Spooky season is upon us and we're getting ready to welcome you back to experience the darker side of the Riverside Theater with ghost tours of the historic venue. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, make sure to brush up on all the ghostly jargon before you embark on your paranormal passage. What's the difference between an EMF and an EVP? Are spirits and ghosts the same thing? Find out below: 

*Paranormal Glossary from The Travel Channel's Aaron Sagers*

Disembodied Voice: A voice or noise that lacks an explainable source. (see EVP)

EMF: Electromagnetic Field. EMFs are emissions of energy, that are associated with the use of electrical power. An EMF detector is used by investigators to differentiate between explainable sources like exposed wiring and unexplainable. Unexplainable sources may be an indicator of currently present paranormal activity as an entity attempts to use any sort of energy in the vicinity to manifest.

EVP: The abbreviation for “electronic voice phenomena,” which refers to noises of a paranormal nature that cannot be heard with the human ear, but are recorded by electronic devices.

Ghost: Typically refers to the soul of a deceased human (or animal) that continues to exist in some form on an earthly plane without “crossing over.”

Intelligent Haunting: Activity resulting from an aware ghost or spirit that interacts with its environment.

Matrixing: Also known as “pareidolia,” it is the brain’s perception of a meaningful pattern within random sounds or images.

Orb: An often translucent, circular anomaly (or “ball of light”) seen in photography -- and sometimes with the naked eye -- that may be, depending on your theory, a bug, speck of dust, reflection, moisture or spirit energy.

Paranormal: Literally, “above normal,” it refers to anything outside or beyond current scientific explanation.

Residual Haunting: Repetitive paranormal activity resulting from the energy imprint of a person or event in time.

Shadow Person: A commonly-reported inky black humanoid entity that moves fast, it is often spotted out of the corner of the eye and has been interpreted to be anything from a ghost or demon, to alien, time traveler or inter-dimensional being.

Spirit: As opposed to a ghost (see above), a spirit is normally the soul of the deceased that has crossed over, and exists in a spiritual or metaphysical plane.

Supernatural: Typically referring to spiritual or religious matters, the laws of nature do not apply to this realm.

*Reference: https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/articles/paranormal-glossary

Now that you know how to speak “ghost,” put your knowledge to the test on a Riverside Ghost hunt…limited tickets available!