# Spooky stuff happening: please debunk **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547 "2015-10-23T15:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/41 "2015-10-26T02:41:52Z")
I don’t know why you all are going right to the supernatural explanation. It could be that someone is secretly living inside the house and is just messing with the OP in the middle of the night. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/42 "2015-10-26T14:06:38Z")
A little camera should be able to get to the bottom of this mystery, which I think is being caused by some animal with enough physical strength to kick in the doorbell and hit your car hard enough to get the alarms blaring. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/43 "2015-10-26T14:41:17Z")
> [@mandala](#): > > A little camera should be able to get to the bottom of this mystery, which I think is being caused by some animal with enough physical strength to kick in the doorbell and hit your car hard enough to get the alarms blaring. I’m imagining a little Bambi deer selling magazine subscriptions and pressing the doorbell with her nose. Aw, cute! Maybe it’s a devious bear? A little black bear has visited my neighbors porch a few times and we do have honey in our cupboard 😛 Sorry, I’m home sick with bronchitis and getting a little slap-happy. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/44 "2015-10-26T18:55:37Z")
It’s that time of year when the supernatural are at their most powerful. I suspect it is a dead relative looking for assistance or revenge. However, because it is not All Hallow’s Eve yet, they are not at full strength. Typically, they cannot manifest directly well in the light or often in reality itself - yet. They must retain their final surroundings, and so manifest in the middle of the night and with their coffins. The clumsiness attendant moving with a coffin pressed the doorbell button in too hard when the deceased was trying to contact you. What you need is way to suppress this manifestation and confuse the deceased so that they cannot coherently find you and help them return to their final rest. What you need is a good hex. Dextromethorphan is a good suppressant and has a hex ring in its chemical structure. Just throw some Nyquil at it and the coffin will stop. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/45 "2015-10-26T19:04:11Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Maybe it’s a devious bear? A little black bear has visited my neighbors porch a few times and we do have honey in our cupboard 😛 Maybe when Winnie was ringing the doorbell, Tigger’s bouncing made the car alarm go off and they ran away. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/46 "2015-10-26T19:46:00Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Any new neighbors? Ones that have a punk-ass kid? Probably around 14-15 yrs old? And how tall is that gate locked from the inside. Could say a motivated punk-ass kid who just hit the bell have cleared it? I may have proof from around that age that if you are extra motivated it’s not that hard to hurdle a typical split rail fence even if you aren’t that athletic. Taller fences can be cleared pretty quickly too although not hurdled… so I’ve heard. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/47 "2015-10-26T20:03:40Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > … I may have proof from around that age that if you are extra motivated it’s not that hard to hurdle a typical split rail fence even if you aren’t that athletic… For proof around that age, I might be motivated to attempt to vault a split-rail fence. Single malt, though, you can keys your blends. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/48 "2015-10-27T07:34:43Z")
I had a car whose horn would regularly go off at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. It was annoying and totally baffling, until I took the steering wheel to bits and found out the foam which kept the metal frame of the steering wheel separate from the metal contact of the horn button had perished. When the car got really cold early in the morning, the vinyl surround of the steering wheel was shrinking enough to pull the contact through the rotten foam, which would complete the circuit and set off the horn: when I cut a new piece of foam to fit, the problem ceased. I was quite proud of that bit of problem solving. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/49 "2015-10-27T11:20:53Z")
> [@Corner\_Case](#): > > \< . . . \> > > What you need is way to suppress this manifestation and confuse the deceased so that they cannot coherently find you and help them return to their final rest. What you need is a good hex. Dextromethorphan is a good suppressant and has a hex ring in its chemical structure. Just throw some Nyquil at it and the coffin will stop. This whole post has just gotta be a bannable offense somehow! :smack: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/50 "2015-10-27T12:31:44Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > It’s about 10’ from gate to bell, not sure someone could pull that off. Someone decided they WOULD touch that with a ten foot pole. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/51 "2015-10-27T18:18:55Z")
> [@Corner\_Case](#): > > What you need is way to suppress this manifestation and confuse the deceased so that they cannot coherently find you and help them return to their final rest. What you need is a good hex. Dextromethorphan is a good suppressant and has a hex ring in its chemical structure. Just throw some Nyquil at it and the coffin will stop. This is frickin’ GENIUS! I’m not taking the cough syrup anymore 'cuz all it does is wire me up without compensatory benefits (and Nyquil makes me hurl). Thanks, cough syrup junkies, for making it impossible for decent coughing citizens to get codeine syrup :mad::mad::mad: ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/52 "2015-10-27T18:40:03Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > It’s about 10’ from gate to bell I read this as 10’ from the gate to hell, and thought that might be your problem right there. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547/53 "2015-10-29T00:34:42Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > I had a car whose horn would regularly go off at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. It was annoying and totally baffling, until I took the steering wheel to bits and found out the foam which kept the metal frame of the steering wheel separate from the metal contact of the horn button had perished. When the car got really cold early in the morning, the vinyl surround of the steering wheel was shrinking enough to pull the contact through the rotten foam, which would complete the circuit and set off the horn: when I cut a new piece of foam to fit, the problem ceased. I was quite proud of that bit of problem solving. I’m impressed. Now, what’s causing the doorbell to ring? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spooky-stuff-happening-please-debunk/735547.md?page=2)