Why "lights out" on ghost shows?

OK, before anyone gets all over me about how all the shows on TV about ghost hunts are fake - I pretty much agree. I have not been convinced they are any more than tv shows and entertainment at best.

However, I notice that a lot of people still believe that some of these shows, namely "GhostHunters" are at least somewhat real. I do watch a few of them because I enjoy that. I also liked the VH1 version where they sent washed up actors into "haunted" places and then scared the crap out of them. I like entertainement.

So my question is for the people that believe any of the shows that employ this "lights out" tactic are real.

I want to believe that some of this stuff is real but I am still waiting.

The often go to a period where they shut down all the lights in the building before they begin hunting. I have seen this as a common practice on many of these shows. Now this really confuses me.

For one thing, they are exploring places where claims were made. How many of these claims were made by people who were stumbling around in the dark?

That aside - the thing that really gets me is the energy explanation.

They claim that batteries drain and air cools because ghosts need to or at least do absorb ambient energy in order to manifest. OK...so wouldn't having all the lights on give them more energy to drain from?

I can't answer all your questions, however, I can at least say that not all the shows are fake. We had one of the shows (I think it was Ghost Hunters) come in to my old workplace (USS Hornet, one of the more haunted places around) and if I remember the video correctly, they did get some footage, although I was not terribly impressed. I've seen much spookier stuff while working there, but the footage was real.

Lights out is real, you rarely see ghosts in the light. Sometimes you do if you spend enough time in a place, but if you're going for maximum ghosts in a fixed period of time, you want the lights out.

reply to post by evil incarnate


lights are out ,
so you dont see all the bs on the floor

The TAPS Ghost Hunters are a legitimate group, like one user said. I took a "haunted jail" tour in South Carolina with my family while vacationing there. Our tour guide was a sweet gal who had been giving the tours for a few years. I caught hundreds of orb / mist photos while walking through the jail. At the end of the tour, after everyone had left my family was still standing around studying the place (we're all avid believers). So I asked her if the tour company collected photos that guests had taken. She gave me a website to go to and submit them.

I started talking with her a bit about the place, asking if there were things not included in the tour that had happened. She had a lot of stories. Her and I ended up talking for another 40ish minutes (almost the length of the tour!) about non-tour experiences common to her and the other guides. Towards the end I asked her if any professionals had ever come to try catching anything, and she said TAPS had. And that they were pretty big jerks about it too.

I guess the tour company had to supply a guide/host for TAPS, and that the guide had to come in early and unlock the whole place, give them a tour, wait around while they set up, and then chill outside during the entire investigation. And the real kicker - TAPS said they didn't have to pay this guide because it was some kind of honor to have TAPS investigate your haunted place.

So, that's my TAPS story. They're a real group, but they're kind of a bunch of jerks I guess.



As for lights out, my guess is that it's easier for things to move and travel in the dark (like phantom noises) than it in the light. Same reason that our voices and natural noises travel louder and faster at night than during the day.

That's my thoughts.

~ Wandering Scribe

Originally posted by teamnick
I can't answer all your questions, however, I can at least say that not all the shows are fake. We had one of the shows (I think it was Ghost Hunters) come in to my old workplace (USS Hornet, one of the more haunted places around) and if I remember the video correctly, they did get some footage, although I was not terribly impressed. I've seen much spookier stuff while working there, but the footage was real.

I will have to take your word for that. I did like that show but I the more recent seasons make me wonder.

Lights out is real, you rarely see ghosts in the light.

How might you know that? Do you see lots of ghosts?

Sometimes you do if you spend enough time in a place, but if you're going for maximum ghosts in a fixed period of time, you want the lights out.

Again, my question is why. I understand you want lights out to see ghosts according to these shows. I am asking why. It contradicts all of the "scientific" things they claim about ghosts and environmental energy.

Originally posted by Wandering Scribe
The TAPS Ghost Hunters are a legitimate group, like one user said. I took a "haunted jail" tour in South Carolina with my family while vacationing there. Our tour guide was a sweet gal who had been giving the tours for a few years. I caught hundreds of orb / mist photos while walking through the jail. At the end of the tour, after everyone had left my family was still standing around studying the place (we're all avid believers). So I asked her if the tour company collected photos that guests had taken. She gave me a website to go to and submit them.

I started talking with her a bit about the place, asking if there were things not included in the tour that had happened. She had a lot of stories. Her and I ended up talking for another 40ish minutes (almost the length of the tour!) about non-tour experiences common to her and the other guides. Towards the end I asked her if any professionals had ever come to try catching anything, and she said TAPS had. And that they were pretty big jerks about it too.

I guess the tour company had to supply a guide/host for TAPS, and that the guide had to come in early and unlock the whole place, give them a tour, wait around while they set up, and then chill outside during the entire investigation. And the real kicker - TAPS said they didn't have to pay this guide because it was some kind of honor to have TAPS investigate your haunted place.

So, that's my TAPS story. They're a real group, but they're kind of a bunch of jerks I guess.

LOL! That does not surprise me at all. One thing that always struck me about them was that only a few of the younger ones seemed genuine. Keeping someone like Brian on the crew who lied and lied and lied on camera all while coming across as sincere and genuine people always kind of puzzled me. They just kind of seem like that nice guy that at the end of the day expects you to thank him for taking the time to be nice to you.

Your tale is interesting although it does make me wonder if you would have been willing to pay for a tour that had no interesting ghost stories attatched - IE would those stories still exist if they did not draw revenue? Paid tours just make me a tad suspicious but I am not saying they are all bunk.

 

As for lights out, my guess is that it's easier for things to move and travel in the dark (like phantom noises) than it in the light. Same reason that our voices and natural noises travel louder and faster at night than during the day.

That's my thoughts.

~ Wandering Scribe

I have never heard that sound travels slower in light. Can you explain?

Also, I am still left curious. TAPS is the one team that uses every single episode to explain how they know ghosts suck electricity from nearby devices and heat from the air so TAPS would be the first ones I would like to explain why having the lights on would not be a benefit to these electricity and heat seeking ghosts.

I am intrigued by your explanation though and if you have more on that, that would be interesting.

reply to post by evil incarnate


I saw my fair share of ghosts there. My job was to spend the night after serving dinner to overnight guests then set up breakfast in the morning. After a while, I took to driving home every night and coming back in the morning cause I couldn't ever get a wink of sleep. I've had ghosts grab me and yank me around, apparitions wake me up, heard footsteps all night where I knew nobody was, seen figures in period dress walking around at two in the morning, and have brought friends in who didn't quite believe in ghosts and had them leave convinced. One friend I brought sat with me and a few others and watched an apparition walking around sick deck, a good four of us watched it...

Very rarely would you see things in the light, I can recall seeing a figure while the lights were on only once, but sometimes you would hear footsteps while the lights were on.

Seen too much weird stuff since then though, seems the more you look for it the more you open yourself up, and vice versa, so I try to avoid ghosts now.

And from what I know, the bit about all ghosts trying to suck electricity is horse pucky. Some of them are afraid of it, as we found out one night when we had a group of ghost hunters (not a show, just a group) come in with some kind of electric dealy that let the ghost speak through it somehow. Not sure of the mechanics of it, but it was definitely our friendly mess deck ghost cause it knew who we were. He was certainly afraid of the lights we had on. Most ghosts don't even know they are there, so characterizing them as trying to suck up power isn't fair, they just sort of exist like, i dunno, a statue or movie tape. There certainly are some of your cold-spot electricity gobbling spirits around, but I don't think it's fair to characterize all ghosts that way. Then again, ghosts can describe a pretty broad range of things, how much do we really know? I don't really care to know too much more myself anyhow, I don't think any good comes of it.

That's one of the things that turns me off to those shows & even paranormal footage in general. I'm pretty obsessed with the paranormal, but I find it hard to trust TV shows, etc. The funny thing is even if the shows are faking footage it's still possible that they can catch real stuff, so that alone doesn't prove/disprove anything, but still, I find it really hard to trust them. That being said, I think the lights out thing is just a way to make it scarier. Which is pretty evident with the music/eerie sounds effects being played while the investigations are underway.

Ironically I'm wearing a TAPS t-shirt right now, even though I don't watch Ghost Hunters anymore.

So you wanna be on the TAPS crew ???


Well the only experience you need is being able to loop video together, run in a black blanket, .... and use fishing string.

Seriously, there are so many video's of their stuff getting debunked, I think Ghost Adventure's are the most credible of any team.







[edit on 7-7-2010 by IntastellaBurst]

Originally posted by teamnick
reply to post by evil incarnate

 

I saw my fair share of ghosts there. My job was to spend the night after serving dinner to overnight guests then set up breakfast in the morning. After a while, I took to driving home every night and coming back in the morning cause I couldn't ever get a wink of sleep. I've had ghosts grab me and yank me around, apparitions wake me up, heard footsteps all night where I knew nobody was, seen figures in period dress walking around at two in the morning, and have brought friends in who didn't quite believe in ghosts and had them leave convinced. One friend I brought sat with me and a few others and watched an apparition walking around sick deck, a good four of us watched it...

Very rarely would you see things in the light, I can recall seeing a figure while the lights were on only once, but sometimes you would hear footsteps while the lights were on.

OK, I will just have to believe you.

Here is my issue though. Specifically in these shows that do turn the lights out in order to better find ghosts, they all interview people. The stories are always about seeign a ghost while doing something.

'I was in the basement doing laundry and I saw them behind me when I turned around.'

'She was walking down the stairs as I came in the foyer'

'We were cleaning up the bar when...'

'I was sitting there reading...'

and on like that. I am kind of left wondering how many of these people are doing laundry, reading, cleaning, wandering around the house in the dark. That last one at least I can see but actually doing things as opposed to going from room to room makes no sense to me.

When I watch these shows, each story is about something people are doing in the normal course of the day and they see things. Sometimes they even talk about how it happens in the afternoon, happened one DAY, etc.

See what I am saying? I see TAPS basically going

'So you saw ten ghosts while testing floodlights on the roof at 12 noon with the generator running? OK, at 2am we will kill the lights and power to see if we can spot those ghosts.'

It just kind of confounds me. Then they take time to remind us how ghosts suck batteries dry and cool the air in order to manifest and all that together makes me just wonder who writes this stuff.

Seen too much weird stuff since then though, seems the more you look for it the more you open yourself up, and vice versa, so I try to avoid ghosts now.

I do not doubt that. I have no problem believing that seeing is a great way to open yourself to seeing more. Each time I buy a new car, I suddenly notice every other care on the road is that model - not really but you see it. I can buy into that.

And from what I know, the bit about all ghosts trying to suck electricity is horse pucky. Some of them are afraid of it, as we found out one night when we had a group of ghost hunters (not a show, just a group) come in with some kind of electric dealy that let the ghost speak through it somehow. Not sure of the mechanics of it, but it was definitely our friendly mess deck ghost cause it knew who we were. He was certainly afraid of the lights we had on.

Did he say why?

Most ghosts don't even know they are there, so characterizing them as trying to suck up power isn't fair, they just sort of exist like, i dunno, a statue or movie tape.

I do not really get the impression that one has to do with the other. Not like the ghost is sitting there thinking, hmm should I drain this particular battery right now in order to appear? I always understood it more like, for whatever reason they do manifest when they do, it takes energy. That energy has to come from somewhere no matter what the ghost knows. Make sense?

There certainly are some of your cold-spot electricity gobbling spirits around, but I don't think it's fair to characterize all ghosts that way. Then again, ghosts can describe a pretty broad range of things, how much do we really know? I don't really care to know too much more myself anyhow, I don't think any good comes of it.

What bad do you think there is to come?

reply to post by cLOUDDEAD


I agree with everything you said except for the fact that I do not own a TAPS t-shirt. Even when I liked the show, I always thought that was such a corny name. I get the connection to the song and all but Taps just conjures up images of young boys forced to take tap dancing lessons in the late '70s. I know that sounds crazy, just bothered me.

Originally posted by IntastellaBurst

So you wanna be on the TAPS crew ???

No no no no no.

I enjoy these shows for the entertainment that they are but I gave up on really believing anything any of them had to offer a long time ago. I just liked GH the best because for the first season, they never found anything. Then that chair turned in the lighthouse and I thought they really got something. Then they never mentioned it again and I thought that was odd. Then the show became what it is and so...it can be fun to watch.

Well the only experience you need is being able to loop video together, run in a black blanket, .... and use fishing string.

Seriously, there are so many video's of their stuff getting debunked, I think Ghost Adventure's are the most credible of any team.

[edit on 7-7-2010 by IntastellaBurst]

I know. I have seen a lot of them. That is kind of why I addressed my question to people that do believe in these shows. I would like to think there is still a possibility someone might catch something someday. I just know people out there still put some faith in these shows so I was curious if they could explain the lights out theory to me. Thanks for the vids though.

To be quite honest I'm very surprised no one else knows this. They have explained it a couple times on different shows.

When using the ghost hunting thing that detects the electricity in the room that shows a ghost is present, electricity running though the wires in the walls and lights can give a false positive, making you think a ghost is present, when there is nothing. So they cut off all power at the master breaker so there is no electricity running through the building. Not a sure fire guarantee there won't be some residual current running through, but a far better chance at spikes being an actual presence versus just some old wiring.

Hope this cleared things up a bit for you.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by
To be quite honest I'm very surprised no one else knows this. They have explained it a couple times on different shows.

When using the ghost hunting thing that detects the electricity in the room that shows a ghost is present, electricity running though the wires in the walls and lights can give a false positive, making you think a ghost is present, when there is nothing. So they cut off all power at the master breaker so there is no electricity running through the building. Not a sure fire guarantee there won't be some residual current running through, but a far better chance at spikes being an actual presence versus just some old wiring.

Hope this cleared things up a bit for you.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

With all due respect, no it does not.

See, here is the problem. They "claim" they can detect ghosts by measuring electromagnetic changes. So they cut the power in order to get measurements. They even admit this is a guess at best and so far has never proven anything.

However...people do actually claim to SEE ghosts, when the lights are on. So... if they believe ghosts effect the electromagnetic waves or whatever as well as use environmental electricity to manifest then...

Which seems more logical to you?

Cut the power and look for unknown changes in electromagnetic fields?

or

Recreate the environment of the reported sighting, as well as pay attention to your battery draining or the lights dimming to notice any changes in electromagnetic fields.

Does that make sense?

Being on an active team, that has no connection with TAPS or anyother TV show. We investigate when the client reports the most activity. So if it is at 2;00am, then we are there at 2:00am. If it is at 2:00pm then we are there at 2:00pm. Now are team does things a lot different from any other team, and our focus has always been about the client.

When at night, we do go lights out because we are using IR cameras. If the whole energy therory holds true, then I agree, why would you deplete an energy source. During night time investigations we use ION cannons and emf pumps. This seems to work well in introducing energy without affecting the IR cameras.

The other thing that we always look for is when the wireing of the house was done. Older house have a better chance of faulty wiring, which can produce a "fear cage", but this also can lead to a house with a high energy output therefore attracting ghosts. Older houses with plaster walls wwill have wire running through it. The wire, "kind of like chickenwire" is there to strenghen the plaster. This can also act as a conductor.

reply to post by DeltaGhostHunter


I appreciate that answer. It would be interesting to see one of the teams take that take on things. What you say makes far more sense to me than any of what they do on the shows. I guess they think that a formula works so they have to stick to the basics of it.

reply to post by teamnick


You hit the nail on the head.

The problem with dealing with the supernatural is that our experiences many times cannot be forced to be reproduced. I mean, for about 90% of the spirits and other entities that are encountered - they are sentient! So essentially nonbelievers want us to make the full-formed apparition we saw in the hall the other night come back over and over again. Not happening.

I've had and I know others who've had some serious close-ups with these types of things but just like the UFO witnesses, you aren't exactly hauling around an EMF meter, a ready-to-go digital camera, a digital recorder, a heat sensor and a thermometer every time you get up to go piss.

As far as the lights being out on the shows - there are a few reasons for that.

For some reason, when using a camera to try and see if there are ghosts in an area, you don't want to use a flash and you want the shutter speed to be slow. Plus, since the things are barely visible most of the time anyway, you don't want the lights on so if something does get picked up, it's easier to point and say - see how that stands out?

I don't watch ghost shows. My life is a ghost show. LOL

Cheers!

TAPS used to be a legitimate group. Faked evidence has tarnished them.

WHy the dark? People are naturally scared of the dark. Not being able to see what caused said noise and the natural fear of the dark can create a pseudoparanormal experience. They'll say it mucks with their instruments. Yeah. Ok. Not as many dark shadows and lights making them move when you have the lights on.

Having the lights off gives these guys the ability to create questionable evidence and personal experiences.

Always boggled my mind why you would use a thermal camera on a ghost hunt. Night Vision I can understand. Anything that picks up a different spectrum of light I can understand. Anything that measures changes in the environment or energy I can understand.

People are born afraid of the dark. It's in your DNA. It's creepy for most. That's why.

reply to post by mf_luder


I guess I will have to take that answer for what it is. Thanks for your input. I do appreciate everyone's takes on this.

reply to post by DrJay1975


That seems a little closer to what it looks like to me. I really used to enjoy GH but it has gone way downhill. That recording from Donna sure did not help.