How do you know when you come across an evil spirit that it's not necessarily a demon, but just an "asshole"?

In this episode of Splintered Spirits, Gary sits down with demonologist and author James Annitto to answer that question. James, a former ordained Old Catholic deacon and founder of the Dominion Ministry, brings over two decades of experience investigating the dark edges of the paranormal.

James is known for his objective approach, often looking through a psychological lens before jumping to supernatural conclusions. In this interview, he shares terrifying case files that blurred the line between mental health crises and true evil, including a premonition of murder that almost made him quit the field.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Difference: Distinguishing between a haunting, a demonic infestation, and a spirit that is just a jerk.

• The Nightmare Case: A harrowing story where James dreamt of dismembering a family—only to arrive the next day and find them wearing the exact clothes from his dream.

• The "Wall Puncher": The time James caught a lonely elderly woman staging poltergeist activity on CCTV.

• True Possession: A violent encounter in Salem, MA involving physical transformations and a rosary that instantly oxidized.

• Pop Culture: What movies like Nefarious and Insidious actually get right about the paranormal.

Featured Book:James Annitto’s new book, The Psychological Dimensions of the Paranormal, is available now:  https://amzn.to/47duJBs

Timestamps:0:00 - Intro: What are spirits?2:15 - From Deacon to Demonologist8:45 - Defining a Demon: Evil Spirit or Fallen Angel?22:45 - The Nightmare Case: A Demonic Infestation40:30 - Debunking the Wall-Punching Ghost51:00 - The "Trifecta" of Evidence1:04:00 - Advice to a Young Demonologist

About Splintered Spirits:Hosted by Gary, Splintered Spirits explores the strange, the haunted, and the theories that might explain it all. We are trying to find the answer to one question: What are spirits?

Marie Jackson, the fearless creator behind Ghost Link Productions and Paranormal Impact, joins Gary and John on Splintered Spirits Live!

With more than 100 investigations across haunted homes, abandoned sites, historic locations, and active hotspots, Marie brings lived experience, emotional truth, and cinematic storytelling to the world of the paranormal. She has become a powerful voice in a space that has not always been inclusive, using her work to uplift underrepresented communities and reshape how paranormal stories are told.

In this conversation, Marie shares how growing up in a haunted home shaped her perspective, what she believes spirits truly are, how trauma and healing intersect with the supernatural, and why representation matters in paranormal media. We also dive into her upcoming TV series Supernatural Sistas, her books TEN FEET UNDER and TEN FEET ABOVE, and how she bridges spirituality, investigation, creativity, and cultural identity.

If you care about authenticity, powerful storytelling, inclusivity in the paranormal world, and redefining what it means to encounter the unknown, this episode is for you.

Links to Marie's Insta and Book can be found in our Link Tree:

https://linktr.ee/splinteredspirits

What happens when a law written during the Civil War crawls out of the history books to threaten a modern-day business owner with jail time?

In October 2023, the Police Chief of Hanover, Pennsylvania, walked into The Serpent's Key Shoppe & Sanctuary with a warning for owner Beck Ravenswood: Stop reading tarot cards for money, or face prosecution under an 1861 state statute banning "fortune telling for gain or lucre."

Instead of hiding the decks, Beck fought back, filing a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of trying magic in a modern court.

In this episode, Gary and John sit down with Beck Ravenswood to discuss not only her background but:

• The surreal experience of being threatened with an archaic law in the 21st century.
• The dark history of anti-vagrancy laws used to target spiritual communities.
• The reality of the ongoing battle to protect First Amendment rights for pagans and practitioners.
• Whether this legal zombie is just bureaucracy at work, or a historical prejudice actively haunting Hanover.

Does the law fear what it can’t understand? Join the conversation as we split the difference between the legal and the mystical.

GUEST LINKS Keep up with Beck Ravenswood and their legal fight:

• Instagram: @the_stitching_witch
• TikTok: @thestitchingwitch
• Shop: https://serpentskeyshoppe.com/

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Brian Sterling-Vete joins Splintered Spirits for a conversation that cuts through hype and superstition with equal parts science, skepticism, and dry British humor. Brian is the founder of Paranormal Rescue, a best-selling author, a Guinness World Record holder, and a former BBC broadcaster who brings a sharp, analytical mind to the world of ghosts, hauntings, and unexplained phenomena.

Brian shares the strange UFO encounter that set him on this path, the wild events he lived through inside a 110-room Tudor mansion, and why his upcoming book Quantum Paranormal aims to connect the mysteries of consciousness and hauntings with real physics. We dig into his scientific ghost hunting approach, the story behind Project Half-Life, and why being open-minded does not mean abandoning logic.

If you have ever wondered where solid investigation ends and real high strangeness begins, this conversation is a clear reminder that the truth is usually stranger, funnier, and far more complicated than people want to admit.

Despite some tech issues and internet drop-outs, Gary and John manage to pull off another live episode catching up John's Gettysburg Trip, the Ghost of the Grandfather Clock, and the big things to come as we turn the year.

In this episode of Splintered Spirits, Gary and John talk with Steven Parsons, one of the UK’s most respected paranormal investigators and the author of Ghostology: The Art of the Ghost Hunter. Unlike the TV shows and viral ghost hunts built on flashing gadgets and jump scares, Steven approaches the supernatural with a scientist’s precision—studying how sound, psychology, and technology can both reveal and distort our perception of the unseen. Together, we explore why ghost hunting needs more skepticism and fewer theatrics, how audio and environmental data can uncover natural explanations for “hauntings,” and what social media is doing to reshape the way people experience the paranormal. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the science behind the spirits—and what happens when you stop chasing shadows and start asking better questions.

Ghostology: https://amzn.to/4heGJHs

In this episode of Splintered Spirits, Gary and John Santa (@santaparanormal) sit down with producer and documentarian Mike Dorsey, whose career has taken him deep into the world of the paranormal.

Dorsey produced and edited the hit documentary Demon House with Zak Bagans, co-executive produced Ghost Adventures: House Calls on Discovery+, and served as showrunner for Destinations of the Damned, a globe-spanning docuseries filmed in 13 countries. His work has brought him face-to-face with haunted homes, cursed destinations, and unexplained phenomena across the world.

We talk with Mike about what it’s like to produce ghost shows with major talent like Zak Bagans, how he balances storytelling with authentic paranormal experiences, and why audiences are so drawn to the mysteries of the spirit world. Along the way, Mike shares behind-the-scenes insights into the challenges of filming in haunted places, the surprises that happen when the cameras are rolling, and what he’s learned from years of bringing ghost stories to life on screen.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to capture the paranormal for television, this episode is a must-listen.

In this episode of Splintered Spirits, Gary and John sit down with Rosie Grant, the food folklorist behind Ghostly Archive and the author of To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes. Rosie has spent years traveling to cemeteries around the country, uncovering headstones engraved with actual recipes, baking each dish, then bringing the finished food back to the grave to share a bite with the person who inspired it.We talk about her unusual childhood surrounded by ghost tours, how she fell in love with archives, the moment she discovered her first gravestone recipe, and what it’s like to cook for people who can’t exactly leave a Yelp review.Rosie opens up about the families she’s met, the memories behind these recipes, and why food might be one of the most powerful ways we keep the dead alive. There are cookies, casseroles, touching stories, and a surprising amount of joy for an episode about those that have passed.If you’ve ever wondered how a recipe becomes a legacy or why cemeteries might be less scary than you think, this conversation is for you.Rosie's Book: TO DIE FOR

John spends Veterans Day cleaning soldiers’ headstones while Gary wonders if it’s really “volunteering” when the ghosts might be supervising. Between stories of eerie calm and unexpected energy spikes, they dig into why honoring the dead sometimes leads to very lively encounters.

A thoughtful (and occasionally ridiculous) episode of Splintered Spirits that mixes heart, history, and a few laughs among the tombstones.

In this episode of Splintered Spirits, Gary and John talk with Mark Marinaccio (https://linktr.ee/strangestoryco), Executive Producer of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch and veteran of Ghost Hunters. Mark has built a career exploring the edge of what can be explained. He has documented strange events, guided research teams through unusual experiments, and helped define how audiences experience the paranormal on screen.

He shares how growing up with a psychic mother and a sci-fi-loving father shaped his curiosity, what it’s really like to oversee investigations at Skinwalker Ranch, and how he balances skepticism with belief.

If you’re drawn to the space where science meets mystery, this conversation belongs on your playlist!