In 2017, Buzzfeed author and illustrator Adam Ellis captured the image of a ghost child in his New York City apartment. It sparked the first of his many spine-tingling tweets
“My apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child and he’s trying to kill me.”
In a state of fear and confusion, he documented his haunting on social media under the hashtag #DearDavid. Fourteen million people feverishly followed his terrifying experience. They all yearned for answers about the little boy who’d invaded Ellis’ life.
Fueled by both his fascination and his fear of the paranormal, Ellis and friends Jen Lewis (researcher/documentarian) and Paul Bradford (ghost hunter and lead investigator) are on a mission to help others understand and escape their own nightmares.
The result is the new Travel Channel original series, Trending Fear, which premieres Friday, December 20 at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
The Format
There are six hour-long episodes. The trio will travel America –from Oregon to Massachusetts– hoping to help people take back their lives after unexplainable encounters with the paranormal.
By assisting others, also Ellis hopes his hands-on investigations will help further a deeper understanding of his own haunting.
Social Media Crowdsourcing
The group will use traditional methods in their paranormal pursuits. However, they’ll also use social media to crowdsource stories, theories and evidence to build a community and conversation around each case.
Ellis, Lewis and Bradford also will leverage social media live during each premiere. That will provide additional insight and a way to connect with the community that aided in each episode.
The Series Premiere Episode
The series premiere takes the team to Franklinville, New Jersey, widely known among Jerseyites as a particularly haunted township.
Cathy Allen’s home is right in the thick of the chaos. She has been yelled at and even pushed down the stairs. Now the hauntings are affecting her health and putting a strain on her marriage. After getting a direct message from Stephanie, Allen’s daughter, Ellis rounds up Bradford and Lewis.
When they arrive in Franklinville, the trio is thrown right into the mix. The spirit immediately makes its presence known, demanding they leave. But is it just the former homeowner who refuses to depart, or is something darker and more sinister at play?
Upcoming Episodes
“Voodoo Vendetta” – Premieres Friday, December 27 at 11 p.m. ET/PT
The crew arrives in Oregon, after a desperate tweet from Summer Morgan. She fears her deceased grandmother – who lived in New Orleans and was heavily into Voodoo – is haunting her.
“The Haunted Homecoming” – Premieres Friday, January 3 at 11 p.m./ ET/PT
The 93-year-old Norwood Theatre in Massachusetts is experiencing something supernatural – one of its volunteers has had two dozen encounters with a dark entity and now refuses to step foot in the basement. The team heads to Massachusetts and comes face-to-face with the darkness.
“Ghost Train to Terror” – Premieres Friday, January 10 at 11 p.m. ET/PT
In historic Tomball, Texas, the idiosyncratic Tejas BBQ & Chocolate occupies the town’s oldest structure, but the building is inundated with suspected paranormal activity. After a series of terror-filled incidents, can Ellis and the team get to the heart of this mystery?
“Paranormal Witness” – Premieres Friday, January 17 at 11 p.m. ET/PT
In the desert near Tucson, Arizona, Aaron Miller has recorded hundreds of ghostly voices. The team commences an investigation and uncovers a stunning revelation: evidence of a serial killer who once dumped bodies upon the land Miller’s house now sits upon.
“Boss Man” – Premieres Friday, January 24 at 11 p.m. ET/PT
In Mineola, Texas, Ellis, Bradford and Lewis take on their most extreme haunting yet when a paranormal infestation rules a home and carriage house. Ultimately, it will require the attention of a demonologist and two world-renowned psychics to help solve it.
For More Info
Visit TravelChannel.com for show extras, behind-the-scenes photos and exclusive videos.
Follow @TravelChannel and #TrendingFear on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for additional content and updates.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Cannot wait to check this series out.