Zak Bagans

• Name — Zak Bagans • Birth Name — Zachary Alexander Bagans • Born — 5 April 1977 • Birthplace — Washington, D.C., U.S. • Occupation — Paranormal investigator • Years Active — 2004–present

Bagans was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He graduated from Glenbard West High School.

In 2004, Bagans teamed up with Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin to produce a documentary-style film called Ghost Adventures. The film aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2007. A successor series premiered in 2008 on the Travel Channel and has aired for 19 seasons as of 2019. Ghost hunting shows in general, and Ghost Adventures in particular, have been accused of fakery. One of Bagans' more notable claims from the show is his alleged communication with deceased actor David Strickland of NBC's Suddenly Susan. Strickland committed suicide at the Oasis Motel in Las Vegas in 1999. Bagans claims to have recorded Strickland's voice nearly a decade following his death, and included this recording in a track on the album NecroFusion. No known scientific analysis has been attempted on the raw recording, including any comparison of the voice heard on the Electronic Voice Phenomena recording to that of the famous actor.

On April 2, 2016, Deadly Possessions premiered on the Travel Channel; the show featured Bagans finding items for a prospective "haunted museum" in Las Vegas, Nevada. The museum opened to the public in October 2017. It consists of 33 rooms with various artifacts on display. Visitors are given guided tours of the rooms. Some of the items on display include Bela Lugosi's mirror, the Dybbuk box, Peggy the Doll, and Jack Kevorkian's "Death Van". Some of the claims attached to the artifacts have been criticized. Both the Lugosi mirror and Captain Smith mirror kept in the museum have been claimed to have dubious provenance. All visitors must sign waivers before entering indemnifying the museum against “spiritual or paranormal interactions”. On 27 May 2019, an exhibit featuring a rocking chair from The Devil in Connecticut alleged demon possession case was shut down briefly due to a visitor fainting. The exhibit reopened on 7 June. In 2018, the museum received Las Vegas Mayor's award for historic preservation and adaptive reuse. In 2021, the transaxle salvaged from the American actor James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder was added to the museum's collection.

In May 2021, Discovery+ Channel announced its plans to broadcast The Haunted Museum, an upcoming horror anthology show for which Zak Bagans will be the host and an executive producer. The series will be filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada and Toronto, Canada by the Cream Productions with Eli Roth as a filmmaker and Matt Booi, Kate Harrison Karman and David Brady as executive producers.

Bagans lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. He previously lived in Summerlin, Nevada.

Film • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2004 — Ghost Adventures — Himself — Documentary • 2018 — Demon House — Himself — Documentary Television • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2008–present — Ghost Adventures — Himself, also creator and executive producer — 274 episodes and 53 specials • 2011 — Paranormal Challenge — Himself, also creator and executive producer — 12 episodes • 2012 — Paranormal Paparazzi — Executive producer — 8 episodes • 2012 — Nightline — Himself — Guest • 2014–2016 — Ghost Adventures: Aftershocks — Himself, also creator and executive producer — 25 episodes • 2015 — The Late Late Show with James Corden — Himself — Guest • 2015 — Today — Himself — Guest • 2016 — Deadly Possessions — Himself, also creator and executive producer — 6 episodes • 2021 — Haunted Museum Series — Himself, also creator and executive producer — N/A • 2021–2022 — Halloween Wars — Himself — Host

Zak Bagans is recorded with the occupation television producer. Recorded with the occupation film director. Recorded with the occupation curator. Recorded with the occupation writer. Recorded as writer, actor, curator, television producer and film director.