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What callers told Art Bell about their ghosts, in plain numbers: where and when these things happen, the details that keep coming back, and which stories to start with.
Anatomy of a ghost story
What a typical story looks like. Each figure counts only the stories that say so. The rest are shown as “don’t say,” not guessed.
of the stories that say where it happened are set at home.
- At home495
- Outdoors121
- Public building50
- In a vehicle or ship30
- At work30
- Other75
495 of 801 stories that say · 51 don't say
of the stories that say when it happened took place at night.
- Night476
- Daytime53
- At varying times40
- Dusk or dawn17
476 of 586 stories that say · 266 don't say
of the stories that give a number had more than one witness.
- Only the person telling it397
- Two people224
- Three68
- Four28
- Five or more27
347 of 744 stories that say · 108 don't say
are told by the person it happened to.
- It happened to them710
- Heard from someone else94
- Partly secondhand30
710 of 834 stories that say · 18 don't say
of the people who give their age were children or teenagers at the time.
- Adult391
- Child97
- Teenager78
- Over many years17
175 of 583 stories that say · 269 don't say
describe a single event rather than something that went on for days or years.
- A single event502
- Days41
- Weeks or months83
- Years116
502 of 742 stories that say · 110 don't say
of the stories that say how it ended were never resolved or are still going on.
- Never resolved584
- Resolved156
- Still going on80
664 of 820 stories that say · 32 don't say
is the explanation people give most often: about a third of those who offer one.
- An unknown dead person or a previous occupant203
- A person they knew who had died138
- They don't know97
- Something demonic or evil50
- Some other non-human being22
- Other55
203 of 565 stories that say · 287 don't say
The details that keep coming back
The details these stories share, from the staircase to the dead relative at the foot of the bed. Each one links to every story that has it.
- Bedroom219 stories · 26%
For example: A deceased man at the foot of the bed in a family funeral home
- Feeling watched or not alone147 stories · 17%
For example: Reported red-eyed funnel-shaped figure at the foot of a bed
- Old house119 stories · 14%
For example: A black form, the family cats, and a brother’s hypothermia in an Edison, New Jersey, farmhouse
- Car or vehicle119 stories · 14%
For example: Hawaiian cemetery prank, a shaking car, and bite marks
- Family member confirms or reports the same111 stories · 13%
For example: Entity attacks on a child in a late-1800s house in Needles, California
- Being touched104 stories · 12%
For example: Dark woman from the attic and phantom table-setting in a childhood home
- Looked like a living person101 stories · 12%
For example: Ouija board spirits, a ball of light, and an old man with shark-like teeth
- Objects moved or missing100 stories · 12%
For example: A black shape in the bedroom closet after a childhood church prank
- New or rented home95 stories · 11%
For example: San Jose apartment with occult remains and blue light pillars
- Door opens or closes86 stories · 10%
For example: Ghost of a murdered upstairs neighbor in a rented downstairs house
- Staircase83 stories · 10%
For example: Family haunting in Louisiana tied to an uncle who kept his wife's corpse
- Recurring over many years75 stories · 9%
For example: Wife reports unseen hands holding her under bathwater
Where to start
Three short lists to begin with. An AI model scores each story against a published guide, and the lists rank stories by those scores. The scores are editorial judgments, not evidence. How scoring works
Most unsettling
The stories rated most disturbing, as told.
- 1Dark woman from the attic and phantom table-setting in a childhood home1998 · Caller's story · 2 min
- 2Wife reports unseen hands holding her under bathwater2004 · Caller's story · 2 min
- 3A deceased man at the foot of the bed in a family funeral home2007 · Letter read on air · 2 min
- 4Hooded faceless figure in the bedroom and a return during a cardiac arrest1998 · Caller's story · 8 min
- 5Reported red-eyed funnel-shaped figure at the foot of a bed2000 · Caller's story · 4 min
Most detailed and consistent
Specific, firsthand stories that don't contradict themselves. This is not a judgment that anything supernatural happened.
- 1White-haired woman with a white dog beside a desert road1997 · Caller's story · 4 min
- 2Premonitions of a father’s death and a family cat’s disappearance2003 · Caller's story · 4 min
- 3Basement clip lamp shakes, emits flame, and a dark object flies at a girl2003 · Caller's story · 3 min
- 4Security guard reports a following sound and orange orbs at the Yorktown Victory Center2005 · Caller's story · 3 min
- 5Hunters report formally dressed couple who vanish and leave no tracks in snow2005 · Caller's story · 3 min
Most unusual
The stories least like the others in the archive.
- 1Disorientation, a dry river crossing, and a chair-shaped rock in the Wind River Range1994 · Caller's story · 4 min
- 2Letter: A shadow resembling the writer’s late father, popcorn and cigar1997 · Letter read on air · 2 min
- 3Unseen hand presses sailor’s shoulder before hoses fall on USS Savannah2000 · Caller's story · 4 min
- 4A key in the door and a solid figure in a Reno apartment2006 · Caller's story · 5 min
- 5Morse code reported coming from a microwave after the caller’s mother died2010 · Caller's story · 3 min
How the stories changed
The share of stories in each broadcast year that fall in each category, all on the same scale. These numbers also shift with how calls were screened, who the guests were, and how long each recording is. Read them as patterns in what aired, not in what people experienced.
- Ghostly figures and lights: 45% of stories in 1993–1999, 53% in 2000–2013
- Children's experiences: 12% of stories in 1993–1999, 18% in 2000–2013
- Cold spots, smells, and marks: 19% of stories in 1993–1999, 12% in 2000–2013
Download the data
For researchers and journalists: the numbers behind this site, as CSV and JSON files. The files are rebuilt with every update. They contain only published data that has been checked for privacy.
Stories CSV · JSONTopics by year CSV · JSONStory scores CSV · JSONSimilar stories CSV · JSONDetails that appear together CSV · JSONCategories CSV · JSONStory features CSV · JSONScores by category CSV · JSONRecordings CSV · JSON