Ye Olde Man & Scythe Ghost-- Real or Fake?

Ye Olde Man & Scythe

In February of this year the 4^th oldest pub in the United Kingdom located in Bolton captured an apparent figure of a ghost on their security cameras.

Since, there has been a lot of chatter as to whether this video is real or faked. No one seems to know for sure.

One morning as the manager of the pub, Tom Dooley entered he found broken glass on the floor. His first thought was the pub must have been burglarized so he checked the pub’s CCTV tapes.

He discovered the camera filming the room with the glass had stopped recording at 6:18 a.m. He checked the footage and saw a strange figure in the back of the room. Dooley mentioned he has always been a skeptic when it comes to ghosts but this recording changed his mind.

The video initially shows everything is fine then the lights start to flicker and a ghostly figure is seen forming in the center--back area of the room. The figure appears human-like and almost looks like it has a bag over its head.

What many discussions about this video have not noted is after this figure disappears a shadow forms and then passes along the right side wall.

The Ye Olde Man & Scythe has a history that makes one wonder if it is haunted. The pub originally opened around 1251. Like many very old buildings it has tragic deaths connected to it.

The 7^th Earl of Derby, James Stanley was executed in the pub in 1651 and the chair connected to his execution still is housed in the building.

Several centuries ago it is said a woman hung herself in the pub’s cellar and during the Bolton Massacre in 1644 hundreds of soldiers and civilians died outside the pub.

Skeptics immediately stated after this video was released that it is just a publicity stunt to attract more customers but this pub is a popular spot so this argument doesn’t hold much weight.

A Colorado group, Rocky Mountain Paranormal Society made a video with similar elements to prove the U.K. video is faked. This group has made a name for itself by recreating videos to debunk paranormal activity. Their “spoof videos” have been used more than once to claim various ghosts caught on camera are faked.

Their spoof video this time is funny--here is link--watch for the glowing green necktie at the end.

I must note here I cannot see how this spoof video proves the original is faked. They also do not re-create the shadow figure, which to me is the more compelling evidence in this video.

But who knows? 

Here is what the video captured at the Ye Olde Man & Scythe.

Black-Eyed Kids

This phenomenon has been reported around the world. Whether these stories are real or, just myths remains a mystery. Regardless, many recent encounters with black-eyed kids seem to point to the fact something is occurring that cannot be explained.

A couple who were walking along an isolated beach in Mexico encounter, an odd girl who pleads with them to follow…

A woman, in an isolated home hears a persistent knock and sees two teens standing on her porch close to midnight…

A man sitting in his stalled car in an empty mall parking lot is approached by two teens who insist emphatically he gives them a ride…

A marine on base, who stays in his barracks instead of taking a weekend pass with his buddies is frightened by two young teens…

These are just a few locations where these unusual kids or teens have been seen. These stories and countless others about black-eyed kids are eerily similar.

The above witnesses experienced something strange that they could not explain easily afterward. 

They recount feelings of being put on guard or even freaking out. They stated that the teens they saw had odd completely dark eyes--their corneas were even wholly black.

These witnesses were approached when they were alone or just with one other person. The teens they encountered had olive skin and were dressed in dark clothing--sometimes hoodies. 

These young people all requested help or made pleas to be let in. When refused, they became more and more agitated.

The witnesses all got the sense that something wasn’t quite right--they even became frightened. They stated afterward, they would generally have responded to a child’s plea for help, but in these instances, they all felt the “flight or fight” response and refused these requests.

They noted that these young people’s voices had a strange “hypnotic influence” over them. The witnesses all mention that these teens, after being refused several times would just disappear.

Black-eyed kids tend to be males, but there are females seen.

The couple on the beach were approached by a black-eyed girl being carried--piggy-back fashion-- by a black-eyed boy who insisted the couple follow them, to help one of their friends. 

After they walked awhile, this man and woman both had second thoughts and turned back. They were amazed to see only their footprints in the sand when they retraced their steps. They turned and saw the girl and boy had just disappeared.

The man sitting in his stalled car was surprised to see two teens appear as if from nowhere, in the deserted mall parking lot. They approached his vehicle. 

They told him--he must drive them home. When he refused, they became even more insistent, now feeling afraid he declined again. He like so many witnesses stated that these teens just vanished.*

The marine admitted that when he opened his barracks door late one weekend night to two black-eyed teen boys, that he immediately became frightened. 

He stated that their eyes “seemed to be sucking him in.” He got the sense that he was “being hunted” in some way. He stated that he listened to his gut feeling and refused their request to enter--he then shut the door quickly.

The woman home alone was shocked to see two teens knocking on her door, close to midnight. Looking out her window, she asked what they wanted, they insisted she let them in--they needed to use her bathroom. 

A strong “feeling of unhappiness and evil” overtook her. Wondering why two young people would be out so late asking for help from a stranger--she immediately knew something wasn’t right. Even when they persisted, she refused them entry. **

These recent accounts and many more like them, makes one wonder if there isn’t more to these stories than just imagination. The people who experienced them I am sure would agree.

* The first two stories I shared, I heard on Darkness Radio in 2011.

** Many encounters with black-eyed children reflect that these teens seem desperate for an invitation to be “invited in” which plays on the theme, that evil must be invited in before it can enter.