So what paranormal shows do you like/hate?

[monte_9501]

I think it would be a lot easier to contact child spirits, they would be more trusting in life. And i would thnk most kids look to adults for help and guidence while alive and i think even as kids they would reach out to adults trying to help them or contact them.

[monte_9501]

I didn't like the show to many times they went to the demn card (every time) and they never showed really any evidence or investigating only talking about how a demon was following Ryan for a big show down.

Review of Paranormal State - Season One
Written By: Jeff Behnke
Posted: 5/8/2008
http://www.paranormalnews.com/article.as...cleID=1264

For starters, I’ve noticed a heated debate upon this show’s validity, and I’m somewhat surprised that it is even an issue. The general criticism is that Ryan is religious, or they are all not old enough, or they are being unprofessional, or they are pandering to people’s fears and inhibitions, or Paranormal State is a new version of Tales from the Crypt, written and produced with Ryan and the rest of the group doing the acting for pennies and some recognition. I find all of these criticisms bogus. Paranormal State is well worth the watch, and they definately get two thumbs up from me.

I have no wand of truth nor does anyone, when staring at a photo or watching a video or listening to someone tell their harrowing tale of doom and gloom at midnight. I do not claim to be able to mentally sort the chaffe from the wheat, the produced from the unproduced. When you are in the paranormal community long enough, however, you grow to appreciate the fact that you just can’t tell in many instances what is true and what is false, if someone is making something up, or if someone really saw what they believed to see. But despite these supposed mental deficiencies, if you are in the paranormal community long enough, you grow to appreciate this Blair Witch quality to the entire world, and you realize that it is not a malady only affecting the open-minded believers out there, but affecting everyone at once, including the skeptics, and the war to define what is true and false is the equivalent of the war between the two sides of the human mind. In reality, both sides are equal, both sides are winners and losers, and the two sides work together to make this place what it is. Fact? Fiction? To me, it doesn’t matter the way people believe it should, as you can learn just as much from a story written by Tolstoy as you can from a story written as a scientific abstract.

As for the show’s critics, there are a number of ghost hunting groups out there that do not allow someone who has religious beliefs about demonic entities or god or Satan to even become a member, so the criticism against Paranormal State stems partially from that bias. Having said that, when the sh** hits the fan in a household, there is no scientific holy water to come and wipe it all away. At those points, ghost hunting groups generally reluctant to acknowledge the mainstream spiritual side of things fall back and say, "Well, let’s get a priest in here and see if anything happens because I don’t know what else to do." The bias collapses more so to help the family than any other reason, and that is really what Ryan and the rest of the team in Paranormal State seems to do from the moment they walk in the door.

Furthermore, the criticism that they are unprofessional is pure silliness. I am often amazed when Ryan brings in family counselors to help the afflicted and to find out if there is a potential mental illness or abuse before, during, or after an investigation. I don’t see many ghost hunting teams out there offering that same type of service, so if we’re going to compare one team with another, the professionalism of Ryan’s team far outweighs the professionalism of others that are criticizing them just because they are unafraid to break out the blessed H2O to help someone sleep at night. Where other ghost teams seem to want to get nothing more than after-life porn (video, audio, and photographic evidence), Ryan’s team seems genuinely concerned about a family’s difficulties. Again, if this is scripted television, please, ghost hunters, learn something from it.

The storytelling on Paranormal State is amazing, which is more than likely why it is being accused so readily of being scripted. Given, there are some definitely contrived elements to the show (Ryan being hunted by Belial strikes me as an example, or the way Ryan numbers the cases using dates as if they are X-Files), but there are just as many scripted elements to shows such as Sci-Fi’s Ghost Hunters and the UK’s Most Haunted to basically chuck this criticism out the window. I mean, how many times do we need Grant and Jason describing to us what an EVP is just to use up a few holy few seconds of television? We know what a damn EVP is, for God’s sake, and if a viewer doesn’t know, Google is a mouse click away. When you watch Paranormal State, however, you’re not sure what you are going to see. Half the time, I can watch Most Haunted on mute and not miss anything as all the stories sound and play out in the same way, and you feel for no one. This does not go for Paranormal State as the stories themselves are in many cases more important than the surrounding investigations. The show tells the stories in such a way where you feel for those being interviewed. Watch the episode where the dogs are constantly killing themselves in the road. Watch the episode where the unmarried interracial couple is haunted by a ghost from the Victorian age who does not approve of their relationship. See the emotion in their eyes. If that is scripted, it is some great acting, because I feel nothing for people in sitcoms, but I feel for those on Paranormal State afflicted by something they do not understand. Many of the stories have meaning and purpose. Could it all be scripted? Sure, but if you just shut off that internal critic that raises its voice more because of jealousy than anything else, perhaps Paranormal State will have meaning to you as well.

And finally, Lorraine Warren is adorable. Here’s to another wonderful second season, and make sure you expand it to 60 minutes instead of 30.

[Smokey]

OK, I don't know if any of you have been watching Sci-Fi, but they have this special called Children of the Grave and investigate Zombie Road in St. Louis. I thought it looked familiar so I looked it up online and my friend lives less than 2 miles from it and his house overlooks the valley area where it is located. What they missed is the old Childrens Home that is located just off Old State Road that may be associated with these hauntings.

[jgreenland0153]

Wow.... that is cool. Yes I saw both shows. The Zombie Road I wasn't as thrilled with but I did enjoy the Children of the Grave one.

[monte_9501]

zombies are just so damn creepy no matter how fast you run they are always rght behind you

[Kyle]

The new Ghost Hunters tonight was pretty sweet, with the EVP, the Thermal, and Jason's claim of a manifestation all happening at the same time.

[monte_9501]

I know i liked the show as well, it was the best evidence i have seen in a long time

[Smokey]

It was swamp gas! LOL You do know that swamp gas can talk!

[jgreenland0153]

Kyle Wrote:The new Ghost Hunters tonight was pretty sweet, with the EVP, the Thermal, and Jason's claim of a manifestation all happening at the same time.

I agree. It was well worth watching. The EVPs were pretty cool. I wonder what the home owners decide to do now that they have TAPs information. Like they said it was agreeable...... but that would still be pretty creepy to know that a spirit is hanging around. I think I would want to know who it is and why it has chosen to hang around. If it is a family member watching over everyone, that would be cool....... but.......if not......

[monte_9501]

Yes swamp gas will say anything to confuse you be careful when dealing with it