My Obsession with Ghosts

Viewer discretion is advised…

Every episode begins this way. And I watch – my guilty pleasure. Real people tell their paranormal stories, ghostly encounters, possessions, and fights with demons all with the help of Hollywood effects to bring the tales to life.

It began in 2005 with the TV show ‘A Haunting’, which played on the Discovery Channel until 2007. This show gave us the episode ‘A Haunting in Connecticut’, which was later made into a movie. I watched every episode, more than once. I was sad when it vanished. However, it was revived on Destination America in 2012. New shows play on Saturdays.

But wait! That’s not all. These shows where real life experiences have become a thing.

‘Celebrity Ghost Stories’ aired four seasons on The Biography Channel beginning in 2009. Season five moved to the Lifetime Movie Network… no news of a season six. This show’s claim to fame was exactly that… ghosts and demons didn’t just haunt us regular people, but famous musicians and actors as well.

‘The Haunted’ ran on Animal Planet from 2009-2011. Yes, Animal Planet… because this show came at the paranormal through the pets. Cats and dogs sensed the trouble first, before the people. Poor, sad less aware humans.

‘Paranormal Witness’ amped up the horror on Syfy Channel in 2012 and is preparing for its return in August for season four. YEA!

‘My Haunted House’ appeared on Lifetime Movie Network in 2013 and is now showing season three on Saturday nights.

‘Paranormal Survivor’ is new this year, its first season ongoing on Sundays on Destination America.

And finally, the newest one… ‘I was Possessed’ aired its second episode on Lifetime Movie Network last Saturday, right  after ‘My Haunted House’. This one puts a new spin on these shows by using actual sound and video of the possessions and exorcisms.

Every show begins the same way. People go about their everyday existence… moving into a new house, starting an exciting chapter of their lives. But odd sounds and shadows soon throw them into a world of fear. The shows are a mix of clips of real people telling their story and special effect aided re-enactments. Is what they experienced portrayed well on TV? I have no idea, but the shows do like to add in little scares here and there that the people don’t actually describe. Not that I mind. But I do question what separates the real from the TVified.

In real life, did they really sit in the dark all the time? Did they go investigate that growling sound without turning on a single light? Did they? Because… WHY? NO!

The creepy music. The deep-voiceover weaving through the shows, giving updates and clarifications. The effects add a level of the unreal. But these stories are real. I believe them; the people giving a detailed retelling believe. At the end of each show, words appear on-screen describing what has happened to the families affected. Some run and never look back. Others fight and see the activity decrease. Some continue to battle.

I stare, fascinated at the stories of people coming in contact with what exists beyond what we see everyday. Why? I don’t know. Maybe I search for answers to what happens after death, maybe I want to know there is something after death. The unknown calls to me. I can’t look away, always wondering what I would do if faced with a true paranormal encounter. Would I run screaming? Would I stay and search for answers? I hope the latter.

Hauntings occur for a reason. Either ghosts have something to say or possibly demons simply look to cause pain, but reasons. And there are ways to fight, to help the ghost find peace or drive the demon back to the fires of hell.

So many of these shows. So many people with tales of the otherworldly… how can we not believe?

How can we not be a little scared?

Thanks to Google Images for the logos from my favorite ghostie shows!