Over the weekend I binge-watched around 120 paranormal YouTube videos posted by Michael D Magee. They amounted to approximately six hours of viewing. Why? Two reasons. 1) We’d recently asked Michael if he would be interested in being interviewed for a ThankBookFor Halloween podcast special*; and 2) because once I started to watch, I became more and more intrigued.
Magee claims to have been haunted by a number of entities (spirits/demons, etc.) since 2009. He has moved five times (by the last count) and the activity has always started again in his new home. The conclusion is that it’s not the houses that are haunted, it’s Magee himself. What sets Magee apart in his claims is that he has documented huge amounts of footage of this supernatural activity (please see the below clip for examples, and be sure to check how many views it’s had).
Magee has more than 70,000 YouTube followers, with thousands more on Twitter and Facebook. He’s well-known in paranormal circles as being one of the few investigators who have recorded some of the most fascinating and chin-scratching pieces of “evidence” in his field. Examples include recording visible apparitions (using Kinect software and filming in thermal and infrared spectrums), catching footage of items seemingly moving on their own, recording EVP sessions where the voices of the spirits haunting him can be heard answering his questions, and last, but not least, a session where an entity typed a message to him on the keyboard of his computer.
During my viewing, I read a lot of the YouTube comments (and I did watch all the videos, in chronological order), and Magee clearly has a huge amount of support from fans and believers. I admit to being freaked out a time or two myself, probably because I did the majority of watching after 10pm. I even slept with the lamp on for a short while on Saturday night. I also found myself wondering how the hell Magee did it. It’s all very clever.
Does that mean I believe what I saw in the videos? Do I believe Michael D. Magee is, in fact, haunted by spirits?
The answer is no. No, I do not. And I’ll explain why.
1. Commenters on YouTube have asked Magee to Live Stream some of the “hot spots” in his house. Live Streaming is extremely common these days and super easy to set-up. It also has the added bonus of Magee’s address remaining completely secret. Still, he hasn’t provided a single Live Stream session.
2. I am uncomfortable with the way some his evidence is presented. If it’s simply for documentation purposes, there should be no need to present clips with up to 20 seconds of suspenseful build-up before something occurs (a cupboard door swinging open or an orb floating across the screen). Magee also often ends a video with phrases like “I hope you enjoyed [the video]”. Enjoyed? Are we here to enjoy it, or are we here to be convinced that you’re telling the truth? Two very different motivations for watching.
3. It should also be stated that Magee, at the beginning of all this, was a Media and Film student at university. He obviously has a wide and comprehensive knowledge of editing, recording and special effects. Indeed, all of his clips are immaculately presented.
4. One of the earlier videos included footage of a shadowy figure walking across the screen only to approach the camera and cause electrical interference. In another earlier video, Magee documents a “demon” entering his bedroom window and trashing his room. These larger, dramatic events are the only amateurish videos Magee has presented so far, and since then he has stuck to offering smaller, more “credible” footage.
5. As I mentioned above, the video that shows an entity using Magee’s keyboard and computer to type out a message holds some concerns for me. For a few days, Magee waited for any activity to occur until, finally, the entity typed out a message that could have been interpreted as HELL, HELLO, or HELP. In the clip, we even hear the clicking of the keys. However, it is filmed like all his videos – from across the room, partially zoomed in. If Magee’s sole purpose for that video was to capture an entity typing on his computer, why not set the camera close enough so we can see the depression of the keys? Many people queried this (and also the lack of movement of the space bar even though spaces appear in the typed text) and, despite the success of the test (the entity did appear to communicate), Magee has never repeated it.
6. On more than one occasion Magee has been asked to set up cameras so that the entirety of a room be seen from all angles. Magee claims that the cost of buying extra camera equipment to do this is not possible on the wage he earns at his warehouse job. Let me make clear that he has more than one camera. Often, he has a camera in the living room as well as in the kitchen, and in his study, all running concurrently (he flips between shots in his videos). Therefore, at the very least, he owns two cameras. Therefore, why not film one room from all angles and put to rest the non-believers who believe he is off-screen, orchestrating some of this supernatural activity?
7. And most damning of all, despite continued suggestions by viewers that Magee invite an outside party to come into his home and verify some of his claims, he has always refused, stating that he values his privacy too much to allow strangers into his house. Admittedly, I would also be wary of giving my address out to someone in these circumstances, but until someone who is neutral and unbiased and preferably science-minded (and is not related to Magee) corroborates Magee’s findings and confirms them as valid evidence of a haunting, none of this is trustworthy and I’m not buying it. Sorry.
Saying all that, one of the key reasons for Magee’s popularity lies not only in his impeccable presentation of his footage and sound bites, but in his sincerity. He comes across as nothing but a nice, genuine, polite guy. I liked him. He even openly debunks some of his own evidence and he encourages his viewers to do the same. Question everything, he tells us. It’s very hard to believe this man could be duping us when his sincere expression and earnest explanations meet us at every turn.
I enjoyed watching Magee’s videos. I was entertained. And that’s the key word for me here. The haunting of Michael D Magee is pure entertainment. Until, that is, he decides to let someone in on his haunting who has absolutely nothing to gain from it.
*At the time of posting this blog, Mr Magee has yet to reply to our request for an interview.**
**He has now responded 😀
(Did you enjoy reading this article? You might like G X Todd’s fiction books, too. DEFENDER and HUNTED are available to buy now.)
GXTodd 
so what was his response?
LikeLike
He thanked me for being kind in my comments even though we didn’t share the same views. I think he must get a fair few antagonistic comments from non-believers.
LikeLike
Nice Analysis there. I think he is a genuinely nice guy seeking some cash through youtube.
LikeLike
I agree with you 100%. Cheers for the comment.
LikeLike
I have to agree with every word you said Gemma. Last night I sat and watched quite a few of his video’s, at first I was sucked in like the many but as the night wore on and the more and more video’s I viewed, I began to think that something wasn’t quite right about them. Today I did an internet search to see if his video’s were genuine and that’s when I came across your posting.
I’ve only ever done one ghost hunt at Shepton Mallet prison in Somerset, as a non believer I honestly went in with an open mind and if I seen things with my own eye’s then I would have no doubt been converted but I seen nothing, I did hear a bang but in a large empty prison that could have been anything. There is supposedly a prison Cell in this prison that no prisoner could spend more than a night in, eventually one tough prisoner managed to stick it out for one week before asking to be moved. Now I am so open minded that on the 13th Oct 2017 I am returning to this haunted prison for a ghost hunt and lock in and I will be requesting to stay the night in this cell with a couple of gadgets to help convince me lol I’m going to try and do a live feed on my facebook wall for others to see if anything actually happens.
LikeLike
Gee whiz, you’re braver than me! I did a ouija board session in the so-called haunted basement of the Station Hotel in Dudley. Nothing happened, but I did have two experts with me. I wouldn’t do it alone!
LikeLike
Being a lead research and development scientist in a paranormal organization I see your point on everythi g you have stated! It is obvious from the way Michael claps to sync his videos to the colored gels he uses to modify the light so it’s not so harsh. I have designed and used some of the equipment he uses and hopefully he will use some of my equipment in some of his future videos. There are places all over where skeptics can tear him apart yet he has many good points. I cannot in good faith to ask him to do certain things because he is I. Such an environment. I use the word opportunity that he has that many other researchers wish for (Not I though, be careful what you wish for). He does live in a laboratory of sorts but that is harsh language and it takes advantage of his circumstances. I believe you will be pleasantly suprised at some of the new equipment if he chooses to take me up on my offer. But the astrals, spirits,etc.. are not there for our enjoyment so there has to be a give and take. As I said, he has a girlfriend , gerbil, and a life. He does live in a paranormal research laboratory but no one has the right to take advantage of him and make his life a circus. I think he’s done a really fi e job of everything as well as letting people judge for themselves. I am sure he may not have had the ability to film everythi g at the time of the writing and now that he does he has not gotten any keypresses but if they come I believe we will see them. Be skeptical! Even though I know this stuff has been talked about ever since time memorial we have to revisit the originals such as harry price and Konstantine Raudive and jurgenson as well as Tesla and even Edison! Thank you, john
LikeLike
I don’t think we’ll have an answer to any of these questions for a long time to come! Thanks for your reply 🙂
LikeLike
I have been following Michael Magee since the very start and although I am a skeptic I still find myself incredibly interested in his haunted journey.I totally understand his wish for anonimity due to the polarising effect of the subject matter!He would be a target for unhinged nutters all over! I have noticed a growing number of people trying to discredit him and I for 1 will be disappointed if he is caught faking it or he comes out and confesses to it all being a gag!Like thousands of people i look forward to an outcome one way or the other!
LikeLike
Well, all I can say is I’m still waiting for him to be discredited. So he’s definitely playing the long game.
LikeLike
Gemma, I always swore blind that I’d never do a Ouija board session or is the finger on the glass a different thing? I don’t know but the opportunity arouse during the prison ghost hunt with the pro’s, so being open minded I did give it a go, the pro told us to place our finger on the glass but do it so you just touch the surface and do not press hard. There was about 6 of us with our fingers on the glass and I was looking at everyone’s fingers, all but one seemed to be giving it the light touch but this one guy who looked like he was pressing down harder than everyone else caused me not to believe the glass was being moved by a spirit. I’m still yet to be convinced that spirits are real but I will continue to keep an open mind until I see something for myself. keep up the good blog
LikeLike
Ouija sessions are foolish and dangerous. Don’t mess with that stuff. Ever.
I have experienced things that cannot be explained away easily. Whether they were hauntings or not I cannot say. I can say that in most cases I wasn’t alone in experiencing it.
At the moment Michael is taking a break from this stuff, over 7 years he has had a couple of year long gaps so this is a hell of a long sell if he’s only doing it to make money. He has over 200k subscribers now. He could be monetising that and could easily be on 500k if he’d remained active by his growth rate.
I consider myself a highly skeptical believer. I believe that 90% of what’s out there is fake, maybe even 95%. Ghost adventurers is the biggest crock of sh*t I’ve ever seen. Most Haunted started out in the early 2000s being quite believable then went down the path of forcing evidence. This is the problem with the majority of these things.
Michael’s early stuff (I haven’t got through more than a 3rd of it yet) appears to mostly be quite genuine and believable. It may be that later, with the pressure to provide content, he has pushed it a little and possibly manufactured evidence or exaggerated it. Personally, I also would not want to bring people into my home either.
Is he really haunted? I have no idea. I also have no idea how he moved a fruit bowl while remaining in shot having shown the room quickly. Could he have faked it? Absolutely. I will not, and should not make a judgement call one way or another without evidence. For now I’ll remain skeptical but interested.
LikeLike
GEMMAXTODD Thanks for your detail explanation why you think Michael Magee is a fake. I personally do believe in the paranormal but just not him. These videos are always so nicely set up with the subject and it seems the entities can always move and knock objects about up never lift or levitate them. Its a bit unconvincing where the demon makes a mess of his room but we only got to see the before and after shots. I just think given his nice and sincere personality, if he is there to share to the world that spirits exist he would be doing much more to assist with researchers and investigators around the world because it will be a scientific breakthrough and discovery. Can you imagine the world’s reaction and how human view religion and gods if there is unequivocal proof that spirits exists in the world and there is indeed life after death. It would totally change the world and how we perceive to live beyond our death.
LikeLike
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. And I agree – Michael would be doing a lot more than posting videos to YouTube if he’d genuinely found irrefutable proof that ghosts/spirits, etc. were real.
LikeLike
Too many ‘if-thens’. If only he this and that, then this and that. If you don’t like his tactics and you cannot prove OR disprove his work, your opinions don’t matter. It’s time to move on. Your proof yeah or nay is only your opinion and has no credibility. Let him alone.
He stopped making vids many months ago.
LikeLike
I’ve only just heard of Michael through Friday’s ‘Unexplained: Caught on Camera’ as he was featured on it (will no doubt raise his profile further). I’m now intrigued to watch more videos as I only saw a snippet of them on the programme.
I really respect your well thought out views and all very valid points raised. I already have a few niggles as to the integrity of the videos but shall try remain open minded until I’ve seen more.
I have been on many paranormal investigations and captured only a couple of explained things over the years so I do struggle a bit to think Michael is experiencing so much activity continuously. Has he ever documented anything in his workplace? Thinking that if he himself is haunted that he would experience things elsewhere and not just in his home. I know that if I was Michael and all he claims is genuine that I’d be looking to get myself and surroundings cleansed!
LikeLike
Sorry meant unexplained things not explained!
LikeLike
Dear Gemma, first sory my ingles, is to bad xD
Second, now you can say if the Michael videos is true or false?
Carlos Soares – Azores Ilha Terceira
LikeLike