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According to the four individuals in Paraletic Activities, ghosts only have a certain time frame of 8pm to 11pm to make themselves known. Johnny Smith, a 51-year-old signwriter, jokes that they are getting too old for overnight paranormal activities. On weekends, he joins Neil, Luke, and Nigel, who are also in their 30s to 50s and share a childhood interest in ghosts, to form Paraletic Activities. They drink ale and explore various allegedly haunted locations in the Midlands, such as Grace Dieu Priory in Leicestershire and The Four Crosses pub in Cannock.
After spending ten years in the ghost-hunting field, the crew has developed advanced technology. This includes “Old Faithful”, a device that tracks changes in the electromagnetic field, and “Carol Anne”, a portable TV from the 1970s that picks up on specific static disturbances. The device is named after a character from the 1980s Poltergeist trilogy who was believed to be a link to otherworldly beings.
Johnny describes the social aspect as the most enjoyable part of being in his group. They showcase their experiences through YouTube videos and a podcast called “Paraletic Activities,” without taking themselves too seriously. It allows them to escape from home and give their wives some space.
The popularity of ghost hunting is on the rise. Amateurs are livestreaming their ghost hunting adventures on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, while businesses such as luxury hotels and English Heritage are capitalizing on the profitable potential of the paranormal industry. Two of English Heritage’s locations, Dover Castle and Bolsover Castle, regularly offer nighttime ghost hunts. The Langham Hotel in London, reputed to be haunted by a German prince who died after falling from a window, offers guests the chance to book the infamous “most haunted room” known as number 333.
This is a moment of intersection between popular culture and a rise in scientific investigations into the unexplained paranormal phenomena and parapsychology, which focuses on the psychological reasons behind reports of paranormal experiences.
Dr. Kate Cherrell, an academic, gives lectures on Victorian Britain and its connection to the paranormal. According to her, the trend of ghost hunting today bears similarities to that of the 19th century. She believes that the fascination with the paranormal during that time was a result of people turning away from the established church and fearing death. With the pandemic, our generation has also had to confront the concept of death. This has led many of us to contemplate the afterlife, especially while spending more time at home and noticing the strange noises in our own houses.
Cherrell has a great amount of time dedicated to novel community ghost hunting groups like Paraletic Activities, which includes those who don 1980s Ghostbusters attire with boiler suits and backpacks. She says, “It’s simple to mock the aesthetics: the cheesy team logo sweaters and the buzzing, flashing devices,” but these groups are lively and close-knit communities that serve as a social support for many, including the recently grieving. The Church of England does not share the same enthusiasm and has expressed concerns about amateur ghost hunters trespassing in “haunted” church graveyards at night.
Dr. Malcolm Schofield is researching the basis of belief in paranormal phenomena at the University of Derby. He is also a member of the Spontaneous Cases committee at the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), which was established in 1882 to investigate events and abilities that are often described as psychic or paranormal. SPR, along with another paranormal organization called The Ghost Club, has experienced a recent increase in membership and the submission of reports detailing ghostly and inexplicable occurrences. According to Schofield, there has been a surge in reports of precognitive dreams and communication after death, while reports of poltergeists have decreased significantly.
While people who subscribe to a general concept of “spirituality” may be difficult to classify, Schofield notes that those who believe in the supernatural share certain characteristics. These individuals often possess more open and intuitive ways of thinking compared to those who adhere to traditional institutional religions, who tend to have a more dogmatic approach.
At 9pm on a dark night in Stoke on Trent, I’m hunkered down with the Paraletic Activities team in the city’s Stoke Haunted Museum (which bills itself as “the sixth most haunted location in the UK”). We’re armed with a pentagram, Carol Anne, and a noisy smartphone opened at an app called Necrophonic, which purportedly channels the voices of present spirits. For these believers it’s not solace in the afterlife but the physiological thrill of ghosthunting in company that’s the principal attraction: the rush of being spooked and spooking others in turn.
Upon arriving at the Victorian building that had been painted black, Nigel becomes convinced that he hears breathing near the bathrooms, while Johnny claims he felt something or someone touch the back of his neck. However, it becomes clear that there is a lot of downtime in the ghost-hunting business. After spending 40 minutes at a still ouija board (which Johnny admits he struggles to understand), the group follows the sound of a distant thud to a room. Inside, Luke senses a coldness near his legs, one of which is decorated with tattoos depicting scenes from the movie Ghostbusters. “I have goosebumps!” Johnny exclaims, his face pale but excited. “That’s just the draft,” Luke responds, glancing at a velvet curtain that covers a door.
Jaden Darnell, 21, is among a younger generation of ghosthunters. He says he was turned on to the paranormal by 2020-launched British indie gaming hit Phasmophobia. In it, a ghost hunter works with up to three other players to identify one of 24 types of ghosts, including poltergeists (from the German “loud spirit”) and yūrei (or Japanese “faint spirits”). But the trainee teacher traces his own personal enthusiasm to his sightings of a ghostly apparition stalking the grounds of his childhood home. “I would see this lady wearing black walking down our path towards the living-room door, then I would blink and she would be gone,” he recalls. “My mum would see her, too.”
I joined The Ghost Club on my 18th birthday and have been conducting nighttime hunts with friends since then. I frequently attend the club’s monthly lectures in London, which are attended by numerous inquisitive individuals and cover topics such as the evolution of ghost-hunting equipment and the notable working-class female mediums of the 1800s. Darnell explains, “Many are turning to spirituality as a replacement for religion, but our interest in the afterlife persists. Personally, I believe ghosts may hold the key to unlocking this mystery.”
Dr. Chris French, the leader of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London and the author of a new book entitled “The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Create the Paranormal,” claims that even those who claim to be skeptical of ghosts do not actually want their experiences to be explained by scientific or non-paranormal means. The idea of simply ceasing to exist after physical death, as well as never being able to communicate with deceased loved ones again, is unsettling for everyone. Therefore, any evidence, even if unsubstantial, that suggests the possibility of life after death is eagerly welcomed.
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According to French, there are potential drawbacks for individuals who hold a belief in life after death. These individuals may be vulnerable to manipulation by fraudsters who claim to have the ability to communicate with deceased loved ones. On the other hand, humanists, who do not believe in an afterlife, focus on living their current life to the fullest instead of seeking rewards in the afterlife. Despite this, a 2017 Ipsos Mori poll showed that 38% of individuals still consider themselves believers in ghosts, with a similar percentage reporting having had a ghostly encounter. The same study also found that women are more likely than men to believe in guardian angels and foresee future events.
Dr Neil Dagnall studies our fascination with life and death at Manchester Metropolitan University. He says that ghost fanciers are looking for meaning and reassurance: “They want to know that there is more than mere lived mortality. Psychologically speaking it’s a double whammy: it provides a sense of meaning but also appeases anxieties and concerns about death.”
49-year-old Russ Bevin is the founder of Wednesbury Paranormal, a ghost-hunting group in the Midlands. Bevin was nicknamed “the cellar dweller” during his childhood and was not scared of spooky places and strange noises. He considers himself an open-minded skeptic and leads investigations at haunted locations including The Rising Sun pub and the ruins of Dudley Castle. Unlike other groups, Bevin prefers using traditional Georgian techniques like scrying with mirrors, pentagrams, and sometimes incantations to communicate with spirits.
TV shows like Most Haunted, The UnXplained with William Shatner, and Danny Robins’ series Uncanny on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two have captured the attention of viewers with their mix of spooky performances and attempts to debunk paranormal claims. Most Haunted aired from 2002 to 2010 on Living TV and sparked a number of complaints to Ofcom due to suspicions of staged paranormal encounters. More recently, there has been a rise in darker and more specialized ghost-related media, such as the US’s Paranormal TV, which focuses on malevolent demon attachments, and YouTube’s Alehouse Haunts, which delves into ghost stories at British pubs.
Jayne Mortimore, a 45-year-old paranormal investigator based in Liskeard, Cornwall, became a fan of ghosts through the TV fandom pipeline. In the early 2000s, she was captivated by the “thrilling” world of the paranormal, particularly during the heyday of Most Haunted. Mortimore believes that the bedrock of granite and quartz in Cornwall, where she is from, makes it a hotspot for paranormal sightings due to radiation. Her most remarkable experience was last year at a haunted Victorian home, where she and other witnesses saw a lingering matt black figure in the hallway. However, Mortimore notes that her encounters with ghosts are rare. She explains that there is a lot of waiting involved in ghost hunting. Mortimore hosts ghost-hunting evenings and dinners at Bodmin Jail and Jamaica Inn, the famous hideout for smugglers immortalized in Daphne du Maurier’s novel. It is said that a “demon dog” roams the outskirts of Jamaica Inn.
Other than Cornwall businesses, there are also other entities that are profiting from the supernatural. Fans can participate in ghost tours of rural locations with rich histories or stay overnight in abandoned hospitals or workhouses under the guidance of experts. Websites like hauntedrooms.co.uk offer the option to book a room in supposedly haunted hotels for a full experience, including bed, breakfast, and a potential encounter with spirits. In 2023, I had the opportunity to spend a night at Eastwell Manor in Kent, a grand estate known for its frequent appearances on lists of the most haunted hotels in the UK due to reported sightings of a lady in white and galloping horsemen. Unfortunately, I did not witness any paranormal activity myself, but the hotel’s reputation did add an eerie touch to my struggle with insomnia. Meanwhile, community spaces that occupy historical buildings, such as Warmley Clock Tower in South Bristol, have discovered that hosting paranormal events can help keep their operations running. Mortimore explains that while there is money to be made from these events, some places choose to keep it hush-hush to avoid impacting bookings for weddings and other events.
In Stoke, the team from Paraletic Activities are calming their anxious feelings, as they typically do after ghosthunting investigations, by enjoying a paranormal beer review at the local pub (they refer to some of their group investigations as “Boos and Booze”).
Summary: They describe it as a typical night of ghosthunting with some noises and a voice caught on audio recordings. However, the person reviewing the recordings struggled to hear any whispering. Johnny comments that it’s all for fun.
Source: theguardian.com
