Guess what season it is? Still Winter, technically. Ha! Did I getcha?

Seriously though, I can tell Spring is drawing near. Lately I’m seeing more and more horror and paranormal events being advertised, something that’s sort of dead in Winter (pun intended).

Here’s the ones I’ve seen so far. If they had a logo, I’ve included those as well. If I learn of other events as the year progresses, I’ll make another list. For now, here’s the horror and paranormal events and conferences I’m aware of so far. Hope this aids in your haunted events travel planning.

1. March 9 -11, 2012 Texas Paranormal Unity Fest 2012 – Red Rock, Texas

2. March 9 – 10, 2012 GhoStock*: Sedamsville Rectory – Cincinatti, Ohio

*Note: GhoStock events are part of Patrick Burns (star of TruTV’s Haunting Evidence and a recurring guest judge on the Travel Channel’s Paranormal Challenge. He is also the co-author of The Other Side: A Teen’s Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal) and Marley Gibson’s (YA author, Patrick’s wife, and co-author of The Other Side) Haunted Highways Tour. There are actually a couple of events before this one that haven’t happened yet, but soon will. However, they’re already sold out. I suggest if you want to do any of the others scheduled for this year, don’t delay. Tickets most definitely don’t last.

3. March 31, 2012 Desert Para-Con 2012 – Death Valley Junction, California

4. April 13 – 14  Chicago Fear Fest  - Rosemont, Illinois

5. April 13 – 14, 2012 Saint Mary’s ParaCon – Virginia City, NV

6. April 27 – 29, 2012 Mid-Ohio Paranormal Convention – Middletown, Ohio

7. April 28 – 29, 2012 GhoStock: Salem, MA – Salem, Massachusetts

8. May 4 – 6, 2012 Delaware Paranormal Expo 2012 – Delaware City, Delaware

9. May 4 – 6, 2012 Frontier Para Con 2012 at the Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

10. May 11 – 13, 2012 Steel City ParaCon – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

11. May 18 – 19, 2012 Paranormal Fest 2012 – Columbus, Indiana

12. May 19 – 20, 2012 2012 Women’s UFO Symposium – Glen Rose, Texas

13. May 25 – 27, 2012 Beyond Ghosts ParaHorror Weekend – Buffalo, New York

14. June 9, 2012 Paracon on the Lakeshore II – Kewaunee, Wisconsin

15. June 22 – 23, 2012 Haunted America Conference – Decatur, Illinois

16. September 28 – 30, 2012 ScareFest – Lexington, KY

17. October 13, 2012 Jamestown Paranormal Convention – Jamestown, New York

18. October 29 – November 2, 2012 Haunt Jaunts Halloween in the Bermuda Triangle Cruise – Miami, Florida, Nassau, Bahamas, Key West, Florida

19. April 25 – May 4, 2013 Vancouver Paranormal Society West Coast Haunted Cruise - Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barabara, San Diego, and Catalina Island, California, plus Ensenada, Mexico

As I explained when I wrote about  why it is I’m drawn to the paranormal like I am, I’m truly more of a skeptic than a believer. Our recent jaunt to Turkey has challenged a lot of my beliefs about the paranormal even more.

Their history is as vast, storied, and as full of bloody conflicts as any of the countries with the best paranormal tourism. Yet, just try to find a ghost story in Turkey. They’re super hard to dig up. And much of that is because of what the Turkish believe about ghosts. Which is that they don’t exactly believe in them. Yet, they don’t exactly not believe in them either.

My experiences over there discussing paranormal tourism with those who worked in their tourist industry got me thinking along lines I hadn’t thought of before. It added to the list of questions I already have.

Instead of letting them haunt my brain any longer, I figured I’d list them.

DISCLAIMER: Not responsible if, after reading them, these questions begin haunting your brain too.

1. What makes a ghost a ghost? Beyond the fact that ghosts are thought to be the spectral remains of people who once lived. Is it something in a person’s DNA that makes them more (or less) likely to become a spirit and remain behind? (This is something I’ve written about before. See: Is There a Law for Becoming a Ghost?)
2. Why do some people’s spirits supposedly stay behind after death when others don’t? I’m not just talking about something bad happened, like they were murdered or had unfinished business. Plenty of people have been murdered and are never heard from again. I’m sure many more haven’t accomplished all they would’ve hoped in their lifetime. Yet, not everyone comes back. Take battlefield ghosts, for instance. Why do some soldiers manifest and others don’t?
3. Does it matter if you believe in ghosts when you die? Does that influence whether or not you’ll return as a ghost? Or is it something having to go with #1 that “creates” ghosts?
4. Does a belief in ghosts create some sort of energy that makes it possible for ghosts to happen? For instance, if enough people believe in ghosts, does that provide fuel for ghosts to feed on to even been “born” in the first place and then to stay “alive”?
5. Why do some ghosts smell and others don’t? By smell, I mean generate odors, like the smell of perfume or cigars. Why wouldn’t all ghosts have a scent of some kind when they manifest? (Aside from a personal smell associated with them when they were alive.) Or do they? Can animals, like perhaps dogs, sense them via smell?
6. Why are more investigations not being done during the day yet? This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I know people say they don’t want to contaminate the scene, can’t get off work, can’t get access to places until after hours, etc. However, non-paranormal researchers and hunters both make an effort to experience phenomenon when it happens. You wouldn’t find a bird watcher out at night trying to spot a species who only flies during the day. Nor would you see a hunter stalking their prey at night when whatever they’re hunting is not nocturnal. There are many ghost sightings that happen in broad daylight. No one is ever going to get to the truth thinking investigations should only take place at night.
7. Why try to fix this investigation style when it’s not broken? My #6 question reminded me of a comment someone named Jeff left on another post I once wrote complaining about investigation procedures. His argument was if this investigation style is not broken, why fix it? Especially for TV shows. (He was mainly referring to my suggestion that I’d be interested in a show that featured a location as the star rather than the investigators.) He said an investigation of the same place over and over would be dull. Perhaps for ghost hunters who are all about ratings. But for honest people pursuing actual answers, perhaps not. Because tell me: who’s find something new and startling lately?  As Einstein so succinctly put it, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I’d argue there’s a lot of “insanity” going on the in the paranormal community right now thanks to TV shows that are more about entertainment and less about finding anything real. We need to adapt our thinking every now and then to try and find new things.
8. Why do people “hunt” ghosts? I was talking with Steve from Ghost Eyes once who brought up a pet peeve of his: the term “ghost hunter.” As Steve so brilliantly put it, “People don’t hunt people, so why would they hunt ghosts?” Good point.
9. Are there different “species” of ghosts? In the same conversation with Steve that I referenced in #8, he brought up that he subscribes to the notion presented by Hans Holzer that there are different definitions of entities: ghosts, spirits, and “stay behinds.” (Basically, residual, otherworldly beings, and intelligent souls trapped on Earth after death.) I think that’s too limited. Look how many different species exist on earth. Why wouldn’t it be the same for the paranormal and ghosts (to use a broad term)? Shadow people may be a different species than what we now think of in general terms as ghosts. Maybe they’d come out of the shadows if we didn’t treat them as spooky ghosts? I like to think of it like this: cats react to different stimuli than dogs do versus bunnies, etc. (When you try to interact with them.) Just try to get a cat to do anything by dangling a carrot in front of it. (Except for maybe at at it.) See where I’m going with that? What motivates a ghost versus a shadow person? Why are we not trying to find out things like that?
10. Are ghosts nocturnal? This goes along with #7 and #9 above. Some “species” may be. If we can identify various species, we’ll be better able to track them and figure out what makes them active and when.
11. Does a country’s age have anything to do with its ghosts? I’ve also asked this question before, but it’s worth including on this list. The U.S.’s history is rather short compared to someplace like Turkey, yet you can find all sorts of paranormal over here. It really makes me wonder if attitudes towards ghosts help them “live.”
12. What if EVPs that say “Get out” are really warnings? As I’ve also pondered before, I’m not convinced all are just ghosts mad about being disturbed and want to be left alone. I think some may be warning of something about the environment that can trap a person’s spirit, or perhaps something in the environment that can be harmful to a person’s afterlife.
13. Why aren’t there more reports of dinosaur ghosts? My husband always asks me this. He can’t understand why just humans, and maybe some cats and dogs here and there are reported. Why not dinosaurs. I wonder if this is what Nessie might be.
14. When plants die, can they become ghosts? Why not? They’re living and breathing things too. And can other plants sense them? (I bet I have a few ghost plants that serve as an ominous warning for newbies introduced to my garden.)
    
15. How does all the “waves” bouncing through the air these days impact our perception of the paranormal as well as possibly affect anything paranormal? One thing you’ll often hear paranormal investigators talk about is the effects of EMFs on people’s perceptions. I’d argue that with the amount of EMFs most people are exposed to, it could deliver false positive ghost sighting results even more than we realize. (I’m not talking about super high EMF results either. I’m talking exposure to general level ones possibly influencing.) Then again, EMFs could also provide juice for manifestations too.
16. Why do people insist on calling places haunted when there’s no proof? Writing for Haunt Jaunts has made me more leery than ever of using the word “haunted” to describe any location with high levels of paranormal activity. Actually, Lewis Powell IV summed up exactly why this bothers me so greatly when he wrote about why the term “most haunted” bothers him in his post on the Gonzalez-Avarez House. Until anybody has a ghost in captivity or can make one manifest on purpose, “haunted” doesn’t really exist. There’s only evidence of strange activities that can’t be explained.
17. When a historic place is brought back to its period life by reenactors or shows like Downton Abbey (link to post) what do the ghosts think? Does it make them nostalgic for their past lives or frustrated when details aren’t gotten quite right?
18. How can anything be certified haunted? It dismays me that people buy into such a claim. A very nice person  left a comment on HJ’s facebook page about their location, making sure to describe it thusly: “Yes, it is certified haunted by “ISPR.net” International Society on Paranormal Research”. Hope they didn’t pay for that.
19. When’s the last time you heard of a ghost described wearing a sheet or rattling chains? A hundred years ago this was the common phenomenon thought to accompany paranormal activity. Will how we describe activity  now vary greatly a hundred years from now?
20. What color are ghosts? Some say glowing white, others describe them as glowing green, some describe them looking like regular flesh and blood people. Maybe different species come in different colors?
21. How can anyone who believes in the New Testament denounce the paranormal? Catholics are usually pretty good about believing in spirits and not being too freaked out by it or thinking it’s “bad,” but some other Christian-based religions? Whoa. Watch out. I’m going to hell for my haunt jaunting ways. When they come at me, I always like to ask them if they believe in Jesus. Of course they say yes. I like to remind them that their Savior and the basis for their beliefs is essentially a ghost. When they get all miffed about that, I also like to throw in Jesus might also be a zombie or an alien but at the end of the day he’s supernatural and they don’t see anything wrong with worshiping that so…what’s their point in harassing me and calling me wrong?
22. Why would no video cameras be allowed in an allegedly haunted location? You’ll often run into a “no cameras allowed” policy inside historic old buildings. The flash and such can lead to deteriorating the lifespan of the paint, wallpaper, furnishings, etc., but inside a cave? Makes me super suspicious. (Incidentally, this is the Bell Witch Cave’s policy and is among the reasons I don’t like that as a site for paranormal tourism. It’s shady.)
23. Has anyone ever given a ghost tour and made shit up? Jessica Penot once wrote about a ghost tour experience she was trying to have, but couldn’t make happen. She arrived at the designated meeting place, but no guide ever showed. I joked if she’d been unscrupulous and others had shown up, she could’ve taken their money and led them on a tour and improvised stories. Sometimes when I’m on ghost tours I wonder about that. How much of the material is really based on research like they say? (I’m sure it is, but if tours have gone to the lengths to fake ghost sightings it makes me think some of have surely had no qualms about concocting stories too.)
24. How do disasters affect ghosts? Linda Moffitt got me thinking about this based on her experience with being evacuated from her home in Bastrop, Texas and watching her city burn. She wondered how spirits behave in such situations. It made me wonder if fires “cleanse” active areas? Although, it can also create activity if people are killed during them so…how does fire play a part? Sucks up energy ghosts can use to manifest, thereby killing them? Cleanses the area? Fuels activity?
25. What’s the ratio of B.S. to truth when it comes to accounts of paranormal activity? A friend on StumbleUpon asked me how many people do I think have had experiences but keep quiet about them. We both thought it was probably higher than people who don’t really have an experience but say they have. (I don’t think many people actually outright lie. I know some do, but I like to believe for the most part people are just mistaken about what they’ve seen, or are so eager to have a story they don’t take the time to examine all the facts.)

What kind of questions haunt your brain?

I decided to share this press release I also received in regards to Chicago Fear Fest. Mainly because ‘Holliston’ sounds like quite a combo and I LOVED the poster.

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“HOLLISTON” film makers Adam Green & Joe Lynch to appear at CHICAGO FEAR FEST

April 13-14, 2012 MUVICO THEATERS Rosemont 18, Rosemont, IL

From writer-director Adam Green, “HOLLISTON” is the new weekly horror-comedy sitcom presented by FEARnet, cable television’s premier horror, thriller and suspense channel. “HOLLISTON” premieres Tuesday April 3, 2012 on the FEAR.NET cable TV network.

Described as “The Big Bang Theory” meets “Evil Dead II”, “HOLLISTON” is set in Holliston, MA and follows the lives of Adam (Adam Green) and Joe (Joe Lynch), two friends chasing the dream of becoming successful horror movie filmmakers while struggling to make ends meet in their post-college jobs at a Boston cable access station where they also host a late night movie program called “The Movie Crypt.”

Episodes of “HOLLISTON” will be screened at CHICAGO FEAR FEST, including the “HOLLISTON” pilot and an advance screening of a “HOLLISTON” episode.

Film makers from “HOLLISTON” appearing at the Chicago Fear Fest include:

Adam Green – Star-Director-Writer-Executive producer of “HOLLISTON”. Adam Green is the director of “HATCHET” 1 & 2, “FROZEN”, co-director of “SPIRAL”, and director of the “CHILERAMA” segment “THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANKENSTEIN”. Adam is also writing and producing “HATCHET 3”.

Joe Lynch – Star and Executive Producer of “HOLLISTON”. Joe Lynch directed “WRONG TURN 2”, the “CHILLERAMA” segment “ZOM B MOVIE”, and the upcoming “KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM”.

Sarah Elbert – Producer of “HOLLISTON”. Sarah Elbert produced “HATCHET” 1 & 2, and will be producing the upcoming “HATCHET 3”.

CHICAGO FEAR FEST is presented by Chicago-based Horror Enterprises Flashback Weekend (Horror Conventions & Drive-In Film Fests), Horror Society (Web-Based Horror News & Horror Film Fests), Sinister Visions (Horror Website & Graphic Design), and Zombie Army Productions (Haunted House Design & Film Production),

All of the CHICAGO FEAR FEST selections will screen at Chicago’s premiere movie going experience; the Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18 located in Rosemont, IL (www.muvico.com).

CHICAGO FEAR FEST will showcase the very best in cutting edge independent horror films. The lineup will include short films, feature films, celebrity guests, panel discussions and Q & A’s. Festival after-parties will be held at Bogart’s, a full service bar and grill located on the second floor of the Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18.

 

Have you made a horror movie? If yes, Chicago Fear Fest is looking for folks like you? The following is copied from a press release I received earlier this year.

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CHICAGO’s newest indie horror film fest announces a call for entries! CHICAGO FEAR FEST

APRIL 13-14, 2012

MUVICO THEATERS ROSEMONT 18 ROSEMONT, IL

www.chicagofearfest.com

CHICAGO, IL – January 1, 2011

Chicago may be known as the “Second City”, but Chicago-based Horror Enterprises Flashback Weekend (Horror Conventions & Drive-In Film Fests), Horror Society (web based horror news & Horror film fests), Sinister Visions (horror website & graphic design), and Zombie Army Productions (Haunted House design & film production), are working to establish Chicago as the 1st city of Horror!

The weekend of April 13-14, 2012, these four Titans of the Chicago Horror Community and Muvico Theaters are teaming up to present CHICAGO FEAR FEST, a major two day indie horror film festival. All of the festival selections will screen at Chicago’s premiere movie going experience; the Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18 located in Rosemont, IL.

CHICAGO FEAR FEST will showcase the very best in cutting edge independent horror films. The lineup will include short films, feature films, celebrity guests, panel discussions, and Q & A’s. Festival after-parties will be held in Bogart’s, a full service bar and grill located on the second floor of the Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18.

Films will be judged based in 3 different categories: Best Feature, Best Short and Audience Favorite. The winning director of each category will be invited to appear as a featured celebrity guest at the Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention to be held August 10-12, 2012 in Rosemont, IL.

CHICAGO FEAR FEST will be a celebration of the art of indie horror film making by encouraging and supporting independent filmmakers from around the world. CHICAGO FEAR FEST and Muvico Theaters are committed to promoting excellence in independent filmmaking by fostering a community of filmmakers and encouraging an appreciation of independent film.

We are accepting film submissions from horror filmmakers now! This is your chance to get your film screened in Chicago in front of an audience of high profile media, film critics, film-making industry professionals, and horror fans!

For more information about the festival and for film submission, please visit our website at WWW.CHICAGOFEARFEST.COM and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!!

ABOUT FLASHBACK WEEKEND:Held annually in Rosemont, IL, Flashback Weekend is Chicago’s largest and longest running horror convention and is dedicated to the preservation of the big screen theatrical horror film experience. In 2007 Flashback Weekend saved and restored the historic Midway Drive-In located in Dixon, IL. The Midway Drive-In now holds Drive-In horror film fests during April and Sept, and first run films during the summer. Visit www.flashbackweekend.com for updates.

ABOUT HORROR SOCIETY:

Horror Society is your voice for independent horror. That means film, music, art and performance. Our goal is to support those in the industry, share with fans and create a sense of community. Since 2006, Horror Society has been bringing you a website with the latest horror news, reviews, horror culture and more! Horror Society Film Festivals are themed events introducing new indie horror films and local vendors to the Chicago community. www.horrorsociety.com

ABOUT SINISTER VISIONS:

Sinister Visions inc. is a dark visual design & promotion studio that specializes in all things haunted, Halloween & horror. With over 20 years’ experience, Sinister Visions provides branding/art/design/marketing services to its clients, actively sponsors a number of creepy events, provides free original spooky fonts (you’ve already seen them everywhere), and… one paragraph just isn’t going to cover it. For information and, more importantly, samples of SVi’s work, visit http://www.sinistervisions.com

ABOUT ZOMBIE ARMY PRODUCTIONS: Zombie Army Productions is a consortium of businesses that brings the highest production quality to the darkest events. Every year, The Zombie Army stages Chicago’s top-rated haunted houses (Statesville Haunted Prison and The Fear at Navy Pier) and the enormously popular Zombie Prom at Excalibur. ZAP has a highly-acclaimed and highly-anticipated movie negotiating distribution (“THE MOLEMAN OF BELMONT AVENUE”), a popular web reality series (Days of the Living Dead) and is famous in Chicago’s spookier circles for bringing a wildly good time to every event they attend. For information & details, visit www.zombiearmyproductions.com

ABOUT MUVICO ROSEMONT 18

Located in Rosemont off of River Road and 294, the Muvico Rosemont 18 is Chicago’s premiere movie-going experience featuring elegant stadium seating, state of the art Sony 4K digital projection, and Bogart’s; a full service bar and restaurant. www.muvico.com

ABOUT BOGART’S

Bogart’s Bar & Grill is a full service bar and restaurant located on the 2nd floor of Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18. Offering classic American Fare, a large variety of domestic and imported beers, and top shelf liquor and wine selections, Bogart’s is a great place to sit down for a great meal or cocktail, before the show after the show or anytime!

Since I was eleven years old, I’ve been keeping expansive lists of haunted houses. It started out on a yellow pad, moved to a journal that I rewrote and reworked over the years and now has been gradually transferred to series of lists on my flash drive.

Over the years, I’ve worked on adding locations from books, paranormal TV shows and websites on to the list, each time taking a bit of time to update or correct the info and convert it into a standard format (no abbreviations, no counties, no extraneous info…) with a tag that gives me the main source of reference. I’ve mentioned it a lot to other paranormal enthusiasts, but I get the impression that not many people are that impressed by the task because there are so many haunted house lists on the Internet. Most of them are formatted directly from the Shadowlands website; I mean it’s so obvious. The exact same typos and misinformation are still present, but a few sites are as innovative enough to create entirely new lists showcasing locations on a theme, often mentioning new locations, new activity or new information, such as, yes, God, it’s true, addresses, photos and history.

One of the things I like most about working on my haunted house list is getting to learn about forgotten moments of history only known from being connected to haunted locations. A good example is Patty Cannon, a Maryland woman who kidnapped and abducted blacks and Free Men to sell as slaves in the Deep South. How about a skirmish between Indians and Dutch settlers in a Delaware neighborhood? In Washington, Dr. Linda Burfield-Hazzard, who ran a sanitarium at the turn of the century and tried to cure her patients by starving them. What about a modern boy’s camp haunted by the ghost of Indian Chief Philip known for the Historic King Philip’s War?

For any serious haunted house buff, the best way to learn about a new place to find ghosts may not be searching the Internet or buying the next new book on haunted houses. It may be easiest to just ask someone, “What are your favorite haunted locations.” I’ve been asked it a few times, and in my case, the list almost always varies, but the list almost always stays the same. Here is my personal top ten haunted house list in no particular order.

1. Ellis Middle School – Hendersonville, Tennessee 

Ellis Middle School

How cool is it to be into ghosts while you’re a teenager in high school and then hear that some of your friends are attending a haunted high school in your own hometown? That’s what it was like for me. The Berry Family was one of the founding families of my town, and in the 19th Century, they owned a huge parcel of property that was made smaller by the creation of Old Hickory Lake in the Twenties and then sub-divided into neighborhoods in the Forties. One of the last known family members, Nannie Smith-Berry, according to legend, did not want a school built on the property, and after her death, the night cleaning crew reported hearing footsteps in the building, formerly Hendersonville High School, but now renovated into Ellis Middle School. Other people heard the disembodied footsteps as well, and others saw shadows in the windows of the upstairs library. At the height of the stories, the TV series, “That’s Incredible,” was going to do a story on the hauntings, but passed on it for other stories. Since then, the location has not had much notoriety or a serious investigation. It is also possible the renovation drove away the ghosts away, but as any ghost hunter will tell you, renovations usually stir them up. Even if you can’t visit the location, the Berry Family’s original home, Rock Castle, is a local landmark, and while not as haunted as the school, it has a few stories to tell.

2. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – Hollywood, California  

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Marilyn Monroe is considered one of the single most iconic faces to come out of Hollywood. Her death signaled the end of Hollywood innocence, and what is more intriguing than hearing it might still be possible to meet her since her possible accidental suicide, if but as a spirit at the old Hollywood Roosevelt, the site of the very first Academy Awards. The hotel was built exclusively for movie stars, and Marilyn’s ghost is said to haunt the swimming pool area in a bathing suit and the lobby, often pausing to check her make-up in a corner mirror. The ghost of Montgomery Cliff also haunts the hall outside his old upstairs room where he blows a bugle to rehearse his role in “From Here To Eternity.” In a Halloween special, “In Search Of Haunted Hollywood,” hosted by John Davidson, a group of researchers discovered a cold spot in the old ballroom confirming the location was full of ghosts.

3. Pink Palace – Los Angeles, California 

Pink Palace

Jayne Mansfield was not just the mother of TV actress Mariska Hargitay, and one of Hugh Hefner’s most favorite pin-up stars, but she was also one of Hollywood’s most under-appreciated actresses. Jayne was a struggling actress who wanted to be accepted and who tried to be like Marilyn, but was more like the Anna Nicole Smith of her time. Beautiful and animated, she was often taken for granted by others who knew how to exploit her, and that’s what makes her life that much more tragic. Since her death in a 1967 car accident, several people have seen Jayne’s ghost in the halls of her Beverly Hills home and even sunbathing on the grounds. It has also been rumored a few later tenants fell under a curse, and that one would-be actress living there tried turning herself into Jayne until screams one night ordered her out. Ringo Starr tried to paint over the pink walls, but the pink paint kept returning. Engelbert Humperdinck lived there afterward, but, sadly, sold it to a developer who knocked it to the ground, removing forever all chances for a paranormal investigation of the site and destroying one of the last mortal links to Jayne Mansfield.

4. Franklin Castle – Cleveland, Ohio 

Franklin Castle

What I love about this house is the sheer chilling tales to come out of it. I sometimes call it Tiedemann Castle after the German family who built it, but it is usually named for the fact that it rests on Franklin Street. Several tenants have tried living here including a group of Socialists who used it as a meeting hall. Rumors of missing children and human bones in cupboards speckle the known history, and one tenant reportedly received a phone call from a ghostly little girl in the middle of the night. The place possibly has more atmosphere than anywhere else, but the modern history is even more convoluted. A new owner was trying to restore it, but doubts into property rights and record of ownership better off explained elsewhere have delayed restoration and potential investigations.

5. Brookdale Lodge – Brookdale, California 

Brookdale Lodge

If there is one location that deserves to be visited by “Ghost Hunters” or by the “Ghost Adventures” team over any other location, it is the Brookdale because of the sheer number of stories to already come out of it. Barely examined on “Sightings,” the lodge was built over a creek that pours through its dining room and is haunted by a small girl who drowned there. Apparitions, sounds, footsteps, poltergeist activity, a jukebox that comes on by itself, legends of Mafia ties – what this place lacks in presence it makes up with in intensity. The Klinge Brothers of “Ghost Lab” might say it is possibly so intense because of the energies of the creek going into it, but I’m saying it’s that haunted because it is that much more fascinating!

6. Highfield Hall – Truro, Massachusetts 

Highfield Hall

A location where multiple ghosts are seen moving up and down the staircase? You’ve got my attention. That totally beats the locations where one ghost walks down the staircase then waits three months to do it again. Built as a summer home by the Beebe family in 1878, this chilling atmospheric location appeared in “Ghosts Of Cape Cod” on Travel Channel in the Late 90s and still lurks in my imagination as the setting of so many fictional haunted house stories.

7. McPike Mansion – Alton, Illinois 

McPike Mansion

If you were to picture the atypical haunted house, it would look like this place! It has the derelict conditions, the unkempt yard, the deserted interior and it has the ghosts! First featured on “Scariest Places On Earth,” it was named as one of “Most Terrifying Places In America” and revisited on “Ghost Caught On Tape.” Rumor has it and so many local locations are haunted because the stones in them came from a haunted prison in the area. How many small locations get to appear on that many TV shows without the names Waverly, Myrtles, Winchester, Whaley or Eastern State in the name? If I hear any more about those locations, I’m going to scream, but McPike, I cannot stop hearing enough about it.

8. O’Hare House – Greencastle, Indiana 

Ghostly image caught by Lambert and Winters in the O'Hare House

I sometimes refer to this location as the Winters-Lambert Place after the two photographers that caught chilling photos of ghosts here. On “Ghosts Caught On Tape,” the two men revealed photos of strange lights here and my favorite most terrifying image, the image to out-do all ghost photos, the spectral bride in a window who after being computer-enhanced, looked more like a skeleton wrapped in a sheet. The location was even updated on “My Ghost Stories” on BIO, which revealed the owner of the property leveled the place to keep paranormal researchers out of it, quite possibly the most despicable thing in the world to do. I don’t know who I have more sympathy for: the researchers who lost the chance to visit the place, or the ghosts of Mary O’Hare and her relatives driven homeless by their cold-hearted landlord. Maybe when he passes over, they’ll get the chance to kick his ass.

9. Poveglia Island – Venice, Italy 

Poveglia Island

What is it that I like about this place? Hmmm, could it be the place is reported to be so haunted that locals believe it is cursed and don’t even like to talk about it. Uh, no… I’d say their feelings about the place are more about its past as a former leper colony. Could it be the fact that “Scariest Places On Earth” exaggerated this place up the hilt to terrify a family from North Carolina? How about the fact that when Zak Bagan and his “Ghost Adventures” crew came here that they got EVPs in ghostly Italian voices? Maybe… but I think the reason that this is the only foreign location on the list is the fact that like a lot of haunted house fans that I have a past as a closet urban explorer and seeing that many deserted structures in one place brings out an urge to want to explore it. Well, maybe if “Ghost Hunters International” has a spare seat on the plane… preferably right next to Kris Williams…

10.  An unidentified deserted hotel 

A deserted mountain hotel off the beaten path where ghosts of former guests wake the living, and it’s not the Stanley Hotel? This location intrigued me from the first time I read about it, but apart from weak memories of location photos from a long forgotten book, I still have not been accurately identify it to my satisfaction. All I recall images of a wooden hotel resort surrounded by trees that was reported to have gone bankrupt and was sitting abandoned except for the ghosts. Was it in Colorado? Montana? Utah? California? Was it even west of the Mississippi? All I know is, when I find it again, I’ll know it.

Front facade of Highclere Castle - Source: Wikipedia

I’m absolutely obsessed with the Masterpiece Classic, Downtown Abbey. There’s nothing paranormal about the show. (Although, quite a few characters have died within the stately country home. If Downton Abbey was haunted, there’d certainly be bodies with stories to account for any ghosts.)

In addition to its characters, I’m nuts about Downton Abbey’s setting. I recently learned the home is located in Berkshire, England and it’s real name is Highclere Castle. Ahhh, doesn’t that have such a romantic ring to it? Quintessentially British.

Naturally, such a fine and proper house must have some ghosts, right?

One of Highclere Castle’s current stewards, the Countess of Carnarvon, was interviewed by the Telegraph about it. She said it’s had a ghost sighting or two, but when she took over she had it blessed. She wasn’t sure if that helped the spirits move along, but it seemed to have given her some peace of mind.

She also referenced a potentially bad ghost that was banished by four bishops. In the interview, I couldn’t understand what she was saying at one point, but she mentioned something about that ghost being banished for 100 years. She joked she wasn’t sure when the 100 years was up and quipped about possibly having to rebanish him.

But as for details about specific activity, sightings, or which rooms or areas on the grounds may be the most active? That’s been harder to come by and will be something I’ll be digging into further.

CONNECTION TO KING TUT (AND HIS CURSE)

The Carnarvon family has called Highclere Castle home for generations. In 1922, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

These days the Castle pays tribute to that monumental discovery with The Egyptian Exhibit. And what better place to have that than in its cellars?

This tidbit particularly caught my eye. The King Tut exhibit came to Denver when I was little. It was a huge event and it was right when I was going through my Egyptian phase. (I couldn’t get enough of anything connected to pyramids, pharaohs, mummies, etc.)

One thing I’ve never forgotten about was King Tut’s curse. It was almost chilling to read about both Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter being “victims” of it. They were just names back in my youth. Now I have a better frame of reference to connect them to the story.

And of course I can’t help but wonder if the 5th Earl of Carnarvon is one of the ghosts haunting Highclere castle.

HIGHCLERE CASTLE WELCOMES VISITORS

The neatest thing I learned was that the Castle welcomes tourists! It’s only open during certain times, though: beginning in April through September.

It also hosts special events, like weddings, engagements, or corporate functions. What a setting for a wedding! I think it would be marvelous to go to a dance or dinner there. But I would settle for just a chance to tour it.

WATCH DOWNTON ABBEY

Downton Abbey: Episode 1 – See how it all began.

Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey

Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey Season 2 (Original U.K. Unedited Edition)

LEARN MORE ABOUT DOWNTON ABBEY

The World of Downton Abbey

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

The Poem

Sometimes love is scary

Sometimes it makes you swoon

Sometimes it’s feels so big and bright

You feel like you’re dancing on the moon

The End

Happy Valentine’s Day from Haunt Jaunts!

We hope your day is out of this world.

And that you’ll be our ghostie Valentine.

Please? Don’t make us haunt you!

First there was “Snakes on a Plane.” Then came Zombies on a Plane. (Okay, to be fair, it was actually called “Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane.” Still, the gist was zombies on a plane.) The next inevitable step in mile-high terror had to be Ghosts on a Plane. That’s where the movie “7500″ steps in.

I first read about Ghosts on a Plane –er, I mean, “7500″– via /Film’s post: ’7500′ Teaser – Ghosts Haunt Jason Stackhouse in the Friendly Skies. As much as I wanted to laugh at it, it actually didn’t look too bad.

Then, not too many days later, during the previews for “The Woman in Black,” there it was again. The trailer for “7500.”

I like the music they put with it. Talk about setting the mood.

Have you seen the teaser? What do you think? If not, I’ve embedded it below. Take a look and let me know what you think.

The other night I had the shock of my life. It was just after 10 p.m. I was trying to clean up a bit and get things in order for the next day before I headed to bed.

I walked into the office to put some papers on my desk that I’d need for the next day. The curtains were open. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye on the lawn out front. I moved to the window to investigate and saw this huge thing near our bushes.

It shocked me so much I let out a small gasp and jumped back from the window, hoping whatever it was hadn’t seen me. Thinking of it seeing me, I didn’t want to help it. With the office awash in light, I rushed over to the light switch and flipped it off.

Thanks to the thousands of horror movies I’ve seen in my life, my mind raced with possibilities. It could be an alien, maybe a chupacabra, or as some yet undiscovered beastie that inhabits the woods of Middle Tennessee.

Likely, it was a large coyote or small deer, my rational mind argued. I’d never know for certain if I didn’t look again. Seeing as how taking our dog out every night (which my husband had luckily done earlier so I didn’t have to that night), I knew I had to look again and figure out what it really was –if it was still there. Again, thanks to scary movies, I’m well aware when you want to get a second look at something, it often disappears.

Nope. Not this time. My “creature” was still there. It was a large neighbor dog from down the way.

After I breathed a sigh of relief, I alternated between scolding myself for being so silly and laughing at myself for being so ridiculous.

Then I had a new thought. Did our neighbor dog help himself to the food I put on our front stoop for this little stray cat I know comes around? Is that why it had been disappearing so fast lately? (Because I’d long suspected something else has been eating the food, not just the little gray stray.)

Sure enough, the food was pretty much wiped out.

I don’t think that neighbor’s dog is out all the time. I know the little stray can’t devour all the food I put out for it. He’s pretty shy so he high tails it if he catches me watching him eating. However, the times I’ve been stealth enough to spy on him undetected he only eats a little, hangs out and surveys the scene while he lets it digest a bit, then he scampers off to go wherever it is he hangs out in his spare time.

So what else is eating the food? I want to get a motion cam and rig it on our porch to find out.

Here’s ones I’m deciding between (mostly for price purposes). If you have thoughts or experience with any of them, I’d love to know your opinions.
Primos Truth Cam 35 Camera

Wildgame Innovations 4.0 Mega Pixel Digital Game Scouting Camera With Infrared Flash

Bushnell 8MP Trophy Cam Brown Night Vision Trail Camera

I’m pleased to invite one and all to Haunt Jaunts first ever group event: Halloween in the Bermuda Triangle with special guest investigators Ghost Eyes aboard Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas.

You can find complete details and booking information on the Halloween Cruise 2012 page. However, let me give you an idea of what to expect.

THE ITINERARY

Oct. 29 – Miami, Florida Depart 4:30 PM

Oct. 30 – Nassau, Bahamas Arrive 8:00 AM Depart 11:59 PM

Oct. 31 – CocoCay, Bahamas Arrive 8:00 AM Depart 5:00 PM

Nov. 1 – Key West, Florida Arrive 10:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM

Nov. 2 – Miami, Florida Arrive 7:00 AM

ABOUT THE CRUISE

First off, let me stress: this isn’t going to be your typical paranormal cruise. We don’t have any investigations planned. Steve from Ghost Eyes will be doing a presentation involving paranormal investigation. But we won’t necessarily be searching for spirits. Of the non-alcoholic variety, at any rate. I’m sure a lot of people will encounter those. It is vacation after all!

Speaking of vacation, that’s what this cruise is really geared towards: bringing together like-minded people (paranormal enthusiasts) to enjoy a Halloween vacation at sea.

Basically, I’m inviting anyone who’s willing and able to simply come Haunt Jaunt with me.

A SAMPLING OF EVENTS

In addition to all you’ll find to do on the cruise ship, we’re offering some fun things too.

• As I mentioned above, Steve from Ghost Eyes will be conducting a talk.
• I will be discussing the legends and lore of the Bermuda Triangle.
• There will be horror movie trivia, photo scavenger hunts, and Screech on the Beach day in Coco Cay. (Where I plan to snorkel IN the waters of the Bermuda Triangle ON Halloween, just so I can say I have. If you’re brave enough, come on with your bad self and we’ll do it together. I’ll warn you in advance, the scariest thing for you might be seeing me in a bathing suit, though.)

We’ve also lined up a special daytime ghost tour with Ghosts & Gravestones of Key West aboard their Trolley of the Doomed. They’ll be taking us to the East Martello Fort, where, among other spirits, Robert the Haunted Doll currently resides.

However, due to space limitations, the Ghosts & Gravestones tour is offered at an additional price because there’s not space to accommodate everyone. Therefore, it will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

Basically, you pick what you want to do when. If you want to come hang out with fellow jaunters, wonderful. If you want to go do your own thing, feel free. The choice is yours.

I’m just hoping people will want to come jaunt with me. It won’t be your average journey into the paranormal, that’s for sure.

Oh, and this is important to mention: Royal Caribbean will be taking care of the festivities on Halloween. All we have to do is bring a costume (if you want, if not, you’re not obligated to!) and enjoy the celebration.

Hope to hear you’re coming. I’d love to jaunt with you!