A trio of female paranormal investigators from B.C. are making their return to the silver screen with their new docuseries: History’s Most Haunted.
Last fall the South Cariboo’s Leanne Sallenback, along with her older sister Corine Carey and their childhood friend Kelly Ireland, starred in Haunted Gold Rush. Combining ghost hunting with history the three explored the Cariboo Gold Rush Trail. Now with History’s Most Haunted Sallenback said they’ve gotten the chance to explore some of the most haunted places in North America.
“We are three girls from British Columbia and our journey started in B.C. and we’re just super proud of that,” Sallenback said. “We did win the innovation award from B.C. Tourism and Hospitality for Haunted Gold Rush, so the fact our own province kickstarted this is pretty cool.”
The trio, under the name Beyond the Haunting, has been exploring the paranormal around B.C. for the last five years. Growing up both Sallenback and Carey said they’ve always had a connection to the supernatural. The two introduced Ireland to the paranormal which she said proved to be a fun journey of discovery.
READ MORE: Ghost hunters travel the Cariboo Gold Rush Trail
“I hung out at their house more and more (as a kid) and I saw Corine and Leanne’s abilities and their combined dynamic. They would play spot the spirit which was something that was normal to them,” Ireland said. “They started taking me out to places and I was fascinated. They slowly opened my mind more and more.”
Sallenback remarked that people seem to enjoy the authenticity and dynamic they bring to the screen when discussing the supernatural and history. That’s a big part of why she thinks T+E offered them the chance to do History’s Most Haunted, an offer which Carey said they all “jumped at.”
For this new show, they travelled to some of the most iconic and historical locations across Canada and North America. The trio visited Montreal, Newfoundland, Salem, New Orleans, Charleston and San Antonio over the course of early 2023.
“We talked to witnesses who have had real, often terrifying, experiences and we just want to get to the bottom of it and find out what’s going and unlock any kind of hidden mysteries that might be trapped in history somewhere,” Carey said.
Accompanying the trio on their journey was a small film crew from Small Army Entertainment. Carey and Sallenback praised them for their professionalism, noting they were adept at just capturing what they experienced at each location.
For Sallenback, her favourite episode to film was when they travelled to Bell Island, a small island off the coast of Newfoundland known as North America’s most “haunted island.” She thinks it will be really interesting for Canadians to learn about the island’s long history of mining and the folklore that surrounds it.
“These are very iconic locations in history so we went right off the deep end and into some of the most haunted places with some really great first-hand encounters,” Sallenback said. “We went into some really unique and terrifying places.”
Ireland said her favourite moment was when they visited the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Watching Carey in the famous mission-turned-military fort is something she will “never forget.”
Carey agreed that every location was special but her favourite was the investigation they did in Charleston, South Carolina. She said it took them a few weeks to connect all the dots, but once they did it was an emotional moment.
History’s Most Haunted begins airing on Sept. 8 on T+E and will air every Friday at 7 p.m. for the next five weeks. Throughout the run, she said T+E will be on free preview, so anyone with cable will be able to watch the show.
“This is honestly the first time this kind of lens has been put on the paranormal. It’s history, it’s ghosts and the supernatural all being explored by two sisters and their best friend. There is so many things that just spiral into something that is so unique,” Sallenback said.
Carey agreed with her sister, adding there is an educational component as well.
“No matter what you believe, you’re going to learn something about history when you watch this. It’s not just us running around ghost hunting, we’re connecting it to a bigger historical story. I think that’s really cool to be doing.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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