GRIP-paranormal is excited to be a part of the St. Clair County Historical Society’s Haunted Walking Tour:

See downtown Belleville as you’ve never seen it before on our 6th Haunted Belleville Walking Tour.

New places. New stories. New experiences.

Corner of the Eye Shadow Figures

You know the drill. You're home alone, binge-watching your favorite ghost-hunting reality show when suddenly, something darts across the edge of your vision. No, it's not the pizza delivery guy coming early; it's one of those infamous corner-of-the-eye shadow figures. Also known as "peripheral phantoms" for those who like their phenomena with a side of alliteration, these shadowy entities have sparked debates from paranormal podcasts to psychology labs.

Let's get down to the brass tacks or, in this case, the flickering pixels. Some proponents of the paranormal claim that our peripheral vision is more sensitive to spiritual phenomena. Why? Well, the scientific consensus is that peripheral vision lacks the detail of central vision but is more attuned to movement and contrast. Basically, while you may not be able to make out the brand of a spirit's otherworldly attire, you could definitely catch it skulking around in the corners of your vision. Conversely, skeptics argue that these "figures" are nothing but the result of the brain misinterpreting visual information—essentially a psychological version of a pocket dial.

For those with a penchant for the scientific method, a ghost-hunting camera with infrared capabilities is your go-to gadget. Infrared cameras can see a spectrum of light that's invisible to the naked eye, potentially providing evidence of these elusive figures. Couple that with a high-frame-rate recording, and you're ready to either debunk the whole thing or confirm that you've got a spectral roommate who's avoiding their half of the rent. Throw in some data analytics, maybe a graph or two comparing the frequency of shadow figure sightings to room temperatures, lunar phases, or whether Mercury is in retrograde, and you've got yourself some compelling content.