A Self-Described Skeptic's First Ghost Hunt at the Warner Grand Theatre
Michelle Khare
On this episode of Challenge Accepted, Michelle Khare spends a night at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California, on the first paranormal investigation of their life. Michelle opens by calling themself a "ghost skeptic" who is nonetheless terrified of horror. They hadn't slept in a week after watching Squid Game and describe themself as very easily scared. The episode follows how that skepticism holds up against a night of equipment readings, unexplained noises, a spirit box session, and one physical event that even the experienced investigators found striking.
The Team and the Building
Three guides join Michelle. Brandon Alvis, from A&E's Ghost Hunters, has been investigating since 2006. Craig Owens is the author of Haunted by History Volume 1. Kevin Otte says he has been investigating for 12 or 13 years, mostly across the Midwest and West Coast. Kevin frames the night as a "real paranormal investigation" with a strong emphasis on scientific principles, using devices "more scientific in nature."
Craig supplies the history. The Warner Grand opened on January 20, 1931, during the Great Depression. He says it was the first Warner Brothers theater built specifically for talking pictures. He also explains why historic buildings appeal to him. For him there is a romanticism to the past that feels like time travel: he wants to hear its sounds, meet its people, and here, see its movies. He suggests the past may not be "quite as dead as we're told," and that a memory or a personality from it might still linger.
EMF Meters and the Problem of a Natural Explanation
The first tool Michelle learns is a K2 meter, which detects electromagnetic energy. EMF stands for electromagnetic frequencies or fields, which the investigators note are everywhere, from both natural and man-made sources. As the reading rises, the meter's lights climb and change color. Holding a cell phone against it sets it off, which the team demonstrates on the spot.
At the first reported hot spot, a place where employees and others have described experiences, the meter starts reading within about three minutes. The investigators immediately caution against treating this as evidence. The reading is consistent rather than fluctuating, and they say that pattern points to something natural, likely wiring underneath, rather than something supernatural.
They then raise a theory that cuts both ways. Some people are more susceptible to EMF, and they say high levels can cause hallucinations, skin rashes, nausea, a high heart rate, and headaches. That could explain some of the ghost stories attached to the building. The alternative they offer is that high EMF might "fuel" entities. They say you can look at it from either side. Michelle jokes that the spot might be a "big food trough," a "delicatessen for ghosts."
The Projection Booth and Mr. Lord
Craig describes a recurring report: a darting shadow figure that comes from one of the wings and shoots up toward the projection booth. Before they go up, someone says they sense "someone or something" watching from that area.
In the booth, Craig tells the story of a longtime projectionist known only by the last name Lord. Mr. Lord died about ten years ago. According to Craig, he is not supposedly present all the time, but he loved the space and "checks in periodically." Craig also mentions a video from a previous paranormal team's investigation that he found "authentic enough." In it, a film spool, which he indicates was fairly large, apparently flew off a shelf and hit a wall.
The investigators confirm that nobody has used the name "Mr. Lord" in an investigation at the theater before. They decide Michelle, as a first-timer, should be the one to address him later. While in the booth area, Michelle says they heard something drag across the floor and a deep breath. None of the others heard it.
Starting a Session on Stage
With the lights off, Kevin leads the group to the stage. He says that in theaters they have had success setting up devices on stage, giving the space some room, and starting a dialogue. Two more devices come out:
- Para-Light: an EMF detector similar to the K2. It also makes sound, which Michelle compares to Las Vegas. It spikes heavily here, and they again attribute that to the area's high EMF.
- EDI Plus: described as a "Swiss Army knife of the paranormal." It registers temperature, pressure, humidity, vibration, and EMF.
The team stresses showing respect to the building and to any possible entities. Brandon opens with his name and says he comes "with the fullest respect for yourself and this theater." Michelle follows by saying they come in peace and want to leave with a better understanding of "who or what you are." The investigators explain to whatever might be present that the devices are tools for conversation and will not cause harm.
They then ask any presence to push the lights on the pink-lit meter all the way to the top. At one point it climbs halfway. Michelle checks whether the team is doing anything, and they insist they would never fake a result. When Michelle asks if a phone could be setting it off, the investigators answer that the device stayed quiet while no questions were being asked. A phone, they say, would trigger it the whole time.
Control Questions and a Loud Crash
Michelle asks how they would know who they are talking to. The answer is "control questions," targeted prompts such as "If you're a female, can you make that device blink again?" Mid-explanation, a loud boom comes from high above the stage. The group says it sounded like a set piece or set wall falling over, and the meter goes off again around the same moment.
The investigators choose to stay in the session rather than chase the noise immediately, noting they can find its source later. One adds that in some investigations, activity in one area seems to draw people toward another. When Michelle is prompted to ask about Lord, the device responds strongly. The team agrees it was "weird."
The EVP Burst Session
Next comes an EVP burst session. EVP means electronic voice phenomenon. The approach is to start recording, ask two or three questions, and play the audio back right away. The investigators explain that EVPs usually aren't heard in the moment. They tend to emerge later during audio and video review.
The questions include whether the presence knew Mr. Lord and whether there is something it wants to show them. On playback, the group hears what they describe as something like a breath, which they don't think came from anyone present. Around the same time, the EDI Plus registers changes in pressure and temperature along with EMF, and someone says it's "going crazy." They invite any presence to come forward, or to raise the lights higher if it wants them to move. Then they relocate. Before leaving, they agree the big crash was real and still needs explaining.
The Spirit Box, With a Skeptical Caveat
The most elaborate test uses a spirit box. It scans rapidly through radio frequencies, and proponents claim spirits can manipulate the resulting white noise to answer questions or speak words. Michelle sits in a chair alone in a room, blindfolded, with earphones plugged into the device. The investigators step away, ask questions, and Michelle says aloud any words or voices they hear.
One of the investigators states openly that they are not a fan of the device. Because it is all radio frequencies, anything captured would be declared "contaminated" if handed to a third party such as an audio engineer. Still, they expected some interesting tests from it that night.
During the session, Michelle reports several fragments. First comes a pitched voice saying something like "Oh no." Next is a male voice that comes through "super clear" after the team asks a presence to let Michelle know it is nearby. At the end there is a female voice that seemed to be agreeing. Michelle describes the experience as overwhelming: a loud, constant whooshing, and then a voice out of nowhere. The investigators decide not to keep going much longer. Their last question is whether anything wants to tell Michelle something before they shut it off. Afterward they point out that the female voice came right after that question.
Asked for an overall impression, Michelle says the voices "probably were" radio fragments. What stuck with them was a quality they couldn't place: a "transatlantic," 1950s-style tone, the way people sound in old movies. Michelle says that wouldn't be on the radio in 2021, and no music came through. Both Michelle and the investigators conclude it is inconclusive and may mean nothing in the end.
Calling Mr. Lord by Name
The group returns to the projection room. Michelle says the persistent feeling of being watched everywhere was unnerving and that many places felt "heavy." The investigators agree the booth now has a heavier vibe. Since Mr. Lord's name has never been used in an investigation there, they turn off all camera lights for the greatest effect.
Brandon opens with the same respectful introduction and hands over to Michelle. Michelle says they are a big movie fan and that it's wonderful to be in his space. They ask Mr. Lord to make himself known and explain that the theater's general manager only knew his last name. Then Michelle asks for his first name or the name he prefers. One investigator says they sense something present but hanging back and observing.
Something Moves on the Stage
Then comes the night's most dramatic moment. Someone shouts that something just flew off the stage. A large pillar-like object on the stage moved, and at least one person says they saw it with their own eyes. The group hurries down. They say nobody had been on the stage for a long time, and the object had been there when they were down there earlier.
One of the investigators says it was the first time they had ever seen something move with their own eyes, and that they had kept feeling something was down there while they were up in the booth. On stage, the team examines the fallen object and a similar one standing nearby. That second one looked as though it would have fallen too had it not been caught. According to a theater employee, the fallen object weighed 120 pounds.
The investigators test the nearby piece themselves. Even when they set it straight up, it leans back, and when they pull on it, it rocks back the same way. Their reasoning is that it should most likely have fallen backward, not forward off the stage. They also say wind couldn't have done it and that there was no wind. The experienced investigators say they are "very impressed." They add that in the paranormal world, you're lucky to witness something like this.
Where It Leaves the Skeptic
Asked whether they are a believer now, Michelle doesn't claim conversion. They say only, "I don't know what's going on." When Craig half-jokingly suggests splitting up, Michelle points out that's how every horror movie starts.
The episode's closing reflection comes from one of the investigators: believers and non-believers have one thing in common, because "they see and hear what they want to see and hear," and somewhere between the two is the truth. Michelle thanks the team, calls it an honor to learn from them and watch them work, and leaves with the crash above the stage and the moving object still unexplained. They also add that they'll never sleep again.
On this episode of Challenge Accepted, I am here at the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro, California to go on my very first ghost hunt. Challenge accepted. And thank you to Google Pixel 6 for sponsoring a portion of this video.
Hi guys, it's so nice to meet you. I'm Michelle. My name is Brandon Alvis from A&E's Ghost Hunters. I've been investigating since 2006. I'm Craig Owens. I'm the author of Haunted by History Volume 1. My name's Kevin. I've been investigating for 12, 13 years, kind of all over Midwest, West Coast.
I'm a ghost skeptic, but I am terrified of horror. I just watched Squid Game and I haven't slept in a week. I did not sleep last night at all. I am very easily scared. It'll be interesting to see what happens tonight because you never know in places like these.
So, welcome to the Warner Grand Theater. It actually opened on January 20th, 1931, right during the Great Depression. What makes this special is that this one was the first Warner Brothers theater to actually be built for talking pictures.
Tonight, we're going to show Michelle a real paranormal investigation. It has a strong emphasis on scientific principles, and we're going to use devices that are more scientific in nature.
So, this is what they call a K2 meter. Okay? Okay. And this picks up electromagnetic energy. And we use this to see if there's EMF in a place just to know if there's any natural things anywhere. EMF stands for electromagnetic frequencies or electromagnetic fields. It's something that is all throughout the world, not only naturally, but through man-made devices.
The higher an EMF gets, the more your lights are going to light up and they'll change colors. So, if you put a cell phone against it or something, it'll start lighting up because it'll pick up that energy. So, if I use... Oh, there it goes. So, you can see how it lights up.
Okay, let's get to the very first paranormal hot spot. Okay, this area right here has numerous reports from not only employees that have worked here, but some people that have scouted. Is that spiking? Yeah, it's about... Oh, you're feeling—you're seeing it. It's been 3 minutes. You're already getting it.
But if you notice, it's consistent. It's not fluctuating that much. And so this means that it's not supernatural. It's natural. And it could be wiring underneath. Some people are way more susceptible to EMF. So that can make you even hallucinate at times. Skin rashes, nausea, high heart rate, headaches. Headaches.
Could the ghost stories be associated with that? Maybe. Or is it possible that this high EMF that's in this building is giving fuel to possible entities? That's something you could look at from both sides. This could be just a big food trough here right now. Yeah. It's like a big delicatessen for ghosts. Okay. Shall we continue?
I personally love historic buildings because there's a romanticism to the past. It's like time travel. I want to relive those times. I want to hear those sounds. I want to meet those people. And in this case, I want to see those movies. Maybe the past isn't quite as dead as we're told that it is. And maybe there's a memory or maybe there's a personality from the past that's still lingering.
Some other people have claimed to have seen a really darting, maybe shadow figure. It comes from one of the wings and it shoots up to the projection booth. Projection booth? Yes. So, is that the projectionist ghost? Then I will say I do get a sense of someone or something watching us from that area.
So, here we are in the projection booth. Oh my gosh. There was a longtime projectionist here. His last name was Lord and that's all I know. Mr. Lord. Okay. But he died about 10 years ago and he supposedly isn't here all the time, but he loved the space and he checks in periodically.
There was a paranormal team. They did an investigation and I saw the video footage and it looked authentic enough to me. A spool apparently flew off of a shelf and hit a wall. It was a spool about maybe that big. And over here is an additional room to the projection.
So Craig, you said Mr. Lord, right? So no one's actually used that name in an investigation here. Correct? That is correct. So your first investigation, your first time here. I think it's only fitting that you do it and hopefully he'll answer you back. Okay, cool. Did anyone just hear that? You didn't hear that? Was it?
Straight up sounded like something dragged on the floor and I heard a deep breath. Oh, really? You guys didn't hear that? Seriously? I didn't hear it, but then again, I have tinnitus.
So, now let's kill the lights and get the investigation started. Okay.
But before we begin the investigation, I want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to Google Pixel 6 for sponsoring this portion of the video. The brand new Google Pixel 6 comes with a ton of new features, but I got to say the new camera software in this phone is really what sold it for me.
Paranormal investigations require a lot of footage captured and footage review. So, we've been using the Pixel 6 as another tool to help capture more footage and photo memories along the way. The Google Pixel 6 takes it to the next level with tools like Magic Eraser to clean up any unwanted subjects that may have popped up in your pic. It's pretty awesome. And the Face Unblur feature keeps your face in focus even when you're moving fast.
If you want to check one out for yourself, be sure to click the link in my description. And thank you again so much to Google Pixel 6 for sponsoring this portion of the video. All right, let's begin the investigation.
I'll let you lead the way, Kevin. Are you ready? Here we go. Oh my god. So, one thing that's worked for us in the past, specifically with theaters, is to kind of just set up a few devices on the stage and we kind of just give some space and we start a dialogue.
So, this is called a ParaLight. So, this is an EMF detector similar to the one you have in your hand there. Both. But this one's a little different because... Oh my god, I love it. Oh my gosh, it's like Vegas, isn't it? It sounds like Vegas. But again, why it's spiking so much now is because, like earlier, this is an area with a lot of EMF.
So, this is an EDI Plus, what I refer to as a Swiss Army knife of the paranormal. And what this does is it registers temperature, pressure, humidity, vibration, and EMF. So, what we'll do is we'll have this ParaLight here. We'll set up this EDI Plus as well and you just pick a spot you think's comfortable and then we'll all kind of spread out and we'll start a session.
One thing that we always do is we want to show respect to not only the building but to the possible entities that may be here. So I'll start off saying my name is Brandon. I come here with the fullest respect for yourself and this theater. Talk about what your intentions are here. Just kind of get a familiarity with the space. Okay.
Hello. My name is Michelle. I come in peace and I am here just to leave here with a better understanding of who or what you are.
If you're here with us, can you show us?
We come here to learn about you, about your story, what connection you may have to this theater, and anything you want to let us know. Those devices can detect your presence and we can possibly have a conversation with you. They are not meant to harm you. They will not harm you. We just want to use these as tools to try and have a conversation with you.
[Music]
Just so we know if that was you, the one with the pink light on it, can you make it go all the way up to the top? Can you get close enough to make the lights change colors all the way up to the top? Try a little bit harder.
Oh, dude. It went halfway up that time. Can you do it one more time for me? Just so we know. One more time. Give it all you got and see how high you can make those lights go.
[Music]
You guys aren't doing anything? No, we're not. No, we would never, ever, ever try and do something like that. And his phone can't be setting it off? No. Like I showed you, notice since we haven't been asking questions, it hasn't went off. If it was his phone, it would be going off the entire time.
So, one thing that's interesting, we haven't established who we're talking to yet. How would you figure that out? You got to keep a line of questioning. We call it control questions. For instance, we can ask, "If you're a female, can you make that device blink again?"
So, kind of this sets up a... What the—what the was that? It was a big boom. Oh my god, that was loud. That was something slamming, huh? It came from up there. It sounded like a set piece fell over. That's what it sounded like. It sounded like a set wall or... Going off again. Really, really high up there.
I say we stay in this session for sure because we can go find that. But another thing that we've noticed with certain investigations, if things are happening in one area, it feels like something can draw you into a separate area.
Did something bad happen to you here?
Is this a happy place for you?
There you go, Michelle. Ask them if they know Lord. Oh, that was weird. Oh, that was weird. Is this Mr. Lord? It booped really high.
We're going to do an EVP burst session. So, basically, we're going to start recording. We're going to ask maybe two or three questions and then play it back to see if we got any type of response on it. So, EVP is electronic voice phenomenon. Most of the time, you don't hear them in the moment. You hear them after the fact when you're going back through your audio and video.
Is there something you want to show us? Can you tell us into the recorder what you want us to see? Did you know Mr. Lord?
Is there something you want to show us? Can you tell us into the recorder what you want us to see?
What's that? Sounds like a breath, kind of. Really? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I heard that right there. And that couldn't have been us breathing? I don't think so. Can you hear that? Pressure and temperature change right there. And EMF. Damn, it's going crazy. Yep.
That way. Hey, if you're back there, can you come forward? If you want us to move and try a different area, can you make that light up even higher?
[Music]
So, are we moving on? Yeah, let's do it. What do you think? That was really bizarre. That big crash. That big crash is real. We need to find out what that was. Absolutely.
Spirit boxes scan through radio frequencies. And it's said the spirits are able to manipulate the white noise and be able to answer questions and speak words through it.
We'll pull this chair up here and we're going to set you right here. So, what we're going to do, we're going to plug the earphones into the spirit box. And so, you're going to be listening to that, just white noise, and we're going to blindfold you. And you're going to sit. You weren't going to touch me, right? You're going to sit here and we're actually going to step right down there. We're going to ask questions and we want you to say out loud any voices or sentences or words you hear come over the spirit box.
I'm not a big fan of it. I'm very skeptical. It's all radio frequencies. So, anytime you use this device, if you were to take that to a third party, say an audio engineer, it would be declared contaminated. So, I'm skeptical, but I think we'll do some pretty cool tests with it here tonight.
Michelle. God, this is so freaky. Can you hear us? Okay, good.
So, right now we have Michelle sitting in this room in this chair. Can you go up and tell her what your name is? Do you see Michelle? If you can see Michelle in the chair.
It was like someone saying, "Oh no," but it was pitched. It was like, "Oh no." It's very overwhelming to just be listening to the whooshing and it's very loud and then out of nowhere you hear a voice or something. It's just really freaky.
Remember, you need to communicate through Michelle, the woman with the mask, because we cannot hear you, but Michelle can. If you're next to her, can you tap her on the shoulder? How can you let her know that you're here?
Oh my god. It was a male voice, almost like just came through super clear. Say again.
Are you here alone? Is there something we can help you with?
I don't know that we should go on too much longer. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Is there anything you want to tell her before we go shut the machine off?
[Music]
It was a female voice, like agreeing. There is something else you want to tell us?
[Music]
What do you want us to know? You might want to cut it, Kevin. Know what I mean? That's enough. Can I take this off now? Yeah. Yes. Oh my god.
Did anything happen? We asked if there was anything you wanted to tell us before we left and that's when you heard the last female voice, right after I had asked that question. So, what was your overall impression? Did you think these voices were radio frequencies coming in blips and pieces?
I think they probably were. But there was that transatlantic '50s tone. Something that would not be on the radio in 2021 and there was no music. I don't know. You know how in the movies people from the '50s sound a certain way? Cinderella sound of words. Yeah. Yeah. The very pleasantry that you talked about earlier.
But yeah, I could see it's sort of inconclusive, right? What you can draw from that. Oh, very much so. Very much so. And it may not mean anything in the end. I'm really curious to see how responsive the projection room is. We can go there next. Yeah. Okay.
The constant feeling of being watched kind of everywhere we went was a little unnerving. A lot of places felt heavy.
It's got a different vibe up here now, huh? A little bit. Does feel heavier. It does. So, we know the name of the man who used to work here who passed away 10 years ago, and it's never been used in a paranormal investigation. For the greatest effect possible, should we turn off all of our camera lights and just be in the dark for a bit? We could. Yeah, absolutely.
Can you see us, Daniel? Yeah, I can. All right. So, we're up here in the projection room. My name is Brandon. We come here with the fullest respect for yourself and this theater, and we think we possibly know your name, and we'd like to speak with you. I understand that you really loved this place, and I'm going to leave it to Michelle to ask you about your name.
Hello, I'm Michelle. I'm a big movie fan, so it's really wonderful to be in your space. We'd love to know if you're here with us. If you're here, Mr. Lord, please let us know.
You all right? Yes.
Mr. Lord, the general manager of this theater only knew your last name. We would like to know what your first name is or what name do you like to go by?
I kind of get the feeling something's here, but it's just standing back observing. You can see why there was someone up here. You can see why they would be up here.
Whoa! That just flew off the stage. Oh my god. What was it? What? What was that? What the—something just flew off the stage. I saw it move. I swear to God. I looked over there on the stage. It was right there. That big-ass pillar. See it? I saw that. Holy—I swear to God. I saw that move.
Oh my god. We have to go down there. Let's go. Dude, my heart is pounding on my chest, dude. I saw it actually... Did you guys touch it when we were down there? Nobody's been down there for a long time. Actual hell, dude. Anybody here?
We're coming down. That was the first time I've ever seen something move with my own eyes. I've never seen that before. I kept feeling like something was down there whenever we were up there.
Look, there's another one looking like it would have fallen, too, had it not been caught. Feel how heavy that is. Feel that. Oh my god. Okay, this is... We're impressed. Yeah, we're very impressed. The falling linoleum was 120 lb according to the employee that works here.
Even when I leave it like this, straight up, it's leaning back. And look at this. Even when I pull on it a little bit, it still rocks back that way. Wind couldn't have done that. You know what I mean? And there is none. And it most likely would have fallen back. What the hell, man? Are you a believer now?
I don't know what's going on. What if we split up? That's how every horror movie starts, Craig. Come on. In the paranormal world, you're lucky that something like this happened. Believers.
And non-believers share one thing in common. They see and hear what they want to see and hear. And somewhere between the two is where the truth is.
Thank you guys so much for being here with me.
Pleasure. Truly an honor to learn from and witness you guys in action. And thanks for letting me tag along. I'm never going to sleep again. And I'll see you guys next time. Bye.
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