Every paranormal investigator has their list of haunted locations that they would like to investigate. My list is constantly changing as I learn about new places.  What are the top five haunted places that you would like to investigate?  Such a simple but yet complex question.

Be sure to let us know what haunted places are on your list in the comments. As of now, here is a list of the top 5 haunted places that I would like to investigate in the United States.

5) Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is a psychiatric hospital that was in operation from 1864 through 1994.  The asylum was originally built to house 250 people, but in the 1950s, it became overcrowded with 2,400 patients.  Numerous lobotomies were carried out in the hospital as part of the West Virginia Lobotomy Project.  Despite being featured on multiple paranormal shows, I feel that this location would be one to visit in person.  One could only imagine what energy the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum houses.

4) St. Louis Cemetery #1

I have mixed feelings on whether or not a cemetery is a good candidate for a haunted location.  If the person died somewhere else, why would their spirit stay with the body until it is buried? I am not 100% convinced that graveyards are a good candidate for a haunted location.

The St. Louis Cemetery #1 seems like an excellent choice to test the theory of whether or not a cemetery is haunted.   The cemetery was established on August 14^th, 1789.  The one-block cemetery has over 700 tombs, and over 100,000 people buried.

3) Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House is located at 525 South Winchester Blvd, San Jose, California.  The home was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearm entrepreneur William Wirt Winchester.  There are so many legends about the property and even a horror movie.  The story goes that Sarah Winchester kept the home under construction until her death because ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles haunted the property.  The property is open to the public for tours, but you need special permission from the owners to conduct a paranormal investigation.

2) Goldfield Hotel

The Goldfield Hotel is the location that sent Zak Bagans running.  In the Ghost Adventures documentary, which inspired Bagan’s hit television show, a brick flies through the air at the Goldfield Hotel.   Some say this is the portal to hell in the basement. Others say the ghosts of the hotel will not let it ever open again. I have stood on the porch of the hotel during a visit to the town of Goldfield.  I just missed out on an opportunity to investigating the place.  Currently, the Goldfield Hotel is closed to the public. Hopefully, someday the owners will allow investigations.

1) Amityville Horror House

This home has so much history and controversy attached to it, making it a must-add to the investigation list.  The house is the site of six murders.  Ronald DeFeo, Jr. shot and killed his family there in 1974.  DeFeo claimed he heard voices.  There are numerous claims that he was possessed.  Thirteen months after the murders, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the home with their three children. After 28 days, the Lutzes abandoned the house, stating that something evil lived in the house.  The Amityville Horror House has been the subject of numerous books and films.  Some say it is haunted, while others say it’s all fake.  For me, the only way to sort things out and investigate.

Have you ever wondered how to accurately perform the Estes Method? A few years ago, I was browsing through Prime and came across the series Hellier. I’m a sucker for a good paranormal documentary, and I immediately got sucked in. I mean, who doesn’t like stories of Kentucky Goblins and high strangeness. However, one of the things that stuck out to me the most was the utilization of the Estes Method during their paranormal investigations.

The Estes method was created by Karl Pfeiffer, Connor Randall, and Michelle Tate, the resident paranormal team at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. They started playing with the idea of this method in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2016 when Connor Randall first utilized this method in the basement of the Stanley Hotel with just a pair of regular headphones. They tweaked the method by adding a blindfold and noise cancelling headphones to take away any outside influences and rule out any attempts at trickery. You can watch the earliest uses of the Estes Method in Karl Pfeiffer’s documentary Spirits of the Stanley and see the teams growing excitement as they realize what they’ve created.

The Estes Method is the first groundbreaking experiment to change spirit communication within the paranormal field since Wolfgang Metzger introduced the Ganzfeld Experiment to the world of experimental psychology in the ’70s. If you have never heard of or attempted the Ganzfeld Experiment, I strongly suggest giving it a try. One of the more memorable times that I have done the experiment was during an investigation in the Jennie Wade House in Gettysburg. It was a personal experience I won’t forget. While the experiences with the Ganzfeld are more neurological than paranormal in nature, it still produces personal experiences that I would recommend for anyone.

I’ve been a paranormal investigator for a long time. While the market is bounding with new ghost hunting gadgets, the basic function for all of this equipment remains roughly the same. While the results can be intriguing, the overuse of the equipment can make an investigation stagnant. The Estes Method takes traditional spirit box communication and cleans it up a bit. I often use a spirit box in the investigations, but I’m not a huge fan. It’s easy to hear what you want to hear and feed off of what other people believe they are hearing. The Estes Method takes away the outside stimulus and allows for more direct communication. We use the method in our investigations, and while it doesn’t always produce undeniable results, we’ve definitely had our fair share of intense and sometimes mind-blowing interactions.

If you’re interested in trying the Estes Method during your next investigation, Greg Newkirk (from the Hellier documentary) lays out the process:

HOW TO ACCURATELY PERFORM THE ESTES METHOD

With its use on shows like Kindred Spirits and Hellier, the wider public will inevitably begin experimenting with the Estes Method, so I asked Pfeiffer and Randall for advice. Here’s what you need for an effective Estes Method session, straight from the creators of the experiment.

1. A willing Receiver and a willing Operator. In other words, someone to perform the Estes Method and someone to ask questions.
2. A solid, tight blindfold. This particular type of mask, affectionately referred to as an “eye-bra” by Randall, works best.
3. An SB7 Spirit Box, preferably the latest model. They’re much louder, which helps rule out fraud by unscrupulous Receivers.
4. A pair of Vic Firth S1H1 or S1H2 Stereo Isolation Headphones. These are vastly important. If you aren’t using these headphones or an equivalent, throw out all of your evidence. These cans were made for studio drummers and block external noise up to 25 decibels, ruling out unintentionally hearing the Operator’s questions or outright fraud. If you see an investigator using off-the-rack headphones or earbuds, they’re performing the experiment incorrectly and might be trying to pull a fast one on you and the viewer. Anything less than 20 decibels of sound isolation won’t cut it. Stick to the Vic Firths. A general rule of EVP playback applies here as well: beware of sound-cancelling headphones. These types of headphones work by playing a tone that deafens the ears to outside sounds; you don’t want your headphones accidentally muting a spirit voice that might whisper through your feed.

Greg points out that the Receiver should make themselves as comfortable as possible. The Operator should direct questions at the entity or entities in the room and not specifically at the Receiver. Connor Randall’s additional advice is to say everything that you hear. No matter how weird it might seem at first and don’t try to be an interpreter, but rather a megaphone for the sounds. Read more from Greg about this method at The Estes Method: How the Groundbreaking SB7 Spirit Box Experiment is Changing Paranormal Investigation (weekinweird.com).

The Estes is quickly becoming a staple in paranormal investigations, and we would love to hear about your experiences with this method. Feel free to send us an email or leave us a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Kane Hodder’s new film Balsam is set for release on December 14, 2021. Balsam is a feature-length documentary that follows Kane Hodder as he leads a team of paranormal investigators as they investigate The Grand Old Lady Hotel in Balsam, North Carolina.

The Grand Old Lady Hotel is a 112-year-old, 40,000 square foot hotel with a disturbing past. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, the hotel is referred to by many as the Stanley Hotel of the south.

While Kane Hodder is notorious for his role as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13^th franchise, Kane is an experienced paranormal investigator. He is a founding member of the Hollywood Ghost Hunters. Kane has investigated the Pico House in Los Angeles, California, with Zak Bagans on Ghost Adventures.

Director Tony H. Cadwell stated, “This is a paranormal investigation like no other. You have an experienced team lead by a horror icon. We had this amazing 40,000 square foot hotel all to ourselves to investigate.  Nothing was scripted. We just went in and tried to document any paranormal activity that we could. The evidence that we collected in this film is just shocking.”

Kane stated, “I would have to say that this location is for me personally the most activity I guess you can say that I have witnessed.”

Balsam was executive produced by White Glove Productions’ Tom Sulkowski (Mechanic: Resurrection) and H13 Media’s Tony H. Cadwell, with Kane Hodder serving as a producer on the project.  The documentary stars Kane Hodder, Amanda Hannah, Mark A. Richardson, and Maeve Ybanez.

Balsam is set for release on December 14, 2021, on DVD and VOD.  DVDs can be pre-ordered now on Amazon by clicking here.

Check out the trailer below: