PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: STEPHEN WAGNER
Dateline: 10/26/98
We come to the end of our month-long Halloween celebration of the paranormal. We've looked at ghost photos, read true ghost stories from around the Web and from readers. As a finale, I thought you might like to actually hear the voices of ghosts through a technique known as electronic voice phenomenon (EVP). Through this technique, experimenters take a tape recorder to a cemetery or some other location that is reputed to be haunted and simply record. Sometimes, the tape recorder is just switched on record mode to see what is captured, but often the experimenters ask questions to see if answers are received.
When the recordings are taking place, the experimenters usually do not hear anything. It is only after the tape is played back that the mysterious voices are heard. The voices often do directly answer questions posed to them -- sometimes even addressing the questioners by name. The voices are usually quiet, distant... and almost always quite eerie. If you've never heard them before, they can be downright chilling.
Note: You must have a sound card to listen to these files as well as programs such as MediaPlayer to listen to the .wav files and RealAudio to list to the RealAudio files.
So turn off the lights... and click on the audio buttons... and listen to voices from... who knows where!
The EVP Internet Center has several EVP files online in .wav format. The story behind this recording is not provided, but it's a good one:
"Anna... I can look at humans. (laughs)"
The recorder of the next EVP says the following: "While I was online, this message was left on my messaging center. This call wasn't made by anyone who would have known I was online at the time. Interestingly, I had just within days, asked the "unseen"to try to call me, and at the minute this call was recorded, I was speaking to a friend online about EVP phone calls."
"They'll hear this."
Utah Ghost Hunters Society has several EVP files on their site in .wav format. These are pretty good:
From a haunted house built in the very early 1900s in the Sugar House area. This recording of a voice saying, "You're safer back with me" and photo come from the basement. The photo supposedly shows the face of "Pete," one of the ghosts who haunts the house.
From Skykomish, Washington: "Please talk to me now."
From the Sandy City Cemetery in Utah, when asked, "Why won't you show yourselves?" the ghost replies, "Watch what you say."
In the Ogden City Cemetery, at the grave of a Mason,
"Remember who you are."
GEISTWeb is the home of the Southern California Paranormal Research Group. In .wav format, here are some of their best EVP files.
A little girl's voice yelling "Mommy"
in the pool room of the Queen Mary.
An old person's voice saying "Get out!"
at the Winchester Mystery House.
The Ghost Web is a great source for lots of ghost information, including photos and, of course, EVP files. In RealAudio format, here are some of their spookiest:
"Help me, David!"
"I'm so cold!"
Want to know more about EVP?
- Directions for taping your own EVPs.
- Here's an EVP Bulletin Board that discusses techniques and results.
|
Have You Tried EVP? Have you made a successful EVP recording? If so, send the file to me so I can share it with other readers. You have a standing invitation to tell me your experiences with the paranormal and unexplained. |
