From the Archives: Marla James – In the Trenches with Ghosts

Marla James is a parnanormal investigator in the Orange County (CA) area. she appeared on the show in late 2007 to discuss her research and opinions on and theories of apparent ghost activity. Walter Bosley actually conducted about half of the interview, since he was working with James on his book Latitiude 33.

We started off with a discussion of the tools of the trade. James and her husband actually use a Playskool audio recorder to try and capture so-called eletro-voice phenomena. James says that they work just as well as their more expensive equipment, especially for picking up voices of what appear to be children. She also uses visible and infrared cameras, which she claims have recorded identical phenomena, including the ubiquitous “orbs.” She described a poltergeist case in Fountain Valley, CA where hot water was seen shooting out of walls where there were no water pipes. She also described serious physical attacks by apparent entities, which are apparently very rare.

We discussed cursed places and possible reasons for supposed “portals” of bad fortune. James also says that there are (or were) satanic cults operating in the small tourist town of Jerome Arizona, which is also known as a haunting hotspot. We finish with a few ideas about how lab parapsychology may inform paranormal field research.