Television and movie actor Dan Aykroyd is well known for his comedic roles in films like Ghostbusters and on television shows like Saturday Night Live. But many fans are unaware that many of his characters are based on Aykroyd’s strong beliefs in the paranormal and UFO’s.

       As a child, Aykroyd grew up in Canada with spiritualist parents who often participated in psychic-related activities and séances. Aykroyd’s father was a psychic researcher and his great grand-father was a principal member of The British Society of Psychic Research and The Lily Dale Society. So it’s easy to say that Aykroyd’s belief in the paranormal started at an early age. Despite his fame, Aykroyd has never been shy about expressing his interests in paranormal phenomenon. He has spent much of his life investigating and educating himself in many paranormal fields including spiritualism, UFO’s, extra-terrestrials, inter-dimensional travel, quantum physics, and government cover-ups.

       Aykroyd was quoted in the Psychic News, a British spiritualist newspaper, in April of 2009 saying, “I am a spiritualist. Mediums and psychic research have gone on for many, many years. Loads of people have seen spirits. I believe that they are between here and there, that they exist between the fourth and fifth dimension, and that they visit us frequently.”

       In his body of entertainment work, the paranormal has not only influenced comedic characters in Coneheads and Ghostbusters but it has also led to other more dramatic productions. The television show PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal was hosted by Aykroyd from 1996 to 2000. In the first season, the show would document and recreate paranormal events investigated and filed by the O.S.I.R. or Office of Scientific Investigation and Research, a supposed privately funded underground paranormal investigation organization. The existence of the O.S.I.R. has been subject of controversy and urban legend. According to some believers, the secret organization has been in operation in one form or another for many years, careful not to reveal itself to the public. However after the first season, PSI Factor became more of a scripted science fiction show with recurring characters and story lines. Each episode was still supposedly inspired by actual paranormal cases from the files of the O.S.I.R. But in the end it was more similar to The X-Files than a factual show, something that upset real-life paranormal investigators.

       Recently Aykroyd filmed an 80 minute long interview and documentary about his experience with UFO’s. He is a supporter and reported member of the Mutual UFO Network (or MUFON). He also recently filmed several episodes of a paranormal round-table style talk show for the Sci-Fi Network, but the shows never aired. The network changed it’s mind about airing the television show at the last minute without a reason given. Aykroyd believes that the show, which included open discussions with many credible paranormal investigators and UFOlogists, was shut down by the infamous 'Men in Black'. Aykroyd claims in his DVD interview that immediately after being told of the show being cancelled he encountered two strange men in a black vehicle. One gave him a serious look before returning to the car and literally disappearing. Aykroyd believes this was a non-verbal warning to stop informing the public about the existence of extra-terrestrials and other paranormal subjects. As he turned away and looked back again the black car with the ‘Men in Black’ inside had literally disappeared without Aykroyd seeing or hearing it drive away. He claims to still have copies of the Sci-Fi talk show episodes that were filmed but they have not been made public - yet.

       While it’s hard to take a funny man like Aykroyd serious on such a controversial subject, it is a fact that he has strong beliefs in the paranormal and isn’t afraid to show it. With the rise of so many paranormal investigator shows bringing such topics into the mainstream, it won’t be long before Aykroyd finds himself involved in another similar show and yes, a third Ghostbusters movie which is already in the planning stages.

- Tom Stewart
 

with any

thing I've done. If I've been successful with 80 percent of everything I've done, then I'm doing all right