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Blue Ghost Nonsense
In
the summer of 2005 a sealed plastic Ziploc bag was discovered at the
mouth of the tunnel containing a VHS tape labeled #2. Several other
tapes, sealed in plastic bags and numbered, were discovered.
The
curious viewer would see a short clip containing visuals of the
tunnel, The Welland Canal, rusty objects, dead animals and a man in a
cheesy Halloween mask. The effect was to produce a tape similar to
the one found in the movie The
Ring.
The majority of viewers found it amateurish.
Chad
Irish was the person who actually found the tapes, and many
speculated it was he who was responsible for placing, and ultimately
finding, his own tapes. This was during the period that Chad was
engrossed with the tunnel and visited daily and nightly for months.
He was spellbound by the tapes and made extra trips to the tunnel
simply, he said, for the chance of finding another tape. Several
pages of his web site were now dedicated to the tapes themselves and
he developed his own hypothesis about the tapes. They were, evil, he
said, and the viewer would physically get sick, or even die after
viewing them. He cautioned his web site visitors about the tapes and
proceeded to amass a collection of plastic baggies and VHS tapes.
When
the interest of the tapes faded, Chad devised another attention
grabbing scheme. He made his own video tape and had to discover it
himself after no one had noticed it sitting on one of the
strengthening beams in the tunnel.
In
the months that passed, yet another video was made, by an anonymous
filmmaker, and mocked the whole videotape controversy. It contained
images of the tunnel as well as Thomas
The Tank Engine
cheerfully smiling as he tooted his whistle. Speculation about the
origin of this jeering video was centered on a local graphic artist
and paranormal enthusiast known on paranormal forums as Toadfuss.
The
original producer of the first video and Chad's distribution created
yet another layer of the Urban Legend. Even though most people
dismiss the tapes as a cheap-practical joke and Chad as an eccentric
ghost hunter, the tapes still pop up in some conversations as pieces
of the story:
“They
found these old movies there of a man killing a girl.”
“They
found parts of a snuff film, but the rest of the film was destroyed
by water.”
“The
guy who made the film was murdered.”
Not
even a decade old and many people fail to delve into the truth.
Instead, they read or hear about a video tape and somehow, somewhere
along the way, decide it is historic truth.
Of
course, each story, like branches of a tree, continuously grows new
branches and leaves. The legend grows and grows.
The
original creator of the video series, James Straughan, was recently
exposed by Kevin Valencourt, founder of The Niagara Amateur Ghost
Seekers. During the time in which Chad was infatuated with the tapes,
James Straughan posted many entries onto paranormal discussion
boards about the video tapes, marketing them and pretending not to
know who did them. He lied about his involvement with the tapes and
his credibility was tarnished.
On
Hamilton Paranormal's Old Message Forum:
By
James Straughan on Friday, December 10, 2004 - 10:03 pm:
Hey
all, long-time no-post
Since
spring I had not been back to the BGT, and wow has it changed. I
guess it's become pretty popular since that tv show aired cause it's
amazing what you'll find down there. I've been there three times in
the last month, and found things ranging from bikes to fires in the
tunnel.
One
particular thing though, when I went tonight I found a vhs tape in a
ziplock bag ...left seemingly intentionally in the middle of the
tunnel. I took it home and watched it out of curiosity, and it is
flat out strange. Actually, it can't be described. You want to think
it's a joke, but there's such a frightening amount of effort and
impact with it. Why?
By
James Straughan on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 02:27 am:
I've
been trying to get my tv input card to work so I can take some stills
but to no avail. I'll try again tomorrow. To be honest, after viewing
the video I just felt ...well, bad....not only is it menacing but it
is also depressing.
It
is relatively short...almost 3 minutes I think. I've decided the best
word to describe it would be “montage”. Among the things shown
are the tunnel itself, some VERY old gravestones somewhere, a
destroyed car/truck in the woods, a dead fox, a rotten door standing
on it's own, something emerging from the reeds wearing a policeman or
conductor uniform, a human skull sunken in the mud, and a piece of
paper in a tree that reads 27. The whole thing has unidentifiable
audio, with what sounds like a young girls voice and an old man. I
can't make out what they're saying though.
I
know that all must sound strange, and it is. Hopefully I can get some
stills tommorow. Night.
-James
When
asked recently about the video and its purpose, James Straughan
provided this statement:
“I
made the film in 2004, hold all copyrights, original footage,
soundtrack etc etc. If you have any follow-up questions talk to my
lawyer at Wilson Opatovsky (905) 835-1163. I do not consent to my
films usage, in whole or part, in any project/compilation/anything.”
The
statement in itself reveals the character of the man behind the
cheesy-Halloween mask in the video.
You
may find the video online on YouTube. If the drivel does not
entertain you, some of the comments left behind by more creative
individuals will. Viewer discretion is advised, however, and this
author is not responsible for any illness henceforth caused or
immediate, and/or sudden death upon viewing. Perhaps contact Wilson
Opatovsky to seek compensation for any damages.
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