Ep 5. Winchester Mystery House

As someone who enjoys exploring the paranormal, Destination Fear is a show that always captures my attention. In season 4, episode 5, the Destination Fear team heads to the infamous Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.

If you aren't familiar with the Winchester Mystery House, it's a sprawling mansion that was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester (of Winchester rifle fame). Sarah was plagued by the deaths of her husband and child and became convinced that she was being haunted by the spirits of those killed by Winchester guns. She consulted a medium who told her that building a house and constantly adding on to it would keep the spirits at bay. And that's exactly what she did – for 38 years, she built and rebuilt rooms, hallways, and staircases, resulting in a bizarre, confusing, and supposedly haunted mansion.

The Destination Fear team consists of Dakota Laden, his sister Chelsea Laden, their friend Tanner Wiseman, and cameraman Alex Schroeder. They're a tight-knit group and have been on many paranormal investigations together. The episode begins with the team meeting with Tim O'Day, the general manager of the Winchester Mystery House. He gives them a brief history of the mansion and warns them that it's a dangerous place to investigate – the staircases are steep and narrow, and many of the rooms are unfinished.

The team starts their investigation with an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) session in the séance room. It's a small, dimly lit room with a round table in the center. Dakota, Chelsea, and Tanner take turns asking questions, hoping to capture any ghostly voices on their digital recorder. Alex films the session from the corner of the room. It's quiet at first, but things start to get creepy when the team hears strange noises and knocks.

Next, they move to the ballroom, which is one of the most ornate and beautiful rooms in the mansion. Sarah Winchester was an amateur architect and incorporated many unique features into the house, such as a skylight in the floor of the ballroom (which was intended to let spirits out). The team sets up a REM pod, which is a device that detects changes in the electromagnetic field. They also use a spirit box, which scans through radio frequencies and supposedly allows spirits to communicate through the white noise.

As they conduct their investigation, the team begins to feel uneasy. The REM pod starts going off by itself, and the spirit box seems to be saying words that relate to the history of the house. Dakota, Chelsea, and Tanner each take turns exploring different parts of the mansion, all while being filmed by Alex.

Throughout the episode, the team experiences a variety of paranormal phenomena, including strange voices on the digital recorder, moving shadows, and sudden, unexplained cold spots. They also explore some of the more bizarre parts of the house, such as the staircase to nowhere and the infamous door that opens to a two-story drop.

One of the most intense moments of the episode comes when the team decides to spend the night in the mansion. They set up their sleeping bags in the grand ballroom and attempt to get some rest. However, they soon discover that they're not alone – strange noises and footsteps can be heard throughout the night, and every time they try to settle in, something else happens. It's a long, tense night, and by the time morning rolls around, the team is ready to leave.

Overall, Destination Fear season 4, episode 5 is a thrilling exploration of the Winchester Mystery House. The team is courageous and professional, and they handle the paranormal activity with sensitivity and respect. The episode is well-paced and engaging, and fans of the show will not be disappointed.