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For this investigation, Zak heads to Arizona, a location he says is a cauldron of paranormal activity. The destination is the Stardust Ranch in Rainbow Valley. And the reason for the visit? Well, the owner, John Edmunds and his wife claim they have occurrences of alien abductions. John has a slew of tales and experiences including seeing his wife levitating high above their bed, to alien crafts above his house to even taking a samurai sword to them. John claims to have killed 18 of the alien creatures and unloaded clips from his AK-47 at their craft. John’s wife claims to have been sexually molested by the aliens. Further, as John was giving an interview, strange figures can be seen in the background, which John believes were the entities making their presence known.

As mentioned, John says he has killed 18 of the aliens, although their bodies apparently disappear after being killed. Despite that, he was able to gain a tissue sample from his alien killing samurai sword and sent it off for analysis. It was claimed to contain plant matter and chlorophyll. Unfortunately, the doctor studying the sample died under mysterious circumstances and the samples have disappeared.

After purchasing the property, John had a strange man show up saying he was the one who kept the monsters away. Additionally, they talk with Brandy Howe who has tired to cleanse the house and she believes there to be a portal within the home. Further, she spoke to the spirit of a boy who killed himself in the house after a shotgun blast to the head.

Adding to the list of people they talk to is Travis Walton, a man who was abducted by aliens. He says aliens have visited several times and the proof is abnormal tree growth in those areas.

As they start the investigation, Dave Schrader joins the team and notes there is extremely high EMF readings coming from the ranch. That night, along with Aaron, he sees strange lights in the sky. Meanwhile on the X Camera, there is a shadow figure moving across the room.

To start things off in the house, Zak has Ashely, the still photographer of the team, go into the house alone and lay in the bed where the wife has supposedly been attacked multiple times. While nothing appears to happen, when Zak retrieves her, she says her arm is numb and later there is bruising.

While Ashley is in the house, Zak and team set up motion cameras around the property since several horses have been attacked and decimated. It’s at this time that Dave says he would like to stay out on the property on his own to see if he can make contact with the aliens.

During his time alone, Dave again sees lights in the sky and says he can hear something moving around.

Back at the house, they team uses Infrasound to try and generate frequency that might get the spirits to respond. It seems to have an effect on Zak, who seems to slip off into a trance. Additionally, Zak says he sees an orb of light. He believes this could be an alien presence trying to make contact. It’s at this time Aaron hears what he thinks is a hiss and the Ovilus 5 giving out the words, Brown Mist.

In the end, they get Dave back without any harm coming to him and while there might have been a ball of light, Zak doesn’t appear to make contact with any alien life forms.

To me, this is the most ridiculous episode Ghost Adventures has ever been involved with and that’s saying something. I’m not disputing the existence of aliens, quite the opposite, but this episode has every cliche and stereotype you can image. The only thing missing were Mulder and Scully.

Here’s a couple things that come to mind.

The shadow they see moving is a cat. That same cat makes the hissing sound Aaron hears.

A Doctor of Divinity is not a recognized doctorate degree.

Look up the Project Camelot group who John was giving the interview for when the aliens showed up. They make the Lone Gunman seem tethered to the earth.

Moving lights in the night sky? How odd. Have you been out into the desert of Arizona and seen the night sky? It’s amazing what you can see when the contamination of the city lights is gone.

Ashley’s arm going numb? As we see, she’s laying on it, that’s why it went numb. The bruises? It couldn’t possibly be from moving camera equipment and gear. Or, from bumping into something in the RV they’re using as HQ. Or from a jacket she was wearing. Perhaps she hit her arm the day before and by coincidence, the bruises just showed up.

The noises Dave hears? How about wild animals on the plains of Arizona.

Finally, Zak’s trance? We’ve seen that shtick so many times it’s lost all meaning.

The high EMF readings are the most likely cause of the problems the couple is experiencing and before they continue down the alien visitation track, maybe they need to get that checked out.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Haunted Collector – Spirits of Gettysburg and Headless Horseman – S03E06
• Paranormal State S04E06 – Dark Practice
• Ghost Adventures – The Bell Witch Caves – S10E05
• Ghost Adventures – Titanic Museum – S15E12
• Ghost Adventures – Reseda House of Evil – S13E04
• Ghost Adventures – Mizpah Hotel – S05E02
• Ghost Adventures – Dorothea Puente Murder House – S13E05
• Haunted Collector – Uncivil Spirit & Revolutionary Ghost – S01E05
• Ghost Adventures – Lizzie Borden House – S05E05
• Ghost Adventures – Palmer House Hotel – S07E04

For their next outing, Zak and team return to visit the Winchester Mystery House, a location they visited in 2011. The Winchester House is certainly an odd mansion with more legends than you can shake a stick it. It’s a massive 160 rooms, covering 24,000 square feet, with ceilings that are too low, floors that tilt at odd angles, doors that open to nowhere and stairs that dead end into walls. To be sure, it’s a carnival fun house that some claim to be haunted. However, it doesn’t take much research to find that so many of claims against the house are shrouded in hearsay and urban legend. Even the famed story of the house being under continuous construction isn’t true.

But this sort of thing won’t stop Zak, and like before, he is not only firmly convinced the house is haunted but contains demonic energy and a portal to another plane. To further his point, he says "we’re not welcome here".

While talking with the tour guides they get "stories" about the Wheelbarrow Man and other things he "thinks" he might have seen. John claims to have seen a figure, but when shown footage of something in front of the lights while Zak was looking around, he swears it’s absolutely the same figure he saw. Certainly changed his tune of thinking he saw something. The other stories that come in also start with, "I believe I saw" and "there is a story about".

From there we start the investigation in the seance room. Or at least that’s what Zak is going to call it. There is nothing to suggest seances were held in this room. But Sarah Winchester was fairly taken with the spirit world, so we’ll go ahead and agree that it’s likely.

Right as they start, a stick figure appears on the SLS. Zak has Billy sit on it, which he declares to be cold. They get the name Russell and it responds, "of course" when asked if seances took place in that room.

Not to be outdone, Zak takes one of the Winchester rifles and heads to the same room. Right after he cocks and aims the rifle, the SLS and thermal cameras lock up. They of course believe this to be the work of spirits.

As the night goes on, they hear doorknobs turning and claim to get a hand waving to them. This hand appears next to one of the mirrors that deceives you about which way the stairs actually turn.

Down in the basement, Aaron and Billy claim to hear groans and Aaron has something fly past his ear. They determine this to be another light orb. On another level, Zak begins to feel dizzy, which isn’t surprising considering the disorienting nature of all the angles. But also claims to see a child walking the corridors.

They admittedly get all turned around in the house and find themselves at Sarah Winchester’s room. They try to make contact, but receive no reply. As they continue working their way through the house, Zak feels he is pushed down the uneven and twisting stairs. Zak swears he didn’t trip and that the house contains a crossroads of energy. He again claims to see a child roaming around.

While Zak may claim the house contains a portal, let’s just take a moment and check a couple of things. The information about the house starts with, "the story goes", which is the same as, "legend has it". The historical details about the house itself have been woefully distorted. It’s a tourist attraction, so do you really think anyone is going to say, "yeah, it’s a dud", although that is exactly what happened when the Ghost Hunters looked the place over. Not that those guys should be trusted, but it’s interesting to note the completely different opinion. But they bring up a good point, all the odd angles and disorienting feeling bring on the "funhouse effect". That explanation makes more sense than anything Zak is throwing out.

You have an old house. You have legends tied to a gun manufacturer. You have a legend about a medium and the ghosts of the rifle victims. You then add the fact that the house is a labyrinth with a design that makes no sense and of course your going to get all sorts of stories about it. However, nothing they’ve come up with really shows the house to be haunted. It’s certainly bizarre, but that seems to be the outcropping of an owner who might have been suffering from her own mental disorders.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Ghost Adventures – Brookdale Lodge – S07E09
• Ghost Adventures – Enchanted Forest – S16E06
• Ghost Adventures – Myrtles Plantation – S09E02
• Paranormal Lockdown – White Hill Mansion – S02E08
• Ghost Adventures – Winchester Mystery House – S05E04
• Paranormal State – Night Terrors – S04E10
• Ghost Adventures – Mackay Mansion – S13E02
• Ghost Adventures – The Haunted Museum (Old Wengert Mansion) – S12E13
• Paranormal State – Ghost on the Tracks – S05E04
• The Kehoe House – Tragic Scene, Funeral Home, Bed and Breakfast

With the antics of Deadly Possessions out of the way, it’s time to pick up where we left off with Ghost Adventures. This time Zak sticks close to home to investigate the Nevada State Prison. As is usually the case, the prison has a history of violence and death. The prison opened in 1862 and brings with it, 54 executions, as well as the usual claims of hangings and suicide.

Zak checks with some former inmates and guards who relay tales of the crimes they’ve been witness to. One man was found hanged in the shower, one prisoner was supposedly burned to death and another was stuffed in "the hole" for years on end. We also see a picture of a shadow figure that looks like someone standing in a hallway.

Right off the bat, not only does Zak declare the prison haunted, but goes a step further and says demonic entities are calling it home. To that end, he meets with a prison guard that says a demonic entity called, "Dante" is calling him up on the phone. I hope I’m not the only one who finds that story more than dubious.

But he’s not the only guard experiencing odd behavior at home. Another guard claims unholy forces have followed him home. Zak and team kick off a mini-investigation in the house and get no EVP responses. Undaunted, they begin to "feel" a presence and act as though something is walking up behind them. And although they got nothing before, they now get the words, "bend over", and the word, "the devil". I am in no way surprised "the devil" showed up. Given the build up, it would be more surprising if it didn’t show up on the machinery.

As they get on with the prison investigation, they get the words, "attack" and "slain" on the Ovilus. Zak calls this a barrage of threats and claims to hear the words, "let me out". Zak also points out multiple light orbs which he is quite sure are paranormal evidence.

Another staple for Zak, is he feels anger and rage, which causes him to start yelling out that the spirits don’t have permission to use his body. It’s also at this point the SLS camera picks up an entity in front of him and the word "demon" pops up on the recorder. As they get ready to leave they get a final message of "hang yourself glance." An odd farewell to be sure.

Back at nerve center, they pick up noises of bangs and pops in the prison shower. When Billy goes to investigate he says it feels different and it’s hard to breathe. He tries to convince whatever is down there they’re free to leave. He’s going to open the door for them and they don’t have to stay in the shower anymore. On the Talking EVP, he gets the response, "Helpful", "Close" and "Brother". Billy takes this to mean that he is being helpful like a brother by opening the closed door.

For the final part, they head to the Mess Hall and bring out a new device, the Pilfer Device. It’s function is to create a field of ions that entities can use for energy. It looks to be a small variation of the Jacob’s Ladder. And as the device charges the air, not only does Jay feel the energy rising, which is pretty obvious, Zak tracks an orb moving around the room. Billy and Jay then let the prisoners know they’re in charge, to which they get the response of a door slamming.

I found this episode to be disappointing in it’s predictability. We once again have the floating orbs. We once again have the "the devil" coming through because Zak knows demonic forces are contained within. And we once again have Billy and Aaron saying it feels different and Zak getting emotions from another plane.

It’s quite something that a demonic entity is calling a guard on the phone. And Dante was a poet, it’s not the name of something demonic. He wrote about the Devil, or at least his interpretation of the Devil and Hell, but an entity calling itself Dante is as far fetched as you can get.

This episode had multiple example of Zakisms we should now come to expect from his investigations.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Ghost Adventures – Exorcism in Erie – S14E06
• Ghost Adventures – Asylum 49 – S14E11
• Paranormal Lockdown – Shrewsbury Prison – S02E02
• Ghost Adventures – Missouri State Prison – S08E04
• Ghost Asylum – Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
• Ghost Stalkers – Holmesburg Prison – S01E04
• Ghost Adventures – Wolf Creek Inn – S15E13
• Ghost Adventures – The Domes of Casa Grande – S12E09
• Haunted Towns – Fall River MA – Lizzie Borden House – S01E07
• Ghost Adventures – Norblad Hostel – S16E11

The Yuma Territorial Prison had a brief but sordid existence. It opened in 1876, but only operated until 1909. It goes it’s reputation as the Hellhole Prison due to the extreme heat of the area and poor treatment of inmates.  During it’s run, it housed prisoners in some pretty grim surroundings, most notably the Dark Cell, a hole cut into the side of the granite hill, where prisoners would be chained in a small cage about 5 feet high. It would be unsettlingly dark and it’s rumored the guards would drop snakes and scorpions on prisoners.

During it’s run as a prison, 111 people died from snake bites, tuberculosis, suicide and a prison riot. The bodies are buried behind the prison in unmarked graves. There is a plaque listing their names, but nothing identifies the remains themselves.

Some of the reports of the paranormal include shadows, crying and feelings of sadness. There is even a pictures from the 40s that shows a supposed apparition next to the prison walls.

As the investigation starts, Zak meets with a woman who wants to share her experience. She claims she felt a presence and had her hand pushed by a prisoner she believes to be John Ryan. She felt his sadness as she tried to communicate with him.

They start off with the SLS camera on the cells. They aren’t able to detect anything, but they do hear a scream. No source for the scream, but they are out in the open and sounds will echo and travel from anywhere. During their EVP session, they easily hear a train in the distance.

Next, they split up with Zak hanging out in the cell of John Ryan and Aaron off to the courtyard. Zak hears a loud bang while he is alone in the dark. Out in the courtyard, Aaron feels someone touch his back, begins to feel ill and Zak sees an orb of light during these feelings.

Of course, we must pay a visit to the Dark Cell, where Zak feels something touch him on the hand and hears footsteps. He also claims to hear someone knocking as well as something grunting at him.

Back at the command center, they pick up what sounds like saloon style piano music. Also, one of their panel lights begins to pulse. This leads them over to a museum display case and the Yuma prison band. Just behind this, is a stage where the SLS camera shows figures dancing and playing on stage. Zak and team are firmly convinced this is the prison band showing off for them.

There are quite a few interesting things about this episode. So much is made about how bad the Dark Cell is, yet the tour guide is utterly unphased by it. As Zak is nearly soils his knickers over the bats, the tour is guide is calm and says to hold out his hand so they can land.

The entire segment with Patricia Lynn Cody comes across as complete nonsense. It’s amazing how people are terrified to go somewhere until there’s a camera. And what about her story is so terrifying? We also have the garbled EVP so Billy and Zak create an elaborate story so it makes sense.

The photo they show from the 40s is dubious at best. We’ve seen way too many fake photos from that era.

Then for the end, we have the flashing panel light, "which has never done that before!" But it’s the wild story the convince themselves is real about how they were drawn to the picture of the band and then to the hall that’s really questionable. That is truly fitting piece together that support your claim.

Everything in this episode is laughable. The investigation is a dead end where they don’t capture any evidence, but instead of going with that, they make up outrageous stories and try to weave things together to make it seem like the place has energy. Zak is even trying to spin the demon angle with some of the questions he asks. You can tell it’s bullshit when they spend time airing footage of someone walking around outside by the prison cemetery.

And you can say and believe whatever you like about the band playing on stage. Hacking the crap out of an Xbox Kinect and claiming it to be a device to see the paranormal doesn’t make it so.

This is clearly an old prison that did some bad deeds, got a bad reputation and now people are just running wild with the stories. This episode was laughable and shows people will claim a haunting even when nothing happens.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Ghost Stalkers – Holmesburg Prison – S01E04
• Ghost Adventures – Alcatraz – S08E08
• Paranormal Lockdown – Shrewsbury Prison – S02E02
• Ghost Adventures – Wyoming Frontier Prison – S07E18
• Ghost Adventures – Missouri State Prison – S08E04
• Ghost Asylum – Pauly Jail – S03E06
• Ghost Asylum – Castillo de San Marcos – S03E05
• Ghost Adventures – Old Gila County Jail – S16E04
• Ghost Asylum – Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
• Ghost Hunters International – Port Arthur Penitentiary – S02E10