Ghosts in The Hood is the fresh and newest edition of paranormal television shows. Ghosts In The Hood is by far the most entertaining show within the ghost hunting genre. It's not only hilarious but also intelligent, down to Earth and a breath of fresh air. The cast of five mesh well and each member is personable and funny. Maunda sums up my thoughts perfectly with her observation during an investigation ''It's kinda like a spooky telenovela.''
If you missed the first six episodes, you are not alone. WE network, which aired Ghosts In The Hood, made little effort in marketing and promotion to kick off the network trying out some paranormal programming.
The network was obviously looking to pull the audience away from Ghost Brothers as well as target an entirely new demographic. However, the Thursday night time slot made little to no sense. Both Ghost Adventures and Ghost Brothers were airing reruns, Fridays and Saturdays, when GITH debuted. So, Ghosts In The Hood could have easily gained a much larger audience had it been aired on the proper day and time. At the time of this publishing, there is no word on a season 2. Hopefully, if WEtv does not renew this show, another network will pick it up. It's just that good.
If you missed the first six episodes, you are not alone. WE network, which aired Ghosts In The Hood, made little effort in marketing and promotion to kick off the network trying out some paranormal programming.
The network was obviously looking to pull the audience away from Ghost Brothers as well as target an entirely new demographic. However, the Thursday night time slot made little to no sense. Both Ghost Adventures and Ghost Brothers were airing reruns, Fridays and Saturdays, when GITH debuted. So, Ghosts In The Hood could have easily gained a much larger audience had it been aired on the proper day and time. At the time of this publishing, there is no word on a season 2. Hopefully, if WEtv does not renew this show, another network will pick it up. It's just that good.
Ghost Brothers arrived on the scene in 2016 with a not-so-subtle marketing ploy of the first all African-American cast which, of course, is stereotypically terrified of the supernatural and hang out in a barbershop. Unfortunately, despite the hyped up comedic relief promoting, the jokes felt forced and the scenes too staged. Poor editing was another issue, of season 1, which highlighted the overly staged scenes and dialog.
Ghost Brothers has just wrapped up its season 2, which was very disappointing. All of the problems with season 1 have been magnified instead of remedied. One major issue is the editing which has gone from bad to laughable. At least one episode listed as ''new'' for season 2 was actually shown in season 1. Another episode shows the same footage of Dalen walking into a building twice at different times during the show. Continuity doesn't seem to be in the vocabulary of the producers. They've also added a new ridiculous factor by using that absurd 'stick figure' mapping device (Kinect), which is popular on Ghost Adventures. And, the guys are still forcing their jokes but now they do it while wearing hot pink shoes and skinny Capri pants.
Ghost Brothers has just wrapped up its season 2, which was very disappointing. All of the problems with season 1 have been magnified instead of remedied. One major issue is the editing which has gone from bad to laughable. At least one episode listed as ''new'' for season 2 was actually shown in season 1. Another episode shows the same footage of Dalen walking into a building twice at different times during the show. Continuity doesn't seem to be in the vocabulary of the producers. They've also added a new ridiculous factor by using that absurd 'stick figure' mapping device (Kinect), which is popular on Ghost Adventures. And, the guys are still forcing their jokes but now they do it while wearing hot pink shoes and skinny Capri pants.
Kindred Spirits premiered in October of 2016. You may have recognized the two-person cast from the days of Ghost Hunters on SyFy. According to Jason Hawes, Amy Bruni and Adam Berry were indeed fired from GH despite Bruni's repeated denials. The focus of Kindred Spirits seems to be private homes with children. Nearly every episode involves Adam's 'OMG, I'm so shocked' face in a cafe, Amy sitting in a library to 'research' and both assuming the haunting is the ghost of someone that died miles away from the actual haunted location. Well, that makes sense right? The show has also featured known fraud Chip Coffey.
Kindred Spirits has now been renewed for another season, returning in Sept. I have no idea why unless the network wants to torture us with two of the dullest people in 'reality tv' history. There is nothing interesting or entertaining about this show. If you have insomnia or the desire to become an alcoholic, I highly recommend playing Kindred Spirits on a loop.
Kindred Spirits has now been renewed for another season, returning in Sept. I have no idea why unless the network wants to torture us with two of the dullest people in 'reality tv' history. There is nothing interesting or entertaining about this show. If you have insomnia or the desire to become an alcoholic, I highly recommend playing Kindred Spirits on a loop.
Ghost Asylum has been around since 2014. The gimmick of Ghost Asylum is to capture a spirit in odd and sometimes silly homemade cages. One of the first episodes featured a trap made out of chicken wire. I doubt I was the only person that hurt themselves laughing while watching. If you're a religious fanatic and enjoy watching a buff guy in a tight shirt walk around saying ''Was that you?'' over and over, this is your show.
Destination America has given the Ghost Asylum boys another show called Haunted Towns. This is obviously a carbon copy of Nick Groff's Ghosts Of Shepherdstown. Let's hope the boys do a better job than Nick and Elizabeth and forego the fakery. Haunted Towns begins in Aug 2017.
Another new paranormal show on the Destination America channel is called Terror In The Woods. It seems to be exactly as the title states. Eyewitnesses share their encounters with ghosts, monsters, and other terrifying phenomena. Terror In The Woods begins Sept 2017.
Destination America has given the Ghost Asylum boys another show called Haunted Towns. This is obviously a carbon copy of Nick Groff's Ghosts Of Shepherdstown. Let's hope the boys do a better job than Nick and Elizabeth and forego the fakery. Haunted Towns begins in Aug 2017.
Another new paranormal show on the Destination America channel is called Terror In The Woods. It seems to be exactly as the title states. Eyewitnesses share their encounters with ghosts, monsters, and other terrifying phenomena. Terror In The Woods begins Sept 2017.
The weak links of GA would be trucker hats and Billy Tolley. Billy is often visibly uncomfortable in front of the camera, which is painful to watch. His acting is lacking, well, acting skills and he tends to overact because of these shortcomings. With their huge following of loyal fans, Ghost Adventures is sure to continue as long as Zak wants it to. It's kind of hard to believe that just a short time ago Zak Bagans was a wedding DJ.
The Dead Files is still airing despite never actually showing evidence of, well, anything. It's merely a visual account of science fiction short stories. Although Amy Allan isn't really psychic, she is a pretty good actor. She's appeared on other paranormal shows in the past, by herself and with a ghost hunting team, including A Haunting. Interestingly enough, Amy did not proclaim herself to be a physical psychic medium on any of her previous paranormal show appearances. She also stated, while on A Haunting, that she does not believe in demons. But now that she has her own show, there are demons and monsters everywhere!
Her ex-husband Matt is the dude that follows her around with a hand-held camera. He's never had any real purpose on the show since at least two other camera guys are there filming him filming Amy. But, I have enjoyed watching him try to hide the fact that he's going bald over the last few seasons. He's got a rather fierce comb-over going on. Well, it's more of a comb-forward then slightly over 'do. As far as the overall entertainment value of DF, I'd go with Paranormal Witness or My Haunted House for first-hand storytelling.
*UPDATE* Matt has lost his war with the follicles! Yes, it's true, he has waved the white flag and completely shaved his head. RIP Matt's comb-forward mane, we'll miss you.
Amy is now dating/possibly married to Rob Traegler. Rob just happens to direct DF and has directed other fake paranormal shows like Paranormal State.
Mountain Monsters is technically a 'paranormal' show but they didn't hunt a ghost until this last season. At least I think it was a ghost they were looking for towards the end. Mountain Monsters went from being a fun show to watch while drunk to being a chaotic mess of random dangerous gun toting folks, Bigfoot creatures with odd nicknames, phantom women wandering around aimlessly, secret codes and ransom notes, Halloween masked men, a plethora of arguments and physical fights, drunken rednecks building bonfires, and a lot of bandanas.
There's not much more to write about because I can honestly tell you, I have no idea what's going on or why. I do know, something stronger than alcohol will be needed for next season.
The Lowe Files begins Aug 2017. Actor Rob Lowe and his two sons go on adventures across the country to find ghosts, Bigfoot and the Boogeyman. It seems to me that this show is just copying Haunted Highway, which should have never been canceled. We shall see.
Evil Things is another new paranormal show on The Learning Channel. The premise seems to be about ''possessed'' items. It will be a first-person storytelling show with two stories per episode beginning in Sept 2017.
Paranormal Lockdown is Nick Groff's latest attempt to take the spotlight away from Zak Bagans. His castmate, Katrina Weidman, was formerly on Paranormal State, which was canceled after several lawsuits by clients claiming Ryan Buell (and cast/including Chip Coffey & Katrina) fabricated much, if not all, of their stories.
Nick's previous show was called Ghost Stalkers, which was arguably the worst paranormal show to date with its blatant fakery, over-the-top dramatized scenes, Chad screaming and freaking out every 2 seconds and really bad acting.
As with Ghost Brothers, all of Nick Groff's attempts have also fallen victim to poor editing and ridiculous staging. At one point during an episode of Paranormal Lockdown, Nick and Katrina are walking around in the middle of the day and Nick tells her to hurry and switch the cameras to night vision before they check out a noise. Why do you need night vision in the middle of the day? Because it's a hundred times easier to fake 'evidence' and scenes when the viewer can't see what's really going on. The guest appearance by one of the biggest frauds in the field Grant Wilson (Ghost Hunters) didn't help to ''legitimize'' the show.
The premise of Paranormal Lockdown was originally Nick and Katrina, by themselves, at a location for three days. However, they have at least one camera guy with them which was obvious from the start. Subsequently, the promos have since abandoned the 'just the two of us alone' spiel. The duo rarely investigates anything during the morning or afternoon, unless going with night vision to fool you, so what is the point of sleeping there exactly? It doesn't appear that either one of these ''paranormal investigators'' has learned anything from the past other than how to lie better. Which obviously works since networks keep hiring them.
Ghosts Of Shepherdstown is another Nick Groff fantasy that has shockingly been renewed. It's almost as absurd as Ghost Stalkers. The viewers are led to believe that the show encompasses an entire town and its residents, all of whom apparently call 911 when they see a ghost. Seems reasonable, right? I know I always call 911 when I have paranormal activity. The only time I call Ghost Hunters is when I have plumbing issues.
Shepherdstown is hands down the most fabricated paranormal show. This ''non-scripted'' reality show is most definitely scripted. Actors are also used as well as Nick's infamous fakery, which you can see in the videos above and below plus via this article HERE. Elizabeth Saint is his sidekick and also a professional actor. Let me put my 'surprised' face on, not. Ghosts Of Shepherdstown is reminiscent of a low-budget grad student's thesis film project but not nearly as interesting.
There's not much more to write about because I can honestly tell you, I have no idea what's going on or why. I do know, something stronger than alcohol will be needed for next season.
The Lowe Files begins Aug 2017. Actor Rob Lowe and his two sons go on adventures across the country to find ghosts, Bigfoot and the Boogeyman. It seems to me that this show is just copying Haunted Highway, which should have never been canceled. We shall see.
Evil Things is another new paranormal show on The Learning Channel. The premise seems to be about ''possessed'' items. It will be a first-person storytelling show with two stories per episode beginning in Sept 2017.
Paranormal Lockdown is Nick Groff's latest attempt to take the spotlight away from Zak Bagans. His castmate, Katrina Weidman, was formerly on Paranormal State, which was canceled after several lawsuits by clients claiming Ryan Buell (and cast/including Chip Coffey & Katrina) fabricated much, if not all, of their stories.
Nick's previous show was called Ghost Stalkers, which was arguably the worst paranormal show to date with its blatant fakery, over-the-top dramatized scenes, Chad screaming and freaking out every 2 seconds and really bad acting.
As with Ghost Brothers, all of Nick Groff's attempts have also fallen victim to poor editing and ridiculous staging. At one point during an episode of Paranormal Lockdown, Nick and Katrina are walking around in the middle of the day and Nick tells her to hurry and switch the cameras to night vision before they check out a noise. Why do you need night vision in the middle of the day? Because it's a hundred times easier to fake 'evidence' and scenes when the viewer can't see what's really going on. The guest appearance by one of the biggest frauds in the field Grant Wilson (Ghost Hunters) didn't help to ''legitimize'' the show.
The premise of Paranormal Lockdown was originally Nick and Katrina, by themselves, at a location for three days. However, they have at least one camera guy with them which was obvious from the start. Subsequently, the promos have since abandoned the 'just the two of us alone' spiel. The duo rarely investigates anything during the morning or afternoon, unless going with night vision to fool you, so what is the point of sleeping there exactly? It doesn't appear that either one of these ''paranormal investigators'' has learned anything from the past other than how to lie better. Which obviously works since networks keep hiring them.
Shepherdstown is hands down the most fabricated paranormal show. This ''non-scripted'' reality show is most definitely scripted. Actors are also used as well as Nick's infamous fakery, which you can see in the videos above and below plus via this article HERE. Elizabeth Saint is his sidekick and also a professional actor. Let me put my 'surprised' face on, not. Ghosts Of Shepherdstown is reminiscent of a low-budget grad student's thesis film project but not nearly as interesting.
It's the sheer laziness of the Head of Development that keeps these notorious frauds in the paranormal field employed. The networks bank on the name and really don't care that the shows are garbage. Unless a network, along with their Head of Development, decides to stray from the tired old formula and format of ghost hunting shows, the future looks bleak for the genre.
Watching cast members stop in the middle of investigating to talk directly to the camera and reiterate what we just watched and heard, is not only stale but beyond tedious. New ideas and new formats are needed for paranormal investigative shows to continue entertaining the masses. Which brings us to the land of the Internet webseries as an alternative:
If you're tired of the same old ghost hunting shows on television starring overly religious straight people, you should tune into the LGBT version on the Internet called Queer Ghost Hunters. It features real people, real ghosts and it's really gay. This ghost hunting group is based out of Ohio. The webseries is quirky and a bit cheesy at times, but entertaining none the less. Unfortunately, the voiceover announcer (and his accent) is rather annoying and seems out of place. However, if you can get past that oddity you may find the informative history side of the show to be quite interesting.
Some of the team's adventures include traveling to a former convent to chat with lesbian nuns, contacting the ghosts of young gay prisoners incarcerated for sodomy in the 1900s and visiting with the spirits of gay patients in asylums that were placed there due to their sexual preference. Perhaps this docuseries, and others like it, will open the eyes of television networks and we'll get new and inclusive paranormal TV shows in the near future. Queer Ghost Hunters season 2 has just begun on their Youtube channel.
Some of the team's adventures include traveling to a former convent to chat with lesbian nuns, contacting the ghosts of young gay prisoners incarcerated for sodomy in the 1900s and visiting with the spirits of gay patients in asylums that were placed there due to their sexual preference. Perhaps this docuseries, and others like it, will open the eyes of television networks and we'll get new and inclusive paranormal TV shows in the near future. Queer Ghost Hunters season 2 has just begun on their Youtube channel.
If you're like me and find holding your breath for new and original paranormal programming to be an exercise in futility, let's skip down the yellow brick road to the days of yesteryear and enjoy some of the best paranormal TV show concepts to date. First up is Scariest Places On Earth starring Linda Blair...
Next we have MTVs Fear...
And, Leonard Nimoy hosting In Search Of...
Written by MH
When Nick Goff on Paranormal Lockdown investigated the old hospital in Colfax, Washington what they caught was not faked for a fact! A year before they investigated there, my daughter and a friend did a teensleepover/ investigation there and they had many experiences with messages, noises and their flashlights kept turning off and on. Sheand her friend slept in Rose's room the most active when all these experiences happened all night long and they were the only ones in the room! I saw they messages om their phones the next day! This sunday a friend, my daughter and I will be investigating there and I will for sure let U know what happens!!
ReplyDelete'For a fact'- you weren't there. Nick is a joke in the community. Why do you think Bagans fired him from GA? One of the PL crew came forward to explain how some 'evidence' was fabricated. Several REAL residents of Shepherdstown have come forward to debunk the entire show. That's just a tid bit of the huge pile of proof of Nicks shenanigans. And his side kick is also very well known for her faking absolutely everything with drug addicted criminal Ryan Buell. As for your daughter and her friend, that's awesome that they experienced paranormal activity! I once had my deceased Grandmother leave a voicemail message on my cell phone. The phone was next to me and never rang. I've had a lifetime of paranormal experiences. I can spot the tv fakes even without cast and crew coming forward. My article is half opinion and have documented facts. I encourage all to do their own research online. You'll really be shocked at what many of these 'paranormal investigators' have been doing over the years for fame and money.
ReplyDeleteOops, i made a typo it should read ''half opinion and half documented facts''
ReplyDeleteYou are a hater..hope a demon comes for you in the night you closed minded dolt
ReplyDeleteGhost adventures is the worst paranormal show on. Get vid and audio,only ,don't help anyone. Bagans overly dramatic,,aaron scared of his own shadow. I do give em credit for guts to go to those places.
ReplyDelete