How to Use Haunts.us
Your complete guide to exploring haunted locations, cryptid sightings, and paranormal investigations
Quick Start
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Submit locations, report sightings, and share your experiences
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🎵 AI Audio Anomaly Analyzer (NEW!)
- AI-Powered EVP Detection: Advanced artificial intelligence analyzes audio files for Electronic Voice Phenomena
- Spectral Analysis: Uses FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) to detect frequency anomalies and voice-like patterns
- Statistical Detection: Z-score analysis identifies amplitude spikes, noise insertions, and unusual sounds
- Voice Frequency Isolation: Focuses on human voice range (300-3400 Hz) to find EVP candidates
- Confidence Scoring: Each detection rated 0-100% with overall anomaly score (0-10)
- Auto-Annotation: Top EVP candidates automatically marked on timeline
- Detailed Reports: Complete breakdown of all anomalies with timestamps and descriptions
- Scientific Rigor: Uses professional audio analysis libraries (librosa, scipy)
- How to Use: Upload audio to investigation case → Click "Analyze" → Click "Run AI Analysis" → Review results
📝 WYSIWYG Editor for Location Descriptions
- Rich Text Formatting: Staff can now use a professional WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for haunt descriptions
- Character Limit: Up to 10,000 characters for detailed location histories
- Formatting Options: Bold, italic, headings, lists, links, and more
- Real-time Counter: Live character count shows remaining space
- Dark Theme: Editor matches site's dark aesthetic
📚 Multiple Research Sources
- Unlimited Sources: Staff can add multiple research sources to any haunted location
- Source Types: Categorize as Article/Blog, Video/Documentary, Book/Publication, Website, Podcast/Audio, Academic/Research, News Report, or Other
- Easy Management: Add sources via modal dialog, delete with one click
- Full Details: Each source includes title, URL, type, and description
- Public Display: All sources visible on location detail pages for better documentation
📍 Find Nearby Haunted Locations
- Geolocation Search: Find haunted locations within 50 miles of your current position
- Interactive Map: See your location (red marker) and nearby haunts (purple markers)
- Search Radius: Visual 50-mile radius circle shows search area
- Sorted Results: Locations listed by distance, closest first
- Distance Display: See exact distance in both miles and kilometers
- Get Directions: One-click Google Maps directions to any location
- Mobile Optimized: Touch-friendly interface perfect for field investigations
- How to Use: Click "Find Nearby Haunts" button on the public map → Allow location access → View results
🎨 Enhanced Visual Design
- White Text: All location descriptions now display in crisp white text for maximum readability
- Professional Layout: Improved spacing, formatting, and visual hierarchy
- Better Contrast: Enhanced text visibility against dark backgrounds
📱 Mobile Map Improvements
- Responsive Design: Maps automatically adjust to screen size
- Touch-Friendly Controls: Larger buttons (44px minimum) for easy tapping
- Auto-Scroll: Search results automatically scroll into view after searching
- Edge-to-Edge: Full-width design on mobile devices
- Optimized Heights: Map heights adjusted for phones (400px) and tablets (500px)
🔧 Technical Improvements
- Performance: Faster page loads and smoother interactions
- Reliability: Fixed form submission issues and validation
- Security: Enhanced HTML sanitization with Bleach library
- Compatibility: Better browser support across devices
What's Covered
📱 Install Haunts.us as an App
Why Install?
5-10x faster loading on repeat visits
Access cached locations without internet
Launch like any other app
📱 Install on Android
Method 1: Install Banner (Easiest)
- Visit haunts.us in Chrome or Edge
- Look for the banner at the bottom: "Install Haunts.us"
- Tap "Install" button
- Done! App icon appears on your home screen
Method 2: Chrome Menu
- Open haunts.us in Chrome
- Tap the ⋮ menu (top-right)
- Select "Install app" or "Add to Home screen"
- Tap "Install"
- App installed! Opens in full-screen mode
🍎 Install on iPhone/iPad
Note: iOS requires Safari browser for installation
- Open haunts.us in Safari (must use Safari!)
- Tap the Share button ( icon at bottom)
- Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen"
- Edit the name if you want (optional)
- Tap "Add" (top-right corner)
- App icon appears on your home screen!
💻 Install on Desktop
Chrome or Edge (Windows/Mac/Linux):
- Visit haunts.us in Chrome or Edge
- Look for the ⊕ install icon in the address bar
- Click it and select "Install"
- App opens in its own window!
Alternative Method:
- Click the ⋮ menu (top-right)
- Select "Install Haunts.us..."
- Click "Install" button
- App added to your applications/Start menu
✨ Installed App Features
- Full-Screen Mode: No browser UI, just the app
- Home Screen Icon: Launch like any other app
- Lightning Fast: Cached pages load instantly
- Works Offline: View cached locations without internet
- App Shortcuts: Long-press icon for quick actions (Android/Windows)
- Notifications: Get alerts for new activity (coming soon)
- Share Target: Share locations from other apps to Haunts.us
- Auto-Updates: Always get the latest features
🚀 App Shortcuts (Android & Windows)
Long-press the Haunts.us app icon to access quick shortcuts:
Haunted Map
Jump straight to the interactive map
Submit Report
Quick access to incident reporting
Community Forum
Go directly to forum discussions
🏚️ Haunted Location Database
Explore Haunted Places
- Interactive Map: View haunted locations on an interactive map at
/investigations/map/ - Search & Filter: Find locations by name, type, region, or activity level using the search box and quick filters
- Map Modes: Toggle between Light Mode (detailed street view) and Dark Mode (atmospheric theme) using the layer control in the top-right corner
- Filter by State: Use the state dropdown to view locations in specific regions
- Quick Filters: Click quick filter buttons to show only Haunted Locations, Investigations, or Community Reports
- Detailed Information: Each location includes history, reported phenomena, investigation reports, and evidence
- User Contributions: Read experiences and research from other paranormal enthusiasts
Submit a Haunted Location
- Click "Submit Location" on the map page
- Fill in the location details:
- Name and address
- Type (residential, cemetery, hotel, etc.)
- Historical background
- Reported paranormal activity
- Upload photos (optional)
- Submit for staff review
- Receive notification when approved
- Earn badge: "Location Scout" for your first submission!
Contribute to Existing Locations
- Add Your Experience: Share your personal encounter at a location
- Submit Research: Add historical sources, news articles, or documentation
- Suggest Updates: Correct or improve existing information
- Upload Evidence: Add photos, videos, or EVP recordings
Location Detail Page Features
- Mini Map Preview: See the location on an embedded map with radius indicator
- Map Modes: Switch between Light Mode and Dark Mode using the layer control
- Full Interactive Map: Click "Full Map" button to view the location in fullscreen mode
- Nearby Cases: View linked paranormal investigation cases in the area
- Community Contributions: Read experiences shared by other users
- Research Sources: Access historical documentation and reference materials
🦎 Cryptid Database
Browse Cryptids
- Complete Directory: Browse all documented cryptids at
/cryptids/ - Filter by Type: Humanoid, aquatic, flying, land animal, hybrid, entity
- Filter by Region: Find cryptids by geographic location
- View Sightings Map: Interactive map of cryptid sighting locations
- Research Status: See which cryptids are under active investigation
Report a Cryptid Sighting
- Find the cryptid on the database (or submit a new one)
- Click "Report Sighting" button
- Provide sighting details:
- Date, time, and location
- Number of witnesses
- Detailed description of what you saw
- Duration of sighting
- Weather conditions
- Upload photo evidence (if available)
- Physical evidence (tracks, hair, etc.)
- Submit for review
- Earn badge: "Cryptid Spotter" for your first sighting!
Submit a New Cryptid
- Click "Submit Cryptid" from the cryptid list
- Provide complete information (description, behavior, habitat, etc.)
- Include folklore origins and notable sightings
- Upload illustration or photo
- Staff will review and approve if suitable
Suggest Updates
Found incorrect information? Help us improve!
- Click "Suggest Update" on any cryptid page
- Select which field needs updating
- See the current value
- Provide the corrected information
- Explain your reasoning (include sources!)
- Staff will review and apply if verified
🔍 Investigations
Create an Investigation
- Go to your Dashboard
- Click "New Investigation"
- Fill in investigation details:
- Location being investigated
- Date of investigation
- Equipment used
- Team members
- Investigation goals
- Document your findings as you go
- Upload evidence (photos, EVPs, videos)
- Share with your team or keep private
Investigation Features
- Equipment Tracking: Log what tools you're using
- Evidence Upload: Attach photos, audio, and video files
- Team Collaboration: Work with team members on investigations
- Notes & Timeline: Keep detailed records of events
- Public/Private: Choose who can view your investigation
Report an Incident
Experienced something paranormal? Share it with the community:
- Click "Report Incident" from the map
- Describe what happened
- Select the type of activity
- Provide date and location
- Upload any evidence
- Submit for approval
🛠️ Investigation Toolbox
Available Tools
EVP Analyzer
Professional electronic voice phenomenon analysis tool with:
- Audio file upload (WAV, MP3)
- Waveform visualization
- Playback controls (speed, reverse, loop)
- Mark EVP timestamps with notes
- Audio filters (band-pass, noise reduction)
- Session logging with environmental data
- Peer review system for detected EVPs
How to use: Go to any investigation case → Investigation Toolbox → EVP Analyzer → Upload audio file → Mark interesting sections
Audio Recorder
Record EVP sessions directly from your device microphone:
- Real-time audio visualization (frequency bars)
- Add timestamped notes during recording
- Quality settings (16kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz)
- Environmental data tracking (temperature, EMF)
- Direct integration with EVP Analyzer
- Session playback and download
How to use: Investigation Toolbox → Audio Recorder → Allow microphone access → Click record → Add notes → Stop → Analyze in EVP Tool
Spirit Box
Real-time radio frequency scanning for EVP communication:
- 18 internet radio stations for scanning
- Adjustable scan speed and interval
- Log responses in real-time
- Mark confidence levels (low/medium/high)
- Session playback and review
- Link sessions to investigation cases
How to use: Investigation Toolbox → Spirit Box → Start scanning → Listen for responses → Log what you hear → Save session
Spirit Stream
Matrix-style word-forming ghost communication game:
- Letters fall like digital rain
- Automatic word detection (628+ word dictionary)
- Three modes: Calm, Chaotic, Focused
- Real-time word logging with timestamps
- Detection zone highlights
- Save sessions with detected words
- Link to investigation cases
How to use: Investigation Toolbox → Spirit Stream → Watch letters fall → Words detected automatically → Click Save to log session
Spirit Board
Digital spirit board for paranormal communication:
- Ask questions and receive random responses
- Four response types: Single word, Phrase (2-3 words), Sentence (4-7 words), Yes/No
- 99-word database with weighted probability
- Confidence levels (low/medium/high)
- Session logging with environmental data
- Link sessions to investigation cases
- View session history and details
How to use: Investigation Toolbox → Spirit Board → Type question → Choose response type → View answer → Save session
Photo Analyzer
Advanced photo enhancement and anomaly detection:
- Upload investigation photos (JPG, PNG)
- 8 image processing filters (grayscale, edge detection, brightness, contrast, etc.)
- AI anomaly detection with 5 algorithms
- Side-by-side comparison view
- Confidence scores for detected anomalies
- Save processed images
- Session logging and history
How to use: Investigation Toolbox → Photo Analyzer → Upload photo → Apply filters → Run anomaly detection → Save results
Audio Anomaly Analyzer (AI-Powered)
Advanced AI audio analysis for detecting paranormal evidence:
- EVP Detection: Analyzes voice frequency range (300-3400 Hz) to detect voice-like patterns
- Amplitude Spikes: Identifies sudden unexplained volume changes
- Frequency Anomalies: Detects unusual frequency patterns and spectral irregularities
- Background Noise Analysis: Finds strange sounds appearing in silent periods
- High-Frequency Content: Identifies whispers, static, and unusual sounds
- Statistical Analysis: Uses Z-score anomaly detection for scientific rigor
- Confidence Scoring: Each anomaly rated 0-100% confidence
- Overall Anomaly Score: 0-10 scale rating for entire audio file
- Auto-Annotation: Top EVP candidates automatically marked on timeline
- Detailed Reports: Complete breakdown of all detected anomalies with timestamps
How it Works:
- Uses librosa for spectral analysis and FFT (Fast Fourier Transform)
- Statistical anomaly detection using Z-scores (threshold: 2.5σ = 98.8% confidence)
- Voice frequency isolation for EVP candidate detection
- Amplitude envelope tracking for volume spike detection
- Zero-crossing rate analysis for high-frequency content
- Results saved to case for future reference
How to use: Investigation Case → Media Gallery → Upload audio file → Click "Analyze" → Click "Run AI Analysis" → Review detected anomalies → Listen at marked timestamps
Tips for Best Results
- Audio Recorder: Use in quiet environments, wear headphones, speak clearly when asking questions
- EVP Analyzer: Listen multiple times, use different playback speeds, compare with teammates
- Audio Anomaly Analyzer (AI): Upload high-quality audio files (WAV preferred), recordings should be 30 seconds to 10 minutes for best results, run analysis on original unedited files, review each detected anomaly with manual playback
- Spirit Box: Ask direct yes/no questions, allow time for responses, log everything
- Spirit Stream: Run for several minutes, note word patterns, look for meaningful sequences
- Spirit Board: Ask clear questions, try different response types, save interesting sessions
- Photo Analyzer: Use high-quality original photos, try multiple filters, compare results
🏚️ Enhanced Location Features
Public Access
No login required! Anyone can now view haunted location details, even without an account.
- Browse all haunted locations without signing up
- View full descriptions, history, and paranormal activity
- See public investigations and user contributions
- Contribute experiences and suggest updates (no login needed)
- Submit research sources and historical documentation
Location Discussions
Join the conversation about haunted locations:
- Discuss Button: Create or view discussion threads for any location
- Automatic Thread Creation: First click creates a dedicated forum thread
- Community Engagement: Share experiences, theories, and questions
- Persistent Links: Once created, the "View Discussion" button takes you directly to the thread
- Forum Integration: All discussions appear in the "Haunted Location Discussion" forum
How to Use Discussion Feature
- Visit any haunted location page
- Click the "Discuss" button (next to "Contribute")
- If no discussion exists, one is automatically created with location details
- Add your comments, experiences, or questions
- Return anytime - button changes to "View Discussion"
- Engage with other users' posts and build community knowledge
Enhanced Descriptions
Location descriptions now display with professional formatting:
- Multiple Paragraphs: Descriptions automatically split into readable paragraphs
- Better Readability: Improved line spacing and formatting
- Natural Breaks: Content splits at sentence boundaries
- Professional Appearance: Clean, easy-to-read presentation
💬 Community Forums
Forum Categories
- General Discussion: Talk about anything paranormal
- Investigation Reports: Share your findings
- Theories & Speculation: Discuss explanations
- Equipment & Techniques: Talk tools and methods
- Personal Experiences: Share your encounters
- Historical Research: Discuss historical aspects
- Cryptozoology: Dedicated cryptid discussions
- Site Feedback: Suggestions for the website
Posting in Forums
- Choose a forum category
- Click "New Post"
- Write a descriptive title
- Compose your message (formatting supported)
- Add tags for better discovery
- Submit and engage with replies
Earn Forum Badges
Make your first forum post
Make 10 forum posts
Make 2,500+ posts
👥 Paranormal Investigation Teams
Join a Team
- Browse teams at
/teams/ - View team profiles, locations, and specializations
- Request to join a team
- Wait for team leader approval
- Collaborate on investigations together
Create Your Own Team
- Click "Create Team" from the teams page
- Name your team and write a description
- Set your team's location and focus areas
- Upload a team logo (optional)
- Invite members or accept join requests
- Start collaborating on investigations
Team Benefits
- Collaboration: Work together on investigations
- Shared Resources: Share equipment, findings, and insights
- Credibility: Team investigations carry more weight
- Community: Connect with like-minded investigators
- Organization: Manage team members and roles
🏆 Badges & Achievements
Earn badges for your contributions and activity on the site. There are 32 badges to collect across 3 categories!
Location Submission Badges (11 tiers)
Submit 1 haunted location
Submit 10 haunted locations
Submit 2,500+ locations!
Forum Activity Badges (11 tiers)
From "First Post" (1 post) to "Forum Legend" (5,000+ posts)
Cryptid Submission Badges (10 tiers)
From "Cryptid Spotter" (1 sighting) to "Legendary Cryptozoologist" (1,000+ sightings)
👤 Your Profile
Customize Your Profile
- Profile Picture: Upload an avatar to personalize your account
- Bio: Tell the community about yourself
- Location: Share where you're from
- Role: Choose your role (investigator, researcher, enthusiast, etc.)
- Social Links: Add your website, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
Profile Statistics
Your profile displays:
- Total incident reports submitted
- Haunted locations submitted
- Cryptid sightings reported
- Total contributions
- Forum post count and progress to next badge
- Badges earned
Dashboard Features
Your dashboard provides quick access to:
- Quick Actions: Submit locations, create investigations, post in forums
- Recent Investigations: View and manage your cases
- Statistics: See your contribution counts
- Recent Badges: View your latest achievements
- Team Links: Quick access to your teams
💡 Pro Tips
Install the App
Install Haunts.us on your phone or desktop for the best experience - it's 5-10x faster and works offline!
Android/Desktop: Tap/click "Install" when prompted. iOS: Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen.
Using the Maps
Switch between Light Mode (detailed streets) and Dark Mode (atmospheric) using the layer control button in the corner.
Search Tips: Use the state dropdown and quick filters to narrow results. Text search works across names, descriptions, and locations.
Quality Evidence
When submitting photos or videos, use good lighting and stable shots. Include context photos showing the full location.
Document Everything
Keep detailed notes during investigations. Record times, temperatures, equipment readings, and personal observations.
Engage with Community
Join forum discussions, comment on others' submissions, and collaborate with teams. The community is friendly and helpful!
Cite Your Sources
When submitting historical information, include sources. Newspaper articles, books, and credible websites add legitimacy.
Respect Privacy
Don't share addresses of private residences unless publicly known. Respect property owners and local laws.
Earn Badges
Track your progress toward badges. They're not just for show - they indicate your expertise and contributions!
Full Map View
On location detail pages, click "Full Map" to view an interactive fullscreen map with nearby cases. Use the recenter button to return to the main location marker.
Offline Mode
Once installed, the app caches pages as you browse. Browse locations while online, then access them later even without internet!
Use Spirit Board
Try different response types during investigations - words, phrases, sentences, or yes/no. Save sessions and link them to cases!
Photo Analyzer Tips
Different filters reveal different anomalies. Try edge detection for orbs, contrast enhancement for shadows. Run AI detection on originals!
Audio Analyzer Power
The AI Audio Analyzer detects EVP patterns humans might miss! It analyzes spectral data, voice frequencies, and statistical anomalies. Review results with headphones!
Join Discussions
Click "Discuss" on any haunted location to join or start a conversation. Share experiences and theories with other investigators!
No Login Needed
Browse all haunted locations without signing up! You can even contribute experiences and suggest updates anonymously.
🆘 Need Help?
Report a Bug
Found something broken? Let us know!
Login requiredContact Staff
Reach out to moderators for assistance
Use forums or bug trackerReady to Start Exploring?
Join thousands of paranormal enthusiasts documenting the unexplained