Advanced copies of The Blue Ghost Tunnel: Making of a Legend have been sent out for review. The first reviews to be published were Sue St. Clair and Matthew James Didier of Psican.org. Below are the reviews as well as the link to their site which has numerous reviews on books concerning the study of the paranormal.

Reviews of The Blue Ghost Tunnel: Making of a Legend, by Canadian author and researcher John Savoie     "When one reads any book, they have a hope that part of that book will resonate within their very being... that a small portion will literally become a part of their essence.  In this case, one hopes the reader of this brief tome will not find that part being a soiled mattress in a drainage tunnel that was said to be, potentially, where a ghostly prostitute plies her trade.  Welcome to the lore of the Blue Ghost Tunnel and the book, The Blue Ghost Tunnel Making of a Legend. Author John Savoie delves into what has been an interesting and often frightening (for all the wrong reasons,) journey through the stories, myths, and legends of the now infamous tunnel and it's environs.  He digs through documents and quite literally knocks on doors finding out the sources of the history (that exists and is glancingly relevant,) as well as the ghostly myths that sprung up around this Ontario haunt... from its many claims of origins to where things stand at the time of his writing. The tunnel, in the Niagara region of Ontario, first came to popular light online in the late 1990's and through the early 2000's gaining a strong reputation for everything from screams being heard from nowhere to the apparitions of women and dogs... and even sexual encounters of a very spiritual kind! Everything from a flooded cemetery, various drownings, to a century old train wreck was blamed for all the events... and Savoie examines them all and the mythos from not only the tunnel itself, but it's surrounding areas. From vandals to teenagers, questionable ghost hunters to potential movie deals, from skewed and misleading television programs to dead hookers, Savoie leaves few stones unturned. This is a very lively book that at some points, both Sue and myself found ourselves in tears of laughter reading... and finding out even our "facts" about the tunnel needed work!  Without question, it is a "must read" for anyone interested in folklore, ghosts, urban legends, or all points in between... especially in Southern Ontario. Is the tunnel bunk?  Is it caused by psi?  Is it the DPH (dead person hypothesis) at work? Savoie excellently goes about making cases for almost all the notions for what's said to be experienced at the tunnel, save for why so many female ghosts end up being named after the months of the year, but overall still leaves the judgment to the reader after all is said and done, The Blue Ghost Tunnel Making of a Legend is a worthy book for anyone to have a "boo" at."   ~ Matthew James Didier     "This is a book that had to be written, and I can think of no one better to sort through so much chaff to get to the wheat or heart of the BGT (Blue Ghost Tunnel) legend than author/researcher John Savoie. Mr Savoie has spent extensive time visiting, and researching the Blue Ghost Tunnel location, and its history. He has exhausted many different sources from long-time residents of the area, to local historians, and archives, canal officials, ghost hunters, demon worshippers, bored teenagers, tour operators, and even found the originator of the term "Blue Ghost Tunnel."    The Blue Ghost Tunnel: Making Of A Legend, includes numerous photos, and maps of the area both historical and current. It explores much of the mythos surrounding the tunnel, and sorts the facts from the fiction with numerous examples and sources that demonstrate the true history and origin of the legend. Both Matthew and I were happy to learn many new things about the BGT.    Savoie also covers different ideas on what may or may not be occurring at the BGT and allows for the reader to make up their own minds on what is presented as clearly speculation, while at the same time giving good food for thought in regards to the potential of actual anomalies.     This book is extremely entertaining, and a worthwhile read for anyone interested in ghosts, ghost hunting, history, urban legends, folklore, and the internet's role in creating, and spreading mythos with break neck speed.  While the Blue Ghost Tunnel became an internet phenomenon it is an excellent example of how urban legends begin, evolve, and how they can endure as folklore that will be passed through generations.   Long after the original BGTers have moved on to other things, younger generations will find this tunnel via Creepy Canada reruns or old internet forums, and long abandoned ghost hunting group's websites. Out of all the thrill seekers, ghost tourists, and people with nothing better to do on a Saturday night who will flock there, there will be one or two with a keen, and sincere interest in paranormal stories and research and Mr Savoie has now provided them with an excellent resource for this location.    Thank you John for setting the record straight on this Southern Ontario haunt.  While it will surely be despised by some, it will equally and more importantly so, be appreciated by the many"   ~ Sue Demeter-St. Clair       For more information please visit the author's blog http://ghosthuntingchronicles.blogspot.ca/ The Blue Ghost Tunnel: Making Of A Legend Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/groups/240314552666679/     All proceeds of The Blue Ghost Tunnel: Making Of A Legend will go to Dare to Dream Horse Rescue http://www.dare2dreamhorserescue.ca/                   Copyright © 2012 PSICAN - Paranormal Studies and Investigations Canada. All Rights Reserved. Paranormal research "...is beset by True Believers ('They must be, therefore they are!') and True Unbelievers ('They can't be, therefore they aren't!') Rare are those who pursue evidence wherever it may lead, no matter how the results may square with their cherished hopes and dreams. Ironically, both the TBists and the TUists see themselves as champions of objective analysis and critical thinking, when in fact they are defenders of their respective faiths and, not incidentally, their egos." - Karl Pflock While PSICAN welcomes all communications, please note that if you are under the age of fifteen (15) years old, you must ask a parent or legal guardian to contact us on your behalf. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Ghosts Use Cell Phones to Contact Living

A paranormal expert in Britain has claimed that ghosts are trying to contact the living through mobile phones, with the number of mystery calls attributed to them rising by 43 percent in the last four years.

Phil Hayes, a spectre investigator from Paranormal Research UK, believes a third of all haunting are now through mobile phones.

"There is evidence to suggest that ghosts can use phones to communicate, with reports of people receiving phone calls from deceased relatives," the Sun quoted Hayes as saying.

According to him, the calls often feature heavy static and the voice sounds faint and distant, and nine in ten show as "withheld number" or "000000000000" on caller ID.

Statistics show two thirds of all paranormal phenomena feature sounds, with just 20 percent being actual sightings of ghosts and 15 percent based on smell.

The study by Tesco Mobile revealed Paranormal Research UK have seen a 70 percent upsurge in paranormal evidence in the last year due to people using their phones.

"We'd recommend those brave enough to capture any spooky sightings should MMS or email their pics to the paranormal society for investigation," Lance Batchelor, CEO of Tesco Mobile said.

"Keep your camera phone on the highest quality resolution setting and use the recorder to capture the noise of any spectral sounds," he added.

NEW BOOK: Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture.

About 68 percent of Americans believe in the possibility of the paranormal, according to the authors of the newly published book "Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture."

Baylor associate professors of sociology Dr. Carson Mencken and Dr. Christopher Bader, along with Joseph Baker, co-authored the book about paranormal beliefs in the U.S. The book is geared toward a general audience.

"Anyone can read it and everyone should read it," Mencken said.

The book examines who tends to believe in the paranormal and how pervasive paranormal beliefs are in society. The book also researches paranormal theories but does not confirm or deny their validity.

"The book is about the believers of the paranormal, not whether or not it is real," Bader said.

Mencken and Bader began their work on this book in response to the realization that by looking at existing research, no one knew who paranormal believers were.

"Research was a mess," Bader said. "It was old and no one had done a random sample. There were good studies done about whether Methodists or Presbyterians believe, but not about the average American."

Mencken said a lot of media stereotype paranormal believers as uneducated, unemployed alcoholics.

"We were surprised to find in our research that the people who believe in the paranormal fit none of those stereotypes," Mencken said. "We discovered that those that held unconventional beliefs were of a respected position."

Mencken and Bader hope that readers will walk away from their book with an understanding of what sociologists do, and how pervasive the paranormal is in society.

"Roughly two-thirds of people believe in the possibility of one paranormal item, which includes astrology, UFOs, psychic abilities, Atlantis, Bigfoot, ghosts and haunted houses," Bader said.

People from more conservative religious traditions tend to be less willing to believe in the paranormal than those from more moderate traditions, Mencken said.

"People who are more moderately religious tend to believe in the paranormal," Bader said. "If you are not at all religious, or highly religious, it is not likely that you will believe. Someone who attends church once a month is much more likely to believe in the paranormal than someone who attends church on a weekly basis."

While researching, the authors found that it was not difficult to find paranormal believers due to the large number of organizations devoted to the unconventional beliefs.

"Something that has changed in the paranormal over the decades is the level of organization," Bader said. "Texas has several Bigfoot organizations and Waco has a ghost hunting club."

The two professors went on a ghost hunt in the fall of 2007 and brought along a few graduate students of sociology, including Andrew Whitehead.

Whitehead said spending time with the ghost hunters and learning about their experiences and how they hunt ghosts was an interesting experience when he was new to learning how to study society.

"I didn't see or feel anything so I can't speak to whether or not ghosts were there," Whitehead said. "But I was surprised to remember how it felt when I was a kid and I was discovering my grandparents' attic and it's all new and exciting. Going into the haunted house with the ghost hunters, I had the same exciting rush."

Whitehead said he can't recommend going ghost hunting, because he wasn't actually hunting ghosts but watching the hunters. He said that spending time with ghost hunters is always exciting.

Bader said there are fliers at Ninfa's in downtown Waco about weekly ghost tours that are offered if anyone is interested in experiencing the paranormal this Halloween season.

The book is now available in bookstores and online.

The Sahuarita Ghost Hunt of 1943

In the Fall of 1943, residents of Sahuarita lived in terror.

Paranormal activity plagued the area 20 miles south of Tucson, with most of the activity focused on the home of a 70-year-old woman. Bricks were tossed down her chimney. Rocks frequently pelted her roof in the dead of night. She would routinely find sand mixed in with her coffee.

Not long after the rumors of the haunted house began to circulate throughout the community, a man was robbed. The man could not see his assailants in the pitch black darkness of the night. Two other men were beaten on different nights. Residents started to carry guns, fearful that the ghosts appeared to be multiplying. The residents acknowledged that their bullets were useless against the ghosts, but they didn’t know what else to do.

When the news of the robbery and assaults reached the 70-year-old woman and she made the decision to abandon her home.

Deputy Sheriff Ben Mariscal also had enough of the paranormal activity in Sahuarita. Mariscal wasn’t afraid of no ghosts and was determined to put an end to it.

Over the course of his (paranormal) investigation, he suspected that several area youths were up to no good in the neighborhood. He targeted two boys, in particular, as the “ghost chiefs” of the bunch. One of the boys, a 15-year-old, was the grandson of the 70-year-old woman who abandoned her home.

Mariscal arranged a “ghost hunt” with the two boys at the abandoned home. He told the boys that he wanted to witness the ghostly activity for himself. The boys agreed to participate . On the night of the paranormal investigation, Mariscal arrived at the home with an innocent 15-year-old boy. The boy would be used as a decoy, according to his plan to nab the “ghosts” that evening. The deputy told all three boys to sit on a bench, with the decoy seated between the two suspected ghost boys. Mariscal turned off the lights. They all waited for the midnight hour, which was just moments away.

Through the darkness came the sound of a blood curdling scream. Mariscal turned on the lights to find the decoy with blood pouring out of his busted nose. Mariscal demanded to know which of the boys was the ghost. The two suspected ghosts immediately turned around and accused the decoy of attacking them with a metal instrument. The decoy protested, saying that he felt one of the boys’ arms move just before he was hit in the face. When Mariscal revealed that the bloody-nosed boy was a “plant”, the ghost boys ended their charade.

The boys were put in front of Judge William G. Hall in juvenile court. The “chief ghost” was given a year probation with the guarantee of being shipped off to reform school at Fort Grant, if even the slightest “ghosting” occurred again. The second boy received a slap on the hand.

Judge Hall said about his ruling: “If they had stayed with their pranks and let it go at that, I would have been inclined to show leniency, but when they began knocking down people and robbing one, it was going too far. This one boy is without doubt the leader of the little gang and supplied most of the ideas, I believe, and for that reason the terms of his probation are rather severe. The other lad was not involved to the same extent and I thought if we took care of the chief ghost the difficulty would be solved.”

The 70-year-old grandmother of the heavily reprimanded chief ghost returned to her home. From that point forward, no rocks showered her roof. No bricks dropped down her chimney. No coffee was tainted with sand.

It is assumed that the decoy’s nose healed nicely, though there is no record of what happened to him after the ghost hunt. It is due to him, and Deputy Sheriff Mariscal, that the streets of Sahuarita became safe, once again.

Tucson Arizona Bank Ghost

The Bank of America at 902 North Stone Avenue in Tucson is closed today due to the 4th of July holiday.

That doesn’t mean that there is no activity at the bank. Ghosts don’t work bankers’ hours and they don’t take holidays. The branch is bustling with paranormal activity.

The strange goings on at this location have been reported for several years.

This particular location was established in 1948 as The Bank of Douglas. By 1960, the bank operated under the name Arizona Bank. In the 1990’s, bank mergers and acquisitions brought the names of banking giants like Bank of America and Wells Fargo to town. Banking customers at First Interstate and Arizona Bank underwent the painful process of bank account conversions. Perhaps that is what stirred up the ghost at 902 North Stone Avenue. The ghostly activity at the bank was rumored to have accelerated around that time.

Employees saw apparitions. Doors swung open. Doors slammed shut.

One dreaded door, the door to the furnace room, was avoided as much as possible. Employees considered that room to be the source of activity and simply steered clear of it. In 1997, Alan D. Fischer of the Arizona Daily Star paid a visit to investigate the rumored haunting. He witnessed the furnace door swing open for no apparent reason. He investigated the area and found no prankster around. He examined the door, which was too heavy to simply swing open by itself. He concluded: “I don’t have an answer, but I do have a strong belief that there is something going on there.”

One has to wonder whether there is something going on there today. The next thing to ponder would be whose spirit feels compelled to haunt the bank and why they would haunt it. No one knows the answers yet. It could be someone associated with the bank, or someone associated with the property prior to 1948.

While future dreaded mergers and acquisitions could change the name of the place, the activity of a nameless ghost may remain unchanged.

History of a Haunting - Success at Last!

Last year, Sue St.Clair and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog showcased a Canadian Television pilot entitled History of a Haunting.

The newly announced show had a host of unfamiliar faces, virtual nobodies, save for a widely used actor from the now-defunct and ridiculously cheesy showcase of Canadian paranormal: Creepy Canada.

The authors, titled the blog entry as:

History of a Haunting: ANOTHER Media Letdown Before Production Even Starts...

(Visit The Blog Entry Here and View Comments)

What the authors probably did not know is how absurd and disturbing the whole production would be and how the story would unfold. At first amused by the whole idea of History of a Haunting, the paranormal community quickly were insulted by the rationale, the production and the personalities involved. And the paranormal community quickly uncovered the lies.

In 2010, the producers, decided that they would bring the show to the Banff World Television Festival. They paid to attend. Enough Said.

According to Nathan Chamberland it was a success! Read on...

Timeline of History of a Haunting: From Innocent Stupidity to Retarded

1. History of a Haunting producers post ads to attract actors to play major roles on their reality TV show.
2. The producers post an ad looking for a scriptwriter for the reality TV show.
3. Casting call results are poor, friends are put in lead roles instead. They have zero experience in anything paranormal, or with investigating, however, they are portrayed as "Team Leaders" and "Lead Investigators"
   
4. Cast is a trance medium named Shane Flannigan, who goes by the stage name Zoltach or Sayge, who also doubles as a clown named Soupy. (No, I am not making this up!)
   
5. Another psychic was hired on to the production - Shelly Murdock, of Niagara Falls.
6. Matthew Didier posts his blog entry alerting the paranormal community.
7. Production begins for the pilot episode. According to Shelly Murdock, the producers and actors were drinking while on set.
8. Shelly Murdock says she exposed Zoltach as a fraud on set, but producers decided to "let her go" with the excuse that "she does not look good on camera."
9. Matthew Didier's Blog Post attracts readership and comments. One, notably from Nathan Chamberland himself, the show's "producer".
10. Blog comments quickly establish that Nathan Chamberland is out of his league. His feeble attempts to defend the show quickly turn to anger.
    
11. Shelly Murdock is officially "fired" from the show.
12. Photos and the address of the first house appear on the History of a Haunting web site revealing its location of a private home and a private individual.
13. Shelly Murdock comes forward and suggests the show is fake, and that Zoltach is a fraud. She publicly answered questions here: The Shadows Project Forum
14. The homeowners, disgusted by the production and the lack of reality refuse to let the film production film another scene in there home. The production uses another house and property as a double and bills it as the first home.
15. Shelly Murdock says she was harassed and threatened by the production team.
16. Producers were asked repeatedly to join in the discussion and defend their show - to which they refused.
17. A promo appears on Youtube with poor viewership and negative comments.
18. Another promo for "The Team Leader" appears, again with poor viewership and negative comments.
19. With marketing ideas lacking, the team turns to forums on Bloody Disgusting and Fangoria to drum up an audience. It fails.
20. The producers claim to have a historian dig up clues from the past. However, no historian is featured and no name is given. The public calls it BS.
21. Nathan Chamberland, the shows front man, appears on the Shadows Project Forum to defend himself.
22. Nathan suggests he and his show are there to help people, however he cannot answer how he can help a homeowner.
23. Nathan Chamberland finds himself entangled in his own web of lies and is exposed continuously by posters on the forum.
24. Nathan admits that he made "one hundred mistakes" in the production of the first pilot.
25. Nathan gets ripped apart by Creepy Bastard on the TSP forum.
26. Enter Divine Intervention. Zoltach (also known as Sayge or Soupy) uses a fake alias to defend the show anonymously. He lies about his person and the show and is exposed quickly.
27. Zoltach appears as Sayge and pretends he has never been on the forum. He is exposed as a liar.
28. A Team Leader is chosen - an artist and friend of the group. He has zero experience.
29. New psychics are added to the show - The Ghost Eliminators! They profit from providing clearing services to home owners. They are showcased on Youtube talking to the spirit of a stuffed tiger in Niagara Falls.
30. Betty of the Ghost Eliminators appears on the forum and quickly gets ripped apart.
31. TSP's thread on History of a Haunting is locked.
32. The homeowners voice their complaints to History of a Haunting and want to their privacy back. They are also concerned that the team made things up and do not know the truth.
33. History of a Haunting threatens the homeowners and decided to pull the plug and reshoot another pilot episode.
34. The web site www.historyofahaunting.com vanishes.
35. Spoof videos of History of a Haunting appear on Youtube and elsewhere.
36. Another pilot episode is produced using a friends house as the backdrop.
37. A pilot episode is released via the new History of a Haunting web site.
38. Viewers including their own family memebers complain of viruses, malware and pornography infecting their computers once they viewed the video.
39. History of a Haunting leaves the pilot episode up - infecting the viewers computers.
40. Views are low and comments negative about the production.
41. The History of a Haunting web site goes down again.
42. Nathan Chamberland announces that History of a Haunting is nominated for a Rocky Award (sic Rockie Award) at the Banff World Television Festival. What he fails to mention is the festival takes on any pilot IF you pay the registration fee.
43. Psyched a fundraiser is created to sent Nathan and friends to Alberta.
44. Audience members and those present laugh at the production.
45. Nathan Chamberland returns home to Niagara licking his wounds but announces that the intention was NOT to win an award at the award show.

So what is next for History of a Haunting?

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
-Albert Einstein

History of a Haunting's Team Leader

Teaser Trailer for History of a Haunting:

Here is the Redeveloped Pilot Episode:

A Teen's Guide To Ghost Hunting

Here is the cover to my new book A Teen's Guide To Ghost Hunting published by Ingram and available in bookstores summer 2009 and online.

About This Blog

Out of the Dark: The Ghost Hunting Chronicles is a blog providing detailed investigations of the Out of the Dark team, paranormal news and editorial.

It will also feature the past investigations of paranormal investigator and author John Savoie.