Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files Episode 2.11 Old West Hauntings/Freeway Flyer

CASE #1: BIRDCAGE THEATRE GHOST

In Tombstone, AZ, a paranormal investigator filmed what appears to be the image of a man in a coffin at The Birdcage Theatre, one of Tombstone's liveliest houses of ill repute in the Wild West. Paranormal theorists posit that the many crimes of the flesh committed there may have resulted in deeply entrenched haunting.

SILHOUETTE TEST

Ben, Devin and Lanisha notice that there was a plethora of objects on the table in the original video, and they wonder if the beam of a flashlight could've created this illusion. They shine a light past several curious objects, but can't get the results they're looking for.

BLACKLIGHT TEST

The team entertains the possibility that the original videographer was being hoaxed. Using black light paint, Devin paints the coffin image on Plexiglas and affixes the pane to the wall. The shape is right, but the contrast is not strong enough.

COFFEE GRINDER TEST

After such a careful study of the shape in question, Devin is now able to see the issue from another angle. He notices that the wheel of an antique coffee grinder has a similar outline to the deathly shape they're chasing. In a revision of their first experiment, the team shines a light through the wheel and boom - it's a slam-dunk match from the original video to the experiment video.

NIGHTTIME INVESTIGATION

If they left this famed paranormal hotspot without doing an investigation of their own, a significant gap would be left in their analysis of the site. They set up their equipment and go green.

RESULT

Though they were able to show the shadowy form to be of normal origins, several phenomena during their investigation - most notably the movement of a lamp from inside a room to outside its closed door, and a direct response in an EVP session - convince the team that The Birdcage Theatre is haunted.

CASE #2: FREEWAY FLYER

A man driving down a Los Angeles highway saw a strange light in the sky. Moments after he reached for his video camera and started recording, the light zipped away and out of sight in three short bursts.

LASER TEST

At the quiet, contained California City Airport, Austin rides forty feet high in a cherry picker crane with a hand-held laser while Bill and Jael drive past him with the original camera. Austin shines the light in their direction to produce a similar movement pattern, but they can clearly see the beam of the laser.

WIRE TEST

Bill notes that power lines were plentiful over the freeway, so their next test is to shine a spotlight on some galvanized cable. This is certainly a better match, but the shape is so elongated that they know this is not the same phenomenon as the original video.

HELICOPTER TEST

Since they can't seem to manipulate the light, they wonder if the light was moving of its own accord. Austin mans a helicopter with its own spotlight while Bill and Jael once again work the camera from inside a moving vehicle. They are able to exactly match the shape and movement of the original object, but only when they speed up the video do they get the same rapid acceleration as in the original.

THE RESULT

Since the form and motion of the original UFO were easy enough to match, while the acceleration was only possible through manipulation of the material, the team is fairly certain that the video was faked, but they can't rule out the possibility that what the videographer saw was of extraterrestrial origin.