Ghost Adventures: Eastern State Penitentiary

The Ghost Adventures team had pretty big shoes to fill when they headed to investigate Eastern State Penitentiary. That was one of Ghost Hunters best shows. (The first visit. I don’t know if I was as impressed with the evidence from their second visit.)

One thing I’m coming to notice about the Ghost Adventures guys is something AutumnForest related in one of her posts at Ghost Hunting Theories: Zak, and Aaron and Nick thrive on taunting spirits. But that wasn’t all I noticed.

OBSERVATION #1: PROVOKING EVIL SPIRITS

It was the thing that stood out at me the most though. And what really stood out to me in this episode was that Zak seems to want to provoke evil spirits in particular. (Although, this is the first episode I’ve been able to watch in a couple of weeks. I’ve missed shows since the Castillo de San Marcos thanks to hiccups with our DVR. Maybe he’s emphasized his desire to rile up the evil ones in those too. It just hit me from this episode though.)

I know taunting is a technique used to provoke spirits into responding, but Zak made it clear this go around he’s not just hoping to capture evidence of any old ghosts. He’s looking for the evil, mean ones.

I’m not sure why, though. Is he trying to make that his thing? Like his way of making the show stand out and that be his niche in the business? Or is he hoping it’ll make the best entertainment?

Who knows. Maybe all will be revealed in future episodes.

OBSERVATION #2: HOW MANY TIME CAN YOU SAY “HUNDREDS?”

Zak was talking with Sean Kelley, Eastern State Program Director, about how many deaths had occured in the prison. Kelley said he could show him a death ledger with hundreds of deaths.

That’s when “hundreds” got repeated in a back and forth “Hundreds?” “Hundreds.” “Hundreds?” “Hundreds.” volley that just cracked me up.

Yes, Zak. It’s completely plausible in a jail that had been around since 1829 that hundreds could have died there.

OBSERVATION #3: THE DEATH LEDGER

Speaking of that death ledger, Zak reading through it made for another of the show’s more humorous moments. He was reading the causes of deaths and came across one he just couldn’t help but comment on: death by masturbation. (Actually, it might have been suicide by masturbation. I can’t quite recall how it was phrased.)

Zak then went on to say he’d never heard of death by that before. Hmmm…must not watch the news. I don’t know about suicide by masturbation, but I’ve seen reports on accidental death by masturbation. (Wasn’t David Carradine’s death thought to be because of that?)

OBSERVATION #4: ZAK, THE “BRUNO” OF GHOST HUNTERS?

I’m not gay, nor am I offended by gay jokes, but I am sensitive about making them. (Or not making them.)

I couldn’t help but wonder how any gay ghost enthusiasts watching would feel about comments Zak made about the shower. One of the witnesses they interviewed talked about how she’d been in the shower area and soap had slipped, she’d made a comment, and that’s when she’d felt a slap on her butt.

Zak said something to the effect that a place where being touched on the butt happened would be the perfect place for Aaron to investigate on his own later that night. Which reminded me of another jail they’d visited where an inmate had been ganged raped to death and he’d placed Aaron in there alone, too.

At any rate, both times he made cracks that might not be appreciated by some. And poor Aaron’s the butt of the jokes, but he seems to take Zak’s haranguing in stride.

Courtney Mroch

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.