After experiencing two deep personal losses, Brandon Alvis began exploring the possibility of life after death. Throughout his journey of paranormal investigation, Brandon has worked with renowned experts including American scientist Dr. Harry Kloor. Though he’s driven by passion, Brandon remains meticulous with logic and science basing his investigative approach on Einstein’s reasoning that everything is energy. And, according to the brilliant iconic physicist, energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transformed. Brandon’s methodology in exploring the final frontier of the paranormal didn’t go unnoticed. Attracting attention in paranormal circles, Brandon’s scientific approach lead him to join the cast of the paranormal investigation TV series Ghost Hunters. I recently spoke with Brandon about his work in the paranormal field, some of his extraordinary findings and much more!
SCIFI.radio: Hi Brandon! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.
Brandon Alvis: No problem!
SCIFI.radio: How long have you been investigating the paranormal and what first sparked your interest in the field?
Brandon Alvis: I’ve been investigating the paranormal for 16 years and I got into the field because I lost a brother to cancer in ’95 and a brother to suicide in ’04. So, that keeps me on my journey into the unexplained and trying to find the possible existence of a life after death. But I would call myself a natural skeptic. And, as a skeptic, I’m not someone who’s a nonbeliever. I’m someone who’s going out there to find evidence that life after death and the paranormal exists.
SCIFI.radio: I’m aware there are different ways to approach paranormal investigations. Some take a purely scientific approach. Some take a purely spiritual approach. Other’s blend the two. How do you approach your investigations?
Brandon Alvis: I approach my investigations from an unbias standpoint. Yes, I want to find data. Of course I want to find empirical evidence. In order to do that, I need to stay as unbiased as possible. I’m very scientifically minded. I need to have that proof. I need to have that data in order to have an understanding of what’s happening in a location. So, I go in, remain unbias, calm, grounded and logical starting on Earth and go from there.
SCIFI.radio: Where was your first official paranormal investigation and did you find anything?
Brandon Alvis: My first official investigation was at a location called the Wilkins House, which was a farmhouse in my hometown Bakersfield, California. Unfortunately, it has since been torn down and it’s no longer there. But years ago, when I worked as an audio tech and stagehand at the Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace, I had a colleague who told me about his friend whose family owned a haunted farmhouse on the edge of town. I investigated this place a few times and I ended up collecting my first paranormal evidence! This was also my first experience collecting evidence via electronic voice phenomenon, or EVP, recording. We were using very high quality computer software, recording equipment and microphones and we started to hear voices in an empty house! And it was something we were able to listen to and monitor live. So, we were able to get some amazing results!
I also captured two visual anomalies. One of which was a very large shadow figure that was captured in the living room of the home. The other was an image of what appeared to be the figure of a woman in the same area. And this is evidence that, to this day, I cannot explain! This was a very exciting place and I can’t wait to talk about it more in a book I’m co-writing with Ghost Hunters paranormal historian and analyst Mustafa Gatollari. Though I can’t release the name of the book title just yet, we’re hoping for this paranormal compilation to be released to paranormal readers in 2021.
SCIFI.radio: That sounds like something to look out for! Obviously, you’ve most recently become known for your part in the paranormal investigation show Ghost Hunters. When did you join the team and how did you become involved?
Brandon Alvis: Pilgrim Films reached out to me for Ghost Hunters. I never really wanted to be on TV. It wasn’t my goal. And when they first reached out about the possibility, I was hesitant. I wanted to insure that I would be conducting the same research I had been conducting for the last 14 years. And they said absolutely! That’s what they wanted. They were looking for someone very scientific minded and logical to come onto the show and provide a new methodology and investigation style that was different from prior seasons.
I’ve been very lucky to work with engineers, medical doctors and scientists including Dr. Harry Kloor, the only person in history to receive two PhDs simultaneously in any academic discipline. I have been very fortunate to work with these people who have helped me remain grounded in scientific principle. And my role on the show isn’t just a paranormal technician. I was brought in to implement a methodology and protocol. As you see in season two, I take over that lead spot where I lead the team, take everyone through and show them that methodology. And it has been very exciting!
SCIFI.radio: That has to be a great experience! What is the most haunted place you have ever investigated?
Brandon Alvis: The most haunted place I’ve investigated has to be the RMS Queen Mary located in Long Beach, California. It’s such an amazing location! It’s a site that I’ve been investigating since 2008 and it’s a location from where I have collected the most significant paranormal evidence I’ve personally ever seen. And there’s been enough unexplainable evidence from this location that I actually got Dr. Harry Kloor involved in working on this particular site.
SCIFI.radio: Have you personally ever seen any paranormal activity that could not be explained away by modern science?
Brandon Alvis: I have encountered activity that cannot be explained by modern science. In season two of Ghost Hunters, you see that I implemented an EMCCD camera, which is an electron multiplying camera that’s mainly used by the digital imaging scientific community to record single photon events. I used this device at Fort Stanton, Haines, Alaska, Galena, Ill. and Clifton, Ariz. and we started to collect photon events taking place in these allegedly haunted locations! Not only can’t these photon events be explained, but they seem to be creating images that are humanoid shaped, which is very interesting! We’ve consulted with various scientists and engineers, people who have taken a look at the footage, and they have no explanation for it. It’s something, to this day, that I can’t explain nor can my consultants.
SCIFI.radio: That’s very interesting! What is the craziest paranormal experience you’ve had first-hand?
Brandon Alvis: I would say that would be hearing disembodied voices at a location called Newhall Ranch House in Heritage Junction Park. There was a moment when I was standing in this ranch house by myself looking out of the window and I clearly heard a woman behind me. It was so clear and present that I thought it was a person in the building with me! Very quickly, I remembered that it was only myself and another male investigator on the entire property, which was gated off and locked. So, that was a moment that really blew my mind and I couldn’t explain. Something I would lean towards believing was supernatural.
SCIFI.radio: In the paranormal field, there’s a distiction between human spirits who were once alive and demonic inhuman spirits that are typically believed to be much more molevolent and dangerous. Have you encountered any paranormal activity brought on by inhuman spirits?
Brandon Alvis: I have been lucky enough not to come across any inhuman spirits. I know there are many people out there who specialize in that type of activity. But it isn’t something I have run into myself. I think sometimes people tend to project what they expect to experience and it’s their own prophecy, so to speak. Like attracts like and if you go out there wanting to find something, I think you’re going to find it.
SCIFI.radio: Two of the most recognized paranormal investigators were Ed and Lorraine Warren. However, the Warrens have been met with quite a bit of scrutiny over the years with some people believing they were frauds. What is your opinion on the two investigators?
Brandon Alvis: Ed and Lorraine Warren were around for so many years. You have blockbuster movies being made based on their research. You have the Travel Channel doing a shock-doc called Devil’s Road. They’re very widely recognized because of their status within the Hollywood aspect of the paranormal field. I never worked with them. I never met them. So, I can’t comment too much on their research. I’ve seen some clips and some of the stuff they did. I don’t 100% agree with it. It isn’t my style of investigation. But they definitely did lay a foundation for what we’re seeing in the modern paranormal field.
SCIFI.radio: Many people who believe in the paranormal also believe cases should not be walked into without preparation. Are there any preparations that you and your team take?
Brandon Alvis: Preparing for an investigation is very crucial. Not only do you need to have an understanding of the property, but you need to be very aware of all the environmental conditions associated with the property. You need to be familiar with the layouts, the blueprints, the history. You have to be informed as much as possible in order to really have a conclusion in a case. So you have to be as prepared as possible. It’s no different than a sports team having a game plan figuring out what they’re going to do and how they’re going to execute it. Your plan of attack is very important because, if you go into an investigation blindly, I think that you can run into some very bad situations. It could be a homeowner case with a traumatic or criminal past. It might be a bad building with a deteriorating structure. It can be very dangerous! So, having a game plan, knowing your methodology, knowing your ethics and knowing your protocols are all very important.
SCIFI.radio: If a paranormal case is verified as authentic, are there any further steps taken?
Brandon Alvis: If a case is verified as authentic, you just have to go further and try to collect as much data and empirical evidence associated with your findings. The more data and empirical evidence that is collected, the more it’s going to take us out of the shadow of pseudo-science, which is very important for this field. I think life after death is the last frontier of scientific exploration. If a location is verified to be authentic, go in, document, see if you can find a pattern. See if you can find correlations and maybe even possible explanations.
SCIFI.radio: Some paranormal experts contest that spirits have the ability to “follow” you home. Do you believe this is something that can potentially happen and have you ever experienced this first-hand?
Brandon Alvis: You actually can be followed home. This happened to me once after leaving the Newhall Ranch House and I documented that entire situation. I recorded a voice of what sounded like a man moaning in pain in the haunted location. When I returned to where I was living at the time in Bakersfield, California, I walked into my apartment and I saw the closet door in my living room open by itself. Having my equipment at hand, I started my audio recorder and recorded the same exact voice 95 miles away from the haunted location. And I had the audio recordings broken down through a spectrum analysis and they were identical. It was something we couldn’t explain! So, you can be followed. It does happen. You just have to have your own belief system, your own way of thinking, and put yourself in your own protection.
SCIFI.radio: That’s wild! And to wrap things up, I need to ask is your favorite horror film in the paranormal subgenre?
Brandon Alvis: My favorite horror film in the paranormal subgenre would have to be The Changeling. It’s such a great movie. George C. Scott is fantastic and it’s based off of an actual story! It obviously was embellished, but it’s a fantastic movie and a cult classic.
While Brandon continues to explore the unexplainable, he and the paranormal community are finding evidence of things in this world that science cannot yet explain. Could this be potential proof of life after death? It seems like a strong possibility. For more intriguing paranormal fun, be sure to keep a lookout for Brandon’s name in a byline expected to hit bookshelves in 2021.
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