Before haunted TikTok, before 3 a.m. livestreams and cursed mirrors on the For You Page, ghosts had a home on TV.
In this episode, I’m diving into how paranormal television rose from late-night mystery shows to full-blown ghost-hunting chaos — and how that same energy found new life on social media.
We’ll rewind to the eerie elegance of In Search Of… and Unsolved Mysteries, relive the early-2000s boom of Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, and then scroll forward to 2017’s Dear David thread that turned Twitter into a haunted house. From there, it’s all about the haunted TikTok era — spirit-box sessions, cursed clips, and a generation that still can’t stop chasing proof in the static.
If you grew up on ghost shows or have a favorite haunted creator, this one’s for you.
Grab your blanket, dim the lights, and let’s talk about how the paranormal went from cable to camera-roll.
🕯️ Sources & Further Reading:
Vox: How Dear David Changed Internet Horror
Mashable: The Internet Can’t Stop Believing Dear David
Screen Rant: Haunted TikTok: How Social Media Became the New Paranormal TV
IMDb / Network archives for In Search Of, Unsolved Mysteries, Ghost Hunters, and Ghost Adventures
✨ Follow The Cozy Ghoul Society:
Instagram & Threads @cozyghoulsociety
TikTok @cozyghoulsociety
Tag me with your favorite haunted clips or ghost-show nostalgia — I might feature them in a listener episode!
Stay cozy. Stay spooky. 🖤