Are you troubled by strange noises in the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you, or any of your family, ever seen a spook, spectre, or ghost?
Because these folks have! Let’s take a look at some of the ghost stories that popped up in 2018 (in no particular order).
Reflections on a Ghost Ship
On August 2, KZTV Action 10 News shared the story of Will Smith (not that one), a man from Louisiana who captured a potentially mysterious photograph while touring the reportedly haunted USS Lexington, docked in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The photo seems to feature the shadow of a man, which should be easily explained (the KZTV reporter even demonstrates how easily a shadow is cast on that particular wall).
However, Smith is convinced the figure is neither reflection nor shadow, of either himself or anyone else. As he said, he doesn’t believe the shadow is his, and “there was no one else around.”
What’s more, while reporting on this story, the news team may have captured an unrelated paranormal incident. A visitor from San Antonio stopped in his tracks when he felt something very unusual. “I felt very nervous all of a sudden,” he told them, “and I felt like someone grabbed my heart and lungs and I couldn’t breathe.”
The Gray Man Visits North Carolina
In early September, hurricane Florence became the first major hurricane of the 2018 season. However, if some are to be believed, it brought more than just strong winds and torrential rains. It also brought a ghost.
A paranormal entity known as the Gray Man, said to haunt the coast of South Carolina, allegedly made an appearance during hurricane Florence, albeit not in its usual location. A team of ghost hunters claim they captured footage of the famous spectre on a pier in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The footage shows a hazy figure crossing the pier before vanishing.
Many aren’t convinced the footage is real.
Haunted Police Station Can’t Handle All the Ghosts
According to Gulf News India, a police station in Jharkhand state is plagued by “wandering spirits,” to the point that officers refuse to stick around during evening hours. By 11 p.m., they report, the station is deserted.
The police officers have tried a variety of methods to dispel the ghosts, from “organizing prayers” to even “making offerings,” whatever that may entail. They say strange noises begin to occur within the station after nightfall, becoming even stronger at midnight. They’ve also experienced telephone lines going out.
The station is reportedly built atop what was once a “cremation ground,” which could provide a paranormal explanation for their current predicament. “Nothing appears fine here,” sub-inspector S Baske said of the situation, “We feel terrified all the time due to sudden fear.”
Was ‘The Nun’ Production Haunted?
The Nun, which arrived in theaters on September 6, is the fifth movie in the so-called The Conjuring Universe. The film’s apparently a prequel, set in Romania, and dives deep into the origins of the demon Valak. And yet, it might be what happened behind the scenes that gets the most attention.
According to The Mirror, not only was the entire production “blessed by an Eastern Orthodox priest” (after reports by cast and crew of “supernatural disturbances”), but director Corin Hardy had his own ghostly paranormal experience at a “Romanic fortress” in Mogosoaia. He allegedly saw the ghosts of two Romanian soldiers, who he at first mistook for crew members. But when he turned around, no one was there.
A Shadow in the Window
On June 2, 2018, a 61-year-old grandmother witnessed a “tall, slim” shadow figure walking inside an empty Victorian-age building in Swadlincote, a town in Derbyshire, England.
She’d been standing outside at the Pipe Works when her eyes caught the abandoned building, only to see a ghostly shadow glide by one of its top-floor windows. Thinking it was perhaps a security guard or someone else, she waited and watched along with her family, but they saw no one else appear.
You can actually see the building in question on Google Maps. DerbyshireLive describes it as a “derelict building next to the Tall Chimney pub” that used to be a factory where they produced chimney stacks.
Chair Moves In Haunted Derbyshire Pub
On October 3, yet another curious paranormal pub video found its way online, this one from The Miners Arms pub in Alfreton, Derbyshire. In the video, you can see an ordinary chair moving on its own, the haunting scene captured by a CCTV camera on the evening of Friday, September 28, 2018.
According to the video’s description, many believe the ghostly activity is thanks to the spirit of the pub’s former landlady. Customers have allegedly witnessed apparitions of a “woman’s figure,” as well as electrical disturbances and unexplained noises.
Others aren’t convinced, believing instead that this is an obvious publicity stunt to drive traffic to the pub.
Whatever the case, Derbyshire is no stranger to paranormal activity; in April, I shared reports of a mysterious “ghost plane” allegedly manifesting in the area.
Other Ghost Weirdness
Can Ghosts Make You Sick?: On July 3, 2018, about 18 students attending Nungua Senior High School in Ghana received treatment after claiming to see ghosts and “deceased students” wandering the halls. One specialist at a nearby hospital believes they were suffering from hysteria.
Would You Shoot A Ghost?: A self-proclaimed paranormal investigator from Connecticut is facing charges after discharging a firearm (twice) at what he claimed may have been a “spirit” attempting to enter his home. According to the New York Post, this is the second time the man has attempted (and failed) to shoot a ghost, perhaps proving once again the old adage, “What is dead may never die.”
Would You Marry A Ghost?: A UK woman named Amethyst Realm, recently interviewed on This Morning, apparently wants to marry and have a child with her “ghost boyfriend.” She’s a “spiritual guidance counsellor,” and claims the spirit approached her while out “taking a walk” in Australia.
They immediately hit it off, and traveled back to the UK together. According to Realm, the ghost is “very ancient, very wise, [and] very kind.” As for what a ghost pregnancy would entail, she can only say, “I’m not sure what it will turn out like.” She has, however, been researching “phantom pregnancies.”
Ghosts At The Royal Wedding? Speaking of marriage, in early 2018, psychic twins Terry and Linda Jamison reported that at least one ghost would “most definitely” be attending the Prince Harry/Meghan Markle royal wedding. They claimed Princess Diana wouldn’t miss it “for the world.” According to The Mirror, the spirit of Diana specifically reached out to the twins, who claim to receive messages from beyond through spirit writing. The wedding was held on May 19, 2018.
Would You Use A Ghost To Save Your Ruined Engagement?: An Englishman reportedly fabricated ghostly messages in an attempt to “win back” his ex-girlfriend. According to the Telegraph, the girlfriend had a restraining order against the man, but he tried to get clever — he sent her a message, under the guise of a nearby psychic, claiming that her dead mother was urging her to get back together. “All you have to do is to call him,” the message read. Let’s just say it didn’t quite work.
