New Ghost Hunting Equipment a Magnetic Viewing Film

Testing Magnetic Viewing Film for Ghost Hunting: Will It Work or Just Be Another Dud?

As someone who's always on the lookout for new and unusual tools to use in ghost hunting, I recently added something a little different to my kit: magnetic viewing film. You've probably seen this stuff before without realizing what it was—it’s a flexible, greenish-black sheet that reacts to magnetic fields. When it’s placed near a magnet, you’ll see a shifting pattern of light and dark areas that reveal the shape of the magnetic field. It’s often used in science classes or by engineers to visualize magnetic poles.

So, naturally, my ghost-obsessed brain went: "If ghosts can manipulate electromagnetic energy... could they interact with this?"

Let’s break it down:

💡 What Is Magnetic Viewing Film?

Magnetic viewing film is a flexible plastic sheet embedded with tiny capsules filled with oily nickel flakes. When a magnetic field is present, the flakes align with the poles of the magnet and create a visual pattern. You can literally “see” the magnetic field without needing any electronics or meters.

It’s usually used to:

• Check magnetic pole orientation

• Diagnose issues with electric motors or magnetic locks

• Teach students how magnetism works

But I thought—hey, maybe it could catch some paranormal activity.

🧪 How I’m Using It for Paranormal Investigations

I place the sheet in areas where we’ve detected EMF spikes or where activity has been reported, like haunted rooms, basements, or next to our REM pod. The idea is that if something really is manipulating electromagnetic fields, maybe this simple, low-tech sheet will show it. If a spirit can somehow generate or disrupt a magnetic field—even momentarily—it might show up as a shifting pattern on the film.

My hypothesis, though, is that it's probably never going to activate. Not because I don’t want it to (trust me, I’d lose my mind if it actually reacted on camera!), but because I’m skeptical that ghosts actually generate strong, localized magnetic fields—at least not ones strong enough to visibly affect this film.

So far, we’ve tested it a few times in supposedly active locations, and... nothing. Not even a flicker. Just a flat greenish-black sheet staring back at me like, “No ghosts here.”

🧑🔬 What About Other Investigators?

I dug around to see if anyone else in the paranormal field has tried using magnetic viewing film—and while it’s definitely not common, there are a few creative investigators out there experimenting with it.

Some forums and Reddit threads mention people using it similarly to me—setting it up near EMF hotspots or taping it to a wall in an active room and leaving a camera on it. A couple of YouTubers have posted videos showing their setups, usually pairing the film with EMF detectors like the K-II or REM pod to compare results. No one has posted any definitive activity caught on the film, though.

The consensus seems to be that it’s a neat idea, but ghosts either don’t produce magnetic fields in a way that’s detectable by this method—or the tech just isn’t sensitive enough. That said, it's still a cool way to try to visually capture energy changes in a way that doesn’t rely on electronics, which could be influenced by radio interference or other false positives.

🧭 Final Thoughts

I’m still going to keep the magnetic viewing film in my kit, at least for now. It’s flat, light, easy to pack, and doesn't require batteries—so why not? Even if it never activates, it’s a good way to show that we’re open to trying all kinds of tools in our investigations, not just the ones that light up and beep.

And let’s be honest, if it ever does show some weird pattern and we can rule out magnets or environmental interference... that’s going to be one heck of a moment.

Have you ever tried magnetic viewing film or something similarly out-of-the-box in your ghost hunting adventures? Let me know in the comments—I’m always looking for weird tools to test.

Stay spooky, my ghost-loving friends. 👻

– Spooky Cat Lady