I’m sure many of us have watched paranormal investigation shows on television or the plethora of films made involving paranormal activity and research. However, are any of these films based on reality?
Such films as The Conjuring, based upon the cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were two of the most well-known paranormal investigators in recent history, certainly are problematic and present a highly ‘Hollywoodised’ version of events, with overblown and unrealistic climaxes that don’t do these otherwise worthy films any justice. However, what of the Warrens themselves?
During their career, Ed and Lorraine certainly received a great deal of criticism, and maybe deservedly so, with their claims of Demons and Demonic activity in numerous houses (including the famous Amityville haunting, which is widely regarded as a hoax) certainly not doing their credibility any favours. Following a media frenzy, following the release of The Exorcist in 1973, a plethora of so-called ‘Demonic’ activity spread, mostly throughout the US and has led to a number of paranormal activity series’ where it seems that most of the tales either involve some form of Demonic activity or an exorcism.
So, what is experiencing paranormal activity actually like?
I’m sure many have experienced strange knocks, the feeling of being watched, things moving on their own, or seeing something in the shadows, and that really represents much of how we experience paranormal activity. It’s very subtle and not at all what we see in the cinema or on television. Scenes from such films, such as The Exorcist, Amityville Horror and a whole stream of Hollywood films, have made their way into the public psyche and given us a fantasised version of the paranormal and supernatural. This doesn’t mean that I’m dismissing anyone’s experiences, it’s just that I’ve never experienced anything like what is portrayed on screen, nor have I met anyone else who has. I would certainly be interested in speaking to anyone who claims to!
For my birthday in 2022, I was looking for something different to do to celebrate the event, I was planning a trip to Paris (which was delayed), but I saw an ad for a ghost-hunting evening (which I will post later) and decided to book myself in. Now, of course, these events are always packed with eager ghost hunters, and the organisers are running a business, so need as many people as possible on these nights, and I certainly don’t rebuke them for that, however, it does create a level of ‘contamination’ to anyone trying to experience anything paranormal, with people talking, making general noise and pointing torches here and there, but often you’ll still get results.
In January 2023 I commenced my PhD research, with one area of interest being Victorian spiritualism. Now, I know I can’t turn back time to those times, yet many of the tools and methods they used are still in practice today. I, along with others, have used these, with varying results, so my nights out ghosthunting has become a form of ’empirical research’ for my own research, not to mention I also enjoy it!
This site will be in two parts, so not only my own blog and articles on the paranormal and supernatural but also a podcast at some point in the future and speaking to others involved with this area and many more.
I hope you enjoy!
Tom