Spooky YouTube Subscriptions, Volume 3

Volume One
Volume Two

It's a new year and time for a new installment of YouTube recommendations! And although I've said it in the previous two volumes, I seriously cannot get enough of YouTube.  With many sites, especially ones made up of content submitted by such a variety of people, you're going to have to sift through the garbage and find the gems---but there are plenty of gems to be found. YouTube is a great resource for paranormal investigators, researchers, and enthusiasts. It is a huge repository of lectures, documentaries, investigation footage, how-to videos and so much more. My goal is to help you find some of those gems without getting too deep into the muck.

1. Ancestry---This is the YouTube channel for the popular Ancestry.com. There are lots of FREE videos offering tips on using the site and genealogy research in general. Genealogy is an important part of paranormal research and can provide vital historic clues to support or debunk an alleged haunting.

2. Mysterious WV---Well researched mini-documentaries covering West Virginia's unsolved murders.

3. WV Archives and History---If you cannot make it to one of the awesome, live lectures offered by the WV State Archives, you can find it here! There is a wide array of topics covering all aspects of West Virginia history and genealogy research. There are even a few lectures devoted to paranormal topics!

4. Peter Cardwell---Do you remember the History Channel's Haunted History of... series? That is one of my all-time favorite shows, and this YouTube user has uploaded quite a few full episodes.

5. Mothership Productions---A channel featuring tons of full-length lectures from various UFO conferences.

6. ParanormalZoneTV---Web series about all things spooky and paranormal.

7. ProfParanormal---This is the official channel of parapsychologist, Lloyd Auerbach.

8. Real Ghost Stories Online---This is pretty self-explanatory!

Spooky YouTube Subscriptions, Volume 1

Hey, everyone! It's a yucky rainy day here in my part of West Virginia...a day perfect for sitting around the house watching spooky videos.  So, today I thought I would discuss where I find a lot of the spooky paranormal lectures, documentaries, podcasts, and other short videos that I love to watch and share with you all.

If you're familiar with my blog and/or my Facebook page, you know I often stress two things: 1. Education in the paranormal field; and 2. FREE or cheap resources. That makes YouTube a perfect site for paranormal investigators and enthusiasts. There are so many awesome videos out there for us. You can find documentaries and television shows on just about any paranormal topic you can think of. You can see how other teams engage in the investigation process. You can analyze potential evidence. And, my favorite part....you have access to lectures and conferences that time, cost, or distance might keep you from physically attending.

It would be impossible to cover all the great YouTube channels that provide this information, free of cost to anyone with internet access, but here's a few channels that I love and subscribe to. As usual, check me out over on Facebook to let me know what channels YOU would recommend to those in the paranormal community!

1. Appalachian UFO Research Society--A look at UFO footage and case summaries from the Appalachian region.

2. ASSAP Conference Films--Conference footage from various events hosted by the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomenon.

3. Captain Disillusion--Funny and educational, Captain Disillusion debunks viral videos, many deemed paranormal, that are just too good to be true.

4. ghosting12--This is the channel for a paranormal investigation team based in Ohio. Lots of history of the places they investigate, plus footage from investigations.

5. Haunted Road Media--Anything and everything paranormal, including new, original content posted every Tuesday.

6. Kenneth Biddle--Kenneth Biddle, of I Am Kenny Biddle fame, critically examines and offers a healthy dose of logic and common sense towards some of the paranormal community's more incredulous claims.

Like I said, it would be impossible to share EVERY awesome channel here with you, but here are six great channels to get you started. Again, hop on over to my Facebook page to let me know which channel you enjoy the most, and share some recommendations of your own! They just might show up in Spooky YouTube Subscriptions, Volume 2...

Captain Disillusion Takes on the Gas Station Ghost

Day 18 of the August Blog Challenge is upon us, and today's challenge is to write about a video that I love, that inspires, and/or that teaches!   The first thing that popped into mind was a YouTube series by a "super hero" that goes by the name of Captain Disillusion.  As described on his website:

In a world where the content of digital images and videos can no longer be taken at face value, an unlikely hero fights for the acceptance of truth.

Captain Disillusion guides "children" of all ages through the maze of visual fakery to the open spaces of reality and peace of mind.

So in short, Captain Disillusion, complete with his silvery face make-up and high tech video editing, tears apart controversial videos, showing just how easily they can be explained through natural means, but mostly, how easily they can be faked.

I chose to highlight this particular video because even though he's pretty crass and rude to the reporter involved, its news stories like this that further lead to the devolution of the paranormal field.  Shoddy and sensational journalism highlighting the ignorance of the general population on paranormal matters at its best is illustrated beautifully.  Oh, and this case took place in Ohio, so I thought it related nicely!

Captain Disillusion's video series is always an inspiration.  Humor infused with science allows for an easy understanding of certain concepts, many of which aren't as simple as a bug on a camera casing.  If you get a few minutes, check out the plethora of Captain Disillusion videos on YouTube.  Many videos have a paranormal (mostly ghostly) theme, but other topics are discussed as well.

Captain Disillusion's YouTube Channel
Captain Disillusion's Official Website and Blog