In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of poltergeists show them as being capable of pinching, biting, hitting, and tripping people. They are also depicted as capable of the movement or levitation of objects such as furniture and cutlery, or noises such as knocking on doors. Foul smells are also associated with poltergeist occurrences, as well as spontaneous fires and different electrical issues such as flickering lights.
A séance or seance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word séance comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French seoir, "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma". In English, however, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to receive messages from ghosts or to listen to a spirit medium discourse with or relay messages from spirits. In modern English usage, participants need not be seated while engaged in a séance.
A psychic detective is a person who investigates crimes by using purported paranormal psychic abilities. Examples have included postcognition, psychometry, telepathy, dowsing, clairvoyance, and remote viewing. In murder cases, psychic detectives may purport to be in communication with the spirits of the murder victims.
Within ghost hunting and parapsychology, electronic voice phenomena (EVP) are sounds found on electronic recordings that are interpreted as spirit voices. Parapsychologist Konstantīns Raudive, who popularized the idea in the 1970s, described EVP as typically brief, usually the length of a word or short phrase.
Harry Price was a British psychic researcher and author, who gained public prominence for his investigations into psychical phenomena and exposing fraudulent spiritualist mediums. He is best known for his well-publicised investigation of the purportedly haunted Borley Rectory in Essex, England.
Most Haunted is a British paranormal reality television series. Following complaints, the broadcast regulator, Ofcom, ruled that it was an entertainment show, not a legitimate investigation into the paranormal, and "should not be taken seriously".
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal and reality television series. The original series aired from October 6, 2004 until October 26, 2016 on Syfy. The original program spanned eleven seasons with 230 episodes, not including 10 specials. The series was revived in early 2019 and aired its twelfth and thirteenth seasons from August 21, 2019, to May 27, 2020, on A&E, after which it was cancelled and then revived for its fourteenth season only months later on Discovery+, which started airing on October 31, 2021. Season 15 began October 1, 2022 on Travel Channel. Season 16 of Ghost Hunters is set to release on Travel Channel on April 6, 2023.
Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spirit channelling, including séance tables, trance, and ouija.
Henry Slade (1835–1905) was a famous fraudulent medium who lived and practiced in both Europe and North America. Slade was best known for his "slate writing" method, where he would purportedly produce message written by spirits on slates.
Hans Holzer was an Austrian-American author and parapsychologist. He wrote more than 120 books on supernatural and occult subjects for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and documentaries, and hosted a television show, Ghost Hunter.
Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are purportedly haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost-hunting team will attempt to collect evidence supporting the existence of paranormal activity.
Ghost Adventures is an American paranormal and reality television series that premiered on October 17, 2008, on the Travel Channel before moving to Discovery+ in 2021. An independent film of the same name originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 25, 2007. The program follows ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley as they investigate locations that are reported to be haunted.
Living with the Dead is a British television programme about a team of paranormal investigators who investigate ghostly goings on and supernatural occurrences in family homes around Britain. The team aim to resolve the paranormal activity for the family concerned. While mainly focused on ordinary family homes, investigations in celebrity homes such as comedian Freddie Starr's occasionally feature.
Chip Coffey is an American self-proclaimed psychic from Elmira, New York, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia. He appeared as a medium on various paranormal television programs, primarily Paranormal State and Psychic Kids. On Psychic Kids he acts as a mentor towards children who claim to have psychic abilities, primarily seeing ghosts. Coffey's claims of being able to communicate with the dead have been subject to criticism by skeptics. In 2019 it was announced that Coffey will be joining Travel Channel's Kindred Spirits as the third official cast member alongside Adam Berry and Amy Bruni for the fourth season in 2020.
Scared!, formerly titled as Scared on Staten Island!, is an American paranormal public-access television cable TV series that was first shown on September 12, 2002, on Staten Island Community Television. Produced by Core Films and Thousand Hats Productions, the program follows and stars a Staten Island-based team of urban explorers who venture into abandoned and condemned buildings in search of paranormal activity. In each episode, three main members, who are collectively known as "The SCARED! Crew" and who vary throughout the series, represent three points of view or beliefs: the psychic, scientist and skeptic.
Most Terrifying Places in America was an American paranormal documentary television series that premiered on October 9, 2009 on the Travel Channel as a stand-alone special. The special was subsequently broken down into an episodic series. Each episode featured the legends and stories of several reportedly haunted locations throughout America.
James Van Praagh (; is an American author and television personality who describes himself as a clairvoyant and spiritual medium. He has written numerous books, including The New York Times bestseller Talking to Heaven. Van Praagh was a producer and screenwriter on the 2002 CBS primetime semi-autobiographical miniseries Living with the Dead starring Ted Danson. He also hosted a short-lived paranormal talk show called Beyond with James Van Praagh.
Haunted Collector is an American television reality series that aired on the Syfy cable television channel. The first season premiered on June 1, 2011, and ended on July 6, 2011. The series features a team of paranormal investigators led by demonologist John Zaffis, who investigate alleged haunted locations with the hopes of identifying and removing any on-site artifacts or trigger objects that may be the source of the supposed paranormal or poltergeist activity.
Kindred Spirits is an American paranormal television and documentary reality series. The series premiered on October 21, 2016 on Destination America and TLC, airing there until 2018. It has aired on Travel Channel since the beginning of the third season in 2019. The program stars investigators Adam Berry and Amy Bruni, formerly from the Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters Academy television series, which aired on Syfy at the time of Berry and Bruni's departure. Berry and Bruni investigate residences to determine if recurring paranormal activity is tied to the families living there. For the fourth season, psychic medium Chip Coffey joined the cast. After 49 years since their meeting with Ed and Lorraine Warren, the Perron family returned in the second episode of the fourth season, to their childhood home.
