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Trapped Souls Podcast
In these podcast, I have the privilege of speaking with fascinating groups and individuals from all around the world - from paranormal investigators and Bigfoot researchers to haunted building owners and those who explore the unexplained. But it's not just about the mysteries themselves; it's about the people behind the search. Each episode dives into their experiences, motivations, and untold stories they uncover as they explore the unknown.
Trapped Souls Podcast
James Stokes
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On this episode of Trapped Souls, I’m joined by James Stokes—known to most of us as Jason Voorhees. But there’s a lot more to James than the mask.
We start from the beginning, from performing in high school musicals and competing professionally in rodeo, to working as a disc jockey and eventually becoming Jason Voorhees. James also shares how appearances at Paracons introduced him to the paranormal world and sparked his interest in investigating.
Join us as we get to know the man behind the mask and hear how his journey has taken him from the rodeo arena to the paranormal field.
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All right, welcome Traps Holes Podcast. I'm here with a special guest tonight, Jason. Sorry, I almost called you by your other name. You can call me James Stokes. James Stokes, uh known as Jason Voorhees. That's where, you know, paranormal world, that's where he's hitting it hard. Um, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_02Thanks, man. I appreciate it, Ryan. Uh yeah, dude, I I um it's been a it's been a long day today, but uh I'm glad we are able to sit down and have a conversation.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, so we'll get right into this. I mean, I was reading a little bit about your bio. Um, started in high school, right? Acting.
SPEAKER_02I did. Well, yeah, I started yeah, with uh in high school doing um um I can't think of what what I'm talking about. Um it's called Brighter Touch of Orange, but it's musical theater is what it was. So musical theater and uh started singing in um mail course and advanced course and all that stuff. Started, and that's where I started my entertainment kind of thing. I like being on stage, I like I like uh performing in front of people. Uh it's it's just been it's just gone from one area to the next all the way up now.
SPEAKER_03So I had a question, dude. You're you look like a pretty badass dude. Like, were you like that in high school too?
SPEAKER_02Well, I I played football, I played baseball, and I played football, uh basketball. So I played all three sports, but yeah, I mean I was I've I've always been in the weight room. Um right now I'm probably probably in the best shape of my life. Um uh 6'2, weigh about 220. Um, I'm cut up, so that's and it and it's it's hard work, dude. I mean, it's literally six days a week in the gym, uh eating right. I've lost I've lost some weight. I was at 235, and um I've lost weight, so I've cut down and uh come a little leaner and stuff like that. So I think that's a better look for me, and it's definitely better healthier for me, uh healthy-wise. Um, yeah, so that's I'm very proud of myself for for getting myself in better shape, having my blood pressure, any kind of blood pressure issues that I had is gone. I mean, my blood pressure right now is like I mean, just almost perfect and 55 years old. So that's it's it's it's been great.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, I was just thinking like, you're a bad dude and you're gonna go do like musicals. I mean, what do your friends say about that? I mean, you had to get teased a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Oh, dude, I got teased so much playing football and and being a dancer and being a singer and all that stuff. And but I tell you right now, it helped me uh in sports, uh being being a dancer and being uh, you know, in and doing all the entertaining stuff. Um, I think it did. I I think it gave me discipline more so than than a lot of lot of folks. And um, I really uh um acquire myself to being uh a very disciplined actor when it comes to acting, which I think has a lot to do with my musical theater background.
SPEAKER_03So, I mean, a lot of actors do have a musical theater background. A lot of them do, yes. A lot of them do. It amazes me. Like you see, you see a lot of these actors, you know, they always have these roles and they come out the musical, and you're like, wow, like yeah, you didn't know it was that.
SPEAKER_02I'm waiting on a role to where I can uh sing a little bit or you know, put some of my musical stuff in there. Um it'll come, I'm sure, one of these days. Um, but right now I'm I'm steadily doing monsters and and horror films and stuff like that, which I am not opposed to. Uh I've done a lot of other stuff. I've done action films over in Romania. Um, I've I've shot um thrillers uh here in the United States. I mean, I've shot uh all kinds of different things, played a doctor, played a preacher, you know. So I I like to be kind of diverse when it comes to acting. I don't want to be stuck in one gear. Um, and I think I'm doing pretty well right now.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that because you're known as Jason Varhee, especially through the paranormal world. Are you scared about being stuck in that role? As always, just being known as that.
SPEAKER_02Actually, the paranormal world has has has um opened its arms for me for whatever reason, and I am taking it full stride. It literally is something I'm not an investigator. I I'll tell you, I'll be the first to tell anybody. I do have equipment that has been given to me that has been shown to me how to use it, but I am not an investigator yet. I am steadily learning from real investigators that go out and do this stuff on a day-to-day basis and know exactly what they're doing. And so um, I really love learning about uh ghost hunting and um learning about shamans and learning about readers and and all of these people. And we I have some tremendous friends that are taking the time to actually show me and let me learn. And I keep my mouth shut and I try to learn it. I don't try to get in their way. I just sit back and I listen, and when they ask me something, I'll I I will throw my two cents worth in. Now, my wife, she's been uh investigating way longer than I have, but um uh yeah, but us together, we're starting to do it more and more.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, together. I mean, that's cool that you're kind of taking a roll on a little bit. Um, again, you've been invited to these paracons. I said we talked a little before, your name's just popping up everywhere. I know you did like creep it real, you do the what scare room, and that was amazing, yes, at the DOS house.
SPEAKER_02That was absolutely the girls up there are absolutely phenomenal, and uh they invited me down and um they wanted me to kind of do a Jason Voorhees experience for these people, and it turned out great. I mean, I had like five or uh no, I think it was seven groups of five, so it's quite a few people there over a four or five hour period, and they would bring them through the house, and I would jump out and scare and jump out and do different things, so it was kind of really, really cool in full costume and uh allowing us in one of the most haunted houses that I've ever been in, the DOS house. Uh, it's very creepy in there, it's very cool. Uh, they are keeping it up very well, and the the history behind it is that's one another thing that I love about ghost hunting. It's not so much going and finding a ghost, it's the history behind the house and the history of what happened on the property and stuff like that. That's what interests me more than anything.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, most people are like that paranormal, they're really into is the history is what counts. Yeah, just not the place, the history of the people there, too. Yes, I've been in a Dallas House a couple times. I investigated that. Um, I had a lot of friends at one end when you were there, and they praised about it. And they're like, I hope he does another one, because they were so excited for it.
SPEAKER_02Well, I hope I hope they, I mean, I'm pretty sure they're gonna ask me back, but it's it's it's um it's it's an experience for everybody, and it's it, you know, and people love horror and people love the the the the ghost aspect of of just going out to and knowing that you there's a possibility that you get and things and things do happen. Things have happened to me, things have happened to people around me that are not explainable, and we don't know how it happened or or what made it happen, but when you're all in the same room and you're in the middle of the room and something goes, touches you or or goes by you and you feel it, you literally do feel it. And um these investigators are phenomenal when it comes to uh explaining what just happened and how it happened and uh why it happened. And I think that's just absolutely I I love it. I just I love it. I fell in love with it, and now I'm getting asked to all of these paranormal cons all over the it's pretty much the northeast and the and the south, and and um it's it's just expanding. I've done I'm by the end of the year, I'm gonna have done 37 conventions this year. Wow.
SPEAKER_03Yes, that's a lot, that's a lot there.
SPEAKER_02That's a lot, and um yeah, and people love my portrayal of Jason, and I I appreciate that so much. Um, you know, and and and that's the whole thing while we did the movie, is just to keep the character alive and um keep the keep just keep Jason rolling, you know, because Jason is such an iconic character, and um, I really do appreciate how people took to my role of Jason in all three of the films that I did.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I'm gonna come clean right now. A lot of people know this. I don't watch horror movies. I've never seen a Friday 13th, I've never seen a Freddy Cougar. Well, I just I just don't watch horror movies, and I'm not into Halloween, I'm like that weird paranormal investigator. Okay. Um I got into true crime at a very young age. And like I'm just all into like true crime stuff, you know, stuff that has happened. I've tried reading other books and I'm like, I can't do it because I know it's not true. Um yeah, people make fun of me a little bit because you're like, you didn't see that? Like, no. Like, no, it's not me, but I mean that's I have a feeling I'll be watching one of your movies.
SPEAKER_02Well, I appreciate that. Now, well, you could go on Amazon Prime and watch my newest one. It's called The The Forest Through the Trees. They deemed it horror, but I I'm gonna say it's more suspense. And there, I mean, there are some horror aspects to it, but with bringing back a demon and all that stuff, but it's it's it's more psychological. It's a it was a very emotional movie for me to do with um having a stepdaughter in there and uh and I have a stepdaughter, and it's just it's just um yeah, it's a very emotional movie. So that one you might want to watch is called The Forest of the Trees.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I wrote down here. So to get in a character, like I know actors like when they get in a character, they're in that character. You become Jason Voorhees.
SPEAKER_02I did, yes.
SPEAKER_03So I mean, how hard is it to get out of character once you're done?
SPEAKER_02Um to be honest, when I was playing Jason, to get into character was harder than getting out of character. Um when I first, you know, I went back and when I first got the role, I went back and watched every Friday the 13th that was known to man. And um uh I called, I I talked to one of my good friends, Kane Hotter, and asked him, you know, I told him that I was getting ready to play the character, and and uh he he was very gracious to me and said that, you know, just make it your own. You put the mask on just like all the rest of us. So just uh make it your own and you'll you'll be fine. And so I took that to heart. And when I got into finally got into my full mask with all the prosthetics and with all the everything, and um just knowing the character of Jason through all the movies and the and the history of it, I became Jason. And um, when I had that mask and when I had those prosthetics on, I did not talk. I didn't talk to the director. I would give him a thumbs up or I would give him a nod, but I would not I wouldn't speak to anybody because Jason don't talk. And I wanted to stay in that character for as long as I possibly could when I went while while we was on set. Now getting out of character, sometimes it was especially a kill scene or a fight scene, sometimes took a little longer than than regular scenes, but uh it was it was um it was easier to get out of character than it was to get in character.
SPEAKER_03You've done a lot of movies, I saw. Um, so I mean, how many movies have you been in? Do you know?
SPEAKER_02Um, right now, to my name, I've got 70 credits with TV, TV, and film. And um, so yeah, and that's um, and that's counting short films too. It's a lot of people don't count short films. I do for the mere fact that uh I think that that brought me to where I am now doing these features. Uh, you you can't get to be a better actor without doing work all the time. And I feel like that I am still working all the time. I have a film that I am getting ready to go start this weekend in uh Columbus, Ohio. It's called The Massacre. And um, we're starting it this weekend, and I'm looking forward to it. And then I just signed on with another horror film out of LA, and uh I'm looking forward to uh going out there and shooting that film in February. So I'm a very I feel very lucky and humble that I get to continue to do what I love to do, and that's acting and being in front of the screen.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I'm sure a lot of people know this, but acting, and I'm not an actor, trust me. But you know, I've seen enough that people think you just show up and you do your work. But I mean you have you know, remembering lines, and like you said earlier, you work out six days a week. That's part of your job. That's part of your job. I mean, you want to get healthier, but that's part of your job too.
SPEAKER_02It is. I mean, you got to stay competitive and you gotta stay looking the part. And so that's what I do, and that's what I feel like that I have to do to do that is to stay in the gym at least an hour, hour and a half a day, uh in the gym, working different muscle groups every day, you know, uh arms one day, back, shoulders another day, legs one day, um, chest another day by itself. You know, I try to isolate the muscles to where I can get the most out of everything on every day that I work. And um yeah, and then you know, working around the farm and all that stuff, that kind of helps too. And um just kind of stay healthy. And then, of course, I got my little rats here. Yeah, they always want to, they always want to get on screen. That's Brandy. She's uh she's one of two little miniature Dodsons. Her brother is whiskey, and uh yeah, I I love those little guys.
SPEAKER_03So that's cool. So I I actually saw that you're did uh professional rodeo also.
SPEAKER_02I did. I I rode professional rodeo for almost five years. Uh IPRA, International Pro Rodeo Association. Um, did that bareback and bulls. Um, yeah, it was stupid, but yeah, it was fun. And adrenaline, I'm adrenaline junkie, and that's what I was. I've been around horses all my life. My dad, I grew up with horses with my dad. Um, he had a horse and buggy that he would he would drive around. And um, it was it was kind of funny, you know. It was as instead of driving his truck, he would drive his horse and buggy around town. We live we lived in a small town in Kentucky called Pembroke, and um it was it was just great. Growing up was phenomenal. I mean, we had backyard barbecues that lasted all night long, and we'd stay out in the summer and just play all night long while dad was barbecuing. And you know, he he he cooked with coals. He didn't he didn't cook with like uh gas or anything like that. He would he would build a big fire of these big planks of wood and take the coals and throw it into the barbecue pit that we had made out of concrete cinder blocks and this big, I mean cra I mean, dude, you could cook 500 chickens on it, and uh he would uh dude. I mean, I'm not j I'm not even exaggerating, dude. You could literally throw a whole hog on this thing and cook it. Uh, so that's how big it was. But he would cook for different people and different places, he'd cook those those pork shoulders, and my brother started doing it after that. And brandy, and so it was uh yeah, it was a fun life growing up, you know, and back there. It was well, and back in the 70s, you know, the early 70s and early 80s. I mean, it's just it was a different world, as you know, and um different world totally, you know, no cell phones, no very very little TV. You know, you played outside till dark, or sometimes longer, and you know, you didn't come in until the lights went off, you know, and that's it's it was fun.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean that's I mean, I grew up, you know, early 80s, and that was like someone cooked on the barbecue, everybody stood around the barbecue and had kids playing everything. Now you don't have that. Dad's just out there barbecuing, everybody's in the house waiting for the food.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and you cook with gas, and it's a lot faster, and it's a lot a lot different, it tastes different, everything. So, but you know, times are different, so you gotta adjust to everything.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, I do I do love do love my black stone though, not gonna lie.
SPEAKER_02So we got a black stone too. I love it, yes, absolutely. Um yeah, so I caved, I caved and went. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, so how was the rodeo? I'm like, you guys are like rock stars in the rodeo.
SPEAKER_02It dude, when I first started rodeoing, it was back in right. I guess it was my senior year in high school is when I first rode my foot first uh bareback and bull. And um I just found it to be uh adrenaline, just literally kicking, you know, you're on the back of a 18, 200, 2,000 pound bull, and uh he's trying to throw you off and you're trying to stay on, and it's just uh I don't know, it's just it's just crazy. And you just yeah, you are crazy when you get out on the back of a bull, you know. But uh it's it was fun. It was something that that's what we did back in in Hopkinsville. We had um we went to practice, you know, we went to practice. I mean, we had a barn where we had a barrel set up with ropes on it, and we'd get on the barrel and ride it just like we would an actual bull until we got got some bulls in front of us. And and then I got lucky and got my pro card and and went pro and uh started riding pro for the last three years of my life or through the last three years of my rodeo life. And um yeah, and um I rode all over the place, rode in Anderson, South Carolina, all the way up the east coast. Uh, I did the whole circuit and uh it was it was fun. It's sometimes and at times it was like rough because you know if you didn't win, you don't you don't get no money, you know. And every week you have to continue to put in your you know eighty hundred dollars, whatever your fees was to to ride the bareback and bull. So sometimes it was life was rough on the road, but we got through it and uh it was fun. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Uh take me through this. Your first time you jumped on a real bull.
SPEAKER_02Um, panic. Um, not sure of what to do. You know, yeah, do you practice all the time, but when you get in real life situation like that, uh it it it was um you just try to remember what you're supposed to do as far as digging in your heels and and the way that you're supposed to hold your your hand, you know, when you you turn your hand upside down, you know, and you want it to the side where the bull, okay, you gotta learn the bulls. See, that's the whole thing people don't understand. The bull is as much of an athlete as you are when it comes to this. Most of the bulls, though, when they come out of the chute, they're gonna jump the exact same way almost every time. Sometimes they'll change up and all that, but a bull is just like anything else, you got to get to know it. So when you're pulling now, when I first got on my first bull, I had no idea what this bull did. And I didn't, some of them told me now, hey, this bull's gonna go to the right and then he's gonna jump twice and he's gonna go back to the left. Well, let me tell you, when you're on the back of a bull and he's actually jumping, you ain't remembering what how many times he's gone right or left. So it's just a matter of looking down at the bull, following his shoulders. And um, if a bull, if you follow his shoulders and you put your shoulders exactly where his shoulders are, there's a lot of times you can ride him. Now, there's a times where a bull will cut back really fast and you're not ready for it. And if you're not ready for it and he goes into your hand, you're you're coming off that bull at a very high rate of speed, and you're gonna smack the ground just as uh the ground don't give. I'll tell you that right now. So it's just you've got to be ready for anything like that. But I rode my share bull bulls, I've got a couple belt buckles to prove it, and uh, you know, and made some pretty pretty decent money at bull riding for a while, and uh yeah, it was fun.
SPEAKER_03How long did you last the first time?
SPEAKER_02Uh oh, my first time I rode it for about four and a half seconds. Yeah, no, no, and that's the whole thing, and you learn from that, you know, every bull that you that you ride. Now, on most rodeos like that, you get one shot, you get one shot. You know, there is no double riding or anything like that. So if you didn't win at bareback, now bareback riding I did really well at. I I I learned that that because if you don't know anything about rodeo, when you come out of the chute on a bareback, there's a rigging that you got that it's it's it's a it's a it's a piece of leather that's about that thick that goes down like that, and at the top it's got a loop where you put your hand and it ties around the horse. Literally, that's the only thing that you're holding on with that horse is that rigging. So you want to get up on it as far as you can. You want to get your hand, your dominant hand. Some people rode left-handed if they were right-handed, some people rode right-handed, even if they was left or right-handed. So you had to figure that out because the riggings are kind of like at an angle for a right-handed and a left-handed to give you a little bit more help. Well, when you come out of the chute, you have to keep your feet, your spurs, above the horse's shoulders, because you've got to give the horse a chance to buck you off. Because if you think about it, if you're on a horse, if you just wrap your feet around a horse's belly, a horse is gonna mainly a horse is not gonna be a bull. He's not gonna go. In circles or nothing like that. He's going to take off running and buck just straight up and down, all the way down the arena. So if you don't give the horse a chance, they'll red flag you every time. And then you've lost right off the bat. It doesn't matter if you ride him or not. So you got to give that horse a chance. And as soon as that horse makes his first jump, that's when you can start what they call spurring. And you take your spurs and you roll it down his uh back, that gives you points. Every time then them heels come up to get the spurring, that judge is judging you on how you know you don't touch him with your offhand, you you've got your spurs working, all that stuff, and the horse is bucking. So that's how you get that's how you get your points. And I I got pretty good at riding a bareback. So yeah, and there was so that that kind of helped me. So when I would win something at bareback, which is always at the beginning of the rodeo, the very last thing you do is ride the bulls. If I don't cover my bull, but I covered my bare back, well, at least I covered my fees and I got a little bit of money in my pocket. So that that that helped me a lot. That's the reason I rode bareback and bull, is because if I just went to bull, uh, you know, a lot of times, man, it's it's hard selling them things, man. It's I don't care how good you are. I just went, we just went to the PBR just a couple weeks ago here in Nashville, and the best of the best get thrown off within two seconds of some of these bulls. I mean, the bulls that were have never been ridden before, like they was 25 and oh, have never been ridden. Well, they're still unrideable. That they was throwing professional rodeo riders off left and right, and these are two and three and four million dollar rodeo riders. These guys have big bucks when it comes to rodeo.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, my daughter's into the rodeo and stuff too. She does a lot of farm stuff, but it's amazing. Like some of these bulls are famous.
SPEAKER_02Oh, absolutely, they're famous. Yes. JB Mooney, he still owns the bull that that that ended his career. The bull that the bull that broke his back, and um uh it ended his career. So he went and bought the bull, and now the bull lives out in pasture, and he goes out there and rubs on it and you know, and treats it like a king, and and he said he'll live out the rest of his days till he dies, and until you know, J, but JB Mooney is uh seven million dollar bull rider. So it's yeah.
SPEAKER_03Also EMT or disc jockey. Let's throw that in there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I that was fun. Um, I I was looking for a part-time job, and uh I was at this place uh where I was in Hopkinsville, and um I was on the fire department, and um I found this job. They was looking, I went to this bar, it's called Kickers of All Places, and I and the only reason I went was to line dance and do all that stuff, and I loved it. And um, I was talking to the owner one night, and and he said uh we he's looking for uh a disc jockey or you know, a guy that to play records and stuff, and I said, I think I could do that. And uh he said, Well, go up there and learn how to do it and come come tomorrow night and you can do it. And uh I learned it over one night, and um for and then for the next five years, I I was I was disc jockey there at Kickers, made a killing, dude. I mean, I was making sometimes three, four, five hundred dollars a night, you know, on top of my money because of people tipping, you know, and it it was it was it was fun. That was just something I did on the side, just maybe Thursday or Friday night, or a Friday and a Saturday, sometime Thursday, Friday, Saturday. You know, just depends on when they needed me. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, some comments here. Um someone said you had the cutest stepdaughter. Oh yeah, uh Brenda.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, that's that's I imagine she would say that. That that would that would be my wife's aunt. That's BB, is what we call her, but that's Brenda. She's yeah, she's awesome.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, Archangel's on. If anybody has any questions, just throw them out there for James Stokes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah, I would love to answer some questions.
SPEAKER_03So, I mean, with Jason Voorhees, because I mean this paranormal show, so I gotta ask all this stuff, but are you gonna continue the series then? And then that that's the plan. Uh, the Jason? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I I don't know. I mean, I really don't know. Um, me being just an actor, you know, I helped produce that movie, but at the same time, it's like um it costs a lot of money to make a movie like that, and um to make it good and to make it like what we did. We had a pretty decent budget on that that film, and uh it was shot in 4K and it was shot very well, and the locations were phenomenal. And uh so I I don't know, I don't know if the director or the writer will ever do another one. Um, maybe somebody else will, and they'll look at my work and say, hey, I want you to play Jason. I would love, I would love to carry on the character, um, no matter what, you know, whether they bring it back to the big screen or whether it's a fan film or whatever it is. Um, I think no matter what kind of film it is, it's it's needs to be out there because Jason needs to stay alive. You know, I don't want to do something corny or anything like that. And because what we did, I don't think was corny at all. I think it was a it was something that's never been done before. The kills were were a lot of kills that had never been done before, and I think that's the reason people liked it so much. And the costumes and the characters were really, really good. My costume was phenomenal when it comes to Jason, and um, so it's um yeah, I I would hope to do another one, but I don't know if that will happen or not.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Um, we're gonna paranormal a little bit. You don't investigate, um, you're kind of interested in doing it. Is there a certain place that you would love to investigate? I mean, I'm sure you traveled and heard some stories about places.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there's some places up in Salem that I'm looking to go and up in Maine that I'm I wanting to um, I'm trying to get into the main paracon next year. Um I've I'm in talks with with them as we speak about maybe coming to the main paracon next year. Uh, but there's some places in Salem that I would love to go and um to do investigation. Now I have investigated at different places, uh in Gettysburg, uh, in um oh my goodness, um up in PA. There's several places in PA that I've done. The old the old stone jail. I haunted Hill House. I did that one. The old stone jail was I dude, I'm I'm not gonna lie, I think I brought something home with me from there. Uh, but the old stone jail was something we that we actually did investigate for several hours, and um it was uh very freaky, dude. There we saw a lot of things go on inside that jail that that uh yeah most people wouldn't be able to handle.
SPEAKER_03So I want to ask this straight out like you're a new investigator. What if someone said, hey, go old stone jail by yourself for three hours?
SPEAKER_02No, sir. No, no, no, I'll tell you that right now.
SPEAKER_05No, that's a good answer.
SPEAKER_02I mean, yeah, no, no, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna be I'm not gonna sit here and be a big, big, big guy and say, Yeah, I'll do it. Nope, nope, nope, nope. I I'm not at that point in my investigative life to do something like that. Now, if I'm with three or four other people and I'm with with paranormal investigators, um, I've got a couple of buddies, I got a one buddy that lives in Florida that that's that's all he does is uh he he's calls he's called Ghost Dad on Instagram if anybody wants to, but he's amazing. Uh now if he asked me to go, if he asked me to go somewhere and investigate with him, absolutely I'd go in a heartbeat. Uh because he knows what he's doing and he's done this for a long time. And I feel I would feel safe with him and I would think it would be done the right way. You know, I mean, I even went to so far as get the supernatural tattoo, dude. You know, I'm I'm getting you know, I wear my bees, I wear all that, I wear all the protection and all that stuff. I I I do this because um I believe in it and I I don't I want I want to respect it and I I don't want to um make any entity or anything like that upset at me. I'm not there to disturb them, I'm there to just research them and to find out about them, to find out if they're okay and if we can help them move on somehow or whatever else. You know, that's what I'm there for, not not to uh disturb any kind of um ghost or entity or anything like that. Uh I that's not my uh uh goal to do. No.
SPEAKER_03I think 90% of investigators out there are and if for what you just said, um, the 10%, I don't want to say give us a bad name, but that's the way they investigate. They go there for the city.
SPEAKER_02Oh, absolutely. And I think the exact same way. Everybody that I've been with are so respectful, so they're doing it because they truly love investigating and finding out things that's happened in the past and why things happened. And I love that. So yeah, I've not been with someone that's just uh out for the money or out for the the fame and fortune of it and all that stuff. I haven't met nobody like that yet.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, I do it because I want to get their stories straight. I believe a lot of spirits are here because their stories are not straight. Someone got them wrong, or the story's not finished. I want to keep their memories alive.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. And and and that's the thing. When I go into a house to or know that I'm going into a house to investigate, I do do research on it and find out what was supposed to have happened, why it happened, all that stuff. I want to know as much about it as I possibly can. And um, I want to be able to talk to them and call them by name. And um, that way I'm I'm I feel like that's more respectful than than just going into something and and just just to be there.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, right. I don't do research before, but I always go back to the place. Yeah, um, that's the way I research. I tell the owners no, because I don't want to be influenced by the research. Sure. If I get evidence or EVPs, then I'll do research, then I'll go back. That's cool. So that's that's cool. That's how I do it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I I think that's a great way to do it. And and the and like I said, not an investigator, I'm learning, I'm still learning, and eventually that's probably what I will do. Go into a place, see if I capture anything, see if anything happens. If it does, then go back and research who it was, why they were doing it, why we think they were doing it, all that. That's that's a great way to do it, actually.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, the DOS house was one of them. Um, I got an EVP. I didn't find it for two weeks later. It was on my camera. It came up with a name right through my camera, and it was none of us. First and last name. I looked it up, and it was a slave that escaped that actually lived in that town. Wow. I never had that happen. Like, I was at work listening to it. I'm like, what the hell? Like, I've never had that happen. We're actually lined up that much. That's pretty cool. Like, I never googled a name off of EVP and just pop up, oh yeah, this is him. I'm like, whoa, dude. That's really cool.
SPEAKER_02That's really cool. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03Um, yeah, I heard rumors creep it real three is gonna happen again. Um Shana said no. She was on my podcast before um it happened, and she kept saying no, no, no. Then I see something pop up, creep it reel three. I'm like, oh, okay, so that is happening. That's funny.
SPEAKER_02Well, I hope it happens. I I really do. I love I love the area up there. I would like to go up there and spend a little bit more time than what I had last time, but uh yeah, I would love to go up there and and and be able to go through the DOS house again and and and all that. That was really cool.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I said I said everybody praised you know the DOS house when you were in there. Um, they said I missed I was at work. Where can I go? So um I mean you're in the Cleveland Paracon coming up, correct?
SPEAKER_02I do have the Cleveland Paracon coming up. Yes, uh uh yep. Uh Thomas and Stacia, they they'll be there again. Uh uh, they're amazing. Uh Thomas and them and Stacia both have have taught me a lot about the paranormal and all that stuff. Um Gwen, uh Leah, there I can name, I can name so many of our film family. I mean of our paranormal family that that has helped me and uh is helping me along on this journey as a as a researcher and uh and a paranormal person, you know. And it's uh it's I love it. I I really do.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Station and Tom are awesome. I haven't met them in person. They were on the show. Um, great people. Yeah, I know they'll be there. Um, Father Bob will be there.
SPEAKER_02Father Bob will be there.
SPEAKER_03I haven't met him yet. I actually haven't really met too many people that are gonna be there. I'll be doing podcasts live both days there. Cool.
SPEAKER_02Well, I'd have to sit down with you and that'd be cool.
SPEAKER_03Stop by and say hi. Um what else you got going on? I mean it's a shard when you're not really huge in a paranormal. So paranormal equipment. Do you have like a favorite yet?
SPEAKER_02Um, yeah, I've I was given um I was given this box. Um who gave it silicon? Um Leah and um what's the name?
SPEAKER_01Oh Blaine and Gwen.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Blaine, Gwen, Lee, Lee, all of them. They gave me this box or gave us this box, and it's got a EVP in it. Um it's got a pendulum, it's got what else I have in it.
SPEAKER_01Oh gosh.
SPEAKER_02Do you have it?
SPEAKER_01I can go get it.
SPEAKER_02I'd like to show it to you really, real quick. It's really, really cool. And uh and then I got this, it's kind of funny. The guy that runs Pinhurst. You know, Bob. Uh yeah, you know Bob?
SPEAKER_03I I know of him.
SPEAKER_02Okay, well, I was sitting right across from him at uh Gettysburg, and uh me and him became really good friends, and uh he talked to me about being at Pinhurst, and now I am actively going to Pinhurst this next year. Uh he he he affirmed that to me about a couple of weeks ago. He sent me a text and he said, You're in at Pinhurst, so I'll be going to Pinhurst this next year. But he's given me, he gave me it was so funny because he makes these little stuffed animals, like these little dogs and cats and all that stuff. And he's got this necklace, like a collar around him, and you turn it on, and it's it's it's one of those um like cat boxes or you know, or cat eyes, you know, and you set it in the floor, and it and when something goes by it, it'll it'll light up and beep and all that stuff. He gave me one of those. I mean, um, I I got one of those um grid lights that goes up on the wall to where I that's what I'll only think I know to call it. That's a grid light, it's a grid. But if something passes through it, you know, it breaks the the bond uh and the the grid. And that's really cool. That was given to me by Bob. Excuse me. Um so yeah, I mean, I've got lots of uh really cool equipment that uh we have. We got different boxes and stuff that we we go off of, and I've got a uh recorder that I use. Uh so yeah, I'm I'm getting there. I'm getting there to where I've got some. I don't have all the computer equipment like some of them do, where you can set up and and catch all the the actual words and stuff like that. I do not have that, and um probably will never have that. That's a lot of money, yeah. And uh but it it's it's dude, it's been it's been absolutely it's been absolutely crazy.
SPEAKER_03She's in there looking for the box now, but I mean I can tell you straight out just by talking to you for about 40 minutes now. Um the paranormal field has a lot of great people. Oh, yeah, phenomenal person that you enjoy the company just as much as investigation.
SPEAKER_02Oh, dude, so much. I love just being able to go out to eat with them and and do all that stuff. It's absolutely great. Yes, it's it's yes. And we became a family, we really have.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. I mean, most of my closest friends are people I met on podcasts and we go out and investigate. I mean, sure, sure. Uh we'll wait till she gets that. Um yeah, you'll probably get into it and you're gonna find your one piece of equipment that you're gonna stick to. Um that's what I do. I just mine's a $20 recorder. That's my go-to. So okay, another dog there, huh?
SPEAKER_02This is whiskey. This is this is the first yeah, this is whiskey. This is the the male and uh his little sister, and they actually are brother and sister, they're just from a different litter, from the same mom and dad, but from a different litter, and that's the reason we got. And I'm glad we did because he needed a little little buddy to run around with, and it's his actual sister, so I thought that would be perfect. And they they bonded as soon as they got together, and he's taken care of her and been a really good big brother form for her, so it's kind of cool.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I'm gonna ask you this because this kind of came through my head earlier today. Um, who's the most influential to you in the paranormal field? Wow. Um I mean, you're not gonna knock anybody if you don't say their name.
SPEAKER_02I mean no, no, no, no, not at all. To to for me to have met John Zapfus was an absolute absolute thrill. I mean, he is the nephew of Ed and Lorraine Warren. I'm sure you know who Ed is. Um, yeah, so but John is um uh incredible. I mean, he really is. He just he's he's he's been around this stuff. Father Bob, too. Father Bob is is been around this stuff and done exorcisms and and and has seen and and all that stuff. So it's but John Zappis, I'm gonna say, is probably the most influential paranormal person that I've ever met in the paranormal world. Um this is uh it's called Book of the Dead. I've never seen that before. Yeah, they make them so they make them, and if you open it up, and it smells amazing, so it's got like different things, but but anyway, if you can see in here, I got the my black salt that I put in my shoes and stuff when I go into a house. Um, we have protection mist, which is holy water. We have oil. This is uh protection oil that we also use for protection. And then we have the EVP. We have a little book. This thing right here is off Bluetooth, so you can okay. I've got a thing, uh, an app on my phone, of course. Uh what is the name of the thing? What is it?
SPEAKER_01Necrophonics.
SPEAKER_02Necrophonics. I got that. Well, we can put that through here or use AMNFM, whatever. Or use AMFM, whatever. And uh that um it it can come through on Bluetooth, and then these are the um rods. They like extended rods, myself in a base, yeah. Smack myself in a base. But yep, that's kind of cool. And then we got this really cool pendulum that is just absolutely incredible. And uh and you can use the this part right here with the pendulum that says you know, it's yes and all that stuff. So I don't know if people can see that. I hope they can.
SPEAKER_04I don't know.
SPEAKER_03Alright, so we'll talk a little bit, hopefully get that figured out. Um you're still talking to me, I don't know. So anyways. There we go. There you go, you're back. Yeah, we lost you for a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, sorry. So this is a little dog that no whiskey that he gave me that is supposed to, as you see, it lights up. Okay, his little nose lights up. So when something touches when something, so when something goes by, his collar lights up. So this is something else that they've given me. It's just really cool. It's just some some cool stuff. We got some other stuff, and we got other stuff, like I was telling you, we got the pen light that does the grid and all that stuff, so it's really good.
SPEAKER_03Well, let's talk about protection real quick. That's always a high topic. Um, absolutely. So, how do you go into a place like some people do protection prayers, some people do crystal?
SPEAKER_02I use I use my faith, uh, you know, and in my Christian faith. Uh, I pray before I go in, but I've also I wipe my feet and I knock before I go into a place like the DOS house or anything like that, uh, just a show of respect. And um I don't want something to attach to me. That I don't, you know, and I ask them not to. I'm I tell them up front that I'm not here to be a nuisance. I'm not here to be, you know, to irritate you. I'm just here to uh to learn and to explore and and to find out about you. So that's that's one of protection, but my biggest protection is probably prayer and um wearing you know uh tiger's eye and wearing um my protection that um that uh black tourmaline. Yeah, black tourmaline, hematite, hematite, um what's the one that's what's the one Stacia gave me?
SPEAKER_00The the one with the oh I'm not sure what that one is to be honest. It's almost like yellow. I don't I don't know what um that is.
SPEAKER_02Well it's got the uh yeah that I so I I wear all kinds of protection as well. So and then I get cleansed at the end to make sure that um I I don't bring anything home with me. So there's a whole yeah, it's a whole uh process that you go through to do this. And I think it's I think it's needed to be done. I really do. I I I I do think that people can bring things home with them, especially if they don't respect it and they're there to just uh you know um just try to see a ghost, I guess you'd say. Yeah, um, that's not what I'm there for, you know. Right. And there's been times where I've gone through places and never experienced anything.
SPEAKER_03Right. But it's cool just to go in that place. It doesn't matter. Very cool to go in that place. Um I hear a wife next to you, so she can she doesn't come on, have to come on camera if she doesn't want to, but protection-wise, what does she do? Does she do the same thing or she can tell you?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I do a lot of the same thing. Um, my faith, I I pray a lot and all of that. Um, I as well all use different crystals and I have protection bracelets, black tourmaline, rose quartz, um, hematite, all of that. We both do the black salt. We have the protection oil. Holy water is always with us because you just never know. Um but I mean, yeah, I mean, we you can protect yourself all you want. Sometimes there are some some bad things out there that can attach no matter what, but we try to do whatever we can to protect ourselves and even at the end get cleansed from it. But you know, we just try to do what we can the best that we can and we don't egg on spirits, even even even just to talk to we don't do that. We don't try to be pushy or anything. If things don't want to come through and talk or anything, we we don't move on. You're just asking for you're just asking for something bad. So, you know, we we're just just like going into anybody's house. You want to be respectful and you don't want to be pushy or anything like that. It's just like you know, walking into you know, somebody you don't know's home. You don't want to be a jerk. So, you know, we just try to, you know, be careful in that sense. Yeah, yeah, man.
SPEAKER_03I I don't do crystals, I don't do all that stuff. Um, that's just me though. Um my faith is what protects me. Yeah, and I think protection is a bel it you have to believe in it for it to work.
SPEAKER_01100%.
SPEAKER_03I mean, people gave me crystals, I don't believe in them. So there's no reason for me to take them. So my faith is good enough when I leave, I leave. Um I have faith that nothing's gonna follow me home. So far it hasn't. So 19 years doing pretty good. So uh but yeah, I mean, vestigating's fun, like I asked you about solo. I am doing a 10-hour solo up here, you know, a Madison seminary. Um, I've been there 16 times. I think it's time for me to spare to have some alone time together. Um so we're gonna do that. Um But no, I think it's cool that both of you guys do it. Um a lot of couples out there are, you know, and it is something to do also. I mean you could it could be worse, like you guys just sit here watching TV, or you're gonna go out there watching finish the mailbox later, you know.
SPEAKER_01I mean that's that's been quite the ordeal in Italia.
SPEAKER_03But I mean, yeah, I mean, I think it's great that you guys are got into the paranormal. I mean, you were into it, and now he's getting into it. I mean, I don't know the reason why he got into it, maybe just curiosity from going to these paracons.
SPEAKER_02And well, my main thing is back when I was in high school, I had I had something happen and uh couldn't explain it and uh never have explained it. And uh so I've I've believed I have believed all my life, and I've never had the opportunity or the uh know-how to get into it until I met Gwen, and and that was at the Deep South Paracon. And I was there with uh a couple other actors and stuff, and um, for some reason Gwen and Leah just took to me and uh we became instant friends, like almost like brother and sister. And um ever since then uh my paranormal world has opened up to a whole new light for me, and uh I've just embraced it and um learning as much as I can. And I Thomas uh has gotten me into the serial killer kind of thing, you know, learning more about now. I've always been into true crime and and and you know, learning about John, you know. I I actually played a cop that arrested John Lane Gacy on one of the Ion shows um uh several years back. Uh, we did a um uh a documentary on John Wayne Gacy, and I was one of the cops that arrested him. That was really cool. So I've been into the the the um serial killer thing for a long, long time. I love watching docs and stuff like that on on serial killers, and we're right now in the middle of uh Charles Manson watching that one again. Uh it's just very fascinating um to have a guy that that never ever killed anyone, but was the mastermind behind a lot of murders. And uh so you know, but just learning, you know, just learning stuff like that and all that. It's just it's it's it's fascinating. And um, it's a passion of mine now. And um, yeah, and I'm gonna ride the train until it stops. I I I love it, and I'm learning and learning more and more all the time. And uh I've getting investigators calling me to ask me to come on investigations with them um for whatever reason. I don't know why, but I love it. And um, I got a couple of NFL players that are doing an investigation, and they've asked me to come along and we're gonna tape it for a TV thing, so it's kind of kind of cool. Uh so uh yeah, it's uh and I I love getting to go do and one of them does go into the investigation, the other one stays out with the computer, he don't go in, so it's kind of kind of funny. Uh but I I love it, you know, and uh getting to go to different places, the Haunted Hill Manor and all that stuff, and getting to scare the living daylights out of people and my Jason mask. It's it's it's absolutely just the best life ever. And uh I love it, and uh, I'm hoping it continues as long as people want me.
SPEAKER_03I can tell you right now, just from meeting you for a little bit, people are gonna want you. I mean, you're you're just a likable guy. Um talking to you. Um does she agree or no? I don't know.
SPEAKER_05He's all right.
SPEAKER_03Oh no, I mean again, you hit this thing hard and you're gonna keep going. Um, hopefully, I mean I'll see you at Cleveland. Definitely next year. I'm doing a lot more paracons. I'm actually going to Gettysburg Friday for the para jam. Oh, cool. Up there. I haven't been there since fifth grade, you know, so it's time to go back. Dude, it's so phenomenal. I love this.
SPEAKER_01Where are you located at?
SPEAKER_03Uh by Cleveland, Ohio.
SPEAKER_01Oh, so you are by Cleveland, okay.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm east of Cleveland a little bit.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So um, yeah, Thomas just jumped on. Oh, he said culture swap prank investigation was awesome.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that was a good one. Culture swap. Uh they brought me up there and had me get in full costume, and they was doing a a group tour with culture swap. Have you do you know who quote culture swap is?
SPEAKER_03I've heard of it. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02Okay, yeah, they're YouTube, their YouTube, dude, it's it's a white guy doing black guy things, black guy doing white guy things.
SPEAKER_01Their YouTube channel.
SPEAKER_02Best guys in the world, great, great guys. But they was um walking down the hall, and I was in full costume, and they had a red light grow glowing down on the thing, and and Stacia said one word, and it I popped out just as they came around the corner. And here I am standing in the middle of the hallway. I am bigger than everybody in the whole group. And I was standing there as Jason, and this this dude took off like a bat out of hell, and I chased him. I chased, I didn't run, I just chased him. He never stopped running, dude. He had no idea where he was going, he was just running, throwing holy water everywhere, it was a fun time, but they got it all on tape, and uh it was amazing. If you ever get a chance to look it up, you go look it up because it was write that down here.
SPEAKER_03Um, so we had a couple. Uh brother said you were on Stranger Things and 9-11 Nashville.
SPEAKER_02I was, yep. Yep, I I got to, yeah, I got to be on the set of Stranger Things. That was uh incredible. You know, getting to be on a big set like that uh as a as an actor, um, it brings a new life, you know, or a new light to the acting world as far as TV goes. Um, getting to see a big, big production being put on uh as big as Stranger Things was uh it was incredible. And it changed the way I looked at a lot of my acting. And then uh 911 Nashville. Uh yes, I finally got on an episode of that uh down here in Nashville. Um, and loved doing it, loved getting to work with the actual main characters. Uh Chris O'Donnell was absolutely phenomenal. All the characters that I got to be with was absolutely great to be with. And uh I got I had a speaking role in it, and it was it was great. So I'm hoping that they bring me back sometime. And um, yeah, it would that would be phenomenal.
SPEAKER_03Um and Cindy from the Ross House, she owns the Ross House down on Bel Air, Ohio. Um she said you're amazing. Oh you it was so cool when when you did it at Creep It Reel.
SPEAKER_02Well, thank you so much. And I I had such a good time doing it. Um sweated my butt off, but you know, and that's I heard that too. Yeah, it was it was, but you know what? It was so worth it to to see the smiles and to see the see the people jump and get scared and and just uh enjoy the night. It's worth every every penny of it. It it just it really was.
SPEAKER_03That's cool. So we're about an hour and well, 56 minutes into this. So we said we do about an hour. Um again, there's I really appreciate talking to you. I'm glad I got to meet you. Absolutely, man. I'm glad to have you and Sammy. Nice to meet you.
SPEAKER_00Nice to meet you.
SPEAKER_03I'm guessing that's your name because someone said Sammy in the comments. That's me. Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I look forward to meeting you in person in Cleveland in just a few weeks. I can't believe it's almost September. My gosh.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's it's coming.
SPEAKER_01The Burr Months are finally here.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I do want to mention, I do want to mention we lost an icon today, uh Dolly Parton.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I saw that.
SPEAKER_02Yep, and um to me, she was uh very big. Um, I do a lot with uh older country music around here in Nashville, um with uh TG Shepherd, Mo Bandy, um, you know, all of the older, the older country. And um we but we lost an i I wanted to just kind of just uh have the Parton family in our prayers, and uh we definitely lost an icon tonight, today. And um, yep, I just wanted to mention that. So thank you for allowing me to do that.
SPEAKER_03But not I mean a lot of people don't think I'm as old as I am. I am 50, so I did grow up with Dolly Parton. Sure. Um, yeah, she was an icon.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, dude. I mean, my our seven-year-old is loves Dolly Parton. So I mean, she she has touched lives from our generation till uh well way farther than our generation back, and even to this newer generation, she's touched uh lives, especially with kids, you know, as much as she's done with her book foundation and her with Dollywood and all the money that she has put in. And I'm I'm hoping and praying that that continues with the family and they continue her legacy of what she did. Uh, it would be uh travesty if that didn't happen. And uh, but yes, um Dolly Parton was absolutely phenomenal, always upfront and honest with people and so much more than even just country music, and we're huge country music fans.
SPEAKER_01But I mean, just she just poured love and light and happiness into this world, and it it definitely feels like heavy today. Uh, I mean, everybody is feeling it, even people that I never would have thought that would have recognized it. And it's like, you know, we we need more of that love and just be kind to each other in this world. I mean, life is too short, and being nice to somebody is free. Just just hug your hug your neighbors, hug your kids, be you know, be nice to each other and yeah.
SPEAKER_03That's that's what I'm thinking. Like she had millions. I mean, everybody knows that and she gave so much back to the community.
SPEAKER_00So much.
SPEAKER_03That was her main goal. We don't have millions. Look, just give back what you can. If we can all just be be a little dolly, just have a little dolly in us, this world will be better. So that's just my little comments to everybody here. Just give back just a little bit, yeah. What you can. And I'm gonna be better off.
SPEAKER_02Um so but yeah, it's it's it's great. Well, thank you for having me on and uh having us on. And uh, we look forward to seeing you in Cleveland, man.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I'm gonna watch my first Forest of the Trees, my first horror movie.
SPEAKER_02Let me know, let me know what you think about it. I I will.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Good to see you. Nice to meet you both and your dogs. Oh, yeah, they're gonna always get on the screen.
SPEAKER_02Yep. I'd love to appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01Five seconds of fame.
SPEAKER_02Thank you, Ryan. I appreciate it, buddy. Thank you.