THE
TOP TEN BEST HAUNTED PARANOMAL DOCUMENTRIES - DVD's
2008
THESE DOCUMENTRIES
HAVE HAVE BEEN VOTED BY YOU OUR READERS AS THE BEST
THEIR ARE IN THE WORLD TO INVESTIGATE REAL GHOSTS
AND HAUNTINGS.
The 10 million plus
of you that came to our web site voted for these haunted
Paranormal Documentaries feel that these are the best
of the best! And certainly we at Haunted America Tours
surely agree.
Haunted America Tours
in each of our Top Ten Categories believe that it
is the choice of you the visitor to our site to tell
the world who and what you like. And applaud those
that strive so hard to make what we know as being
Paranormal activity, Ghost Hunting and Paranormal
Investigation and research more mainstream to public
acceptance.
These to many are the
most watched and all time To date. These are of course
our favorites and of many armchair ghost hunters alike.
And if you haven't
seen them we hope you do and enjoy them as much as
the rest of the paranormal community and the world
does. Today paranormal television is a genre of popular
television broadcasting.
One of the earliest
paranormal TV shows was Sightings, hosted by Tim White
which ran for six years from 1991. It bounced between
time slots and stations—because of local station
management or ratings—and ultimately settled
into SciFi Network's programming schedule. Similar
shows include Unsolved Mysteries and Unexplained Mysteries,
with at least one episode dedicated to the paranormal.
These shows claim to be more credible than the one-shot
specials which sometimes appear up on Prime Time television,
and few have lasted beyond three seasons. Another
early example was Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World
which explored fortean phenomena.
Discovery Channel started to explore the genre with
some success from 1996. In 2000 the British satellite
channel, LivingTV launched the series Most Haunted,
the most popular paranormal investigation show today.
Its success helped spawn other shows on the channel,
including Dead Famous and Jane Goldman Investigates
and the channel developed a distinctive identity based
on paranormal programming.
Other notable shows have included Creepy Canada (which
slightly predates Most Haunted), Proof Positive and
Ghost Hunters (not to be confused with the earlier
European Ghosthunters). YTV, a Canadian youth oriented
station has a more toned down version with Mystery
Hunters.
Recently, this genre has expanded on to the internet
in the form of web television. Specifically, www.biggytv.com
has a large collection of paranormal videos in the
paranormal phenomena section. Paranormal tv includes
parapsychology, aliens and UFOs, ghosts and hauntings,
and unexplained phenomena.
Paranormal Documentaries
DVD Reviews By Lisa Lee Harp Waugh, 2008 HAUNTED AMERICA
TOURS
NO. 1. Children
Of The Grave
Produced
and Directed by Philip Adrian Booth and Christopher
Saint Booth (The Booth Brothers) DVD Release
Date: October 15, 2007
This the highly-anticipated
follow-up to the Booth Brothers 2006 documentary
Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
This haunted Indie film is one of the finest
that I have seen in many years. And so like
its predecessor this film delivers more non-stop
chills from the very first frame. Many thought
the Booth's could not top Spooked
The Ghosts Of Waverly Hills Sanatorium
their first paranormal documentary outing,
but in truth they have surely surpassed it.
Many herald The Booths work as a new breed
of great paranormal TV to explore.
The Booth's unique camera perspective
and fantastic direction, editing and score
are part of the haunted magical mind's eye
that they possess collectively. It is "The
Must See" of all that is haunted! More
then just a cut above the rest it sets a new
standard that many will find hard to reach.
This movie is now what I would
call a Paranormal Classic Indie Film!
Starring many Paranormal Legends
of today: The great prolific ghost and haunted
Writer Troy Taylor, demonologist extraordinaré
John Zaffis Nephew to Ed and Lorriane Warrens.
And the ever lovely and learned writer Rosemary
Ellen Guiley . Paranormal Task Force lead
investigator Greg Myers. Myers tops several
list this year at hauntedamericatours.com.
As you so voted Paranormal Task Force best
Group, Myers Best Paranormal Investigator
and Paranormal Couple of the year with his
Wife Judy Myers. The Big Ghostman himself,
as he is often called - Steven LaChance, and
LGHS's Keith Age.
Have you been
Spooked By The Booth's yet ?
"The Booth Brothers"
known for such films and documentary's as
Death Tunnel (Sony Pictures),"Ghouls
Gone Wild", "Children of the Grave",
"Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills
Sanatorium" (Sci-Fi Channel NBC/Universal),
Dark Place and the soon to be released "The
Possessed".
Timeless Media Group, in cooperation
with New Dominion Pictures, is proud to present
this 9 DVD set of the first four seasons of
A Haunting, 39 episodes in all. As seen on
the Discovery Channel, each of these one-hour
episodes explore the most mysterious and baffling
true cases of haunting's, visitations and
ghostly, ghastly doings ever assembled. These
stories of demon possession, the unquiet ghosts
of the dead, and many more tales of the supernatural
will take you to the edge of reason and beyond.
Each episode is complete with interviews of
the victims of these eerie and unexplainable
paranormal events. Teams of parapsychologists
try to discover the roots of these strange
happenings and to put the demons to rest,
with exorcisms, cleansing rites and strange
incantations, sometimes having unexpected
results! As you explore the darker regions
of the unseen and unsettling world of spirits,
poltergeists and phantoms, you may find yourself
becoming convinced that things are not what
they seem, and indeed, are much more sinister
and scary than you ever thought possible.
Fans of the show enjoy the cinematic
effects and the actual terrifying true stories
of the paranormal told by those who experienced
real-life horror tales. The reenactments at
times leave al little to the imaginations
but in whole the show offers what is considered
paranormal truths.
A Haunting is an American television
series that airs on the Discovery Channel
and Discovery Science channel. The series'
episodes are comprised of narrations and dramatic
reenactments based on various accounts of
paranormal encounters and experiences. A Haunting
originally aired in 2005 and has since produced
four seasons totaling 39 episodes.
A Haunting began as two feature-length
specials, "A Haunting in Connecticut"
and "A Haunting in Georgia", that
were developed by Allison Erkelens, who also
served as head writer. The specials were executive
produced by Tom Naughton and Nicolas Valcour
for New Dominion Pictures. Based on strong
ratings, A Haunting became a one-hour series
on The Discovery Channel produced by Larry
Silverman.
Most episodes present several accounts of
paranormal experiences through cinematic reenactments
which are accompanied by commentary from eyewitnesses
and investigators themselves. According to
Silverman, the show's writers search for stories
and then filter out accounts with enough substantial
content. He has further added that the episodes
are strictly based on the accounts of victims,
although the Discovery Channel did compel
the show's producers to sanitize certain case
histories due to their graphic sexual content.
A Haunting has covered several incidents,
including traditional haunting's, demonic
attacks, possessions, and cryptic visions.
The series covers incidents from various locations
across the United States, as well as three
episodes that were set in England, Ireland
and Taiwan. Episodes are usually set in houses
or apartments, and also farms, commercial
areas, and even vast outdoor regions.
Episodes within the series follow a frequently
recurring pattern, in which victims of hauntings
begin noticing peculiar incidents that gradually
become more frequent and bizarre. Denial is
most often the first reaction. As the situation
escalates, however, and every possible conventional
explanation is explored and found wanting,
they either contact a paranormal investigator,
a member of the clergy, or a spiritual medium
for assistance. In some cases, victims are
able to successfully resolve their paranormal
issues, while in others, victims are forced
to vacate their residence. Certain episodes
have also featured commentary from famed demonologists
Ed and Lorraine Warren, who have actually
investigated some of A Haunting's cases. The
episode, "The Dark Side", was dedicated
to the memory of Ed, who passed away in 2006.
Paranormal State is the very
first series that explores paranormal investigations
through the eyes and minds of college students.
This series follows the dramatic life of Penn
State University college student Ryan Buell
and the other student members of one of the
first university sanctioned Paranormal Research
Society (PRS) as they seek to find the truth
behind terrifying real life mysteries. Although
the members of PRS are your basic college
kids - dealing with the problems of school,
dating, and finding their way in the world
- they are definitely looking into other worlds
as well, working on cases that include poltergeists,
haunting and the darkest areas of the unknown.
Each week they are contacted for help by outside
parties ranging from The Catholic Church to
ordinary families who are terrified by something
supernatural happening in their lives.
Paranormal State show depicts
the students' investigations of paranormal
activity and supernatural phenomena. Though
many die hard's disagree with their tactics,
explanation and advice the show is very popular.
Each episode of the show is outlined by the
production team first, co-executive producer
Tina Gazzerro has said, to ensure that a producible
episode will result. "We try to identify
where we get our discovery moments, our 'Ah-ha!'
moments," Gazzerro told the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette. Information about the event
under investigation may also be held back
from the students in order to create dramatic
tension, and only situations which will have
a conclusive outcome are investigated. "We
may have information we don't give to [the
PRS team]," Gazzerro said, "but
we need to make sure [the episode is] producible."
Story arcs are also outlined for each "character"
on the show, and the production team has publicly
expressed its hope that a romantic relationship
will develop between Buell and one of the
women on the series. The production team and
the show's researchers say that no pressure
is put on the research team to act in certain
ways or make paranormal discoveries.
A&E had high hopes for the new series.
Cable television reality shows about the paranormal
require only about a quarter of the budget
for a scripted show of the same length. They
also draw much-coveted younger viewers, and
skew slightly more female than male (a difficult
demographic to draw for most cable networks
not explicitly targeting women).
The show debuted on December 10, 2007, with
2.5 million viewers watching the first two
back-to-back episodes, making it the third-most
watched show on A&E since 2004. The cable
network reported that this included 1.6 million
people aged 18 to 49 (a highly coveted demographic
by broadcasters and advertisers). It also
included 1.5 million viewers in the 25-to-54
age range, A&E's target demographic.
The show's second season began on July 28,
2008 on A&E.
Its visual, musical, and editorial style,
was inspired by MTV's Fear
Some reviewers have strongly criticized the
high production values which others praise.[16]
As one otherwise positive review noted, "The
biggest drawback to the series is that it's
over-produced, with too many eerie sounds
and visual effects. Is the heavy breathing
something picked up by PRS microphones, or
is it a sound effect added after the fact
by the show's producers?"
Critics have also pointed out that the show
lacks visual punch. People interviewed in
the show declare that they "feel"
a spirit next to them, but nothing is shown
to the TV viewer. In the series debut, the
audience is told that a young boy sees ghosts,
but the audience is not able to see any evidence
of this. "The most compelling footage
seems to come more from the editing room than
beyond the grave," noted one industry
trade publication. Reviewers say the show
also fails to effectively integrate and utilize
the team's (apparently) sophisticated audio
and video equipment to heighten tension or
help support their claims of paranormal activity.
As of January 3rd 2008, Ryan Buell claims
the demonic entity is no longer following
him. In a Q&A section of the Penn State
Paranormal Research Society's forums, he responded
to a question on the topic by stating, "I
haven't been troubled by any bunnies (the
PRS calls demons "bunnies") as of
late. There came a point in my life where
I let go of some of that baggage. When it
comes to that whole side, there's a back story
that involves my group dealing with a case
three years ago. I kind of reached a resolution
with that. Coincidentally, the bunny tried
to make another cameo appearance when we were
filming the final investigation of the season,
but we just told it to go to you-know-where.
I hope it makes the cut!"
Paranormal State has been the subject of
several controversies. Such as the Christian
influence of the show, or whether the show
is depicting real or faked paranormal activity,
and whether the show is documentary or scripted
entertainment.
In the episode entitled "School House
Haunting," which first aired on January
28, 2008 the "client" whose home
the team investigated Shannon Sylvia, a cast
member of another paranormal show, Ghost Hunters
International. On January 29, 2008, Ryan Buell
posted an entry to his blog[ on the Official
Penn State Paranormal Research Society Web
site concerning his view of psychics and,
in particular, the inclusion of psychic Chip
Coffey on the show. In the comment section
of the blog, several people questioned Shannon
Sylvia's inclusion in the series, asking why
a high-profile paranormal investigator would
hire the Penn State Paranormal Research Society
to investigate her property when she essentially
has a team of her own. In his blog, Ryan mentions
that it was his visit which brought Shannon
Sylvia into the study of the supernatural
as an investigator, herself.
No. 4. Haunted
History - Haunted Histories Collection
(Hauntings /
Vampire Secrets / Salem Witch Trails / The
Haunted History of Halloween / Poltergeist)
(History Channel) DVD
Release Date: September 25, 2007
The HAUNTED HISTORIES COLLECTION takes viewers
on a spine-tingling tour of truly frightening
phenomena. Uncover the real stories behind
the Salem Witch Trials, vampires, demon spirits,
and haunted houses. From interviews with victims
who have been attacked by evil spirits to
eyewitness accounts of corpses with pulses
and graves where nothing will grow, you don
t have to believe in ghosts to be spooked
by these chilling tales.
Featuring in-depth profiles of the world
s scariest stories, including: Hauntings,
Vampire Secrets, Salem Witch Trials, The Haunted
History of Halloween, and Poltergeists.
BEYOND BELIEF is a show that
asks if it s fact of fiction by presenting
viewers with unusual tales of the supernatural
the bizarre and the seemingly downright impossible.
Are ghosts real? Do the dead make telephone
calls? Can a bullet kill its intended target
years after it was fired? What s real or fake
is revealed at the end of every episode and
the results are often surprising.
Beyond Belief, show was featured
on FOX News Sunday and Saturday night in the
US, about bizarre and paranormal matters.
Embark on a journey of discovery
and delve into the fascinating, mysterious
and, at times, controversial world of paranormal
investigation. Based mainly in New England,
New Gravity Media touches base with some of
the regions most respected paranormal researchers,
mediums, scientists, skeptics, and of course...
ghosts to bring you an in depth "behind
the scenes" look at the subject that
has the world afraid to sleep alone. Press
Release: On October 17th, New Gravity Media
released their latest production "14
Degrees - A Paranormal Documentary."
Hosted by Mark Veau (Oldies 98.9 WORC), the
film touches base with some of the most respected
names in paranormal research and features
such notables as Steve Gonsalves, Keith Johnson
(Sci-Fi's Ghost Hunters) and John Zaffis (ABC,
Discovery Channel, TV Land, World News Now,
Unsolved Mysteries) to present an informative
"behind-the scenes" look at the
history and modern methods of paranormal investigation.
During this two year production, the New Gravity
Media team immersed themselves in the paranormal
world and not only interviewed, but followed
independent research teams on over two dozen
paranormal investigations throughout the northeast.
Michael Baker, the writer and director of
the film explains: "To get an honest
perspective of what this subject is all about
we needed to become a part of it, so we not
only went out with investigation teams, we
also joined a group of our own and in essence
became paranormal investigators. It was the
best way to really understand the field and
give the film the perspective it needed."
The film crew traveled over 6,000 miles across
4 states, spoke to over 60 paranormal researchers,
and shot over 280 hours of footage all of
which has been condensed in to this 2 hour
feature film.
In these favorite episodes from
the popular Travel Channel series Weird Travels
and Mysterious Journeys, we explore our most
fascinating legends, macabre history and amazing
paranormal phenomena. This is the stuff you
really want to know about, but won't find
in your usual guidebook or travel program.
2 DVD COLLECTIBLE TIN! Uncover
some of America's most haunted, unusual and
eeriest places in this special two DVD documentary
dedicated to the paranormal. Poltergeists,
ghosts, things that go bump in the night and
other apparitions of the unknown are explored
and explained by noted para-psychologists,
and an intrepid crew.
Take an eerie tour through mysterious
Hollywood and see how the stars of yesterday
still haunt Tinsel Town! Bela Lugosi, the
Black Dahlia, Lon Chaney and the infamous
Hollywood sign suicide are just some of the
spirits that visit from the great beyond.
See the Old West where the ghosts of the Indians
and cowboys roam! Meet the family that lives
over an ancient Indian burial ground and encounter
the restless dead behind the walls of the
Alamo. Learn the truth behind famous strange
and mysterious hauntings in the U.S.!
No .8 Psychic
Kids: Children of the Paranormal DVD Set
PSYCHIC KIDS: CHILDREN OF THE
PARANORMAL is the intense journey into the
lives of children who live with gifts they
frequently see as burdens. With the help of
caring experts, they begin to understand and
manage their powers, realizing their potential
both as psychics and human beings.
DVD Features: Psychic Kids Biography Special
Psychic Kids is a paranormal television series
broadcasts on the A&E television network,
by Chip Coffey, and debuted in summer 2008.
The first episode is titled "Fear Management."
Later episodes feature content in correlation
with another A&E paranormal series, Paranormal
State with Ryan Buell. Some years before the
series' development, A&E aired an episode
of Biographies called "Psychic Kids"
about children and young people with the same
abilities described in the show (e.g. crystal
children).
This will be an investigation not soon forgotten.
The group is unprepared by what lurks in the
basement, and this case ends up becoming a
2 day investigation. EVP's will be recorded,
and after some careful analysis, the group
may have captured the first demonic sound
ever recorded. Disc includes The Longwood
Manor Investigation plus a bonus investigation
of a private residence. Also includes a deleted
scene, tv commercial, and a review the evidence
section.
Move over ghost hunters and make some room
for the Haunted Investigators. This team of
hunters are putting their college level educations
to the test in seeking out and documenting
Paranormal Activity. Christopher Bores is
a professional Videographer and is highly
skilled with video & audio. Alan Cicco
is a Buddhist Priest and holds a Masters in
Thantology (the study of death). Rounding
out the team is Jennifer Schippel who is skilled
in photography. With these talents combined,
they will try to uncover some real and hardcore
evidence from various locations to find out
once and for all, just what is haunted, and
what are just common anomolies. This Disc
contains 2 Ghost Hunts! Watch as they investigate
a very haunted Gathering Center in Ohio and
the bonus hunt in which they visit Patterson
tower in Dayton. Includes Bonus material such
as: Deleted scenes, tv promos, exclusive slideshows,
and "Review our Evidence" section!
For more Information, Please visit: /www.hauntedinvestigators.com
No. 10. Ghost Hunters: Live
from ''The Stanley'' Hotel
Jason, Grant and the 'Ghost
Hunters' team revisit the notoriously haunted
Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado for
a live Halloween-night investigation! Stephen
King took up residence at the Stanley while
writing his best-selling novel The Shining
and the spooky goings on at the hotel reportedly
served as the inspiration for his best-selling
tome. Viewers will be sent on the ultimate
Halloween adventure, joining the 'Ghost Hunters'
in as they investigate the infamously haunted
hotel. Also joining the investigation is a
special guest from 'ECW' (Extreme Championship
Wrestling); ghost hunting novice CM Punk!
NOW ALL OF THE BEST MOMENTS FROM THE LIVE
INVESTIGATION ARE ALL HERE FOR YOU ON THIS
LIMITED EDITION COLLECTORS DVD!
Ghost Hunters is a reality television series
featuring Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, who
work a day job as Roto-Rooter plumbers and
investigate places that are reported to be
haunted.
The show debuted in October 2004 on the American
Sci-Fi Channel. It should not be confused
with the original 1996 Inca Productions show
Ghosthunters produced for the Discovery Channel.
The format was sold to the US to become Ghost
Hunters. The only remaining link between the
two shows is presenter Ian Cashmore who anchored
the UK/Europe show. Cashmore piloted the U.S.
show, but chose not to remain part of the
US venture after he filmed the promos.
The 'Ghost Hunters' originally investigated
the Stanley in February 2006 and were met
with a flurry of unexplainable occurrences
including a hotel room that was a veritable
hotbed of paranormal activity. Continually
intrigued by the locale, our 'Ghost Hunters'
will return to the Stanley for the show's
first-ever live investigation, spending more
time exploring some of the hotel's most notorious
hot spots and enlisting viewers to help expand
their search for spirits.
Ghost Hunters has garnered some of the highest
ratings of any Sci-Fi Channel network programming.
From the start, the show has found an audience
for its mix of paranormal investigation and
interpersonal drama. It has since been syndicated
on NBC Universal sister network Oxygen.
In the early shows, TAPS was headquartered
in a trailer located behind Jason Hawes' house,
and they drove one white van to investigations.
Within one season, they had moved the entire
operation to a storefront in downtown Warwick,
RI, and acquired several new TAPS vehicles
equipped with surveillance instrumentation.
In addition to their successful television
venture, TAPS operates a website where they
share their stories, photographs, and ghost
hunting videos with an ever-growing membership
list. Because of the popularity of the show,
TAPS cast members have signed contracts with
at least two talent agencies, Escape Artistry
and GP Entertainment, to manage their appearances
at lectures, conferences and public events.
In addition to the success of the television
show, TAPS have ventured into the venue of
radio broadcast hosting a 3 hour weekly show
called "Beyond Reality". New episodes
are broadcast every Saturday from 7 - 10pm
EST, though sometimes may skip a week with
possibilities of the hosts being busy with
other ventures. The radio show goes into topics
in a vast array of areas such as cryptozoology,
spiritualism, UFO's, and ghosts. The show
is hosted by Grant Wilson & Jason Hawes
and includes guest appearances from other
TAPS members and special guests like John
Zaffis, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Chris Fleming
and others which specialize in certain fields.
Ghost Hunters has attracted various critics
and skeptics, such as Joe Nickell who has
criticised their methodology in the Skeptical
Inquirer. Many other authors, such as Joe
Nickell and Lynne Kelly question the scientific
validity of the investigations conducted by
the TAPS team, its methodology, and particularly
its use of instrumentation, as there is no
scientifically-proven link between the existence
of ghosts and (for example) cold spots or
electromagnetic fields (which Hawes and Wilson
say are not necessarily paranormal). As Grant
and Jason say "If you set out to prove
a haunting, anything will seem like evidence.
If you set out to disprove it, you will end
up with only those things you cant explain
away.". Others, such as Allison Smith
contend that the show's claimed evidence of
the paranormal could be easily hoaxed. With
each new season, critics of Ghost Hunters
continue to publish skeptical analysis and
theories on the Internet, often employing
frame-by-frame analysis of episode footage
which they believe debunks the show's findings.
Ghost Hunters International the spin off
series which premiered Wednesday, January
9, 2008 and features investigators Robb Demarest,
Shannon Sylvia, Barry Fitzgerald (who appeared
in the Summer 2007 Ireland episodes of Ghost
Hunters), Andy Andrews, Brian Harnois, and
Donna La Croix. The format is similar to Ghost
Hunters but features investigations in various
locations around the world. In mid season
one, Donna, Brian and Shannon have departed
the show and have been replaced by Dustin
Pari and newcomer Brandy Green.
Specials
2005 Halloween Special - aired October 31,
2005, TAPS went to Savannah, GA to investigate
the Moon River Brewery and The Sorrel Weed
House, a historic museum that conducts Savannah
tours.
2006 Halloween Special - Ghost Hunters Live
- aired October 31, 2006 at 11PM EST. It was
a six hour broadcast originating from The
Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. ECW
Superstar CM Punk joined the Ghost Hunters
throughout the investigation. The viewing
audience was able to interact with the team
via PDA/cellphone text messages.
2007 Halloween Special - Ghost Hunters Live
- aired October 31, 2007 at 9PM EST. It was
a six hour broadcast originating from the
Waverly Hills Sanatorium near Louisville,
KY. Joining the team was guest ECW Superstar
Elijah Burke. The episode was hosted by paranormal
investigator Joshua Gates from the show Destination
Truth who was stationed in an on-site "interactive
center" which posted real time photos
to SciFi.com. Also employed was a "Panic
Button" message feature where viewers
could alert the investigators of any strange
happenings as they occurred. Simultaneously,
SciFi.com ran an online poll, "The Hunt
for the Hunter", Where viewers picked
the new TAPS member who chosen among three
finalists, Patrick Clark, Mark Fusetti, and
Deanna Hoffman. Mark Fusetti was picked as
the new TAPS member during the review of the
Halloween Special on November 7th.
Return to St. Augustine Light - aired January
9, 2008. TAPS conducted a special follow up
investigation at St. Augustine Light in Florida.
It aired before the premiere episode of Ghost
Hunters International.
Elijah Burke Freaks Out on
Ghost Hunters Live
2008 Halloween Special - Ghost Hunters Live
- will air October 31, 2008. TAPS conducts
a seven-hour, live, return investigation of
Fort Delaware with guest host Joshua Gates
of Destination Truth. Other guests are Robb
Demarest and Donna La Croix from Ghost Hunters
International and Amanda Tapping from the
Sci Fi show Sanctuary and Stargate SG-1 television
series.
