For clarity and consistency across articles, I use two standardized classification tools when evaluating haunted locations and the entities or phenomena associated with them: Longland Scale (to measure overall paranormal activity intensity) and a Threat Level ranking (to assess potential danger to investigators or visitors).
Below is a detailed explanation of the paranormal classification systems used, including the criteria and the rationale for the ratings.
What Is the Longland Scale?
The Longland Scale is a 10-point classification system originally developed by British paranormal researcher Dr. Evelyn Longland in the 1970s and later refined by field investigators worldwide.
The scale is designed to quantify the perceived strength and complexity of paranormal activity at a given site, independent of the danger the activity may pose. Think of it as a “Richter scale” for hauntings: it measures intensity and scope, not necessarily malevolence.
| Level | Name | Description | Typical Phenomena Observed |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-0 | Null | No measurable paranormal activity. | None. Site is paranormally “dead.” |
| L-1 | Residual | Simple, repetitive energy imprints with no awareness or interaction. | Faint footsteps, phantom smells, repeating sounds or apparitions that never acknowledge the living. |
| L-2 | Mild Intelligent | Low-level intelligent responses; entity is aware of the living but interaction is minimal. | Doors opening/closing in direct response to questions, light touches, whispered names, basic EVP responses. |
| L-3 | Moderate Intelligent | Clear, repeatable intelligent interaction; entity can manipulate multiple objects or communicate coherently. | Objects moved with purpose, full-sentence EVPs, apparitions that react to observers, temperature fluctuations tied to presence. |
| L-4 | Strong Intelligent | Dominant entity or multiple entities capable of sustained interaction and environmental manipulation. | Poltergeist-like activity, prolonged apparitions, coherent disembodied voices audible without equipment, physical manipulation of investigators (pushes, scratches). |
| L-5 | High Manifestation | Powerful, persistent phenomena that affect large areas of the location simultaneously. | Simultaneous multi-room activity, full-body apparitions visible to multiple witnesses, drastic EMF/temperature swings, levitation of objects. |
| L-6 | Extreme Manifestation | Activity borders on the cinematic; reality itself seems altered in the presence of the entity/entities. | Time distortion reported, objects materializing/dematerializing, shared hallucinations, spontaneous fires or water manifestation. |
| L-7+ | Anomalous | Phenomena that defy current paranormal models; often involves non-human entities, extreme poltergeist effects, or reality-warping events. | Portal-type activity, drastic physical transformations in witnesses, possession-like symptoms, events captured on multiple independent recording systems that later show inexplicable corruption or additional figures. |
Sites rated L-6 or higher are exceedingly rare and almost always require extensive corroborating evidence from multiple investigation teams.
Threat Level Ranking (1–10)
While the Longland Scale measures raw paranormal power, the Threat Level (TL) specifically evaluates the risk to human safety—both from the entity itself and from environmental hazards often exacerbated by paranormal activity.
The scale runs from 1 (essentially harmless) to 10 (immediate life-threatening or demonstrably demonic):
| Threat Level | Category | General Risk Profile | Typical Indicators |
|---|---|---|---|
| TL-1–2 | Harmless | No realistic possibility of physical or lasting psychological harm. | Benign residual playbacks, friendly spirits, locations with only mild orb or EVP activity. |
| TL-3–4 | Mildly Threatening | Minor physical contact possible; psychological impact usually limited to unease or temporary fear. | Light pushing/shoving, minor scratches, oppressive atmosphere, objects thrown with little force, sleep disruption if overnight stays attempted. |
| TL-5–6 | Potentially Aggressive | Entity has demonstrated willingness and ability to cause injury; aggression is situational. | Hard shoving, deep scratches, hair-pulling, objects hurled with force, growling/black shadow figures, sudden illness or extreme dread. |
| TL-7–8 | Dangerous | High probability of serious physical injury or severe psychological trauma; entity actively malevolent. | Violent attacks resulting in bruises, cuts, broken bones; possession symptoms, spontaneous bleeding, fires, or structural damage triggered paranormally. |
| TL-9–10 | Life-Threatening / Demonic | Entity has caused or credibly attempted lethal harm; may exhibit classic demonic/oppressive traits. | Documented fatalities or near-fatal injuries directly linked to activity, extreme possession cases requiring exorcism, inhuman entities, sulfuric smells, spontaneous combustion events, etc. |
Factors Considered in Threat Level Assessment
The final TL is a combined evaluation of two primary categories:
Environmental/terrestrial hazards
Even completely non-paranormal locations can become deadly when isolation or decay is extreme. Paranormal activity often amplifies these risks by disorienting investigators or directly causing structural failures.
- Isolation (distance from help, cell service, extraction difficulty)
- Structural integrity (collapsing floors, asbestos, mold, unstable staircases)
- Natural hazards (flooding basement, abandoned mine shafts, extreme cold/heat)
- Man-made hazards (exposed wiring, chemical contamination, squatters, or guard dogs)
- History of mundane fatalities or suicides on-site (these often correlate with increased aggression)
Paranormal danger factors:
- Documented physical attacks (severity and frequency)
- Evidence of malevolent intent (mocking, threats, religious provocation response)
- Inhuman characteristics (crawling figures, extreme height distortion, sulfur/black mass)
- Attachment/possession incidents linked to the location
- Rapid escalation when religious items, prayers, or challenges are introduced
- Correlation with violent historical events (murder, torture, ritual abuse)
A location can receive a high Threat Level even at a modest Longland rating if environmental dangers are extreme (e.g., an abandoned sanatorium on a cliff with rotting floors might be L-2/TL-7). On the other hand, an intensely active but benign entity might be L-5/TL-1.
Both systems are used together to give you a complete picture of what you might encounter.