Kindred Spirits returns to Travel Channel on January 3, 2020 for its fourth season. I had a chance to watch an advanced screener of the season’s premiere episode, “School Spirit.” Amy and Adam journeyed to Maxwell, Iowa, to investigate the haunted Farrar School, where lately a dark force has moved in.
Fans of the show won’t be disappointed. Dynamic duo Amy and Adam return with their trademark style of investigating. Psychic medium Chip Coffey once again aids them in their quest to help both the living and the dead.
Here, I’ll give you a peek to show you what I mean. (Psst. This is a subtle warning that there may be spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.)
Welcome to Farrar
Amy and Adam meet the caretaker, Will. He fills them in on the history of the elementary school, including when it opened (1922) and when it closed (2002).
Even before Will gives them the Hot Spot Tour, Amy and Adam get a sense of why so many investigators are keen to check out the school. They hear knocks and bangs and other weird stuff. Will chuckles and says, “Welcome to Farrar.”
Then he gives them a tour of the school’s hot spots, which includes the third floor (the most active one), the auditorium and a classroom, known as Mrs. Martin’s room. Activity includes knocks and noises, children’s voices, and shadow people.
Will also describes a heavy darkness. Amy asks how it interacts with people. Will says it’s mostly in their heads. They experience things like deep sorrow and feeling nauseous.
New Energy
Other phenomenon inside the Farrar Schoolhouse includes shadow people. One has been there and is seen at all times, whether day or night. It’s tall, but recently a new shadow figure has moved in. An even taller and more massive one.
Will described the new shadow figure as being so tall it was hunched over like it was trying to fit in the space but not touch the ceiling. He said he’d never seen one so tall before.
He explains how recently, ever since the new shadow figure has appeared, the energy has shifted. It never felt threatening before. Now he senses a heavy darkness, which concerns him for the safety of the school’s owners, Nancy and Jim Oliver.
Can Amy and Adam help him figure out why this new force has moved in, and if it means any harm?
Ghost Box Cold Case
True crime and the paranormal merge in this episode too. Is the new massive shadow person a murder victim? That’s what Amy and Adam believe after a spirited ghost box session the first night. Which words and phrases were revealed?
- I died.
- I’m cut.
- Terry.
Amy does some research and discovers a body was found on a farm about five miles from the school in 1975. The man’s throat was cut, his death ruled murder, but no one was ever arrested.
The victim’s name was Terry and his is the only unsolved murder in Maxwell, Iowa.
As their investigation continues, Amy and Adam believe Terry is the spirit that’s manifesting in the form of the gigantic, looming shadow person. But why is he at the school?
A Spirit Beacon
Amy and Adam believe all the attention from paranormal investigators has turned the school into a beacon for spirits. Spirits see that people are listening –and are bringing energy– so they show up to “talk.”
That’s likely why Terry chose it as a haven.
But why does he feel a need to show himself as a massive and looming figure? Will Amy, Adam and Chip be able to get him to “play nice” and coexist with both the other spirits and the living until he’s ready to cross over into the light?
You can find out when the episode airs on January 3.
Teaser Shots
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.