In the world of parapsychology, a field of study that attempts to understand and explore the unexplained, parapsychologists Barry Taff and Kerry Gaynor became a media sensation in the 1970s. If not the first, they were at least the most active and well-known ghost hunters in L.A. in recent history. Barry & Kerry were trained by Thelma Moss at her UCLA lab. They worked together to investigate approximately 500 reportedly haunted locations around the Los Angeles area. 

The Doris Bither Case

The most famous case investigated by Barry and Kerry is the Doris Bither case. In 1974, Doris Bither reported the alarming phenomena she was experiencing at her Culver City home. She claimed that she was being abused by three violent entities.

Barry and Kerry conducted a preliminary interview of Bither and were initially skeptical until they both observed a metal skillet leap out of a lower cupboard in her kitchen, flying across the room several feet. They investigated her home several times over an 11-week period and captured strange arcs of light in photographs. Barry & Kerry also experienced balls of light flying past them, felt unexplained temperature drops, and watched a “lime-green” apparition of a man materialize in the corner of Bither’s bedroom. As Barry would later describe it, “Suddenly the lights coalesced in the corner. . . We could see from the waist up a large apparition of a man.”

On another visit, a group of investigators gathered in the bedroom in an attempt to contact and communicate with the spirit. Kerry recalled hearing a whispering voice repeating, "Kiss me, kill me," just before a heavy flowerpot, which had been sitting across the room, crashed into the center of the group, narrowly missing the heads of the assembled.

The Entity

Barry and Kerry’s experiences at Doris’s house spawned the book and 1982 movie The Entity, starring Barbara Hershey. Both were written by Frank De Felitta. The movie follows the story of a woman who is tormented by unseen entities. While the movie takes some creative liberties, according to Barry, it is largely based on the events of the Doris Bither case. Although Barry and Kerry profited from consulting on the movie, their mentor Thelma Moss panned it as the “worst kind of sensationalism.”

Other Cases

Barry and Kerry went their separate ways after the UCLA parapsychology lab closed in 1978. However, they continued to investigate haunted houses separately.

In 2010, Barry Taff wrote a book about his paranormal experiences and investigations entitled Aliens Above, Ghost Below. Most of Kerry’s cases are less well-known. One of Kerry's cases had a startling resemblance to the Doris Bither case. The claimant in this case, a woman from the Midwest, reported the continuing appearances of hooded figures around her bed at night. In one instance, the woman claimed one figure overtook her with its cold, clammy, three-fingered hands. According to Kerry, “it dragged her over towards the window,” but thankfully she gave up when her leg became stuck and vanished.

In Kerry’s own experience, sometimes ghosts got a little too close for comfort. In an interview, he admitted, “I’ve never been harmed, but I have been grabbed, pushed, slapped, and had pencils knocked out of my pocket. I’ve had my leg grabbed onto and held for about a minute, and that is a terrifying experience."

Not all ghosts were so scary, however. Kerry jokingly dubbed one of his cases the "rent-a-geist." This helpful ghost rearranged the kitchen at night and washed the dishes.

Kerry most famously investigated the now notorious Sallie House for the TV show Sightings in the 1990s. This case is well-known for the mysterious scratches that appeared on the homeowner’s body during Kerry’s investigation.

The Legacy of Barry and Kerry

The duo’s work has been cited in numerous books, TV shows, and movies. Barry most recently appeared in the documentary Demon House in 2019, which had a frightening effect on him.

Today, between them, Barry and Kerry claim to have investigated thousands of hauntings. Barry continues to consult as a technical adviser for paranormal TV shows and movies. Kerry’s focus now is using his skills as a hypnotherapist to help people quit smoking. Many, including celebrities Matthew Perry, Aaron Eckhart, and Martin Sheen, claim the Kerry Gaynor Method has changed their lives.

For more paranormal tales from haunted Hollywood, please consider our Hollywood Boulevard walking tour and Los Angeles Hauntings bus tour.

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