Zak Bagans doesn’t mince words when talking about his cases. In the decade I’ve known him, he has always remained straightforward about his theories on the paranormal and upfront about his own sometimes disturbing experiences. Knowing this makes it all the more striking to hear him discuss “Horror in Biggs,” the season premiere of Ghost Adventures, airing Thursday, Feb. 27 at 9|8c.

Frankly put, he says this is an investigation about a man beset by seemingly demonic forces and a case where Zak says, “We were frozen in fear … but we knew that we had to be strong, stick it out, help these people and put our own lives in danger in doing so.”

The case in Biggs, California, revolves around Torrie and his wife. In the episode, the man shakes while speaking about the torment and demonic sexual assault he says he frequently endures. His wrenching testimony aside, Zak believes the entity said to be terrorizing Torrie has likewise plagued the surrounding neighborhood. Indeed, many locals say the malignant spirit is responsible for a series of horrific deaths, and in the episode, the Ghost Adventures crew comes to believe an exorcism may be the only way to save their souls from its dark clutches.

Zak joined me to speak about this unique haunting Ghost Adventures episode and to offer insight on the demonic forces and exorcism of “Horror in Biggs.”

What was your thought process going into this especially dark case?

I never know what to expect. Getting a call from somebody you've never met, you don't know what you're dealing with when it comes to demonic oppression, possession, infestation of the house. You don't know what you're dealing with. [But] we do a really good job of research … And then we determine the basis of us actually committing ourselves to doing this for an investigation for Ghost Adventures.

What were your first impressions when meeting Torrie, and learning about his experience?

When we arrived, I met the wife right off the bat. I didn't want to meet her husband, and when she told me she's very unsure of paranormal events, spirits — she has to see cold, hard facts in front of her own eyes — I saw the demeanor on her face. Then her telling me that she has heard voices in her own house of something having sex with her husband? That gave me chills all over my body. I started talking to Torrie, and the details he gave me, and the thousands of interviews I've done, I could tell a life and death crisis was going on with this family. That was a level of intensity that can be unmatched in other investigations on Ghost Adventures.

And when you're dealing with somebody's life, that is the most intense and serious situation that we could ever be involved in. This was very terrifying.

But you also learned this activity extended beyond Torrie, and seemed to encompass others in town?

We started learning about how Torrie's next door neighbor started having these same experiences as Torrie. She would literally come over to the house and speak to Torrie and his wife and compare with each other the same identical types of manifestations of this entity. To hear this lady died under very mysterious circumstances a few months before we got there? How much more of a terrifying situation can you be involved in? I also met their neighbor down the street who actually witnessed this lady's death. Her and her daughter saw this lady running and screaming down the street, and they saw a tall black shadow figure chasing this lady.

While watching this episode, it sounded like something straight out of a horror movie …

But this was all real. This was all real, and this entity seemed to have a grip and a hold of the neighborhood. This wasn't just confined to a house; this entity was affecting a group of houses in the same section of a neighborhood. Then we had another lady tell us that her brother was found dead at the same time as the first woman, and he died of mysterious circumstances. [He was] found with his mouth wide open, and they were also seeing a tall black shadow figure around him and heard three knocks on their door — exactly what Torrie told me.

And yet Torrie appears to be the focal point of this activity. Do you have any theories as to why?

The reason why these entities were choosing these various hosts and victims is unknown. In my experience as an investigator, it seems as though demons will always choose various victims for possible weaknesses. They feed off that. It is like getting a cut in the jungle, and it starts with one fly and then there's 10 flies — and then there's all these insects making that wound worse and worse to where you can die from it. I believe that it's possible that these various people were chosen, and not their siblings and their wives, because maybe they had an underlying weakness that these demons liked to feed on.

So then you don’t think it was one entity leaping from one location to the next but that this activity was drawing in other entities?

The way that it was told to us sounded like it was a single powerful entity feeding off various people. But the more I think about it, this could very well have been a demonic infestation where there were multiple entities that all look the same.

Compared to your other investigations, did you feel especially more in danger?

With my lengthy investigation doing the Demon House, this really paralleled that particular investigation for me. I really didn't know what we were dealing with … it did put fear into me that this could be a deadly situation.

Speaking to you now, and watching the episode, it’s evident you believed Torrie might not make it out of this alive …

I truly believed we had to help this guy. We couldn't just leave and say, "Oh, we got evidence. Thank you, we made a show out of this and we're good, thank you, goodbye."

For many viewers, Torrie’s exorcism is legitimately unsettling to watch. How did it feel for you?

We sent [Bishop Bryan Oulette of the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church and Sister Mary Joan] there and they conducted their blessing, and seeing the reaction Torrie had — that was the most severe disturbing reaction to a blessing and a minor right of exorcism that not only have I seen on Ghost Adventures, but that I've ever seen in any other footage. He was screaming for his life in reaction to Bishop Bryan reading from the Bible. It was extremely disturbing and really told me this guy truly had a demonic attachment.

Beyond the exorcism, you and the guys also believe you collected compelling evidence?

When we were doing our investigation, Torrie had the ability to tell us where in the room this entity was, and where it was touching him. We were using the electroscope which detects static energy and he said, "Oh, it's on my left leg." And we would measure his left leg, and we would get readings on the electroscope. I’d go over to the right leg, the same exact distance as I was from the left leg, and there would be nothing. This would continue to go on. To me it was very credible evidence that what we were dealing with was genuine. And that made things even more disturbing.

And how is Torrie doing now?

We’re continuing to follow up. But we heard things have been getting better, which is good.

After so many episodes, what do you think viewers can learn from this investigation about the show and about what you do?

For the investigation on Ghost Adventures, this is something new people are going to see. I've always known demons can be deadly. This stems from other demonic investigations I've done. Demons will try to destroy your life. Ghost Adventures is a television show, but it documents very real calls for help. While some of our episodes may be extremely disturbing and dark, and some may be too difficult to watch, in the end we like to help people. That's the most important thing for us.

Finally, what did “Horror in Biggs” teach you guys about this kind of activity which you’ll carry forward?

Showing how this affected multiple people in a bunch of nearby houses -- that was a big one for us. It really taught us that we have to be on guard and bring with us our own shield of spiritual armor and not let it down at any time because we don't want to be a victim of that same fate.