Ghost hunters love their gadgets. EMF meters, recorders, cameras, motion sensors—you name it, we bring it on an investigation. But ask anyone who’s been in the field long enough, and they’ll tell you the same thing: electronics don’t play nice around ghosts. Get the scoop after the jump.

Fresh batteries drain in minutes. Lights flicker. Recorders shut off in mid-sentence. Cameras glitch. It’s one of the most common “signs of a haunting.” But why does it happen? Let’s break it down.

The Paranormal Claim

Reports go back decades. Teams enter a haunted house with a bag of brand-new batteries. Within the hour, they’re toast. Or an investigator sets up a camcorder on a tripod. When the spirit activity ramps up, the camcorder freezes and won’t record again until later.

Even homeowners tell the same stories: TVs turning off, appliances refusing to work, lights dimming without any power issues in the rest of the house.

So what’s going on?

The Scientific Explanations

Before we dive into ghostly theories, let’s look at the science. Haunted places are usually old places, and old places come with quirks.

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)

Strong EMFs from bad wiring, power lines, or even Wi-Fi routers can make electronics act weird. They can also make people feel sick, dizzy, or defensive. That alone could explain some “haunted” feelings.

Battery Chemistry

Batteries drain faster in damp, cold environments—exactly what you find in basements, attics, or abandoned buildings. High EMFs can also mess with how batteries discharge.

Lighting Problems

Lights flicker because of loose bulbs, dirty sockets, or old wiring. A haunted hotel with 1920s wiring isn’t going to be stable, no matter how many electricians have patched it over the years.

Electronic Glitches

Static discharge, humidity, or worn-out circuits can make electronics fail without any ghosts involved. It’s just the reality of investigating in run-down locations.

So yes, there are plenty of normal reasons why your gear fails.

The Paranormal Theories

And yet … skeptics can’t explain away everything. Too many cases happen at the exact moment ghostly activity ramps up. That’s why investigators lean on a few common theories:

Spirits Feed on Energy

The idea here is simple—ghosts need power to manifest, and batteries are an easy source. That’s why gear drains suddenly.

Residual Energy Field

Some hauntings are thought to be “recordings” of traumatic events. These energetic imprints might disrupt electronics when triggered.

Interdimensional Interference

A fringe idea says ghosts come from another plane of reality. Crossing back and forth distorts electromagnetic space, which scrambles our electronics.

None of these are proven, of course. But they do line up with what investigators experience again and again.

Field Tests for Ghost Hunters

If you want to get nerdy with your investigations, you can set up some simple experiments to track interference:

Battery Logging

Record how long fresh batteries last in the field compared to at home. Look for drastic differences.

Baseline EMF Readings

Take EMF measurements before activity starts. If spikes show up right when electronics fail, that’s worth noting.

Faraday Cage Test

Place a small device inside a shielded box. If it still glitches, something more than EMFs might be at play.

Redundancy

Run multiple devices at once. If all fail at the same time, you may have a stronger case for paranormal influence.

These won’t prove ghosts drain batteries or fry circuits, but they’ll help you separate natural causes from the ghostly causes.

What It Means for Investigators

At the end of the day, ghost hunters should always rule out normal causes first. Old wiring, damp conditions, and static are everywhere in old buildings. But if your electronics consistently fail at the height of reported activity, you may be onto something more mysterious.

Electronics and ghosts have a long and messy relationship. Whether it’s faulty wiring or spirits feeding off your batteries, one thing’s certain … your gadgets won’t always survive the hunt.

Sources

Laythe, Brian, and K. Owen. A Critical Test of the EMF-Paranormal Phenomena Theory: Evidence from a Haunted Site without Electricity-Generating Fields. Journal of Parapsychology, vol. 77, no. 2, Jan. 2013, pp. 212–36.

Battery Drain Phenomena During Apparition Encounters Explained by Scientific and Paranormal Research. TVI Show, 2 May 2025.

Laythe, Brian, and James Houran. “Concomitant Object Movements and EMF-Spikes at a Purported Haunt.” Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, vol. 83, no. 4, Oct. 2019, pp. 212–29.

“Can Electromagnetic Fields Create Ghosts?” Skeptical Inquirer, May 2017.

Parsons, Steven. “Electromagnetism and Paranormal Phenomena.” Psi Encyclopedia, 5 Apr. 2022.

“Are Your Flickering Lights a Ghost or an Electrical Failure?” Electrical Connections LLC Blog, 7 Oct. 2024.

Mayhan, Joni. “Ghosts and Electricity.” JoniMayhan.com, 17 Dec. 2013.

If you’ve experienced failing electronics while ghost hunting, tell me about it in the comments. What did you do to recover, and did you get other evidence?

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated and take care!