Devil in the Delta (18 page)

Interviews

One of the most important things you can do when you arrive at a haunted location is to conduct interviews with the clients/inhabitants. Some choose to do this by phone or email prior to visiting, but for most this is a logical first step when you arrive at the actual haunted place. To this end, try to interview everyone who has experienced anything out of the ordinary—and, if possible, record your interviews using an audio recorder. (Be courteous and ask permission first!) And as you interview them, you will want to concentrate on a few different talking points.

First, make sure to get as much information as you can concerning the specific paranormal events. Where and when did they happen? What was the duration of the event? And so on. With enough information, you may be able to identify patterns concerning the activity, which, in turn, will direct you to the locations that have the highest probability of turning up evidence for you to capture. Other key questions to also ask include:

1. How would you describe the paranormal events you are experiencing?
   
2. Are you frightened by the events that are taking place?
   
3. Have you noticed any strange, but seemingly natural, problems recently? (Electrical, plumbing, etc.)
   
4. Do you believe in ghosts? Are you active in any church/religion?
   
5. What is the history of the location? (Concentrate on any traumatic events or deaths that may have taken place at the site.)
   
6. Are you currently taking any drugs, prescription or otherwise?
   
7. Have there been any recent traumatic events in the home?
   

This line of questioning should give you enough background information to determine what, exactly, is going on, what has happened there in the past, and where you can expect something to occur during your visit. After you have finished up your interviews, you will then want to perform a walkthrough of the location.

Walkthrough

Besides giving you the layout of the property, the walkthrough will also provide you with the technical information you need to conduct a good investigation. You also will be surprised how many more memories are jogged when you're actually walking through a place; some people experience a lot at certain haunted sites so it makes sense that they may not be able to remember all of it while sitting at the kitchen table for an interview!

As you perform your walkthrough, make a rudimentary map of the location and make notes of special areas. There are four types of areas you will want to note:

1. Hot spots. These are specific locations where something of a paranormal nature has taken place. Whether it's disembodied voices, a person that was touched, or even an apparition, you will want to particularly pay attention to these areas. As you mark these places on your map, you may want to assign an appropriate piece of equipment. (i.e., if the owner has often heard moans in the living room, consider placing an audio recorder there)
   
2. Off limits areas. These are locations that the owners/clients do not want you to intrude upon. Respect their wishes! There are usually have good reasons. If you go to a lot of hotels, restaurants, etc., you will encounter these spots quite often.
   
3. Trouble areas. These are places that may pose a unique challenge to your investigation. Examples of these are places where it may be dangerous to be at night (sharp corners, big steps, etc.), are close to an air conditioning unit (the noise may pollute your audio), or are even extremely bright because of outside light sources you cannot control (the use of some infrared equipment may be inadvisable).
   
4. Power sources. Since battery drainage is always a problem at investigations—sometimes because of paranormal interference, sometimes because they just went dead—it's always good to mark working power outlets. A lot of gear can be plugged into an electrical socket, and this should be taken advantage of whenever possible.
   

Besides logistics, the walkthrough can help you determine what is normal for the site. While you are making your way around the location and making notes on your map with the owner/client, you should have your other team members follow behind you to take base readings. Noting the average temperature and EMF (electromagnetic field) reading for each room will help you during the night to determine whether an encounter is natural or of a possible paranormal nature. This is also a great opportunity to inform the client of your intentions while you investigate. The more information they have concerning your methodologies, etc., the more at ease they will feel about having strangers there on their property.

You also can take some reference photos of each area as well; when you are back at home and performing a review of your evidence, it's sometimes helpful to be able to “see” the room once again. For instance, if you come across a photograph that seems to have a dark figure standing in a corner, you can go back to your reference photos to see if that entity was actually just a floor lamp!

Many of these pre-investigation techniques require nothing more than curiousity and careful observeration—tools that someone with even a casual interest in the paranormal can make use of during a public tour of a haunted location.

Learning the nuts and bolts of how to conduct an actual investigation and review the data collected is too detailed to cover in an excerpt. However, these tips should get you started thinking like a ghost hunter.

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