Fortean author John Keel passed away last Friday at the age of 79. [more inside]
posted by dbiedny on Jul 6, 2009 - 34 comments

But remember, talking to the dead can be dangerous. "All peoples of earth posess this natural ability," says Nicole Zapruder, who has been communicating with the dead since she was 4 years old. People aren't disputing her ability to use the Grey Walter-Berger Neurophysical Construct for communicating with the dead. They're asking her not to share it online because the technique is too dangerous. [more inside]
posted by destinyland on May 11, 2008 - 69 comments

Between 1981 and 1984, the first network for kids broadcast an unusual show called THE THIRD EYE [more inside]
posted by cinemafiend on Mar 19, 2008 - 47 comments

James Randi to end the Million Dollar Challenge in 2010. Nobody's won it in 10 years, and the money would work better if it wasn't tied up waiting for the impossible. Many have tried, none have succeeded.... and just so this isn't a single link, here's Randi owning Uri Geller, and Randi owning James Hydrick (using only styrofoam!) [YouTube links].
posted by SansPoint on Jan 4, 2008 - 116 comments

Henry Steel Olcott is best known as one of the founders of the Theosophical Society, along with Helena Blavatsky. He died 100 years ago. [more inside]
posted by dbiedny on Dec 18, 2007 - 6 comments

Meet Mojo, a runaway who was finally buried 80 years after his death. Visit with the Orviss family in their spacious mausoleum. Don’t mind the whispers; there’s no reason to be superstitious. It’s just Calvert, Texas.
posted by found dog one eye on Dec 7, 2007 - 6 comments

Crazy Rulers of the World: The Men Who Stare at Goats - A rather clear look at attempts to use the paranormal in the US military. (Part 2: Funny Torture, Part 3: Psychic Foot Soldiers)
posted by loquacious on Nov 26, 2007 - 38 comments

Real live ghost busters? Penn State's Paranormal Research Society supplies crucial ghost busting services to students and local law enforcement, including a paranormal counselor and assistance in searching for the missing Cindy Song. They also host the only academic conference on paranormal activity in the country.
posted by anotherpanacea on Sep 25, 2007 - 12 comments

If you watched a lot of television in the 70's, you'll recognize this ad. An authoritative baritone informs us of a startling new motion picture about psychic phenomena, the Bermuda Triangle, near death experiences (with fittingly, a sequel), Bigfoot, the Shroud of Turin, the Lincoln Assassination, or Noah's Ark. "Showing for one weekend only!" (More beyond the door...)
posted by McLir on Jul 16, 2007 - 26 comments

How do you prove photography to a blind man?
posted by carmina on Mar 26, 2007 - 21 comments

Fed up with old-fashioned boards and planchettes? Want to contact spirits the 21st century way? Try iPod Ouija. (not responsible for any possessions or nightmares. try at own risk.)
posted by divabat on Oct 31, 2006 - 2 comments

The Skeptiseum displays nine exhibits featuring over a hundred specimens. It is supported by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, the group responsible for Skeptical Inquirer magazine. The John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal, on the other hand, is a creepy little collection with plenty of provocative pieces. John Zaffis, the curator, also runs the Paranormal Research Society of New England, where he offers his services as a ghostbuster, as well as handy tips for the DIY crowd. So, who's got more cred?
posted by owhydididoit on Aug 28, 2006 - 9 comments

In the wake of Vietnam, the US military were demoralised and prey to some fairly crazy ideas. They thought they could train 'super soldiers' with psychic powers. In this first extract from his revealing new book, Jon Ronson describes how their aspirations were perverted in the prisons of Iraq. [from The Guardian]
posted by salmacis on Oct 30, 2004 - 11 comments

You may not have heard of Jansenism. But on May 1, 1727 one of its more prominent members, Francois de Paris, died. He was a popular fellow for his charitable works and lots of people visited his tomb. That's when things got weird. At first it was just a bunch of people claiming to have been cured of things like "cancerous tumors, paralysis, deafness, arthritis, rheumatism, ulcerous sores, persistent fevers, prolonged hemorrhaging, and blindness." Then things started to get really weird.

...The mourners also started to experience strange involuntary spasms or convulsions...the 'convulsionaires,' as they came to be called, displayed...the ability to endure without harm an almost unimaginable variety of physical tortures....

These events lasted years and were witnessed by thousands as well as commented on by the likes of David Hume and Voltaire. Louis-Basile Carre de Montgeron investigated it for the Paris Parliment and published La Vérité des Miracles in three volumes detailing the events. The tortures were asked for by the convulsionaires. Montgeron details one time when while having an iron drill hammered into a convulsionaire's stomach he, "maintained an 'expression of perfect rapture,' crying, 'Oh, that does me good! Courage, brother; strike twice as hard, if you can!'"
posted by john on Jul 23, 2004 - 11 comments

Fork-you! :: spend a rainy Saturday afternoon learning how to bend forks with your mind. Sort of.
posted by anastasiav on Jul 10, 2004 - 4 comments

There's a Ghost in King Henry's Court and it was caught on film. "Security staff heard alarms ringing near an exhibition hall, indicating fire doors had been opened. But on investigation they found the doors closed. Perplexed, they examined CCTV footage and that is when it got spooky. The cameras showed the heavy doors popping open but no one there. Then, suddenly, the long-coated figure appeared and slammed the doors shut." [More links]
posted by Dome-O-Rama on Dec 20, 2003 - 49 comments

Some believe, some don't. Welcome to the strange world of electronic voice phenomenon. Warning: some Real Audio formats.
posted by moonbird on Sep 10, 2003 - 12 comments

The X-Files TV series is officially over. Two years too late, probably. But the finale definately is in my list of favorite episodes. What are some of yours?
posted by gsteff on May 19, 2002 - 44 comments

How is this possible? I know there must be a sensible explanation for why this 'ESP experiment' works every time, but I certainly can't figure it out. Anyone? Other 'ESP' tests and the like leave me a bit cold, but this made my brain hurt, and that can't be all bad.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken on May 3, 2002 - 30 comments

Since 1995, a growing number of researchers have hunted ghosts across 4 states as South Jersey Ghost Research. Their website claims a long list of equipment. Are they huckstering hoaxers or the real deal? A 1999 New York Times article didn't make the call. What's everyone's opinion? [via gillan.blogspot.com]
posted by will on Apr 18, 2002 - 27 comments

Belief in Astrology up 3% to 28% and belief in ghosts up 13% to 38%. I find the new Gallup Poll on Americans' Belief in Psychic and Paranormal Phenomena depressing, but not surprising. Aren't we supposed to be headed in the other direction?
posted by quirked on Jun 8, 2001 - 93 comments

Oooooh... they described a burning sensation on the arm, and others felt something touch their face and tug at their clothes. No, this is not some S&M fantasy. It's ghosts in Edinburgh. Scientists are looking into it.
posted by borgle on Apr 19, 2001 - 5 comments

Great bunch of mysterious ghost pictures collected by ghosthunter Dale Kaczmarek.
posted by skallas on Aug 12, 2000 - 8 comments

Well, it's about time.
posted by tranquileye on Jun 19, 2000 - 8 comments