Help! My House Is Haunted: 'Bad Luck Bungalow' - Series 5, Episode 9 Review

The ninth episode of the new series of 'Help! My House Is Haunted' entitled 'Bad Luck Bungalow' dropped on Discovery+ this week. This time, Ian Lawman, Jayne Harris, and Barri Ghai are summoned to a family home, where intimidating and terrifying spiritual occurrences have become a norm for the homeowners, Jacqueline and Dan, along with their two children.

In the episode, Jacqueline and Dan talk about their initial attraction to the bungalow, describing it as "quirky and cute," despite an unnerving feeling. This initial sentiment quickly turns sour as they learn from their neighbours about the property's grim history, involving divorces and suicides, leading to its unsettling nickname: "the house of dread."

Jacqueline then tells us about the first unsettling incident that occurred after their honeymoon - a mysterious twisted log found in their guest bedroom, with no logical explanation for its appearance. This event was just the beginning, as they began to experience more alarming phenomena, such as unexplained adult voices and mimicking of their own voices. Dan's disturbing account of seeing a woman holding a baby on the baby camera adds another layer of eeriness to their experiences.

The team discuss the complexities of the case en route to the property. Ian, the show's medium, expresses his apprehension, sensing multiple spirits and a strong female presence awaiting them, while Jayne considers the age of the house and its history in trying to make sense of the disturbances.

The team splits up to conduct their initial research. While Jayne and Barri head off to gather more insights, it's up to Ian to conduct his solo psychic sweep. Upon entering the house, he immediately senses a heavy, negative presence in one of the rooms, even hearing his name called out from the hallway. His exploration leads him to a conservatory, where he feels the presence of a woman's spirit, suggesting a potential portal in that area. He thinks this portal could be an entry or exit point to the spirit world, explaining the unusual activities in the house. Ian said, "The closer I get to the bottom of the stairs or nauseous I become and there's a mist." This reinforced his belief in the existence of a portal that needs closing.

Meanwhile, Jayne meets with historian Bethan Briggs-Miller in Rhyl Pavilion to delve into the history of the land where the house stands. Bethan shares the chilling past of the area, particularly the Battle of Rhuddlan Marsh, a bloody conflict that resulted in the river running red with blood. She also recounts the tragic tale of Sarah Perry, a woman who drowned in the marshland and whose spirit is said to mimic voices and throw stones at those who investigate her calls. This detail particularly resonates with Jayne, considering the family's experiences of voice mimicry in their home.

Barri goes to meet with Jacqueline's friend Bethany, who has had her own eerie experiences in the bungalow. Bethany describes hearing the voices of Jacqueline and Dan when they were not home and encountering a black figure at the bottom of the stairs.

With their initial research complete, the team conduct their first experiment dubbed 'spirit triggers,' designed to enhance interactions with the spirits believed to be haunting the property. The approach involves asking the homeowners to get involved, hoping their familiar presence will act as a catalyst for paranormal activity.

In the experiment, Barri decides to use the SLS (Structured Light Sensor) camera in the ensuite, an area known for significant activity. This special type of camera is said to be able to detect spirit forms as stick figures on the screen, providing a visual representation of any paranormal presence. Jacqueline is invited to call out to the spirits, hoping to elicit a response.

Meanwhile, Jayne and Ian stay in the conservatory, another hotspot for supernatural occurrences. As Jacqueline and Barri explore, they hear unexplained sounds. Moments later, Ian senses the presence of a woman connected to water, this of course ties in with Jayne's earlier historical research about Sarah, a local woman who tragically drowned in the area. This revelation seems to confirm the team's theory that Sarah's spirit might be inhabiting the house.

The SLS camera used by Barri captures a large figure next to Jacqueline, and moments later she hears a breath in her ear and various strange sounds, including one that appears to emanate from the mirror. This experience is particularly unsettling for Jacqueline, who feels that something might be hiding and waiting in her home. A little later, Jacqueline believes she hears the word "mummy," echoing the family's previous encounters with voice mimicry in the house.

Barri concludes this part of the investigation with a somber note, acknowledging the undeniable presence of something in the house, which he suspects is not entirely benign. This sets a foreboding tone for the rest of the investigation, which sees the team start by focussing on connecting with the spirit of a lady seen holding a baby in the child's bedroom.

Jayne, intrigued by this specific apparition, suggests starting in the child's bedroom. Before long, Barri hears a knocking sound, to which he reacts, "Did you hear that?" Ian confirms this, noting it sounded like a door banging. This is soon corroborated when the team discovers a bedroom door moving on its own, with Barri stating, "There's no one behind the door."

Ian tries to communicate with the spirit in the room, asking, "The lady, or anybody who's in this room with us right now, can you tell me your name? How did you become trapped in this house?" The team witness an unexplained light, prompting Ian to question, "Where did that light come from?"

The investigation escalates when Barri notes, "There's a woman's voice!" This is immediately confirmed by Jayne, who says, "I just heard it. I heard it." Ian agrees, "That was a female voice." Jayne theorises about the spirit's intentions. She says "This female spirit is wanting our attention or possibly wanting to keep us out of Jacqueline and Dan's daughter's bedroom."

The team then uses an audio recorder to try and capture Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs), which are sounds believed to be ghostly voices that are not heard at the time of recording but are identified upon playback. They hear a whispery sound, which Barri interprets as a voice saying "fear me."

In an attempt to further communicate, they turn to the Spiritus app, which has a sound bank that spirits can manipulate. Ian, hearing a familiar sound through the app, says, "That sounded like me. Are you trying to speak like me?" Shortly after, he hears his voice again through the app and asks, "Why are you mimicking me?"

Jayne hears her name through the app, leading Ian to conclude, "That said Jayne. That was really creepy." They decide that Jayne should stay in the room alone to continue the communication. Jayne, hoping to engage further with the spirit, records on her audio recorder, "You spoke to me before speak to me again now. Give me your name."

Upon replaying the recording, Jayne believes she hears the sound say "Barri," which leaves the team puzzled about the spirit's intentions. Barri questions, "So why is the spirit just mimicking voices or saying names. It's confusing," to which Ian responds, "That's what it's doing. That's why it's doing it. He's trying to confuse us so we don't identify that particular spirit."

Based on his belief that there is a portal in the house, Ian says, "Bearing in mind there's a portal here, so anything can come in at any single point." Barri, revisiting the corridor behind the mirror in Jacqueline and Dan's bedroom, uses an audio recorder and hears a sound he is convinced says "he murdered me," something he believes to be a critical piece of evidence.

Ian concludes that the spirit knows she was murdered and that the portal is attracting several spirits. He states, "We know she's here and we know she is aware that she did pass. And I think she knows she was murdered. And the fact this portal's here, that's also attracting several spirits, maybe hundreds. So we need to close that and bless this property really well." Ian prepares to close the portal with prayers, while Jayne uses palo santo wood for its traditional spirit-banishing properties.