Ghost hunting shows make it look like you need night-vision cameras, a crumbling manor and a van full of equipment. You do not. Ghost hunting for beginners works best at home or somewhere familiar, with a few friends, the lights down and a clear plan.
This guide treats a ghost hunt as what it is for most people: a spooky, social game. It is about atmosphere, storytelling and laughing at the creaks, not about proving anything.
Pick a place you are allowed to be
Start with safety and permission. The best locations for a first hunt are your own home, a friend's house, or a garden shed with a working light nearby.
Avoid abandoned buildings, construction sites or anywhere you are not allowed to enter. They are genuinely dangerous in the dark, and trespassing turns a fun night into a real problem. If you want a famous location, many historic sites run official evening tours.
Gather your kit
You need less than you think.
- A torch or lantern for moving between rooms safely.
- Phones for the tools and for photos.
- A notebook or the app's investigation log.
- Snacks and drinks for the breaks.
For the ghost-hunting tools, an app like Ghost Hunt puts two on your iPhone. The EMF meter is real: it reads your iPhone's magnetometer and shows changes in microtesla. The Spirit Box is generated: its static, sweep and words are created by the app at random, for fun. Nothing is picked up from the air.
That honesty is useful. Everyone knows the meter is measuring something real and the Spirit Box is part of the game, so nobody feels tricked.
Follow along in Download Ghost Hunt on the App Store
Free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
App Store
Give everyone a role
Roles make a ghost hunt feel organised and keep everyone involved. Swap them after each room so nobody spends the whole night holding the notebook, and so everyone gets a turn with the meter and the Spirit Box.
- Lead investigator: decides which room is next and asks the questions.
- Meter reader: holds the phone with the EMF meter and calls out spikes.
- Spirit Box operator: runs the sweep and announces any words.
- Note taker: logs times, rooms and events.
- Sceptic: looks for the everyday explanation for anything that happens.
For younger groups, pair people up so nobody walks into a dark room alone. The sceptic role is especially fun. Their job is to find the speaker behind the sofa or the radiator under the window when the meter jumps.
Name your investigation
In Ghost Hunt, you can name each hunt and optionally tag your city or area. Real magnetic spikes and generated words are logged automatically and kept apart. At the end you get a report card to share, which makes a great souvenir of the night.
Plan the rooms
Pick three or four rooms or areas and decide on an order. For each one:
- Turn the lights down and let everyone settle for a minute.
- Calibrate the EMF meter to the room's baseline.
- Spend five to ten minutes on questions and observation.
- Note anything that happens, then move on.
Short visits keep the energy up. Lingering too long in one room tends to drain the atmosphere.
Plan a break halfway through, with the lights on and something to eat. It resets nerves, lets people swap roles, and gives the note taker time to catch up. The second half of a hunt is often the best, because everyone knows the routine and the house feels different in the dark.
Using the tools
The Spirit Box as a game
In a generated Spirit Box, words appear at random through the static. Ghost Hunt labels every word on screen as a "Generated word". You can control sweep speed, direction, noise level and how often words appear.
The fun comes from interpretation. The lead investigator asks a question, the box produces a word, and the group decides what it might mean. A word like "cold" after asking about the kitchen gets a laugh or a shiver.
There is also an optional link: words can appear more often when the magnetic reading rises. The app tells you when that is on, so it stays transparent.
The EMF meter
Keep the phone steady and walk slowly. Remove any MagSafe case or wallet before calibrating, because their magnets affect the reading. When the meter spikes, pause and let the sceptic look for the cause: magnets, electronics and metal are the usual suspects.
Wrap up with a report
At the end, gather everyone together and go through the log. What spiked, and what caused it? Which Spirit Box word got the biggest reaction? Ghost Hunt creates a spooky report card at the end of a session, and you can revisit and re-share past investigations anytime.
Quick answers
What equipment do beginners need for ghost hunting?
A torch, a phone, a notebook and some friends. An app can add an EMF meter and a Spirit Box without buying separate devices.
Is ghost hunting safe?
At home or somewhere familiar with the lights nearby, yes. Avoid abandoned or restricted buildings, which are dangerous in the dark.
Does a Spirit Box app really talk to spirits?
No. Ghost Hunt's Spirit Box generates its sounds and words at random for entertainment. It does not contact spirits.
How long should a ghost hunt last?
An hour or two is plenty for a first investigation, with short visits to three or four rooms and a break in the middle.
Where to get it
Ghost Hunt gives you a real EMF meter, a generated Spirit Box, named investigations and shareable report cards, with no microphone, no camera and no account. Download Ghost Hunt on the App Store for iPhone.
Dim the lights, assign the roles and see who flinches first.