Hosts of Freaky Ghosts - Intelligent Hauntings

"'Intelligent Hauntings' is the term given for a category so broad as to render the words descriptive only in the weakest sense. 

I would say my neighbor's dog Rusty is a very Intelligent canine but that is not the same as calling Albert Einstein very Intelligent, now is it?

In point of fact,  I would go so far as to suggest an alternative, more appropriate name for the phenomenon; Interactive Hauntings. The key factor is not intelligence you see but an awareness of the living."

Prof. Sebastian Pott, October 1949.

Not every paranormal claim Prof. Pott responded to and investigated bore fruit. Some were pranks or hoaxes, some were honest misunderstandings easily debunked, and some simply didn't yield enough conclusive evidence. 

Pott's 'Curious Cases' are differentiated from his other explorations in that something came out of them; he had a personal experience backed up by physical, audio, photographic, or some other form of corroborating evidence.

This particular case is interesting to me for two reasons. The first is that it shows a pattern in the Professor’s encounters that he himself would not become aware of for sometime. Second, the entity described here has since been encountered and captured by Ghostbusters Cleveland. As such, I have asked Erica Crawford, the lead Ghostbuster on that case, to add her own observations. 

I want to start by thanking Adam and Dr. Stantz for letting me participate in this project. Also a heartfelt thanks to my fellow Ghostbusters here in Cleveland for having my back all those times I've done something crazy. So, like all the time. 

Our call to come out to the Ohio State Reformatory/Penitentiary back in 2020 was my first time on a big assignment and I'll never forget it. Adam says I was the 'lead' on this one but I wasn't at first. It just ended up that way. Before I tell you how it all went down, here are the notes from Professor Pott on the subject...

Curious Case #3: The Innocent Monster of The Ohio State Reformatory

"Just a week or so before my birthday, I was contacted by an army aquaintence now working as a prison guard at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. I remembered him well, a handsome and strapping young man when I'd met him, tough as nails and jolly as ol' Saint Nicholas himself. His voice on our call was odd to me; he sounded noticably shaken. Unaware that I was already traveling about investigating paranormal occurances, he asked how soon I could come visit the Reformatory. He'd already cleared things with his superiors. I was in Northern Pennsylvania at the time, so I had no trouble getting to him in short order.

On a cold, rainy October morning I got out of a taxi and saw what I assumed was the medieval keep of some knight sworn to defend his king from a well armed rival nation. The Reformatory...it was a fortress; impressive, ever-present, and terrible. I was met out front by my wartime colleague and he immediately introduced me to another guard and the facility's chief physican, Dr. Watson Herscheal Walker. Dr. Walker is an African-American man and a prominent surgeon who, I would later learn, broke a very fortified color barrier to attain his position and to my understanding those incarcerated there were better for it. 

The three men explained to my that the facility, which had originally focused on young, first time offenders and minimum security risks, was slowly but surely changing into a maximum security operation filled with considerably less savory individuals. The transition had not always gone smoothly, with the two very different populations having difficulty getting along, shall we say. The Reformatory was already known for the presence of the supernatural; fleeting shadow people, phantom smells such as burning wood and hair (attributed to a fire in the 1930), and object vibrating or shaking by themselves.

That is not why I was asked to come take a look. My army friend and his fellow guard were making their rounds in the early morning hours two days prior, when they come upon what they thought was an inmate in a cell that was supposed to be unoccupied. As they came closer, a vaguely human spectre with his back to the guards shouted or loudly moaned...something...then turned to see the two men. Frozen in fear and confusion for an instant, the two men then reflexively reached for their clubs but the entity through open the cell door with such speed and force that the second guard suffered an injury to his right arm. My friend yelled at the creature to halt and it did not. Instead it 'ran' into him, shouldering him backward and slamming him hard against the far wall. The entity then departed, floating down the corridor faster than either of the guards could run. 

Dr. Walker confirmed their injuries, neither of which was all that severe, but was concerned about their mental health; he initially believed they hadn't had enough sleep, enough food, or they'd been drinking. He was also to determine none of those conditions to be the case. Later that same evening, as Walker was departing for home, he saw the being as well. It moaned at him in what he took to be a pleading manner. The Doctor found himself so frightened he couldn't respond. The phantom became angry, violently shaking its head and moaning louder. Guards heard the sound and came running but the entity flew down an adjacent hallway and passed through the wall at the other end. 

After chatting with the men for another short while I set up my various tools-of-the-trade as it were and looked over the areas where the spirit had manifested. It had shown up twice, very early and very late in the day, essentially as dawn and twilight. After a few unsuccessful hours, I decided to depart for lunch, took care of organizing notes from earlier outings, and returned later that evening as the Sun's weak rays, barely able to penetrate the sky's thick gray clouds, gave up on trying to light the world, at least until the next morning. As bright gray turned to a dark purple gray I made my way through the appropriate checkpoints and finally into that area where the entity had first been encountered. Sure enough, there it was, floating just inches above a cott and looking miserable.

I addressed it, "Spirit, I am Sebastian Pott. I am not a guard nor an inmate but merely a curious observer. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The creature looked puzzled initially but then it came to the bars and wrapped its hands around them as if they could hold such a being; as if it were confined like any other prisoner. It moaned, a haunting and disturbing whimper really. As described by Dr. Walker, it shook its head from side-to-side repeatedly. I asked if it was injured or sick. No response. Frightened? Nothing. 

I finished with, "What did you do if I might ask?" This was, it turns out, the wrong question. The entity howled, clearly enraged, and came through the bars and flew right at me. It lifted me up by my jacket lapels, a good three feets off the floor, and moaned loudly, it's maw only inches from my face. I suddenly realized I was in pain. I'd been forced against the wall before I was lifted, hard enough to have hurt my right shoulder blade. Thankfully, the spectre dropped me and took out down the hall light a shot, moaning and screeching all the way. 

I, along with at least four prison guards, tried to give chase, as ridiculous a notion as that is. Over the next two hours I caught a glimpse of the ghost three more times, though never I could never get closer than fifty or sixty feet before it darted through a door or a wall. I was about to get one somewhat decent photo of it however. 

Later on I sat with Dr. Walker and my old army buddy and told them what I had seen and experienced in great detail. I had a feeling about the entity based on nothing more than my own intuition. It was the spirit of a former prisoner, that much was certain, but one that may have been wrongly convicted. It seemed to be moaning its plight, asking for help, perhaps even calling out for justice. We three say with this solemn concept for some time before I departed."

-Prof. Sebastian Pott, October 1949

"The Ohio State Penitentiary (formerly Reformatory) was shut down in 1990 after decades of severe conditions such as overcrowding, aging equipment and structural integrity, and a history of inmate abuse, riots, and extreme violence in general. Following inmate lawsuits against the state of Ohio in the 1970s and 1980s, the facility was decommissioned. 

In 2020, practically ten years to the day after the Ohio State Penitentiary closed, members of the The Mansfield Reformatory Historical Society contacted the Ghostbusters (Ghostbusters Cleveland) claiming their attempts to convert the site into a museum where being thwarted by a 'violent, Human-like figure in an old, striped prisoner uniform'. We went in to investigate with Charles Moore in the lead and three other employees including myself. After an hour of looking around the facility, Moore and I found traces of Ectoplasm and damage to some doors leading to the East Cell Block section.

PKE readings suddenly went off the charts and as Moore placed his Ectogoggles down over his eyes, a glowing green Class IV-V entity came through a door and struck Charley square in the chest. He was thrown off his feet, flew backward about fifteen feet or so, and landed hard on his back covered in a thin layer of slime. I immediately radioed the rest of the team to come to our position, then changed the plan to have one of the other come around to head off the escaping spook. I checked that Moore was OK, waited a bit for our people to get in position, and then I ran forward and into the corridor the entity had fled to. I saw it, called out for my teammate and they let a Proton Stream fly that hit the thing in the lower torso area. I followed up, zapping it with a Capture Stream from behind. It wasn't a easy catch. It was pulling and pushing and trying as hard as it could to get away, all the while moaning and screeching. Finally Charles and our remaining team member came up from my rear, spread out a little, and fired capture streams of their own.

Designated as a Flexible, Full-Torso, Repeating Phantom or

a Class IV or V Full-Roaming Fog by Ghostbusters Cleveland

For reasons I couldn't even tell you, I looked at the thing's face and saw...sorrow? Exhaustion? Whatever it was, I yelled out, "It's going to be OK, we're trying to help!". With that it looked right at me, hell through me, and stopped struggling. Slam, bam, one in the can as Moore dropped a Ghost Trap, activated it, and caught the phantom. Initially everyone cheered but then they all looked at me and asked why I'd said what I'd said. Well, I didn't really know but felt there was more to this ghost than just random violence. As it turned out, I was right. 

Using modern research methods and coordinating with the Ghostbusters home office, we found out that this entity was most likely the spirit of someone wrongly accused of a crime, jailed, and later died at the Reformatory. It is also possible it was a psychic...oh man...gestalt? Yes! A gestalt of thoughts and emotions from many such individuals.

WIth the help of a local judge and minister, we took the entity out of our Containment Grid, released it into an open field, while exhonorating it and giving last rites (non-denominational)  The entity changed from its previous appearance into a bright white light before dissipating before our eyes. 

Felt good but man, this job is nuts."

Erica Crawford, Ghostbusters Cleveland.

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The film 'The Shawshank Redemption' was film at the Ohio State Reformatory. 

There is a real organization called The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society, which purchased the site from the State of Ohio for $1. It is now owned by the City of Mansfield. 

Easter Eggs from Hosts of Freaky Ghosts - Certified Genius or Authentic Wacko?

'Sebastian Pott's' is an anagram of 'Tobin's' and 'Spate's'.

Pott's birthplace of Amityville, NY is a reference to The Amityville Horror (1979)

Pott's mother being Wendy and an 'aspiring novelist' are references to The Shining (1980)

Sebastian's Uncle Jack's final visit eludes to the plot of Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Sebastian's assistant and friend Nancy Strode is a homage to two of the great 'Final Girls'; Nancy Thompson from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Laurie Strode from Halloween (1978).

Meretown was inspired by the Twilight Zone TV Series episode A Stop at Willoughby (1960).

Hosts of Freaky Ghosts - Residual Hauntings

"By far the most common type of spiritual manifestation is the 'Residual Haunting', a sort of psychic recording of people and events from the past that have been branded into a specific location. 

Usually a Residual Haunting consists of an individual apparition performing a simple, mundane action such as walking up or down a staircase, strolling through a garden, or dancing in a ballroom. The action is repeated with the same 'people', on specific days, at the same time of day, and it is uneffected by the presence of any observers or changes to the location over time.

My very first in-person investigation, which I completed just yesterday evening, was of this type. Hopefully this is just the first of many curious cases."

-Sebastian Pott, September 1949

Prof. Pott wrote this in the first of his practically innumerable notebooks and re-wrote it a year later so he could designate it 'Curious Case #1', the beginning of over 100 such investigations collectively referred to as 'The Curious Cases'. 

As noted by Prof. Pott, Residual Hauntings are the most common PKE event and the Ghostbusters respond to dozens of them that can often be removed, if requested, without the use of Proton Packs and Neutrona Wands. A well placed Ghost Trap is usually all you need. The majority of the spectral entities involved are Class I to III and their Intensities tended to be Shades/Shadows or Vapors. 

The potential range of possible images and sounds that can and have been associated with a Residual Haunting are so numerous it is impossible to list them all here (or anywhere for that matter). It is the rarer, less common expressions of the phenomenon that stand out and catch the attention of paranormal investigators like the Ghostbusters and Professor Pott. 

For example:

Curious Case #1: The Meticulous Maid of the Hotel Bethlehem

"I was invited by a former college classmate to come visit him in Pennsylvania. The invitation was to accompany him in investigating the many strange claims and ghost sightings at the Hotel Bethlehem in the city of the same name. I accepted. I had heard more than a few stories about the hotel's numerous departed occupants who, for whatever reason, had still not checked out. 

The Hotel Bethlehem,

Bethlehem, PA,

Photo from the late 1930s.

After a lovely dinner and some catching up, my companion and I attempted to obtain evidence of the hotel's multiple spirits by setting in place a number of different evidence gathering methods on the floors where the majority of sightings had been made. These included:

Fingerprint powder and graphite sprinkled about to reveal all too Human means of opening and closing doors and windows. A similar approach using fine grain sand would show footprints. 

An old refurbished dictaphone was used to try and record any abnormal sounds.

Each of us carried a thermometer to accurately gage the temperature, confirming hot and cold spots as real and not just our own perceptions. 

Finally, I had my Uncle Jack's old camera, a contraption that he himself had modified to snap more quickly than what is standardly available. It also uses film with a remarkable sensitivity to light that allows for surprisingly sharp images in dark conditions. 

The two of us than chose places to position ourselves, moving a bit now and then for a different angle. After a few hours we would go to other floors and repeat the process. It was quite humorous explaining what we were doing to the odd maid or bellhop when they would see our gear and strange behaviour. That said, they seemed well away of the supernatural claims attached to their place of employment and were more than happy to let us go about our experiment so long as we did not disturb other guests. 

The night was largely uneventful. We could very little in the way of sounds, only a few minor cold spots, and there wasn't so much as a ball of light to seen. We eventually gathered all our equipment back up and returned to our rooms, a bit disappointment but well aware this was quite common with these sort of ventures. I suddenly remembered that I'd left an extra roll of film hidden on one of the floors and left my room to retrieve it.

Upon returning to our floor, I saw what I thought to be a lovely young woman coming down the hallway towards me and, for some reason I can not explain, I stopped in my tracks and waited for her to get closer. She was pushing a handkeeping cart or trolley as they are sometimes known. She stopped about 10 feet from me and looked me right in the eye, though I there seemed to be no sense of recognition. She was, overall, faded in my view; a transparent image lacking solidity and color. I realized she was not of this world. Her features, which looked pretty from a distance, would be best described as...unclear. They lacked the sort of details one would use to identify an individual. 

She appeared to sniff, pad here eyes with a handkerchief as if she'd been crying, put on a brave face (such as it was) and proceeded to the door of the room to her left (my right). The maid pantomined opening the door and, though it remained closed, walked right through it. I managed to snap a picture almost out of reflex or instinct, not aware I had done so until much later. I caught my breath, which had all but left me, and ran to the door myself. I tried to open it but it was locked, so I knocked hard and repeatedly. Nothing. 

I immediately roused my partner and got down to the front desk as fast as I could. I'm sure I sounded the fool if not purely mad but the clerk took it in stride. They called over to a Manager and I asked him if anyone was occupying that room. He indicated that there wasn't. I then shared what I'd seen and was confronted with a number of looks ranging from confusion to face of someone trying to remember the words to an old song. Just then an elderly woman approached me and introduced herself as a long time patron of the hotel. She informed me that I had seen one of rarer spirits of the ediface, one that shows up only once in a long while. 

My companion and I sat down with this veteran of the Hotel Bethlehem, I ordered us all a round of tea, and she explained that she herself had seen the same housekeeping apparition only twice in as many years as she'd been frequenting the establishment. The maid only appears on Friday evenings in September, only if there is no rain or snow or great heat, on the particular floor in question, at exactly 3 am. The woman said that if I had opened that door, I would find the room spotless; the bed perfectly made to near military standards, every nook and cranny dusted and swept, and every chair, pillow, and even the objects on the desk or in the cabinets would be neat, clean, and organized. A place for everything and everything in its place. This is simply what the spirit does; she appears, walks down the hall, stops to wipe her tears, and then enters the room at the end of the corridor and thoroughly cleans it. 

My follow up research confirmed everything the elder dame has said. As far as the identity of the ghost, it is impossible to say. Clearly an employee from the past but there were no records of a member of the housekeeping staff dying at the hotel. Even more peculiar, he clothing seemed most modern; it was similar to the uniform currently worn by the staff instead of resembling the fashion of whatever period she died in.  

I plan on returning and requesting that room. Perhaps I will see her again and be able to fill in the holes in our knowledge of the Meticulous Maid."

-Prof. Sebastian Pott, originally written September 1949 and later rewritten and amended in the Autumn of 1951.

In Ghostbusters terms, this is more of a local color/background occurance that reinforces the haunted nature of the location without having to start an exploration of the place by shooting positron streams through a historic landmark. That said, it could lead to something more. Perhaps the Meticulous Maid is connected to one of the more well-known ghosts or her appearance is a sign of a larger paranormal event on the horizon. 

Adam Dickstein

Ghostbusters Inc., International

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The Hotel Bethlehem in Bethlehem, PA is a real place and yes, it is claimed to be haunted. Take a look at this guide to some of the friendly spirits that can supposedly be found at the establishment.

Hosts of Freaky Ghosts - Certified Genius or Authentic Wacko?

The Strange Life and Mysterious Disappearance

of Professor Sebastian Pott

Professor Sebastian Pott

New York City, NY 1968

Sebastian Pott was born in Amityville, New York to Doctor Samuel Pott and Mrs. Gwendolyn 'Wendy' Pott on Friday, October 13th, 1922. His father, a veteran of the first World War, worked as a local pediatrician. His mother was an aspiring novelist.

Dr. and Mrs. Pott with baby Sebastian,

Amityville, NY, March 1923.

At a very young age Sebastian had an affinity for the generally unseen world of the supernatural. He would claim to see things like shadow people and hear disembodied voices. His parents took him to see doctors but none could find anything definitively wrong with the boy. Most chalked it up to a vivid imagination. 

Discussing Sebastian's 'observations' was discouraged by his parents but, unfortunately for them and perhaps fortunately for us, encouraged by his father's older brother, his uncle Jack.

Jack Pott in New York City, NY, 1930

Jack Pott was a Medium, Spirit Photographer, and clever, talented charlatan who cashed in on the public's fascination with the paranormal in the late 1920s and into the 1930s. He loved to drop by the Pott residence, freeload for a few days, and regale the family with tales of his travels and the strange and terrible wonders he had seen.

As time went on and Sebastian got older, Uncle Jack would talk to him about what ghostly phenomena he'd seen or heard and then Jack would incorporate the material into his act. By the time Sebastian was 13, Uncle Jack came by less and less often, stayed for shorter and shorter periods, and spoke less and less about the supernatural. While part of the reason for this was Sebastian's father Sam tiring of his brother's antics, Sebastian himself felt there was something else, something peculiar, going on with his Uncle. 

The last time Sebastian saw his Uncle Jack, indeed the last time anyone did, was on a Winter evening in 1937. It was the night before Thanksgiving and Sebastian went outside to fetch extra firewood, only to see his Uncle sitting on the back porch, drunk, scarred, and sobbing. When Sebastian asked what had happened, Jack Pott gave him a barely coherent, rambling tale of his life over the previous year. His story was sketchy and incomplete, many elements being unclear and even out of sequence. There was something about a coven or cult, money, a baby, and...a demon? A demon baby? Sebastian tried to convince his uncle to come inside but Jack refused. He stood up, kissed Sebastian's forehead, said goodbye and to give his love to his parent, the rest of the family, and then he walked off into the cold, windy night never to be seen again.

Sebastian Pott at New York University

New York, NY, 1941

This traumatic event didn't dissuade Sebastian from pursuing his interest in parapsychology but rather spurred it onward. In whatever spare time he had, the young Pott read anything he could find on the supernatural, from ghost stories to academic studies on the subject. Sebastian attended elementry, middle, and high school locally but with his gifted intellect he was able to win an academic scholarship to attend college at New York University. There he studied English Literature, History, International Cultural Studies, Parapsychology, and Philosophy. Two years after entering NYU, Sebastian was drafted into the US military to serve in World War II. His high intelligence and various areas of knowledge had him rapidly assigned to the Military Intelligence Division and soon after the Office of Strategic Services. 

Pott was honorably discharged in the Autumn of 1945. While offered a job to work in Washington, DC, Sebastian decided to immediately return to NYU and complete his master's degree. Actually degrees; three of them to be exact. After graduation, he spent a year touring the United States, investigating locations said to be haunted or the sites of assorted strange phenomenon. He also met with and interviewed over twenty-five different clergyman, writers, historians, Native American elders, and others on the subjects of classic [old world] folklore, urban folklore, mythology of the Indigenous People, and reported psychic activity. It was at this time that Pott began recording much of what he learned under the title, 'The Curious Cases', which were copied down in a series of composition notebooks. 

Pott eventually returned to New York City and began teaching classes at both NYU and Columbia University. His focus was on World Folklore and Mythology. He also wrote and assisted with numerous peer reviewed papers on the subjects of folklore and parapsychology over the next 25 years or so before taking a three year sabbatical to focus solely on research and write the copious amount of notes that would eventually become his legacy. Prof. Pott continued investigating claims of paranormal in person and had numerous first hand encounters with the supernatural, though he confined the details to his own writings and the confidence of only his closest friends and colleagues, of which he maintained only a few. One of these people was his personal assistant for over 35 years, Nancy Strode. Strode was known to be fully supportive of Professor Pott and his work but also constantly insisted he take a real vacation once in a while. He never did. 

In the fall of 1978, Doctor Samuel Pott passed away and Sebastian, at the age of 56, traveled back to Amityville to take care of things and relocate his mother to live with him in New York City. On the way, approximately 13 miles from his destination, Sebastian became lost as a result of a sudden thunderstorm with high winds that created limited visibility. He ended up in the small New York village of Meretown. The place looked idyllic and peaceful but driving through it filled Pott with dread and he went through it without stopping until he was able to reach the correct road. He would later discover that no such place as 'Meretown, NY' existed. 

Sebastian's Mother passed peacefully in her sleep in 1982 and he was left very much alone family wise. Most other members of his extended family had moved away from New York State over the decades and he had lost touch with the majority of them some time prior. As 1984 approached, Prof. Pott noted a noticable increase in ghost sightings and unconfirmed reports of supernatural phenomena all around the New York City area. He looked into dozens of incidents, certain that the increase was no accident. 

Just a few months prior to the formation of the Ghostbusters and the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984, a 62 year old Prof. Sebastian Pott told his assistant and friend Nancy Strode that he was finally taking that vacation she was always suggesting. He left a manilla envelope for her, as well as keys to a safe deposit box she was previously unaware of. Included was a note on top that read...

 'Off to visit Meretown. 

Thank you for your friendship and all you have done over the years.

With Warmest Regards,

Pott.'

The fate and final whereabouts of Professor Sebastian Pott after that day are unknown. He left hundreds of thousands of dollars to Nancy Strode, as well as making her the executor of his will. Included in his final wishes were that a large contribution of the money he had made through investments and savings be donated to New York University, Columbia University, and various scientific and parapsychology organizations and institutions. Also included in his will was a request that his life's work, the in-depth study of the supernatural and all he had written on the subject, 'go where you feel they will do the most good'.

This final notation is what eventually led to his material being shared with the Ghostbusters. Recently, the full and final transfer of all his notebooks, sketchbooks, photography, and other research has been transfered to Ghostbusters Inc., International. The money exchanged that didn't cover the legal and other expenses of the process went to a scholarship fund in Prof. Pott's name.

-From 'The Strange Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Professor Sebastian Pott - A Brief Biography of a Parapsychology Pioneer', by Adam Dickstein and Dr. Raymond Stantz. Appearing after the introduction in the book 'Professor Sebastian Pott's Hosts of Freaky Ghosts', published 2026 by Ray's Occult Books and Ghostbusters Inc., International. 

According to Nancy Strode, now Nancy MacNeil, Prof. Pott had encounters with anomalous events and entities for most of his life. He revealed to her at one point that he had personally seen no fewer than 100 ghostly apparitions, witnessed objects move and even levitate all on their own, heard and recorded hundreds of hours of audio evidence including voices, laughter, screams, and indistinct Electronic Voice Phenomena, and felt everything from cold spots to sudden extreme heat to a sticky, ectoplasmic residue that rapidly dissipated. 

His writings will share details on those encounters in the upcoming excerpts from his book.

Stay tuned,

Adam Dickstein

Ghostbusters Inc., International.

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There are numerous classic Horror Film references in this post, exclusively from the 1960s and 1970s. Did you catch them? To be revealed! 

Hosts of Freaky Ghosts - The Usual Literature

“The Ghostbusters have a wide variety of resources available to us when looking into the specific details of a supernatural entity or event. Regardless of how we go about our research for a particular case, at some point we’re going to want to reference the key written works dedicated to the study of the paranormal; These include Spate’s Catalog of Namesless Horrors, Tobin’s Spirit Guide, The Roylance Guide to Secret Societies and Sects, and Leon Zundinger's Magicians, Martyrs, and Madmen.

There are many more as well, although they vary in completeness, quality of the information provided, and accessibility. I urge you to be open to the rare, independent, paranormal researchers as well, who have done phenomenal work in the field and are most assuredly worth looking into, even if they never published a collection of their notes. Arguably the greatest example of this are the deep dives into parapsychology by Professor Sebastian Pott, through his 'Curious Cases', which are all incredibly insightful…”

Dr. Raymond Stantz, ‘The Unsung Research of Professor Sebastian Pott.’
Lecture to the National Society of Supernatural Studies
Las Vegas, NV. USA 1992

Hey everybody, my name is Adam Dickstein and I’m a Ghostbuster.

I’ve been with the company since the mid-to-late 80s and I’ve always been fascinated by Professor Sebastian Pott; his life, his work, and his rather peculiar disappearance. 

Winston Zeddemore, through his company and on behalf of Ghostbusters Inc., International, was able to purchase Prof. Pott’s 'estate' (such as it was), which included all of his published papers, personal journals, and notes, with the blessings of lawyer and executors, only a few months ago.

With the approval of Prof. Potts lawyer and executor, Dr. Raymond Stantz, by way of the publishing arm of his company ‘Ray’s Occult Books’, has organized, edited, and assembled the Professor’s (literally) tons of notebooks, sketchbooks, and loose post-it notes into a single, massive volume titled, ‘Prof. Sebastian Pott’s Hosts of Freaky Ghosts’. I had the pleasure of assisting on this project. 

As such, Mr. Zeddemore, Dr. Stantz, and Dr. Venkman, have asked me to put together excerpts from the book to share with all of you, free of charge. I will be doing this with assistance from Ghostbusters from various franchise offices all across the United States and the world. I hope you will find these posts informative, helpful, and yes, entertaining. Most of all, I hope the knowledge conveyed here helps anyone who comes in contact with a spook, spectre, or ghost to be better prepared for their encounter.

Remember, do what you can to avoid the situation, to protect yourself, and then call the Ghostbusters.

We’re ready to believe you and here for all your paranormal investigation and elimination needs. Please leave battling cross dimensional ectoplasmic threats to the professionals.

 
A. Dickstein

Ghostbusters, New York.

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*This is a work of Fan Fiction and Tabletop Roleplaying Game material and is not intended to infringe on the copyrights or trademarks of Ghostbusters, Ghost Corps, Columbia Pictures/Sony Entertainment, or any related entities.

Any resemblance or correlation between any person or persons living, dead, or undead is purely coincidental or for the purpose of parody. 

I am just a Ghostbusters fan making free material for those who play TRPGs. 

Thank you. 

Feelings of Dread

It's October 1st and that means Spooky Season has officially begun! Do I have a hefty helping of Halloween hijinks for you all this year? You're souls of the damned right I do!

First and foremost is Hosts of Freaky Ghosts, a Ghostbusters themed collection of 31 supernatural entities, one a day for every day this month, to battle, befriend, and baffle your paranormal investigators.

Pulled from the research of [fictional] parapsychologist Professor Sebastian Pott, each entry will also have ideas on how to use the spook, spectre, or ghost in an adventure.

In addition, time and energy allowing I hope to include posts on some other spectral shenanigans such as:

A Halloween themed adventure for The Smurfs Roleplaying Game
Ghostbusters: Tokyo Ghost Research
Peekaboo Horror, The Neighborhood Ghost Story TRPG

...and hopefully a few surprises! 

Along with celebrations of the supernatural, expect more posts on The Adventures of Bani and Easy, High Fantasy Heroes, The Smurfs, and whatever other crazy ideas come to me as the month goes on.

Join me won't you? I'm dying to show you what I've come up with!

Muwahahahaha!

Hold on! I almost forgot! The official Ghostbusters social media outlets have announced something strange in coming this year in the form of ECTOber, a month long celebration of Halloween by Sony Pictures and Ghost Corps!

First announced earlier this year, the plan is for brand collaborations, fan events, and more, though details are being kept silent as the grave. 

Stay tuned, as I will likely be covering anything that I find particularly cool and interesting.

Spook you later,

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