A Review of Haunted Hills and Hollows II: Still Lurking in Greene County, Pennsylvania, by Kevin Paul

 

 (Visionary Living Publishing, 2021). ISBN: 978-1-94217-56-4

A few disclaimers to start. My wife Tonya and I have investigated some of the locations discussed in this book. The author also references some of our findings as they pertain to the Greene County Historical Society and Museum, which we have investigated with him on several occasions. We are listed in the Acknowledgments and one of our books is listed in the Further Reading section.

That said, we have been visiting and investigating southwestern Pennsylvania for more than a decade—well before we were introduced to Kevin Paul by his coauthor on the first book in this series, the now deceased Rosemary Ellen Guiley. We have friends who own considerable acreage in the area, and we have done several home and business investigations and haunting mitigations in the county independent of our work with the author.

If you read the bestselling Haunted Hills and Hollows, you’ll notice that Paul takes a slightly different approach with the follow-up. There are still case studies and specific stories of hauntings and local legends from the region, although Paul spends considerably more time on Appalachian folk traditions and Christianity and the principle that “what happens to the land happens to the people” and vice versa. Although the role of geography is central to the responsible study of paranormal phenomena and has been written about at length, Paul looks at the relationship between land and people specifically through the lens of political decisions and their effect on people’s lives. In an area of the country that has been thoroughly pillaged by extraction industries for hundreds of years, this makes perfect sense. There is an abundance of documented hauntings and encounters with interdimensional beings such as shadow people and djinn near abandoned mines, excavation sites, and large-scale extraction equipment. These areas (which extend out to encompass the mid-Ohio Valley) are also rich in bloody settler–Indigenous conflicts, which often account for paranormal phenomena. The extended section on the Greene County Historical Society and Museum—formerly a poor farm—blends a detailed history of the land and the buildings and people that have occupied it to the present with intensive paranormal investigation, making a strong case for Paul’s thesis.

The sections at the start of the book detail two men’s UAP experiences. These are harrowing stories, resulting in physical harm from radiation exposure. These case studies lend credence to the fact that not all entities are friendly, nor are they all looking out for us. Some see us as nothing but animals in a zoo. There are dire warnings for each of the men about where they should and should not go—highlighting the fact that, if the entities chose, they can do these men and humanity in general all manner of harm. This also calls attention to the ideas of boundaries and sovereignty, which, as you will see, figure in to Paul’s larger thesis.

Given some of the djinn and djinn-like entities encountered by the authors and numerous witnesses (my wife and myself included) as discussed in both volumes, this should not be surprising, especially considering that a core element of djinn lore is their claiming of land and harming trespassers. Perhaps evil is not as ubiquitous as the so-called reality shows try to make viewers believe, but it does exist and there is very little we can do if it is determined to have its way with us.

We can protect ourselves, however. One of the best ways is to stay away from unoccupied areas they have claimed.

And one should keep in mind that humans are also given to creating zoos and strongly protecting land claims. If you see the sense in turning your car around when you see someone protecting their land with a shotgun and a razor-wire fence, apply the same practice with entities like the djinn, and you might just save your soul.

I mentioned reality shows. Paul closes the book with a scathing (and accurate) assessment of the harm these entertainment programs are doing to the field of paranormal research, the sanctity of haunted sites, and relationships between the living and the dead. He frames this analysis in the closing chapter through an experience he had over time—in dreams, liminal zones, and waking states—with a Celtic entity called the Morrigan. Bringing together Appalachian folklore, Christianity, land stewardship, sovereignty, responsible investigation, research, and mediation (as opposed to what R.E. Guiley called the “hamster wheel” approach), this is a fascinating and very personal case study on contact with nonhuman entities and their complex messaging systems. This closing chapter reminds researchers and investigators that our responsibility to the dead and to the land far outweighs the quests for clicks, likes, and shares.

Anyone interested in the paranormal will find this an enjoyable and informative read. Paul is a gifted writer, and the stories of UAP encounters and hauntings are engrossing. This book is also for those who are serious about fieldwork because Paul demonstrates the kind of no nonsense, solid, extensive research and scholarship needed to bring integrity back to our field. His choice to use dowsing rods and intuition rather than thousands of dollars of equipment is also an example of responsible stewardship. He makes a legitimate case for the safety and usefulness of regression hypnosis when conducted by a competent professional. I was part of the group of investigators Paul enlisted to vet much of the video, photographic, and other evidence he collected prior to and while writing this book. His healthy skepticism and willingness to work with and consult other trained investigators (Guiley mentored us both) add weight to the evidence in every case presented.

It is an honor to have some of our fieldwork and one of our books included in Haunted Hills and Hollows II alongside Paul, Guiley, and a handful of other highly respected researchers, investigators, and psychic mediums. If this new book is as popular as the first, it’s good news for a field struggling to keep its integrity, help both the living and the dead rather than exploiting them, and prove that it is capable of solving mysteries important to humanity’s evolution without incurring damage to people and places in an ego- and dollar-driven quest for popularity.