If you’ve wondered whether “Living for the Dead” is worth watching, I understand. A lot of ghost-related TV shows aren’t impressive. In fact, they’re almost parodies of what genuine researchers do. (Can you hear my exasperation as I write that? Probably.)
However, “Living for the Dead” is different… on many levels.
In this 18-minute, unscripted review, I talk about the show and briefly describe what I liked (and didn’t) in each of the eight episodes.
(One episode was truly “meh” for me, but that’s not the fault of the cast. And, as an occasional location scout, I’ve seen this recurring problem far too often. I mention that in the video… while trying not to tell you too much, and spoil that episode altogether.)
Here’s my review, as a YouTube video. (I apologize for the audio quality. With seasonal allergies, my voice isn’t as reliable or consistent as I’d like, but I wanted to share this review as quickly as possible.)
And, if you’ve watched the series, I hope you’ll share your opinions in comments, below.
In fact, most of them may have some eerie energy, if not actual ghosts.
Of course, I always look for known haunts. The website, TheShadowlands.com, is one of the best places to start, though pranksters and trolls may have added fake entries, for their own amusement. (So, fact-check everything. There are enough legitimate listings at that site to recommend it.)
But almost every community has a “haunted” cemetery. Some of the best are from the late 18th and 19th centuries, when grave markers and headstones conveyed a rich sense of history.
Find the oldest cemetery in the area, and start there. (But follow my usual ghost hunting guidelines, especially at isolated cemeteries.)
HERE’S WHAT TO LOOK FOR
(And yes, that is my foot in one of the photos, blue nail polish and all.)
FIND GHOSTS TONIGHT!Learn how to find the most frightening, haunted graves in a cemetery near you.
IF YOU’RE A BEGINNER, YOU’LL DISCOVER:
– HOW to find a haunted cemetery near you.
– WHAT to look for (AND look out for).
– HOW to organize for the fastest (and scariest) results in ANY haunted cemetery.
– WHEN to arrive at the site, and how to avoid real-life dangers
– WHERE you’ll find the scariest ghosts… and sometimes malicious spirits.
– How long to stay… and WHEN TO LEAVE AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN!.
YOU CAN START TONIGHT. Read this book. It’s short but you’ll learn the basics.
Then go out and find real ghosts!
Available as an eBook at Amazon and other booksellers. (This is the updated edition of “A Beginner’s Guide to Ghost Hunting in Haunted Cemeteries.”)
This is a full, very detailed guide to exploring haunted cemeteries with your ghost hunting team.
It covers ALL the ins & outs of cemeteries… exactly where to look, what to look for on gravestones, how to find unmarked graves (they can be very haunted), and more.
In “Ghost Hunting in Haunted Cemeteries – Classic Edition,” you’ll learn to discover haunted cemeteries near you, pinpoint the most active areas, inside and outside the cemetery, and identify the graves most likely to hold supernatural secrets.
With step-by-step instructions and expert tips, you’ll learn how to conduct thorough investigations, and find haunted graves that others might walk right past. (Be prepared: Some ghosts don’t like being ignored. If you’re the first to pause and try to contact them, things might turn scary.)
This is the classic guide, updated and expanded. It goes far beyond the basics. Whether you’re a seasoned ghost hunter, or someone intrigued by eerie places, this book is your key to unlocking the mysteries that lie within haunted cemeteries.
Here’s one of my early “walking around” videos. For most people, it might be boring. I filmed it to test my new action camera.
However, it’ll give you a good idea of what to expect at haunted New England cemeteries. During my visit, I noted at least three graves that I expect to be haunted. Unfortunately, two that seem most active are right next to a busy road; they’re not great for after-dark investigations.
(In future videos, I will walk more slowly and pause at interesting – and perhaps haunted – gravestones.)
If you’re like me, you’re always looking for fresh, undiscovered haunts. Not mild, “well, I suppose that might be a ghost” sites, but locations where ghostly activity is so vivid, it’s almost terrifying.
I’ll tell you a secret.
I use history and legends to find ghosts and haunted places.
Then I’d go a step further: I’d look at the list of other survivors of that voyage, and find where they lived – and died – after that horrific experience.
And that thought led to another:
How often do we limit ourselves, looking only at famous sites where people died or are buried?
What about other, associated locations where horror happened, and where survivors relived it in their minds? At the very least, that would have left an imprint on the site.
The Smithsonian article was a reminder that the past – even the mid-19th century – had brutal elements beyond anything we’d want to think about.
For me, reading about Captain Pollard’s life and tragic voyage, I learned two things:
Intensely “haunted” sites may be found by digging deeper into history, such as the residences of those who sailed on the real-life Pequod.
We may be over-simplifying, or even whitewashing, the related tragic histories. Historical research could help us understand and empathize with the lingering, ghost-like residual energy of haunted sites.
In ghost hunting, there’s always a fresh way to look at our research.
For me, the real-life horror behind the Moby-Dick novel is an intriguing discovery. And it opens doors – perhaps literally – to fresh places to investigate.
If you’d like to test this approach to ghost hunting, here are the basic steps I’d take:
Search online using a phrase like “[location] tragedy [year].” (I’d focus on the 19th century, to start with.)
Then, research the address to see what’s there. (You can use a site like Zillow to find photos.)
Investigate it.
Look for names of people related to that tragedy… victims and villains.
Find out where their graves are, and investigate them.
Research other sites related to those people, especially homes, hotels, and failed businesses.
Investigate them.
Repeat using “[location] legends,” and dig deeply into history to uncover true (or likely true) odd and dramatic events, and so on.
Do you just want to see a ghost? This short video may help.
FIND GHOSTS TONIGHT! Learn how to find the most frightening, haunted graves in a cemetery near you.
IF YOU’RE A BEGINNER, YOU’LL DISCOVER:
– HOW to find a haunted cemetery near you.
– WHAT to look for (AND look out for).
– HOW to organize for the fastest (and scariest) results in ANY haunted cemetery.
– WHEN to arrive at the site, and how to avoid real-life dangers
– WHERE you’ll find the scariest ghosts… and sometimes malicious spirits.
– How long to stay… and WHEN TO LEAVE AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN!.
YOU CAN START TONIGHT. Read this book. It’s short but you’ll learn the basics.
Then go out and find real ghosts!
Available as an eBook at Amazon and other booksellers. (This is the updated edition of “A Beginner’s Guide to Ghost Hunting in Haunted Cemeteries.”)
