While stationed in Iraq, Matt and a fellow soldier enter an old air base notorious for the heinous crimes of the previous regime. After awakening something evil, Matt is plagued with gruesome visions of the dead. When the evil entity follows him overseas and begins to torment his wife Heather, Matt must fight back and learn the truth of why it came for him.
While stationed in Iraq, Matt and a fellow soldier enter an old air base notorious for the heinous crimes of the previous regime. After awakening something evil, Matt is plagued with gruesome visions of the dead. When the evil entity follows him overseas and begins to torment his wife Heather, Matt must fight back and learn the truth of why it came for him.
For even more haunting stories with Eli Roth, head to discovery+ to stream full episodes of Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life. Go to discoveryplus.com/ghost to start your 7-day free trial today. Terms apply.
Connect with the Podcast: https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/eli-roth-presents-a-ghost-ruined-my-life
Follow Eli Roth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realeliroth/?hl=en
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelchannel/
Find episode transcript here: https://a-ghost-ruined-my-life-with-eli-roth.simplecast.com/episodes/war-with-the-dead
Eli Roth [00:00:02] I'm Eli Roth. Something I've seen over and over when talking to victims of the paranormal is that they downplay the experience as a trick of the mind, and it becomes even harder to prove that these things are real and not in your head when you've recently gone through intense trauma like war. It's no secret that the horrors of war can have terrible effects ion the minds of anyone who goes through it. But as you'll soon hear, the experiences of one former U.S. soldier are so horrific, they are undeniably paranormal.
Matt [00:00:34] The thoughts that run through my head after something like that happening. Are you freaking kidding me? Like, it's just, did I really see this like this only happens on TV or movies like this. This isn't real, but it is real.
Eli Roth [00:00:51] The man you just heard is Matt Serrano, a United States intelligence analyst who, after venturing too far during a deployment, found himself battling enemies both seen and paranormal. This is A Ghost Ruined My Life podcast, we've gone through hundreds of submissions and chosen the absolute most terrifying stories to share with you, what you're about to hear is the testimony from a real life paranormal survivor along with reenactments pulled from my show. A Ghost Ruined My Life on Discovery Plus. This episode is A War With the Dead, and I should warn you, it goes to some very dark places.
Matt [00:01:34] I remember. It's definitely not a pleasant experience. I remember some things I really do rather not remember. That was roughly in 2009 when I was in Iraq. You feel ready to take on the world to do whatever is asked of you.
Eli Roth [00:01:51] Matt explained to us that he was eager to serve his country and felt a strong sense of duty. But what he didn't realize was that the biggest battle would be what he least expected.
Matt [00:02:02] I became an intelligence analyst, I was part of a team tasked out to collect intel on the local terrorist cell or network that was in that area. You don't have any days off we're attacked on a daily basis.
Eli Roth [00:02:16] During this time, Matt and his fellow soldiers set up post in an abandoned Iraqi airbase with a notorious and sinister reputation.
Matt [00:02:26] We were told coming on the base has been around there for decades. Certain sections of it was where Saddam Hussein tortured people on a regular basis. It's well documented. He tortured an Olympic soccer team after they lost.
Eli Roth [00:02:43] There are parts of the base that most soldiers stay away from. But Matt decides to take a look for himself. This is something I've seen time and time again. Dark, creepy places that, by all accounts, scream danger. And yet something draws us in as if by some kind of spell. It's like something in there wants something from us. And so just like in a horror movie, Matt decides to venture deeper into the airbase. I have to warn you what you are about to hear is very disturbing.
Matt [00:03:15] Word got out that there is certain sections of it that were used for prisoners, and possibly that was where Saddam Hussein tortured people. I heard it from multiple sources, so I tend to think it's true. I also saw the little cell areas that the prisons were said to be held and there were bloodstains and there is like chains and like hooks hanging from the wall, like it was very, very creepy and eerie. There's blood on the frigging wall. It looks like a freakin torture chamber. There's like chains dangling. There was like it looks like a freakin meat hook that you put like a dead cow carcass on, like in a butcher shop. It was. It was pretty like grotesque and gruesome looking. It was kind of in the corner of my eye. It was like a dark looking mass. I was looking at it for a while. But it was just there and it was there for approximately maybe 10 15 seconds. And I can only describe it as just I don't want to see necessarily like a shadow because shadows, you can kind of see through a little bit, but this is like just blackness. Like a black cloud. It was kind of in the shape of like a human silhouette, but not quite. You get a sense of darkness. I want to see evil very menacing. I was just in shock at the moment because I was like, it's just my mind playing tricks on me.
Eli Roth [00:05:06] Whatever it was that Matt came across in the bowels of that air base, it clearly wants something from him. The mysterious entity begins stalking him, appearing throughout his tour of duty.
Ghost [00:05:19] *scary sounds*
Unidentified [00:05:35] The thoughts that runs through my head after something like that happening. Are you freaking kidding me? Like it's just did I really see this like this only happens on TV or movies like this? This isn't real, but it is real.
Ghost [00:05:55] Scary Sounds.
[00:06:02] I know my eyes aren't playing tricks on me. I know I'm not losing my mind. I was never prepared for what's about to happen. I'm hearing and seeing things, and I feel like I'm just going crazy, and I wonder if it's my imagination or not. Like, this isn't real, but it is real. And you're almost frozen in fear. You don't know what to do. So during when all this was going on with the paranormal experiences, I start to feel like bad thoughts start in my head, and I'm not sure. And in fact, I know it's not normal, especially when I had nightmares like evil nightmares and bad thoughts. That entity or whatever it was, it wasn't there. The cause good. I felt, like I was going to sound like a crazy person when I say it out loud, it makes you feel like you're out of your mind. What are you supposed to do in that situation? What can you do? The only thing that I could do was to try to get help. Anyone that serves in the military knows it's kind of frowned upon to talk about crazy things like that that could potentially hurt your military career. But I did seek out help on a religious level. I seen the chaplain.
Chaplain [00:07:40] Sounds awful, Matt. But none of this is real. I mean, you're not actually seeing these things is just a manifestation of your fears and anxieties.
Young Matt [00:07:52] Well, it feels like more than that.
Eli Roth [00:07:55] So now Matt finds himself overseas in a hostile foreign land facing a barrage of attacks on all fronts. And the one person he turns to for guidance tells him it's all in his head with nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Matt attempts to convince himself that maybe it really is all in his head.
Matt [00:08:14] The chaplain at this point wasn't really in a position to help me. I don't think, honestly, he believed me. I think he thought it was just due to stress. And he's like, get some rest, get some, get some more sleep. How much are you sleeping? That was basically his answer. I did feel like a crazy person telling him these things. I didn't really go into too much detail because I knew he'd probably report that to somebody that doesn't need to hear about that. I'm at a loss. Is it human or is it something darker? Maybe it was all on my head. Man up. Deal with it. It'll be over soon enough. You'll go home and that'll be that.
Eli Roth [00:09:09] Making the six thousand mile journey home can't come soon enough.
Matt [00:09:14] For a lot of people, when deployments wrapping up, it's a jovial time. Everyone's looking forward to going home, seeing their families again. I'm just kind of getting back to normal. I had a feeling of dread like I was about to die. What does it want? Where the hell did it come from? I had the mentality that what happened there? It's all in the past. That was Iraq, and it won't happen over here. You can return to normal life now.
Eli Roth [00:09:49] It's completely understandable that Matt would hold out hope that this thing, whatever it was, would just leave him alone. When you're dealing with something this dangerous and terrifying, sometimes hope is all you have left. Unfortunately, if I've learned anything from these stories, it's that ghosts. Rarely leave us alone, but we want them to. And they often travel wherever we go.
Matt [00:10:10] This thing followed me home soon after I returned. I know there is definitely, probably times where it was just there watching me and I just felt drained all the time and I felt like the thoughts weren't my own thoughts. There's nothing in your power as a as a human that can make this thing go away. And then you start asking questions like, why the hell is it here? What does it want? It had some kind of attachment on me. It was starting to take a mental toll on me. It actually wants to cause havoc in your life and it feeds off of that. It feeds off the more negative things. I had to fight this. But I don't know how. Before I knew it, I was drinking. I was in the very dark place in my life, and this dark entity had even more of a stronghold on me. Rage, I'm feeling really pissed off. I was angry and I blamed it for ruining my life. I've had nightmares like evil nightmares and bad thoughts. There are similar nightmares that I was having that I had in Iraq, that entity or whatever it was. It wasn't there to cause good. I tried to play it off, but it was mentally and emotionally draining. It had an attachment to me because of the nightmares, and those were constant.
Eli Roth [00:12:05] I think it's the constant attachment that really freaks me out. It's one thing to go to war and have to deal with these traumatic images that are going to be burned into your mind. But to also deal with the strange entity stalking you and watching your every move? Matt makes another attempt for help, this time reaching out to a military therapist. But just like with the chaplain, Matt's experiences are not taken seriously. And that's one of the things I've seen over and over with these stories. People do ask for help, but other people just don't take them seriously.
Matt [00:12:37] They weren't really in a position to help me. I don't think, honestly, they believed me. They thought it was just due to stress. I know there has to be more to this than just normal PTSD.
Eli Roth [00:12:52] And so Matt decides to take matters into his own hands
Matt [00:12:56] one way or the other. I had to find out what this thing is. I don't know why he picked me. I wish it didn't. It could be something like really old, something older than just a human spirit, something evil. I don't necessarily like to use the term demon, but that's the only way I can describe it. I started researching the history of Iraq, going back thousands of years. At one point, there is large followings of evil deities. I did research about dark spirits attaching themselves to people. That's a way they manifest themselves. Maybe it had ties to, you know, what went on on this base before we got there? As far as torturers? All the prisoners. What happened with them.
Eli Roth [00:13:47] Matt learns from his research that these dark spirits feed off loneliness and fear. Plagued with memories of Iraq and constant encounters with the malevolent spirit. Matt certainly has no shortage of either. And so Matt realizes that if he stands any chance of shaking this demonic entity, he needs to change the course of his life.
Matt [00:14:10] I got the courage and got on to an online dating site, and then I met Heather,
Eli Roth [00:14:17] Heather Dannick.
Heather [00:14:19] When I met Matt, he was in a really rough spot. Everyone had given up on him being a Christian and coming from that faith. We're always taught and practiced forgiveness. He was kind of standoffish, very introverted and just really quiet. It was like night and day. I'm more outgoing, bubbly personality and and Matt's kind of like, Hi, nice to meet you. And we just kind of talked and we started texting. And then from there, he kind of opened up a little bit, but not too much.
Matt [00:15:01] I think that she's an angel in disguise that kind of grabbed me from the darkness that I was in and kind of showed me the light.
Heather [00:15:11] We just did everything together. My son accepted Matt as a father figure in his life.
Eli Roth [00:15:24] Matt and Heather have an instant, undeniable connection. The pair move in together, and Matt is hopeful that this new light in his life has driven out the darkness. But demonic spirits aren't that easy. And soon it won't just be Matt. It's after. We'll be right back with Matt's harrowing story after this short break. Now that Matt has Heather and her son in his life, he's faced with the unimaginable stress of ensuring that whatever dark forces following him leaves them alone. But that's easier said than done.
Heather [00:16:09] Matt said something's happening, and I think you should know about it. He didn't really want to tell me because he was afraid of what I may think of him at this point. I don't believe in the paranormal and I have no reason to believe I'm certain that there is an explanation for everything that's happening. It was one night I was sleeping Matt and I had just went up to bed. I fell asleep. We were watching TV. I turned it off all of a sudden out of a sound sleep. My eyes opened and I couldn't move. But I gasp, like like I couldn't couldn't catch, it's like when you're winded and you try to catch your breath. I couldn't catch my breath and I, when I open my eyes and gasp for the same air, I saw a black mass up above me.
Demon [00:17:07] Heather.
Heather [00:17:08] And then it's like soon as I open my eyes, it's shot through the wall and I didn't see it. But as soon it was like I was screaming, but no one could hear me. And I rolled over and looked at Matt after a shot through the wall, and it's like a new breath of life came in to me and I started crying and I said, Matt, get up, get up. And he got up, he said, what's wrong and I told him.
Matt [00:17:34] She described what I saw in Iraq. It was like a black, dark mass almost in a silhouette, but not quite of a person. She was crying, she was in tears and I was just thinking to myself, like not again.
Eli Roth [00:17:50] It's a bittersweet thing when a nonbeliever experiences the paranormal. Of course, this is something I would absolutely not wish on my worst enemy, but I think a nonbeliever experiencing something like this is the purest proof that something is real and something is happening. Imagine how vindicated Matt must have felt to finally have someone believe him after spending so long being told it was just in his head.
Heather [00:18:14] I've never experienced something so terrifying. I knew it wasn't PTSD. If it was just Matt's PTSD, then why? Why did I see it too? The thoughts and questions that I had to ask myself was one, what is in my house? What was that? I've never experienced anything like that before. Is this really happening to me? That was another thought because I've seen it so many times on TV and brushed it off like it was nothing. I said, How is this happening to me? And the thought was, What? What do I do? Is it going to hurt me? Is it going to hurt my family? What are the next steps to take? Having an experience like this changes your mind forever. There's no doubt in my mind that this is real.
Matt [00:19:10] After Heather had that experience, my biggest fear was that it would potentially hurt Heather or her son, and I was determined not to let it happen. At this point, I'm willing to try anything you start to think, how can we defend ourselves? How can we fight back? And one of the things that came to my mind was using burning sage throughout the house. People will do that to cleanse bad spirits or negative energy from their residence. So I figured, what the heck? It can't hurt to try. So we did that. And Heather was reciting some verses from the Bible.
Young Heather [00:19:48] And I'll say to the Lord, my refuge, my fortress, my God, and whom I trust.
Matt [00:19:58] We felt like it calmed down some.
Eli Roth [00:20:03] But things don't stay calm for long.
Heather [00:20:07] It was Halloween and the kids had just got finished. Trick or treating, they came in. My son had fallen asleep and he had the window open in his bedroom. How cliche it may be, but it was raining and I said, I'm going to go close the window. I said, I don't want to rain to come into the to the window. And I went upstairs and when I went upstairs, the light was on. I went over. I closed the window and something behind me said, Hey, what are you doing? You know, the voice that I heard was a deep, deep whisper it to me, it sounded male, but it was deep. It was a presence that you felt it just I couldn't move. I was scared. I felt for my life like, Is this thing going to hurt me? I think it's evil. And when we realized after we we try to do the cleansing of the house, we realize that it's still there. It's very disheartening. It's sad because we just wanted to leave us alone. It's still here, and it was like all hope was lost.
Matt [00:21:29] I just don't want it harming anybody else's life like it has mine.
Heather [00:21:34] It was 100 percent communicating evil. I felt really, really scared. I was done.
Eli Roth [00:21:44] Matt's, no stranger to going into battle. So he begins to prepare, but this time his weapon of choice is a bit more unorthodox.
Matt [00:21:53] I do my research and I choose what I think is the best weapon to fight this entity. My only chance is to face this thing head on, fight fire with fire. I've got an EMF detector and a spare box. What that does is cycle through radio frequencies at a fast rate. It's said, that spirits are able to talk through the white noise that it's cycling through. And the EMF detector detects any kind of electromagnetic fields that are in the area. Ghosts and things demonic in nature were said to make it go off or hopeful. They're communicating with the spirit or whatever it is. Something good might come of it. Maybe we'll come to an understanding, but maybe it'll piss it off even more.
Heather [00:22:42] I was definitely afraid that we were going to open doors to something that would not be able to be closed. But my mind's made up, we're going to end this. He was asking questions and I was asking questions and it was giving answers. And then toward the end, I kind of felt the energy in the room change because it started answering. Kind of- kind of with evil vocabulary, as I like to put it. And I just started praying and telling it to get out and leave us alone. It was saying something like possession, and it kept just saying possession, possession, possession.
Matt [00:23:29] It kind of reached the pinnacle, though, when one of the pictures on the wall of Me and Heather fell and the frame broke and it scared the crap out of us.
Young Matt [00:23:45] That's it.
Matt [00:23:46] I think this entity knocked it off the wall just to prove a point that it can do more than just scare us with a dark shadow. It could physically manipulate its environment, which to me translates that it could hurt us physically if it really wanted to. So I think this entity was trying to say, we need to back the f off. And it was trying to prove a point. I think it was getting angry. I couldn't believe it at first, but it actually seemed like it was angry, and at some point it was cussing over the thing. And we have that on recording. It was saying our names. It said murder a couple times now. That's scary. And I'm not even scared for myself. I was scared for Heather and her her kid more so than myself. And then the next question that comes to mind like, how do you prevent that?
Young Matt [00:24:52] Why me?
Demon [00:24:55] You know you could feel it. You belong to us
Heather [00:25:10] What did it mean you would feel it?
Young Matt [00:25:15] I think it knew. It knew how I felt over there.
Eli Roth [00:25:21] By making contact, Matt makes an incredible discovery about why such a malevolent entity latched on to him. He realizes there is a darkness within himself
Matt [00:25:34] Everything clicks. I know where it came from. First, when I was in Iraq, I was really it motivated to go into war, but I just had enough. While all that's going on, we're attacked on a daily basis and I started thinking, What the hell did I sign up for?
Eli Roth [00:25:54] It all makes sense. When Matt entered the cell, the demonic, tortured entity sensed his inner turmoil and knew that it made him vulnerable. This malevolent spirit has been feeding off of Matt ever since, following him around the globe in an attempt to possess his soul. It's almost like this thing knew it could get away with it.
Matt [00:26:14] The spirit found me vulnerable. The only purpose is to cause chaos and disorder, and I became a target.
Demon [00:26:25] I see you Matt.
Matt [00:26:29] This is the same damn thing terrorizing me and my family as was the one that was in Iraq.
Heather [00:26:38] There are things such as demons, there's things such as possessions knowing something that's in your home and you didn't want it to be there and it's unwelcomed is very unnerving. It's very unsettling.
Eli Roth [00:26:52] Matt and Heather do everything in their power to try and stop it, but nothing seems to bring them peace.
Matt [00:26:58] We moved into a new home, leaving the old house behind in hopes that we'll will have a fresh start
Eli Roth [00:27:07] no matter what they do. The demon continues to stalk them.
Matt [00:27:12] This thing followed us, it's still making his presence known.
Heather [00:27:17] It's a constant battle, but one I know that we can win together.
Matt [00:27:22] We've tried everything outside of actually having like paranormal investigators or a priest coming into our house. Those will probably be the next steps. The only way we can deal with it is to cope with it and live with it.
Eli Roth [00:27:39] Unfortunately, Matt and Heather, still all these years later, live with the side effects of this haunting, and there isn't much they can do about it. That's the thing with malevolent spirits. Once they're in, it can be near impossible to get them out. And the tactic has to shift from fighting it to learning how to live with it, which can be a hard thing to accept. That's all for us this week. If you want to hear more real terrifying stories like this, go to Discovery Plus and check out my TV series eli Roth presents a ghost crew in my life. Go to travel channel dot com slash A Ghost Ruined My Life. That's where you can learn more about the podcast TV show and what we're up to. A Ghost During My Life with Eli Roth is produced by Cream Productions for Discovery Plus. For Discovery Plus, our executive producer is Marissa Lucy for Cream Productions are executive producers are Eli Roth, Johnny Kalangis, Kate Harrison and David Brady. See you on the other side.