5 Things to Know Before Watching the Portals to Hell McCormick Farm Ep

A special two-hour episode called “McCormick Farm” is among the new episodes of Portals to Hell that start streaming on March 20 on discovery+. (The other one is “Hotel Monte Vista.” New episodes follow every Saturday after that until May 8.)

It’s a sort of an investigation first for Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman because it’s the first time they’ve ever investigated a serial killer’s connection with the paranormal. Or perhaps serial killers, plural. It’s not clear if Tom McCormick acted alone or with his son Mike’s help. Or if it was all Mike and he tried to blame his dad.

It’s also unclear just how many bodies may have been buried on their farm while the McCormick’s owned it.

In 1986, when Mike was arrested in connection with the disappearance of 60-year-old Herbert Donoho, he led investigators to Donoho’s body. Then, in an attempt for leniency, he showed them where to find the bodies of other men he said his father had murdered.

The farm’s new owners, Chuck and Leslie Clapper, have lived on the 2,700-acre property since 1985. In fact, they had no idea what had happened on the land until investigators showed up in 1986 with Mike McCormick, a dozen stakes, and he started marking where he remembered bodies should be. Now that is super disturbing!

Anyway, the Clappers, especially Leslie, have experienced all kinds of paranormal activity: apparitions, being touched, being watched (in some cases by glowing red eyes!), and hearing voices, footsteps, and other noises that shouldn’t be happening.

Jack and Katrina experience some of that too during their multiple-night investigation.

Before watching the “McCormick Farm” episode, here are five things you should know in order to prepare yourself.

1. The Warnings Are for Good Reason

At the very start of the episode, there’s a warning to viewers that some of the photos they share in connection to the McCormick murders might be potentially upsetting.

That disclaimer is no joke. Hearing about bodies being found bound up with barbed wire is one thing. Seeing them is another.

2. Beware Jack’s F-Bombs

If you end up seeing the McCormick Farm episode on Travel Channel, you can disregard this warning if you’re watching with anyone with tender ears. They’ll definitely bleep that part.

But if you stream it on discovery+, there’s a part where Jack goes to check out the workshop, encounters some activity, and lets the F-bombs fly!

I want to say they were the actual un-bleeped words, which caught my attention. Not that F-bombs offend me. I drop them often myself, no freaky unexplained things happening in the dark needed.

However, whenever I watch the Travel Channel shows, they’re always bleeped. Maybe it was because I was watching via screener so I had the raw goods?

I don’t know, but you definitely know what he’s saying whether it’s bleeped or not. Either way, some people appreciate earmuff warnings for certain viewers in their household.

3. Speaking of Ears…How Good Is Your Hearing?

Jack and Katrina “hear” a lot of things in the “McCormick Farm” episode, like voices and footsteps, very few of which are caught by any of their equipment.

Or maybe my ears are just bad? I was even watching with headphones on. I heard some of the banging they reported. One of the voices sounded like it said something different than what they said they heard. Which I’m saving for perhaps another post because I don’t want to taint anyone else.

But mostly I didn’t hear any of what they were claiming to be experiencing. Will you?

4. The Loneliness & Isolation

Again and again, Jack repeats how massive the property is. How isolated and away from anything else it is.

In fact, he even describes it as a “Disneyland for serial killers” because there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no one to hear your screams for help.

It’s true. We have family who own property in that part of Colorado. You better like the wind because there’s nothing to block it.

But keep this in mind as we advance to number 5.

5. The Blue Lights & the Psychic

Jack and Katrina recruit psychic Shaun Crusha to come give a reading on the property. As they’re walking to the Bunk House, they stop and he’s giving them his impression of what he’s sensing and seeing in that moment.

There are two blue lights behind Jack. Then there is one. Where does the other one go and what is it? That’s the biggest mystery haunting me after watching the Portals to Hell “McCormick Farm” episode.

I’m hoping others spot it too and can explain what they think it is.

For More Info

Visit discoveryplus.com.

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What would you do if the police showed up on your property with a murder suspect in custody and handed him stakes to mark multiple graves?