Is Anybody There?
A short blog about the belief in ghosts, ghouls and all things supernatural!
Jon Clynch
You're home alone. Maybe watching your show, maybe reading a book, cooking dinner, chilling to some music. All seems fine, but then you sense a subtle change in the atmosphere. What was that you saw out of the corner of your eye? A swift movement, a sudden dash as a dark shape slips out of view.
The lights flicker once, twice. An icy draft washes over you, sending shivers up the back of your neck. Then...
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound comes from another room, perhaps the staircase. Is someone – or something – walking up the stairs? You check. There's nobody there. You call out, “Hello?”, which is the accepted standard term. There's no response.
What do you do next? How do you react?
A great many of us will automatically think, “Aagh! A ghost!”
Others will seek a more rational explanation.
That thing you saw? Could be a 'floater' on the surface of your eyeball. It might have been a bug, a shadow caused by lights from a passing vehicle – any one of a thousand different possibilities! What about the flickering lights, though? Well, the wiring's been dodgy for a while, or it could have been a power surge.
The sudden drop on temperature? Perhaps there's a draught from an open window somewhere?
But what about those footsteps? The classic explanation given for odd noises like this is usually: 'It's the house settling'. Alternatively, blame is ascribed to radiators cooling down, or a door or window flapping in the breeze.
Yes, it's easy to explain these events away when you look hard enough. It's harder to accept this, though, when all of these different things happen at the same time. It's even harder still, when the experience goes beyond this, extending into the terrifying realm of paranormal activity.
Cold spots, fleeting shadows, flickering lights and strange banging sounds are all common factors in classic haunting scenarios, though they can also, as I've noted, have pretty mundane causes.
No, we're talking now about serious stuff now: partial or full apparitions, intelligent entities, the physical movement of objects (or people!), encounters with bizarre beings. This is the realm of poltergeists, demonic manifestations, evil presences and – yes – even extraterrestrials!
At this point, I can almost hear the sceptics or unbelievers out there scoffing and rolling their eyes. “There's no such thing as ghosts.” they'll state with confidence. Setting aside ET for now, as this warrants a discussion of its own, let's move on...
Regardless of the scorn from sceptics, the possibility of having experienced something paranormal is very real for countless numbers of people worldwide, whether it brings a thrill of excitement or a shudder of terror.
Either way, a large proportion of our society is drawn to the world of the ghostly, eerie and creepy, and this is nothing new.
Aside from a handful of famous, well-documented cases, ghosts or haunted places (The Enfield Poltergeist, the Tower of London, Borley Rectory, Chillingham Castle, the Battersea Poltergeist, etc.), there's a wealth of spooky tales right across the UK, spanning many centuries. Some are clearly copies, spread by folk travelling to markets or looking for work. They'd stop to rest in taverns and inns, sharing their tales to wide-eyed locals. Details change in the telling, but the essence remains the same, which is why we see familiar threads running through.
Other stories, however, have a different feel. They seem somehow more real and believable. And this is reinforced when more recent ghostly sightings back up historical accounts.
Adding weight to this is the fact that many thousands of us (yes, myself included) can offer mystifying, curious, or downright terrifying personal accounts of brushes with otherworldly forces.
You can dismiss them, mock them or poke holes in their stories, but the fact remains that thousands of normal, everyday people have faced situations that have changed the way they think. In some cases, they have radically changed their lives.
Speaking personally, I can honestly say that I've experienced things that I can't fully explain (watch out for a future blog on the subject!). And even if this were not true, I am very open minded when it comes to spooky encounters.
While I always try to debunk any evidence of spectral shenanigans, I've often been left scratching my head over particular instances over the years.
While I'm open to the possibility that there's a rational cause that I've overlooked, I can't align my thinking with those who reject anything supernatural out of hand. To me, it's the mark of a closed mind, a sign of arrogance and ignorance. I'm by no means anti-science, but science cannot explain everything!
Also, I'm fascinated by everything supernatural or paranormal, as can be seen in my books, so I'm always willing to listen to anyone who wants to share on the subject.
In the past, claiming that you'd seen a ghost or admitting you believed in the paranormal may well have led to ridicule. Society tends to go through fads and fashions, and 'the supernatural' is currently enjoying a wave of popularity. This tends to happen after major events, such as world wars. It's possible that the COVID19 pandemic in 2020 contributed to the most recent up-tick in the interest in all things ghostly.
In the UK and USA, at least, the excellent podcast/TV show called Uncanny boosted interest significantly, providing a safe platform for ordinary folk to air their eerie experiences. While not exactly mainstream, this hugely popular program lends an air of respectability to the topic, somewhat reducing the stigma attached. Victims of hauntings or weird happenings came forward, some of them having kept silent for decades for fear of ridicule.
Is it entertainment? Yes, but only up to a point. The fear the victims felt was obviously real. The accounts were believable*, riveting, and in some instances, harrowing. For the most part, you sympathised with the poor soul at the heart of the tale.
*Mostly – It has to be said that a few were not convincing in the least, but these were rare exceptions!
In the show, presenter Danny Robins asks the audience to choose a side – team sceptic or team believer. We were encouraged to participate by sending in our own thoughts, explanations or similar experiences, particularly if they related to the case in hand.
Each case was presented in sections and dissected by a panel, including a guest and the two resident experts, Ciaran O'Keeffe (a parapsychologist and professional sceptic) and Evelyn Hollow (author, broadcaster and paranormal psychologist).
The really clever part is that Danny would allow the subject to talk for a while, revealing a bit about their experience. He'd then ask the two experts and guest what they thought. After this, he'd reveal a further piece of spine-tingling evidence that complicated the story further, often negating any alternative explanations offered by the sceptic. It was highly effective, making for compelling viewing!
At the end, Danny will leave you make up your own mind, dividing the audience into Team Believer or Team Sceptic.
Without question, I'm firmly in the first group, and I doubt anything would change my mind.
So, which team are you on? And do you have your own spooky tale to tell?
Feel free to contact me by email or get in touch on Instagram or Facebook to let me know!
