Electronic voice phenomenon, or EVPs, offer some of the most intriguing evidence for ghosts. So which digital recorders are best for capturing EVPs? Here’s a brief guide to help paranormal investigators choose a quality device.
On Saturday, I attended my first paranormal investigation at a private home. It was the first investigation I’ve attended that wasn’t held at a pay-to-investigate historical site (like the May-Stringer House), so I was excited about the change in scenery and eager to see what the night would bring.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the homeowners were friendly and seemed perfectly credible. Two adults and two children live in the home, and they’ve been disturbed by things like crashing sounds in the kitchen and beds that shake at night. The homeowner said the crashes sounded like someone dropping a glass in the sink. The family has also seen white figures out of the corner of their eyes and heard indistinct voices and sloshing sounds, usually at night.
The family pets also behave strangely. The once indoor cats now spend nearly all of their time outside, and the family dog hides in the shower at night. The homeowner says she often finds him trembling in the morning.
The home is small, so our investigation only lasted an hour or two. Nothing dramatic happened that night, just a few random surges from an EMF meter and some rustling in the Venetian blinds. The group leader was standing directly in front of the blinds, but he swears he didn’t touch them.
Several of us brought along digital recorders, and I left mine in the children’s room. The recorder ran for about an hour, and the only odd noises I noticed are those embedded below. The sounds are very faint (oh so faint) and vaguely resemble a woman or child’s voice. Or maybe I’m just imagining things. To add some context, the group was gathered with a homeowner in a front room at the time of the recordings. The other homeowner was asleep in different room. In other words, the room with the recorder was empty (or supposed to be).
If you plan to listen, grab a pair of headphones, crank up the volume, and tell me what you think.
A “Hmmm” sound at about 0:04
Something at around 0:02 – 0:03.
Here are a few short ghost stories I’ve received from readers. Do any send a chill down your spine?
Princess Seraphina
“I’m pretty sure my daughter is ‘friends’ with St. Seraphina. She talks about her and Seraphina all the time and tells us that Seraphina is a princess. What an odd name for a four year old to randomly come up with. I didn’t know anything about Saint Seraphina until I Googled it. The only thing I came up with was Ben Affleck’s daughter’s name and this Saint. No cartoon characters generated on the web search. So where did she get the name? Also, she twirls around talking to “Princess Seraphina.” not kidding here. It’s uncanny.
Last night, I opened my master bedroom door and sitting in front of my daughter’s door (we have hardwood floors) was a crumpled up piece of paper – a receipt – that was spinning by itself on the ground. FAST. When I stepped forward, the paper abruptly stopped. When showing this spinning act to my wife, the paper wouldn’t spin at all. It’s almost like the floor was greased up. Just spinning. I understand that Saint Seraphina was a “spinner?” Before the spinning incident, my wife and I had a huge fight. It was almost like something was telling me to chill out. I’m not crazy, but this is a very true story.”
“In my town there used to be a huge mansion which was run down after they couldn’t sell it to anyone due to the price. It belonged to a famous toymaker in the early 20th century who wound up losing everything and dying in the same mansion.
The house had four stories full of bedrooms and bathrooms with many hidden rooms and closets. The basement, however, was really strange. It had a small jail cell complete with chains, a sink, and shackles chained to the wall. The basement was very long and I can’t imagine it being any cleaner than it was before. It also had a few rooms which seemed to have no use other than being spaces, although one did have a heater of some type.
With curiosity, however, comes trouble and I found myself inside the house videotaping my findings. Me and a friend walked through an unlocked door and went upstairs. As we made our way through the rooms, I remember going into the first room upstairs and saying ‘It’s really cold in here’ because it was spring and 50 degrees outside but in that one room it felt like 35. My friend walked inside and I asked him to come back downstairs to the front door.
We then left and later that night I checked out the footage. To my surprise and horror, right after I commented on the temperature, a voice can be heard yelling ‘Get out of the house!!’ We didn’t hear anything inside the house but viewing the tape it was as if someone was yelling from downstairs. Then after going downstairs, a slow classical song could be heard as I panned across the stairway. Unfortunately, the house was torn down in the winter of 2012 and only a giant field remains.”
