Story: Hi my name is Jennie Anderson. I am 21 years old. I'm really interested in learning about ghost stories and the extra terrestrial. I was looking at your site about your book, and submitting your own ghost stories and I would like to share mine..... It was just me and my really good friend hanging out with each other. We were taking pictures. She was being quite the character. She flipped her hair over her face and told me to take a picture so I did. As soon as we looked at the picture on the computer we saw a face. We knew right away it was not hers. It's located in the right bottom corner near her hair. Her face wasn't showing. We were really freaked out and told everyone. They agreed that we weren't just making this up. So check this out and see what you think of it. Thank you for your time.

Response from Slim Pictures:  The common word that I bring up when looking at pictures like this is 'simulacrum,' which relates to the tendency of the eye to seek and find patterns or familiar shapes when none exist. In this case, the shape would be a face. That said, I've recently come across another pretty incredible phenomena called Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC). It involves communication coming from the other side by use of electronic devices (television, radio, computer, etc.). One of the more common examples results are found in faces appearing in images very similar to the one you sent me. Mark Macy is the leader in this field and you can find out more about him here. I believe I see the face you speak of. Below to the left is a close up, while the one to the right contains my very inartistic drawing pointing out the facial features. I increased the contrast very strongly to further make the features standout.

1) 2)

Story/Question: Don't know if anyone cares but I have on video and clear photos of something that will make your hair stand up for sure. I have a security system in my bar 24/7 that records everthing and I have tape and photos of a woman in my bar when we are closrd and no one is in the building. She is as clear as can be... no tricks here I have it in my hard drive as well as photo. so.. are you right people to share this with? --Mike Nolan

Response from Slim Pictures:  The short answer is - Yes! Please share it. I'd love to see the pictures, video and hear whatever details I can.

Story: I actually believe that my parents house is haunted. My stepmom died in there and not in a glamorus way. No, not murdered, but some strange things have happened there. I suppose it could just be my imagination. If you ever want to hear about that or how before she died I knew exactly how it would happen in a dream I had, I would love to share it. Thanks for your time. --Elizabeth

Response from Slim Pictures:  Elizabeth, I have to say, the most facinating part of your eMail revolves around your dream and your stepmother. Please do pass it along to us. I'm sure many of us would like to hear more.

Elizabeth Writes back: I would love to share what happened in my dream. When I was 10 I went away to a summer camp. My mother died on a Wednesday before I was to come home on Saturday. The day she died, I was mad at her because all the kids there were getting care packages and I had not gotten one yet. Of course I was being stupid and it came that day.

I talked to her on the phone, thanked her and thought nothing of it. That night I had a dream of her dieing. I dreamt that she collapsed in the bathroom and my sister was there screaming. I woke up screaming. The counsler had to come in and check on me. I went home with a girl who was my best friend at the time. I knew something was wrong when my dad dropped her off at her house and left her mom with a note that told her not to read it before we left. We drove the two blocks to my house and my dad was very quiet. We got to the driveway and all my relatives were over. My first reaction was my dad suprised me with a party, but he had me go around to the back yard to talk to me.

He told me that my mother died. I knew it was coming. My dad told me part of the story and I knew it was not right. It was only when I was older that I was told the truth of what happened. I told my dad that I knew because I dreamt. it.

A year after my stepmother died I was sleeping in my room when I suddenly heard my mother's radio go off. It was blasting. I knocked on my sister's door and asked if she had turned it on. She had not, so we went and took a look at it. Not only was it not turned on but it didn't have batteries in it either. We tried pressing buttons to shut it off but we could not do it. As we thought about what to do, it just shut off.

I tried to go back to sleep and my sister went back to her room. I finally fell back to sleep. Then I woke up freezing. I saw a white figure leave the room and walk down the hall. By this time I got so scared that I start to cry and I woke up my dad. Nothing happened at the house for quite a while after that night. My dad has since remarried and my new mother is convinced that the house has spirits. I do not live with them anymore but I do spend all the holidays there and this thanksgiving the weirdest thing happened.

We were all sitting down to eat dinner when a music box my mom has in the kitchen went off. We all went dead silent and looked at each other. My mom then said looks like one of the spirts is with us now.

My mom's death was the first one that I had a dream about but I have had other dreams that have come true. It got to a point where I had to take sleeping pills so I could go to sleep and not dream about someone dieing or getting seriously injured. I was so scared that someone else would be in my dreams. I am much better about it now, but I have been dealing with it for years. It is weird, I don't know how to explain it and most my friends think it is freaky. But some think it is my gift or perhaps my curse.

I like to hope that one day it will help someone not get hurt or die and I also like to think that my mothers are with me. I think it is all fascinating. I love what you do and I hope you keep it up.

Question: Scott, me and my friends in the Joliet area are interested in local hauntings and have visited several sites, and have actually purchased your documentary. Are you still currently active in investigating haunts? On your web site it refers you to booking events, what would you actually go over? Please E-mail me back. Thank You. Becky

response from Slim Pictures: 

Question: Hello Scott! We are a small Girl Scout Troop and we were looking to make a mini documentary about spooky places in Lake County IL to give to local the schools. We want to make it lighthearted as these are elementary schools. Could you recommend a book or website that concentrates on just Lake County, IL? I can find all sorts of information on Chicago but that is not where we live. Thank you so much! Teri

Response from Slim Pictures:  That's a tough challenge finding a Lake County only book. The best lead I can give you in the ways of your age category would be a book by Ursul Bielski called "Creepy Chicago : A Ghosthunter's Tales of the City's Scariest Sites." It can be found on Amazon.com for about $18, around $6 used. However, that is not Lake County-centered and I don't even really know how many Lake County stories are in that book. It might be fun to take a more active approach and have the girls talk to their friends and family to uncover local ghost stories and urban legends....some of the taller tales, you'll be able to find the origin of at snopes.com. Good luck!

This same letter was sent to fellow ghost hunters/researchers Henry Pena (chicagoghosthunterssociety.net), Dale Kaczmarek (ghostresearch.org) and John Cachel (http://pages.prodigy.net/ghostfish/)

Question: My wife and I have been interested in "ghost hunting" for years.  We have also been researching the subject for years.  We recently broke down and started buying some equipment (no touch infra red thermometer, EMF detector, assorted audio recorders) along with our existing Sony camcorder w/ night vision, digital and analog cameras.  So I assure you this interest is not seasonal.  Now I am starting to reach out to the Chicagoland paranormal community and see what is going on.  Does your club get together often, share info, that kinda stuff?

We have a little tour scheduled for the 22nd of October, kinda for my wife's birthday on the 21st.  Nothing truly scientific, more for fun, seeing that we have 14 chicagoland spots to hit.  But I truly hope to begin scientific and professional investigations for fun.   We have taken a few popular ghost tours and always came away saying "we can do better".  These tours always make me feel like a tourist in my own town.

Like I said I am just beginning to reach out to the community and see what is going on outside.

Have you heard of any activity at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park IL?  I work in Oak Park and have dealt with the "Home and studio" often.  I think I might get permission for an opportunity to conduct an extensive study in the building.  Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Steve

response from Slim Pictures:  There are certainly a lot of drawbacks to bus tours, just the nature of the beast: it's hard to create an intimate atmosphere when there are a few dozen other people walking around you snapping off pictures and some places you may want to visit don't welcome busses full of tourists, so they are off limits to you.  Before you go on  your self-guided tour, please send me your list of locations.  Likely I've been to most of them and I may have a good tip to share with you from my experience.

Unlike the others you eMailed, my organization is a production company that does a lot of different work.  It just so happens that we have produced a video and a book/CD-ROM about Chicago ghosts.  I consider myself a ghost reasearcher rather than hunter (though I respect anyone looking to learn more).  Other than speeches, we do not have events or meetings.  Of all of Chicago's 'names' in this field, I would endorse anything Ursula Bielski or Troy Taylor does.  The same goes for Dave Black of sos-chicago.com.

Not being a ghost hunter I cannot contribute much technical information, however I would say - don't go anywhere without infrared camcorder or analog camera.  There are debates regarding whether or not digital cameras pick anything up.  I'm undecided, but tend to lean away from digital.  Troy Taylor would have most anything you'd want to know on prairieghosts.com.

As for the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, I have heard that it was haunted, but that's all I heard.  We were given that tip too close to the deadline of our book to be able to research it.  Whenever we to a revisited version of the book, we will look into it and a number of other Oak Park locations we've heard were haunted.  Good luck and above all, be safe out there!

Question: Just wondering how do the spirits control the oujia bored!? I am really interested in learning about this kind of stuff. -- Maria

Response from Slim Pictures: 

Question: I'd be tempted to buy your book. How many pages is it? I know how frustrating book prices can be. Xlibris is selling my 120 page book on Amazon.com for $20.00. seriously, who would pay that?

What else do you talk about in your book that's different from all the others on Chicago?

response from Slim Pictures:  The Book is 265 pages. Yes, there are a number of other books on Chicago ghosts out there. It was my own personal goal to write a book better than Ursula Bielski's "Chicago Haunts," which is a tall order. I think it's something that Mary Czerwinski, my partner, and I achieved. It covers all the well known and semi-well-known stories, of course, but it also covers a lot of never-before-told stories like St. Sava's Serbian Monastary, the Sunnybrook Asylum, Cavallone's West, etc. It also takes some stories such as Frank Nitti's suicide, the Iriquois Theater Fire, the Grimes Sisters double homicide, and the Peterson-Schuessler murders and goes WAY more in-depth than any other ghost books have ever done. But here's the real exclaimation point - it comes with a CD-ROM that contains more than 1,000 pictures and a couple dozen video clips from these haunted sites.

If you want to try before you buy, head on down to Archer Avenue for some ghost hunting and take a look at the book in person at the haunted cafe:

Ashbary Coffee House
8695 S. Archer Ave. Willow Springs, IL 60480
(located in Old Willow Shopping Plaza)
Archer Ave & Willow Springs Rd.

Story/Question: Where can I go to actually, possibly experience a ghost?...Or at least visit a known haunted place. -- E D

response from Slim Pictures:  Well, first thing's first - educate yourself. If you're in the Chicago area buy "Voices from the Chicago Grave" or "Chicago Haunts." - slimpictures.com/slimstore.htm

Try to pick a place that you know the story behind and maybe feel a little symphatic towards. When you do go, never expect to see a ghost. they will come to you when they are ready and it's never when you're ready. I know from experience that nothing happens if you're tense, but as soon as I relax, that's the best chance for something to happen. Now, keep in mind, I'm pretty successful at having encounters at haunted places and I've had - maybe - 10 over four years and hundreds of trips. Most importantly, when you're out and about, be respectful.