Ghost Files

Ghost Files

5.25.5

Welcome to yet another week’s installment of the Ghost Files news summary. Prepare to leave the safe confines of your button-down world and entire the turbulent realm of ghosts and entities.

This week, I present to you even more proof of England’s abundance of ghosts (if you can believe it), and a possible, psychological explanation to ghostly phenomena. And, because you cant be serious all the time, I’ve decided to show of my comical side—or rather, my lack of one.

Sit back and enjoy. Try not to get too scared…

:: Top Story ::

With many theories and solutions pertaining to ghostly phenomena, it’s important to not lose sight of the possible, more mundane, explanations to the paranormal. As this article shows, those explanations may be found in the world of psychology.

Can damp theory pour cold water on city's spooks?

JOHN VON RADOWITZ, Edinburgh Evening News (Fri 20 May 2005)

A ghost hunt in Mary King's Close has yielded reports of apparitions, phantom footsteps, unexplained cold spots and unseen hands. Although study leader Professor Richard Wiseman was surprised by the number of events that could not immediately be explained, he believes there is a more mundane reason than hauntings.

http://paranormal.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm%3Fid=553142005

I think this article brings up some good points about our perceptions and how the mind can create rationalizations for things we do not understand. This is definitely one of the more complex and well thought out experiments I’ve encountered. His plan is rather fool-proof and provided some fascinating results.

The experiment and its results are as follows:

Professor Wisemen sent groups of volunteers to four locations, without telling them that only two sites had a strong reputation for being haunted…About 70 per cent of those visiting the haunted locations reported unusual phenomena. In contrast, only 48 per cent of people exploring the locations not reputed to be haunted had spooky experiences.

That is pretty profound. The fact that 70% of the people sent to the supposedly haunted locations experienced similar ghostly phenomena proves that the area involved has an impact, or is otherwise influential, to the witness’s reports. That is to say, just the mindset that an area is haunted is not the primary cause of reported paranormal activity—rather something unique to certain locations may cause a person to be inclined to find answers in the paranormal.

Professor Wisemen’s proposed characteristics (humidity levels, shape, lighting) that could create a sense of fear, seem very reasonable to me. Think about it this way: if asked to describe a stereotypical haunted house, I’d bet good money that most people would describe a very similar place.

This “sick-building” syndrome mentioned at the end of the article seems an interesting topic. Expect more on that in future Ghost Files.

:: Haunting ::

Sure, some ghost sightings could be explained through psychological inflictions, but what happens when the ghosts are a bit…touched in the head?

Ghost obsessed with shoes

Copyright © 2005 Ananova Ltd

A shop in Cornwall has called in a vicar to get rid of a ghost who has become obsessed by a pair of shoes. Shop workers Helen Honey and Faye Chown have been left scared after a series of strange incidents involving a pair of brown deck shoes.

http://paranormal.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm%5F1398339.html%3Fmenu=news.quirkies

This is a very strange story, indeed. Makes me wonder what kind of spirit would be so interested in shoes, of all things.

But, how funny would an exorcism be for a pair of shoes? I can see it now…

It was a dark, foggy night. A giant, full moon shone brightly through the cloud cover, rendering the area in a surreal, yellow glow. The brown deck shoes sat silently on their shelf display, implacably staring out into the deserted city streets. It was an excellent day for an exorcism.

Upon entering the shop, the Exorcist immediately sensed the presence of a foul entity. The shoes, reacting to the priest’s entrance, began flailing its laces in defense. The swinging mandibles stood primed, ready to strike at an approaching hand. The Exorcist approached, unperturbed by the threatening loafers. The struggle was violent and intense. Satan was holding onto those shoes tight, unwilling to give them up so easily.

The Exorcist retrieved a can of Odor Eaters spray from his jacket, and, spraying it at the shoes, proclaimed, “I will cleanse your soles!”

(Insert laugh track, here)

Moving on…

:: In-Depth ::

Maybe I should look into reading this man’s book?

The 10 best ghost stories in Wales

May 14 2005 Western Mail

Wales is arguably the most haunted country in the world, say Richard Holland, the author of a new book called Haunted Wales. We asked him to pick his 10 favourite ghost stories from across the country, which he relates here, in no particular order.

http://paranormal.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/features/tm%5Fobjectid=15515966%2526method=full%2526siteid=50082%2526headline=the%252d10%252dbest%252dghost%252dstories%252din%252dwales%2Dname%5Fpage.html

Well, at least someone agrees with the thesis I have been proclaiming since the onset of Ghost Files. England/Europe is ghost central—a veritable hub of spooks and spirits.

Of the ten ghost stories presented in the article, I’d say number 9 freaks me out the most.

What he saw was, "an old man over whose face the leaden-coloured skin was tightly stretched; the lips were thin and bloodless, and the half-open mouth toothless.

Goodness! I wouldn’t want to meet that poor sap in a dark ally. I’m pretty sure such a ghost would be more traumatic to experience than my previously most feared entity, the shadow person. At least with shadow people you don’t seen any detail!

:: Dead End ::

Thank your for your time, and attention. I hope you enjoyed this trip into the void that I prefer to call, Ghost Files. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled and your ears open, you’ll never know when the paranormal might hit you.

Kudos and farewell!

~Khyron, 2005.