Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories

**Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories**, later shortened to *Haunted Lives* and then retitled *Real Ghosts*, was an American paranormal anthology miniseries that aired three primetime specials between May 15, 1991, and November 28, 1995, on CBS and in syndication. The show presented docudrama-style reenactments of alleged paranormal experiences, using actors and special effects, followed by appearances from the real people who reported the events. It was created for television by Bruce Nash and based on the *Haunted Kids: True Ghost Stories* book series by Allan Zullo.

Each segment reenacted events with characters narrating, ending with the actual witnesses—often filmed at or near the location—giving their own accounts, including any recent activity. In the second episode’s “Terror For Rent,” the real witnesses appeared in silhouette to hide their identities. The first two specials were titled *Haunted Lives*; the third was renamed *Real Ghosts*. The opening narration was slightly altered for the final episode, and the specials were narrated by Leonard Nimoy and Stacy Keach.

The first episode aired on Wednesday, May 15, 1991, on CBS. It featured three segments, with some segments directed by Tobe Hooper (known for *Poltergeist* and *The Texas Chain Saw Massacre*) and edited by Jonathan Moser, who also created the show’s special effects. The segments included “Ghosts R Us,” about a female stockperson at a Toys R Us in Sunnyvale, California, who was frightened by a ghost identified as Yonny Yonson, an immigrant who died in an axe accident on the property; “The Legend of Kate Morgan,” in which attorney Alan May investigates the ghost of Kate Morgan at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, discovering her real name was Lottie Bernard and that her son might be his ancestor; and “School Spirit,” set in Austin, Texas, where demolition workers at an old school encounter ghostly voices and images, leading to a worker’s death when a wall collapses. The episode’s cast included Leonard Nimoy as narrator, with guest stars such as Kent Burden, Sarah Carson, Hector Elias, John Hammil, Shawn Kristy, and others. The Toys R Us ghost had previously appeared on *That’s Incredible* and *Ripley’s Believe It or Not!*, and the Hotel del Coronado was later featured on the Travel Channel’s *Haunted Hotels* and the special *Ghosts: Caught On Tape*. Renowned psychic Sylvia Browne portra