My name is Jessie and I'm addicted to YouTube.
I legitimately watch an unreasonable number of YouTube videos each week, but I honestly don't feel too bad about it because to me, it's not really any worse than watching an obscene number of TV shows. Which I also watch...
I might have a problem.
Anyway, one thing that might come as a surprise to people who actually know me is that despite my logical, reasonable, and level-headed personality and mind, I am deeply intrigued by the paranormal. I don't need to defend myself on it right now, and I am not really in the mood to tell my own paranormal stories just to be laughed out of the room, but I know what I've seen and because of that, I love hearing other people's experiences and finding common ground--even with complete strangers on the internet.
I also enjoy a good true crime story, whether it's a mystery about a person who has gone missing and is yet to be found, or the tale of a murder and how the perpetrator was brought to light. I just don't really care for the long-form documentaries or the cheesy CSI shows, so YouTubers who break a story down into digestible, 20-minute videos are ideal.
In the spirit of a previous article I wrote on some of my favorite general-topic YouTubers, this will be a list of five of my favorite paranormal/crime-focused channels.
1. Kyla Rebecca
Kyla is a recent find for me in the grand scheme of things, but my god, I'm in love. This girl has had a lot of personal paranormal experiences that resonate with me because some of my own experiences are eerily similar.
My favorite thing about Kyla is how genuine she comes across. She'll tell you if she thinks something she's seen or felt can be explained in a more logical way, and leaves the door open for interpretation.
She also covers some more cryptid-based topics, such as Bigfoot, and even vlogs and more personal storytime videos that I absolutely love.
Random bonus: She looks like an awesome combination of Jenna Elfman and Christina Applegate.
Definitely check her out!
2. Harmony Nice
Harmony is one of those YouTubers who I don't always agree with/practice the same lifestyle as, but I still love hearing what she has to say and learning more about her life. She's a practicing Wiccan, which is something I can't relate to at all, but I do love learning more about the practice and she's interesting enough that I'm not completely put off by it.
The videos of hers that I absolutely love are any of the ones where she is recounting paranormal experiences or discussing the details of a true crime story or mystery. She researches the material well and gives a fantastic summary of the situation.
3. Gabrielle Valente
There is no one else on YouTube that I have found who is anything like Gabulosis. Not only does she cover paranormal stories and mysteries in a way that is enlightening and fascinating, but the primary focus of her mystery/true crime stories is old Hollywood mysteries or vintage cases of individuals who have vanished.
As someone who is really interested in vintage anything, I can't resist her topics or the way she tells stories.
4. Danelle Hallan
I have found no other YouTuber who puts more time, care, and work into their videos than Danelle. She cares so deeply about the subjects she discusses, and especially when it comes to missing person cases that are still active and potentially sensitive--so much so that she has gladly taken down her own videos on occasions where the family of the person she does a video on isn't entirely happy with how the story was told.
I think Danelle was meant to be a PI or forensic criminologist in another life.
5. Kendall Rae
Kendall is a fellow Denverite, but beyond that what drew me to her channel is her willingness to dig into conspiracy theories. She started out as a beauty vlogger, but turned her sights to more taboo topics and I love her for it. She still has videos that are more personal stories or rants (which are also great), but she also covers missing person/murder/mystery cases as well as really complex conspiracies revolving around the JFK assassination, Princess Diana's death, and the moon landing, just to name a few.
Best of all, she never really presents the information she shares in a way that makes it seem like she believes all of this. And honestly, that's good because a lot of the topics are totally bogus--but she has such an open mind that she's willing to hear everything out and present the information she finds in a digestible way. It really helps you understand why some people might believe some really crazy stuff.
As a bonus, she and her husband (Joshledore, who has his own wild YouTube channel) have a podcast that's completely worth checking out.