Chris Fleming (Shutter) Interview
In this chilling and atmospheric psychological thriller directed by Masayuki Ochiai, Rachael Taylor and Joshua Jackson star as Ben and Jane, newlyweds in Tokyo on a working honeymoon. Ben is a photographer on a fashion shoot. But as soon as their plane lands, haunting incidents overshadow their trip. They find themselves driving along a remote country road and apparently run over a Japanese woman. She vanishes but later haunts them, dogging their every step, her image seen as a ghostly smudge on all their photos. Jane sets out to discover who she is.
The film, from the executive producers of THE GRUDGE and THE RING, revolves around the fascinating subject of spirit photography, a controversial phenomenon that dates back to the start of photography itself.
In the following interview, paranormal investigator and researcher Chris Fleming discusses the topic and his own extraordinary experiences.
Fleming claims that from an early age he has had encounters with ghosts and sprits and has experienced bizarre and apparently inexplicable phenomena. Raised in Chicago, he attended university and went to work as a graphic designer, then went on to publish and edit Unknown Magazine: Real Experiences of Unusual Phenomena (1997-2001). He then created an online publication: Unknown Magazine.com.
Fleming has dedicated his life to study of the subject that has always fascinated him (and millions of others worldwide). He gives lectures, appears on radio and television and also helps people deal with their own ghostly experiences. He was co-host of the popular television show, DEAD FAMOUS. (still broadcast in over 15 countries), His current pod cast show is titled: SPIRIT TALK.
What is spirit photography?
“It is simply when spirits show up on photos. They are making themselves known and often have something important to say.”
What evidence is there that spirit photography is a genuine phenomenon?
“There has been documented evidence since the start of photography. The problem with modern technology is that it is difficult telling the difference between genuine and fraudulent photos because you can easily duplicate ghostly images. So how do you decipher what is real? The only real way to know for sure is if you were actually present when the paranormal experience occurred. If there are people who can collectively support the experience and testify that there was no manipulation done, that helps to prove the authenticity. You have to be able to support the evidence.”
How authentic is SHUTTER do you think in its depiction of spirit photography?
“People are so interested in the paranormal. And I think this movie holds true to the fact that ghosts appear on film and there is often a story behind those images. When ghosts show up on film or photos, it is sometimes by chance and there is no story -- the ghosts are just in the right place at the right time. But if it keeps happening (as in this film) there is a story, and it is interesting if this happens repetitively because we have to ask what is the ghost or spirit trying to tell us? In SHUTTER, the ghost is trying to tell the couple something very dramatic.”
What makes you so convinced that spirit photography and ghosts are real?
“Things often happen that knock me off my feet and I am convinced that anything in this world is possible. If we say ‘this can’t happen’ it still happens. There is always something new that happens to me that I have never experienced before. Why do these things happen? I don’t know. I guess ghosts and spirits have always been there and finally people like me are recognizing them and asking ourselves what we can learn from these experiences. This movie will get people interested in the subject. Even though it is fiction, they will start to look closely at their own photographs.”
Why do you think audiences love films like this?
“It is because of our yearning to know more. This movie is scary and has a sense of fantasy but there is some realism to it because spirit photography exists. Ghosts are real. SHUTTER is a fictional horror movie but it is based on possibilities. Cynics can say this does not exist but they cannot take away a genuine phenomenon that has been around for over 100 years. It has been proven by collective experiences with very good testimony and supporting evidence. “
Quite simply – how would you describe a ghost?
“A ghost is a spirit. When we die, our soul and spirit, which are forms of energy, leave our body. Before our soul passes on to ‘the other side’, it can show itself to a loved one and will appear in the form we remember that person to be. It will look like the person we knew. Some spirits or souls will not pass on to the ‘other side’ at all for various reasons. They may have unfinished business or not know they are dead in fact. They may be confused or terrified of going ‘towards the light’ or they may not believe in the afterlife. So they remain attached to the physical realm. But the ones who do go over to ‘the other side’, go through a spiritual evolution.”
When did your own beliefs in the paranormal first begin? Was there one moment or experience that stands out from childhood?
“When I was a kid I started having strange experiences. I would get a tap on the shoulder but there would be no one there. I would hear voices, doors would open and close and I started seeing ghosts. We had poltergeist activity in our house. Sheets were pulled off me, I levitated, light bulbs exploded, I saw demonic presences and I was almost possessed on one occasion. At first it was terrifying because I thought there was someone in my room fooling around and gliding through the wall -- they never walked. Ghosts do not walk. Why should they? When they are dead they are no longer restricted to the physical realm. So it makes me laugh when I see ghosts walking in some movies.”
Most people have never experienced anything like that so how do you explain it all to cynics who say: ‘it’s not real or true.’ Why do you see ghosts and others don’t?
A:“I don’t know. People ask that question a lot and I am intrigued as to why it happens to me. So I don’t know why but I always want more evidence so I will continue to do this work. Some people will never accept that it is real no matter what. They want their comfort zone, to continue believing that these things just do not exist. They will find explanations to justify experiences even though the experiences are very real.”
How did you end up basing your career and life on this subject?
“I went through struggles because at school I would say ‘I saw a ghost’ and people would tease me (although girls were interested). But when I had people sleeping over at our house, they often had paranormal experiences too. One of my friends, Bud, saw a ghost hover above him, floating, and he never slept over at my house again! Later I had séances and odd things happened. At times I decided to move on and do something else with my life. I didn’t want to deal with these experiences but something would always happen to push me back into this field. Now I realize that this is who I am and what I do. There is nothing I can do to avoid it.”
How do you describe what exactly you do for a living?
“I am a paranormal investigator. I speak about the experiences I’ve had and I do spiritual investigations and consultations for people who want to take a look at their path and destiny. I visit haunted houses and help people, Sometimes in haunted houses I can tell that the spirits are angry because of something that happened to them and they will not move on unless they are forgiven. So we forgive them.
I did my TV show DEAD FAMOUS and am planning to host another TV show soon. My aim is that more people will see how real these experiences are. We have a device now that uses radio signals and ghosts can communicate through it, speaking a few actual words. It is amazing, we ask questions and the ghosts respond. Hopefully as our research continues, we will eventually be able to talk to ghosts and spirits and have real, regular conversations with them.”
What do these experiences do for the people like you who claim to have them? What is the point?
“The one thing all of us have in common is that we die – there is no avoiding that. If we can learn something from these inexplicable experiences and take more responsibility for what we do, I think we could make things happier and more peaceful in this world. Spirits can often guide us in the right direction.”
What do you think of movies that have depicted the paranormal or spiritual realms? Which films have impressed you?
“I like this movie a lot (SHUTTER) because it deals well with the subject of spirit photography. THE SIXTH SENSE was very good. It reminded me of how I was when I was a kid, experiencing similar things. I loved the movie WHAT DREAMS MAY COME with Robin Williams. I was also affected by POLTERGIEST because growing up, our house in a suburb of Chicago was haunted.”
Why is there such a huge interest in the paranormal and so many films on the subject?
“it is all connected with the search for the truth, the unknown. We are touching on something in this kind of genre that deals with death and offers explanations, shows us a glimpse of the other side. People who are dead who are coming back to communicate with us. That is always intriguing.”
Do you think that your studies will become part of mainstream academic research?
“I think it is already becoming mainstream. It has to be because these areas have to be taken seriously so that things can improve in the world. There are still wars and we are not evolving as much as we should be as human beings. We continue to make the same mistakes. People may be skeptical but they want answers.”
What do you think happens to us when we die?
“Our spirit and soul leave our body and we are in the spiritual realm. There is a recognition that we are souls. Then what normally happens is that a light will come for us or voices will help us cross over to ‘the other side’ and it is our decision as to whether we want to go or not. When we go into the light, we recognize who we truly are and why we came here and we go ‘back home’ because we are not from here at all. We are from ‘over there’. I believe we come to Earth for a short period of time to experience things and then take that experience back with us. I know all this because throughout my whole life, ghosts and spirits have communicated with me and have shown this to me. They have shared a lot of information with me about what happens on ‘the other side’. We have so much to learn. We do know that we only use a certain percentage of our brain. (Though some people may use more than others). We only see and hear certain aspects of our environment and the more we find out, the more we realize that we are limited, we don’t know everything. ”
Shutter is available on DVD from 8th September 2008 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
