Interview with Paranormal YouTube sensation Amy’s Crypt

GhostMag is joined by the paranormal investigator behind Amy’s Crypt, a YouTube channel conducting paranormal investigations in some of the most haunted places in the world.

We explore the catalyst that propelled Amy and her partner Jarrad into the world of ghost hunting, her changing beliefs about the paranormal, and the rigorous preparation that goes into each investigation.

She recounts experiences that have left her truly afraid, and shares insights on breaking through the saturated world of YouTube ghost hunting. Amy also addresses criticisms, the balance of entertainment and serious investigations, and her personal experiences in renowned haunted locations.

We also discuss a range of innovative apps and devices that have been developed by the duo, under the GhostTube banner.

Could you tell us a little about your journey into the world of paranormal investigation? What sparked your interest, and how did you specifically get into ghost hunting?

My journey into the world of paranormal investigation began at a young age; I had always been fascinated with all things spooky. My mum is a big fan of horror and often let my sisters and I stay up late watching scary movies and telling spooky stories. However, it wasn’t until I experienced something I couldn’t explain that my passion for ghost hunting truly ignited.

Jarrad and I were living in San Francisco at the time, in a Victorian style apartment built in the 1800’s. My parents came to visit us for a holiday, we offered to sleep on the couch in the living room, and in the middle of the night, I woke up to see a little girl standing in the hallway, staring at me. It happened so quickly that when I rubbed my eyes, she was gone, as if a light had been switched off.

I told my parents and Jarrad what had happened the next day but didn’t describe the little girl’s appearance in case she appeared to anyone else. Then some months later, whilst back in Australia for Christmas, We were discussing starting a youtube channel (now Amy’sCrypt) when Jarrad’s father revealed that he didn’t like the idea because he “sometimes sees dead people” with some further questioning on this surprising information he mentioned that he too had seen a little girl when he stayed in our San Francisco apartment.

To our surprise, his description of the little girl was exactly what I had seen a few months prior. These events sparked our interest even further to investigate haunted locations, and we have been searching for more experiences like this ever since!

How have your views on the paranormal evolved since you started investigating? Are there beliefs you held at the beginning that you no longer subscribe to?

Initially, Jarrad and I were more sceptical and approached each investigation with a scientific mindset, However, through our travels, we have experienced things that we have no explanation for. We’ve heard footsteps, seen shadows, been overcome with emotions, and had responses on our investigation tools so relevant to the location and history that are difficult to dismiss as coincidences.

Our experiences investigating the paranormal have taught us to approach each encounter with an open mind and a healthy dose of scepticism. While I still believe that there’s a lot we don’t understand about the world beyond our physical reality, we’re not quick to jump to conclusions or assume that every strange experience is paranormal in nature.

What is the process like before you embark on an investigation? What kind of research and preparation do you typically do?

Embarking on a paranormal investigation requires a significant amount of planning and preparation. Before we hit the road, we spend months researching locations and their histories, sometimes booking places a year in advance to ensure we have a quiet location to investigate. We scour the internet, read books and articles to gather as much information as possible.

When we arrive, we typically spend time getting to know the area before conducting any investigations. This includes talking to locals, taking photos, recording videos, and noting any unusual or remarkable features of the location.

We often spend a night or two in the haunted locations we visit. This allows us to fully immerse ourselves in the environment and increases the likelihood of experiencing something unexplainable. Preparation is key when it comes to paranormal investigations. By doing thorough research ahead of time and packing the right equipment, we increase our chances of having a successful investigation.

How do you decide which locations to visit? What are some of the criteria that a location must meet for you to consider it for an investigation?

As investigators, we are always looking for new and exciting locations to investigate. We’re interested in visiting any haunted location worldwide, so narrowing down our choices can be a challenging process.

When considering locations to investigate, we ensure that they are accessible and safe to investigate and avoid places that are too dangerous or illegal to enter. We also like to explore a variety of locations, not just those that cater to Western belief systems – we’ve investigated India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Romania and over 30 other countries around the world.

Another important factor is the level of activity reported at the location. We’re more likely to investigate places that have a history of paranormal reports. Choosing which locations to investigate is a careful process that requires extensive research and careful consideration.

But ultimately, we’re interested in visiting any haunted location that has the potential to provide us with new and fascinating insights into the paranormal world.

Throughout your years of investigating, have you ever been truly scared for your safety? If so, could you share the circumstances of that event?

During our years of paranormal investigation, we’ve definitely encountered some scary circumstances that made us fear for our safety, although most of these situations have been caused by living beings rather than paranormal entities.

One instance that stands out, was whilst investigating the haunted clown museum, we were about to walk into the adjacent cemetery when we noticed a strange man wearing a clown mask standing still, staring at us near the entrance.

This encounter left us feeling uneasy and frightened. We weren’t sure what the man’s intentions were or why he was wearing the clown mask. As paranormal investigators, we’re used to encountering strange and unusual things, but this situation felt particularly unsettling.

In another instance, we had a close call with a large, aggressive dog while out exploring. There was nowhere to go as we were in the middle of an open road. We stood our ground and yelled loudly in an attempt to frighten the dog away, which fortunately worked for us, but could have been a disastrous outcome.

Encounters like these remind us to always be aware of our surroundings and to take precautions when necessary. It’s important to remember that not all dangers come from paranormal entities and that we need to be prepared to handle unexpected situations.

With so many people doing Paranormal YouTube investigations, how did you manage to break through the noise and enjoy success in the niche with the Amy’s Crypt channel?

What I found to be the key in growing my success is originality. While it’s true that the field is saturated with a lot of similar content, I make sure to stay true to my unique style and methods of investigation.

Amy’s Crypt has a unique style – I also try to be authentic and relatable, sharing personal experiences and stories while investigating and showing not only the cool evidence we capture, but also the not-so-great experiences that happen when we’re exploring a location. Additionally, I put a lot of effort into creating high-quality production and editing that sets my videos apart.

Related: Our countdown of the best paranormal YouTube channels, which includes Amy’s Crypt!

As prominent figures in the field of paranormal investigation, what advice would you give to someone who is just starting their journey into ghost hunting?

The most important tip I would give to anybody just starting out would be to be positive and have fun with your investigations. Whenever we bring a positive energy we seem to not only have a more enjoyable time but also seem to get more activity. When we’re tired or not in the mood, we generally leave empty handed or disappointed.

Have you ever faced criticism or scepticism about your work? How do you handle these situations and stay motivated?

Facing criticism and scepticism is a normal part of being a paranormal investigator. There’s always going to be people who doubt the existence of the paranormal or who criticise our investigation methods.

We stay motivated by focusing on the positive feedback that we receive from our supporters, and always maintain an open mind to criticism provided it is polite and not malicious in any way.

We’re fortunate to have a wonderful community of Cryptkeepers who value what we do. Knowing that we’re helping to shed light on the mysteries of the paranormal world keeps us inspired to continue investigating.

How do you balance the need to entertain your audience with the importance of conducting serious, credible investigations?

As paranormal investigators, we take our work very seriously and strive to conduct credible investigations that yield reliable evidence. We do like to incorporate elements of fun into our videos by sharing some of the bloopers and mishaps that occur.

There are many instances where things don’t go exactly as planned, from tripping over equipment to being swooped by birds or encountering other unexpected obstacles.

We believe that paranormal investigations can be both informative and fun, and we try to show that in our content. If we don’t capture any significant evidence, often our videos are still enjoyable because of the history of the location, the effort we put into the cinematography, and just sharing the shenanigans Jarrad and I seem to get into every time. People aren’t just watching our investigations – we take them along for the journey.

You have visited so many haunted locations worldwide and ticked off many locations from most people’s bucket lists. What is the most frightening location you have been to?

I’ve been to many haunted locations around the world, but one that stands out recently as the scariest is probably the Villisca Axe Murder House in Iowa.

The house is infamous for the brutal murders of an entire family and their two guests in 1912, and the spirits of those who perished are said to still haunt the property. When I visited, I was overcome with intense emotions and received some responses on some of our equipment that was truly chilling.

Speaking specifically of the UK, you have visited a number of the country’s most haunted locations such as 30 East Drive, Chillingham Castle, Ancient Ram Inn and the Edinburgh Vaults Is there a particular place that stands out in the UK as being genuinely haunted?

The scariest place I’ve been to in the UK is definitely Chillingham Castle. Located in Northumberland, this castle dates back to the 12th century and has a long history of violence and murder.

The castle’s torture chamber, in particular, sent shivers down my spine, as the devices used to inflict pain were still on display. The sheer darkness and brutality of the castle’s past made it one of the most unsettling places I’ve ever been to.

Is there a location you would like to investigate that you haven’t yet?

We have a long list of locations we would love to investigate! There are just so many fascinating places in the world that are rich in history and legend, and we’re always on the lookout for new locations to explore.

A couple of places that we’re particularly interested in investigating include the Monte Cristo Homestead in Australia and the Tower of London.

Some of these we have not yet had the chance to investigate, either because they are somebody’s home, they are a massive tourist attraction too busy to accommodate investigators, or simply because we have just not yet had enough time to travel to that particular country.

Have there been any locations with a particularly haunted reputation where you have been disappointed due to little activity during your visit?

We’ve definitely investigated some locations and been underwhelmed by the level of activity we’ve observed, but we would never claim a location not to be haunted (at least, not based on a single night of investigating).

There is still too much we don’t know about the paranormal, so we’re really not in any position to draw such conclusions. No matter the location and the level of activity, we just try to have fun and enjoy ourselves, and the fascinating history of all of the locations we visit never disappoints.

On your YouTube channel, you regularly use the GhostTube app, which you have developed. Can you tell us a little bit about the GhostTube app and how it works? There is definitely some scepticism as to whether these apps are the real deal and are actually able to communicate with the dead.

I don’t believe any tool in existence today has been proven to communicate with the dead. The paranormal and the tools used are largely theoretical and based on theory – our tools are no different, and therefore, can’t be be considered less credible than any other tools used in the field today.

We developed the GhostTube app as a tool to help us better understand and document paranormal activity during our investigations.

The app works by using the sensors on your device to detect changes in the environment that are often associated with paranormal activity, such as vibrations and fluctuations in magnetic fields which could indicate the presence of EMF (Electo-Magnetic Fields).

Unlike standalone tools, you can record your readings on GhostTube so you can be sure to capture your evidence no matter which direction the camera is pointing. It is very frustrating when one of your tools reacts in the moment, only to find later that you didn’t capture it on camera.

Beyond the GhostTube app, which other ghost hunting equipment could you not do an investigation without?

We developed GhostTube as a versatile and powerful tool, designed to offer the user a vast range of ways to investigate the paranormal. GhostTube is great when used alongside other paranormal devices and becomes even more compelling when evidence is captured on two separate devices in the same location.

Some of the devices we use include EMF metres for detecting electro-magnetic fields, digital voice recorders and microphones for capturing EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena), the spirit box and noise cancelling headphones for performing Estes sessions, and proximity and motion sensors for detecting movement.

Occasionally we use thermal imaging cameras, and EMF-base trip wires. We’ve also developed the GhostTube Lens virtual reality headset to enhance the sensory deprivation techniques we use on our investigations, something no other paranormal team has really done before.

Can a phone really be used as an SLS camera and what are the differences between, say, a Kinect SLS camera and a phone leveraging LiDAR tech?

The traditional SLS camera uses a grid of infrared light to measure depth by timing the time it takes for infrared light beams to reflect back into the camera. In addition to measuring depth, it uses complex algorithms to detect people shaped objects in the data provided by the camera. Many people assume phone’s don’t have these capabilities because they weren’t purpose built tools, but forget that the Kinect camera wasn’t purpose built either – it was used originally as a gaming console for the XBox.

Many high end phones are now equipped with depth sensing lenses of some kind which aid in focussing the camera and taking high quality photos. Others such as the latest iPhone models actually have a LiDAR scanner that emits infrared light to measure depth just like the traditional Kinect SLS cameras – this can even be demonstrated with a night vision camera. On cheaper phones that don’t have the depth sensing capabilities, it is still possible for them to interpret camera frames and identify people shapes thanks to the modern computing power of mobile phones, but obviously won’t be as accurate.

The benefit of the Kinect SLS is that it can operate in complete darkness – even phones with LiDAR scanners use both the camera lens and depth information for detecting people shapes so they will need a tiny bit of light – but the benefits of phones far outweigh the traditional SLS camera. Because people bring their own hardware (i.e. their phone), we’re able to offer SLS capabilities at a fraction of the cost of a traditional SLS camera (our apps can even be used for free). The phones are also so much more convenient to carry around, and it’s so easy to store and share your recorded videos.

Everyone seems to be talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the moment and this is something that you have decided to get involved with, with the GhostTube Seer. How does that work and how are you finding that in the field at the locations you visit? Are you having good results?

As paranormal investigators, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to explore the mysteries of the paranormal. That’s why we developed GhostTube Seer, a world-first paranormal tool that uses the power of AI and environmental sensory readings to help detect and document paranormal activity.

GhostTube SEER uses the sensors in your device to monitor environmental factors that are often associated with paranormal activity such as vibration and magnetic fields which can indicate the presence of EMF. When specific environmental signatures are detected, the app selects words from a dictionary just like other tools commonly used in the field.

The theory behind this is that spirits may be able to manipulate their environment in order to communicate with us. However, instead of the investigator having to interpret the words generated and draw meaning, we rely on a world-first AI engine to interpret the words for them into unique imagery.

We’ve been using GhostTube Seer in the field during our investigations, and we’ve had some incredible results. We’ve found that the images generated by GhostTube Seer can provide valuable insights into the nature of the paranormal activity we’re investigating.

For example, we’ve captured images that appear to depict human figures or otherworldly entities, or describe objects that we’ve been able to correlate to objects in the room with us at that point in time. These images have actually brought meaning and significance to evidence captured on other devices, or the way we’re feeling during an investigation.

Do you think artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) might be the future of ghost hunting, or do you think that there will always be a place for more traditional techniques?

The most important thing for any ghost hunter is to remain open-minded and willing to explore new techniques and technologies as they become available.

We have incorporated A.I and VR into our GhostTube apps because it adds to the users paranormal toolkit, which grants access to a range of new and different ways to conduct paranormal investigations with equipment that fits within the palm of your hand. Using our apps and pairing the evidence alongside other investigative devices makes the evidence gathered even more fascinating.

You can follow Amy’s spooky content on YouTube and Instagram or via her website amyscrypt.com