I've removed the names to protect the innocent (eg me !)
I was visiting <place removed> for a musical show and since it was Halloween, there was an offer to do a guided “ghost tour” after the show, with <famous TV ghost hunter>
I’m a complete skeptic about such matters, as my hobby is amateur magic, and recently I have been studying mentalism and similar trickery.
Both Mrs BGG and I elected to go on this ghost walk, me particularly since I wanted to see how it would develop and watch the celebrity run through the “patter”.
After the show, about 150 of us gathered in the top floor reception room, where we waited for the show to start. I noticed that the bar was open for refreshment (and immediately thought, how convenient, that will loosen a few people up and make them “receptive”). I would say the male to female ratio was about 20% male, 80% female.
<Ghosthunter> was introduced to the audience.
We were asked to stand and make our way to the doors, forming a queue. The first 50 were then taken on the tour of the theatre.
Apparently, our tour was to visit the parts of the theatre the public do not usually get to see. We were told that <Ghosthunter> had walked all around the theatre and picked up impressions.
Stop 1 : The Raped/Murdered Girl
Our first stop was down some stairs, and out a fire exit, in to a small walled area, laid with grass.
<Ghosthunter> asked members in the group to make their way to a corner, which was poorly light, and see if they felt anything. Several of the women went over there, and one in particular put her hand to her mouth and complained of feeling sick.
<Ghosthunter> asked if any of the women present felt pains in their abdomens. A few did.
<Ghosthunter> then explained that <Ghosthunter> got an image of a girl, in 1970’s clothing, running, feeling breathless, who was attacked in the same spot. Raped and murdered.
Now call me a cynical old bean, but there are a number of things wrong with this.
1. We’d all walked from a very warm theatre out in to the freezing cold. The dramatic change in temperature is naturally going to make some people feel nauseous.
2. People had been drinking during the musical show and during the assembly process.
3. We’d just walked down a very narrow, long flight of steps, so some were breathless.
4. With about 30 women in our group, the chances of several of them having menstrual cycles (which can last several days) is guaranteed.
Still, the members of the lay public who are not versed in cynical analysis, seemed to be convinced. I could feel my anger starting to boil.
Stop 2 : The Little Boy
We traipsed back up in to the top circle of the theatre, and assembled around a seat, where <Ghosthunter> got the impression earlier of a young boy, dressed in 1950’s clothing, feeling very ill. I forget what the boy was supposed to have perished from (perhaps eating too many sickly sugared sweets ?).
<Ghosthunter> asked anybody if they felt anything. A few people felt sad, some sick, etc etc etc. <Ghosthunter> picked up on this and developed the patter accordingly. All normal stuff for a showperson in our business, though seemingly amazing to the general public. (Without being rude, I fail to be amazed at the superficial intelligence of some people, and their susceptibility).
Rather conveniently, the stage was being dismantled from the show by the technicians, so we had lots of bangs and wallops, which made the more “delicate constitutions” of the nervous amongst us jump with shock.
Stop 3 : The Projectionist’s Box
This was an arduous walk to get to . Up several fights of stairs, then out on to the roof of the theatre. Then along the roof walkway, and under a low arch, which was about 3.5 foot tall and 2.5 wide. Stooping low to get through in single file, we then stood up again, walked across more roof, down a few steps and in to a small box where the projectionists worked. No lights were on, and it was barely lit by hand-held torchlight.
<Ghosthunter> asked people what they felt.
We had a few people who felt claustrophobic, some were wheezing, one complained of tingling.
<Ghosthunter> explained that <Ghosthunter> felt the presence of an old man, who had heart problems and a bad back, who used to work in the box, and died of a heart attack.
To be honest, I think <Ghosthunter> was trying to induce the same in the audience, after the mammoth task to get to this location.
Again, as you may know, projectionist’s rooms are not exactly large, and with 50 people trying to crowd in to one, I would have said that an unopened sardine tin had more space.
So obviously it felt claustrophobic to some people. Doh ! The tightness of the chest in some would have been induced by the SAS-style assault course to get here.
<Ghosthunter> asked if anyone had a bad back, explaining that these were feelings <Ghosthunter> was getting from the old boy who had died here. Several people agreed with <Ghosthunter>.
Well, smack me silly with a kipper, but had they forgotten they’d had to stoop ridiculously low through an arch to get here, and that statistically speaking, bad backs are common in 1 out of 4 people anyway ? I was getting quite annoyed by now.
That’s when <Ghosthunter> approached me, and asked me “Are you a believer ?”
I firmly replied “NO”, adding that I am versed in some magic and performance as a hobby, and I am currently studying Mentalism and performance magic.
<Ghosthunter> looked a little pensive for a moment, and I was just about to rip in to <Ghosthunter> , when I thought, no, I’m not here to ruin <Ghosthunter's> show. Let the people have their deluded fun.
Stop 4 : Unknown Roof Accident
We travelled back the way we had come, back across the roof and stopped, looking out over the town from our considerably high vantage point.
<Ghosthunter> asked if anyone felt anything.
(I saw a pattern develop here. <Ghosthunter> asks if anyone “feels” anything, then uses the feedback to embellish and add credulity to both <Ghosthunter's> story and <Ghosthunter's> “special powers”. Classic stuff eh ?)
You can guess what a few said can’t you ? Yup, they felt afraid of heights.
Get 50 people together, and how many are statistically going to be afraid of heights, spiders, snakes, etc ? It’s like doing the lottery but being allowed to choose 40 numbers. You cannot miss.
The story here was of some person, who fell to their death. (I was sorely tempted standing next to <Ghosthunter>).
Stop 5
Back down the stairs in to the theatre, in to the basement, past several metal barrels which hold beer, soft drinks, etc, and feed optics up to the bars around the building. Further along the dark and dingy corridors, where we stop for a few minutes in the stygian gloom to get “the vibe”. Then back out to the main reception to meet <Ghosthunter> who asks us what we felt.
Again, the usual claustrophobia, some feelings of nausea. Nothing else.
<Ghosthunter> then asks “Anyone smell anything ?”
To which a few suddenly remember that they did. (But only once prompted of course).
<Ghosthunter> then elaborates that the smell <Ghosthunter> was getting was “disinfectant” and qualifies it by saying that <Ghosthunter> felt that during WW2, the basement was used by the Army, possibly for medical purposes or some such nonsense.
Kippertime !
It’s an ancient theatre, pre WW2. Anyone who know a little of that era, or know how to use Google, would be aware that the Musical Halls of that time were important for public morale, and were often visited by the Army for shows. Also, <place> being on the coast, would have been prone to attack from doodlebugs and flying rockets, and since it had a nice big basement, would have served as a good air raid shelter.
No one seemed to think that the smell of disinfectant may be present because we walked past 30 barrels on a floor, which for Health and Safety reasons would have to be kept clean and bleached.
<Ghosthunter> did ask at this point if anyone noticed anything else. No one said anything.
I was so tempted to say “Actually yes, there is a whopping great Elder Sign to Cthulhu daubed in fresh human blood on one of the walls, didn’t you see it ?”, however, I stayed my tongue and let <Ghosthunter> finish the tour at that point. If I ever go on a tour like this again, I WILL bring a paintbrush and a tin of red paint.
I went home with Mrs BGG, both amazed at how ridiculous and manipulative this had all been.
The next morning, at the hotel, I met <Ghosthunter> and we had a brief chat. I didn’t challenge <Ghosthunter> on anything, just listened to what <Ghosthunter> had to say about the event (<Ghosthunter> was disappointed, because it was supposed to be a walk around the town apparently).
I came away from our brief discussion, and watching <Ghosthunter> perform the previous night, with the impression that <Ghosthunter> really does believe they have has some sort of psychic gift. That <Ghosthunter> isn’t deliberately tricking people.
That concerns me even more, because whilst it is one thing to entertain, delude and trick people, in the name of entertainment (think Derren Brown for example), I feel it is quite another to fraudulently deceive them with mumbo-jumbo and pass it off as genuine ability.
Knowing what I do about magic, succeptiblity, implanting and making the story fit, I know I could have done the same tour myself.
Ethically however, I wouldn't do it.
150 people x £10-15 a ticket for 3 hours work. Nice.
I was visiting <place removed> for a musical show and since it was Halloween, there was an offer to do a guided “ghost tour” after the show, with <famous TV ghost hunter>
I’m a complete skeptic about such matters, as my hobby is amateur magic, and recently I have been studying mentalism and similar trickery.
Both Mrs BGG and I elected to go on this ghost walk, me particularly since I wanted to see how it would develop and watch the celebrity run through the “patter”.
After the show, about 150 of us gathered in the top floor reception room, where we waited for the show to start. I noticed that the bar was open for refreshment (and immediately thought, how convenient, that will loosen a few people up and make them “receptive”). I would say the male to female ratio was about 20% male, 80% female.
<Ghosthunter> was introduced to the audience.
We were asked to stand and make our way to the doors, forming a queue. The first 50 were then taken on the tour of the theatre.
Apparently, our tour was to visit the parts of the theatre the public do not usually get to see. We were told that <Ghosthunter> had walked all around the theatre and picked up impressions.
Stop 1 : The Raped/Murdered Girl
Our first stop was down some stairs, and out a fire exit, in to a small walled area, laid with grass.
<Ghosthunter> asked members in the group to make their way to a corner, which was poorly light, and see if they felt anything. Several of the women went over there, and one in particular put her hand to her mouth and complained of feeling sick.
<Ghosthunter> asked if any of the women present felt pains in their abdomens. A few did.
<Ghosthunter> then explained that <Ghosthunter> got an image of a girl, in 1970’s clothing, running, feeling breathless, who was attacked in the same spot. Raped and murdered.
Now call me a cynical old bean, but there are a number of things wrong with this.
1. We’d all walked from a very warm theatre out in to the freezing cold. The dramatic change in temperature is naturally going to make some people feel nauseous.
2. People had been drinking during the musical show and during the assembly process.
3. We’d just walked down a very narrow, long flight of steps, so some were breathless.
4. With about 30 women in our group, the chances of several of them having menstrual cycles (which can last several days) is guaranteed.
Still, the members of the lay public who are not versed in cynical analysis, seemed to be convinced. I could feel my anger starting to boil.
Stop 2 : The Little Boy
We traipsed back up in to the top circle of the theatre, and assembled around a seat, where <Ghosthunter> got the impression earlier of a young boy, dressed in 1950’s clothing, feeling very ill. I forget what the boy was supposed to have perished from (perhaps eating too many sickly sugared sweets ?).
<Ghosthunter> asked anybody if they felt anything. A few people felt sad, some sick, etc etc etc. <Ghosthunter> picked up on this and developed the patter accordingly. All normal stuff for a showperson in our business, though seemingly amazing to the general public. (Without being rude, I fail to be amazed at the superficial intelligence of some people, and their susceptibility).
Rather conveniently, the stage was being dismantled from the show by the technicians, so we had lots of bangs and wallops, which made the more “delicate constitutions” of the nervous amongst us jump with shock.
Stop 3 : The Projectionist’s Box
This was an arduous walk to get to . Up several fights of stairs, then out on to the roof of the theatre. Then along the roof walkway, and under a low arch, which was about 3.5 foot tall and 2.5 wide. Stooping low to get through in single file, we then stood up again, walked across more roof, down a few steps and in to a small box where the projectionists worked. No lights were on, and it was barely lit by hand-held torchlight.
<Ghosthunter> asked people what they felt.
We had a few people who felt claustrophobic, some were wheezing, one complained of tingling.
<Ghosthunter> explained that <Ghosthunter> felt the presence of an old man, who had heart problems and a bad back, who used to work in the box, and died of a heart attack.
To be honest, I think <Ghosthunter> was trying to induce the same in the audience, after the mammoth task to get to this location.
Again, as you may know, projectionist’s rooms are not exactly large, and with 50 people trying to crowd in to one, I would have said that an unopened sardine tin had more space.
So obviously it felt claustrophobic to some people. Doh ! The tightness of the chest in some would have been induced by the SAS-style assault course to get here.
<Ghosthunter> asked if anyone had a bad back, explaining that these were feelings <Ghosthunter> was getting from the old boy who had died here. Several people agreed with <Ghosthunter>.
Well, smack me silly with a kipper, but had they forgotten they’d had to stoop ridiculously low through an arch to get here, and that statistically speaking, bad backs are common in 1 out of 4 people anyway ? I was getting quite annoyed by now.
That’s when <Ghosthunter> approached me, and asked me “Are you a believer ?”
I firmly replied “NO”, adding that I am versed in some magic and performance as a hobby, and I am currently studying Mentalism and performance magic.
<Ghosthunter> looked a little pensive for a moment, and I was just about to rip in to <Ghosthunter> , when I thought, no, I’m not here to ruin <Ghosthunter's> show. Let the people have their deluded fun.
Stop 4 : Unknown Roof Accident
We travelled back the way we had come, back across the roof and stopped, looking out over the town from our considerably high vantage point.
<Ghosthunter> asked if anyone felt anything.
(I saw a pattern develop here. <Ghosthunter> asks if anyone “feels” anything, then uses the feedback to embellish and add credulity to both <Ghosthunter's> story and <Ghosthunter's> “special powers”. Classic stuff eh ?)
You can guess what a few said can’t you ? Yup, they felt afraid of heights.
Get 50 people together, and how many are statistically going to be afraid of heights, spiders, snakes, etc ? It’s like doing the lottery but being allowed to choose 40 numbers. You cannot miss.
The story here was of some person, who fell to their death. (I was sorely tempted standing next to <Ghosthunter>).
Stop 5
Back down the stairs in to the theatre, in to the basement, past several metal barrels which hold beer, soft drinks, etc, and feed optics up to the bars around the building. Further along the dark and dingy corridors, where we stop for a few minutes in the stygian gloom to get “the vibe”. Then back out to the main reception to meet <Ghosthunter> who asks us what we felt.
Again, the usual claustrophobia, some feelings of nausea. Nothing else.
<Ghosthunter> then asks “Anyone smell anything ?”
To which a few suddenly remember that they did. (But only once prompted of course).
<Ghosthunter> then elaborates that the smell <Ghosthunter> was getting was “disinfectant” and qualifies it by saying that <Ghosthunter> felt that during WW2, the basement was used by the Army, possibly for medical purposes or some such nonsense.
Kippertime !
It’s an ancient theatre, pre WW2. Anyone who know a little of that era, or know how to use Google, would be aware that the Musical Halls of that time were important for public morale, and were often visited by the Army for shows. Also, <place> being on the coast, would have been prone to attack from doodlebugs and flying rockets, and since it had a nice big basement, would have served as a good air raid shelter.
No one seemed to think that the smell of disinfectant may be present because we walked past 30 barrels on a floor, which for Health and Safety reasons would have to be kept clean and bleached.
<Ghosthunter> did ask at this point if anyone noticed anything else. No one said anything.
I was so tempted to say “Actually yes, there is a whopping great Elder Sign to Cthulhu daubed in fresh human blood on one of the walls, didn’t you see it ?”, however, I stayed my tongue and let <Ghosthunter> finish the tour at that point. If I ever go on a tour like this again, I WILL bring a paintbrush and a tin of red paint.
I went home with Mrs BGG, both amazed at how ridiculous and manipulative this had all been.
The next morning, at the hotel, I met <Ghosthunter> and we had a brief chat. I didn’t challenge <Ghosthunter> on anything, just listened to what <Ghosthunter> had to say about the event (<Ghosthunter> was disappointed, because it was supposed to be a walk around the town apparently).
I came away from our brief discussion, and watching <Ghosthunter> perform the previous night, with the impression that <Ghosthunter> really does believe they have has some sort of psychic gift. That <Ghosthunter> isn’t deliberately tricking people.
That concerns me even more, because whilst it is one thing to entertain, delude and trick people, in the name of entertainment (think Derren Brown for example), I feel it is quite another to fraudulently deceive them with mumbo-jumbo and pass it off as genuine ability.
Knowing what I do about magic, succeptiblity, implanting and making the story fit, I know I could have done the same tour myself.
Ethically however, I wouldn't do it.
150 people x £10-15 a ticket for 3 hours work. Nice.
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