Update 10/15: This giveaway has closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. I’ll be in touch with the winners today. Ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties are dying to visit you this Halloween. Okay, maybe there won’t be any ghoulies or beasties but I can promise the ghosties will come calling, if you’re one of the winners in this A Haunting contest. Over the last year I’ve given away seasons 1 through 3, so this time we have the fourth and final installment of A Haunting up for grabs. Five people will win the entire fourth season (ten, one-hour long episodes) in this brand new DVD box set. Here’s a description of the horrors waiting within:

New Dominion Pictures’ A Haunting: Season 4, takes you inside ten real-life horror stories that originally aired on the Discovery Channel. Each eerie, one-hour episode features eyewitness accounts and cinematic reenactments of some of the most spine-tingling, ghostly hauntings ever recorded. Even the most skeptical observer will be shocked and intrigued by these spellbinding tales.

If you haven’t caught any of the previous seasons of A Haunting, not to worry — you won’t be lost. Each episode introduces a brand new encounter with the paranormal.

Here’s a quick peek into “Echoes of the Past,” one of the episodes contained in this box set:

Source: YT user, ClearstreamSound

This giveaway will be closing the middle of October (for more details see below). I’ll be doing my best to rush ship A Haunting to all five winners so they can receive it in time for Halloween!

Also, I know some visitors have expressed a concern as to whether or not it’s okay to sign up for more than one giveaway at a time (I’m often running two or three giveaways at once). I so appreciate the concern, and you’re more than welcome to enter each of the giveaways I’m running. Speaking of entering multiple contests, be on the lookout for another spooky giveaway coming in early September.

Please, only one entry per household. Duplicate entries from the same IP will be deleted. These giveaways are really based on the honor system, but I do my best to make it as fair as possible for everyone. There’s no catch here, everything is free–including payment of shipping and handling for “A Haunting”–I cover all costs. To be entered, leave a comment below showing your interest.

Depending on the volume of entries, comments may only be displayed under this post for a short time. As entries grow, I may remove comments to make it easier for visitors to scroll to the comment box and enter. However, I guarantee all entries will be saved in the order they are received.

When leaving a comment, be sure to include your correct e-mail address and be certain to keep track of your spam or bulk folder after the drawing closes, just in case. Each winner of the A Haunting box set will be contacted through the e-mail address that’s registered with their comment. I will never share addresses, provided by entrants, with any third parties and you’ll never receive unsolicited mail when entering.

This “A Haunting” contest will end at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on October 14, 2010. All legitimate entries will then be assigned a number in the order they were received. Five numbers will be randomly drawn to determine the winners.

All five winners will then be notified, via the e-mail addresses they provided, no later than October 15th. If one, or all five don’t respond (with their shipping information) within two weeks, then one (two, three, four or five) more number(s) will be drawn to determine the new winner(s). Upon receiving their permission, the winners’ names will be featured at the top of this post.

If you would like to see your Halloween or paranormal website or business promoted through SOS and you have some appropriately themed items to give away, please contact me.

So, I did a little digging and it didn’t take long to find several of the individual stories from Beyond Belief on You Tube. In case you’re like me and you’ve forgotten the premise: The show featured five, spooky/suspenseful stories — some of these were said to be true and others were complete works of fiction, but it was up to you to decide.

At the end of each program, the host would reveal which ones were fact and which were farce. Now, YT user, Maddogmezza has uploaded these as individual stories, so there’s no reveal at the end, however, the determination of “fact” or “fiction” is included in the vid’s title.

Up first, we have a couple plagued by paranormal plumbing problems. Can anyone say “Jason and Grant, where are you when we need you?”

Up next is a mystery writer’s encounter with a supernatural experience in his own home.

Source: YT user, g8trman77

Related Posts

In Search of Ghosts
In Search of Spirit Voices

Source: YT user, missesyouneverknow

If you’re looking for a ton of great ghost and paranormal vids, then I highly recommend checking out missesyouneverknow’s channel. She has a lot of good stuff, including many paranormal programs I’ve never seen before.

On an another note, I’m due to post an update on the Angel of Death, but I’ve been really busy working on some other things this last week, so I may not have a video posted until next week.

When it comes to programs like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, there seem to be just as many fans out there as there are detractors. And while I’ve definitely watched my fair share of episodes, I don’t fit into either category—rather, I’ve always fallen somewhere in the middle. This is probably partially due to the fact I’ve never cared about getting involved in the lives of the personalities on the shows. I don’t find the whole “reality” television aspect of ghost hunting programs all that appealing. For me, I tune in because I want to see the evidence that was collected, as opposed to getting to know the cast in an intimate way.

And while I think shows like GH have done a good job of getting the ball rolling on eliciting an interest in paranormal investigations, I would like to start seeing more conscious ghost hunting programs with a higher purpose for being on the air. Essentially, the means for making the most basic and rudimentary forms of contact have already been established on the current paranormal programs. It’s been shown that “spirits” can state their names; the time in which they lived/died; their emotional state of being, and on occasion, can slightly manifest or manipulate physical objects.

But aside from showing that communication is possible, what other purpose is being served in the current lineup of ghost hunting programming? The most obvious answer is entertainment, and I get that, however, it’s often stated that the purpose of these programs is to help. Yet, rarely does someone receive real help during televised investigations; certainly the viewer isn’t being helped and neither are the energies responsible for the hauntings. We’re all being entertained (of course, I can’t speak for the ghosts), but we’re definitely not being helped.

I also understand that the premise of a program like Ghost Hunters is to obtain information to present to the client about who or what may be haunting their location. I’m not saying Ghost Hunters isn’t serving that purpose, but what I am saying is that I would love to see a new style of ghost hunting programming–an evolution of the genre, if you will.

So, what do I think a more conscious, truly helpful ghost hunting program would involve? I believe its main focus should hinge on obtaining answers (from “spirits”) to deeper questions, for example: What’s the meaning of life? What’s the afterlife like? How does it feel to make a transition from this physical plane to the next plane of existence? Where do we go after we “cross over?” Do we retain all aspects of our personality after we pass on? Is the so-called white light a myth? Where does religion and spiritualism fit in based on your (the spirits’) current understanding of the afterlife? What’s your (the spirits’) explanation for the concept of god? etc.

To me, approaching paranormal investigating with the goal of obtaining answers to these types of questions would be far more beneficial, even if responses are sketchy at best and elusive at worst. After all, who among us hasn’t been curious about our place in the Universe and where we’re going next? If legitimate answers could be obtained, then wouldn’t that be a huge help and possibly a great comfort. Not to mention that these types of questions cause people to think more outside the box—an important component for our own personal growth.

During the hundreds of hours of EVP work I’ve conducted, the majority of my probing has centered on the themes mentioned above. Admittedly, most energies are dodgy when it comes to answering these deeper questions, or else they inform me that they’re not allowed to reply. However, that doesn’t mean these pieces of the puzzle can’t be obtained over time.

It is possible that the majority of energies who communicate with the physical plane don’t possess these answers or perhaps they indeed aren’t allowed to share them with those of us on the earth plane. And perhaps it’s naïve to think just because a person has transitioned into a nonphysical state, they have access to greater knowledge, however, I believe the questions should still be asked.

But, I suppose the major issue (in the mind of television network executives) pertains to viewership. How many people would watch a ghost hunting show whose purpose is deeper than what’s currently being broadcast—notwithstanding possibly obtaining incredible answers about our existence? Obviously, when it comes to television programs, reality-based or otherwise, viewership (aka dollars) is all that matters. If the viewers tune out, then affiliates start dropping like flies and advertisers follow suit. A really good show can have its butt handed to it before you can say “boo”–all because it didn’t line the network’s pockets.

Overall, I believe the current crop of paranormal shows are fine for the purpose they serve. I’m just interested in seeing new programs come about that challenge ingrained concepts and help to foster our own personal growth through knowledge which may be obtained via the other side—something I like to call smarter, more conscious ghost hunting.

I still don’t understand why there isn’t a 24/7 paranormal network on cable or satellite. If I had the money, I’d go to work on amassing a team of people to create such a project. And the network would be built primarily on intelligent, paranormal programs that sought out answers to deeper questions.

The title for today’s entry reminds me of a spooky spot I’d love to visit somewhere in the deepest, darkest of woods. However, Autumnforest isn’t a location you can go to physically, but instead, she’s a person who’s created the virtual equivalent of that spooky spot amidst the woodlands. Comprised of all the things I hold dear: Halloween, the paranormal, and the creepy; Autumnforest’s Ghost Hunting Theories is a fantastic blog for Halloween buffs, horror fans and supernatural aficionados alike. While I could write a lengthy entry describing her knack for crafting amazing tales of horror, or talk about her mind-opening theories that shatter antiquated concepts regarding the paranormal; in this post, I’m focusing on her ’09 Halloween haunt/party.

Being a fellow inhabitant of the Southwest, Autumnforest knows just how challenging it is to transform desert landscape into autumnal scenery. Capturing the more commonly associated feelings of fall and Halloween, amidst cactus and rocks, isn’t always easily accomplished, yet she manages to pull it off without a hitch and is a great hostess to boot! I’m busy enough tending to my yard haunt on Halloween night, but she manages to find time for decorating the yard, taking care of trick-or-treaters and entertaining party guests. I wonder if she’d like to bring her talents to New Mexico on October 31st? I could always use an extra hand.

In all seriousness, her haunt has a lot of great elements — the graveyard scene and haunted doll room being two of my favorites. I know she has plans to expand even more for Halloween 2010 on the scary doll stuff and I can’t wait to see exactly what she has up her sleeve.

Whatever you do, whether you’re in the mood for Halloween, horror or theories on the supernatural, you gotta swing by Ghost Hunting Theories. It’s indeed the virtual equivalent of that sweet, spooky spot way back there in the forest.

I came across this photo this morning and was instantly reminded of last week’s episode of Destination Truth. In case you missed it, the team visited an island reported to be haunted by the spirit of a little girl who drowned at the water’s edge. After her passing, the island’s caretaker decided to appease the girl’s spirit (he hoped) by littering the island with thousands of dolls. Unfortunately, according to locals, the girl’s energy is utilizing the toys as a means for interacting with the living.

Now, I don’t know if the dolls were actually haunted or not, but the Halloween enthusiast in me loved the creepy sight of these scary looking dolls all over the island.

I’m really enjoying Destination Truth since they’ve been including more treks into ghostly realms. The evidence they’ve uncovered has been more impressive than anything Ghost Hunters has come across in its last two seasons. I understand you can’t always get spirits to “perform” on cue, however, Josh and his team seem to be consistently finding remote, yet highly charged locations.

I’ve included the full episode below. I’m not sure how long it will be available, as SyFy doesn’t leave these on Hulu indefinitely.

Creepy doll photo source: Crestock

Video source: Destination Truth — Hulu

This giveaway has closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. I’ll be in touch with the winners very soon.

After taking the summer off from giving away Halloween and ghostly stuff, I’ve been looking forward to getting back into the spirit of sharing some spooky prizes. And with fall and Halloween just around the corner, what better time than the present to give a little creepiness to my awesome visitors? This time around, I’m dipping back into the paranormal pool with the Discovery Channel series “A Haunting.” A Haunting takes viewers on a documentary-style journey into true paranormal encounters of everyday people. Through reenactments and interviews, each story is brought to life, often in the same location where the original ghostly activity took place.

If you haven’t watched the series, don’t let the description fool you. A Haunting is far from presenting campy, watered-down ghost stories. I’ve been around paranormal activity on and off throughout my life (including recent encounters with disembodied voices). And I’ll admit, on more than one occasion, A Haunting has contributed to my performing 2 AM bedroom checks (with lamps and overhead lights blazing). In other words, the show has caused a lot of, “What was that?” “Who’s there?” “Now, I know that was definitely something!”

If you’re into debunking the paranormal, this is one program where you’ll have to sideline the EMF detector; sit back and enjoy the ride. No official ghost hunting takes place during the series. A Haunting is more about weaving an entertaining, spooky tale that will have you second guessing those creeks and groans that ring out from the darkness – you know the sounds that you always blame on the settling of the house.

Onto the prizes — I’m giving away two brand new DVD copies of A Haunting: Seasons 1 and 2 (packaged together) to two separate winners. All guidelines for entering can be found below. Upon entering, all I ask in return is that you take a few moments to recommend this post, whether it’s via your own blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Stumble, or Digg account, etc.

If you don’t have a blog or an account with a social networking site, then please consider emailing the link to friends or post it on a Halloween or paranormal message board. I would really appreciate the support.

For more information on “A Haunting,” visit the Discovery Channel site or checkout the Ghost TV section in the Season of Shadows Store.

“A Haunting” photo source: Amazon

Please, only one entry per household. Duplicate entries from the same IP will be deleted. This helps to make it fairer for everyone. There’s no catch here, everything is free – including payment of shipping and handling for “A Haunting” – I cover all costs. To be entered, leave a comment below, signifying your interest.

Depending upon the volume of entries, comments may only be displayed under this post for a short time. As entries grow, I may remove comments from the post to make it easier for visitors to scroll to the comment box and enter.

When leaving a comment, be sure to include your correct email address and be certain to keep track of your spam or bulk folder after the drawing closes, just in case. Each winner of A Haunting will be contacted through the email address that’s registered with their comment. I will never share addresses, provided by entrants, with any third parties and you’ll never receive unsolicited mail when entering.

The “A Haunting” contest will end at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on September 27th, 2009. All legitimate entries will then be assigned a number. Two numbers will be randomly drawn to determine the winners.

Both winners will then be notified, via the email addresses they provided, no later than September 29th. If one, or both don’t respond (with their shipping information) within a week, then one (or two) more number(s) will be drawn to determine the new winner(s). Upon receiving their permission, both winners’ names will be featured at the top of this post.

If you would like to see your Halloween or paranormal website or business promoted through SOS and you have some appropriately themed items to distribute, please contact me.

For the last few days I’ve been busy building the new Halloween Store here at SOS. The shop is powered by Amazon and includes over four-hundred items (so far) that I’ve hand-picked to be included. Currently, the store features Halloween masks, costumes for men and women, Halloween and Goth t-shirts by SkulBone, Halloween props, coffins, tombstones; a section on the popular Ghost Hunters series and equipment for investigating the paranormal. The Halloween Shop is fully functional and completely contained here at SOS. The only time you’ll leave the site is when making a purchase. Upon checking out, you’ll be taken to Amazon’s secure page.

I’m always open to feedback and suggestions. If you have any input about the store, including tips on other cool things to include, please leave a comment or contact me.

Please consider purchasing some of your paranormal or Halloween items here and/or pass the store’s link along to friends and family. Thank you.

Photo source: Amazon.com

The following video contains some of the best EVPs I’ve come across on You Tube. The audio presentation appears to capture the voices of children, despite there being no children present during the investigation. From the human perspective, the events of 1912, connected to the passing of the children (explained at the You Tube page), are very tragic. Yet, from the paranormal perspective, the voices provide amazing evidence of what appears to be a residual haunt.

For more information on the investigation, check out ghosthunter’s description.