Paraplex opens in New Orleans

The PARAPLEX opened today, January 24, 2009 in New Orleans.  Sadly, I was unable to attend the opening.  Too much bills and paperwork to get through here in Los Angeles, but do plan to get down real soon.  The high tech PARAPLEX includes  paranormal art galleries,  hands-on interactive psychic testing exhibits, a simulated séance room , a Ghost Experience Simulator and its own on-site theater for workshops, documentaries and feature film screenings.  The PARAPLEX is located at 4800 Canal Street in the heart of New Orleans, in a  completely remodeled, 14,000 square foot historic mansion built in the late 1800’s as a private residence and later became a funeral home.  Many believe the location to be haunted and with our arsenal of cameras of varying formats, monitoring and recording all paranormal phenomena 24/7 and documenting interactions between the mansion’s “resident entities” and PARAPLEX visitors, we may finally get a ghost on camera.  This has been an idea for over twenty years for my friend, parapsychologist Dr. Larry Montz of ISPR.  Unconventional Media is already in pre-production on some documentary ideas and television series built around the location.  Parapsychology and paranormal research is now an integral part of our culture and the PARAPLEX will cater to the millions in their quest for information and experiences within the paranormal realm.   The continuously evolving PARAPLEX is destined to become a premiere attraction internationally, offering a signature blend of interactive paranormal education and entertainment.  Very exciting indeed.  Great news story at WDSU – Channel 6.

The PARAPLEX ANNEX, which I visited over Halloween last year and wrote about here, is located at 718 Orleans, in the French Quarter.  A mini-museum it also serves a full slate of paranormal events including Ghost / Parapsychology Expeditions, Psychic Boot Camp, UFO & Ghost Hunters Nighttime Swamp Investigations and the exclusive new tour, Anne Rice’s Vampires & Other Supernatural Beings.  I’ve already started cutting a documentary from my last visit on these expeditions.  Best place for updates is at NewOrleans.com

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Halloween in New Orleans

So I’m finally recovering from a crazy Halloween and post election euphoria.  I spent Halloween in New Orleans which has become almost as big an attraction for the city as Mardi Gras.  I was there to finalize my partnership with Dr. Larry Montz and Daena Smoller of the International Society for Paranormal Research (ISPR) and begin film and video productions for the upcoming new attraction, the PARAPLEX.  We got lots of great press about the visit from New Orleans Magazine and NewOrleans.com

The PARAPLEX will open in early 2009 inside a 3-story and 14,000 square foot ‘haunted mortuary’ at 4800 Canal Street, three miles from the Quarter.  The PARAPLEX will be the world’s first 24/7 Interactive Paranormal Complex combining a high-technology observatory & lab (with over 40 cameras), static and interactive exhibits, a screening room running films when not in use for workshops, classes and presentations.  Exhibits include the history of ghost sightings, history of paranormal groups in the United States including psychics and seances, a ghost simulation experience, faux hauntings exposed, and many others.  I think it’s the first of it’s kind, a scientific museum and research center on Paranormal activities.

Right now, the PARAPLEX building is being used as The Haunted Mortuary which is one of the scariest “haunted house” attractions I’ve ever seen, and I went through it in the daytime!  A mini-PARAPLEX, the PARAPLEX ANNEX is open at 718 Orleans in the French Quarter.  This is what I came to see and it was great.  The PARAPLEX ANNEX offers free admission to see cool individual items on display from huge paranormal exhibits that will be installed at the PARAPLEX.  You can even catch great video screened inside of raw real paranormal investigation footage!

The PARAPLEX Annex also offers an amazing line-up of brand new paranormal reality events and a special tour, including:

PARAPSYCHOLOGY EXPEDITIONS – The cousin to the world-famous Ghost Expeditions that created a ghost hunter / ghost hunting pop phenom around the world, and based on the works of the most progressive parapsychologists over the last 100+ years, you get to participate in real paranormal field research at and inside actively haunted properties with some baseline psi testing, equipment provided.

PSYCHIC BOOT CAMP – Based on the reality TV series ISPR and I have been developing, you not only learn and use any clairvoyant abilities you may have, but you’ll learn about and the ‘how-to’s’ of psychic criminology, remote viewing and psychometry all while using the French Quarter as boot camp.  It’s perfect for the psi-curious all the way to the practicing clairvoyant who wants to flex their psychic muscles in the field.  Conducted by accomplished and professional clairvoyants.

UFO & GHOST HUNTERS NIGHTTIME SWAMP INVESTIGATIONS
This one gets spooky!  Whether you’re more interested in what’s flying overhead or what’s roaming the ground and on the water!  The tour I was on had more then a few alligators snapping around.  After leaving the Annex in the Quarter, you explore the Honey Island Swamps at night with certified captains and actually dock at a private beach near original American Indian burial sites.

The one I’m most excited to see presented, but it wasn’t running Halloween weekend:

ANNE RICE’S VAMPIRES & OTHER SUPERNATURAL BEINGS TOUR
Direct from Anne Rice…all the cool stuff she wants you to know!  It’s a tour that can’t be duplicated elsewhere because it comes from true behind the scenes events and knowledge that only those close to Ann Rice would know, it should be a fan favorite!  Especially in conjunction with the PARAPLEX which will be running an exhibit donated by Anne Rice featuring her famous vampire characters, doll collection, and original writings.

It’s going to be very cool to be a part of this new experience in the city that doesn’t quit, New Orleans.  At this time I’m looking for any old personal films or videos that anyone may have that show paranormal activity.  If you have something you’d like me to consider playing at the PARAPLEX or want it to be reviewed by a paranormal team, send me an email.  Who knows what kind of television, new media or even video games this is all going to lead into.  Should be fun!

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