Tuesday night while flipping through channels I stopped on Discovery’s Ghost Lab. I haven’t seen many ghost hunter documentaries, but those I have are all hype and zero evidence. Ghost Lab was different. Maybe it was their specialized equipment, or perhaps these two fellows have a real knack for enticing ghosts out of hiding. Yes, they had evidence, but I was still left scratching my head, wondering if it was all a hoax.
Friday rolled around and I had the (ahem) privilege of taking my daughters to a Chuck E Cheese birthday party. It was a long trek across state lines giving me plenty of time to think.
Welcome to Ghost Lab. On tonight’s episode, Brad and Barry Klinge investigate a haunted Chuck E. Cheese.
This animatronic mouse is not plugged in to any outlet, yet Chucky’s proprietor has heard a man’s voice coming out of the speaker on several occasions. The Klinge Brothers wait until the sun sets, then enter the establishment to have a little chat with the ghost.
Brad: Let’s be very quiet.
Animatronic Mouse: squealllllll!!!!!!
Barry: Did you hear that? Do it again!
Animatronic Mouse: squealllll!!!!!
Later, in the Ghost Lab, the team analyzes the audio track.
squeallll…… inaudible…… crackle….. squeallll…. inaudible…
Let’s play it again, this time with subtitles.
Brad: Let’s be very quiet.
Ghost: Order up!
The crew goes wild! Order up is pizza lingo! That was definitely our ghost!
Day two, the Klinge Bros. meet a direct descendant of the founder of Chuck E. Cheese.
Founder Descendant: I got up early to take a picture of my friend dressed up like an old time pizzeria employee. When I had the film developed, we saw my great, great, not so great uncle in the background! This is not photoshopped. It’s film, and the image is on the negative. My lips are moving, so it must be true.
The Klinge Bros. decide to set up their special “ghost motion detectors” in the kitchen. As added bait, they bring in their lovely assistant. She dares the ghost to touch her arm. No sooner are the words out of her mouth when the detectors alert us to the presence of the ghost! Everyone grabs their cameras and starts snapping pictures while the bells and whistles continue to sound.
Later, in the lab, each frame of film is analyzed. After many tedious hours of scanning the images, the team hits pay dirt! A “shadow person”is visible in one photo.
There is one more room left to inspect. The haunted toilet! The team yucks it up. What kind of ghost would haunt a public restroom? The detecting devices are in place. Again Brad calls for quiet. There is no apparent sign of the ghost until the audio track is analyzed.
Brad: Let’s have a minute of silence.
Ghost: Geez! Can I get a courtesy flush?
Well, that seals it! This Chuck E Cheese is indeed haunted. The Ghost Lab is heading to a town near you.
This story is based on Ghost Lab’s look at haunted Tombstone. Actual ghost voice recordings were heard (or rather, subtitled) to say, “Choose!” and “Right quick.”
• Do you believe in ghosts?
• Have you seen Ghost Lab?
• How much credence do you give to recorded ghost voices?
Update: Here is a scene from Ghost Lab: Portrait of an Apparition. Click Me!
Tags: chuck e cheese, funny, ghost, ghost lab, Humor, shadow person
I arrived an hour before closing, and bought one dozen cupcakes including the last 2 Elvi (plural of Elvis) available.
Update: Here is a side-by-side comparison shot.
