THE QUEST FOR THE PARANORMAL JUST TURNED A SCARY SHADE OF RED

Get ready for a NEW Quest Channel called ‘Quest Red’ launched yesterday, 15th March and Quest Red looks set to be the home of ‘Irresistibly Real TV’. Shows you can look forward to are… Is OJ Innocent? The Missing Evidence, Jo Frost: Nanny on Tour, Long Lost Family US, Martin Kemp’s Detectives, Vogue Williams Investigates, and a certain show called Paranormal Lockdown with ghost hunter Nick Groff. 

Now, if you've not heard of Paranormal Lockdown before then where have you been, kidnapped by Aliens or something? Paranormal Lockdown with Nick Groff sees the world-renowned paranormal investigator join forces with seasoned ghosthunter Katrina Weidman to spend 72 hours confined in America's most haunted locations. Their goal is simple – to capture the most ground-breaking physical evidence of the afterlife and the supernatural on record. Nick Groff has been fascinated with the paranormal ever since surviving a near-death experience as a child. Now, he chases ghosts full-time with the goal of finding new evidence of the afterlife and discovering a breakthrough in paranormal research. The new series follows the two as they confine themselves in some truly terrifying places, for an unprecedented 72 hours straight. Living at haunted locations, many of which have never before been seen on television, some being investigated for the first time ever, Groff and Weidman believe that the longer they stay, the more the spirits will communicate with them and the more information they can gather about the unknown. Their attempts to communicate with the other side involve state of the art high-resolution cameras and never-before-seen paranormal technology to collect surprising - and spooky - images and sounds. But the mission comes with risks: alone, exhausted, mentally broken, they'll be vulnerable to whatever lies within Paranormal Lockdown with Nick Groff. You can catch the show when it launches on Thursday March the 16th at 9pm.

Haunted Magazine caught up with Nick and asked him to tell us more about Paranormal Lockdown and his fascination with all things spooky. 

Can you tell us a bit about what to expect from Paranormal Lockdown With Nick Groff?  Paranormal Lockdown is my relentless pursuit to capture the best evidence that could change the way people feel about ghosts and the paranormal. Katrina and I subject ourselves to 72 hours inside the country's most haunted locations, armed with brand new and sometimes never-seen-before paranormal devices, to not only capture the best evidence but also help those that are tormented by malevolent paranormal activity.

How did you first get into paranormal investigations? I've been fascinated by all things paranormal since childhood. I used to get permission to explore abandoned hospitals before I knew anything about the paranormal. Then I had an experience, which led me to learn more about the unexplainable.

Have you always been a believer? I'm open-minded about everything in the paranormal. I'm a logical thinker, but want to continue searching out the paranormal in order to understand it better. 

What would you say to the skeptics? I've met several skeptics that have never had a paranormal experience. I've informed many skeptics that they need to immerse themselves into a situation where they could potentially witness something that's not explainable before forming an opinion. Sometimes curious people must seek out the paranormal in specific places in order to witness something, while others just get lucky with paranormal phenomena revealing itself spontaneously. 

Do you think scary movies match up to the reality? And, if so, which movie do you think is the best? Most scary movies do match up with what most people actually experience in reality. I think some scenes in various scary movies are accurate right before they cross the line for entertainment purposes.  "The Exorcist,” “The Others" (2001), “Stir of Echoes” (1999) and “Insidious” (2010) in my opinion have various scenes that I would say are accurate to real-life paranormal experiences. 

Can you talk us through some of the equipment you use? Recently, my "go to" devices for capturing spirit voices is George Brown's GeoPort and Steve Huff's Wonderbox.  Katrina and I have captured numerous spirit voices on these two ghost boxes and after researching them, they've revealed hidden clues and facts. For every new season of Paranormal Lockdown, I think it's very crucial to use brand new devices, upgrade old ones and conduct experiments relating to new theories in an effort to keep advancing our paranormal investigations. I also think it's crucial to work with others in the paranormal field who bring their unique perspectives to our research.   

What has been the most active site you have conducted an investigation at?  Hinsdale house, Shrewsbury prison in the UK, Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and many others...

Have you ever been genuinely frightened while filming the show?  The one time I was extremely frightened was at the Hinsdale house. Mary's room felt so oppressive. The energy or presence wanted to harm me. The land is just as scary as the house. So many layers of hauntings and history. It has an energetic, telepathic draw to it!

You stay at the locations for a long time – have you ever wanted to leave mid-way?  I've considered leaving an investigation only for a brief period of time. It was during our Shrewsbury [Prison] investigation when Katrina got injured from falling down the stairs. Katrina's determination and strong heart led her to completing the investigation... in a lot of pain.

You’ve been to some haunted locations in the UK. How do British ghosts compare to American ghosts?  I've found that the paranormal energy is high in Europe. This comes as no surprise given the amount of lives lost over the centuries due to the Black Plague, Crusades and World Wars. That being said, I still believe that the paranormal activity in the UK is very much like our own here in America.

Is there any where you haven’t investigated yet that is on your wish list?  There are several locations all around the world I'd love to investigate. So much history and hauntings to explore outside the United States. 

Nick's 13 signs to look out for that your property might be Haunted:

1.     Unexplained noises - Footsteps; knocks, banging, rapping, scratching sounds, and sounds of something being dropped. 

2.     Doors, cabinets, and cupboards opening and closing - Most often, this phenomenon is not seen directly. Residents of the house may hear doors opening and closing (homeowners know quite well the distinctive sounds their houses make) or may return to a room to find a door open when they're certain that it was left in closed.

3.     Cold or hot spots - Cold spots are classic haunting symptoms; any instance of a noticeable variance in temperature without a discernible cause could be evidence.

4.     Lights turning off and on - Likewise, these events are seldom witnessed as they occur. Rather, the lights are switched on or off when the homeowner knows they weren't left that way. This can also happen with TVs, radios and other electrically powered items. 

5.     Items disappearing and reappearing - This is known as the Disappearing Object Phenomenon (DOP), "the DOPler Effect" or "the borrowers" phenomenon, and it's the familiar experience of not being able to find a regularly used item—say, your set of car keys—which you believe you placed in a spot you routinely place them. But they're gone and you look high and low for them with no success.

6.     Unexplained smells - The distinct fragrance of a perfume or cologne that you don't have in your house can indicate a supernatural presence. This phenomenon may come and go without any apparent cause. The odor may be pleasant or foul. 

7.     Unexplained shadows - The sighting of fleeting shapes and shadows, usually seen out of the corner of the eye. This phenomenon has also been discussed in some detail in the book called "Shadow People." Many times, the shadows have vaguely human forms, while other times they're less distinguishable or smaller.

8.     Strange animal behavior - A dog, cat or other pet behaves strangely. Dogs may bark at something unseen, cower without apparent reason or refuse to enter a room they normally do. Cats may seem to be "watching" something cross a room. Animals have sharper senses than humans. 

9.     Feelings of being watched - This is not an uncommon feeling and can be attributed to many things, but it could have a paranormal source if the feeling consistently occurs in a particular part of the house at a particular time. 

10.  Feelings of being touched - Feeling an unexplained touch is truly unsettling. Some people may feel something brush past them, a light brush of their hair, or a "hand" on the shoulder. Some feel a gentle poke, push or nudge. 

11.  Moving or levitating objects (severe psychokinetic phenomena) - Dinner plates sliding across the table; pictures flying off walls; doors slamming shut with great force; furniture sliding across the floor.

12.  Physical assault - Scratches, slaps, and hard shoves. This kind of personal assault is extremely rare, but obviously very disturbing. Other physical evidence –includes unexplained writing on paper or walls; hand prints and footprints. 

13.  Apparitions - Physical manifestation of a spirit or entity. This phenomenon is also very rare and can take many forms: human-shaped mists or forming mists of some indistinguishable shape; transparent human forms that disappear quickly; and most rarely, human forms that look as real and solid as any living person, but that disappear into a room or even disappear while being viewed. 

AND DON'T FORGET You can catch Paranormal Lockdown with Nick Groff on Thursday March the 16th at 9pm.

#dontbenormal