I’ve always been baffled by the idea of a specific time of the night when ghosts emerge. It has been widely believed that in order to garner the most evidence, you must conduct your investigation in the dead of night. Why is this? Do hauntings only occur from midnight to 3am? Certainly not. I’ve witnessed paranormal activity in broad daylight or in the early hours of the morning. So why do investigators choose night to wander around abandoned hospitals in search of a ghost willing to play the game? I have a theory.
For starters, most ghost hunters (whether they want to admit it or not) are in it for the adrenaline rush. And what scenario elicits more fear than a reported haunted location at midnight? I can’t think of many other places to get that surge of excitement mixed with absolute fear. Add in the fact that you can’t see the room around you and you’ve got enough adrenaline to restart a heart. Sounds fun, right? It is. However, it doesn’t actually do anything for your research. Unless, of course, you’re researching the effects of fear on the body.
Some ghost hunters believe that in order to get that million-dollar evidence, the sky (and the room, for some reason) must be inky black. Do ghosts hide from the light? No. Why would they? Take a moment to really think about it. For what reason would a ghost need to hide in the daytime? Aren’t they equally as active during the day as during the night? Yes. So why do we wait until the haunting hour to investigate? Simple. It’s for the investigative team. It has nothing to do with the ghosts themselves. The team chooses to hunt at night because that’s what they’ve been taught. They’ll say their tools work better at night…and that can be true. It’s true, though, because they’re made to work in the dark. They were manufactured that way to pander to people who believe they need expensive equipment to conduct legitimate investigations. Pro-tip: you don’t need any of that.
So when, you ask, is the best time to ghost hunt? There’s no blanket answer. It depends entirely on when a particular location is the most active. Some locations only experience mid-afternoon activity. So, why then would a team hunt in the middle of the night? Doesn’t make much sense, does it? If you want the best chance of getting crystal clear evidence, you need to do your research. Don’t just ask the owner of the building about the paranormal activity and then come back from midnight to 3am. Ask about the time it occurs. More often than not, you’ll find a pattern. Patterns are key. Once you’ve established the active time for that location, you can begin to plan your investigation. Don’t forget- keep your crew small, no whispering, and conduct your EVP sessions while everyone is sitting.
Remember- ghost hunting is about debunking whatever evidence you can. You’ll find you can debunk 95-99% of suspected paranormal activity. Whatever you have left- that small percentage of the unexplained- that’s what it’s all about. That’s what you’ve been working toward. That’s what’s real.
