01x03 - Crazy Train

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: America's top ghost hunters relive their most extreme assignments.

(Woman screaming)

This house is beyond haunted.

Narrator: Hardened veterans of the paranormal, these are the cases that truly tested them.

They're responding to you as they know they're dead.

Narrator: All hell breaks loose when an investigator disturbs tortured spirits trapped in a passenger train.

While hunting the ghosts of a tragic car crash, one investigator is mercilessly toyed with by a demonic child.

Nothing like that had ever happened on an investigation before.

It scared the daylights out of me.

Narrator: The ghost of a violent school principal separates a father-daughter team and then ruthlessly att*cks.

And I could physically feel two hands on my shoulders and was completely flushed with fear.

Narrator: In a railway museum near Cleveland, Ohio...

Historic trains and passenger cars are lovingly preserved.

Most are unremarkable.

But one stands apart from the others.

It is known as the death car.

26 innocent men, women, and children d*ed an excruciating death inside.

The tragedy occurs in 1943, when a passenger train collides with a freight train.

(Train whistle blowing)

(Crash)

(Screaming)

♪♪

One locomotive slammed sideways into the passenger car, sending scorching steam in through the windows.

Those inside are boiled alive.

Now it is said to be haunted by the spirits of the victims, which brings it to the attention of veteran ghost hunter Karlo Zuzic.

We're actually working on haunted vehicles, and through our research, we came across the Midwest railway preservation society.

So I contacted them, and they told us a little bit of history of the trains that they had there.

And I was just amazed.

Narrator: Karlo has never visited a location where so many souls d*ed in such agony.

When the museum grants access to investigate the death car, he knows it could be one of his most dramatic cases.

I've been investigating the paranormal since the '80s.

It's then when I actually had my first experience seeing a full-body apparition.

You know, we don't do this for money.

We do it 'cause of the love and the passion we have researching the paranormal.

You got to have that, you know, desire to help others, to get out there and research.

So when you've got the opportunity to investigate, my expectation was, I was gonna collect a lot of evidence.

I mean, you know, especially out of the death car.

Narrator: Over the years, many witnesses have reported terrifying experiences inside the death car.

Karlo: People that would go into the vehicle, they would feel this heaviness.

They would see a woman walking the aisles of the train.

(Echoing) GET OUT.

They actually took pictures.

You can see faces, like, looking out the window.

(Screaming)

They would hear screams coming from the death car, almost like the people were reliving that moment that accident occurred.

Help me!

Narrator: Going up against as many as 26 tormented souls is a daunting prospect, even for an experienced investigator like Karlo.

You know, we were a little on edge going into the investigation.

You have to be aware of what could happen to you.

When you go into an investigation, it's like going to w*r.

You know, you're working as a team.

You're together.

You're watching each other's backs.

Narrator: Karlo enlists his most experienced and trusted team members, Chris Page and Amy Cobb, as back-up.

Amy: It does give you a sense of apprehension when you're going in there.

There's 26 men, women, children, that all have d*ed out here.

You don't know what's gonna happen.

There could be some very angry spirits.

♪♪

Narrator: Karlo and his team plan to spend the night in the death car.

(Crash)

Karlo: The moment you walk in, you could feel a presence.

I felt something there just because the energy level.

What happened on that thing, there was definitely a presence in that train.

(Train screeching)

I remember Amy started having this heavy-pressure feeling on her chest as we're walking through.

She was breathing really heavy.

Amy: You know, almost like you walk through a cloud.

And you come to the realization, "hey, there's 26 deaths that took place in this place that you're standing."

When I seen her being affected this way, I asked her if she was okay, and she say she'll be fine.

She was just having a hard time breathing.

We told her, "you're probably feeling some of that residual affecting you of what happened on this train."

Narrator: As Amy recovers, Karlo tries to communicate with the spirits.

(Ovilus beeping)

Karlo: We use the Ovilus device, and we're asking questions.

An Ovilus is a small device that reads the energy around it, and that energy will turn to words.

It's reading the energy that's in the environment and it's breaking it down to give us a direct answer.

And I was asking questions, "who's here?

What's your name?"

<i>Gregg.</i>

Gregg?

Narrator: Soon, more names come through.

Karlo: Tina.

Chris: T-I-n-a?

Yep.

What happened to you?

<i>Burnt.</i>

I remember asking, "what happened?

What did you feel?"

And on our Ovilus, we actually got "burnt."

<i>Burnt.</i>

Which would make sense. This is what happened to them.

They inhaled that steam.

They caught on fire internally.

(Screaming)

You know, that shows that there is a presence, a definite presence, in that area.

♪♪

Narrator: When Karlo checks the tapes, he discovers another bone-chilling message.

Playing back the recording, we actually heard, (whispering) "we are dead."

And to hear that, you know, it kind of saddens you, because they're responding to you as they know they're dead.

After that point, we wanted to continue on with a different location to see if we could capture any other evidence in a different car.

♪♪

Narrator: Karlo leads the team to a mysterious car, known simply as the Baxter.

The museum knows little about it.

But it too has been the scene of reported hauntings.

When we got in there, that's when all hell broke loose.

I was never expecting a more dominant spirit than would be in the death car.

Woman: Get out.

Get out!

♪♪

Narrator: In a rail car that was involved in a terrible fatal crash some 70 years ago...

You know, they inhaled that steam.

They caught on fire internally.

(Screaming)

There is a presence, a definite presence in that area.

Narrator: Karlo Zuzic, a ghost hunter with over 30 years experience, and his team have succeeded in provoking a response from the victims' spirits.

Now in another haunted car, the spirits are gathering force and are acting out in more terrifying ways.

I was never expecting a more dominant spirit than would be in the death car.

Woman: (Echoing) GET OUT.

You know, we get back settled over here, we're trying to set things back up.

I started to say something, and at that same time, you heard a woman's voice say, "get out."

Woman: (Echoing) GET OUT.

Karlo: This presence was strong, and you could definitely tell it was a woman.

Amy: Chris was like, "oh, my god. Did you hear that?"

Karlo was like, "yeah, said, 'get out.'"

She wasn't happy.

You could hear her making a statement, telling us to get out.

That spirit there is very dominant.

Woman: (Echoing) GET OUT.

That's out of control.

And whatever's in there is pissed off, you know.

It does not like people coming in its area.

It's very protective of that train.

Why? I don't have an answer for you.

Narrator: Despite the warning, the team decides to head deeper inside.

It's a decision they'll soon regret.

♪♪

Chris has in front of him several different pieces of equipment.

Spirit?

If you can hear me, give us a sign.

We're just asking simple questions.

"Who's here? what's your name? why you're here?"

♪♪

I go, "can you go over to Chris and touch any of his devices?"

And it got silent for a minute.

♪♪

(Scream)

Woman: Get out!

The shade sh*t up.

And it shook. I mean, we jumped.

(Shade rattles)

(Gasps)

Can you go over there and light one up?

It won't hurt you or burn you.

Yeah, you can touch any one of --

(Shade rattles)

(Bleep)

(Bleep)

After the shade went up, we're all just terrified, petrified.

We wanted out of that train.

Yeah, you can touch any one of --

(Shade rattles)

(Bleep)

What the (bleep) was that, dude?

I mean, I wanted to run.

I didn't know which way to go.

That shade locks in.

There's no way that shade can move up unless you physically grab the two buttons and move it up.

What's the odds of that shade, after I just told that spirit to go over and manipulate those devices, for that shade to go sh**ting up like that?

I mean, it was like everything just broke loose.

And this spirit that was on this train was making a statement.

It was telling us to get out.

It was not happy that we're in its area.

It wanted us to leave.

Narrator: Having collected some of the best evidence of his career, Karlo concludes his investigation.

After those experiences, we left the train.

I think we validated there was something definitely on that train.

It was getting angry with us being there, obviously.

It was making its point.

So we decided to leave the train.

Through the 300-plus investigations, this is the most active and frightening experience I've ever had.

This location is extremely haunted.

It's got a lot of activity there.

Whatever is there was not happy.

It wanted us out of that train.

Narrator: To this day, entities still haunt both the death car and the Baxter, terrifying those who dare to step onboard.

Still to come, a terrible mistake leaves a father-daughter team threatened by the spirit of a violent and unpredictable school principal.

(Screaming)

But first, for ghost hunters, there is nothing more terrifying than a spirit that seems to be one thing then turns into something far more dangerous.

(Man screams)

♪♪

North Adams is the smallest city in Massachusetts, but this sleepy community is home to one of the most haunted houses in the united states.

Houghton mansion was built by industrialist Albert Charles Houghton in the 1890s.

Now a Masonic lodge, it has been plagued by mysterious and terrifying events for over a century.

Disembodied voices, mysterious footsteps...

(Door creaking)

...And slamming doors send visitors and staff running in fear.

One apparition has been seen numerous times --

The ghost of a little girl known as Caroline.

Desperate for answers, the masons seek help from paranormal investigators.

We first heard about the Houghton mansion actually through a couple friends of ours.

It's a big, old mansion.

It is a little bit creepy.

Narrator: Jack Kenna is one of the most experienced ghost hunters in New England.

And he specializes in historic hauntings.

One thing that frightens me the most about the paranormal is you never know what type of spirit you're communicating with.

Narrator: Jack's first step is to delve into the history of the house and its occupants.

He soon unearths details of a terrible tragedy.

♪♪

In 1914, Mr. Houghton purchased an automobile, brand-new automobile.

Mr. Witters was his chauffeur, who had been with the family for many years.

They decided to take a drive -- him, Mr. Houghton himself --

His daughter Mary.

They took a drive to Vermont.

The shoulder gave way, and the car went over the hill.

It rolled over.

It k*lled his daughter Mary.

Mr. Houghton d*ed about a couple days later.

It was said he d*ed of a broken heart because of losing Mary.

Mr. Witters, although the police, everybody else, ruled it as strictly an accident, he was not at fault.

He really felt he was responsible for this whole crash, the whole accident, Mary’s death.

(g*nsh*t)

He had sh*t himself through the head in the barn.

Narrator: The violent, tragic deaths may explain most of the paranormal activity, but there is still one mystery --

The little girl, Caroline.

There was a story that there had been a fire there and this little girl d*ed in the fire.

There's no history, there's no records of that.

Narrator: Armed with his research, jack and his colleague Sharon Koogler are ready to take on the mansion's ghosts.

Jack: When I entered the mansion, I immediately felt a heaviness...

Chills going through my body, which indicates to me the potential presence of a spirit energy.

A presence, like somebody's watching you, somebody's there with you trying to see what's going on.

Narrator: Jack and Sharon are led through the house by one of the masons.

Sharon: The rooms that most interest, you know --

John witters' room and A.C. Houghton's room, mainly because they're the ones that are claimed to still be around there.

(Scraping)

Narrator: Almost immediately, jack and Sharon get their first taste of the activity plaguing the house.

Jack: We started hearing some knocking sounds.

(Scraping)

Anytime we're talking about the car accident, we get knocking sounds from the wall behind us.

And then some scratching noises, as well.

When you start hearing those noises, you follow the sounds.

(Creaking)

(Scraping)

Narrator: The noises seem to be coming from the bedroom that once belonged to the family chauffeur, John Witters.

Mr. Witters.

Are you here?

Jack decides it's time to get some answers.

Sharon: So one of the first questions we ask is, you know, is there somebody here?

You know, we explain the equipment, and we tell them what the K-II is, which is an EMF meter.

And we tell them it goes from green to red, and we tell whoever may be in the room, "light it up. You can pass your hand over it. You can touch it, whatever, but light it up for yes. And don't do anything for no."

Narrator: Trying to provoke a response from Mr. Witters' ghost, Sharon brings up the car crash.

Sharon: Everyone knows that the accident was not your fault.

We know how upset you are and how awful that was.

(K-II beeping)

Holy crap. That's kind of nuts.

Started getting some responses on the K-II.

And we asked if it was Mr. Witters, and it lit up again.

Just answer yes.

(K-II beeping)

(K-II beeping)

According to what we were getting, it was --

Yeah, john witters was talking to us.

Narrator: But this spirit wants to do more than just talk.

(K-II beeping)

♪♪

Narrator: In a historic mansion plagued by ghosts...

Somebody's watching you, somebody's there with you trying to see what's going on.

Narrator: ...Investigators Jack Kenna and Sharon Koogler have run into the spirit of the mansion's long-dead chauffeur, Mr. Witters.

(K-II beeping)

Sharon: Just answer yes.

(K-II beeping)

According to what we were getting, it was--

Yeah, john witters was talking to us.

Narrator: But now the entity has started to get physical.

(K-II beeping)

Sharon: I felt a hand on my shoulder.

It was just all out of nowhere.

(Beeping continues)

It was gone, but then I felt the same thing but on the small of my back.

Are you okay?

No, there's something touching me.

What? stayed there for a little while, and then it was back on my shoulder.

And it was just kind of back and forth.

Are you okay?

No.

Narrator: Frightened, Sharon is powerless to make it stop.

There's something touching me!

(Whimpers)

Just as Sharon begins to fear for her safety, the activity stops.

It's an experience that I'll never forget.

Nothing like that had ever happened on an investigation before or since.

Narrator: Jack believes the activity is a warning from Mr. Witters' spirit.

Jack: He may have been indicating he doesn't like when people talk about the accident.

It was a very painful time for him, obviously --

Extremely painful.

He ended up committing su1c1de over it.

Narrator: Worried about provoking the spirits further, jack and Sharon b*at a hasty retreat.

But more spirits lie waiting for them in the private quarters of Albert Houghton, the mansion's original owner.

Mr. Houghton?

Is that you?

Jack: We went in there, and we just started asking kind of typical questions --

"Mr. Houghton, is this you? are you with us? can you do something to show us that you're here?"

♪♪

Narrator: When a response comes, it's not what they're expecting.

(Laughter)

We hear this little girl's laugh out from the hallway.

Narrator: Jack suspects the laughter belongs to Caroline, the mysterious child spirit said to roam the mansion.

Caroline, is that you?

Caroline?

(Laughter)

Can you join us in the bedroom?

Jack: So we start to ask, "Caroline, is that you we just heard?

Can you come in the room with us?"

And shortly after asking that, I start to get a very cold spot in my lap.

(Wind whistling)

Extreme cold, like taking a bag of ice and putting it on your leg and just holding it there.

(Wind whistling)

We keep asking, "Caroline, is this you?"

And then it moves off.

(Laughter)

Narrator: The eerie laughter seems to head downstairs.

(Laughter)

Cautiously, jack and Sharon follow it to the basement.

There'd been claims of stuff going on down there, a little girl being seen down there.

Narrator: The little girl's spirit seems innocent, even playful.

But jack's instincts, honed over hundreds of ghostly encounters, warn him that she may not be all she seems.

I get to the bottom of the stairs, and there's just a feeling, a total overwhelming feeling of fear.

I would try to step forward and I couldn't, literally couldn't.

Yeah, it just didn't make any sense of why all of a sudden, you don't want us in here.

Maybe something else was down there.

The only other time I felt fear like that was when I felt something...Demonic was in my presence, something evil, totally evil was in my presence.

Narrator: Fighting his natural instinct to flee, jack forces himself to face whatever evil lurks in the basement.

This is what you're here for. You're here to investigate.

You're here to find out what's going on.

If you leave, you're not doing that.

You're not doing your job.

And we start, you know, trying to see if something will respond to us.

(K-II beeping)

Sharon: The k-ii lit up almost immediately after getting in the room.

We don't generally get k-ii activity like that.

Narrator: The spirit they've been hunting finally reveals itself.

Narrator: In a haunted Massachusetts mansion, terrifying events are unfolding.

There's something touching me!

(Whimpers)

Now a mysterious entity has revealed itself to ghost hunters Sharon Koogler and Jack Kenna.

Jack: I start to see this shadow figure moving back and forth.

Then our light just all of a suddenly hits it, and it was all of a sudden -- what the heck is that?

And it's about the size of a child.

And it's moving back and forth.

(Laughter)

Caroline, is that you I can hear running around?

We say, "Caroline, if you are here with us, can you make this light up?"

Narrator: The response is not what jack wants to hear.

♪♪

We suddenly hear what sounds to us like a loud hissing noise.

At that point, it was like, "what was that?"

The hell was that?

Sharon: What was that hissing?

We just heard a hissing noise just in the back, behind us, as we're leaving.

If that was you that made a hissing noise, make it again.

Is that you...

That made that hissing noise also, or did you move the door?

Narrator: The sound is coming from behind a closed door, and it fills jack full of dread.

Jack: You don't get that from a human spirit, especially a little spirit of a little girl.

It's not a human entity.

It may be something <i>pretending</i> to be a little girl.

It could be a demonic spirit of some kind pretending to be something it's not.

Any time you're dealing with something that could be deceptive, there is potential for danger there.

Narrator: Jack and Sharon don't wait for the demon to reveal itself.

I admit, it scared the heck out of me, and I didn't want to be in that basement at all after that.

Sharon: If jack has a sense of something, then, yeah, I trust it and I listen to what he's saying.

You know, if he says we should probably just back out now, we'll back out now.

Narrator: Concerned the demon is preparing to att*ck, jack and Sharon withdraw from the basement.

Having explored every inch of the mansion, jack ends the investigation.

We came here thinking that this investigation was about the Houghton family and everything that happened since the car accident.

What we discovered was there was something much more powerful going on.

Narrator: After sharing his findings with the owners, jack resolves to one day return to the mansion with a demonologist to remove the evil entity.

I really don't believe it is a little girl, this little girl, Caroline.

It's something else.

You don't get those kind of feelings from a human spirit, so what is this thing?

I don't believe it's a human spirit at all.

Little girl? I don't think so.

♪♪

Narrator: Some hauntings are frightening but ultimately harmless.

In some extreme cases... (Screams) ...Intelligent spirits set out to intentionally hurt the living, luring them into a dangerous and terrifying trap.

♪♪

In Madison township, Ohio, stands an abandoned school once known as Poasttown Elementary.

Since its doors closed in 2001, multiple witnesses have fled from the school after running into ghostly activity.

Most frightening of all, the spirit of a long-dead principal who was said to terrorize visitors.

The owner of the school -- he's experienced...

Disembodied voices, footsteps running across the ceiling.

Lockers banging, people being pushed, shirts being tugged, shadow figures being seen down the halls, throughout the halls, hearing children's voices, children screaming.

Narrator: In desperation... The school's owner turns to father-daughter paranormal team Alan and Anna Tolf.

A former police officer, Alan is now a veteran of over 70 cases.

Investigating a school was something I was fascinated with, and I felt very honored and privileged to get an opportunity.

Narrator: With degrees in psychology and medicine, Anna brings a scientific approach to their cases.

We've never done a school before.

With this one in particular, I was hoping to communicate with some children and discover as much as we could.

Narrator: Before they begin the investigation, Alan and Anna dig into the history of the school.

They find something they believe explains the hauntings.

There have been two separate train accidents over the years where the wounded and the dead have been brought to the property for triage and care.

Anytime that potentially a life is lost or taken in a tragic or sudden way where they remained there because that is where their lives ended.

And they're searching for something.

Narrator: They suspect the activity could have also attracted other spirits.

There's some residual --

Potentially residual activity that there are students, teachers, and some -- maybe an authoritative figure that remains for whatever reason.

Narrator: Alan and Anna arrange to spend the night at the school.

Alan: It's a beautiful building, and at the same time, very gothic and ominous-looking from the outside.

Narrator: Almost immediately, they get the sense that they are not alone.

Anna is much more sensitive than I am and was indicating there was something in or around her.

(Indistinct voices)

Anna: When we first entered, you can tell there was a lot of traffic, a lot of kids running around, teachers.

(Indistinct shouting)

Boy: Hey, wait for me.

Anna: I had my hair being pulled, shirts being tugged.

I started to feel a presence.

It got stronger and stronger so, obviously, I'm extremely frightened.

♪♪

Narrator: At an abandoned school in quiet Middletown, Ohio, a paranormal force has been unleashed.

Veteran ghost hunters Alan and Anna Tolf are called in and immediately face disturbing activity.

I had my hair being pulled, tugged, shirts being tugged.

I started to feel a presence.

It got stronger and stronger, so, obviously, I'm extremely frightened.

Narrator: The tolfs head deeper into the school.

Suddenly, Anna sees something that stops her cold.

Anna: And you can just see this figure looking down the hallway towards you.

And then disappearing.

And then you can see it looking towards you, and then it disappeared.

Just from what I could see, it was dark, shadow, I couldn't make out any facial features.

It just looked like a tall, thin man to me.

Narrator: Anna's thermal-imaging camera captures the figure.

Anna has a sense about who it might be.

I think the principal was there.

And that's when my camera d*ed.

I had a full battery that was completely drained, and that tells me it's utilizing that energy for itself.

Narrator: Without the light from her camera, Anna is plunged into total darkness.

And so at that point, it's black.

And that's when the footsteps came.

I can hear the footsteps, I hear them getting closer.

I hear them approaching.

(Man screams)

And then, hearing the lockers and hearing the scream.

And just immediately wanted to get next to dad.

♪♪

You want to stand your ground, but you're scared because something's coming toward you and it has enough energy to be making all of these bangs and noises.

(Both screaming)

I felt the most negative --

Probably the most malevolent or dark energy.

Narrator: Braving further att*cks, Alan and Anna move their investigation to a nearby office...

Anna: And we took some flashlights and we took the static-detection device, as well as our night-vision cameras.

Narrator: ...Another site of reported activity.

We utilize the flashlight for communication.

If someone is there, turn on the flashlight.

This light, the flashlight, was responding to our questions.

Is there anybody in here with us?

Will you light Anna’s flashlight, please?

Wow, thank you very much.

Anna: Thank you.

Oh my lord.

That's unbelievable.

It's nice to be able to communicate with you.

Wow.

It absolutely understood what I was saying.

It was intelligent.

Yeah, there is absolutely no way anything could have turned the flashlight on.

No vibrations.

It's just more evidence that it wasn't any other force than something paranormal.

Are you young?

We would ask questions, take turns.

And questions like, "are you 10?"

Narrator: But these spirits have grown tired of questions.

Narrator: Since the Poasttown Elementary School closed its doors, apparitions have terrorized those who dare to enter.

Stunned by the rampant and sinister activity, paranormal team Alan and Anna Tolf attempt to make contact with the spirits.

Alan: Will you light Anna’s flashlight, please?

Wow, thank you very much.

Anna: Thank you.

Are you male?

"Are you a boy?"

You know, so on and so forth.

And the flashlight responded to us.

Anna: I definitely felt the presence.

Narrator: But the spirit wasn't friendly.

The energy within there was not light-hearted.

That could be potentially... Malevolent.

It was not comfortable.

Somebody in the hall?

Who's there?

Something just touched my back.

My left shoulder.

Like put their hand on my shoulder.

I felt, like, fingers touch my shoulder just now.

Oh, lord. Oh, where's you fl--

Oh, my god, he just flicked my chain.

We kept feeling little things.

First, little pokes on the legs, then we'd feel a breeze.

Man: Get up.

I heard a voice in my right ear say, "get up."

Anna: That was one of the moments when I feared something bad was about to happen.

Narrator: Following the voice's direction, the tolfs leave the office.

Alan: I had just slowed down and stopped to pan into the office just prior to the principal's office.

And Anna continued on and rounded the corner.

Narrator: But there's no escaping the negative spirit, and Anna has just walked straight into its trap.

I was just getting ready to walk into the principal's office.

(Screams)

Immediately just felt grabbed, and I could physically feel two hands on my shoulders and was completely flushed with fear.

(Screams)

It happened so fast, you're trying to think and move, and you can't.

(Screams)

My first thought was I needed to holler for dad.

(Screams)

I was frightened because I didn't know how long it was gonna last.

I didn't know how much stronger it would become.

And it was difficult to breathe.

Narrator: Anna is convinced she knows who att*cked her.

When I was first grabbed...

First, I didn't know what it was.

It felt like it was -- it felt bad.

And I think the principal was there.

Being grabbed was definitely one of the most frightening things I've ever experienced.

When Anna had told me that she felt as if she was being physically restrained or held, I felt anger.

Narrator: Believing that his daughter was deliberately lured away for the principal to att*ck, Alan calls a halt to the investigation.

The activity... (Screams) ...That we experienced in that principal's office or around that area could hurt somebody.

Absolutely.

Anna: Our conclusions from our investigations would be that a lot of people remain in that school.

A lot of spirits reside in that school still.

Narrator: The tolfs warned the owner that at least one of the entities trapped at the school is dangerous and suggest they return to find out more about the principal's spirit.

If I could, I would be back in the principal's office immediately.

That would be the first place I would go.

Maybe dig into it a little bit more.

And if so, maybe we could help that person move on to a better place.

I would love to go back and just try to get as much information as we can.

Try to find more answers. That's what we're out for --

Just try to find answers to things that nobody knows.

None of us know.