Nick Groff is one of the most respected names in television and beyond when it comes to the paranormal. He has had incredible experiences in some of the most haunted locations in the world. As a friend to Arrow in the Head, we’ve shared some very exciting experiences with Nick including a couple of wild and spooky moments that we’ve managed to capture on camera. Thus, we’ve decided to work with the television host and producer extraordinaire so he can share his knowledge and insight on all things that go bump in the night. With this bi-monthly column, we plan to delve into everything from urban legends to ghostly apparitions, to his take on some of the coolest genre flicks ever. This is Nick Groff Investigates…!
THE OA and Alternate Dimensions
Every so often we find ourselves in a situation that feels familiar in an impossible way. It could be a sense of familiarity at a place you’ve never been, or meeting someone for the first time, but there is a distinct feeling that you’ve known them before. This is something that many of us chalk up to coincidence. However, what if there is much more to it? What if we find ourselves in a place that is familiar because we’ve experienced it before, but in a different reality from what we know. This is a familiar subject for genre, and there have been a number of features and television shows that have explored it in unique and exciting ways.
Recently, AITH pal Nick Groff told us about a series he has found himself intrigued by. The OA is a Netflix original that deals with a few of those aspects. Starring Brit Marling, Jason Issacs, Alice Krige Emory Cohen and Scott Wilson, the mystery drama takes a look at this strange phenomenon as a blind woman, missing for seven years, returns to her home with her sight restored. The question that is raised upon her return, is this something to be celebrated, or something to be feared.
The OA spanned a whole new chat for Nick and I. Have you ever had the feeling of Déjà vu? An out of body experience? Do you ever feel like you know a place or person, even if you’ve never been there or met them before? It’s likely that many of you have perhaps faced a similar feeling. This of course led Nick down a very unique path, as he talks about his own belief and knowledge about this strange phenomena. In addition, Nick’s partner at VIDISPACE – as well as a very skilled and knowledgeable paranormal expert – Elizabeth Saint joined in on the conversation with her own take on the subject. The two discuss The OA, alternate dimensions and the untapped power of the human mind. Let us know what you think in the comments below? But before then, I present Mr. Groff and Ms. Saint as they venture into the unknown.
“I was amazed how good THE OA was when I binge-watched season 1 & 2 with Elizabeth Saint. The writing, research, directing, acting and story was all incredible. Takes a lot to grab my attention and keep me intrigued all the way through on an entire series, but the filmmakers accomplished that by embedding The OA into my mind.
Alter realities and dimensions are a real thing and hold so many mysteries. I’m extremely fascinated by all the theories and deep thoughts beyond what humans comprehend. The OA raised some interesting ideas to think about and did a good job. Ultimately we don’t have all the answers in this vast universe we live in but I’m interested to learn more and think outside the box..
I have had a lot of moments through my journey that made me think more about this subject matter than what I thought I was investigating. In the last couple years I have been researching and exploring more ideas about time, space and other dimensions. What reality am I really in? I raise this question a lot more as I discover new personal experiences. The ultimate question is what happens when the human body dies in this reality? So many possibilities. Staying open minded and learning more as I grow older in this time prepares me for when the time comes to transcend into the next space.” – Nick Groff
“From my perspective, The OA was kind of a dark horse. It wasn’t something heavily advertised in the beginning and when it came out it gathered up this cool underground following of people I think that could in some way, shape or form directly relate to it.
The subject matter of alternate universes has been a guilty pleasure of mine for quite some time – my bookshelf and taste in watchable content reflects that. For me, the interest stemmed from my own experiences. Being so heavily involved in the paranormal community for years we’ve heard of countless stories from people about out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, dreams, Déjà vu, and even the controversial methods of inducing a spiritual experience (e.g. DMT). As a person that can speak from all those standpoints, I would say the series handles a version of the possible existence of the multiverse quite well.
It’s fact that we can’t see or experience everything that lives in the same space as us. The visible spectrum and our audible range of frequencies proves that. Then I reflect on all the moments we pass off as coincidence. You think of someone and then they call you. You have this dream where you are talking to a recently deceased loved one. You meet someone for the first time and flooded with that sense of familiarity. You visit a historic location and know things about the place you shouldn’t. You share the same memory as thousands of others who very specifically remember the Berenstein Bears and not this new ridiculous spelling of the Berenstain Bears (gotta love those Mandela Effect examples). There is something to it. We’d be idiots to continue thinking we know everything about the way the Universe works when we haven’t even scratched the surface of possibility.” – Elizabeth Saint