FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully rely on Oxford and medical school degrees to pursue the paranormal. Normal folks, have simpler techniques to hunt ghosts and capture images of UFOs.

In honor of the new X-Files movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, MainStreet presents a paranormal price guide for busting your own ghosts.

THE PROFESSIONAL WAY

Dom Villella
According to principal investigator Dom Villella, Paranormal Investigation of New York, “People do not know how expensive it is” to run an investigative outfit. Though the average person could easily purchase a few items that can capture paranormal activity, Villella said, “95% of people who try to investigate the paranormal don’t last a year.” The reason? “99% of what we do is boring.”

Scariest Moment: At the Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania, in a closed off part of the haunted prison, Villella captured a piece of clean audio where a voice whispered, “My house…house…my home.”

Rich Smith
Rich Smith from ParaTexas is an expert in EVP recording and training. “Don’t quit your daytime job,” says Smith. Investigating the paranormal is a lifelong endeavor. Smith spent years in the Navy where he went to electronics school. His experience with the Naval Intelligence Unit engendered dexterity with technology: Key for paranormal investigations. Smith offers private EVP tutorials with field trips, computer lab software analysis and recording technique sessions. The Texan investigator warns people to be prepared for a life changing experience; Smith is spirit magnet. "I am like Grand Central Station for spirit visits."

Scariest Moment: Smith doesn’t easily scare. Check out this eerie clip Smith recorded on a trip across the Chihuahua Desert.

TOTAL COST: Villella and Smith do not charge for an investigation. “In the spirit world, money doesn’t mean anything,” said Villella. (However, says Smith, if “Brad and Angelina wanted my services there would be a fee.”) According to Smith, most investigators in the field charge about $500 a day (about $85 an hour) plus travel expenses.

THE DO IT YOURSELF WAY

EVP Collection
The quickest way to do your own investigation is to collect an EVP. EVP stands for electronic voice phenomena. According to The American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP) , EVPs “are unexpected voices found in recording media. It is a form of after death communication.” And, an EVP is the easiest and most cost effective way to determine if your house is haunted. You basically grab a clean piece of audio as proof.

Smith created a guide for MainStreet readers. Most items on this list can be purchased at your local electronics store.

The DIY Paranormal Price Guide (based on one person recording EVPs):

1. Digital Recorder-You should have two or three on hand, with a set of
questions for the spirit. A decent digital recorder costs $49.00; don’t forget cable to transfer sound
clips to computer.
2. Quality Audio Headset- $23.99 at Amazon.com.
3. Laptop- Any old PC will do. Smith does not recommend Mac due to compatibility issues. $499 is the starting price for a Dell Inspirion.
4. EMF Field Detector- This device measures the electromagnetic energy and rules out environmental noises. Check out the The Ghost Hunter Store for a small EMF director at the small price of $27.
5. Download WavePad. This software is necessary to remove the ambient noise from your digital recording. The demo is 30 seconds but should suffice as lingering spirits are not terribly chatty and normally offer only a few words per recording.

TOTAL COST: $604.99 (before taxes)

Not cheap, just to discover if the truth is out there. Since spirits can't be bribed to cross over (remember, money has no meaning in the spirit world), it is probably worth it.