'Ghostbusters' star Dan Aykroyd "I had encounters with at least two UFOs"

In the documentary series "The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd", the "Ghostbusters" star once again devotes himself to mysterious events. In this interview, the 72-year-old talks about inspiring survival stories.

Dan Aykroyd was part of the original cast of "Saturday Night Live" in the 1970s and became a global star with films such as the musical comedy "Blues Brothers" (1980) and the "Ghostbusters" series (from 1984).

The Canadian-born actor is now 72 years old, but Dan Aykroyd is far from thinking about retirement. Just last year, he once again slipped into the role of ghost hunter Dr. Ray Stantz in "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire".

In the documentary series "The UnBelievable", the criminologist and sociologist devotes himself to his passion for worldly and paranormal phenomena.

The second season (ten episodes) is available from Thursday, March 13, weekly at 8.15pm, on The HISTORY Channel, or on demand on HISTORY Play (via Amazon and YouTube).

Episode one "It Came From Above" shows the sometimes unbelievable things that once fell from the sky, often causing great damage. Among other things, Dan Aykroyd tells the story of a young woman who was hit by a meteorite in her sleep at home.

Dan Aykroyd, hand on heart: after all the terrifying stories of falling meteorites or extra strong tornadoes that you tell in "The Unbelievable", can you still sleep peacefully?

Well, I'm not worried about meteorites. What I worry about are human mechanisms, things that transport us, like ocean liners sinking or being torpedoed. I worry about the speed - of cars ... So all the things that humans have created scare me more than the things from outer space that humans have to deal with.

Has your view of the dangers of the world changed as a result of working on the series?

Nothing that mankind does would surprise me. But I didn't know about the fantastic escapes from danger that humans have been through. There's a man who survived in a boat at the bottom of the sea for four or five days in an air pocket and somehow got out.

These are very inspiring survival stories. My view of the world has improved, but it hasn't changed in terms of what people can achieve or even what cruelties they can commit.

"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire"Clichéd and overloaded - and yet it works

What cruelties do you mean?

There was a French king who didn't like his cook's soup, so he had him executed. That's one of our stories. We're doing an episode about revenge. We're doing an episode about military weapons that were tested and proved to be absolute folly.

Some of these stories are really funny: how people have tried to put bombs on pigeons and send them into battle. So there's also a lot of humor and irony in all these stories. I think that's what makes them so entertaining. Not only are they well-researched and well-presented, but they're also funny.

So it's the humor that gives you hope in a world where everyone is going crazy?

I think whenever we can laugh, it also gives hope. There's a lot of craziness involved. I hope people laugh, and I hope people are entertained by this movie. And yes, laughter is very important, and it's also medically proven to be an effective cure for many diseases. Laughter is valuable because it releases endorphins and provides relief.

In view of the really big problems such as climate change, which is also part of "The UnBelievable", we ultimately have little reason to laugh ... Or do you still have hope here too?

Planet Earth will always have a radical climate, but it seems that events like strong hurricanes are becoming more frequent. They are bigger, and they are more dangerous. That's one thing I'm really scared of, as well as the power of the elements in general. But I also believe that humanity will manage to save itself.

With the industry and all the money being spent on fighting climate change, we have some hope. But global warming since records began is already more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

That means we have to do something - and I don't mean fleeing to Mars. We will continue to live here on Earth and have to deal with all this. My fear is that we will pass the point where we can no longer change anything. But I want to keep hoping. I am an optimist. I am a Canadian optimist. I want to hope.

Aliens are said to have abducted a coupleBetty and Barney Hill's uncanny UFO encounter

You saidin an interview that you are interested in paranormal phenomena. You also mention aliens in "The Unbelievable". Where does your interest in such stories come from?

My great-grandfather was a spiritualist and paranormal investigator in the 1920s. He organized séances in an old farmhouse with a family medium who guided the deceased and brought them back. So he believed in life after death. He believed in consciousness after death.

The whole thing with ghosts goes hand in hand with that. So I wrote the "Ghostbusters" based on old comedies like those of Abbott and Costello, Bob Hope or Dean Martin, as well as my great-grandfather's research and what was happening in paranormal research at the time.

But what exactly interests you about these kinds of stories?

What interests me about the materialization of a spirit is the question of what is going on physically, chemically, biochemically and molecularly so that a living person can see the materialization of a deceased person in a real form, like a 3D image.

God, what kind of energy that must be. Where does this energy come from, from the other side? It's really fascinating for me. And all those ghost stories you hear, like the one of the little girl on the Queen Mary in Long Beach who drowned in the pool and has since been seen by hundreds of people.

Have you ever had a paranormal experience yourself?

I've seen a few things that weren't meant to be: I've had encounters with at least two UFOs. I've never seen a ghost, but I've had some great sessions with mediums who told me things that only I and the deceased people could know. So I'm pretty convinced that this experience is real. It's exciting and entertaining for me as a writer.

You mentioned the Ghostbusters. Netflix is planning a new animated series from the "Ghostbusters" universe. What do you think about that? Can it work?

Oh yes, it will work great. I can't say much about it, but we'll be able to go places you couldn't go in normal, real live action.

Does that mean you are part of the new project?

Yes. I'm involved as an executive producer and also as a member of the Ghost Corps with Jason Reitman and Gil Keenan. The three of us are bringing the "Ghostbusters" into the future.

"We are not being told the truth"Mysterious drone sightings keep the USA on tenterhooks

The first "Ghostbusters" movie was released in 1984, over 40 years ago. What fascinates people about it to this day?

Well, people love ghosts and they love to laugh. And there were so many great laughs in it. That's also true of the films that followed, two and three, as well as Paul Feig's women's film. People love ghosts, technology and fantasy, and they love good, fast-paced entertainment. And that's exactly what Ivan Reitman gave them with the first film, providing the template for further films.

Last question: What professional dreams are you still pursuing, beyond "Ghostbusters"?

I recently wrote a book that still has to be published. And I want to keep working on my vodka company, Crystal Head Vodka. We are constantly breaking new ground and are already represented in 80 countries. And then I still have my band, so as long as I can still move, talk and breathe, I want to play a few more concerts. I would also like to bring a House of Blues to Berlin.

More videos from the department