Paranormal State

I'm a fan of the paranormal and ghosthunting is close to my heart. This show is entertaining enough t watch, you just have to do it with the knowledge that at the end of every show you will likely be subject to a dose of religion. Not always Christian as some have suggested, but almost every time, some religious connotation ends the show. And that's okay. Afterall, if you're watching the show about invisible beings interacting with the living how's that any different from most religions? Andwer; it's not. They've used native American, Christian, Hawaiian, African, catholic religions to conclude episodes so you can't say there's Christian overtones, but you can say religious overtones. All that aside, the show is worth watching if your into ghosts and psychics and this sort of thing. As for the cast, it features Ryan, the overly dramatic leader; Elfie,an odd looking woman who can research with the best of them, but goes out of the way to make her odd appearance stand out by detailing it with piercings and such; heather a capable, but ridiculously quiet member of the team. If she would speak out more I truly believe the show would be easily 40 percent better; Serge, a techie who despite looking aikenish, seems to know what he's doing with the equipment until it's actually time to film the ghostly activity. (Note: And this is true of every ghost hunting show out there. They all have cameras following the 'researchers' around. It should be them holding the cameras. We should never see there faces during the investigative stage. Afterall, if all we're seeing during they're "personal experiences" is their reaction to whatever they've seen, then what's the point. If they wore hats with minicams attached they might actually 'catch' activity on film. Instead it's Tupac time ((All eyez on me)) a very pointless way to conduct an investigation. Afterall weren't they there to catch ghosts?) Next in the cast is the eye-candy, Katrina. I can watch her beauty on screen 24/7. IMHO they should have her in every scene. Talent wise she can ask scripted questions, but little else. Finally there's the guest psychic, shaman, wiccan priestess. Usually we get "chip Coffey". This guy rocks. He's definitely legit. He knows with certainty what is going on at every case withing moments of his arrival. Frankly, I think he should have his own show. Other guests have not had his presence and in some cases seem downright hokey. Eitherway, the show is entertaining and I'll continue to watch it. Not with enthusiasm, but rather because there's nothing better on TV at 2 AM.

I actually enjoy the characters but the show is so rushed that you don't get a chance to get engaged. It leaves you high and dry. It barely starts to get interesting and then it's over. I find that frustrating!! The team seems a bit non cohesive but I like the fact that they are so kind to their clients. It is appealing to watch the "Dead Time" segments and it would be nice if there was time enough to explore the back story in more detail. Some of the trainees need more personality development. The experts that are brought in are very fascinating and I'd love to see extended scenes with them. The leader seems to be a caring individual and it would be nice to hear more details about his childhood paranormal experiences.

When ever I watch Ghost Hunters, and they talk about going to help someone, I feel like they never really helped them just exploited their haunting. I like Paranormal state most for the ways they help. My second most favorite was the evp box that translated evp instantly. I like Chip, think he adds interest. There has been a few stupid shows, like the college girl doing that game thing, and the Now Ghost Hunter Girls home haunting. I like Ghost Hunters debunking, it seems more scientific, but I love Paranormal researching much more. Too different shows two different ways. It would be very interesting to have Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State do the same place on the same show, and combine efforts. I would like to see each ones take on the same place.

I suppose I should be fair and point out that I don't believe in ghosts. That said, I'm very interested in the subject and I enjoy a scary story as much as the next guy. I am a fan of Ghost Hunters because they at least try to give their investigations a scientific angle. Even early episodes of Most Haunted had a camp entertainment factor to them. Paranormal State has neither of these qualities. The cases themselves have the potential to be interesting, but as with so much "reality TV" these days, it suffers from overproduction, poor acting and silly scripts. The makers of the show freely admit that writers "guide" the stories. I hear they are even going to shoehorn in a romance subplot to appeal to the young female demographic. The show has many other flaws too. As others have stated, the narration quickly becomes like nails down a chalkboard. Over the top visual and audio effects quickly become just as irritating. I'm willing to suspend some disbelief for the sake of entertainment, but this whole "demon with a vendetta" story arc is just ridiculous. Given that the producers of this show are also responsible for brain dead fodder like MTV's Laguna Beach and Newport Harbor I suppose this is really no surprise. If you are a die hard fan of Ed & Lorraine Warren or a big "reality" show junkie I guess you'll find much to like in Paranormal State. For the rest of us....I recommend you avoid.

So, I'm writing this after the completion of season one. I must say I enjoy it. I've tried to watch "Ghost Hunters", and a few other shows on hauntings, and have been turned off by all the scientific mumbo-jumbo. There's more to this show than a desire to debunk an occurrence. There's a very human aspect that is left out of those shows, but is found in "Paranormal State", and that is what keeps me watching.

As for the population that wonders if it's real, or feel as though the "evidence" or "facts" are being thrust at them, well, what do you expect with a show that is 3 days worth of investigation crammed into 22 minutes of air time? The show is more about the people that are being haunted rather than the events themselves, or proving something does not exist. Where Chip is concerned as a psychic, he's a lot more real than some others I've seen on similar shows.

To the Penn State PRS crew: Keep on keepin' on.