pervasive in Chinese culture that mobile numbers or apartments with addresses that contain the number 4 are often automatically devalued, since the word for four in Chinese sounds like the word for death.

The only signs of recent life at the house? Graffiti, which warns people to stay the hell away, and beer bottles from the (clearly drunk) people brave enough to sneak in. But according to one film website, there's currently a horror movie being made about the house—which is bound to complete its transformation from local to international legend.

7 Celebs Who Survived Living in Real Haunted Houses!

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... if you're more into disembodied, vengeful spirits and ghoulish apparitions than snowmen and jingle bells, that is. Yup, Halloween season is officially upon us, and what with celeb exorcisms making headlines (not to mention teen girl exorcisms), we think it makes perfect sense to turn the spotlight on a small but significant portion of the rich & famous: Celebs who live (or have lived) in haunted houses. That's right, even Hollywood types get the bejeezus scared out of them from time to time, and some of their stories are freaky enough to merit silver screen reenactments -- except, of course, the last thing any of these already-spooked sorts probably want to do is simulate the horrors endured at home.

But that's okay, cause we're here to dish on all the gory details for you! Check out the truly twisted tales of these 7 celebs who lived in seriously haunted houses.

1. Nicolas Cage

It should come as a surprise to approximately no one that Nicolas Cage not only tops our list of celebs who lived in haunted houses, but that he bought a haunted house ON PURPOSE. And not just any haunted house, one of the most notoriously haunted houses ever, New Orleans' LaLaurie Mansion (owned by a socialite in the 1830s who was notorious for abusing her servants). "It's allegedly the most severely haunted house in the United States of America ... that's what they tell me," said Cage. So haunted, in fact, that Cage reportedly never even slept in the house before selling it in 2009.

2. Keanu Reeves

We know what you're thinking -- Keanu Reeves?? Ted "Theodore" Logan? What kind of ghost would want to haunt such a mellow dude? Apparently one in a double-breasted suit with no legs, cause that's what appeared to a 5-year-old Keanu and his sister. EEEK!

3. Matthew McConaughey

Again: Who'd want to haunt that mellow dude's house? Well, a female spirit named "Madame Blue" who likes to make "noises that sounded like a dime getting dropped about ten feet." According to Matthew, once he started walking around the place naked all the time carrying a baseball bat, he and his ghoulfriend started getting along. (Ya think??)

4. Loretta Lynn

Remember what we were saying about burial grounds? Just ask Loretta Lynn -- the country crooner had the misfortune of buying a home with 19 Confederate soldiers buried on the grounds, plus slaves from an old "slave pit" and an unearthly "woman in white" (probably the least horrifying of the bunch!).

5. Adele

Yeah, well, that's what you get when you buy a 10-bedroom former convent to live in, Adele: Lots of scary bump-in-the-night noises, to the point where she paid female bodyguards to sleep there with her! (As if a bodyguard could really protect her from a dead nun. Good luck with that!)

6. Anne Rice

Sure, even less surprising than Nic Cage -- and also in New Orleans -- but still worth noting, because the author who made vampires cool long before the Cullens once lived in the Brevard House, famous for a creepy mist that would rise on the porch where the original owner shot himself. (Rice made the house the setting for her novel "The Witching Hour.")

7. Alyson Hannigan

We wouldn't have pegged the How I Met Your Mother star as a spook-enthusiast either, but Hannigan says a ghost shares the home she lives in with her husband and daughter, and he once appeared in the bathroom window. Cheeky!

Have you ever lived in a haunted house?

What to do about Poltergeist!

Poltergeist phenomena involve things moving by themselves, sounds such as knocking or rapping, or inexplicable behaviour or malfunction of electrical or electronic devices, as well as other types of mysterious phenomena.


When the phenomena happens at various locations but always in the presence of one particular person, it is usually the person causing the phenomenon unconsciously through psychokinesis (unconscious PK). In this case, there may be something causing the person to be emotionally upset that is causing them to produce the phenomenon. If you can figure out what is causing the emotional problem and eliminate it, the phenomenon may stop.


A well known example of unconscious PK producing poltergeist phenomena is the Tropican Arts poltergeist case in Miami, Florida. If you or someone you know is experiencing unconscious PK.


Unconscious PK is sometimes called the Pauli Effect because the Nobel prize winning physicist Wolfgang Pauli was known to wreck lab equipment just by walking through the laboratory door.


When poltergeist phenomenon happens in only one location and does not depend on the presence of any particular individual, it is probably caused by a spirit. If you can encourage the spirit to complete its transition to the spirit world the phenomena may stop.

Famous Ghost Hoaxes

Some ghost stories are believed to be true until they are officially debunked. Watch this About.com video to learn how famous ghost hoaxes were finally revealed.

Everyone loves a good ghostly image, but if it’s a work of trickery, not of the hereafter, then let’s say so.  Hello. I'm Thea Lewis of Queen City Ghostwalk for About.com, and today I'm going to tell you about famous ghost hoaxes. 

Ghost Legends Debunked

Of the great volume of vaporous images pored over every year by apparition aficionados, three of the most famous have blessedly been debunked. The notorious Wem ghost, an image of a little girl surrounded by flame, was, sadly, no more than a clever fake.

Experts conclude the Amityville Ghost is likely a member of a paranormal team who investigated the famous home. The ghost of Jim Morrison turned out to be nothing more than a projected image, engineered by someone intent on creating a publicity stunt.  

Ghost Hoaxes Used for Press Coverage

When you want a high-end ghost hoax, sometimes money is no object. The "Raffles Place Ghost", a video that shows two men being followed out of an elevator by the apparition of an old woman cost the HR and Consulting firm that commissioned it $100,000 to make. Then it went viral, causing something else to materialize: Millions in free PR.

Watch the About.com video here

Switzerland's Answer To The Loch Ness Monster

A SINISTER figure has reportedly been caught on camera lurking in the woods in western Switzerland.

Dressed in a military uniform with a gas mask covering his face, the figure, known as 'Le Loyon', is said to have been haunting the woods for the past decade. He apparently walks the same route every day.

However, there was no evidence of his existence until local news website Le Matin published the first known photograph of the mystery man last month, and now police are trying to track him down. But is it for real?

"I came across him near the marches," an unnamed amateur photographer who tracked him down told Le Matin. "I approached him up to a dozen metres away.

"He had a military cape, boots and an army gas mark - an antique type, I think. He measured more than 1.9m. He stared at me then turned his back on me and left in silence."

Other locals have also told of their frightening encounters with the man.

"It scared my children," a woman said. "He came out of the woods with his military clothes. We saw neither his face nor his eyes behind his big dark gas mask. It was scary and I know women who are venturing alone in the forest."

Another local resident, Marianne Descloux of Maules, said she also saw him: "It was a rainy Sunday. He had on a cap, a dark cloak and gas mask. What goes on in his head? I don't know. It was unpleasant. I hope I never run into him again."

The figure was also reportedly spotted clutching what appeared to be a bunch of flowers.

"Families simply won't go into the forest any more," a farmer said.

Police want to speak to Le Loyon to ask him to be less threatening, although he's shown no signs of aggressive behaviour.

Such is the hysteria, that he has been called 'Switzerland's answer to the Loch Ness monster'.

"The situation is delicate because we basically have nothing against this person," Guy Savary, the municipal official in charge of forests, said.

"But since he arouses these fears, we are going to hold meeting to see if we can find a way of locating him, and discouraging him from behaving as he does."

Some believe he could be suffering from a nasty skin condition, is mentally ill or a hermit.

So what do you think, is it a hoax?

Ryan Buell. The man, The Fight & The Paranormal

Ryan Buell never intended to be in front of a camera. “It was the last thing on my mind.”, he says.

Anyone who has seen the ground breaking show “Paranormal State” knows that Ryan experienced very frightening paranormal activity as a child. To this day, Ryan has never given out the full details of what happened to him. He has revealed what is he felt was appropriate at different times. Becauase of the activity and the fear it caused him, he became interested in finding the answers to what he had been through. What was it? He studied the paranormal as much as he could. When he went to college he formed a paranormal research team called the Paranormal Research Society, PRS. Because of his own experience, Ryan was sympathetic to the things that clients reported. PRS took on cases where help was needed with what appeared to be paranormal or even demonic activity. PRS began as a group of students on campus with a thirst for the truth and the determination to help those needed it. Ryan was approached to bring PRS to television, but that decision took 3-4 years to make. Paranormal State went on to become one of the most popular television shows in the paranormal genre. The show ended production in 2011, having filmed 83 episodes. The show remains a favourite of many in reruns today.

All the while Ryan was in school and after graduation, he continued to search for answers to the questions of the paranormal. With Bachelor degrees on journalism and anthropology from Penn State University, he served as Co-Executive Producer for “Paranormal State” and for “The Ghost Prophecies”, of which he is also the co-creator. He directed episodes of Paranormal State and was also the Executive Producer of the feature film American Ghost Hunter, which was released in 2010. Ryan wrote and published his memoir, “Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown” that year. In his book, he revealed to the world that he was bi-sexual and talked openly about his struggle to reconcile his sexual orientation with his Catholic faith.

In 2012, at the age of 30, the busy world of Ryan Buell came to a stop when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Such a diagnosis would cause many to stop what they are doing and prepare for the worst. Even worse, at an age where most people are just beginning to figure out what they want to do in life, here was a terrifying diagnosis. In Ryan’s case, it slowed him down, but he has not stopped moving forward. After taking time to seek treatment for his illness, Ryan is making plans for the future. And that future looks amazing.

Ryan had not done a paranormal radio show interview for over a year since he announced his illness. He talked to Anthony Agate and Luci Leibfried on the Blogtalk radio show Paranormal Review Radio in an exclusive interview on September 6th, 2013. “I was actually extraordinarily nervous about doing this interview.” After being reminded he has done a lot of interviews. “Things are different, I've become a hermit. I really have not been involved in much at all.” Ryan admits he has been doing some soul searching. “When I was investigating the paranormal, we were trying to answer questions about what happens to us when we die, but now here I was and still am, now making peace with the fact that I may very well die.” “When it first happened, we didn't know if I was going to live past 6 months. I was very sick. A lot of what I had to go through was, trying to make peace with death. And of course this happened right as I was at the end of my twenties. We all have one guarantee in life, we die, but no one really expects it and this, in a lot of ways is a slow on. It’s a slow death. You battle and fight as hard as you can and if you’re lucky you make it out and some, they do. Granted there is no defeat in death, but a lot of the battle is psychological. I’m able to do things now that I haven’t been able to do for a while.”

Ryan admits that he is becomes tired easily now. He is making improvement, but he says “Anyone who knows me, knows, that is not me.” He has good days and bad. He knows it may be years before anyone knows how much he can improve. Ryan was angry for a while, but says “Of course it has affected my life. After a while you start to look at it, I can’t control what happened, but I can be thankful for what I am doing now.”

So what is this amazing human being planning? A return to television among other things. Fans of Paranormal State will be happy to know that the show will be returning. Some of the team will return, but expect to see some new faces. Ryan shared his thoughts on who he is, what his life's work is and where he wants to go in the future, during the interview. Throughout his journey, he states that he has felt lonely, feeling like he had to hold it all in. He talks about his detractors, but admits by being public, they will always be there.

In spite of the cards he has been dealt, Ryan Buell is and a shining example of determination and courage in a world where heroes are hard to come by. Illness is my have slowed him down, but he certainly is not going to stop doing what he loves. He shows no signs of giving into his illness. And that is a beautiful thing to see.

To see what Ryan is planning and to get updates on his progress, you can go to ....

ParanromalResearchSociety.org

 

and you can hear the full interview with Paranormal Review Radio on.... 

Blogtalkradio.com/paranormalreview

A Paranormal State playlist will soon be available here

Playing With The Devil – Paranormal Podcast

Imagine being part of a teenage rock band that attracted the attention of a dark entity?  Marcus F. Griffin doesn’t have to imagine, he lived it and he tells us about it on this edition of The Paranormal Podcast!



Listen to the podcast by clicking here

Don’t Believe These Top 3 Myths About Haunted Houses

We all have a certain image in our mind when someone mentions haunted houses. We picture large, dilapidated homes with paint peeling and porches rotting away. We imagine there must be footsteps on the stairway and rapping from inside the walls, screeching up in the attic, and all of this takes place in the middle of the night. But the simple truth is this: Any house can be haunted, any hour of the day or night. Maybe even yours.

Hauntings In Old Homes vs. New Homes

While it’s true that hauntings seem to occur most often in older homes, it’s only because those homes have been around long enough for some type of tragedy to have occurred. And if not the house itself, then the property upon which it stands. Perhaps, long ago, the land the house now sits on was the site of a major battle. Perhaps, long ago, someone inside the home passed quietly away and left some unfinished business.

Conversely, many people just assume every old home is haunted because, if the home is 100 years old, there’s a good chance someone has died in it at some point during its existence. And if someone dies in a home, surely their spirit sticks around to haunt the place. If that were the case, given the number of old houses scattered throughout the world, the netherworld must be very crowded, indeed.

It’s quite possible for a new house to be haunted. It may have been built on the site of a tragedy. Someone who worked on constructing the house may have died from a tragic accident. Or maybe the ghost moved in, right along with the new owners, following them from their previous abode.

So never assume that only old, run-down houses are haunted and never assume you’re safe from hauntings simply because you’ve moved into a new house.

Ghosts Only Come Out At Night

It’s always nighttime when the ghosts come out to play in the horror movies, and when you watch those paranormal investigators on TV they always wait until midnight to set up their equipment. But ghosts “live” on a different plane of existence. To them, Time has no meaning and they certainly don’t punch a time clock.

If there’s a ghost in your house at midnight you can rest assured – or maybe you can’t – that he’ll be there in the morning and in the afternoon, too. During the daylight hours, though, you’re busy. You’re at work, you’re running errands, you’re cooking or cleaning or watching TV. There’s activity and noise in the house that covers up those ghostly creeks and groans so you don’t notice. You’re bustling around and you don’t notice those cold spots when you pass through them on your way to the den.

But then the lights go out and everyone settles down for the evening. That’s when you notice the chill. That’s when you hear the creak on the step. And that’s why you think you’re safe in your house during the day. Because the ghosts only come out at night, right?

Haunted Houses Can Be “Cleared”

Remember the scene in “Poltergeist” where Tangina said, “This house is cleeeeeaaan.” Well, it wasn’t, was it? The poltergeist was still there. In fact, it followed the family to their new home in the sequal.

It’s true that some ghosts just need someone to help them find their way to the next world, and if this is the type of ghost who’s haunting your home you’re lucky. Help him find his way and you’ll be rid of him forever.

However, not all ghosts want to be “sent on.” Some want to stay here forever – or at least until they’ve exacted their revenge. There is no magical formula that forces a ghost to move on, no incantation or spell, and a ghost certainly isn’t afraid of the smell of burning sage.

If you have a stubborn ghost in your house then maybe it’s time to change your address. After all, he was there first. And, like you, he’ll leave when he’s darn good and ready.

Poltergeist Curse: Fact or Urban Legend?

Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist trilogy is arguably the scariest set of ghosty-ghoulie movies ever made, but does the terror exist just in the movies, or were the actors cursed in real life, too? Depending upon who you ask, the rumour is real. Let’s take a look at some of the facts to see if the rumour holds as much water as the swimming pool in the famous scene that is at the root of the problem.

The curse basically states that after each of the three movies, one of the child actors died an untimely death and the rest of the cast were cursed. Supposedly, one of the children was murdered, one died in a car accident and one died of a mysterious disease. It’s true that there were some unexplained or unfortunate deaths but they didn’t happen like the rumour says.

One of the main factors that brought about the curse, in theory, was the fact that in that swimming pool scene, real human cadavers were used because they were cheaper than using plastic. This part of the rumour is true.
All told, eight of the crew has died, but several of them were of an age where disease and death aren’t entirely uncommon.

Dominique Dunne

Shortly after the initial Poltergeist was released in 1983, 22-year-old Dominique Dunne was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend whom she had broken up with a few weeks prior. He attempted to choke her to death and left her for dead in the driveway. She was taken to the hospital but never recovered from the coma and died five days later. Ms Dunne had played the role of Dana Freeling.

Heather O’Rourke

The girl that played Carol Ann, the little “They’re baaa-ack” girl in front of the TV, died during the filming of the third film, near the end of production. Originally diagnosed with the flu, doctors changed that diagnosis to septic shock caused by bacterial toxins in her blood. She was 12. For the remainder of the movie, a stunt double was used and they avoided face shots.

Julian Beck

Mr. Beck played Kane in Poltergeist II The Other Side. He died of stomach cancer.

Beatrice Straight

She played Dr. Lesh in the first movie and died of pneumonia.

Will Sampson

AKA Taylor the Medicine Man in the third movie, Mr. Sampson died of post-operative kidney failure and complications derived from malnutrition.

Geraldine Fitzgeral

She played grandma Jess in the second Poltergeist movie and passed away from symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

There were other unfortunate incidents as well, but no more deaths.

Oliver Robbins

Mr. Robbins played Robbie Freeling and was nearly choked to death by the clown in the bedroom scene the clown malfunctioned during shooting and the other actors on set just thought that he was doing an amazing acting job. He nearly died before somebody noticed he was turning blue and rescued him.

There were other strange happenings during and following shooting of the movies, including:

JoBeth Williams, aka Dianne Freeling, reported that every day during shooting, she would come back to her trailer to find her pictures askew.
Zelda Rubenstein, aka the psychic Tangina reports that during shooting she felt a hard shock then when they replayed the film, there was a bright shining white light that obstructed view of her face.
The Freeling House where the movie was filmed in part was damaged in the 1994 earthquake.

These are just a few of the examples of odd happenings. As you can see, odd things did certainly happen, but whether or not they were actually related to the movie can be debated until the cows come home and a true decision will never be agreed upon. It’s probably best to just use your imagination and your head to decide for yourself.