Haunted family house in Lorain, Ohio: Slapping, shadows, and something on the bed
A caller from Lorain, Ohio, tells Art Bell they are speaking from what they call a haunted house, the home their grandfather built. They say strange events have gone on since they were about five. The caller reports having seen clouds, formations, and shadows, and hearing voices calling names. They say friends were slapped in the face while sleeping over, and that they feel something sit on their bed at night. They say their mother consulted a parapsychologist who believed it was a child that likes to play games. The host, running out of time, warns of danger and tells the caller to get out.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2001-1.mp3”, starting at 1:30:20). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller reaches Art Bell on the Wild Card Line and says they are calling from Lorain, Ohio, [quote withheld] listening to WTAM, and that they are [quote withheld] They say the activity has gone on [quote withheld] in the house. The caller and three siblings were raised there by their mother, and their grandfather built the house by hand over many years. They say the family are the only owners. The caller reports having seen [quote withheld] that people have heard voices calling their name, and that friends sleeping over [quote withheld] Friends, they say, have seen faces and people, and their sister has seen shadows. They say their mother brought in a parapsychologist from Cleveland State University. Based on the symptoms described, the parapsychologist told her they believed it was [quote withheld] The parapsychologist advised telling it to go to the light rather than to go away. The caller says they and their brother want to make a documentary on the house and that they are trying to reach a psychic from WTAM to [quote withheld] They report that at night they will feel something sit on their bed, and that their cat notices it. Bell warns of “significant significant danger” and, out of time, tells the caller to get out of the house.
Reported events, in order
- 0:05
The caller says they are calling from Lorain, Ohio, about 30 miles west of Cleveland, listening to WTAM.
- 0:13
The caller says they are calling from a haunted house as they speak.
- 0:17
The caller says the activity has been going on since they were about five years old.
- 0:23
The caller describes a large family, four children, raised by their mother.
- 0:39
The caller says they have seen things, clouds, formations, and shadows.
- 0:46
The caller says people have heard voices calling their name.
- 0:52
The caller says friends have been slapped in the face at night while sleeping over.
- 1:20
The caller says they and their brother would like to make a documentary on the house.
- 1:26
The caller says the family are the only owners and their grandfather built the house by hand over many years.
- 1:33
The caller says friends have seen faces and people, and their sister has seen shadows.
- 1:57
The caller says their mother consulted a parapsychologist from Cleveland State University.
- 2:08
The caller says the parapsychologist believed it was some kind of child that likes to play games.
- 2:16
The caller says the parapsychologist advised telling it to go to the light rather than to go away.
- 3:22
The caller says they are trying to reach a psychic from WTAM to bring the spirit to peace.
- 4:01
The caller says that in the middle of the night they will feel something sit on their bed.
- 4:05
The caller says they have a dog and a cat, and that their cat noticed “this.”
- 4:14
The host says they are out of time and advises the caller to get out of the house.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:13
The caller says they are phoning from a house they call haunted.
- observation· 0:17
The caller says the activity in the house has continued since they were about five years old.
- observation· 0:39
The caller says they have seen clouds, formations, and shadows.
- observation· 0:46
The caller says people have heard voices calling their name in the house.
- hearsay· 0:52
The caller says friends sleeping over have been slapped in the face in the middle of the night.
- hearsay· 1:33
The caller says friends have seen faces and people in the house.
- hearsay· 1:37
The caller says their sister has seen shadows in the house.
- hearsay· 2:08
The caller says a parapsychologist from Cleveland State University, consulted by their mother, told her the symptoms suggested it was some kind of child that likes to play games.
- hearsay· 2:16
The caller says the parapsychologist advised them not to tell it to go away but to tell it to go to the light.
- observation· 4:01
The caller says they will feel something sit on their bed in the middle of the night.
- interpretation· 3:22
The caller says they are trying to reach a psychic from WTAM because they would like to bring the spirit to peace.
- host statement· 1:40
The host tells the caller that if things can physically manifest enough to slap a face, the caller is in significant danger.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The story is fairly consistent and has some framing that could be checked (place, station, family house). It is brief and undated, and much of it is relayed from others, so it sits near the middle of the scoring guide rather than above it.
Evidence for and against
- Stated location and context: Lorain, Ohio, about 30 miles west of Cleveland, and WTAM.
- Concrete detail about the house: it is said to be the first and only one, built by the grandfather.
- The story does not contradict itself across the segment.
- Much of the story is secondhand: friends’ slapping and seen faces, and the sister’s shadows. None of them speak on air.
- No dates, ages beyond “about five,” or order of events are given.
- The bedtime sensation has an easy sleep-related explanation that the caller does not address.
- The labels in the automatic transcript showing who is speaking are garbled, which makes it unclear which of several lines are the caller’s.
- The host cuts the story off before it finishes.
- 0:05
- 0:52
- 4:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): Closeness to the source was set at the upper end of the partly firsthand band, because the caller themselves claims some experiences but most specific events are credited to friends and family. The alternative-explanation score is low because the overnight and bedtime events map easily onto sleep-related experiences that the caller does not discuss.
This is essentially the caller’s word plus claimed witnesses and some named places that are not verified, which places it in the 11 to 25 band.
Evidence for and against
- Specifics that could be checked are named but not checked: Lorain, Ohio; WTAM; Cleveland State University.
- The caller claims multiple other witnesses (friends, sister, mother).
- No photograph, recording, document, or physical mark is presented or examined.
- No second witness speaks on air. The “friends” and sister are only claimed.
- Whether any named institution or person could be located is not established here.
- 1:57
What the model inferred (not said on air): No outside check was done. The hard cap is 50, and the content does not reach even the physical-evidence band.
The intrusions into the bedroom and the physical slapping of sleeping guests give the story a genuinely unsettling quality. There is no sustained threat or harm, which keeps it in the mid-range.
Evidence for and against
- Physical contact while guests sleep: [quote withheld]
- Something intrudes on the caller’s own bed: something sits on the bed at night.
- The host’s warning of “significant significant danger” frames the situation as unsafe.
- No injury, threat, or growing ill will is described.
- The parapsychologist’s description of [quote withheld] is harmless.
- The “white slicker” line is garbled and cannot be judged.
- 0:52
- 4:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): Rated from the content of the story only, not from how the caller sounded.
This is a familiar haunted-family-home setup with a couple of less common specifics, fitting the middle of the scale. The published originality score is compared with the rest of the archive and is provisional in the pilot.
Evidence for and against
- A distinctive combination: guests slapped awake while sleeping over, and a house said to be built by the caller’s own grandfather as the first owner.
- A parapsychologist’s specific instruction to tell it to go to the light rather than go away.
- The core motifs are familiar: shadows, voices calling names, a presence on the bed in a family home.
- Many details are fragmentary, which limits comparison.
- 1:26
- 2:16
What the model inferred (not said on air): This judgment is based on comparison with stock ghost-story motifs. It is not a claim about truth.
Scoring confidence 0.55 · analysis confidence 0.60 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story about seeing shadows and formations and feeling something sit on their bed; Secondhand or claimed testimony relayed by the caller about friends being slapped and seeing faces, and about their sister seeing shadows; A claimed consultation with an unnamed parapsychologist, with no document, recording, or examination presented on air; No photograph, recording, document, or second witness on air. The originality score blends the model's score (48) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- The feeling of something sitting on the bed could be a sensation while falling asleep rather than something outside the caller. · The caller reports the bed sensation while [quote withheld] a state in which sleep-related sensations are common.
- The overnight guests’ slapping could relate to dreaming, muscle jerks in sleep, or experiences while falling asleep. · The slapping is reported as happening [quote withheld] that is, to sleeping guests.
- Shapes and faces could be faces seen in patterns (pareidolia) or unclear forms in low light. No detail about the light is given. · The caller describes “clouds, formations, shadows” and their sister seeing “shadows,” with no further detail about light conditions.
What stands out
The caller says the house is one their own grandfather built and that the family are its only owners. They report overnight guests being physically slapped awake. A parapsychologist is said to have given specific advice: tell it to go to the light, not to go away.
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