An Analysis of Contextual Variables and the Incidence of Photographic Anomalies at an Alleged Haunt and a Control Site

This field study assessed whether areas in an alleged haunt and a control site, and active and inactive areas within the haunt site, differed with respect to the presence of contextual variables that might contribute to haunt experiences and exhibited differential incidences of photographic anomalies. Contextual (aesthetic, physical, and structural) variables were measured, and randomized photographic (black-and-white, color, digital, infrared, and Polaroid) data were recorded under blind conditions in fourteen representative areas of the two sites. The haunt site displayed lower ambient temperature and higher humidity levels than the control site, but only suggestive differences were found between the active and inactive areas of the haunt site. Ratings from experimentally-blind photographic consultants indicated that the haunt site exhibited a higher incidence of photographic anomalies than the control site, as did the active areas of the haunt site, relative to the inactive areas. Color prints exhibited a higher incidence of photographic anomalies than all other media types. The results are discussed within the context of contemporary theoretical accounts of hauntings and methodological protocols employed in haunt research.