Can you put a ghost on trial? Apparently, you can! It’s always really interesting when the paranormal makes its way to the courtroom. Considering that we can’t really prove that the paranormal exists in the first place, it’s always compelling when a judge allows a supernatural-based testimony to come through. But one has to wonder, if the paranormal can be allowed in testimony and opening/closing arguments, could a lawyer be arguing for a case of insanity? Or could the paranormal be used to show that a witness can’t be trusted?
In this article, we’ll explore six court cases that involved paranormal incidents and testimonies. As you read, think about whether you would believe these witnesses if you were part of the jury. If you don’t feel like reading, check out the video below!
Jury Uses a Ouija Board
This first one is wild. Jurors used a Ouija board to help determine whether or not someone was guilty. In 1994 in the UK, a man named Stephen Young was arrested for the murder of Harry and Nicola Fuller.
Nicola had been shot three times and Harry had been shot in close range. It was truly a gruesome crime that shocked the community. Stephen Young’s trial lasted for five weeks, and he was ultimately found guilty. But about a month after the trial, a newspaper headline was released that said, “Murder Jury’s Ouija Board Verdict.”
One of the jury members came forward to the media. They claimed that four people from the jury used a makeshift Ouija board to contact the spirits of Harry and Nicola Fuller. The jury members put their hands on the glass and asked for the spirit of Harry. The glass went to Yes. Another juror asked, “Who killed you?” The glass spelled out “Stephen Young Done It”. When the juror asked how, the glass spelled out, “Shot.” A new trial was ordered, and another five weeks later, Stephen Young was found guilty once again.
The Devil Made Me Do It
I covered this story in greater detail in a previous post, so I’ll keep this brief. In 1981, Arne Cheyenne Johnson was arrested for the murder of his landlord, Alan Bono. Before the murder happened, the little brother of his fiance, David Glatzel, had reportedly been possessed by over 60 demons. Arne told the demons to come into him…meaning that Arne was possessed at the time he murdered Alan Bono. Ed and Lorraine Warren were also involved in the situation. Arne’s lawyer tried to use the argument of possession for the defense, which the judge refused. Arne pleaded not guilty by reason of self-defense. He was found guilty and served five years of his 10-20 year sentence. This story was recently featured in the movie, The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Ghostbusters Ruling
When it comes to paranormal cases, this one is the one that created the famous Ghostbusters Ruling. This case is also known as Stambovsky v. Ackley. It’s not uncommon for house sellers to disclose unpleasant information, like whether a murder, suicide, death happened in the house. Some states also require sellers to report whether or not the house is haunted, which is pretty wild. The Ghostbusters Ruling was about a home at 1 LaVeta Place in Nyack, New York. It’s a historic house that was a boarding house turned private residence in the 1900s that was purchased by George and Helen Ackley in the 1960s.
It wasn’t long before the Ackleys started to experience paranormal activity. Helen even wrote a piece about it called “Our Haunted House on the Hudson.” The piece was featured in the May 1977 issue of Reader’s Digest. The Ackleys believed the house was haunted by a ghost named Sir George, who lived in the area in the 1700s. George Ackley passed away, and Helen wanted to retire in Florida. She put the house up for sale, and a man named Jeffrey Stambovsky bought the house. But once Stambovsky found out about the alleged haunting, he filed an action requesting rescission of the contract of sale for damages for fraudulent misrepresentation. Initially, the case was dismissed. But he appealed, and he won. Did I mention that he never moved in?
Helen Ackley sold the house to someone else, and she moved to Florida and passed away in 1991. Her son-in-law believes that she now haunts the house.
Florida Ghost Lease
This next case took place in Orlando, Florida in 2005 when a building owner filed a lawsuit against one of his renters because they refused to pay rent. The restauranteurs had refused to move in and claim they couldn’t honor their lease because the property was haunted. Christopher and Yoko Chung, who were also Jehovah’s Witnesses, claimed that there were ghostly apparitions and because of their religious beliefs couldn’t fulfill the obligations to their lease. The building itself has had a history of ghosts, and paranormal experts believe that the ghosts are those of children who were kids of prostitutes who were killed. I wasn’t able to find what happened with the ruling, but if their lawyer cited the Ghostbusters Ruling, I bet they might have won.
Haunted Ohio Farm
This next case is crazy because it means that even writing about a haunted location can get you sued. The owners of Staley Farm sued the authors of the book, “Weird Ohio”, because their property became overrun by ghost hunters. The farm had been featured in the book because the family patriarch, Old Man Staley, murdered his entire family with an axe.
The ghost story goes that if you drive down Staley Road at night, it will feel like someone else has taken control of your car, horns honking by themselves, and headlights dying. Also, the ghost of Old Man Staley has supposedly been seen in the woods. The plaintiffs claimed that the authors of the book were responsible for the influx of trespassers. However, what saved the authors was the disclaimer at the beginning of the book that says, “The reader should be advised that many of the sites described in Weird Ohio are located on private property and should not be visited, or you may face prosecution for trespassing.”
Gamble’s Ghost
My good friend Michelle Hamilton told me about this story, which actually inspired this video. So thanks, Michelle! Check out her work on Amazon. It’s good stuff. In 1854, in Wetzel County, VA (now WV) Leban Mercer was tried for the murder of John Gamble. Gamble owed Mercer $2 for the purchase of a calf. When they spoke, he only had large bills on him totaling to about $200. Apparently, Gamble and Mercer agreed to meet later. And Mercer was the last person to see Gamble alive.
Gamble’s boat was later seen floating down the river. Mercer returned at 2am that morning all wet and muddy with a bunch of cash in his pocket. Gamble’s body was still missing. One night, a man named John Hindman claimed that Gamble’s ghost appeared to him. The spirit told him that he was murdered by Mercer. Mercer was acquitted due to lack of sufficient testimony.
Happy Pride! One of the biggest missions of The Spooky Stuff is to feature people from marginalized groups within the paranormal community. There is a vibrant LGBTQIA+ community within the paranormal field that is doing amazing things in terms of research, representation, and fieldwork.
We are lucky in the fact that there are several members of the LGBTQIA+ community on television like Adam Berry, Chip Coffey, and Michelle Belanger. And yet, there is still more work to be done when it comes to representation. Finding someone from the LGBTQIA+ community on mainstream TV seems to be a dime a dozen. Not only that, but paranormal reality shows have all but erased queer history from haunted locations like Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
As one who is pansexual, finding others like myself in the paranormal community has been imperative for me in my personal journey. Finding people who are “like me” has been instrumental in my growth and development as a paranormal investigator. Luckily, I’ve met some incredible people along the way.
The purpose of this list is to inform and educate folks that there is a large LGBTQIA+ presence in the paranormal community that is growing. The numbers on each person is simply that…a number. It’s not a rating system. All of these wonderful people are incredible. With this in mind, here are MANY queer paranormal folx you need follow!
Dash Kwiatkowski (@DashKwiatkowski) is a non-binary, Asian-American writer, performer, and fledgling paranormal investigator. They’re one-half of the comedic psychic advice podcast Psychic Friendz (@PsychicFriendz), and they’re next door neighbors with the Bridgewater Triangle. They’re PRETTY SURE Bigfoot is an ultraterrestrial, but they’ve been wrong before about plenty. You can find more info about Dash’s projects
Mortellus (@acrowandthedead) is a lineaged Third Degree Gardnerian High Priestex of the Long Island Line. Presently busy at work on a second book for Llewellyn Worldwide, with the first, Do I Have To Wear Black? Rituals, Customs & Funerary Etiquette for Modern Pagans, which hit the shelves February 8, 2021. In addition to their role as High Priestex, Lady Mortellus is a Mortician, and holds degrees in Design, Education, Fine Arts, and Mortuary Sciences. Their areas of expertise include necromancy, necrobotany, mediumship, and the funerary rites of minority faith groups. Currently residing in Western North Carolina on three acres that doubles as the Covenstead for the Coven of Leaves with their spouse, adult child, AMAB/AFAB twins, and dog; generally wishing there was more time in the day for hiding in the studio and playing with clay. You can find their work at linktr.ee/acrowandthedead.
Robert Murch (@TalkingBoards) is the world’s foremost collector, historian, and expert on Ouija and Talking Boards and serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Talking Board Historical Society which he founded. His bizarre relationship with Ouija began after watching Kevin Tenney’s Witchboard in 1986, a century after the talking board made its debut. Murch purchased his first antique Ouija board in 1992 and became obsessed with unraveling the mystery of its origins. Since then, he’s devoted his life to researching the history of the Ouija board and its founders, with Murch often traveling the world to track down descendants of all those involved with the introduction of the mystifying oracle. Ever the pioneer, Murch was one of the first same-sex couples legally married in the United States and lives with his husband, Gary Halteman, in Denver, Colorado.
Hannah A. is a paranormal investigator, blogger, and traveler (@SpookyAhBoo on Instagram). While growing up, she was hooked on watching all of the ghost and unexplained mystery shows on TV that she could find which furthered her love for all things spooky! While she believes in the paranormal, she also tries to debunk anything and everything to ensure the evidence is genuine. She has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, and this has also helped mold her interest on researching and learning how to view things in the anthropological view.
Her current project is co-writing a weekly paranormal travel blog called Ghouls Trip (@GhoulsTripBlog), where she and her friend Ivy (@TattoosAndSpooks on Instagram) write about haunted locations all over America; they also upload investigations and other spooky videos to their YouTube channel! By using these social media platforms, Hannah hopes to bring more female paranormal investigators into the scene and find further proof of the afterlife!
Ron Padrón (@WRWitching) is a gay Cuban-American folk witch from the swamps of Florida now living in the mid-Atlantic with his husband and their small cryptid dog. He has been a member the pagan community for nearly two decades with specific interests in divination, Queer Ancestor veneration and necromancy, hedge witchery, and social justice activism. Ron is the creator of White Rose Witching through which he manages a blog sharing Queer Ancestor Spotlights and rituals, and hosts workshops across a variety of topics. He has been a contributor to CoffeeTable Coven magazine sharing reflections on the politics of colonial witchcraft and examples of his personal practice of queer ancestor veneration. Ron has also presented locally at Hallowed Homecoming and as a guest speaker for local pagan groups, historic sites, and small museums. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/whiterosewitching, on Instagram @white.rose.witching, and on Twitter @WRWitching.
Biracial Korean-American storyteller, performer, artist, creator, speaker and wearer of varied hats, Rockette Fox (@RocketteFox) is a bi-furious, queer, witchy woman who embraces the strange in the pursuit of the peculiar in her work. She believes in the power of stories and connection, and is passionate about creating inclusive spaces where diverse voices and perspectives can be represented, expressed, and shared. She has spoken nationally on topics such as Geek Feminism, diversity & representation in media, and Villainesses for over seven years and has hosted/emceed, taught, and spoken at storytelling events for five. Her illustrative work, odd makeup, and podcast Fantastically Strange have captured the imagination of those who share in her love of magic through the authenticity of expression and believe in nurturing radical self-love and expression.
7. Caden Mask (He/Him)
Caden Mask is an investigator and researcher of all things supernatural. He and his wife established Southern Ascension in 2019 after many years learning under various mentors with different practices. Just this year, Caden became a part of Phantoms and Monsters research team under the mentorship of Lon Stricklin, Butch Witkowski, and others for cryptid research.
Knowing all to well the impact dealing with malevolence beings, as well as past trauma making a person vulnerable to such things, Caden sought out to become an addiction counselor; and works side by side with licensed therapist, nurses, churches, and healers to make sure clients are well taken care of. He and his wife always offer their services (rather mediumship, drug, or supernatural related) free of charge. They also added a northern chapter, Northern Ascension, in 2020 to further their practice and share the knowledge they were taught.
Residing in Mississippi, Caden and his wife enjoy a simple, country way of life with their son. Currently, taking a hiatus for moving and taking care of a sick family member, Caden hopes they will be able to return to full capacity by summer’s end.
Joey is a paranormal investigator who travels and explores all over the world. They have over 11 years experience investigating the paranormal, and have investigated the most haunted places in America (Eastern State Penitentiary, Sallie House, etc.) Since publishing their journey on YouTube, she has been featured on “Paranormal Caught on Camera” twice. Their long term goal is to inspire others research, and to develop more theory based technology, to further evidence of the paranormal. You can find Joey on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok at @ghostingJoey.
Kyle Dempster (@KyleParanormal) started the Revelator Podcast Network in 2020 when he became unemployed due to the COVID pandemic. He has been working as a full-time broadcaster and podcaster in years prior, so with the hardware and knowledge, he set to task building a platform for his listeners to interact with their favorite podcasts and hosts! Creating a grouping of podcasts was always Kyle’s dream, so it is thanks to you, fellow weirdos, that we’ve been so successful at it! As for why the paranormal? Kyle grew up in a haunted house built in the 1800s in Western Pennsylvania. Pennsyltucky has a history for being notoriously haunted from French & Indian War battlefields to plague body dumps, the area introduced him to things that go bump in the night the hard way.
Brittany “Pagan” Adkins (@Paganwolf_13) is an artist, author, paranormal podcaster and investigator, Norse pagan and hedgewitch, and occult researcher. Pagan’s exploration of the world of the paranormal led her to work with her co-host Kyle Dempster on the paranormal podcast, Chaos and Shadow. Together they explore all things under the universal umbrella of high strangeness, including ghosts, ultra/extraterrestrials, cryptids, fae, elementals, and more! Pagan also hosts her own podcast, Pagan’s Witchy Corner, exploring topics in witchcraft and the occult! You can join her for exploration through the world of witchcraft and the occult, guided meditations, and guided spell work. Her show is part of the Revelator Podcast Network like Chaos and Shadow. She lives on a farm with her husband, two kids, and two dogs.
Michael is a paranormal investigator and content creator who has attracted attention on social media for his content that’s not only fun, but educational! He is also very passionate about representation in the field. You can follow Michael on YouTube as well as TikTok and Instagram at glowingghostparanormal.
Nathan (@nategardner) has spent most of his adult life touring North America on various Broadway shows, and has taken that opportunity to investigate paranormal hot spots from coast to coast, from popular locations to lesser known haunts and everywhere in between. Some of his favorite locations include the Queen Mary, Lemp Mansion, Hill House Manor, and the Stanley Hotel, all of which have provided incredible experiences and evidence. Nathan is currently working with Lumos Films in California, developing a new paranormal-themed travel series entitled Ghostly Getaways, which goes into production in summer of 2021, and also writing a book under the same title.
Shane McClelland (@McClellandShane) is the voice behind the hit podcast, The Q Files, that he cohosts with Lori Gum. Previously, Shane was seen on the YouTube series, Queer Ghost Hunters. Shane was also the co-founder of Stonewall Columbus Queer Ghost Hunters and runs the page Queer Paranormal on Facebook. His work is especially inspiring as Shane has become an advocate for exploring ALL the stories in haunted locations. Shane’s advocacy in creating a space for communicating with queer spirits has been monumental for paranormal teams across the country.
Ken Summers (@moonspenders) is a paranormal researcher, history aficionado, part-time traveler, variegated artist, and purveyor of strange tales and forgotten hauntings. The ever-apologetic creator of the “orb color chart,” he has always endeavored to balance open-minded fascination and humor with logical questioning in the pursuit of truth. Unlike many self-described experts in the field, he isn’t afraid to admit that he doesn’t have all the answers, and where others argue over the existence of ghosts, UFOs, Sasquatch, and other mysteries, Ken sees the true value of supernatural stories as a means of keeping interesting, forgotten history alive.
Ken has long been fascinated by the most obscure, forgotten, and unusual stories and incidents related to the paranormal. That quest for the strangest of the strange developed into a blog series of “Queer Paranormal Road Trips” in 2008. This questioning of the sexualities of specters led to his last book, Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay and Lesbian Ghosts, published in 2009. Currently, he’s busily at work researching for a follow-up book, once again delving into the mysterious realm where ‘weird’ and ‘queer’ blur together. Whenever possible, Ken puts his vast knowledge of “useless information” to use in the form of tours, lectures, or writing. Some of his work can be found on Week in Weird. He was also editor and a contributor for Haunted Akron.
Rob Gutro (@RobGutroAuthor) is an author, paranormal investigator and medium with Inspired Ghost Tracking of Maryland. He’s become known as a pet medium, although he communicate with pets and people who have passed. Since he was a child he could receive messages from ghosts or spirits (who have crossed over). His latest book is “”Pets and the Afterlife 3: Dog Spirit Signs.”
He wrote the books “Pets and the Afterlife,” “Pets and the Afterlife 2,” “Ghosts and Spirits,” “Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead” to teach others how ghosts and Spirits communicate with the living and to give proof of the afterlife. Rob also wrote about the ghosts he met on vacation in “Ghosts of England on a Medium’s Vacation,” “Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit,” and “Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking.” As a scientist, he also provides some scientific explanations about how energy is the baseline for the afterlife and the medium that entities use to communicate.
Kay (@kgraywrites) has been researching the paranormal for over twenty years, beginning in the early 90’s when her mother watched Sightings and The X-Files every week. Her favorite cryptid is the Mothman, despite her fear of moths. She currently resides in SE Michigan with her very understanding husband, dog, and cat. She hosts the podcast, Haunted Mitten, with Crysta Coburn.
Crysta Coburn (@CrystaKCoburn) have been fascinated by all things strange and unusual from a very young age, when they had their first encounter with a shadow being. For five years, they worked as a book-buyer for a metaphysical bookstore and now work part-time for a public library. They are no stranger to research or a well-constructed story. Crysta is also a freelance journalist, author, editor, and podcaster. They co-host the paranormal podcast Haunted Mitten with Kay Gray. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CrystaKCoburn. Their web address is crystakcoburn.blogspot.com
Dusty Doors Paranormal began its spiritual Journey way back in 2016. They are comprised of primarily of 5 team members, of whom 4 are a part of the LGBT community.
Michelle Cromar – Owner / Team Leader / Lead Investigator / Spiritualist.
Nicholas Jensen – Lead Investigator / Pagan / Energy Worker.
Michelle, Nick, Haylee, and Tristan are all “out of the closet” LGBT community members, whilst their fabulous Tracey is married with 3 children. Tracey is the Mother of our group HAHA.
Down here in Australia, they have never encountered any other full open Gay and Lesbian Paranormal Teams. They are aware of teams with many bisexual persons and possibly one person being gay or lesbian but that is about it. Dusty Doors team members have been friends for 5 to 10 years, if not longer. It was not until they grew up and slowed down partying and being responsible adults did they learn of each other’s uniqueness, gifts, and passion towards everything paranormal and spiritual.
Their team has a mixed bag of gifts that sets them apart from others. Nick and Tristan are married, whilst Haylee and Michelle are best friends and Tracey is an incredibly good friend of Michelle’s and her former Boss HAHA. They all together have well over 20 years’ experience within the paranormal field. Dusty Doors Paranormal likes to encompass new techniques with tech and gadgets, but also really love old school methods and incorporating different beliefs and using metaphysical methods as well. They bring a class of Australian country humour and seriousness into our investigations. Like Paul Hogan really!!
They do investigations in cemeteries, historical buildings, caves…. pretty much wherever they can get permission to investigate. Also, they study their indigenous culture and respect their indigenous elders and ancestors of this land. They were doing tours for the general public every weekend, however, Covid stopped them in thier tracks. They hope to possibly be doing tours again soon.
Currently, the team is in the middle of discussions, regarding whether to start their own mini-series for their Facebook page followers to sit back and watch them in action, bloopers an all. Also, Michelle is currently sourcing new adventures for them for tours. The team wants to bring back the mysteries of the paranormal. To do this, they are seeking several ways to present this idea. These include overnight campouts at a haunted location, surprise tours where guests have dinner first then they all hope in a bus and arrive at a haunted location. Just to name a few!!
The team loves to incorporate the factual history with their investigations, along with physical evidence of reports, death records, etc. from the actual location to raise the bar of awareness to their participants. Dusty Doors Paranormal also conducts psychological experiments as well to make their experience a little more personal and enjoyable.
Thanks for reading! If there is anyone I missed, please let me know. I would like to do these spotlights more often and help create bridges between groups and communities.
Ed and Lorraine Warren were some of the most famous paranormal investigators of their time. Their legacy and career have now been preserved in film format with the “The Conjuring” series. While the Warrens are well known, their careers are controversial. Yes, the movies are entertaining, but are they true? Let’s take a deeper dive into the true story behind “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.”
“Based on a True Story”
Truth time: The Conjuring movies are some of my favorite horror movies. What makes them exceptionally compelling is that they’re “based on a true story.”
Why the quotation marks? Movies that are “based on a true story” are usually LOOSELY based on a true story. Producers and screenwriters often have to take artistic liberties in order to make the story more interesting.
For example, in “The Conjuring 2”, the movie was centered around how Ed and Lorraine Warren helped the Hodgson family with what is now called the Enfield Poltergeist. But Ed and Lorraine weren’t the only investigators working on the case.Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair from the Society of Psychical Research were actually the main investigators.
In fact, according to Maurice Grosse, Ed and Lorraine showed up for a very short time.Ed apparently pulled Grosse aside and said he could make a lot of money off the case, and Ed was sent away. There’s a lot more to the story, maybe I’ll tell you more in the future.
With this in mind, we should expect some things to be exaggerated with movies that are “based on a true story.” What’s the true story behind the murder trial that became known as the “Devil Made Me Do It” case? Let’s find out.
First, a disclaimer: Spoiler Alert! If you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading right now. I’ll break down some of the more obvious differences between the movie and real-life, and then take a deeper dive into the actual story.
The Town of Brookfield
Before we can talk about the murder trial, we have to start at the beginning. This all started in a small town called Brookfield, Connecticut. It was a sleepy little town with not much going on. In fact, until “The Devil Made Me Do It” case, there hadn’t even been a murder. The town is located northeast of New York City, and is technically part of the New York Metropolitan area. The town was established in 1788. So, not much was going on.
David Glatzel Was 11-Years Old
Warner Bros.
One of the most notable changes I saw in the movie was that they made David Glatzel younger. Of course, it’s more disturbing to see a young child get possessed by a demon. The choice obviously made David seem more innocent and more baby-like, which is meant to tug at our heartstrings. In real life, David was 11-years old.
Arne and Debbie Lived with Arne’s Family
Arne and Debbie actually lived with Arne’s mom and siblings. At the time, Arne’s mother was gravely ill with cancer. The couple were the main providers for Arne’s family and they were looking for a larger place to live to accommodate everyone.
Debbie Was Older Than Arne
Not that age is a big deal, but it’s worth it to take a look. Debbie was 26-years old and had been previously married and had a child from that marriage. Arne was 18-years old. For the time, an older woman living with a younger guy raised some eyebrows. When the couple first met, Arne was only 12-years old, which would have made Debbie around 20-years old.
Arne and Debbie Were Already Engaged
In the movie, Arne is about to ask Debbie to marry him, and even David is asking him when he’ll pop the question. In real life, the couple were already engaged by the time David was possessed.
David Met the Demon Somewhere Else
The movie makes it look like David became possessed in the Glatzel family home when everyone moved in. What is true is that the former tenants did leave a waterbed in the house. But the house that was the site where David met the demon was a different house. In July 1980, Arne and Debbie had just acquired rental property, and they went over to start cleaning it.
David said that when they arrived on the property, there was an old man that started terrorizing him and pushing him. Initially, Arne and Debbie thought that David made up the story to avoid cleaning. But then David said that the old man promised to harm the Glatzel family if they moved into the rental. The rental itself didn’t give Arne or Debbie much concern besides hearing footsteps above them.
What is troubling is when David saw the old man again, he had beast-like features, was uttering Latin, and threatened to steal his soul. But soon after, David started having night terrors, he had unexplained scratches and bruises, and he was starting to act strange.
There Was No Curse
One important detail to note is that there was no curse involved in “The Devil Made Me Do It” case. There were no occultists, there were no Disciples of the Ram, none of that is true. This was all created for the sake of the movie. If there is anything I want readers to get out of this blog, it’s that there was no curse…at all. However, the Warrens believed that the previous tenants of the house in question were into witchcraft and opened a door to the demonic and left it there when they moved. When David came into the house, he was the first to encounter the demon from the open portal.
David’s Behavior Was More Disturbing
Whatever had tormented David at the rental property followed him home. The Glatzel family decided to call a Catholic priest to bless the house. I know…it’s the 80s…mental health care back then isn’t what it is today. Anyway, the priest came to bless the house, but it didn’t work. The family told Debbie and Arne that their rental home was evil.
But the old man, now known as the Beast, followed them. David’s visions and odd behavior started happening in the day time as well. According to the Glatzels, David was being choked and beaten by unseen forces.
David started hissing, growling, and reciting passages from the Bible and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. He was also speaking in other voices. Members of the family had to start taking shifts during the night to watch David because he would have spasms and convulsions. Debbie and Arne moved in with the family to help them with David.
About 12 days after the original incident, the family or a man named Father Dennis called Ed and Lorraine Warren to investigate. So the Warrens came into the scene, and learned the Glatzels story, they concluded that he was possessed by multiple demons. Ed concluded that about 63 demons had possessed David.
David Predicted the Murder
According to my research, David went through three exorcisms. Lorraine said that David levitated in the air, and even demonstrated precognition abilities and predicted the murder that Arne Johnson would commit.
During one of David’s exorcisms, Arne apparently coerced one of the demons to possess him. He told the demon to “Leave his little buddy alone.” At this point too, Arne was working all day and staying with the Glatzels and helping them with David.
When the story was covered by the show, “A Haunting”, Arne said that one of the demons attacked him by taking control of his car and running it into a tree.This happened a few days after Arne coerced the demon to possess him.
After the car accident, Arne went back to the old rental property and examined the well that supposedly housed the demon. Arne made eye contact with the demon in the well, and apparently became full on possessed. This was also Arne’s last completely lucid moment before the murder.
The Warrens were not happy with this and apparently even warned Arne to not make eye contact with the demon. In the midst of all this, David wasn’t getting better. In October of 1980, the Warrens contacted the Brookfield police and told them the situation was getting dangerous.
Bruno Salls’ is Alan Bono in Real Life
Arne and Debbie decided it was time to move out of her mother’s house and into their own place. Debbie got a job at a dog groomer, which was owned by Alan Bono. He would also be Arne and Debbie’s landlord. Debbie and Arne got an apartment above her work. It didn’t take long for Debbie to notice that Arne was showing the same behavior as David.
Arne would also growl and hiss, go into a trance-like state, and then have no memory of it. So Debbie is thinking, “Crap, my man is possessed too.”
Multiple People Witnessed the Murder
Arne Johnson’s mother stands next to Lorraine Warren
On February 16, 1981, Arne called out sick from work. He was having stomach issues and not feeling well. He joined Debbie at the dog groomer, the kennel, with his sister Wanda and Debbie’s 9-year old cousin.
Alan Bono took the group to lunch, and he started drinking quite heavily. He insisted that Arne and Debbie drink too. After lunch, the group went to a pet shop to get supplies, and then went back to the kennel. Arne went up to the apartment to lay down.
Judy Glatzel, David’s and Debbie’s mom, called Debbie and told her something was wrong and to get to her house immediately.
Alan Bono was at the kennel and was still drinking. Debbie couldn’t leave work right away but assured she would take everyone over for dinner. But Bono wanted the group to stay for dinner.
Here’s where details get fuzzy. So Debbie took Mary and Wanda to get pizza, but she said she would be back quickly. It seemed that Debbie was sensing that something wasn’t right. When the girls got back from pizza, Bono was completely drunk and intoxicated at this point. Debbie wanted Bono to pass out in his apartment, so they set up the pizza in his kitchen.
The Murder Happened Outside
As Arne, Debbie, and the rest of the crew were getting ready to eat, Bono had become belligerent. The group was trying to leave and Bono wouldn’t let them leave. Debbie told everyone to leave the room.
But Bono was able to grab Mary and wouldn’t let her go. Arne ran into the room and told Bono to let Mary go. Mary gets away and runs to the car. At this point, this debacle had made its way outside of the kennel.
It was reported that Arne had two voices coming out of him, and at this point, he was no longer Arne. Wanda is trying to pull Arne away from Bono as Debbie is standing in the middle to try to mitigate the situation.
Arne gets out a 5-inch pocket knife and stabs Alan Bono in the chest. Bono died a few hours later in the hospital. Arne managed to get away and was found about two miles away. Supposedly, Debbie and Wanda didn’t actually see Arne stab Bono.
Lorraine Contacted the Police the Day After the Murder
This was the first murder to happen in Brookfield, Connecticut. So, the day after the murder, Lorraine Warren contacts the police and tells them that this isn’t Arne’s fault.
She said that Arne was possessed at the time he committed the murder. The Warrens also fueled the media frenzy that surrounded this case. Even the agents for the Warrens promised movie deals, books, and interviews would soon follow. Basically, it became a media circus, thanks to the Warrens.
Arne’s Lawyer Wasn’t Allowed to Use the Demon Defense
The trial started October 28, 1981. Arne’s lawyer, Martin Minnella, decided to run with this possession idea. Minnella was getting calls from all over the world about this case.
He even went to England to talk to two lawyers who had similar cases, even though they didn’t go to trial. He also wanted to fly in exorcism specialists and even subpoena the priests who oversaw David’s exorcism. Arne entered a plea of not guilty by reason of demonic possession.
The judge, Robert Callaham, rejected Arne’s plea and defense, so his possession could not even be a factor in this trial. Callahan said that there’s no way that this defense could even be used because there’s no way to scientifically prove it and there was no evidence to support it. So, Minnella decided to say that Arne acted in self-defense.
The jury deliberated over three days for 15 hours, and Arne was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter on November 24, 1981. He was sentenced to 10-20 years in prison. Arne got himself out of prison thanks to his good behavior and being a model prisoner. He got his GED, took college classes, and he took the time to get his life together. Arne married Debbie in 1984, and they remained married until her recent death from cancer.
But he only served five years. So, what happened to the demon that was possessing Arne?
The Demon Continued to Haunt Arne & David After
In Gerald Brittle’s book, “The Devil in Connecticut” he said that the Diocese in Canada intervened and did a proper exorcism on Arne. I guess the priests that oversaw David’s exorcism didn’t do a thorough job. According to Brittle, the demon still haunted David and Arne. He alleges that the demon haunted Arne while he was in prison.
There Was a Lawsuit Years Later
When “The Devil in Connecticut” was republished in 2006, David Glatzel and his brother Carl, Jr. sued Brittle and the publishers for invasion of privacy, libel, and “intentional afflictions of emotional distress.”
Carl claims that David was mentally ill at the time. Also, David’s father, Carl, Sr. claimed that he never said his son was possessed. Psychiatrists looking at David’s case at the time also said he wasn’t possessed, but instead, had a learning disability.
He also said that Ed and Lorraine Warren made up the story to exploit his family and profit from their pain and suffering. Here’s what’s really messed up, if it’s true. Carl also claims that the Warrens told the family that if they went along with this, they would make a ton of money.
Lorraine stuck to her story and said that she, Ed, and six other priests agree that David was possessed. However, while the Diocese of Connecticut confirmed they were helping David through a difficult time, they did not confirm any exorcisms or anything about possession.
Carl said that the media circus, the books, the made-for-TV movie forced him to drop out of school, he lost friends and business opportunities. The book, “The Devil in Connecticut” also made him look like the bad guy. Gerald Brittle claims that he wrote the book because the family wanted the story told and was based on claims made by the Warrens. To this day, Carl claims the whole thing was a hoax.
Moving Forward
Arne Cheyenne Johnson on “A Haunting”, Episode: “Where Demons Dwell”
According to a few different sources, Debbie Glatzel was involved with the filming of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It before her recent death. Arne and Debbie had other media opportunities after the court case. A made-for-TV movie called, “The Demon Murder Case”, starred Kevin Bacon as Arne. As mentioned earlier, the couple was also featured on an episode of “A Haunting” in the episode, “Where Demons Dwell.”
To put it bluntly, this is an incredible story with lots of layers.
Since acquiring Madison, I get hit with this question on a daily basis. It’s safe to say that 80% of my inboxes are asking me this question; how does one buy a haunted doll? First, I want to add a disclaimer and mention that I don’t really recommend that you buy a haunted doll. This is because if you decide to move forward with the decision, and you end up having a negative experience, I don’t want you to come back to me and say I gave you bad advice. So, no…don’t buy a haunted doll.
But if you’re insistent, I want to present to you some important tips that will make your haunted doll purchase smooth and pleasant. These are tips I’ve made up for myself as I go through the process of purchasing my second haunted doll. I also picked the brains of my friends who own multiple haunted items (and bought them intentionally).
1. Ask Yourself Why
The first thing you need to ask yourself is why you want to get a haunted doll in the first place. Is it for experimentation? Is it for research? Do you want to be entertained? Are you looking to get scared? Are you trying to get more likes and views on social media? Considering that you’re inviting someone or something in to live with you in your space, you need to work out exactly why you want to buy a haunted doll. Really look deep inside you and ask yourself if you’re ready to take on this responsibility.
2. Talk to the People You Live With
If you don’t live alone, you should talk to the people you live with before you purchase your haunted doll. Consider the fact that everyone in your household might be affected by this purchase, and you want to make sure that everyone in comfortable. You don’t want your mom, your roommate, or your significant other to be fearful of their space, even if the doll is haunted by a friendly spirit.
3. Look at Places Where You Buy Used Things
I found Madison on eBay. But I know other people have had success looking at flea markets, garage sales, Poshmark, estate sales, and even Facebook Marketplace. I have a friend who found her haunted doll from Goodwill. To be fair, she wasn’t looking for a haunted doll. She likes to collect vintage things and is well aware that some of these objects might have some attachments. I don’t know how often people are using Craigslist these days, but it might be worth looking into. Anywhere you can find used things is a good place to start.
4. Read the Description & Ask Questions
Approach buying a haunted doll the same way you would vet a new roommate or a potential date. I know it sounds weird, but buying a haunted doll is no different from online dating. You’re looking for someone that you will get along with, and you have similar interests. Or, if you’re looking for a haunted doll that’s the complete opposite of your personality, you will want to look at the description. You’ll want to look for buzzwords like, “positive spirit” or “negative spirit” or “negative entity.” Depending on what kind of haunting you’re looking for, you’ll find it in the description. Also, ask questions to the seller and ask why they think the doll is haunted, how they know it’s haunted, etc.
5. Take Notes & Record
From the moment you decide to buy your haunted doll, start taking notes as soon as you click on “Checkout.” If you want, buy a notebook just for your haunted doll adventure. Make notes on the type of activity is in the description. From the moment your doll arrives, take notes on its condition, what it looks like, feelings you get from looking at it, and any predictions you might have about the doll.
6. Buyer Beware
It’s important to note that you might end up buying a haunted doll that actually isn’t haunted. Most haunted dolls, especially ones on eBay and online, are meant to be entertaining. You definitely have to exercise caution and be willing to take the financial risk when making your purchase. Since we can’t prove the existence of ghosts in the court of law, you’ll have a hard time taking a seller to court because they didn’t sell you a truly haunted doll. If you can’t afford the financial risk, don’t buy it.
7. Cleanse & Bless Your Space
This is especially important if you already have resident ghosts in your home. It might not be a bad idea to talk to them and let them know that a new spook is joining the household. But also, you want to make sure that your space is clear and clean before bringing in another spirit. You never know what’s already around and how your haunted doll is going to react to it.
8. Open Gently, Introduce Yourself, & Set Boundaries
Regardless of whether or not your doll is haunted, you want to set boundaries as soon as your doll arrives. When the package arrives at your door, be gentle when opening the box. Take special care in unwrapping your doll. You want to be respectful from the moment your doll is dropped off by the delivery person. Once your doll is completely unwrapped, introduce yourself. Also introduce your doll to everyone in your home, including pets. Most importantly, set boundaries. If your pets and kids are off-limits, set that boundary immediately.
9. Get Second Opinions
It’s not uncommon for people to loan their haunted doll to their friends and fellow paranormal investigators. Creators like Amanda from Pretty F’n Spooky and Cherise Williams did an experiment with a haunted doll where they sent it to each other and tried different experiments. It was really fascinating to watch. As you work with your haunted doll, consider loaning your doll to fellow researchers, mediums, etc., and see what kind of data they collect.
10. Do Your Research
This probably needs to go higher up on the list, but definitely do your research. Look into the seller, read their reviews, and see what kind of quality of products they have. Use what information you have and try to find the person that is haunting your doll. See if you can find a way to track down previous owners. It would be nice to build some sort of database. For example, have a single site and assign numbers to haunted dolls to log information so that there can be a place for people to input and read notes. Maybe someday we can make that happen.
11. Have Fun
Ultimately, you want to have a positive experience with your doll. You want to have fun and not be in a constant state of panic and fear. Once owning a haunted doll becomes a negative experience, you need to get rid of it. But don’t lie about the nature of the doll just to take it off your hands. Even if the next owner thinks you’re crazy, tell them the back story. Having a haunted doll should be a fun experience, if not a collaborative one.
Do you own a haunted doll? Do you want to buy a haunted doll? Share your tips and tricks in the comments!
In March 2020, I was participating in an online meetup by my team, Association of Paranormal Study. We were chatting with Dr. Ann Winsper and Dr. Rachael Ironside, two well-respected female academics in the paranormal and parapsychology field. Towards the end of the conversation, it was brought up that people use ghost hunting to process trauma. My mind went absolutely wild.
Whether we like it or not, trauma is the norm of our world. It’s not a new thing either. For thousands of years, mankind has been through some sort of trauma. Examples include war, famine, slavery, abuse, just to name a few. This is a constant occurrence in the existence of man, and it’s not stopping anytime soon. If anything, modern society is bringing about new forms of trauma every day.
That trauma is what echoes from the past into the future. Those are the echoes that modern day paranormal investigators are trying to communicate with. When we look at the common definitions of “spirits” and “ghosts”, they can be related back to processing trauma. Earthbound spirits normally have some sort of unfinished business.
What is Unfinished Business?
The term “unfinished business” is fairly vague. It’s a very general blanket statement describing something that person cannot let go of. I suppose that could include leaving the stovetop on (I wonder that everytime I go out) to getting revenge on someone who hurt that person. That hurt could be anything from a failed business translation, assault, or asking for forgiveness. “Unfinished business” is an extremely general term that we often don’t talk about enough in the paranormal world. Asking general questions in the dark and speculating what that unfinished business is isn’t enough.
But it’s not only the spirits who have unfinished business. This is something that the living has as well. How often do paranormal investigators have an experience and want to keep ghost hunting to “search for the truth” and find the answers to the afterlife? Boom. Most of us have unfinished business based on that alone, and we’re processing our own form of trauma from that spooky experience.
Grieving Through Ghost Hunting
For me personally, while I had spooky experiences as a child, I also struggle with the idea of death. I lost the majority of my core family members before I turned 30. Even then, I lose two major parental figures before I was 15 years old.
I struggle with the idea of our consciousness not surviving after death. While most people gravitate towards religion and the idea of heaven to alleviate those fears, I chose ghost hunting. I go on paranormal investigations to get some sort of sliver of proof that after-death consciousness survival is real. Even if I can’t prove it scientifically, if I can get personal validation, I’ll be happy.
But even with the experiences I’ve had, I question myself. Was I hallucinated? Or was it a case of self-fulfilling prophecy and I created the experience for myself? By paranormal investigating, I’m processing my own grief of losing my grandparents and my mother. So, for me, ghost hunting is my way of grieving.
Fear of the Unknown
This might explain why paranormal investigators get so rattled when something does physically manifest before us. In the paranormal community, I’ve noticed that there is an obsession with control. Meaning the investigator or the ghost hunter has to be in control of everything. We want to investigate the paranormal, but only on our own terms based on our own comfort level.
This is definitely a valid need because we don’t want things to happen to us outside of our boundaries. We don’t want our consent to be violated by having the spirits do more than what we are comfortable with. So, while paranormal investigators and ghost hunters want to experience and process certain chapters of history, we only want to experience on our terms and what we are the most comfortable with.
Dealing with Sins of the Past
There are a lot of elements in history that make us uncomfortable; slavery, child labor, abuse from leaders, etc. While modern-day paranormal investigators are far enough removed to not deal with a lot of these traumas first-hand, perhaps it still brings about negative feelings.
For example, many Americans are still just learning about the internment of Japanese-Americans, and it makes them uncomfortable. Some have even tried to justify it, even though they think the Holocaust was inexcusable. Then, I get messages from hopeful investigators asking me how to do a ghost hunt at an internment camp.
While the situation above is directly related to an awful time on the dawn of the mid-20th century, it’s not all that different from wanting to investigate sites of mass bloodshed, like battlefields. Ghost hunters are also clamoring to get to places like Waverly Hills Sanatorium, St. Albans Sanatorium, and Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. The fact that places like asylums and sanatoriums grossly mistreated their patients and even wrongfully held perfectly healthy people captive for the sake of “medicine” is unsettling.
It’s hard to think that our country, our parents, their friends, and our government may have participated in atrocities that harmed another group of people. Or worse, completely erase a culture.
Facing Our Own Trauma
We might also be affected by some form of trauma or illness and trying to find some meaning behind it in the paranormal world. This may result in researching cases where people have had more paranormal experiences after a car accident or having a near-death experience during surgery. One could argue that someone’s psychic abilities awakening after a traumatic experience could be a form of processing.
Even in poltergeist cases, which stem from extreme emotional distress, it’s a form of processing trauma. In this case, the process is working from the outside in.
Coping in Person
Paranormal investigating gives people the unique opportunity to be “in the room where it happened”, to quote Hamilton. We can go to the Lizzie Borden House and stand in the rooms where Andrew and Abby Borden were hacked to death with a hatchet. We can stand on the battlefields of Gettysburg and picture the men running and shooting and cannons firing in our heads while feeling the gentle breeze.
Battlefields are popular places to investigate. It also gives ghost hunters and investigators to look at these places in person and really get a sense of the massive amount of death that took place. We can see the actual place where these people once lived. Granted, anyone can do this by visiting historic sites, reading the information boards, listening to the audio tour, etc.
But paranormal investigating and ghost hunting takes it an extra step by making us believe we are talking to the people of that time period. Meaning, we are talking to the owners of the house, we’re talking to the murder victims, we’re talking to former patients of the asylum.
Choosing What to Deal With
Ghost hunting also gives people a specific choice in what kind of trauma and tragedy they want to deal with. For example, there is a lot of queer history with haunted prisons and mental asylums. Until 1976, sodomy was considered a felony in the United States. This means that locations like Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum imprisoned homosexual men for being who they are. And yet, this is a chapter in paranormal media and history that is often ignored completely.
But as paranormal investigators, we have a certain level of privilege to completely ignore that chapter in TALA’s history and only choose to acknowledge what makes us comfortable. It’s not like these ghosts have manifested in reality and made us look at them and acknowledge their existence. Well, most of the time. However, this makes many people uncomfortable. So, while ghost hunting is used to process trauma, it gives the person a safe space to decide what kind of trauma they want to process. That is until a spirit makes itself known outside the box of comfort.
How to Move Forward
Now that we’ve talked about this, what do you think of this? Do you believe that we’re using ghost hunting to process trauma? It could mean different things like grieving, making sense with a problematic history, or trying to process a scary expeirence.
This can also explain why some people take it so personally when you debunk their photos, videos, and overall experiences. While you may be debunking their data, they take it personally because they see you invalidating their grief, trauma, etc. They also see validation in television and other paranormal media. It seems that as time passes, most of these people are able to remove their emotions from the situation and look at it more objectively without personal attachment.
With this in mind, there is something much deeper to the paranormal than just “looking for ghosts.”
I’m thrilled to announce that The Spooky Stuff won “Best Blogger” in the 2021 Paranormal Awards! This is a voting-based award system that had quite the competition. My fellow nominees were Jon Dougherty and Phillip C. Wyatt, but amazing men in the paranormal field!
Lady Gaga is one of the most influential artists in the world. Could it be possible that her success has impacted not only the world of the living but also the world of the dead? During her Monster Ball tour in 2010, it seems that Lady Gaga got a lot more than she bargained for…a ghost! I have to mention a disclaimer; this is based on rumors and speculation from various news sources. I’d love to verify this story with Lady Gaga herself
Here’s a story that I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know about. I’m a huge Lady Gaga fan, her music is so inspiring to me and I think she’s just fabulous. And yet, I don’t know how this story went under the radar. I’m a ghost person, there’s no excuse for me to have missed this. I know my fellow diehard Lady Gaga fans already know about the story (since they told it to me).
But if you’re someone who doesn’t follow celebrity news, then this will be brand new information for you! Some of you may be thinking: Why should we explore celebrity paranormal experiences? Why not? They’re people just like us. Except for fame and fortune.
But given that us normal, poor people have paranormal experiences every day, it shouldn’t be a shock that celebrities have these experiences too. So let’s dive into Lady Gaga’s paranormal experience.
As always, here’s the video version of this blog for your viewing pleasure.
The Monster Ball Tour
In 2009, Lady Gaga went on the Monster Ball tour. The tour started in November 2009 and it went all over the world. So, the story goes that Lady Gaga had a ghost that she couldn’t get rid of. There’s no info on when this haunting started.
People who worked with Lady Gaga on the tour said that she believed that this spirit’s name was Ryan. It was also reported that while Lady Gaga was scared of the spirit. But he hadn’t done anything “too freaky” or “violent” according to the Daily Star. Apparently, he was more “annoying” than anything, and he wouldn’t leave Lady Gaga alone.
Sounds like Ryan was a fan.
He had traveled halfway around the world with Lady Gaga. Rumor has it that Lady Gaga had every venue and hotel room scanned by paranormal investigators to see if there was paranormal activity. By the time the tour hit Belfast, Lady Gaga had enough.
The Séance
The tour started on November 27, 2009, and the Belfast date was February 22, 2010. So somewhere between November 2009 and February 2010, Lady Gaga picked up this spirit.
She contacted a local medium and she and her crew assembled and apparently they had some sort of séance. During this séance, Lady Gaga confronted Ryan and told him once and for all to “Go away.” Again, according to rumors, Ryan’s spirit was never seen nor heard from again.
Look at Mama Monster setting those boundaries.
Gaga’s Ghost Gear
Liverpool and London were the stops after Belfast. Which would have been after Lady Gaga told Ryan to go away. According to the Mirror, when Lady Gaga arrived in London, she reportedly spent $4500 on paranormal investigation gear. This number doesn’t shock me because ghost hunting gear is expensive.
Apparently, she bought the kit before her London tour stop at the O2 Arena. So someone from Lady Gaga’s crew contacted someone named Dan Webb to get the gear. She was freaked about bad energy and evil spirits. So she wanted to do a whole sweep of the backstage area of the O2 arena. According to Dan Webb, Lady Gaga’s aide told him that the equipment had to be robust. Mainly because they were taking it on the road with them.
Again, the reporting sources themselves are that accurate. Now, the paranormal world is really small, or at least it is on Facebook. I couldn’t find a Dan Webb, but I found a Dave Webb in Belfast, Ireland. That would actually make more sense based on the timeline.
Or, maybe Lady Gaga wasn’t feeling super confident after the séance and just wanted to keep her spiritual space in check?
How I Would’ve Helped
If Lady Gaga was my client and she was asking me for help, I would do a few things. I would ask her what kind of activity has happened to make her think this was a spirit. Why was it not something more explainable?
I would also ask her if there was anything significant about her tour stops or wherever she picked up Ryan. I’d also ask where the name Ryan came from.
While it’s not a bad idea to have local teams investigating your hotel and venues beforehand, unless they were working super fast, it’s unlikely they would be able to come to some sort of conclusion about the spiritual makeup of the place. Also, I think I would focus on giving Lady Gaga the tools she needed to cleanse her space, ground, and shield herself.
Like, she didn’t need a séance to tell the ghost to go away. She didn’t even need to hire a medium. You can set those boundaries without those extra steps. While I’m impressed that Lady Gaga bought a ghost hunting kit and electro-magnetic field detection tools, that could do more harm than good.
Like, if Ryan was truly gone, using those tools to still look for spirits could be a way to invite unwanted visitors in. I’ve compared to having a huge lit-up sign above you that says to spirits, “Hey, I’m looking for you.” Some spirits may interpret that as an invitation to communicate.
Another Explanation
Also, if you’re using K2 or EMF meters around the backstage area of an arena…there’s so much electricity in these places, of course a K2 meter would go off.
Thus, making Lady Gaga believes she’s haunted when really, there’s just a lot of electricity. Also, EMF poisoning is a real thing. If you’re exposed to too much electromagnetic field, you can start experiencing hallucinations that can make you think you’re haunted.
From a psychological standpoint, continuing to check for paranormal activity isn’t healthy and can cause someone to continue believing they’re haunted when they really might not be.
I’ve really been diving into the world of celebrities who have had paranormal experiences. It started with my 12 Haunted Celebrities video and it has snowballed from there. One of the most well-known and talked about celebrities right now is Johnny Depp. He has been having quite a hard time with life right now between his court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard and losing work.
With all of the spooky movies Johnny Depp has done, I couldn’t help but wonder if he had ever had any paranormal experiences. Turns out, he has. In fact, it seems he’s done a little ghost hunting. Who wants to go ghost hunting with Johnny Depp?
So, I’m going to talk about Johnny Depp’s disturbing paranormal experience and what he did about it. If you’re not up for reading, here’s the video.
A Lifetime of Encounters
As I was researching Johnny Depp’s paranormal experiences, I found this article that appeared in a 1995 issue of Premiere Magazine. The first sentence said, “Johnny Depp believes in ghosts.”
What I found really striking is that while he was filming the 1995 movie, “Dead Man”, he was staying at the Mackay Mansion in Virginia City, Nevada. Virginia City is known for being extremely haunted. “Ghost Adventures” has been there a few times and it’s a favorite hot spot for paranormal investigators.
The Mackay Mansion was built in 1860 and has seen a lot of major historical events in its lifetime. While Johnny Depp was staying at the Mansion, he was haunted by a little girl who was wearing a silk dress with a powder blush sash. He would often hear her playing in the room across from his as he was trying to sleep. That particular room had a bunch of dolls in it, so it’s no wonder a little girl liked playing in it.
Amateur Ghost Hunting
During the PREMIERE interview, Depp was talking to a local man named Tito who told him that the entire town of Virginia City is haunted. So Depp and his friend Buck went looking for the ghost of the little girl in the Mackay Mansion. Thus, making Johnny Depp a ghost hunter.
Unfortunately, it was a quiet paranormal investigation though. What I found interesting was that Depp said “They’re not used to people looking for them.” Keep in mind that this was before paranormal TV and ghost hunting being mainstream.
I have to wonder if Johnny Depp is sensitive to spirits. Also, from what I read in the interview, Depp was taking on more of a provoking approach and telling the spirits, “Come on out you bastards.” Yeah, he could use some ghost hunting tips and tricks.
In this same interview, Depp describes an event that sounds a lot like sleep paralysis. He would get these dreams, but he wasn’t sleeping, and wasn’t able to move or speak. He would see this face that would come to him. And he believes it was a spirit.
Blessings from a Ghost
These weren’t his only paranormal experiences. While filming the 2009 movie, “Public Enemies”, Johnny Depp played John Dillinger, a famous bank robber. Keep in mind Depp played Dillinger in the movie. Depp felt like the spirit of the Dillinger was watching over him.
He described that while he was filming, he felt these moments were he felt Dillinger’s presence in the room. Considering that Depp had to do considerable research and step into Dillinger’s shoes, it’s quite possible that maybe he caught the gangster’s attention. Depp did say that he felt like he got Dillinger’s approval to play him, which is always reassuring.
Again, I think Johnny Depp might be sensitive to spirits. But that’s just me. As I go through these stories of celebrity hauntings, I have to wonder. I have a theory that actors are more sensitive to the supernatural.
Are Creative People More Sensitive?
The American Society for Psychical Research, also known as ASPR, did a parapsychology study on Julliard students back in the day using the Ganzfeld experiment. Basically, it’s a sender-receiver experiment.
One person is wearing white goggles while looking at a red light, and white noise is playing in their ears. They’re the receiver.
The other person is sending images, words, sounds, etc. with their minds. They’re the sender. ASPR found that it seems that those who are artistically gifted were able to detect what was being sent.
Again, truly fascinating.
Actors Are Shamans?
There’s another theory by Brian Bates that says that actors are like modern-day shamans in that they are bridges between the physical and spiritual world. Nicolas Cage is on board with this theory too by the way.
After reading these interviews and getting to know Johnny Depp’s spooky side, it seems that he is very aware of spirits. Not only that, but he also communicates with spirits. It seems that he has always had this awareness of the afterlife, and it made itself known to him before he was even famous.
I would be interested in seeing if he comes forward with his spiritual beliefs more as time progresses.
I’ve covered Haunted Hollywood a few times. I’ve talked about the Roosevelt Hotel and I’ve discussed celebrities who live in haunted houses. And more recently, more LA-related, I’ve talked about the Cecil Hotel.
I know Britney Spears has been very much at the forefront of the news lately because she is in an awful situation. She’s trying to break free from her dad as her conservator. Thus, the #FreeBritney movement.
As I was diving into the Britney rabbit hole, I found a really interesting and yet, disturbing story. Britney lived in a haunted house. Then later, Brittany Murphy lived there, and that was where she collapsed and later died.
Seriously, this story is TRULY crazy that it even has THIS skeptical believer scratching her head.
Before I dive into this, disclaimer: I’m not saying that any paranormal phenomenon is an explanation for mental illness and such.
Don’t feel like reading? Watch the video!
Britney’s Trauma
The podcast, “We Need to Talk About Britney”, did an interview with Britney’s makeup artist, Julianne Kaye. She worked with Britney from 1999-2004, which, without a doubt, we can agree was her most iconic period. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake shared this home together.
Julianne talked about how Britney had this house on Sunset Plaza and she described it as really weird. After some partying, Britney needed to relax. Julianne had her friend come up to the house to do a reiki healing session on Britney. She swears that this reiki healer opened some sort of spirit portal or did something.
She believed that a few bad spirits had come through the portal, specifically a male and female spirit. Julianne explains that Britney said that the spirits were fighting and that they tried to push her down the stairs. The paranormal activity ended up getting so bad that Britney left.
Here’s a direct quote from Julianne:
“It was so bad that she left, she went to the Casa Del Mar hotel to stay there and never went back to the house again. She goes, ‘I know you’re gonna think I’m crazy, I’m not crazy, I know what I saw, I know what I felt,’ blah blah blah. And I was like, no, I believe in that s**t, too, so it didn’t really weird me out that much. But she was very persistent about it and she put her house on the market.”
What happened after is where this gets truly bizarre. Britney puts the house on the market, and guess who buys it? None other than Brittany Murphy.
A Mysterious Death
As we know Brittany Murphy ended up dying in this house after she collapsed in the bathroom just one year later. Her death is seriously mysterious and could have been caused by a number of things like anemia, pneumonia, prescription drugs, and other pills. I need to make it clear that Brittany Murphy did not die in the house. She collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
Then her husband, Simon Monjack, died in the house just five months later. It’s confirmed that he did die in the house, as that was how he was found. I haven’t been able to find exactly where he was found.
Brittany Murphy’s mother filed a lawsuit saying that the couple died of toxic black mold. But lab reports also said that Murphy had an abnormally high amount of heavy metals in her system, which is also weird.
Fleeing the House
What I also found really chilling was the fact that Murphy also wanted to flee the house. Before his death, Simon Monjack said that Brittany would sometimes beg to not sleep in the house that night and go to the Beverly Hills Hotel instead. Also, the only room in that house that Murphy liked was the bathroom. And that was the room she was found. Maybe Brittany Murphy also had similar experiences as Britney Spears?
It’s also weird that Spears thought there was a young male and female spirit in the house. And later, Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack, a young couple, died in that house.
Maybe the house was cursed? I’ll admit, I don’t have any sort of psychic abilities. But even I get weird vibes looking at this house. What is also interesting is that the New York Post reported that since Brittney Murphy and Simon Monjack died, the house has been listed for sale 10 different times.
Theories & Questions
From what I am understanding, the original house where Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack died had been torn down and rebuilt. If this is the case, it means that the paranormal activity taking place there isn’t tied to the house, it’s tied to the land.
Finally, I don’t know if Britney Spears had some sort of psychic abilities. But, what if the male and female spirits that she said were haunting the house were actually the spirits of Brittany and Simon? Meaning, Britney was experiencing and seeing the events of the future.
An awesome paranormal researcher named John E.L. Tenney was also on the “We Need to Talk About Britney” podcast and he thinks that the spirits Spears encountered were Murphy and Monjack as well. Being haunted by ghosts from the future is a popular theory. This goes into the whole theory that time isn’t linear as well.
This may be the weirdest thing to say as a paranormal investigator. But, not all places need to be investigated. Some places are sacred and should just stay that way.
During my interview with Vanessa Hogle for The Spooky Stuff podcast, talking about her newest book Ghosts Abroad Ireland, she made several excellent points. A few of those points inspired this week’s blog. Vanessa and I were talking about traveling around the world and getting outside of our own box. We also discussed when it’s time to investigate, and when to step aside.
Know When to Investigate, Know When to Remember
I know this idea could be applied to every haunted location. It seems the older a place is, the more “okay” it is to investigate. Even in the United States, we have locations that paranormal investigators avoid. For example, the Freedom Tower in New York City and the location of the Twin Towers. Same deal for the location of the Oklahoma City Bombing. The list goes on. Given that these events happened in the past 30 years, it’s still fresh in the hearts and minds of most of us.
And yet, it seems time may eventually make investigating these locations okay. Or, if the event wasn’t something that affected us personally or something we didn’t experience, then it’s fair game.
Think about it, in most traditional paranormal investigations, we say something to the effect of, “Prove to us that you’re here by knocking on the wall.” This isn’t the place for that. We know these children existed. We know they lost their lives. It’s disrespectful of us to even challenge their existence. Some places should just be acknowledged and remembered for what they were. If it doesn’t feel right investigating a location, then it probably isn’t right and should be avoided. Also, consider how someone closely connected to that event may feel if you investigated that location.
Expanding Our Horizons
I think we all know by now that there are no two hauntings that are identical. So why do we approach paranormal investigations the same way no matter where we go? It seems that we tend to look at historical locations and think the same thing; they’re must be ghosts. Not only that, but it seems we put these ghosts in a box and we expect them to act and respond in a certain way.
Do these spirits respond as expected? Sure. But we can take it even further. We can expand our horizons and focus more on the individuality of each spirit. Take into account where the spirit is from culturally, and hone in on their context.
Regionally Different Hauntings
Vanessa mentioned that hauntings are different around the world. No two countries will have the exact same type of circumstances. Of course, every country has had its share of war, famine, trauma, etc. But each country’s context is going to be different. Paranormal activity is regional. The way spirits act in Ireland will be completely different than how a spirit acts in England.
This makes sense because, well, let’s just look at the living. We all act differently around the world and that’s heavily influenced by our culture. A person from Ireland will act completely different from someone who is from France. Of course, we all have awareness of these differences in the living and we’ll make adjustments from there. It’s the same for spirits.
Spirits will act differently not only based on where they’re from but also based on their time period. This is why I appreciate and highly recommend John Sabol’s Ghost Excavation method. He takes this concept and goes even further with it by completely diving into the context of spirit.
Understanding Their Circumstances
I truly believe (and recommend) that every paranormal investigator takes a class on cross-cultural anthropology. Not only will this help us better understand the people around us, but it will help with historical context. We don’t want to look at other people’s cultures only through our own eyes. Instead, we want to see their culture through their eyes. There’s a major difference between being a spectator and being a participant.
Finally, empathy comes into play here. I don’t think a paranormal investigator is truly a successful paranormal investigator unless they are empathetic. Having the ability to share and understand the feelings of someone else is an invaluable skill to have. You can still be balanced as an investigator, even if you’re more scientifically minded. Empathy could be the key to truly unlocking the mysteries of the supernatural.
