Haunted Chicago Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Look here for answers to some of the most common questions we receive.

Care to swap links? We'll link to you if you agree to link to us. - HA HA HA HA. When I first started this website, I would come across cool sites and link to them because I respected them. I would then ask them if they would CONSIDER linking back to me. Notice, I provided a link to them FIRST, no strings attached, and the reciprocal link was THEIR OPTION. If they thought my site sucked and didn't put up a link to my site, it was ok, because I liked their site anyway and I'd leave the link to their site up regardless. Please don't write to me asking if we'd AGREE to reciprocal links. If you don't show the initiative, the answer will be no.

Care to swap links?...Part II - I haven't updated the site in ages, but in this case, I'll make an exception. Do NOT link to us if you're going to pester me for a link back. I will link back to you if I like your site... when I get around to it. The moment I receive a second e-mail from you, wondering "when we're going to get around to adding your link", it's over. If you check up on me and hassle me, I will NEVER add a link to your site.

How can I join the Haunted Chicago organization? - We truly appreciate the tremendous response that we receive from people requesting to join our organization as investigators. Unfortunately, we are not seeking new investigators at this time and new membership is limited to invitation only. You can however join the Haunted Chicago mailing list. By joining the mailing list you will receive information on upcoming investigations, events such as a possible springtime gathering, and other developments in the field. Click here and fill out the form to join the Haunted Chicago mailing list.

Does the H.C.P.R.I. team allow visitors on investigations? - Unfortunately, we do not bring outsiders with us on our investigations. Of course we run into people out in the field, but this is about the extent to which others are involved in our investigations. Becuase we are dedicated to uncovering and isolating the facts that surround paranormal phenomenon, our investigations are organized and coordinated group efforts between H.C.P.R.I. members. We are happy to discuss our practices and procedures with anyone who is interested in independently verifying the efficacy and validity of our methods and findings.

Can you tell me how to get to a particular site that H.C.P.R.I. has investigated? - The simple answer is no. We would be at liberty to give out location information for any non-private location that we have investigated. There are no restrictions to this, and as a non-commercial entity, we stand to make nothing on holding this information back, unlike some other local paranormal investigators who make money off of their members and participants. However, we don't feel that it's right to give this information out freely, and we certainly don't encourage people to visit to the locations that we have listed in our website. As such, would-be investigators will need to take the time to discover the whereabouts of these locations themselves, rather than by obtaining them from us. This is how we have found many of these places ourselves. Some are easy to find, others more difficult. How badly do you want to visit them? We love hearing from you, but please don't ask us for directions to investigation sites.

Can you provide additional information about a particular location or about your investigative techniques? - Sorry, what we post is what we can provide. We don't keep a database of private locations, so we definitely can't help there. As for locations that we do post, we post everything we have, so there's nothing more that we can add beyond what's on the site. And as for techniques, we have published everything that we feel is non-proprietary, the rest we choose to keep to ourselves.

How can anomalous images that are invisible to the naked eye show up on video cameras? - Many video cameras are designed in such a way that they are sensitive to certain types of infrared radiation, near infrared (NIR) in particular. It is believed that certain anomalous occurences are composed in part of NIR or that they emit NIR radiation, which would explain why they would be able to be captured by video cameras. See our research page for a more detailed explanation.

What is Infrared light? - Please see our Infrared Photography Experiment page for an explaination of Infrared light.

Where can I study to become a professional paranormal investigator? - This is a good question, one which we recieve often. If we knew the answer, we'd gladly share. Unfortunately, as paranormal investigators interested in discovering the truth behind the hype, and in maintaining our scientific and ethical ideals, we haven't been able to make a penny at this. Not that it can't be done, we just haven't figured it out yet. If you want to work for free, you've found your occupation. Otherwise, may we suggest a day job.

Do you offer ghost tours? - No, we don't. We've thought about it, and maybe we will someday. Unfortunately, because we are strictly scientific and don't get involved in the speculation and hype that seems to be the hallmark of the whole paranormal fad, our tours would probably be boring. We recommend Richard Crowe tours because he is honest and is not a pervert, things that can't be said about certain other Chicagoland ghost tour providers. Please be VERY careful who you choose to tour with.

Isn't that just dust on your lens? - No, it's not. We wouldn't dedicate an entire website to a bad photos, although some people make a LOT of money selling CD ROMS with just this on them.

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