The Science of Monsters

Jenny Melton: “There are really only four main categories of ghosts or spirits. First is a residual energy. This is an imprint of energy that has been left in an environment that literally replays itself over and over like a movie. We often will see this with more traumatic or tragic circumstances. When you have claims of ‘spirits’ walking through walls, for example, this is likely a residual haunting because at one point there may not have been a wall there. I would say battlefields like Gettysburg likely hold a lot of residual energy. This isn’t energy that can interact with you because it is just an imprint of energy that repeats itself over and over. An intelligent haunting is the one we most often encounter.”

Meg:“What’s an intelligent haunting?”

Jenny Melton: “This is when a ghost or spirit is well aware that you are there and trying to communicate with it. When we get responses on our equipment, such as an EVP responding to a question we asked, this is likely the spirit of a deceased human being. Demonic hauntings are the third type of haunting, and are actually much rarer than TV or movies make them out to be. In the fourteen years I have investigated, I have only come across one case that I deemed demonic. Demonic hauntings are way past our area of expertise, so in that instance I called in a Reverend trained in exorcisms to come out and do a deliverance for our client. Again, very, very rare, and I have never heard of a case that occurred without the ‘demon’ being called in. They don’t just show up.”

Kelly:“That’s comforting to know! So, what about poltergeists?”

Jenny Melton: “There is a bit of controversy over what an actual poltergeist is. It could just be an intelligent spirit who is able to muster up enough energy to be able to physically move things. The second theory of a poltergeist is based on the energy of an actual living person. We often see this kind of haunting in pre-pubescent teens and even pregnant women, which has led to the theory that with the influx of hormones, the individual themselves is able to unknowingly project enough energy to produce telekinetic results.

Kelly:“What are your thoughts on the accuracy of how things are portrayed in the movie Poltergeist?”

Blaine Duncan: “For a film set in 1982, the overall accuracy of the equipment and setup is not that far-fetched from what we, as investigators, use today. I would say the process of the paranormal investigators in the film is somewhat similar to how we set up for a paranormal investigation, with cameras, handheld equipment, and other devices said to capture proof of the paranormal. Psychics and paranormal investigators go hand-in-hand in many cases, and oftentimes they’re able to verify what each other may be experiencing, much like what we see in Poltergeist.”

Kelly:“Are there any horror movies or TV shows that stand out to you as getting things right in their portrayal? Or any that you think get things wrong (in regard to ghost detection)?”

Blaine Duncan: “Overall, I don’t know that anyone has come close to capturing the reality of paranormal investigating in the fictional realm of film and television. Quite honestly, if people knew how often we sit in the dark for hours and hours on end talking to nothing, they would probably find very little interest in what we do. The sexiness of paranormal investigating that you see on the big screen is far and beyond what it’s like in real life. Never have I seen someone’s eyes turn red or levitate like we’ve seen time and time again on screen, but I can tell you from personal experiences that getting grabbed by someone who isn’t there or hearing a disembodied voice echo in the halls of a reportedly haunted location is much more frightening than what you see on the screen. If there was a television show that has ever done a decent job of portraying what paranormal investigating is actually like, I would say the reality television series Ghost Hunters did just that. There’s no doubt Ghost Hunters spawned an interest in the paranormal for hundreds of thousands if not millions of people around the world.”

Meg:“Have you found proof of paranormal activity or been able to refute a claim?”