Craig Owens was a skeptic before he was a believer.
Fascinated by the glamour of old Hollywood and the world of cinema, he began his career in the Dallas film industry before moving to Los Angeles, where he went on to work on hit projects and series, including Gilmore Girls. Eventually exiting film production, Owens landed at the Century City Chamber of Commerce and later the International Cinematographers Guild, I.A.T.S.E. Local 600.
But his calling wasn’t quite tapped until years later, when he started to stage vintage-style photo shoots at haunted hotels and locations. What was meant to be a project branched into a paranormal profession. Now an expert on Los Angeles’ forgotten history, he is the founder of Bizarre Los Angeles and the celebrated author of Haunted by History.
“I didn’t go looking for it, or I didn’t choose it—it more or less chose me. I’d always been interested in the paranormal. I went through stages where I believed and I didn’t believe,” Owens told LATF.
From a mysterious EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) and a strange coincidence of events during a photo shoot at the Mission Inn in Riverside to a handful of paranormal incidents, Owens was ready to delve deeper into the history of his locations and the spirits who may still linger there. As he returned to these hotels, he was shocked that the past was not depicted as accurately as it could be.
“I realized a lot of the published history was wrong. Nobody had really scrubbed the records, so I did—and that’s when I became a historian for certain places,” Owens said.
“Friends and family said, ‘You should do a book and keep doing these shoots to see what happens.’ Almost right from the start, strange things did. What was supposed to be a thin, vanity photo book turned into a big book with eight locations because the research took over,” he said.
It was during a photo shoot at the Palomar Inn in Temecula when his belief meter went from skeptic to 100% believer. In this video, Owens explains the shoot in detail and what was discovered and revealed. It’s difficult for any ghost skeptic to look at his footage and find an explanation that is anything less than paranormal.
“After the book, readers wanted tours. Bizarre Los Angeles started slightly before the book, but it evolved into that,” Owens said.
Today, Owens has certainly established his signature as a paranormal investigator and historian. Almost always donning his classic fedora, he carries an unmistakable air of experience and insight.
Perhaps that’s why he’s been tapped as an expert and researcher on Haunted Discoveries with ghost hunters Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari. When we sat down with Owens, he had just returned from shooting in Kentucky.
“For Haunted Discoveries, producers often find a location; I interview people connected to it, then I fact-check and build the real story. Any old building has ups and downs—humanity leaves fingerprints. I look for how many people died there, what actually happened, and whether the stories connect to history. I try to create a psychological profile of the people who lived there—and of the building itself: its history, its turmoil,” he said.
Curious as to what “ghost tools” they use on the show, he revealed that they “use devices most ghost hunters don’t—barometric pressure, temperature, EMF—and we mic rooms heavily.”
Without giving too much away, Owens hinted at some remarkable experiences while filming the latest chapter of Haunted Discoveries. Still, he remains meticulous—examining anything seemingly paranormal with a fine-tooth comb and a scientific lens before drawing any conclusions about the supernatural.
“If you get close to the real history, you’re more likely to stir up activity. Test the urban legend, and nothing happens—you’re too far off the mark,” Owens said.
This Halloween season, take Owens’ advice and follow the history to unravel the real truth.
Learn more at https://bizarrela.com/
