Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Ghost Adventures: The Documentary

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I’ve been hooked on this show for a few weeks now, especially after seeing the downright frightening episode where the guys stay overnight in the demonically haunted nightclub known as Bobby Mackey’s Music World (see below). During the lockdown, the lead investigator Zak provoked the unfriendly spirits there, and not only did they encounter strange paranormal sounds and sights (including scratches on Zak’s back), but the spirits/demons also followed the gang home and continues to haunt them.

The pilot episode at Bobby Mackey’s and the aftermath in the investigators’ personal lives really indicates the danger of provoking spirits and recklessly taunting them. What I really like about Ghost Adventures and what sets them apart from other shows in the same boat is their sincerity. They have a mandate to follow. Zak wants to prove the existence of ghosts and paranormal phenomena. If you’re a believer like myself, then each 45 minute episode is horrifying and intriguing to watch. Even if you’re a skeptic, it’s still entertaining to watch.

The show basically focuses on three guys, just those three guys, who uses cameras and tripods and communicating devices and set up lockdowns in supposedly haunted locations. The team started off their run by filming a documentary about their visits to the Old Washoe Club and the Goldfield Hotel in their native Nevada. You can tell that the lads are filmmakers by trade, but they are well-researched and their footage seems genuine. While I would appreciate more scientific emphasis on the material, the gang always provides a compelling history of the places they visit and thoroughly assesses their footage for credibility.

In the documentary, which won several awards and prompted the television series of the same name, they capture a full body apparition, which seemingly pursues one of the investigators, as well as a levitating board and a thrown rock. The final incidents creeps them out and you can feel the panic in their responses, and you know that this is real. After watching episodes in the seventh and current season, you can tell that they’ve become much braver and their technology has really improved.

Ghost Adventures is a real treat to watch. It may not be the most scientific show out there on paranormal activity, but I appreciate these guys and what to do, and their evidence really stands strong. They tend to ham it up a bit sometimes with their provoking, but as I mentioned, I think their finds and analyses are genuine and accurate. I think the best episodes are yet to come. I just hope that the evil entities get them before they can show them to the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxdaQvIZUvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNB3coZhqbA

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