We went ghost hunting with apps at Old Changi Hospital - found some

TRIGGER WARNING: The video and the following article deal with paranormal subject matter. Viewer discretion and reader discretion are advised.

(Ed's Note: While editing this piece at night, a bat flew into my living room, made a circle and flew back out. Then the page crashed. Not creepy at all.)

Do you believe in ghosts? I admit that I’m pretty scared of supernatural stuff – you won’t catch me watching any hantu movies. Probably the only horror stories I can stomach are Russell Lee’s True Singapore Ghost Stories (remember those?).

[embed]https://youtu.be/TQdqEys-4kk[/embed]

But in the spirit of Halloween, I was challenged to visit Old Changi Hospital, said to be Singapore’s most haunted place.

I’ve never been to Old Changi Hospital before but I was adamant to conquer my fears. Armed with a few ghost hunting apps, I wanted to find out if ghosts really did haunt the abandoned building.

Old Changi Hospital

Old Changi Hospital is said to be the most haunted place in Singapore, where there've been purported sightings of soldiers walking around, a little boy who just sits and stares, loud noises and banging… a film crew apparently also captured “shadow people” on film.

Getting to the most haunted spot in Singapore is simple. You’ll need to stop at the Opp Maranatha B-P Ch bus stop (buses 2, 9, 19, 59, 89, 89A and 109 stop there). Then it’s a 10-minute trek uphill. Though if you have a car, it’s much easier to make a quick getaway.

You’re actually not allowed into the Old Changi Hospital compound. You’ll be arrested if you’re caught trespassing (a loud warning sign will play as you get too close to the front gate).

Maybe that’s to protect the public from what’s inside… but I won’t risk a meeting with the police, so the apps were tested from outside the main compound gate.

Oct 21, 6.45pm

I was initially slated to go alone because my girlfriend didn’t want to join me, but heng ah, a friend with a car decided to follow my ghost hunting quest.

We decided to have our “last meal” together. Something atas like Shake Shack at Jewel sounded good. But when my friend came back with our orders, the receipt had his fingerprint embedded deep onto the paper. I was a little freaked, but it was just a tranfer from the hand sanitiser.

When we took the lift to get to his car in the basement, for some reason, the lights started flickering and the lift suddenly stopped moving for a while. After a few seconds, it started moving again. Coincidence? Didn't think so.

Oct 21, 8.15pm

We make it to the entrance of Old Changi Hospital. Oddly, there are a lot of cars parked outside along the road. I wonder if these people worked nearby.

I got my phone out and began testing the apps by the entrance gate, careful not to get too close to trigger the loud police announcement. Plus, I didn’t want to wake the ghosts up (if they even sleep?)!

Ghost Radar Legacy (iOS)

The first app we tried was Ghost Radar Legacy. Coloured circles thatshow up on a radar indicate that there are ghosts around you.

I saw green circles and red circles… no idea what that meant. Possibly how hostile they were? The also “translates” ghost-speak into legible words, but all I got was nonsense.

Ghost Radar Classic (iOS)

The next app up for trial was Ghost Radar Classic, the original version of the previous app. No idea what the numbers surrounding this more old school radar were, but it worked just like Legacy – coloured circles indicate if ghosts are around you.

I also saw yellow and blue circles in addition to green and red ones. Some of the circles indicated that there were ghosts behind me. I ignored the readings (should I have?) and decided to try a different app.

Ghost Detector (iOS and Android)

This here is called Ghost Detector. Press the switch on the bottom to activate the sensor, which apparently detects levels of EMF (electromotive force).

A supernatural presence will trigger the sensor showing high levels of “activity”. Pointing at a few places at Old Changi Hospital did show higher readings; at some points, the readings went closer to the “red” level. Goosebumps! Ok, next app.

Ultimate EMF Detector (Android)

I switched to my Android phone to try the Ultimate EMF Detector. There are multiple EMF detectors in this app, but I used the EMF Advanced version.

When I tried the app before heading out to Old Changi Hospital, I could have sworn the numbers didn’t keep changing and flickering like crazy like they did when I was on location...

Ghost Hunting Tools (Android)

The last app I gave a go was called Ghost Hunting Tools. It seems straightforward – the higher the bars, the likelier the chance of ghosts being around. It also has a word “translator” similar to Ghost Radar.

True enough, as I pointed the app around Old Changi Hospital, the scanner went through the roof. The words “Clap” and “Burning Skin” appeared. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to know the context behind those words.

Oct 21, 8.54pm

I decided not to stick around the place any longer. We chiong-ed out of there as fast as we could.

Do these apps really work? Personally, I don’t think so. Many of these apps show a reading even when I tested it out in other places and on public transport.

I’m sure these apps are just for entertainment purposes and nothing more. I mean, there can’t be ghosts in my room, right?

Oct 26, 2020, 9.32am

My shoulders are feeling heavy at work… I wonder why.

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.