When Things Really Do Go Bump In The Night

You’re at home. Perhaps watching tv or at the computer. No one else is home. Then, suddenly you hear footsteps. The hair on the back of your neck stands up. You freeze and try to listen more. After a few seconds you write it off as “the wind” or you’re just hearing thing. An overactive imagination.

Chances are most people won’t give it a second thought. Bumps in the night or unexplained noises are so common place that anything from wind, rain, tree branches, creeks and cracks in homes are used to justify the unknown. But is there something to it? Could there be actual paranormal activity going on in your home and you don’t even know it?

Enter The Haunted Algoma Society Paranormal Investigators. This group of dedicated individuals made up of Tara Anderson, Slylvain Noel, Steven Farrell, Jennifer Denley, Jay McLean and Marie Bucholtz – take paranormal activity very seriously.

Saultonline.com had the opportunity to sit down with the group to find out just what the group can do and what encounters they have run into.

I know your job is to debunk and try to explain what’s going on but there must be things you can’t explain?

Steven Farrell:Yes all the time that’s what makes it worth doing I love seeing a face in a pic and knowing that there’s no way it’s anybody’s face around or getting an evp on a recorder that sends chills down your spine to me it’s exciting. In life there will always be stuff that will be unexplainable I might not have the answers to exactly what these things are but hopefully within are research we can shed some light on a subject that most turn there heads from.

What happened to you that got you so interested in the paranormal?

Steve Farrell: Ever since I was a kid there was always something unexplainable happening around me I remember my mom telling me of stuff that would happen like a toy going off that would stop as soon as she would walk into the room to find me up in the middle of the night talking to a grandma that pasted away before I was born. Nothing really changed after though all through growing up I have seen spirits or have heard voices so I guess it’s it’s just a part of me.

Sylvain Noel:The experiences I’ve had started when I was about 8 yrs old, till present. I have witnessed apparitions, shadows and objects being moved on their own without any explanations of what could of caused these events to happen. Since this life-changing encounter was the catalyst for my quest in gathering evidence from the “other-side” and proving that these phenomenon do exist in our world

Tara Anderson I’ve been interested in the paranormal since I was a little girl. I remember some nights laying in bed wide awake I would go to turn from my side on to my back and I couldn’t. It was like there was something behind me. My elbow would hit something solid. I would try several times and each time it was hitting something. It would freak me right out so I would yell for my mother and she would come but as soon as she reached the door whatever it was would disappear. She would tell me it was just the way my blankets were but they were always in a ball at the end of the bed or on the floor. I never had the guts to turn around and see what it was.

What’s the spookiest thing that you have heard or seen?

Jennifer Denley At one of the local cemeteries I wandered away from the group just a little and I got poked on my right side of my back, I looked behind me and no one was near me. The spookiest thing I ever heard was an evp we caught on a voice recorder. Jay asked what is your name and immediately a women answered “Andriann”. That evp is on our website.

The group meets up to determine whether or not to investigate. We start off by doing an EMF reading of the house or wherever to determine if there are any high electro magnetic fields. – Jay McLean

Why are people so fascinated in Haunting investigations?
Jay McLean:

I think people are fascinated because of the unknown, we can’t explain it. Most people have a deep seeded curiosity or even fear that they do not like to admit.

What is a typical investigation like? how long does it take? what equipment do you use? After an investigation what do you and your team do?

Jay McLean: Before any client investigation, we do an interview with them. They fill out our forms and give us as much info on the happenings. The group meets up to determine whether or not to investigate. We start off by doing an EMF reading of the house or wherever to determine if there are any high electro magnetic fields. High EMF itself can cause health issues such as headaches, nausea, hallucinations etc and even worse depending on length of exposure.We then set up our motion cameras in the areas of activity. We then take pictures with a full spectrum camera. Throughout the whole investigation we are taking regular still photos and have about 7 audio recorders set up throughout the house. Later on in the investigation we do a spirit box session. We always walk through asking questions in hope that one of the recorders gives us a “ghostly” answer. The whole investigation takes a few hours. We use EMF detectors, K2 meters, night vision cameras, regular still photo cameras, infrared video camera, even game cameras with various settings, all types of recording devices, spirit box.

Sylvain Noel: Being on a ghost hunt is a really interesting factor, (1) You never know what to expect when conducting a ghost hunt. (2) If any evidence comes up during the ghost hunt such as EVP’s, any anomalies caught on video, it tends to raise the hair on the back of your neck. Its an adrenalin rush for myself. Whenever I conduct a ghost hunt, I continuously advise the group members and other persons that nothing is to be expected from any ghost hunts. You can be days or even months before witnessing something or nothing.

What’s Your Roll On The Team?

Tara Anderson: My roll hmmm? Not one of us serve only one roll in the group. That’s what I love about our group is that we are all able to work together to achieve a goal. If one person isn’t able to do something at the time we are all able to shift to fill that hole.

Steve Farrell:My role I guess is much like the others we all help set up take pics do emf readings and such but when it comes to going into dark creepy places and stuff like that me and Jay are usually on are on.

Do you ever get scared on an investigation?

Jennifer Denley: No I don’t get scared…just once in awhile creeped out. If ever my gut feelings tells me to stay away Ill go sit in the car a bit and try again.

 

What is a Ghost?

Marie Bucholtz: honestly i don’t know for sure assumption is someone who doesn’t know I where to go or has unfinished business honestly I hate using that it’s such a blanket phrase but i think basically just people who need a hand.

What kind of activity have you personal experienced?

Marie Bucholtz: I personally have interacted with I guess you would say spirits. There were many times as a child and still now today I’ve spoken with and to family members who have passed. I used to go berry picking with my grandma when I was little, she passed when I was 4 yet I continued until I was 12. My gramp passed when I was 13 but continued to visit for years. With both my parents passed on they come to us all the time the signs they leave are very personal.

Do you think people experience paranormal activity and don’t realize it?

Sylvain Noel: Sure they can. If you have ever heard a mysterious bump in the night, footsteps when you know you are alone, or the unmistakable feeling you are being watched, you may have experienced paranormal activity.

So How Does This Work? What does the group do for people who may need your services?

Jay McLean: We always designate the following night to go through evidence. Listening to countless hours of audio, watching hours of video, looking at hundreds and hundreds of pictures. It is a very long (and painful, lol) process. Very overwhelming. We take any evidence that captures something ghostly related and put a package together for a client. Determining the amount of activity, if any, the group can rule a place as haunted but we all have to be in agreement, every single member. People can get a hold of us on our website haspi.ca or on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/700397610032160/Haunted Algoma Society of Paranormal investigators. We all have certain individual roles in the group. We never charge for our service but donations are welcomed.