Crowe: The sensible way is to take a degree in psychology first, and specialize later. That way, you get a good overview of how people react to things like being alone in the dark. It helps to separate simple panic reactions from true events. Nowadays, in some universities, you can enroll for a degree in parapsychology straight away. I don‘t, personally, agree with that. You’re likely to attract the unquestioning-believer who starts from the premise that they will definitely find The Answer. A noble ambition, but one that gets dashed too easily. Some will then clutch at straws and produce work that is easily discredited. That just fuels the skeptics.

Valentine: What possessed you to become a ghost hunter?

Crowe: I started as one of the fundamentalist skeptics I now rage against. That’s not quite true. As a child, conversations with dead relatives were normal to me, but I was “persuaded” otherwise, and lost both the ability and the belief in that ability. Later, I became disillusioned with mediums when I found they (the ones I met) were unable to really contact anyone. I learned cold and warm reading, the use of assistants to glean information in casual conversation, the double-slate trick, and so on. Eventually I did receive uncontestable messages. Perhaps I was able to filter that out because by then, I knew all the tricks. This was no trick. It was proof to me, but will not stand as proof to anyone else. That’s what I’m looking for now. Proof that could not have been faked. Proof that no skeptic can find another explanation for. I haven’t found it yet.

Valentine: Has anything you’ve encountered during an investigation truly scared you? What about your assistant? Does she ever get frightened?

Crowe: There are things other than ghosts, and some of them are truly malicious. They can be worrying. As for Elaine, she says she’s never met anything scarier than me.

Valentine: Is ghost hunting dangerous work? Do you ever run into poltergeists?

Crowe: Ghosts are not dangerous, even those who wish harm on us. They can make us believe they can harm us though, and that can have unpleasant results. Poltergeists and a few other non-ghost hauntings can be dangerous. Some have been known to start fires. I haven’t come across one with that particular ability myself. They are infuriating to investigate since they only move objects when nobody is watching. Poltergeists have a variety of explanations, and “ghost” is only one of them. They might all be correct.

Valentine: You live in the UK. Compared to the U.S., its history is ancient. There must be a lot of haunted places. How do you decide which to investigate?

Crowe: There are a lot of haunted places, yes, but most are well documented. Finding anything in those places is immediately met with “yes, but you could have read up on it beforehand.” They’re good places to practice technique, but not much use when looking for new evidence. I look for out-of-the-way places, which aren’t surrounded by publicity but which have local reports or even rumour surrounding them.

US history is ancient also. There were people there before Christopher Columbus arrived, and there have been skeletons that appear to predate the Native American population. The only difference is that the UK has ancient buildings, which makes the ghosts easier to find.

Valentine: Are there any places you’re just dying to investigate, but have been unable to get into? Like Windsor Castle, or Buckingham Palace, for instance?

Crowe: Any paranormal investigator would jump at the chance to get into a Royal residence at night, not least because they have been rarely, if ever, studied. It’s not going to happen though. Their security would throw a fit at the very idea.

Valentine: Do you get calls from people asking you to investigate their homes or other buildings, or to drive away any ghosts you might find in them?

Crowe: Rarely. Usually I go out and look for them myself. I am wary of places looking for publicity. Any hint that a hotel, for example, might be haunted is very good for business. There are a few places that invite investigations for publicity rather than out of any real interest. So I prefer to find places on my own.

I’m not qualified to perform exorcisms, so I don’t. That’s a different profession and best left to those who know how to do it. Meddling can make things worse.

Crowe: Sometimes they’re difficult to get rid of. Some are lost and afraid and latch onto anyone who speaks to them. It’s not frightening. It’s like having a clinging, needy person around. Irritating. Some hang around for days until they work out how to move on, or come to terms with their situation. It comes down to a difficult choice. You want to tell them to go away and stop bothering you, but at the same time you want them to hang around in case they produce an image you can photograph, or record a voice saying something that can be verified later. So far they’ve just been irritating.

Valentine: What advice would you give an amateur ghost-hunter who has a ghost-hunting experience that turns out to be more than he bargained for?

Crowe: Get out of there quick, but be sure to make clear that the ghost, or whatever it is, is not welcome to follow you. There are rules, and even the bad ones have to respect them. Remember, you’re a ghost too, but in a physical body. That makes you the more powerful. Don’t let them think otherwise.

Valentine: Ever given any thought to what you’d like your epitaph to say when you depart from the material world?

Crowe: I once saw a drawing of a gravestone with the simple epitaph, “Well this sucks.” It made me laugh. I’ve wondered about being buried under an enormous slab of granite with the words “Let’s see you get out of that,” on it. I haven’t thought of my last words yet. I hope there’ll be plenty of time for that.

Valentine: Will you be conducting an investigation for Halloween?

Crowe: I don’t have a specific location in mind yet, but yes, I’ll be out somewhere for Halloween. It’s actually Celtic New Year, not the witch-fest the Church made it out to be when they tried to discredit the old British religion. However, there are many people pressing for ghosts to appear on that night, so the chance of getting one interested is high.

Valentine: Thank you for taking this time with us. Have any last words you’d like to share?

Crowe: Have you ever screamed at a spider and been told it was more scared of you than you were of it? It’s often the same way with ghosts. There’s nothing to be scared of. They can’t hurt you, and most don’t want to. Don’t run screaming. Be patient and talk to them. Find out what it’s like for them. Then, when it’s your turn, you’ll be ready.