Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
In the paranormal reality series Ghost Nation the trio of Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango, formerly from the Ghost Hunters paranormal television series (also members of the paranormal investigative group T.A.P.S, The Atlantic Paranormal Society founded by Hawes and Grant Wilson) responds to calls from fellow paranormal investigators who need assistance with their haunted location investigations in the United States. Their main aim is to help create a support network nationally and globally for paranormal investigators.
For any hardcore paranormal fans out there the faces of Hawes, Gonsalves and Tango are going to seem extremely familiar from their past Ghost Hunters’ days. It was so nostalgic to see these guys return and offer to be a support to fellow investigators in the field. But their sincerity in trying to bring about a peace of mind to the property owners is to be admired.
They support their physical investigations through some particularly solid historical research on the properties and their owners, which sometimes either reveals a truth or falsehood to some of the stories told throughout the generations. However, in some cases fact is creepier than fiction. So, without further ado, here’s my Top 5 Scariest Episodes of Ghost Nation.
#5 The Apparition of Amelia — Season 1: Episode 10
Claims of horrific apparitions sends the team to a rural home in Brooktondale, New York where there are suspicions that a creek that runs at the back of the house that is connected to a spring rich in limestone, pyrite and quartz can conduct massive amounts of energy for manifestations. Research showed the property was part of the underground railroad which explained why the apparition of an African American girl named Amelia clad in a white dress is seen to be hiding in the house. There is also shocking video evidence of a little girl communicating with Amelia, asking if she touched her and an intelligent response replies clearly “I touched you”.
They also capture what sounds like a dog growling in one of the bedrooms near a closet. Their research also reveals a series of tragic farming accidents that could be responsible for the extra paranormal activity along with the renovations that doesn’t seem to please any ghost. I think that they get a little annoyed when we start changing the environment around them. Who knows, maybe I would react the same way and try to spook people out of renovations.
Dark Alice’s Creepy Score: 7 out of 10
#4 Evil Ink — Season 2: Episode 7
The team are called to investigate the paranormal events plaguing the Zone13 Tattoo and Body Piercing shop in Deptford, New Jersey. The owners have become desperate because their business has begun to suffer due to the constant apparitions, disembodied voices, and physical encounters. The décor for the business includes one of the infamous serial killer Richard Ramirez aka Night Stalker’s drawings, as well as some other creepy, gothic pieces.
The property once belonged to a woman named Bertha who passed away on the property and it seems like she doesn’t want to part with her home since her voice comes in clearly on an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) recording saying that she wasn’t going anywhere!
The entire atmosphere in the building seems sinister at best and, while the team was unable to experience some of the apparitions experienced by the owners, they did discover that the property is made of two separate buildings, one that existed previously and another that was brought from a different location formerly owned by another family. It is suspected that the activity got ramped up due to the differing entities wanting to be in their own spaces.
Dark Alice Creepy Score: 7 out of 10
#3 An Unholy Haunting — Season 2: Episode 2
The team head to Waynesville, Ohio to investigate the activity at a former Catholic church. The backstory involves a disgraced priest blamed for the death of a child that may have been his own. The owners experienced scratches, bizarre apparitions, and chilling EVPs.
The team capture an extremely clear EVP recording saying “Hallowed Be Thy Name” which is enough to bring chills to anyone’s spine. They also discover that a triple axe murder occurred on the site in 1879 where three women were brutally murdered by having their throats slit by a Willie Anderson. Their bodies lay in the house for a week until they were finally discovered and there was so much blood that it permanently soaked and stained the floorboards. They also capture a thermal image in a shrine on the property as well.
The evidence collected on this case was insane with mysterious mist appearing and no way of debunking it, sudden and drastic temperature drops, and the front door opening/closing without any logical explanation.
Dark Alice’s Creepy Score: 7.5 out of 10
#2 Reunion in Hell — Season 2: Episode 9
This episode was one of 2020’s two-hour Halloween specials that most of the popular paranormal shows were doing for the month of October. It was particularly special because the team decided that they needed some extra help due to the size of the property being investigated. They called on old paranormal friends Amy Bruni and Adam Berry of another one of my favorite paranormal shows at the moment Kindred Spirits.
The Seaview Terrace, also known as the Carey Mansion, is a whopping 40,000 square-foot Rhode Island mansion famous for being featured on the gothic TV show Dark Shadows. Both teams have investigated this historic mansion before, but they were called back to investigate once again because the current owners are experiencing a shift in the mansion’s energy to something more menacing due to the actions of a recent visitor. A self-proclaimed warlock had performed some sort of blasphemous ceremony in one of the rooms etching a symbol unto the floor.
Lots of crucial evidence is recorded during this investigation and you can see that both teams had an absolute blast doing this collaboration. It was a perfect way to pass the time during the spooky season.
Dark Alice’s Creepy Score: 8 out of 10
#1 The Witching Tree — Season 2: Episode 1
The team add another familiar face in first episode of Season 2, Shari DeBenedetti, who is also formerly from the Ghost Hunters show’s 11th season. This season kicks off with a bang in this case. A distressed newlywed couple who live in Biglerville, Pennsylvania believes that a cursed “witching tree” in the yard is responsible for the many apparitions and noises that they have been experiencing in their 19th-century farmhouse.
This investigation turns into an extremely tense situation when three cadaver dogs are brought in to investigate the possibility of the remains of a woman, who was accused and executed of witchcraft, being buried under the witching tree. When the dogs each investigated the area separately, each canine creepily indicated the presence of human remains present at the base of the tree. The team is then advised to notify the state forensic department as is required by the law due to the possible presence of human remains. The investigation is held up for a few hours until they are given all clear by the state to continue. The owners then give the team permission to excavate the witching tree and dig below for possible remains with the intention of memorialisation. A piece of fabric is discovered and tested showing that it contained traces of human blood.
Dark Alice’s Creepy Score: 8.5 out of 10
So far there has been no word yet on the show’s status for a Season 3 renewal. However, I personally think that it will be renewed and I think the delay in the announcement comes from the removal of almost all the paranormal shows from the Travel Channel to Discovery+. In my opinion, Season 1 was a bit slow but Season 2 amped up their game and held steady throughout.
We paranormal fans will just keep our fingers crossed and wait with bated breath for news of its renewal as we hope to see the guys back in action pretty soon.
So which Ghost Nation episode do you think is scariest? For my review of Ghost Adventures Cecil Hotel 2-Hour Special you can click here.
Dark Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. You can find me as Dark Alice Reviews on Facebook, my Instagram is alice_oscura and my Twitter handle is @lise_veliz2. For more on me you can click here.