Can ghosts open doors? Question answered

Bam! The door slams shut and slowly opens again. A doorknob jerk. You might have seen this scenario unfold on popular paranormal TV shows, on youtube, or in the movies.

As a general rule, doors open and close by themselves due to cross draught or changes in air pressure. There are instances where you can’t find a natural explanation, though. A theory is that ghost is able to move doors, but there is no scientific proof of this.

Nothing is as creepy as doors opening and closing without a natural cause. But is it common for ghosts to make themselves known this way? In this article, we look at the phenomenon of unexplainable movements of doors.

Unexplainable opening and closing of doors

You might have seen doors unexplainable open and close in videos of haunted houses. It is hard to tell if the videos are authentic or staged. It is terrifying to watch the doorknob turn and the door open, that is for sure!

Before we dig deeper, there are many natural causes for slamming doors or windows. But in some cases, there are no natural explanations. Be sure to look for other paranormal activities alongside the moving doors. Do you feel drops in temperature, or do you hear strange sounds? Maybe you can do an EVP recording or have a psychic friend do a scan.

What might cause unexplained movements of doors

Violent hauntings with slamming doors, cabinets, windows, and furniture are thought to be caused by poltergeists. Poltergeist activity is often due to a “human agent” – a person with psychokinetic and psychic powers. With this said, living often causes this kind of activity. According to Rosemary Ellen Guiley, 16% of all cases show active communication between the activity and the human agent (Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts).

Spirits are thought to have the power to open and close doors. They act more gently and don’t have the amount of energy that poltergeist activity and demons do. You might notice how a door slowly moves, but it might not slam shut. Other manifestations might be the movement of a doorknob. When you wake up in the morning, you might find a door that you closed last night open. But you will not wake by the sudden slam of it. I hope you get my point.

Demons are also thought to have the power to open and close doors. They have tremendous power and can act even more violently than poltergeists. As demons want you to fear them and make you weak, this might be a perfect trick to play on you. As you mentally wear down, they have the chance of taking away your free will by letting them in.

Ventilation, cross draught, and door latches

One natural cause of doors opening by themselves is the pressure in rooms caused by the ventilation ducts. If you open one door inward in a room with a closed air duct, the room will get pressurized. If another entry in the room has a loose door latch, the door will open outwards. The same goes the other way around. If the pressure is negative, the door will close inwards. Always look at the air pressure, ventilation, and ductwork for explanations of opening and closing doors.

If the doorknob doesn’t move or another activity is seen, maybe cross draught is what is causing it. In the video below, a cross draught might be why the door is slamming shut.

Cross draught is a widespread cause of slamming doors. Always check if windows or doors to balconies are open. Many staged ghost videos use pressure and cross draught. Of course, there are occasions when no natural explanation can be found. But always rule out these first.

In this video, the doorknob is moving. I have no evidence that this video is authentic, but I hope you get my point. I know people are using a tiny electrical device inside the door to create fake videos like this. Turn the sound off when watching the video. The sound is annoying and can be misunderstood.

Are ghosts who opens doors dangerous?

As a general rule, ghosts that open doors are not dangerous. It is also great to keep in mind that unexplainable movements of doors are often caused by natural causes.

If there is a ghost present, the spirit might want to make its presence known. Most often they might not even be aware you are there. Intelligent hauntings are rare. Most hauntings are residual hauntings. These are imprints that for some reason replay over and over. These hauntings do not interact with you. They are often faint though. The door might slowly slide open.

If you are dealing with poltergeist activity, you are not dealing with a ghost. Most paranormal investigators think that it is telekinetic powers originating from a human at play. Poltergeist activity is often violent, and you can get hurt if you are unlucky. Things might get thrown across the room, and hit you or slam you into a wall. But remember, this phenomenon is very rare.

What to do if a ghost opens or close the door?

If a door starts opening and closing by itself, always check if there are natural causes to the phenomena. Check if windows and doors are shut. A common cause of doors moving is a cross draught. If everything is in order, check the ventilation. If the pressure in a room changes it can cause doors with loose latches to open or close.

If there are no natural explanations, check for other signs of paranormal activity. If the activity is very violent try to remove any adolescents from the home (for a day or two) and see if things calm down. Poltergeist activity might be caused by adults as well. Ask if any adults in the home have psychic powers. They might not understand what they do, so be sure to listen closely to the answers.

In the list below, you find other signs that the site might be haunted. A closing door is not proof enough. A door easily moves by natural causes such as airflow and tilting floors. If one or more of these signs are present you might be dealing with a ghost.

• Unexplained temperature drops
• Electrical glitches or malfunctions
• Strange smells that appear for no reason (faul, lavender, cigar etc)
• Strange sounds
• Pets act strange
• Uncomfortable feeling in the home
• Feelings of being watched
• Strange shadows (seen in the corner of the eye)
• Feeling low or depressed without any specific reason

Summary

Most doors that open and close by themselves are not ghostly manifestations. A tilting floor, change in air pressure, ventilation, cross draught, or loose door latches might cause the phenomena. Always check the natural causes of the movement before blaming it on a ghost.

Ghosts are thought to be able to open and close doors. Most often they don’t have the energy to do this, but it happens. Poltergeist activity is another reason for moving objects. Poltergeist activity is believed to originate from persons with psychic and telekinetic powers.

In most cases, ghosts who open and close doors are not dangerous. If your gut feeling tells you that you are experiencing negative energy it is important to stay away. Don’t interact and call a professional to help you figure things out. Reach out to a trusted psychic medium, paranormal investigator, or clergy.

Reference and cites

• Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts, Rosemary Ellen Guiley. (Affiliate link – Amazon)