Intelligent Haunting:

This is the type of haunt that is most often thought of when people are describing a paranormal experience. These are the types of haunts during which you will find your typical ghostly activities, such as sounds (slamming, opening and closing of doors and windows), voices, smells, and physical interaction with the living. These energies are usually doing things like this to let you know they are there because they just want company or assistance to help get to the other side. Spirits are rarely seen manifested into an apparition or a mist.
The most common belief is that the ghost is connected to the site or people in some way.

Some reasons the ghost may be tied to the site or people:

1. Died as a result of a traumatic event, murder, car accident, etc.
2. Due to unfinished business.
3. The spirit may have died suddenly and not realized he/she died.
4. The living loved ones are so emotionally distraught they can’t let go.
5. The spirit is emotionally connected to their loved ones.
6. They cannot rest due to an injustice done to them.
7. Fear of the other side or judgment

Residual Haunting:

A residual haunt is believed to be activity of reccurring or traumatic actions from past events that leave an imprint on the environment.

This is probably the most common type of haunting. Because its characteristics are similar to an intelligent haunting, people often mistake it for an intelligent/traditional haunting. Like intelligent haunts, some examples of activity are phantom footsteps, sounds, images, and scents. One major difference between this haunting and the intelligent/traditional haunting, is that this type of haunting is not considered to be that of a ghost, and there is no interaction with the living.

It is believed that this activity is the dissipation of stored energy from the site. The theory is the energy is stored or absorbed by the site due to repetitive or traumatic events of the energy expended while performing such actions. Similar to a tape player, the energy is stored in the magnetic field of the environment. Over time the energy builds up and is discharged showing a replay of the event, and then the cycle starts again. Some suggest that atmospheric conditions such as storms may initiate the playback. There is also a quantum physics theory that relates the energy as light particles that are dormant until they are stimulated by an outside variable under the proper conditions. (Brandon, The Ghost Hunters Bible) Researchers have observed that the energy tends to diminish over periods of time until eventually it is either exhausted, or the level is so low that it is not experienced again.

Portal Haunting:

Portals are not really a new concept. We have been exposed to them in many sci-fi flicks. In the real world, portal hauntings are considered controversial as there is little known about them and the idea is mostly theory or speculation. Portals are thought to be doorways to another world or dimension in which entities travel through. It is speculated that portals are not limited to one location, region or sacred ground. Typically, places that experience a wide array of different types of anomalous activity such as glowing balls of light, odd creatures, strange shapes, or unexplained mists or fog, are suspected to have a portal in which these energies are traveling back and forth.

Poltergeist Haunting:

This is the most noisy and destructive of paranormal activity. They are the true noise makers and can cause quite a bit of noise and havoc. Frequently, the haunting circles around a female in her teen years. Some of these cases seem to be caused by the female unknowingly controlling the energy around her.

Demonic Haunting:

Demonic Haunts are one of the known inhuman entities out there. Fortunately, they are a rare occurrence. When a demonic spirit is in the house it is very hard to miss. They leave an awful stench like the smell of burnt flesh, growling can frequently be heard and they are more apt to physical contact via shoving, pushing, scratching or even hitting someone.