The Ghosts of Greencastle

The Story

These pictures were taken in Greencastle Indiana by paranormal investigators who were investigating an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town. While one investigator entered the house, the other stayed outside to take pictures of the exterior of the ruined building.

The investigator on the inside became panicked by a feeling that he wasn't alone and began hearing what he described as a heartbeat next to his ear. The investigator quickly left the house and he and his colleague, spooked by the entire encounter, fled the area in a hurry.

When the film was developed, three consecutive pictures showed a wispy figure bathed in a pink light in one of the windows while another picture showed the same figure at the backdoor.

When the pictures were analyzed by an expert, it was confirmed that the figure was on the negative and not the result of an anomaly or camera malfunction. Chillingly, when the photo was scanned and processed with a computer, the unmistakable form of a skull can be seen on the ghost's head.

Although the investigators returned to the mansion again, the Pink Ghost was never photographed again however, in one shot they did manage to capture what looks like a ghost woman in a flowing gown bathed in gold light.

Unfortunately, it looks like the secrets of the ghosts of Greencastle will forever remain secret because the mansion has since been torn down to make way for a cornfield.

Analysis

I believe that what we're looking at is a very clever use of a Pepper's Ghost illusion, the most famous of which can be found in Disney's Haunted Mansion.

A Pepper's Ghost Illusion.

If you will look at the picture I have blown up on the right, you will see that, despite the fact that the mansion is abandoned, the glass in the window is still intact and is reflecting either clouds or tree branched behind the photographer.

It would not be a hard task to have someone don a shroud and mask and illuminate them with a pink or reddish light and then have them stand in the background, reflected by the pane of glass.  The result: a fairly simple illusion that someone or something is in the house looking back at you.

If you will look at the picture of the ghost in the doorway or the golden ghost in the window, you can see that both of them make use of glass between the camera and the "ghost" which is highly suspect in any instance.

While I won't begin to claim that my opinion is the end-all and be-all of the Greencastle Ghost, my spidey-sense is tingling on this one and I'm going to call it a very clever and very well done illusion.

Conclusion

Bogus pictures created for a bogus TV show although you have to admire the inventiveness of it all.

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