haunted. haunting

Real-life ghostbusting at the Tally Ho tavern

ERIN, Wisc.--Break out the proton packs and keep an eye out for "orbs." We're going ghost hunting.

Obviously, Halloween is the season for haunted houses, so I decided to visit an alleged real one with the sort of ghost investigators we see all over TV these days on shows like "Most Haunted," "Paranormal State," and "Ghost Hunters." Viewers enjoy plenty of green-tinted night vision video and grown-ups taunting would-be poltergeists in empty rooms, but good luck spotting proof of a ghost. In fairness, in this age of CG enhancements and photo manipulation, we could end up with a high-def image of a transparent Abe Lincoln writing, "I'm a ghost, you four-score and 20 idiots!"--and we'd scream "ILM!" I would trust only my naked eyes.

So, earlier this month I tagged along with the Washington County Paranormal to get an idea of the methods and homespun technology they use to chase down ghosts. … Read more