Black Moon Manor

The Ghost Photo That Blacked My Eye

Sep 02, 2024

Between two divorces, raising kids, juggling mortgages, and polishing off too much whiskey, I’m pretty sure I’ve sustained some brain damage. Life does that to us all. Yet, I’m still surprised by how well my memory serves me at times, which is why I can earnestly say I remember the moment I snapped the photograph—the one that, to this day, stupefies, mesmerizes, and even angers me.

Unraveling the Dark History of Black Moon Manor

If you’re familiar with Black Moon Manor, you already know it was steeped in controversy. If not, here’s the gist: Matt Speck rented the old Eastes family farmhouse outside Greenfield, Indiana, to convert it into a haunted attraction. The ghost story he spun as part of his haunted funhouse, Black Moon Manor, intertwined folklore from local hearsay with, unfortunately, the names of the Eastes family ancestors. Along the way, Speck discovered the house was truly haunted. Disembodied voices, doors shutting, phantom footsteps, and vicious scratching attacks were some of the claims. Speck’s focus shifted from creating a haunted attraction to offering a haunted location where paranormal teams could pay-to-play.

Picture this: a somewhat dilapidated and abandoned (but still awesome) farmhouse without any utilities, nestled next to the original family cemetery, and equipped with a made-for-horror-movie weeping willow tree outside. Add to that a property history muddled by unsubstantiated wild tales—most of which reflected negatively upon the deceased family of the folks who still own the property. Then, throw in claims of real haunted activity, stirring up flurries of interest from paranormal investigators and every bump-in-the-night flashlight ghost-jockey for miles. It was a perfect storm for a disastrous end, which is exactly what happened. Despite all the press, TV shows (Ghost Adventures, etc.), and support from the paranormal field, the Eastes family had enough of Black Moon. Even though I don’t believe Speck intended to create such a convoluted mess, the Eastes pulled the plug on him and his Manor. Sadly, the historic home was demolished.

Into the Darkness

Now, let’s get back to my photograph.

I, along with some friends, formed a club we called SOUP (The Society Of Unknown Phenomena). SOUP held a high standard in its approach to investigating a haunting. With all the red flags flying around Black Moon Manor, the critical thinking side of SOUP deemed the place a no-go—too many credibility issues. But that left just li’l ol’ me. Until there are scientific parameters set for the paranormal field, I’d investigate a shithouse at the bottom of a coal mine in West Virginia if it was rumored to be haunted. So, off to Black Moon Manor I went with my brother, Emyl, and fellow SOUP alumnus, Bill Method.

The investigation itself was a bust. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciated the opportunity to be on the property. It’s always a pleasure to nose around a historic place—I love it. But this was an outright painful snoozer. No inklings. No vibes. No EMF spikes (that’s electromagnetic field spikes, for those new to ghost hunting). No bumps. No bangs. No voices from the well at the back of the house. No demonic scratch attacks. No tape on the floor left from Zak’s static cams. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. But still, we were patient. We know how this goes: Everything is silent, then all hell can break loose. But that never happened.

A Ghost Photo That Changed Everything

As the night dragged on, my brother and Bill went upstairs before me with our equipment. I followed, but not before stopping to take a picture from the landing at the turn of the staircase. From there, you could see the front door of the home. To the left and right were open doorways leading to other areas of the house. That was the basic layout. I didn’t review any of my photos until the next day. First mistake. Second, and this is another rookie faux pas, I didn’t take multiple shots of the same angle for comparison.

The next morning, as I was scrolling through the photos, I noticed something odd—something that made my ghost wrangling heart skip a beat. There, in one shot, was what looked like an apparition emerging from the doorway on the right. And not just any apparition, but a twisted, sneering figure—a ghostly Joker-meets-Beetlejuice hybrid that seemed to leap off the screen and into my worst nightmares! Holy Hades! It was so insane looking that I initially hesitated to show it to people. Although the original intent for Black Moon was a haunted attraction, it wasn’t rigged or staged for Halloween props to pop out—not even close. But here’s where it stings: I never had a chance to return to Black Moon Manor to recreate the photo, and within a few weeks, the house was torn down.

Side by side comparison — Side-by-side comparison

The Perils of Paranormal Photography

Paranormal investigators use photography to capture evidence of ghosts. Ghost hunters present photos by the thousands, full of processing errors, light leaks, streaks from long exposure times, orbs from dust, bugs, moisture, etc. Most people have very little understanding of photography. They misuse editing software by zooming in and manipulating photos to reveal shapes in a grainy pareidolia blur. And then there are those annoying apps you can use to insert a fake ghost into an image (much like the spirit photographers of old). I’ve seen those apps used almost like a test to see how gullible people in and out of the paranormal community are. Some groups even try to pass off these hoaxed pics to establish themselves as some elitist super ghostbuster team to bolster their reputations.

But in the right hands, photo processing tools can be used to polish evidence of the supernatural. Luckily, in my case, fellow SOUP member Craig Smith is a photographer, and although we could plainly see the entity in the original photo, he used professional software to lighten the picture and enhance more detail.

Video:

Lessons Learned

So there you have it: my crazy pic that I occasionally punch myself in the face over. I should’ve briefly checked my camera that night. Seeing that photo might have changed the focus of our investigation and made it more productive. Taking another pic at that moment, like a good investigator should, could have revealed more insight into what was captured. And ultimately, I wouldn’t have to live with the regret of not being able to return to the house to try and recreate that image.

I will always remember Black Moon Manor. Through the frustrations stemming from my lackadaisical attention to my investigative methodology, I learned lessons I’ll never forget, regardless of my poor brain’s damage.

A Strange Coincidence

One more thing. I usually prefer to go into a location without tons of info preloaded in my mind. Towards the end of the night, we were conducting an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) session upstairs in the house, and randomly, I asked if there was an Obadiah there. Not a common name, and why I asked for it, I do not know. After we packed up our gear to leave, we stopped to briefly investigate Eastes Cemetery. I was confounded when I stumbled across the tombstone of Obadiah Eastes, the patriarch of the Eastes clan. Coincidence? Probably. But like that photograph, it’s one more memory that won’t let me go.

—Evel Ogilville