BBC Focus Magazine

[Dark One]

I was watching a programe a while ago about ghosts on the London Underground (Don't all jump on me at once, this is going somewhere scientific. I'm looking at you Mr Wolf ) and one of the explanations given for 'paranormal' experiences was the influence of infrasound, which is sound at or below 20 hertz, the limit of human hearing. The Underground is full of machinery and is also, apparently, full of infrasound. It is also reportedly one of the most 'haunted' places in the world.

This may be because these frequencies have very strange effects on the mind; it can cause a sense of terror and unease, as well as visual hallucinations of the I-just-saw-something-out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye type. Ghosts aside, it set me to thinking of possible military or commercial applications of infrasound. With the military I'm thinking could they weaponise it somehow, make a kind of 'fear bomb', to drop on enemy troops and totally demoralise them, or make a directional emmiter that would be useful in sieges, drawing people out of the building through fear. Or perhaps for use as security systems in factories or shopping centres at night, a burglar alarm that literally makes a place so terrifying that no thief will go near it.

Mr Vic Tandy has written a paper on the idea that infrasound causes 'hauntings', which you can find here,

http://www.psy.herts.ac.uk/ghost/ghost-in-machine.pdf

Any thoughts?

[ChrisH]

If it was proved to work maybe cinemas could use it during screening of horror films.

[Thinker]

The best way to scare people out of any place is to stick Jedward on the television. Watch them run in terror!!!!

[Shadowwolf]

The best way to scare people out of any place is to stick Jedward on the television.

Mr Thinker I would think you to know better than to mention such abomination even in jest, even in jest! Call on Cthulhu, anything, but not them.

Don't all jump on me at once, this is going somewhere scientific. I'm looking at you Mr Wolf

Heavens, what ever gave you that idea?

However, that is one of the plausible and demonstrated explanations for the spooky hauntings in at least some cases. I would doubt its efficacy in weaponised situations, earplugs would probably sort it and most soldiers are probably already experiencing fear as a normal reaction, a bit more may have no real effect.

Might be applicable to horrors that rely on unease but I don't think it effects everyone uniformly, nor do you want people running early and later demanding their cash back.

[M Paul Lloyd]

I can see an application here for enhancing the cinematic experience though.
After all if you could elevate the levels of fear during scary bits....... well even blu-ray isn't going to compete with that, surely?

[Healerman]

I remember reading, many years ago, about experiments in subsonics that produced some quite pronounced psychological and physical effects.

However, the memory being what it is, I have no idea where I read it, so no citation.

[Dark One]

Curses....I forgot about earplugs. Damn 21st century technology

I still think it would be pretty good as a deterent in factories and the like. Although I also partly just like the idea of scaring people witless

It's a good thing to know though, I've had some wierd visual and auditory experiences on the tube, so having a nice normal explanation is...well, nice.

[Healerman]

I have recalled, after much head scratching, that the stuff on sub-sonics I read (back in the seventies) was, I think, in Lyall Watsons book, "Supernature". Thought I had a copy kicking around somewhere, but can't seem to find it.

[M Paul Lloyd]

It does cross a few 'logic' boundaries though doesn't it?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Supernature-Nat ... 0340188332