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This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

#618 - Sam and Colby

Published October 17, 2025
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About This Episode

Sam and Colby, two YouTube creators known for exploring haunted and abandoned locations, talk with Theo about how they met in small‑town Kansas, built an online career from Vine days, and eventually shifted from illegal urban exploration to structured paranormal investigations. They describe the pivotal Queen Mary experience that changed their beliefs about the afterlife, the methods and equipment they use to investigate alleged hauntings, and some of the most disturbing locations they have visited, including Pendle Hill, the Paris catacombs, and the Smurl house. Throughout, they and Theo connect paranormal exploration to faith, intention, manifestation, and how people show up in their lives and relationships.

Topics Covered

Paranormal investigation Religion and spirituality Content creation Travel and tourism Near-death experiences DMT Relationships Manifestation Mental health

Disclaimer: We provide independent summaries of podcasts and are not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by any podcast or creator. All podcast names and content are the property of their respective owners. The views and opinions expressed within the podcasts belong solely to the original hosts and guests and do not reflect the views or positions of Summapod.

Quick Takeaways

  • Sam and Colby began as high school friends in Kansas making Vine videos and transitioned into large-scale YouTube paranormal investigations after a series of intense experiences, especially on the Queen Mary ship.
  • They emphasize that belief and openness matter: many of their most striking paranormal encounters happened when cameras were off and they sincerely asked for contact rather than just chasing content.
  • Their investigations combine subjective sensations (voices, touches, emotions) with tools like EMF meters, motion sensors, flashlights, and specialized recorders that capture voices not heard in real time.
  • Some locations they describe as most disturbing include Pendle Hill's witch-trial history and demonic lore, the vast and lawless Paris catacombs, and the Smurl house case that inspired a Conjuring-universe film.
  • Theo connects their stories to his own exposure to near-death experience research and a powerful DMT trip, using these to reflect on faith, love, and the idea of meeting the supernatural-or any desire in life-halfway with clear intention.
  • They discuss ethical and spiritual boundaries, such as Colby's Christian discomfort with summoning the devil, and how modern life's nonstop distraction may be disconnecting people from spiritual and paranormal awareness.

Podcast Notes

Introduction and who Sam and Colby are

Framing Sam and Colby as paranormal explorers

Theo describes them as young paranormal explorers, "boo babies," and "spook lurkers" who visit very scary places around the world[0:33]
They have over 13 million subscribers on YouTube according to Theo, and he says he wants to get his "Halloween up" by talking with them[0:39]

How they see themselves and their work

Theo jokingly suggests labels like "paranormal amigos" and "seance monkeys" instead of just ghost hunters[1:39]
Sam and Colby say most people just call them ghost hunters, but they see themselves as two dudes with a camera documenting what happens[1:42]
• They stress they are not psychics or mediums and don't claim expertise, just that they go into haunted places with cameras and guests and see what happens
They compare themselves jokingly to off-brand community-college-level Ghostbusters or TV ghost hunters[2:10]

Background: Growing up in Kansas and starting online

Small-town origins vs. online scale

Theo notes they have 15 million subscribers and asks how that compares to their hometown population[2:24]
They estimate their hometown has under 100,000 people and describe it as small-town Kansas, suburbs of Kansas City[2:36]
They say it's surreal to think of many multiples of their hometowns worth of people watching them[2:59]

Meeting and early friendship

They met in Kansas in high school, around age 14, at band camp[4:25]
They shared a desire not to end up doing the standard path of college and 9-to-5 life like most kids around them[4:36]
Colby recalls the first time he saw Sam in middle school when Sam won a "best haircut" award during monthly student awards[4:55]
• He remembers Sam walking on stage, noticing his hair, and deciding he had to be friends with him and maybe start a Vine account eventually

Discovering Vine and the idea of content creation

Colby was the one who knew about Vine and YouTube; Sam says he initially wasn't into that world[5:41]
Colby pointed out that people were making silly videos at malls and getting millions of views, and that almost no one locally was doing it[5:50]
They began making content partly as a way to escape Kansas, travel, meet people, and eventually build a business, not initially for money[6:25]
Their parents offered a deal: if they earned around $15,000 in a year (enough for a few months' rent in LA), they could take a gap year instead of going straight to college[6:37]
• They put a whiteboard in their room tallying income, committed to posting daily and live streaming every day during senior year, describing it as "grind mode"

Local backlash and early prank-style content

They say their own high school did not like what they were doing, and social media wasn't yet widely accepted[7:08]
They were called into the principal's office and told the school did not want them representing it with their Vine content[7:13]
Early videos involved public disturbance pranks at their local mall, such as jumping off tables and riding couches up escalators[7:19]
• Theo mentions seeing them "following some fats at the mall," and they respond that they don't do that anymore and have learned

Transition from abandoned places to haunted investigations

Illegal urban exploration and getting arrested

They began exploring abandoned places around 2017-2018, often entering properties illegally[7:49]
Their approach was to find an abandoned asylum or similar, figure out how to get in and out without getting caught, and film the experience[8:40]
In 2019 they were arrested for this type of exploration, which forced them to reconsider that path[8:31]

First encounters with locations that had haunted lore

About a year before being arrested, they had started going to places with haunted stories attached[8:57]
They initially did not believe in ghosts and thought it would be funny content to test whether anything happened in allegedly haunted locations[9:06]
Over time they experienced unexplained voices, slams, and doors crashing, repeatedly enough that it challenged their skepticism[9:30]

Queen Mary experience as a turning point

They visited the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach, now a hotel, and describe it as a massive vessel[9:34]
They say that night on the Queen Mary completely changed Sam's life and made him religious and interested in spiritualism[10:58]
• They had filmed an entire video where nothing significant happened and turned off the cameras around 4 a.m., thinking it was a failed shoot
• Off-camera, they sat together and sincerely tried to have a conversation with a spirit, asking for signs
• Sam says that if it had just been about content they would have turned the cameras back on, but instead the experience remained off-camera and personal, which underscored its sincerity for him
He calls this his version of finding religion and hope, moving from believing in "blackness" after death to believing there might be something more[11:39]

Belief, faith, and openness to the paranormal

Comparing paranormal faith to religious faith

Theo draws a parallel between their Queen Mary experience and religious faith, noting that in both cases you often must "meet it halfway" by being open and present[11:48]
He suggests that some experiences from another realm may be positive, but people interpret them as scary because they come from something they don't understand[12:52]
Colby says he was born and raised Christian, so paranormal experiences felt like securing his existing beliefs rather than overturning skepticism[12:26]
They stress that how someone takes the paranormal depends heavily on their prior beliefs; the same event can be framed religiously, spiritually, or skeptically[12:37]

Role of skepticism and willingness

They note many people enter haunted houses extremely skeptical and thus "closed off," which they say makes it unlikely anything will happen for them[12:52]
They advise people going into haunted places to put themselves out there, take a risk, and genuinely be open-minded for things to happen[13:18]
Theo recalls childhood as a time when kids are so present and willing to believe that even small things can meet them at the edge of their imagination[13:43]
Sam and Colby agree that children have more experiences because they're less jaded and more open than adults[13:53]

Motivation beyond entertainment

Sam says he used to believe death was just nothingness, which felt hopeless, and that discovering potential evidence of an afterlife was beautiful and motivating[15:32]
He now hopes their videos might help others feel there is something more and possibly lead them to become more hopeful or better people[15:10]
They note skepticism is welcome: people can watch purely for entertainment if they don't buy into the spiritual aspect[15:37]

Theo's perspectives on near-death experiences and DMT

Near-death experience research

Theo mentions having a doctor guest, Dr. Jeffrey Long, an oncologist who collected and analyzed many near-death experience accounts[16:05]
• The doctor created a database of NDEs without fiscal reward, looking for patterns and commonalities across people's reports
Theo says the uniformity in many of the experiences suggested a pattern that made an afterlife seem more plausible to him[16:41]

Theo's DMT experience of overwhelming love

Theo describes a DMT experience where he felt like he was leaving his body and becoming a spirit that could only feel love[17:53]
At first he was attached to earthly concerns like his mom missing him, forgotten emails, and small tasks, but those worries were overwhelmed by immense love[18:47]
• He felt that the only thing one is supposed to do while alive is love, and everything else is a ruse
• He had the realization that his mother would also one day experience this overwhelming okay-ness and love when she dies, which reassured him
He notes that in the experience, memories of the physical plane faded but the sense that he was supposed to be in that loving state remained[19:38]
He says he has never said this description out loud before and acknowledges it may sound crazy, but it significantly impacted his belief that there is more than nothing after death[19:38]

Methods and tools in paranormal investigations

Overview of equipment and EMF

Sam and Colby say they usually bring two backpacks of equipment with them[24:46]
They use 8-10 pieces of gear that react to EMF (electromagnetic fields), which are associated with the movement of electrical current or voltage[25:23]
• They explain that EMF energy is emitted by many objects and processes and that their tools measure changes in this environment once calibrated
They also use motion sensors and ordinary objects like cat toys and flashlights, to show that everyday items can be used for communication if spirits interact with them[26:20]
They emphasize they did their first major investigations, like at the Queen Mary, without equipment, relying on themselves as the "equipment" in a dark room calling out[27:15]

Role of subjective experiences and guest witnesses

They point out that while someone can say they felt a touch on their shoulder, viewers need visual or measurable cues, hence using sensors and flashlights[27:53]
A big part of their show is now bringing guests who are independent from their channel, often skeptics or atheists, to experience phenomena firsthand[28:13]
They report many guests who started as atheists or lifelong skeptics left believing in ghosts after one intense night[28:21]

Expectation vs. reality in investigations

They say investigations do not always yield results; sometimes they travel across the world and get a "dud" night with almost nothing happening[29:41]
Typical investigations last around 12 hours, which get cut down to about an hour-long video, with only part of that showing actual phenomena[30:15]
This reinforces that getting dramatic evidence is not easy or guaranteed and often requires long, patient sessions[30:07]

Demonic and high-intensity locations: Pendle Hill and Paris Catacombs

Pendle Hill witch trials and demonic energy

They visited Pendle Hill in the UK, described as one of the most haunted, if not the most haunted, places in the United Kingdom[34:14]
Pendle Hill was home to infamous witch trials in 1612 where 12 people were tried and 11 executed for witchcraft, with accounts of them turning to the devil[34:22]
• They mention the story of Alizon Device, a 12-year-old who cursed a traveling peddler after he refused her request for pins; he soon suffered a stroke-like event, taken as witchcraft
• Her family members admitted in court they had used witchcraft to attempt to speak with and summon the devil, and multiple relatives were executed by hanging
Sam and Colby highlight that centuries of witches practicing and turning to the devil on that hill created a strong demonic or satanic association with the location[35:07]
They brought a witch whose main practice is summoning and channeling the devil to Pendle Hill to recreate those historical rituals as closely as possible[35:41]
They describe that as one of the most terrifying things they have ever done, citing the accumulated energy of hundreds of years of rituals focused on demonic contact[37:06]

Colby's religious conflict about summoning the devil

Colby reiterates he is Christian and says participating in occult magic, especially summoning the devil, feels like overstepping a line tied to his faith[50:03]
He explains that when their team suggested inviting a witch to summon the devil, he initially drew a hard line and said he did not want to be involved[50:23]
Before the ritual, he pulled Sam aside on camera, almost in tears, telling him they make YouTube videos but this felt like meddling with something deeply real to his beliefs[51:02]
He chose to film from the corner rather than directly participate, framing that as a boundary aligned with his faith[52:11]

Paris Catacombs as a physical and paranormal ordeal

They describe the Paris catacombs as having about 2 miles of legal tourist tunnels and roughly 200 miles of illegal tunnels with no public map, spanning multiple levels[40:46]
Approximately 6 million bodies are buried there, forming an underground network mirroring the size of Paris itself[41:02]
They entered the illegal section with a guide named Gaspard, whom they had just met that day, and say if he had left them they could have died[41:47]
• They mention ritual rooms, bone thrones, towers of bones, and other structures made of human remains, as well as baptismal-like rooms
They describe extreme claustrophobia, crawling on hands and knees, and walking through freezing water up to their chests, while also conducting ghost investigations[44:47]
They warn of gangs in the catacombs who know the tunnels well and rob tourists, sometimes by turning off their lights and leaving them in total darkness[45:12]
They recount getting lost when several expected exits were cemented shut by authorities, causing them to be hours late and worried people above ground thought they might be dead[47:07]

EVP experience: "I'm alive" in the catacombs

They used a specific Japanese voice recorder model from the 1970s that was recalled because playback sometimes contained extra voices not heard during recording[48:00]
They explain the idea that such recorders can capture frequencies beyond human hearing, making them useful for recording potential spirit voices (EVPs)[48:00]
In the catacombs, sitting near thousands of skeletons, they recorded themselves asking, "Are you dead or alive?" and on playback heard a new voice clearly say, "I'm alive"[49:12]
They and their guests found this response chilling and immediately left the area, seeing it as one of their craziest pieces of evidence[48:59]

U.S. government, Bell Witch case, and legal recognition of paranormal

Bell Witch haunting and death attributed to the paranormal

In answer to Theo, they say the U.S. government has not broadly acknowledged ghosts, but mention the Bell Witch cave case in Tennessee[57:21]
They reference John Bell Sr., whose 1820 death was widely attributed by his family and contemporaries to the Bell Witch, a supernatural entity that had tormented the family[58:25]
Theo reads that Tennessee reportedly recognized Bell's death as caused by the supernatural, making it a unique case in U.S. legal and folklore history[58:31]
According to accounts they quote, a strange vial of black liquid was found by Bell's bed; his son tested it on a cat, which died, and the Bell Witch allegedly claimed credit for poisoning Bell[59:26]

Andrew Jackson's reported visit

They note that Andrew Jackson, as a general and later president, reportedly visited the Bell property during the disturbances[59:52]
Theo reads that Jackson and his entourage supposedly experienced unexplained phenomena and left early, with Jackson saying he'd rather face the British army than spend another night with the Bell Witch[1:00:14]

Spiritual vs. scientific framing and loss of wonder

Mental illness and possible spiritual dimensions

Theo muses that conditions like schizophrenia are now framed scientifically and marketed for medication, but wonders how many such phenomena might also have spiritual aspects or roots in past lives[1:00:58]
He is not claiming schizophrenia is spiritual but notes we don't know what might have happened in a past life that could manifest as modern disease[1:01:02]

Secularization and constant distraction

They remark that we are in a secular time when many people say they will only believe something if they see it validated by tools like ChatGPT[1:03:08]
Sam says he would not have believed ghost videos online before he had his own in-person experiences; he empathizes with skeptics who feel that way[1:04:04]
They encourage people interested in the paranormal to go experience it themselves, just as someone interested in faith should attend church and engage directly rather than taking others' word for it[1:03:57]
They and Theo note how little time people have now for wondering, because any idle moment-like going to the bathroom-is filled with scrolling on phones[1:05:22]
Theo finds it sad that in a universe so wondrous, people may get to the end of their lives and realize they spent most of it looking at their phones[1:05:36]

Prayer, indigenous spirituality, and bodily cues

Theo says that the more he prays, the more he sometimes feels his knees tingling in certain rooms, like a physical cue to kneel and pray[1:02:43]
He speculates that people like Native Americans were once very connected to the spirit realm, living by it and having a strong "connection" compared to modern people[1:02:57]

Conjuring-related cases and use of spirit boards

Smurl house and violent haunting claims

They discuss the Smurl house, a case investigated by famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, involving a demonic entity tormenting a family for 13 years[1:05:09]
Theo reads that the Smurl family's German Shepherd was reportedly levitated and slammed into a wall, and Sam and Colby add that multiple family members were physically attacked[1:05:16]
• They cite reports of the parents being lifted from their beds and thrown against walls, a little girl thrown down stairs, a ceiling fan coming off and hitting a child, and sexual assaults by the entity
They say they were the first investigators since Ed and Lorraine Warren to investigate that house in about 40 years[1:07:09]
They describe the house as now a normal family home-a small duplex with everyday items like Cheez-Its-making the contrast with its dark history striking[1:12:33]
They claim they uncovered evidence about the Smurl family that could get them in trouble and say their Halloween release of that investigation will cause an uproar in the paranormal community[1:12:50]

Spirit boards with a priestess vs. commercial Ouija boards

To reactivate the Smurl house's haunting, they brought a priestess friend who knows occult practices and uses a handmade spirit board rather than a store-bought Ouija board[1:08:39]
Sam admits he didn't believe in Ouija boards, especially the commercial ones, until using one properly with this priestess[1:09:49]
He describes the sensation of the planchette as wood being pulled from under their fingertips, moving quickly across letters like being drawn by a magnet[1:09:39]
In a previous conjuring-house session, they asked the spirit if it liked them and got "no," and when they asked what it wanted, the board spelled that it wanted them to go away and leave it in peace[1:10:31]
They say spirits can be like people-some are just rude, tired, or not interested in talking, without necessarily being demonic[1:10:43]

Catalog of notable haunted locations and why spirits stay

Winchester Mystery House and Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

They list the Conjuring house in Rhode Island as a major U.S. haunted location and mention the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California[1:17:14]
Winchester Mystery House has around 130 rooms built over almost a century, with bizarre architecture like stairs to nowhere and doors that open to drops[1:17:19]
They say people now treat it as a hub or "Grand Central Station" for spirits and that it's one of the coolest spots in the U.S. even if you don't believe in ghosts[1:18:12]
They also reference the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, a huge former psychiatric hospital with hundreds of rooms where lobotomies were performed and people were admitted for reasons like asthma or domestic troubles[1:19:19]
At Trans-Allegheny, they experienced a disembodied old-man voice clearly saying "Lily" between them, confirmed by others present and caught on camera but not on their question recorder[1:18:52]

Haunted places that are not just buildings

Theo wonders if non-building locations like bus stops could be haunted, and they respond that theoretically any place could be, depending on past meaning or trauma[1:13:18]
They note that some spots are haunted not by evil forces but by human spirits who loved that location in life, such as a party hub or favorite hangout[1:13:34]

Their own Farrar Elementary School in Iowa

They own a decommissioned school in Iowa called Farrar Elementary, used now for ghost-hunting tours rather than as an active school[1:13:57]
Historically it was the center of the town-hosting not just classes but weddings, dances, and basketball games-so many spirits there seem friendly and attached to good memories[1:14:38]
They say that even the woods and playground outside are considered potentially haunted spaces, not just the interior[1:14:52]

Relating paranormal ideas to everyday life and relationships

Intention and how you show up

Theo keeps returning to the idea that how you show up and what you want out of a place-whether a haunted site, school, or family gathering-shapes what you experience[1:15:04]
He compares wanting guidance from spirits to wanting better holidays or relationships, noting he often expects others to make things meaningful while he just complains and naps[1:23:38]
He uses the example of going to family holidays, yelling about casseroles, eating and sleeping, then later wishing his family had connected better, realizing that was all he contributed[1:23:54]

Theo's anxiety over texting a woman

Theo shares that he texted a woman he felt chemistry with, joking that he wrote, "my buddy was thinking about asking you out. Also, my buddy is me," and now fears she won't respond[1:16:07]
He describes feeling like an inner entity of rejection was "summoning" all his fears after sending the text, tying emotional patterns to the language of haunting[1:15:27]
Sam and Colby encourage him to summon positivity instead of expecting rejection, aligning with their broader theme of intention and openness[1:19:57]

Closing reflections, Halloween, and influences

Meeting the supernatural halfway

Theo says he never thought of ghost hunting as wanting something to be there and meeting it halfway, similar to meeting God or opportunities halfway[1:23:16]
He considers speaking aloud to deceased loved ones-like asking his late father to share feelings or show love-and not being afraid to use his voice and body to reach out[1:24:10]
He notes that when people open their hands to the sky or universe, they feel something real, not just mythological, reinforcing his sense that such gestures matter[1:24:28]

Who they see as the "GOATs" of ghost hunting

They name Ed and Lorraine Warren as the "goats" of demonology, though they are more demonologists than ghost hunters[1:24:52]
They enthusiastically cite Zak Bagans as their "king" or "father" in the paranormal world, known for his TV show and haunted museum in Las Vegas[1:25:08]
They recommend Theo visit Bagans' museum in Vegas, where they themselves held some of the most haunted dolls in the world[1:26:16]

Halloween as their favorite season

They say Halloween is by far their favorite holiday, both for spooky stuff and for dressing up and the overall vibe[1:25:55]
Theo notes Halloween may be the only time people still talk to their neighbors, sending kids in costumes to knock on strangers' doors for candy[1:26:05]
They describe their "Hell Week" brand-expanded this year to a "hell month" of weekly episodes at demonic locations leading up to Halloween[39:48]

Final thanks and open-ended possibilities

Theo thanks Sam and Colby for years of entertainment and their commitment, acknowledging the challenges they must have faced, even though they didn't delve into those hardships in this conversation[1:26:42]
He says he will keep them in mind if he encounters something that feels haunted and wonders aloud about concepts like past-life regressions and being haunted across lifetimes[1:27:04]
They leave those topics for another time, and the conversation ends on a friendly, reflective note about hope, faith, and openness to the unknown[1:27:17]

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Your level of openness and intention profoundly shapes the experiences you have, whether in spiritual exploration, relationships, or creative work.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in your life are you showing up half-heartedly while secretly hoping for a powerful result?
  • • How might your experiences change if you approached a situation this week with the same focused openness Sam and Colby brought to the Queen Mary after turning off their cameras?
  • • What is one specific area-spiritual, professional, or personal-where you could consciously decide to "meet it halfway" over the next month?
2

Direct, first-hand experience often transforms beliefs more than secondhand information, especially in areas like faith, spirituality, and risk-taking.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What important belief of yours currently rests mostly on other people's stories rather than your own experience?
  • • How could you safely design a small, direct experiment to test or explore that belief for yourself?
  • • Which area of your life would benefit most if you stopped only consuming content about it and instead went and did something tangible?
3

The way you show up to places and people-holidays, texts, haunted sites, or meetings-largely determines the quality and depth of what you get back.

Reflection Questions:

  • • When you think about your last family gathering or important conversation, what energy and expectations did you actually bring into the room?
  • • How might your next interaction with someone you care about look different if you consciously prepared the way Sam and Colby prepare for an investigation?
  • • What is one upcoming event where you can intentionally decide in advance how you want to show up emotionally and mentally?
4

Setting clear ethical or spiritual boundaries is essential, even when there is pressure to push further for results, attention, or success.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in your work or personal life do you feel like you're edging up against a line that doesn't sit right with your values?
  • • How could you communicate a boundary, as Colby did about summoning the devil, in a way that is honest but keeps collaboration possible?
  • • What is one non-negotiable principle you want to clarify for yourself so that future decisions become easier?
5

Making space away from constant distraction is a prerequisite for wonder, reflection, and deeper connection to anything beyond the surface level.

Reflection Questions:

  • • How much truly uninterrupted time did you have in the last week to think, wonder, or pray without a screen in front of you?
  • • What small daily ritual could you introduce-a walk, a few minutes of silence, or journaling-that creates room for the kind of reflection discussed in this conversation?
  • • In which parts of your day could you deliberately trade a phone-scroll habit for a brief period of intentional stillness or curiosity?

Episode Summary - Notes by Kai

#618 - Sam and Colby
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