Sightings: “Our Favorite Ghost Story: The Black Forest Haunting”

Podcast: Sightings
Host: REVERB | QCODE
Episode Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Sightings revisits the infamous Black Forest Haunting, considered by the hosts as the most chilling ghost story they've covered. The hosts, McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley, recount the harrowing account of a television crew’s investigation into reported hauntings in a Colorado log home, and then deep-dive into the broader lore, reality, and aftermath of the case. By blending personal narratives, fact, and a critical look at both skepticism and belief, this episode explores the thin line between supernatural myth and real terror.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting Up the Haunting

• Introduction of the Case (01:37–04:09)

  • McLeod, as a former “segment producer” on a paranormal TV show, describes his usual expectation that cases are “smoke and mirrors.” However, a submission from Black Forest caught his attention for its seemingly unexplainable footage: moving orbs and ghostly faces captured on video.
  • Quote: “A second shot revealed two more orbs... then a third shot showed four of them undulating through the air like ghostly serpents to my eye... I’d never seen anything like it before.” – McLeod (06:16)

• Initial Skepticism and Expertise (07:43)

  • Footage is reviewed by a top special effects artist, who admits some anomalies “would be difficult, if not impossible, to reproduce... many seemed to defy the laws of optics entirely.”

2. The TV Crew Investigation

• Arrival and First Impressions (09:54–10:14)

  • The crew (McLeod, Clay, Nicole, and psychic Gilly) arrives to an “oppressive sense of malaise”—the first hint something is amiss.

• The Jones Family's Experiences

  • Dave Jones, the homeowner (pseudonym; real name “Lee” revealed later), describes a once-idyllic home turned “nightmare” by unrelenting phenomena:
    • Flashes of lights
    • Loud, unexplained booms
    • Rattling chains, orchestral sounds
    • Overpowering chemical smells
    • Children seeing shadows every night
    • More than 60 “break-ins” captured on video, with police reaching the point of not responding (11:30–13:00).

• First Paranormal Encounter (13:50)

  • Minutes after cameras are active, orbs appear again, followed by a loud, house-shaking boom—all documented on video.

  • Quote: “As I realized what was happening here might actually be real, I shuddered.” – McLeod (13:54)

3. The Walkthrough and Escalation

• The Psychic’s Walkthrough (16:33–18:50)

  • Gilly experiences intense discomfort, unusual compared to her usual showmanship.

  • The crew detects a “burning chemical smell” (matching prior claims) and a thermal imaging camera picks up a human-shaped anomaly.

  • In the master bedroom, Gilly declares a century-old mirror to be a “gateway to the other side.”

  • Quote: “This is the source... a gateway to the other side.” – Gilly (19:54)

• Apparition Attack (20:11–21:16)

  • A dark shape appears on thermal imaging, projecting a dagger-like appendage toward Gilly; Nicole disrupts the scene, the apparition vanishes, and a loud crash is heard as camera equipment falls.

  • Quote: “I think we’d pissed off an actual ghost.” – McLeod (21:16)

4. Physical Manifestations and Aftermath

• Interview and Possession (21:30–23:00)

  • During an interview, Paula (Dave’s wife) reports “feeling held down,” and Nicole experiences numbness and terror, claiming “something went inside her.” She must be rushed outside and to the hospital.

  • McLeod, left alone, sees a glowing orb with his naked eye, chases it with a camera into the bedroom, and witnesses dozens of faces in the mirror before being knocked out by an unseen force.

  • Quote: “A massive shadow rose in the room behind me. And then, all of a sudden, a stabbing pain ripped through the back of my head and everything went black.” – McLeod (23:45)

  • Memorable Moment: The discovery that the only lasting “injury” is a shadowy figure captured on camera plunging a “shadowy dagger” into McLeod’s head.

5. Epilogue and Personal Impact

• Long-term Effects (28:00)
  • McLeod suffers daily headaches and a newfound fear of the dark, never returns to paranormal programming, but keeps the eerie photo as a memento—a tangible reminder, “Nothing in this world is a joke.”

Reality Check: Exploring Fact and Folklore

1. Local Perspective and Real-Life Ties (29:28–33:16)

• Brian reveals he grew up near the real Black Forest house and even knew one of its residents personally, confirming the reality of the site and its haunted reputation.

  • Quote: “This story actually happened a few miles away from where I grew up... I went to high school with one of the kids from the family that lived in the house.” – Brian (29:44)

• Confirmation that all phenomena described were reported, though names and the segment producer’s personality were changed for narrative effect.

• The family, the “Lees,” remained in the house despite everything, displaying “nerves of steel” (33:19).

2. The Evidence & TV Documentation (33:42–36:37)

• Reported collection of “3,000 photos and some 400 tapes” of anomalies by the family patriarch.

• The original TV show, Sightings, investigated with a psychic (Echo Bodine), confirmed strange happenings including orbs, faces, and a “spirit named Tom.”

• Repeated visits by TV crews, continued claims of phenomena (including “possession” and temperature drops).

• Quote: “Experts are like, we don’t know how they’re doing it. This defies the laws of optics.” – Brian (35:46)

3. Theories: Paranormal or Not? (37:39–42:21)

• Theories range from an actual haunting (including a “rainbow vortex,” a spiritual passageway said to exist only in three places worldwide), to hoax, to government experiments with psychic warfare and laser holograms.

• Memorable Moment: The family claims to have had Native American shamans declare the house sits on a “rainbow vortex”—“a passageway between this world and the spirit world” (38:17).

• Despite multiple TV crews, skepticism, and even a state senator’s investigation, the family never moved.

  • Quote: “It’s been reported that [the father] thinks the government is somehow involved with this and testing laser holograms or psychic warfare technology on his family.” – Brian (42:21)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On skepticism and reality:
  “At least it was usually [smoke and mirrors]. See what I did there? It’s called a teaser.” – McLeod (03:46)

• On the lasting psychological trauma:
  “I still get headaches every day. I shudder at the smallest things and have a newfound problem with the dark... I suppose it’s fitting.” – McLeod (27:36)

• On the family’s resilience:
  “This family is nerves of steel.” – Brian (33:19)

• On personal connection:
  “Because there’s this kind of weird, tangential connection for me to this story. I know the area. I knew some of the people... I have to believe that something was happening on this property, whether it was ghosts or just... All I can say is that now it’s become a really pretty famous, haunting story because it was featured on TV all these times.” – Brian (40:15)

Key Timestamps

• 01:37 – McLeod sets up “what happens when a jaded camera crew sees the real deal.”
• 03:19 – Introduction of “the Void” TV show and their approach to paranormal “entertainment.”
• 06:16 – McLeod is hooked by Black Forest’s strange orb footage.
• 07:43 – Special effects expert: phenomena would be “difficult, if not impossible, to reproduce.”
• 09:54 – Arrival at the house, first feelings of unease.
• 11:30–13:00 – Family history: series of escalating supernatural events.
• 13:54 – First on-site orb manifestation changes McLeod’s skepticism.
• 16:33 – Psychic walkthrough, thermal anomaly appears.
• 19:54 – Gilly identifies the master bedroom mirror as a “gateway.”
• 20:11–21:16 – Apparition attack witnessed through thermal imaging.
• 23:45 – McLeod’s direct encounter, blackout, and aftermath.
• 29:44 – Brian shares personal connection to the case.
• 35:46 – Special effects experts baffled by phenomenon.
• 38:17 – “Rainbow vortex” explanation from Native American shamans.
• 42:21 – Government tech theory.
• 43:15 – Hosts invite listeners to share their theories.

Tone and Style

The episode blends wry skepticism (especially from McLeod), personal vulnerability (both hosts), and story-driven immersion with a distinct “this could be real” tension. Exchanges feature both skepticism and open-mindedness, and critical humor:

• “I wanted to believe this guy was real. He reminds me of, you know, producers I’ve met at parties before.” (30:46)
• “But, like, out of love. As with all producers.” (30:56)

Conclusion

This episode stands as both a compelling ghost story and a reflective examination of why tales like the Black Forest Haunting endure. The hosts’ personal stakes, the detailed retelling of the TV crew’s frightening experiences, and the layers of folklore, fact, and speculation leave even seasoned skeptics “officially spooked.”

For Listeners:

If you grew up near Colorado Springs or have insight into the Black Forest Haunting, the hosts request you reach out via their social media. Next week: the team revisits their favorite alien story—stay tuned.

[End of Summary]