YouTube’s Ghost Theory is grabbing viewers with genuine ghost hunts and live-streamed action, writes RACHAEL ELIZABETH
Live ghost-hunting shows are fast becoming the new ‘paranormal reality TV’, as truth seekers take it upon themselves to search for proof of the afterlife.
These new paranormal investigation shows come with a fresh and less dramatised angle; they show how ghost-hunting expeditions can be difficult, scary, and even dangerous.
Although the hosts constantly need to evade potential human threats, on-site security, and crumbling floors, they have nevertheless begun to dip their toes into live streaming.
The medium of live streaming gives us, the viewers, an opportunity to experience every step with the hosts in real-time, giving the show a more truthful, realistic feel.
One particular channel on YouTube provides these experiences (whether live or pre-recorded) exceedingly well, and that channel is Ghost Theory.
Ghost Theory is hosted by Elliot and Joe and is likely one of the more credible ghost-hunting channels out there. A huge part of watching these types of paranormal videos is how the viewer must put their trust in the hosts in order to deliver an honest investigation, and I can wholeheartedly advocate Ghost Theory.
If they have an uneventful expedition, they will tell you (or, more importantly, show you), but even if the show doesn’t happen to be riddled with ghostly activity, Elliot and Joe have an infectious sense of humour that will keep their viewership entertained regardless.
Ghost Theory Live Investigation
Ghost Theory’s latest live investigation is split between two locations: the first location takes place in a derelict barn on an abandoned farm, the location of which is shrouded in secrecy; the stream begins with an admirable foray into amateur acrobatics by Elliot as he (somewhat unsuccessfully) attempts to climb over a dilapidated barn door, while Joe casually films his struggling friend.
The barn itself is eerie in its abandoned state and gives beautiful ‘Blair Witch’ vibes. The investigation itself sees a lot of unusual noises, knocks, and bangs, seemingly on command, but as Ghost Theory always does, they try to explain or rationalise the noises before they make any claims of paranormal interference; if they can explain why something has happened, they will – a quality that surely improves their credibility.
Due to weather somewhat interfering with the investigation, Elliot and Joe move onto the second location, a quaint yet beautiful church, and this is when things start to get juicy…
After battling through a ‘haunted’ cabbage field and dodging a murderous owl, they arrive at the church; once inside, they begin calling out to any potential entities within the church, which appears to elicit some rather compelling and timely knocking sounds. The investigators then proceed to the back section of the church and once again start to accumulate some mysterious responses. The next step in their investigation is to call out the letters of the alphabet in order to see if any corresponding knocks may spell out a name or other information.
The first two letters they receive taps in response to are ‘G’ and ‘O’, and both Elliot and Joe agree that such a response may seem a bit unbelievable, so Elliot decides to set up the camera to show both Joe and himself in full view, to quash any notion of them being the ones doing the tapping or knocking.
As they continue, Joe reiterates that a previous investigation may have caused something to follow or attach to them, so they call out to see if they can glean an answer. Although nothing concrete emerges, they then ask if perhaps a family member or someone they once knew could be following them as a protector, to which they hear a knock.
Another creepy incident is when Joe’s phone seemingly freezes and bizarre images of people’s faces appear in red before the activity settles back down. It’s not clear whether this was caused by anything paranormal, but it is certainly an unnerving event.
Upon watching these events unfold in real-time, the advantages brought about by live streams are clear: you experience events alongside the investigators the whole time, seeing and hearing as they do. Following the events mentioned above, the rather shaken investigators ask for whatever is following them to stop, and this appears to be when the activity ends.
I myself have been intrigued (and perhaps a little obsessed) with the paranormal for as long as I can remember, and finding these types of channels helps to keep my love for this subject alive, although I must admit I have been burned by ghost-hunting videos before, such as being presented with highly compelling evidence only to find out that it has been staged.
Once the trust has been lost, it can feel similar to how you might view a cheating spouse or partner and may be reluctant to return to the channel in question.
Ghost Theory, as their name suggests, present you with theories as to what may have happened in their investigations, whether it was explainable at the time or not. They will always present you with both perspectives where possible; not only do Elliot and Joe take an honest route with their videos, but their chemistry and interactions with the viewers are what makes this channel highly addictive.
And if you know what’s good for you, remember to wear headphones.
You can watch Ghost Theory on YouTube.
Tell us your thoughts on Ghost Theory in the comments section below!
