Sucker for a Ghost Story

Last night I watched an episode of Ghost Hunters on my DVR. I haven't watched the show since the horrible 2008 Halloween live episode, in which the investigators appeared incompetant, unprofessional, and frauds. But I had heard that they were going to the aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia to investigate a haunting surrounding a travelling Titanic exhibit. According to the exhibit curators, all sorts of creepy stuff - cold spots, unseen hands pushing people around, and full body apparitions - are experienced.

So yes, I devoted 30 minutes (the investigation only took up half the show) of my life to see what they would find.

The answer? Not much. Oh, sure there were the usual experiences, such has "Hey! Someone just grabbed my arm!" or "Did you fall?" "No, someone pushed me!" but nothing that could be scientifically proven. They picked up one EVP, that seemed to say something like, "No. Wait. Please stay." But again, after the Halloween fiasco, I can't accept that as evidence. For all I know, the sound guy (they travel with a full crew, as audiences discovered) could have done that up on a mixing board.

Still, it would have made for a creepy fun time, if it were true.

I also checked out the movie The Haunting in Connecticut, which is supposedly based on a true story. I say supposedly because it's brought to us by the same investigative team - Ed and Lorraine Warren - who were the first ones to take a look at the famous Amityville Horror house. If you recall, that story, after making a small fortune for the owners of the house through book and movie deals, was proven to be absolutely false. This time around, the Warrens brought their grandson and nephew and announced that they were "psychic researchers."

And like their previous investigation in Amityville, this story has been shown to be completely false. Apparently the only "true" part in the "based on a true story" is that the family bought a house that used to be a funeral home. That's it. Everything else is Hollywood. Which is a shame, because the film looks like it would be a great ghost story in its own right, without the "based on a true story" hook. And I wouldn't feel like an idiot after thinking, "Really? I'm not being fooled for the umpteenth time?"

Because just for once, I'd love to visit a authentic haunted location and witness an actual haunting. Yeah, I'm that much of a sucker for a ghost story.