INTERVIEW: Ghost Hunter Jason Hawes talks about some new haunts

Plumber by day, ghost hunter by night, Jason Hawes is a man living a paranormal life. As lead investigator and founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society, and star of Syfy’s Ghost Hunters, Hawes knows a thing or two about the “spirit world.”

In the upcoming continuation of Ghost Hunters’ eighth season, Hawes and his crew (minus Grant Wilson, who is taking a leave of absence) will head down South for some old ghost stories that date back a number of years. The new season premieres Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 9 p.m.

Recently, Hawes talked with journalists about the new episodes, what he tells people who don’t believe in the paranormal and how Ghost Hunters has changed his life. Questions and answers have been slightly edited.

But before answering questions, Hawes had some exclusive news to share …

“This season is really going to be kicking off with a lot of great things,” Hawes said. “I think you’re all going to realize we ended up bringing in a new investigator. Her name is Ashley. I think you guys will really enjoy seeing how she grows on the show and her interaction with the rest of the team. And I think she’ll be appearing starting Sept. 26. But some of the best cases I think that we’ve had to date, and some of the best evidence that we’ve caught recently, of course, I can’t get into too much, but … I honestly believe it’s probably going to be one of the best seasons ever.”

HOLLYWOOD SOAPBOX: Thanks for the time today Jason. I’m curious, it seems like the upcoming season you’re going to be focusing in on some ghost stories down in the South. Why take this focus for the new season down there? And can you give a preview of some of the good things you find, or some of the bad things?

HAWES: Some of the good or the bad things. (laughs) Well, we’ve had some wild investigations. We were able to investigate a zoo, which has been, that’s tough enough if you think about it. We were called in by an actual town that had called us in in the past to investigate some locations. And we spend some time down in Charleston, S.C., because they’re such old areas.

And a lot of the areas we headed off to, they have such history and some insane history. One of the locations we headed to had the first so-called female serial killer. But just to be able to get out there, hear these stories, and to be able to investigate some of these locations, it’s just incredible. That one actually, the one I was just talking about, the first serial killer, some people who are actually on production ended up having a situation. I can’t get into too many details, but it led to a really interesting investigation.

HOLLYWOOD SOAPBOX: Looking back at the TV series, it’s been out for so many years. How has it changed your life? … For example, are you still doing the daily plumbing and stuff? Do you get spotted a lot in public?

I definitely get spotted a lot in public. The bald head and goatee thing definitely … it’s easy to recognize me.

As for plumbing, when I’m not in full-swing production, I go back to the norm. I’ll go in and price out jobs for Roto (-Rooter). Still employed by them. They’ve been a great company, but also they understand that they’re getting advertising while I’m on the road. So we scratch each other’s backs on that end. They’ve always been a great company. I worked for them years before the show.

So, yeah, to honestly see how incredible or how large this whole thing has become, it’s wild. We’ve just been having a great time. It’s changed a lot, but the nice thing is … when I go to into a location, where a lot of other shows they’re going into with a producer, a cameraman, a sound man, all these things, I don’t. I go in with just one cameraman and whoever I’m investigating with at the time. And that cameraman is usually Kendall, who is my main guy who’s been with me for years on the show. So he knows to stay out of my way, but also I’m able to take his tape, I’m able to take his audio, and analyze that as well. So it also comes in handy that way, having that crew there, because now I have more possible evidence that can be documented by a different camera and other audio.

HOLLYWOOD SOAPBOX: Do you ever have naysayers, just people who don’t believe in ghosts, and they give you a hard time? What do you say to people who don’t believe in anything that appears on Ghost Hunters?

HAWES: Honestly, I have dealt with people like that. I don’t get into an argument with them about this. Bottom line is I’m not here to push my beliefs on them. I would appreciate the same.

I think, first off, every religion, every nationality, everybody out there has talked about something to deal with the spirit realm since the human race came around. So I think it would be naïve to say that it didn’t exist, let alone, we manipulate energy every time we turn on a hairdryer or vacuum cleaner. To say that the world hasn’t been manipulating it since the dawn of time is just silly.

But like I said, I’m not here to try to force this paranormal … down anybody’s throat. I just think that it would be best if those people stopped being so close-minded. Instead of becoming full believers … meet us in the middle. Let’s try to work this out together. Let’s try to figure out, if you don’t believe it to be paranormal, fine. Let’s try to figure out what it is, instead of casting stones at each other.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Ghost Hunters returns to Syfy on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 9 p.m. Click here for more information.