Walmart ghost tours: Zaal is amassing an empire of undead sites, a host of enemies among living
A fast-growing ghost tour business
Lance Zaal, 42, leads US Ghost Adventures, a company that has opened tours in more than 250 cities and towns over the past half-decade. Its website says the business employs more than 1,000 guides. Competitors have called it “The Walmart of Ghost Tours.”
The company has acquired properties including the Lizzie Borden House in Massachusetts, the Villisca Axe Murder House in Iowa, McInteer Villa in Kansas, and two historic homes in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It also sells ghost-detection equipment under the Ghost Daddy name, including a two-person kit priced at $629.99.
The mansion and its reputation
Zaal’s primary residence is the Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans’ French Quarter, a $4.3 million property on the site of a former slaveowner’s torture chamber. Previous guests have described unexplained sounds and a smell they associated with burning flesh.
Tour guide Catie Santos, who briefly worked for Zaal as a content creator, says she warns guests about him. She says guides passing the mansion stay across the street because of what they regard as its dark energy.
Disputes shape industry expansion
More than a dozen competitors and industry insiders described Zaal with harsh terms and raised allegations involving tour content, merchandise designs, online reviews, worker classification, and business names. The claims have led to a growing number of lawsuits against US Ghost Adventures.
Zaal did not respond to repeated inquiries for the story, but has denied predatory behavior and emphasized historic preservation. US Ghost Adventures has also accused competitors of bullying and trying to eliminate competition, while Zaal has filed copyright and defamation suits and threatened legal action.
From military service to tours
In an account on his company website, Zaal describes a difficult childhood in Southern California, including periods when he was homeless and slept in the family van. He says unusual experiences, including unexplained footsteps and doors opening, fueled his interest in the supernatural.
Zaal enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 after the September 11 attacks and completed three tours, including two in Iraq. He later earned an MBA at William and Mary, worked at Booz Allen Hamilton and Mythics Inc., and was laid off in 2012. He then developed ItourMobile, a GPS-guided audio ghost-tour app.
Key points
- US Ghost Adventures says it operates in more than 250 cities and towns and employs over 1,000 guides.
- The company has bought several haunted landmarks and sells ghost-detection products through Ghost Daddy.
- Competitors and insiders have made allegations that have contributed to lawsuits against the company.
- Zaal has denied predatory behavior, citing historic preservation, and has pursued legal action against rivals.