Haunted History (2013 - 2013)

In 1969, Hollywood was at the center of a brutal and sadistic killing spree. Charles Manson and his cult of followers began a prolific reign of terror on Tinsel Town, when they viciously killed more than half a dozen innocent people. Today, the sites of these horrific murders are host to claims of the paranormal. The restless spirit of Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate, are believed to haunt a house on Cielo Drive. Not far from the house is another famous Hollywood home, where Sharon Tate is believed to have witnessed a premonition of her own death. And at the Manson Family hideout, an apparition of a headless Donald "Shorty" Shea is seen standing on a rocky ledge. Decades after the senseless killings, these locations are still plagued by these paranormal events.

The 1893 Chicago World's Fair was a triumph of architecture and technology that offered 27 million amazed visitors a preview of 20th century. But a mere mile down the road from the fair, one man, H.H. Holmes, was making history in a far more sinister way. He had built a hotel designed for murder, which would later be known as "The Murder Castle." It was a three-story, block-long hotel designed with trap doors, gas chambers and vats of acid all meant to aid a madman in his efforts to murder 200 people. Today, the spirits of Holmes' forgotten victims appear to astonished witnesses, attempting to tell the truth behind a story that remains shrouded in mystery over 100 years later. From Holmes' hometown in New Hampshire, to the site of his hotel in Chicago, to the final resting place of his youngest victim in Indiana, voices and visions reveal the shocking truth behind one of most evil men in America's history and the country's first serial killer.

In 1908 Pennhurst Asylum in eastern Pennsylvania was built to house and care for epileptic, disabled and "feeble-minded" patients, but after a few years Pennhurst became dangerously overcrowded, thanks in large part to the controversial Eugenics movement sweeping the country. As patients flowed in, the staff became overwhelmed. The result was rampant abuse, neglect and horrific conditions. After almost 80 years in operation Pennhurst was finally shut down, thanks to the heroic efforts of a local journalist and a few brave former patients. However, the spirits of the patients and abusive employees still roam the halls of the asylum today, sending chilling messages to visitors and reminding them of the tragic lessons learned during one of the darkest times in American history.

In the fall of 2001, Kevin Mannis, a Portland, OR area antiques dealer, stopped by a local estate sale to buy a few items for his store. He bought an unassuming wine box and after he purchased it, all hell broke loose in his life. He was consumed by unexplained paranormal activity. Was it just a coincidence or was there something to this box? Thinking it had to be the box and desperate to make it stop, Kevin sold the item online. Eventually, it would land in the hands of Jason Haxton, a Museum Director in the Midwest. Burdened by the same paranormal activity, Jason makes a desperate attempt to uncover the origins of the box. His research leads him down a dark path of s ances and the occult, revealing a shocking connection to a s ance that mistakenly unleashed evil into the world and the atrocities of WWII.

The Great Depression of the 1930s was the worst economic crisis the nation has ever known, forcing thousands from their homes and into makeshift shantytowns–shack cities of anonymous poor that sprung up in hard hit cities like Cleveland, Ohio. It was here that The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run found his victims in one of the great, unsolved crimes of the 20th Century. Today, spirits of the dismembered victims and of the killer himself offer clues that might finally help solve a case that stumped Eliot Ness, the man who brought down Al Capone. Who was the Mad Butcher, and is he responsible for another famous unsolved murder as well? The ghosts of history bring the past alive, and offer clues to those able to listen that may finally give peace to the restless dead.

In 1692, America witnessed the most horrific acts of injustice when 19 innocent people were hanged and one was pressed to death for the practice of witchcraft. Today, Salem Massachusetts is a town renowned for its numerous accounts of paranormal activity. Four locations, with deep connections to the Salem Witch Trials, are plagued by restless spirits demanding that their innocence be known: a restaurant, which used to be an apple orchard and the place where the first hanging victim was arrested; the third oldest cemetery in Salem where a man was pressed to death; a historic house where two feared judges would decide the fate of supposed witches; and Gallows Hill where the hangings took place. But was there more to the Salem Witch Trials than just greed and hysteria? Could there be an underlying theory that made these trials unavoidable?

New Orleans, Louisiana has a storied spiritual history, and is considered by many to be the most haunted city in America. In August of 2005 a tragic event occurred that would change the city forever–Hurricane Katrina. But how did this affect the spirit world? One local couple would soon find out. Zack Bowen and Addie Hall decided to remain as "holdouts" in the French Quarter. Then, in October of 2006, Zack committed suicide by jumping from the top floor of a local hotel, just a little more than a week after he committed a heinous and shocking act: he strangled his Addie and dismembered her corpse. The crime sent shockwaves through New Orleans as the locals searched for answers. Did Zack's experience in the Iraq War years before cause him to do the unthinkable? Or, as some locals speculate, was Zack the victim of a demonic possession brought on during the aftermath of Katrina…creating the perfect storm of hungry spirits and vulnerable prey?