It’s the most wonderful time of the year. That’s right, the Halloween season is upon us and we’re ready to get spooky. Ghost hunting is one of our favourite hobbies all year round, but it’s a helluva lot more atmospheric around Halloween time.
Whether you’re a total ghost hunting rookie or a seasoned pro, everyone can benefit from going back to the basics of ghost hunting to make sure that you’re having a safe time and a fun time – we don’t want your ghost hunting experience turning into a B-Movie scream queen drama.
So, read up on your basics in our ultimate ghost hunting guide for beginners and get ready to be spooked this Halloween season.
Know Your Spook Limits
Ghost hunting should be fun for the whole gang, so before you even start planning your ghost hunting trip you should have a discussion about the types of ghosts and energies that everyone’s comfortable with potentially encountering.
Some ghost hunters might crumble at the slightest noise like Rylan ghost hunting or could keep their cool (most of the time) in the face of slamming doors like Derek Acorah, so it’s important to establish whether as a group you’ll be satisfied looking for a friendly spirit or you’d prefer a real fright from some dark energy.
Research Your Ghost Hunting Location
For almost any location you can think of, there’ll be a ghost. However, if you want to increase your chances of encountering something really thrilling on your ghost hunting trip, it’s best to find somewhere that has confirmed sightings and activity so you’re not left feeling disappointed.
There are some great ghost hunting locations in the UK and most towns and cities will have information online about their most haunted locations and the types of ghosts and energies that await inside. Check out guidebooks, local websites and even ghost hunting forums to find some of the best haunted locations near you.
Seek Permission
Some of the most interesting locations for ghost hunting are historical locations or are now being used as hotels, pubs, or may even be someone’s home! The best ghost hunting takes place after dark when most of these locations will be closed to the public, so if you’re planning on heading to a location where you might not be welcomed by the living, make sure you get their permission before you seek out the dead.
Gather a Ghost Hunting Team
Ghost hunting is a group activity, end of. Heading out alone to a haunted location without others is not only a safety issue, but chances are that even if you do see something – no-one will believe you!
Having a good group of ghost hunting friends that you trust to keep each other safe in dark and secluded locations (and that have great camera/video/audio recording skills) are a must. Time to get the Scooby Gang together and coordinate those Ghostbusters outfits – plus who wants to carry all that ghost hunting equipment by themselves?
Plan a Day-Time Visit
Once you and your team have chosen your ghost-hunting location, make sure that you plan a visit in the daytime to scope it out properly. Ghost hunting is best done at night and with no electrical interference, so you don’t want to be wasting time fumbling around trying to figure out the layout of the location in the dark. From a safety standpoint, it’s just not practical, and it’ll also eat into your valuable ghost hunting time!
Bring The Right Ghost Hunting Equipment
No ghost hunting story is really complete without the evidence. Whether you’re looking for proof in the form of photographs to show the muggles afterwards or you simply want to be able to monitor whether you’re in the right spot for ghostly activity mid-hunt, there are a few different pieces of ghost hunting equipment you can bring with you.
It used to be that ghost hunters were armed with a camera (video or otherwise) and a tape recorder and not much else. If you’re going old school like this, make sure that all of your equipment is properly charged and you have spare batteries with you in case your hunt takes longer than expected.
To take your ghost hunt to the next level, you may want to invest in an EMF metre. Ghost hunting pro’s are almost never caught without this nifty bit of ghost hunting equipment which measures electromagnetic fields around you. Spirits can cause static or interrupted electromagnetic fields when trying to make themselves known, so EMF metres are a great way to know if a spirit is trying to interact with your group or respond to your questions.
Latest technological advancements have left us with a few extra ghost hunting tools to bring with us on our hunt. For example, there’s now such thing as real ghost hunting apps for Android and iOS. We don’t know how reliable they are, but as far as ghost hunting equipment in the UK is concerned, we’re happy to try anything out!
Protect Yourself From Negative Energy
Depending on your beliefs, this part of the process might change a little. Whatever religion floats your boat, we can all relate to the idea that positive energy will keep away the bad vibes. Take a moment before you head into your ghost hunting location to surround yourself with positive thoughts to dispell any negative energy you might come into contact with, and remember to do the same on your way out so you don’t have any unwanted spirits following you home!
Don’t Use “The Voice”
If you’ve ever watched amateur videos of ghost hunting or seances, you’ll probably have heard “the voice”. The way we see it, spirits were people once, and talking to them in a grand booming voice isn’t going to encourage them to make contact with you. In fact, it’ll either make them run for the hills or really wind them up; both scenarios best avoided.
Just relax and don’t forget your manners. Introduce yourself, invite them to make themselves known, thank them if they respond to you in any way, and thank them for allowing you to be in their presence before you leave. You’re a guest in their home after all!
Analyse Your Results Afterwards
So you’ve finished your ghost hunt, felt suitably thrilled and chilled by the experience and you’re back safe at home in the cold light of day. Did you remember everything right? Did that really happen? If you brought all of your ghost hunting tools home with you, there should be an easy way to find out!
Get the gang back together (preferably in the day time) to go through all of your photographs, footage and recordings and try to approach it with a skeptical mind. Most of your information can probably be debunked in hindsight, and if you’re going to be taken seriously by the ghost hunting community, good evidence that can’t be easily debunked is essential!
Going ghost hunting as part of your Halloween celebrations? Take a look at our Halloween Shop for all of those Halloween bits and pieces this spooky season.
