BLOG: 10 Things Not to Do on National Ghost Hunting Day
September 26, the last Saturday of the month, is National Ghost Hunting Day, a perfectly normal occasion dedicated to voluntarily entering dark places and asking unseen occupants to make themselves known.
Whether you think haunted locations are genuinely active, psychologically unsettling, historically interesting, or some combination of all three, there are still a few approaches that seem unnecessarily ambitious. So in honor of the day, here are ten things we would strongly consider not doing.
1. Don’t Start by Insulting Whatever Might Be There
Walking into an allegedly haunted building and immediately yelling, “Come on, do something!” is a bold opening strategy. If nobody is there, you’ve accomplished nothing. If somebody is there, congratulations on making your first interaction with an unknown spirit needlessly confrontational.
2. Don’t Trespass Because the Building “Called to You”
A chain, locked gate, and six NO TRESPASSING signs generally indicate that the property owner has also received the message and would prefer you not answer it.
3. Don’t Go Alone to Prove You’re Not Scared
You can be extremely brave while accompanied by three friends, a flashlight, and someone who knows where the car is parked. Courage does not require becoming the opening scene of a documentary.
4. Don’t Take the Creepy Object Home
The antique doll sitting alone in the abandoned house does not need rescuing. Neither does the old mirror, mysterious jewelry box, handmade figurine, or object somebody thoughtfully left inside a circle of candles. You already own things, and they didn't come pre-loaded with demonic attachments..
5. Don’t Split Up
There is no compelling investigative reason for four people to arrive together and then immediately decide everyone should explore separate floors alone in total darkness. We have decades of horror cinema research on this particular methodology.
6. Don’t Assume Every Sound Is a Ghost
A thud upstairs deserves investigation. It does not necessarily deserve an immediate announcement that “something is walking above us.” Buildings have pipes. Trees have branches. Raccoons have absolutely no respect for your paranormal investigation.
7. Don’t Ignore the History of the Place
If you’re investigating somewhere associated with real deaths or tragedy, maybe skip the theatrics. The story of what actually happened there is usually more interesting than screaming into the darkness until something knocks.
8. Don’t Demand a Sign and Then Have No Clue What to Do If You Get One
If you spend twenty minutes asking something to knock, move, touch, speak, or otherwise announce itself, you should probably have a plan for what happens if it does. Including immediately running away and peeling out of there like you just stole a car in Grand Theft Auto.
9. Don’t Stay Just Because You Want Better Footage
If everyone suddenly feels uneasy, equipment starts behaving strangely, something genuinely alarming happens, or you simply decide you’ve had enough, leaving is allowed. The ghost hunting community and TikTok will continue on without that final B-roll shot.
10. Don’t Forget That You Can Observe the Holiday Without Hunting Anything
Read a firsthand encounter. Revisit a famous haunted location from the safety of the internet. Watch an investigation. Tell your favorite ghost story. There is no rule requiring you to spend September 26 whispering “Did you hear that?” inside a condemned building.
National Ghost Hunting Day is a good excuse to revisit strange cases, haunted history, and the question of whether some places may hold more than we understand. Just remember that curiosity and common sense are allowed to occupy the same (probably haunted) building.
If you’re still in the mood for a little more high strangeness, revisit Could These Be the Most Haunted Sites in America on National Ghost Hunting Day? or check out 10 Haunted Places in the U.S. Where Ghost Hunters Can Spend the Night for a few more appropriately spooky ways to mark National Ghost Hunting Day.
