Ghostly voices
September 25th 2007 02:33
Had to link to this site: Perth Ghost Hunters.
"Perth Ghost Hunters offers people in Western Australia (perth metro area and country) a free service. We are 100% non-profit and are always looking for residential homes and buildings to investigate to further pursue our paranormal research... We have evolved over the years into helping the people of Western Australia first hand by using the latest equipment and techniques investigating residentual homes and business's for suspected paranormal activity. By either gathering evidence of a haunting, or finding rational, explainable occurances which are not paranormal related."
(Amazing number of spelling and grammar mistakes in that passage.)
Main reason for the link is that the group claims to have recorded "EVPs" ("electronic voice phenomena" -- ghosts speaking), and they have wav files at their website.
I had a listen, and it was the spookiest freaking thing I've heard all year.
Some descriptions, from the website, of some of the recordings (and I find it odd, incidentally, that many of the ghostly responses are akin to non-sequiturs -- there isn't much reason to say them -- a strange and somewhat disconcerting insight into afterlife psychology):
Well, here's three possibilities, depending on how one understands what needs to be elucidated, and what can count as an answer.
1. That some things create a fear response, regardless of belief.
2. That you can imaginatively enter into a scareable disposition. I can be scared by horror movies also, although I wouldn't avow belief in werewolves, vampires, giant spiders, mummies...
3. That in some sense I do "believe" in ghosts. Perhaps it's even the case that one can't choose to believe or not believe in ghosts, or believe or not believe in God.
Bottom line, though, is that I don't know why I shudder, but I do. Perhaps, as with questions of fascination, you can only really talk about the trigger, not the cause.
In this case, the trigger could be described as any of (or any combination of): the fact that they're whispers (don't know why whispers are scary, nor why the opening of "Carmina Burana" is scary); the quality of sounding not-quite-human (like the voices in "The Mothman Chronicles"); the thought "I'm listening to a dead person"; and the thought that some sort of taint might attach to me from the sheer act of listening (as in "The Ring" or "The Grudge").
I suppose, though, that every time you listen to Nirvana or Pavarotti, you're hearing dead people, and every time you look at an old movie or photograph you're seeing them.
"Perth Ghost Hunters offers people in Western Australia (perth metro area and country) a free service. We are 100% non-profit and are always looking for residential homes and buildings to investigate to further pursue our paranormal research... We have evolved over the years into helping the people of Western Australia first hand by using the latest equipment and techniques investigating residentual homes and business's for suspected paranormal activity. By either gathering evidence of a haunting, or finding rational, explainable occurances which are not paranormal related."
(Amazing number of spelling and grammar mistakes in that passage.)
Main reason for the link is that the group claims to have recorded "EVPs" ("electronic voice phenomena" -- ghosts speaking), and they have wav files at their website.
I had a listen, and it was the spookiest freaking thing I've heard all year.
***
Some descriptions, from the website, of some of the recordings (and I find it odd, incidentally, that many of the ghostly responses are akin to non-sequiturs -- there isn't much reason to say them -- a strange and somewhat disconcerting insight into afterlife psychology):
| While walking up some stairs and into part of a hallway where people have seen apparitions, a whispery female voice is first heard talking about "cold winds". A cold spot is then felt by both investigators and when both agreed to noticing a cold spot a male voice is then heard saying back at us "It's not cold."
EVP - (whispering) "Cold winds, thats what's in this place." Cal - "Feel a cold spot." Cal - "Feels cold just a bit doesn't it?" Ian - "I must admit it is, it is." Cal - "It seems it's at the top of the stairs there." EVP - "It's not cold." |
| In an active area an investigator asks at a empty chair "Is someone sitting here?". A clear answer comes back "No."
This EVP was recorded on two same model recorders by two investigators. The one asking the question (EVP recording 1) and the other 1 metre away (EVP recording 2). |
| One investigator points at a picture to another investigator of a woman with many young children around her hoping to provoke a ghost to saying something. The investigator points and says "There you go", an unheard voice replies "It's a wife/mother." |
| Perth Ghost Hunters were investigating a room with tools on display. An investigator points at an item and close by there are some chains on display. An unknown voice says back "Those are chains."
Cal - "There you go." EVP - "Those are chains." |
| A number of photos were taken with a digital camera with flash on during an investigation at a haunted location and a voice asks "Hey, can I have your flash?".
We hope it's flash and not flesh. |
| Recorded on one of our handycams while talking about EVPs and holding our equipment, a knock on the camera is heard followed by a voice saying "Give us thosseeeee." |
| While investigating elesewhere (we are heard in the background), a voice says sshhh! twice into the recorder. |
***
The question arises: why did I find these spooky? Especially given that I'm not sure I'd avow a belief in ghosts; and I can appreciate that there might be all sorts of explanations for the recordings, including fakery.
Well, here's three possibilities, depending on how one understands what needs to be elucidated, and what can count as an answer.
1. That some things create a fear response, regardless of belief.
2. That you can imaginatively enter into a scareable disposition. I can be scared by horror movies also, although I wouldn't avow belief in werewolves, vampires, giant spiders, mummies...
3. That in some sense I do "believe" in ghosts. Perhaps it's even the case that one can't choose to believe or not believe in ghosts, or believe or not believe in God.
Bottom line, though, is that I don't know why I shudder, but I do. Perhaps, as with questions of fascination, you can only really talk about the trigger, not the cause.
In this case, the trigger could be described as any of (or any combination of): the fact that they're whispers (don't know why whispers are scary, nor why the opening of "Carmina Burana" is scary); the quality of sounding not-quite-human (like the voices in "The Mothman Chronicles"); the thought "I'm listening to a dead person"; and the thought that some sort of taint might attach to me from the sheer act of listening (as in "The Ring" or "The Grudge").
I suppose, though, that every time you listen to Nirvana or Pavarotti, you're hearing dead people, and every time you look at an old movie or photograph you're seeing them.
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Comment by Damo
Comment by Damo
I wish these guys were in Melbourne then I could call them out. It would be great fun.
Finding stories disturbing or spooky does not mean much more than the suspension of disbelief was well done. People love Alien and jump at all the right places but do they actually believe such a creature is ready to attack them?
Comment by JoshZ
sounds interesting. Apparently they have a similar kind of thing in Sydney, though I've never looked it up.
jz
Comment by Nonymous
Philosophy Blog
I hadn't heard of a Sydney one, but this group might be what you're thinking of.... Some fascinating stories there.
Dear Damo,
Two thoughts:
1. Well, how could it be determined either way? I mean, how could you determine whether or not they really did "believe"? For instance, are even the words that come out of their mouth strong enough evidence? If they tell you they do believe, or they tell you they don't believe, is this evidence for whether they really do or don't?
2. I'm a bit sus about the expression "suspension of (dis)belief". I'm inclined to regard the phrase as pop psychology that disappears into mystery on analysis -- there's a whole lot of things that trouble me here, to do with what psychological laws are implied by the idea, what a "belief" is, and what it might mean to suspend it.
So the sort of questions that bug me are:
Say that believing something means (though this is also vague) that you "think it is true". Well, suspending a belief might then mean "hypothesize it might not be true"? But if so, why should there be an emotional reaction? I mean, I can hypothesize that there is a serial killer standing behind me, and yet I'm not afraid. What more is needed than the mere hypothesis?
Can I suspend my belief in cars and walk out in front of the traffic believing I won't get hit. If I can't do this, why then can I suspend my belief in ghosts, and get scared?
And is there anything that you do when you watch a movie? Don't you just watch it? Do you actively suspend anything? What does it mean to suspend?