Investigating the Paranormal

IIn 2006 an article appeared in the local newspaper concerning a section of the Ruigeplaatbos (rough area-forest) in Hoogvliet. This section, called ‘heksepaadje’ (witches-path), an overgrown path along the river Maas is supposed to be a location where 2 people have hung themselves in recent history. A few enthusiasts decided that August to investigate the spot that night and broke up in 2 separate groups. Armed with a video camera equipped with night-vision I joined group number 2.

What caught my attention from the very start was that whenever anyone suggested he  “saw someone hanging from a tree branch” almost everybody ‘saw’ it too. A little bit like the classic tale “the Emperor’s new Clothes”; just make sure nobody thinks you don’t ‘see’ is, otherwise you are singled out. I saw nothing, so perhaps I thought, I was not eligible to continue these kind of investigations. Suddenly I spotted in a flash a small ball of light in the top of a tree… what was that?

By reviewing the tape later at home, frame by frame, I noticed how the light only seemed to appear a few frames… Somebody suggested upon reviewing that what I had caught could have been the light of an infrared led used by some camera’s to determine auto-focus reflecting on the tree. Considering there where several other people walking around with photo cameras, I agreed that it certainly was a possibility. I tested the theory by pointing camera’s directly on my video camera, checking if the IR light would light up on video… it didn’t.
But the most perplexing thing that night was a voice appearing on the audio recording of the video… The scene where people are trying to venture through the bushes you can clearly pick up a child saying “ja, echt!” (“yes, really!”). There were no children in the forest that night, and I could not remember hearing the voice that particular moment in time. Watching the video, you can see that nobody seems to react on the voice either… That would seem to suggest that the voice was not heard by anybody ‘live’. Was this what I later learned an actual EVP?
At this moment, years later, I still have some lingering doubts, because I find it hard to imagine that I got such a clear EVP on my very very first investigation ever.

But my interest was piqued! Along with a small portion of the original group we pursued out quests and founded a team. I thought up the name “Haunted Holland”.
We visited castles, ruins, fortresses, museums and also private residences. We were asked by the press, both printed as well as radio and tv to allow them to accompany us on several investigations. We discovered that -partially due to our (media) exposure) several other groups started and/or existed all over the Netherlands, and most of them were on a state of war between each other. An extreme amount of envy and anger washed all over some groups, and I noticed to my dismay that enormous amounts of time was lost on fighting accusations against Haunted Holland. Time that could and should best pent on paranormal investigations. I tried my best to keep away from these bickerings, and just by keeping up my personal connections with other groups I hoped to diffuse any conflicts..

December 2011 the end was near. Some members of Haunted Holland decided to go their own paths. I myself wanted closed the door for a year, but I was still being asked for radio and tv consulting.
The name Haunted Holland is, was and always has been synonymous to one of the first and best serious paranormal investigation teams, and that’s why I decided to venture on again…
 

First however, several things need to be arranged, and one of these things is revitalizing the old and abandoned website…