Recently, several people have asked my opinion of Ed and Lorraine Warren.  Here’s my reply.

Ed and Lorraine Warren have been — together and as individuals — vital to the development and popularity of this field.  Without their work, I don’t think there would be a “Ghost Hunters” TV show, etc.

I can say the same about Hans Holzer, Andrei Puharich, and many other 19- and 20th-century paranormal researchers, too.

However, I’m not overlooking some problems with their early research techniques.  We learn through trial-and-error:  There will be errors — and plenty of them — while any field is becoming understood and codified.

My articles (published in 2000, before ghost hunting developed its current popularity) about one of Ed and Lorraine’s first investigations — the Ocean-Born Mary story — are an example of early research problems.

Ocean-Born Mary’s Ghost
Spoiler: The Truth about Ocean-Born Mary

However, we’re looking back on research in the mid 20th century. It’s easy to forget how little was available to paranormal researchers in that era.

Ed and Lorraine didn’t have the Internet as a resource, and they didn’t have my 30+ years of experience with historical and genealogical research.  It’s easy to point out the shortcomings of others, when they didn’t (or don’t) have the resources that can make a huge difference in how a story is told.

PARANORMAL BUSINESS MODELS

I was sometimes troubled by the business model that Ed and Lorraine used, and said so at the time.  However, there are no simple answers to the money issue.

In a perfect world, spiritual researchers — including ghost hunters — would be supported as many religions have been, by voluntary donations from their believers.  Without that kind of funding, it’s difficult to work in this field.

However, between cynicism and a tightening economy, even established churches are struggling to pay their bills.  So, voluntary donations can be an unrealistic expectation in the paranormal field.

I also feel that we can offer products and services to people, so they get something tangible for their money.  That can be a happier solution to the issue… but it’s not without problems.

Many people view our work as spiritual, and accuse us of being mercenary when we try to recover the money we spend on research, which is largely unseen by the public.  Also, they may not realize what it costs us to travel to help clients… many of whom have reached such a desperate emotional state (from living with hauntings or even demon attacks), they’ve already lost their jobs.

Our options are limited, and some are slippery slopes.

OUR FINANCIAL OPTIONS

We can become “entertainers” …which can sometimes require duplicity in order to build and maintain a fan following, or to meet the demands of ruthless managers and over-zealous producers.

We can charge significant fees from clients who are able to afford it; the recent poll at HollowHill.com showed that some people are doing that, though they are in the minority.

We can sell our writing, conduct classes and workshops, or seek other, field-related ways to earn a living.  However, it can be difficult for some people to maintain integrity there, as well.

Or, we can maintain our regular jobs, though that takes valuable time away from our research and the time we could use helping others.

As I said, there are no easy answers to this dilemma.

THE WARRENS’ LEGACY

In recent years, I’ve softened my views towards 20th-century pioneers in paranormal studies.  Each of them has left an important legacy that remains an essential element in what we do in this field, today.

I am grateful to Ed and Lorraine Warren for facing the skeptics and vehement critics, and maintaining a firm belief in what they were doing.  I’m thankful that they conducted so much research, and were forthright about what they did and the conclusions that they reached.

Their integrity has made it possible for us to go back and review their work in the light of additional facts and tools developed in the 40 or so years since they began studying ghosts and haunted places.

This field wouldn’t be where it is without people like them, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

FLAWED RESEARCH?

Were their methods perfect?  No.  (In fact, our methods still aren’t perfect.) They did the best that they could with the tools that they had, and what little was understood about normal and paranormal phenomena, in that era.

For example, no one carried an EMF meter during early ghost hunts.  Researchers weren’t aware that elevated EMF — from very normal sources — can disorient people and cause them to behave in odd ways.

Today, we check for electrical wiring and other sources of EMF, before leaping to any conclusions about paranormal influences.

In the early 21st century, we’re closer to understanding ghosts and hauntings, but I expect we’ll be harshly criticized by those who follow us 20, 40, or 100 years from now.

MY PERSONAL OPINIONS

When someone asks my personal opinion of Ed and Lorraine Warren as a ghost hunting team, I must reply in three parts:

At first, I was dazzled by them.  In the mid-to-late 20th century, they were pioneers in a very exciting field.

When I later examined their work, using tools available decades later, I was disappointed when I could disprove some of what they said.  That cast a harsh light on their work.  Things that I’d believed as a child turned out to be false, and that can embitter anyone.

Fortunately, I continued my research and reached a more balanced perspective on 19th- and 20th-century paranormal research.

Today, looking back on people like the Warrens and their contributions to this field, I’m tremendously grateful for their work.  I was merely an “early adopter” of this research; they were among the discoverers of many things that ghost hunters now take for granted.

AMITYVILLE CHANGED EVERYTHING

The name “Amityville Horror” wouldn’t be as well-known as it is, without the Warrens.

No matter what you think of that investigation, the Warrens were instrumental in bringing ghosts and hauntings to the world’s attention.  They opened the door for anyone — with or without prior experience in this field — to conduct paranormal research and share their results with others.

That research and those shared results have contributed significantly to what we know about ghosts and hauntings.  And, by making ghost research more accessible to everyone, pioneers such as the Warrens built the foundation for our work today.

That is their true legacy, and I’m grateful for it.

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