9 Things The House in Between Part 2 Proves about the Paranormal

The House in Between aimed to “bring science, the paranormal, and the human experience together.” The documentary represented “the results of the first 10-year-long continuous study of a house that is haunted ever conducted.”

That’s also at the heart of The House in Between Part 2. It again proves that “the human side to this enduring mystery,” as Steve Gonsalves put it, is the most alluring part of the story.

But it also proved a few other things too, including the following nine. Which, fair warning, *spoilers* ahead.

1. The House in Between 2 proves that, yes, Steve, there is crying in ghost hunting. (And a tissue disclaimer would’ve been nice!)

In the post that I wrote about how The House in Between raised the paranormal benchmark, one of the things I noted was how much heart the documentary had. I even used a quote from Steve Gonsalves to title that section, which was “There’s no crying in ghost hunting.” He’d said that during a poignant moment in part 1 that showcased his sensitive soul.

Part 2 recaptures a lot of the same heart, but there’s also a heartwrenching development. They reveal that Alice Jackson’s daughter, Ashley Pevey, died in September 2020, shortly after part 1’s release.

Pevey was as invested in solving the paranormal mystery of the house as her mom was. They showed interviews with her, footage of her during investigations, and tender moments of her snuggling with her mom. This In Memoriam takes place pretty early on and is definitely a tear-jerker. I would’ve appreciated a tissue disclaimer as it didn’t take long for the tears to fall and I had no tissues handy.

So in case you haven’t watched yet, have a box of tissues nearby just in case it hits you in the feels too.

2. The House in Between 2 proves it is scary because it’s real, no demons or theatrics necessary.

One of the title cards in the trailer for part 1 read, “Scary because it’s real.”

The House in Between Part 2 proves that all over again. Whether it’s a ghost hunting show, special, or documentary, at the end of the day it’s all a story and who’s telling it matters.

Some people would say that the activity happening at Alice Jackson’s house is demonic. She insists it’s not evil, even though she admits it’s a little unnerving at times. And, yes, scary.

The investigators could’ve spun a demon narrative too, as could have the producers. The ingredients are all there.

Instead, they chose to explore the story from the standpoint that whatever’s haunting the house is intelligent. As Brad Cooney put it, “It appears to be responding to our requests.”

Intelligently is how they conduct the research and investigation. It’s refreshing.

3. The House in Between 2 proves the paranormal is not OSFA.

Is there a one size fits all paranormal show that’s universally beloved by skeptics and believers alike? If there is, I don’t know what it is. (But if you do, please leave a comment!)

The House in Between didn’t thrill everybody. Part 2 won’t either.

Some reviewers on Amazon complained that part 1 was boring. Some didn’t like it because they wanted to see less experts, more investigation and more evidence.

Other reviewers raved because they appreciated the approach didn’t insult their intelligence. They liked the experts and that more science was used because they’d been longing to see the paranormal venture into that territory.

While part 2 does show more paranormal activity caught on camera and audio than part 1 did, it doesn’t differ very much. Doors still open allegedly on their own, balls fall down the stairs by themselves, they pick up both EVPs and unexplainable noises, etc. But in part 2 the dolls also tumble down the steps. So if you were hoping for that in part 1, you get it now.

But no. There’s still no smoking gun of a ghost to show for any of it, though.

There are also experts again too. Benton Smith uses ground-penetrating radar to search Jackson’s land for unmarked graves. Geophysicist Carolyn Streiff analyzes the land to see if the environment could be a contributing factor. 

And if you like psychics, The House in Between Part 2 also covers that base again too. It briefly brings back Jill Morris whose joined by Sam Baltrusis.

Or if celebrity paranormal investigators float your boat, part 2 has Elizabeth Saint and Dustin Pari teaming up to investigate the house. Saint puts her background in electrical engineering to use and brings along equipment custom-built for the investigation. Pari brings his years of experience and spirituality, as well as his humility and humor.

And there’s once again a dose of history, locals, and eyewitness accounts. There’s really something for everyone, which some will like and others might not, but the final result is another well-rounded doc like the first one was.

4. The House in Between 2 proves even some celeb paranormal investigators are tired of all the sensationalism.

Some ghost hunting shows have fallen down the over-the-top, outrageous rabbit hole. Everything’s evil, a demon, and dangerous. It’s exhausting and some of us are just over it.

Less demons, more science, and better investigative techniques were sub-themes throughout The House in Between Part 2. To some extent, Steve Gonsalves and Dustin Pari echoed these sentiments, but Elizabeth Saint particularly stood out as an advocate for doing things better. As a builder of equipment, she was particularly passionate about how people use —or in many cases misuse— gadgets.

“There has to be expansion outside the of the community to kind of understand the tools that they’re using,” Saint said. “And to also understand all the false positives that they are getting in the process.”

She also said “…when people get a noise or something lights up people are all, ‘Ooh, I got something,’ but that’s not necessarily the case. They’re not sent specs or understand what sensors are in these mass-produced gadgets so they don’t really know how they work.”

That’s not to say equipment can’t be useful. Of course, it can. If it’s used right. Currently, however, it’s doubtful that most of it is being used appropriately. But there are investigators out there who are trying to figure out where equipment and the results generated from it fit into the equation.

5. The House in Between 2 proves science and the paranormal can work together and should do it more often.

“I love science,” Elizabeth Saint said during The House in Between Part 2.

But she also expressed a frustration that I think a lot of us have with the paranormal community not being taken seriously. And Dustin Pari found it interesting that science and the spiritual have to butt heads.

But they proved that doesn’t have to be the case. Saint herself is a good mix of applying a scientific background to investigating the paranormal.

And in both parts 1 and 2 of The House in Between, Steve Gonsalves found scientific experts willing to examine the evidence and offer theories and/or suggest new experiments to try and evaluate it.

Perhaps Brad Cooney summed it up best when he said, “I think it’s very exciting anytime you have a person of a science background that’s willing to reach out to the paranormal side of things. You don’t see that. At least I haven’t. I haven’t seen much of that at all in this field.”

Have others tried to find scientists from a variety of disciplines to help analyze paranormal phenomena? I don’t know, but if they have, I’m with Cooney. I’ve never seen it —until these two documentaries, that is. So kudos to Gonsalves for making it happen and proving it can be done.

6. The House in Between 2 proves the importance of keeping an open mind.

The geophysicist with a background in astrophysics, Carolyn Streiff, never said she didn’t believe in ghosts. She theorized that natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanos, fault lines, and blue shale in the ground under Alice Jackson’s house could explain some of what was being considered paranormal activity.  That’s what she was brought in to analyze. 

“There are different types of rocks that when you heat them or cool them they will have a voltage,” Streiff said. “If you compress them, you’d get a charge onto them. Also, when you do different mechanical processes they will illuminate. There is an actual scientific effect that creates light from rubbing quartz, and because we know that Alice has sand and shale underneath her home there is quartz and sand and shale. So could something be causing some of these light effects that Alice is seeing? What if something is affecting Alice’s house momentarily because of the charges in the ground that could be occurring?”

But while she was in the research tent compiling the data, she ended up having an experience. Someone walked by the tent and blocked out the light. She expected them to pass the opening, but when they didn’t she went to see who was there —but found no one.

When everybody came to investigate because she was a little alarmed, she described the man she’d briefly glimpsed. Dark hair. White shirt. It matched the description of an apparition many others have reported walking in that same area over the years. Something it appears Streiff had no knowledge of.

It was a pretty compelling moment. Her bewilderment at having such an experience was so genuine. Yet, she was also open to it. Alarmed about it, but also excited because she didn’t expect to have a paranormal experience and become part of the investigation as an eyewitness.

7. The House in Between 2 proves why cats don’t make good paranormal investigators.

Anytime the team was outside, day or night, you could almost be guaranteed to see the cat. I don’t remember what the orange and white cat’s name was. Nosey would describe him best.

True to cat form, he was a curious little cuss. When everybody was out digging up the yard trying to find unmarked graves, there he was supervising. When they were out at night trying to investigate noises, there he was —caterwauling as if on cue and doing some digging of his own.

Amy Bullard noticed and commented, “Why is that cat digging? It’s interesting.”

As a cat owner, I recognized a potty cover-up scratch when I saw it. But it was also well-timed on the cat’s part. They’d all tracked some activity outside, right near where the cat was.

Was the cat in on the joke with any spirits? I don’t know, but I swear I saw him smirking…

8. The House in Between 2 proves it’s important to have some comic relief during investigations.

The cat’s cameos were well-placed moments of levity, but others were also sprinkled in as well.

Like when Dustin Pari and Elizabeth Saint first arrived. Pari had this to say about Saint: “To have the passion to say ‘I’m doing this case, what’s the type of activity, what can I make specifically that will speak to trying to measure that type of activity… I mean, that’s…I have trouble getting on the WiFi sometimes. She’s like lightyears above that.”

Or when Alice Jackson said, “You don’t really get the impact of it. It’s like, you know there’s a conscious being, invisible…invisible conscious being in your room. I mean really, that’s a little unnerving. I mean really if you go to take a shower you think ‘Who is watching me take a shower?'”

And maybe that’s what we secretly fear most about ghosts: their ability to watch us during our most vulnerable, private moments.

9. The House in Between 2 proves paranormal happy endings are possible.

It had been over 10 years since Alice Jackson had slept in her home. She couldn’t bear selling the beautiful home she’d built, but the activity had also unnerved her so badly that she didn’t feel comfortable sleeping there alone.

Definitive answers about what was happening in her home would’ve been nice. With help from people like John Bullard, Brad Cooney, Steve Gonsalves, and Kendall Whelpton, she got a few of those too. But more importantly, they helped her reclaim her home a little. By the end of part 2, she finally spends a night there. Hopefully one of many more to come.

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What would you like to see paranormal investigations prove someday?