Ghosts of Shepherdstown--New Paranormal TV Series

Shepherdstown is the oldest town in West Virginia, and is best known for the local arts scene, the historic attractions, and the university. Now, this community of 1,750 people will become known for something else entirely different. According to Real Screen, a recent surge in supernatural activity has forced the town’s chief of police, Michael King, to turn to a team of paranormal investigators for answers.

Shepherdstown’s five-man police department has been busy responding to several 911 calls where residents are claiming that their emergency is not criminal in nature, but paranormal. King decides to bring in paranormal experts Nick Groff (Ghost Adventures, Paranormal Lockdown), billed as America’s leading paranormal investigator; Elizabeth Saint (A Man Possessed, Reaper), a paranormal sensitive; and Bill Hartley (Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal, The R.I.P. Files), the team’s technical guru. Together, this Ghosts of Shepherdstown team will work to uncover the truth behind the disturbances and investigate the reports of disembodied voices, shadowy figures, physical attacks, and objects that seem to disappear right into thin air.

Let me address an issue from the outset—paranormal snobbery. It goes in both directions. Some so-called ‘para-celebs’ act as if they are better than others. They have listened to all the positive hype about themselves. As far as I’m concerned, nobody is an expert regarding the spirit realm, but some sure seem to come across as they are. However, snobbery can run in the opposite direction. Those of us who have little recognition can become embittered toward those who have attained some measure of fame.The result is that, in their minds, ALL paranormal TV shows are lumped together as worthless and ‘scripted nonsense’. And so, along comes this show about Shepherdstown replete with para-celebs, and the tendency is to reject all of it as nonsense. We need to see that both attitudes are snobbery, and be discerning of what is real and what is not. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. There are varying degrees of ‘form and freedom’, or scripted and spontaneity, in these shows, but even the most scripted show can be derailed by the intrusion of the demonic. One sarcastic criticism I kept reading was that Elizabeth was a lousy actor. Did the thought ever occur that she might be a lousy actor because she was not acting? We need to avoid extremes in both directions—whether they are the best thing since sliced bread or that they are nothing but worthless playacting.

Without being gullible, we must realize that Satan has a deeply vested interest in the success of these shows because they are deceiving millions of people. The reality is that more people watch TV than read substantive books…I know this from experience! Consequently, the astute observer can learn much about demonic collusion and the schemes of the devil in making these shows work and bring some kind of non-Christian ‘resolution’ to these paranormal trials. Which results in deceiving many, many people who are not discerning of supernatural evil. We’ll see this shortly as the “resolution” unfolds in this tiny town in West Virginia.

What is collusion? “A secret agreement or cooperation for an illegal or dishonest purpose.” (Webster's). Collusion can explain much demonic activity.

Agreement amongst fellow demons to bring about the success of a diabolical purpose is the essence of spiritual warfare, helps explain Satan’s schemes, and collusion has much explanatory power when trying to understand the demonic purpose behind a TV show or an infestation. Demonic collusion almost always includes humans (witting or unwitting) in some form or fashion—working with human psychics and mediums is a classic example. Since Satan and his minions control the psychic airwaves, they can make the medium experience whatever they wish—anything that will paint a very convincing deceptive picture of what is going on in the spirit realm.They are masters of collusion that deceives humans. Another way to put it, is that demons engage in intelligent, coordinated attacks in spiritual warfare. Again, demonic collusion helps to explain so much demonic strategy in so many varied circumstances.

Since they are finite creatures they can only be in one place, but collusion greatly enhances their reach as well the convincing nature of their varied deceptions…including Shepherdstown.

The only reason I watched, and am writing, on this six-part series is because it garnered a lot of attention and is affecting many people—Christians and non-Christians alike. Anybody called by God to pull down strongholds of erroneous belief/behavior (2 Corinthians 10) have to PRAYERFULLY watch these paranormal shows in order to understand Satan’s schemes. And I prayed that the Lord would help me to see why this phenomenon happened in Shepherdstown.

What has caused all the exploding activity in this town? For hundreds of years this sleepy little town, though it had its share of tragedies, was asleep paranormally speaking.

It has been my conviction that overt demonic activity has been on the increase since the 1960’s, with the mass introduction of the Eastern/pagan worldview. That this entire city was overrun with a demonic infestation seems to be consistent with the ever-increasing paganization of our country and the resultant flinging open of doors to the demonic. What if this is the beginning of large-scale spiritual terrorist attacks? Have we reached a critical mass of evil in God’s eyes that the floodgates are being opened before the end? In the span of just a few decades, activity that was once considered vices is now viewed as virtues. There has also been a sweeping change in belief—Nature or the Universe is now seen as ultimate reality instead of the infinite/personal God of the bible. The Creator and creation has been merged, with horrible consequences. (see Romans 1).

I’m not going to summarize each episode, for the sake of time. Each show begins with a frantic call to the police department which is not criminal in nature but paranormal. Recently, out of the blue, the police department started being deluged with calls of people being freaked out by paranormal activity. This was not a few isolated incidences. The WHOLE town seemed to be under siege and the residents were becoming hysterical.

I was intensely curious as to WHY a whole town would suddenly come under demonic attack. To summarize biblical teaching: all paranormal activity is demonic activity…contrary to some vocal Christians who claim that this view is simplistic and it allegedly does not do justice to the biblical data. I will fight to my dying day, by God’s grace, to deal honestly with the biblical view of God and the afterlife.

All paranormal activity is demonic activity. Hence, all paranormal activity must be seen as very serious, no matter how seemingly innocuous.

At the end of each episode the team seemed to bring resolution to individuals, but the overall activity kept growing. They tried to find a common denominator, like the town run, which is the water source…and they theorized that a ‘negative’ entity was using the town run (since it was water) as a means of moving about and affecting both humans and other spirits.

In every investigation they used the standard equipment and method…chief of which is always some form of EVP or communicating with the dead. The bible is very clear that contacting the dead is an abomination to Him (Deuteronomy 18). By the way, one person has stated that God would not forbid us to do something unless we were able to do it. In other words, why would God tell us to not attempt communication with the dead unless we were able to? Following this strange logic consistently, God forbidding us from worshipping or communicating with other gods, must imply that there are other gods! And we know from the bible that there is no God but the Living God! (Isaiah 40-48) So, the logic of our friend is flawed and unpersuasive.

The point is that attempting to communicate with the dead in an investigation, only opens doors wider to the demonic. Short of outright Satanism or blood sacrifice, I don’t know of a quicker way to open doors to the demonic than attempting to communicate with the dead. Inadvertently, most paranormal investigators make their clients' home much worse since they use methods which are detestable to God. And so, every investigation which happened in Shepherdstown (since they attempted to speak to dead) only worsened the situation, even though Satan was happy to oblige a ‘resolution’ (for a brief while) in order to validate his deception, not only in this city, but in the eyes of the millions watching. Satan knows that the notion of ghosts is one of his most successful and effective deceptive schemes. Hence, that is why he will do all he can to make sure these TV shows WORK. That is why I cannot agree with my friends who are dismissive of all paranormal TV shows. I am convinced that the devil is involved in all of them to some extent, and is spreading a fog of deception over our land through them. Again, if I were the devil, I would do all I could to make these shows work sensationally. We are losing our ability to be spiritually discerning due to a pragmatic view of truth (does it seem to work) and addiction to the sensational.

Some interesting video evidence was captured. In the last episode, unless one is willing to say that everyone was lying, we were shown a horrible display of what some call poltergeist activity. The point is that, while in the basement, demons destroyed their kitchen. The young pregnant mom heard infant cries coming from pipes, as well as what seemed to be the baby’s mother. They contacted the medium which they had used in several episodes, and it seems apparent that she has a familiar spirit because she psychically observed all that they had unearthed via their investigations. This is demonic collusion…feeding her relevant information which seemingly validates HER abilities as well as the ghost scenarios she was painting.

There were numerous instances in which the medium displayed an uncanny accuracy regarding historical events that the town historian had uncovered. This is where collusion is so helpful in explaining the data or the phenomena.

According to this team, as well as the medium, a colonial age woman, who lived at this last location, was falsely accused of being a witch and poisoning the town water and killing numerous infants. The team historian asserted that there was a physical explanation for the deadly water. They drowned the ‘witch’ and left her baby in the woods to starve to death. Both were said to be heard at the last location…looking for each other. That was the medium's explanation.

Consider this scenario for a moment…...

An infant is earthbound for about 300 years. The mother, who is getting increasingly angry, has cast a spell in her spirit state on city. This is where the demonic collusion becomes increasingly evident. The team just happens to find a medium who explains how the whole town had become ‘paranormal’ overnight. The young pregnant mom allegedly reminded the witch of her situation and she blew a gasket, and this caused the massive haunting. She started becoming in the spirit realm what they had falsely accused her of…a witch. She cast a spell on the city and all its inhabitants.

However, the medium to the rescue! She discerns all this. Not demons, but rather a 300 year old baby and spirit witch. By the way, after watching all 6 episodes I don’t recall them ever mentioning demons as a possible explanation for the negative entity they kept encountering. That is called demonic influence. When the situation clearly was revealing an evil entity, the demons quietly persuaded them that it was not demons! The demons all worked together to make sure that neither the investigative team nor the medium mentioned the D word. Which is pretty astonishing in light of the evil things they came across, like upside down crosses in the woods.

I can’t continue without commenting on how preposterous the notion is of an infant being left here for about 300 years. The classic biblical teaching regarding infants is that ALL infants immediately go to heaven after death. Not only that, but the spirit mom and baby are searching for each other for about 300 years! Why didn’t they find each other…..its a small town?! Hebrews 9:27 says that all people appear before God for judgment immediately after death. What kind of God is going to leave AN INFANT in the same spirit realm in which demons reside, and allegedly mass murders according to many in paranormal community. The baby was crying…how infant-ish was this spirit infant? Simply going on observation and sound, this infant was an infant for 300 years. How horrific!

Again, the medium to the rescue! She perceives why the whole city was under siege, and why so abruptly. How? The 300-year-old earthbound woman told her. The solution was to hold a ceremony at the spot where she was drowned. After a few words declaring the woman and child free, she encouraged those present to toss a memento into the river with an encouraging word. It was a thoroughly non-Christian ceremony. No mention of Jesus or the Holy Trinity. It was a pagan ritual.

The team and medium release mother and the baby (reunite them) by a pagan ritual. The series ends with the police chief saying that virtually all paranormal activity stopped overnight. Wow! Demonic collusion. Learn it…it is what makes The Dead Files work too. But what is the result in people’s minds unless they are very discerning? That mediums work. That EVP’s work. That pagan rituals work. That an entire city was saved apart from the God of the Bible. The pagan worldview is being entrenched deeper in the psyche of Americans. We must weep, pray, educate, and work to be God’s agents of change in this dark and broken world.

Read about demonic collusion and THE DEAD FILES.

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.