Providence Hotel Ghost

[SharpEye]

Bit of an older video but still one that I’m puzzled by. A man records a light flicking off and on in his hotel room, before it eventually starts to swing continuously on its own without stopping. I thought it was string at first but it doesn’t appear to reflect off the light when it goes on and off. I also don’t see any cuts in the video. Is there another way for the light to move like that without stopping? What do you guys think?


Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=830fKjMIBYw

 

[Calter]

I'd reckon if you give that thing a push then it will swing for a decent amount of time. Given the way the dude operates the camera, it's very possible that there's someone else in the room that's just moving around to not be seen.

 

[SharpEye]

I'd reckon if you give that thing a push then it will swing for a decent amount of time. Given the way the dude operates the camera, it's very possible that there's someone else in the room that's just moving around to not be seen.

The only problem is that it doesn’t seem to be slowing down, which is what you would expect if someone was swinging it.

 

[Calter]

It depends on the friction the lamp has with the pivot, it would be easier to measure if the dude could stay still for a minute but it's hard to tell if it's slowing down or not. I can imagine a pendulum lasting around a minute without someone being able to tell the arc got smaller just by sight, especially if there's no constant frame of reference.

 

[JMartJr]

A man records a light flicking off and on in his hotel room, before it eventually starts to swing continuously on its own without stopping. I thought it was string at first but it doesn’t appear to reflect off the light when it goes on and off. I also don’t see any cuts in the video. Is there another way for the light to move like that without stopping? What do you guys think?

I think he walks up directly under the light, and, as he turns to walk away at 0:53, he reches up and gives it a little push to get it swinging.

it's very possible that there's someone else in the room that's just moving around to not be seen.

This is also possible.

The only problem is that it doesn’t seem to be slowing down,

I disagree, it seems to be swinging MUCH less at 2:00 than it was at 1:17

 

[Ann K]

It's a thing that's very easily faked, so that would be my first guess. Another person in the room with him only has to stay behind him when he pans the camera around, then can flick the light switch or set the light swinging.

 

[SharpEye]

I think he walks up directly under the light, and, as he turns to walk away at 0:53, he reches up and gives it a little push to get it swinging.



This is also possible.



I disagree, it seems to be swinging MUCH less at 2:00 than it was at 1:17

I don’t see it swinging less personally, though I guess the angle makes it hard to determine. Could the friction of the pendulum be decreasing as the light’s swinging?

 

[Mendel]

Reminder about pendulum physics:
The frequency of a pendulum is fixed, that's how grandfather clocks work.
As the pendulum runs down, the amplitude gets less, i.e. each swing still takes the same time, but is less wide than before.

 

[SharpEye]

Reminder about pendulum physics:
The frequency of a pendulum is fixed, that's how grandfather clocks work.
As the pendulum runs down, the amplitude gets less, i.e. each swing still takes the same time, but is less wide than before.

Thank you! I guess I’m not seeing the swinging get narrower throughout the video, though the changing angle makes it hard to tell. What do you guys see?

 

[John J.]

I'm not saying it's a hoax.
But it would be really easy to pull off a hoax showing exactly the same stuff, particularly if you had help.

(1) Assistant flips the light switch. Quickly and quietly moves behind the filming guy- has approx. 6-7 seconds to do this (from 00:46 to 00:53), maybe 5 or 6 steps.

(2) Note the light starts swinging off-camera. The assistant stays while film guy moves to film hallway light switch, bathroom, bedroom. Assistant gives the light a good nudge.

(3) Assistant hides- I couldn't see any obvious hiding places. Maybe gets back behind film guy- difficult because of confined space and bathroom mirror, but if it's a hoax, they can make as many attempts as they like until they get a good outcome.

Or assistant could be crouched on floor between hallway light switch and bathroom door, perhaps to the right of film guy as he moves back towards main room (approx. 01:13 to 01:16), so on floor near the wall opposite the bathroom. I think there's enough of a blind spot.

Another option might be an assistant in the room above gets access to the light's power cord.
Genuine question: Surely not all US light switches are "off" when down? My (UK) hallway and living room each have light switches at two locations, so e.g. push a switch up for "on", if the other is in the down position, flip it up and the lights go off.

Anyway, easy (if irresponsible) to temporarily re-wire the light switch so light is on when switch is in down position, and cut one of the leads to the light if you can lift the floorboards. And a pull on the power cable (being careful to avoid any wiring you've left exposed) might be enough to get the light swinging.

There is a Wikipedia article on what I think might be this hotel, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence_Biltmore.
It's been used in several films/ TV dramas (including a supernatural themed one, NOS4A2) so I wondered if the YouTube vid might be a bit of viral (and possibly unofficial) marketing, but if it was uploaded in 2014 it doesn't match with the NOS4A2 timeframe (S2, E6, The Hourglass, first aired 2020).

 

[JMartJr]

Thank you! I guess I’m not seeing the swinging get narrower throughout the video, though the changing angle makes it hard to tell. What do you guys see?

To clarify, it seems to me to be swinging through a much smaller arc as the video progresses -- of course at the same frequency.

Edit to add: Which I'd expect whether a ghost, the camera operator or an assistant gave it the initial push. Whatever does the push at the beginning, it will thereafter swing less and less until it stops again. Unless the hypothesis is that the ghost is still pushing it back and forth, rather than it swinging like a pendulum?

 

[Calter]

Maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks on me, but to me the lamp starts off swinging in a more circular pattern and then it stabilizes quickly on one axis (due to how it's attached to the pivot), which could serve as an indication that it is indeed slowing down. But it could also just always be swinging the same way and I'm wrong about the circular motion.

 

[SharpEye]

To clarify, it seems to me to be swinging through a much smaller arc as the video progresses -- of course at the same frequency.

Edit to add: Which I'd expect whether a ghost, the camera operator or an assistant gave it the initial push. Whatever does the push at the beginning, it will thereafter swing less and less until it stops again. Unless the hypothesis is that the ghost is still pushing it back and forth, rather than it swinging like a pendulum?

It’s definitely hard to make out due to the changing angle of viewing. Is it possible that the larger weight of the light gives it more momentum?

 

[SharpEye]

Maybe it's just my eyes playing tricks on me, but to me the lamp starts off swinging in a more circular pattern and then it stabilizes quickly on one axis (due to how it's attached to the pivot), which could serve as an indication that it is indeed slowing down. But it could also just always be swinging the same way and I'm wrong about the circular motion.

I noticed the same thing, it seems to be circular at first before turning to a side by side motion.

 

[Trailblazer]

Also the light seems to only flash when the camera is pointing right at it - or at least there is no noticeable change in the illumination of the room when he is talking to camera.

 

[Ravi]

Yeah, probably he has a hiding girlfriend (double bed room). It is late in the evening (pitch dark out) and obviously bored to death, so there you go.
Compulsory explanation that it cannot be explained included.