'Ghost Hunting' Shows Are Getting So Bad That It's Beyond Amusing

Go for it mate sounds like a great idea hope you get some good results.
I wonder how long it will be before all the other teams are doing it .Is the castle fairly active!!
Must admit it’s the first time I’ve heard of it .
 
Swifty said:
Cool. One of our friends (Chris Halton) has had some of his ghost investigation vids picked up by the Amazon Prime channel, the first one made available to view, rent or buy yesterday. For people who moan about most paranormal investigators looking like goths, Chris looks like he's time travelled from the 1940s. More importantly, he knows what he's doing.
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Do you know Chris Halton well Swifty..?

Some years ago, I was behind him in a queue in a branch of Next of all places. He was telling the 2 cashier girls, that he lives in Florida.!!...Does he.??

Anyway, long before he made the switch to Amazon, he made a YouTube documentary about a little known witch case, that occurred in my village. It’s long been taken down from YouTube, which is a shame as it was one of his better documentaries.

My older brother is into quite weird fortean stuff, and he’s become fascinated with the above mentioned witch case. The case took place in a long since abandoned pub which still stands, and he wants to go round the back, kick the door in and do an Ouija board in the old bar area :eek:

I told him fine, but he's not coming back to this house afterwards :hahazebs:
 
I'd like to see a proper, truly Fortean approach to ghosthunting. A properly rigorous historical investigation first, with an academic look at the past of the place (not just a 'it is said that....' sort of thing, but records looked at and previous history of the site checked), then scientific testing of the environment to rule out any naturally occurring phenomena (different weather conditions, times of year, times of day and traffic conditions etc) and then a scrupulous and rigorous investigation of experienced phenomena by a team not given to shrieking 'it's a DEMON!' whenever they hear the wind whistle in the eaves.

That's what I'd watch.
 
You mean a sort of Harry Price investigation kinda thing? But more reputable, online and with modern media and technology involved?
I agree with you.
But the issue is with funding.
I'd love to be involved with something like that. I'm no expert, I've no specialist skills to bring to bear, but I'd be willing to be a go-for or grunt to take part. I have no interest in being on You Tube. I'd like a show like that because I could ... um ... respect it. Not a televised entertainment (like MH) but a televised research project. However the money has to come from somewhere and whoever coughs up money does it for results, whether it's for You Tube revenue, a contract with a TV company or whatever.
 
Stormkhan said:
You mean a sort of Harry Price investigation kinda thing? But more reputable, online and with modern media and technology involved?
I agree with you.
But the issue is with funding.
I'd love to be involved with something like that. I'm no expert, I've no specialist skills to bring to bear, but I'd be willing to be a go-for or grunt to take part. I have no interest in being on You Tube. I'd like a show like that because I could ... um ... respect it. Not a televised entertainment (like MH) but a televised research project. However the money has to come from somewhere and whoever coughs up money does it for results, whether it's for You Tube revenue, a contract with a TV company or whatever.
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A lot of investigations don't have to cost an arm and a leg, particularly when you consider the amount of money paranormal groups spend on electronic claptrap.
 
Naughty_Felid said:
A lot of investigations don't have to cost an arm and a leg, particularly when you consider the amount of money paranormal groups spend on electronic claptrap.
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The problem I would think is that when TV production companies get involved, costs escalate beyond the eye watering. Also most viewers seem to be want to be entertained by drama, shrieking and the like on these ghost shows rather than "proper"reality.
 
PeteS said:
The problem I would think is that when TV production companies get involved, costs escalate beyond the eye watering. Also most viewers seem to be want to be entertained by drama, shrieking and the like on these ghost shows rather than "proper"reality.
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Well this is it. Ghost hunting programmes are mostly interesting for their varied showings of the human psyche and psychology and its workings, nothing to do with finding 'ghosts', whatever they may turn out to be. It's all about the entertainment.

However. Programmes recently shown on the history of houses, (A House Through Time - David Olusoga) and the histories of towns (Britain's Most Historic Towns - Alice Roberts) show that people will watch the background of a house and its location being investigated. Maybe if the programme was aimed more at the 'history' crowd, with the paranormal aspects being thrown in as a bonus, they could drum up a viewership?

A kind of cross between Time Team and ..I dunno, some scholarly programme on the origins of ghosts?
 
Watched another episode of Kindred Spirits last night.
The ghost hunting duo were called in to investigate the bedroom of a young boy, who reported "shadow people" who came out at night.
The boy seemed withdrawn and couldn't sleep and his mum was worried about a malicious presence.
The investigators established that the angle of the bedroom window combined with a streetlight over the road to project silhouettes of passers by in the street onto the boy's bedroom wall.
Big reassurance and a few sheepish smiles all round!
I found that truly impressive and cannot imagine Most Haunted ever concluding "nothing paranormal to see here - move along".
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Watched another episode of Kindred Spirits last night.
The ghost hunting duo were called in to investigate the bedroom of a young boy, who reported "shadow people" who came out at night.
The boy seemed withdrawn and couldn't sleep and his mum was worried about a malicious presence.
The investigators established that the angle of the bedroom window combined with a streetlight over the road to project silhouettes of passers by in the street onto the boy's bedroom wall.
Big reassurance and a few sheepish smiles all round!
I found that truly impressive and cannot imagine Most Haunted ever concluding "nothing paranormal to see here - move along".
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Yeah but any parent with a brain cell would have tried moving the bed???
 
PeteS said:
The problem I would think is that when TV production companies get involved, costs escalate beyond the eye watering.
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I've always suspected that like government contracts (oohh, bit close to the 'no politics' rule, but hear me out), once it attracts media interest, it bumps up actual costs.
There is a risk that the actual intent of the programme get's forgotten in the 'blank cheque' available.

Hypothetical Example:
A part-time investigator gets the attention of a TV researcher. The researcher suggests potential 'entertainment' to the programme producers (the "money"). It takes the fancy of the producers.
The researcher approaches the Investigator. "I represent Producers who see an interest in your work. Would you like them to give you financial and material backing, to investigate further?"
Investigator knows they could benefit - in resources - from such a sponsorship. They say yes.
At this point, the reason I accentuate this, there is a deal done. And what are the terms of the deal?
1) The Investigator has access to expensive equipment and a form of authority, when it comes to getting permissions, perception or credence.
2) The Producers want an entertainment 'return' on their money. They're not going to fund a small team to further discovery or knowledge. They want it to repay investment.
Entertainment producers aren't in the job to pay for scientific knowledge but ... well ... entertainment.

So the Investigator gets access to a budget way out of their league. They've an open cheque. And so too does any 'hangers on' who can put in a bill for being 'consultants". "I know a guy who will put us up for the night nearby" becomes "The cost of accommodation in the area will cost ..." or "I've a friend who can set up a camera trap" becomes "The cost of a camera trap from a local firm will be ..."
A (large) blank cheque from a disassociated organisation is open to inflation.
 
Stormkhan said:
I've always suspected that like government contracts (oohh, bit close to the 'no politics' rule, but hear me out), once it attracts media interest, it bumps up actual costs.
There is a risk that the actual intent of the programme get's forgotten in the 'blank cheque' available.

Hypothetical Example:
A part-time investigator gets the attention of a TV researcher. The researcher suggests potential 'entertainment' to the programme producers (the "money"). It takes the fancy of the producers.
The researcher approaches the Investigator. "I represent Producers who see an interest in your work. Would you like them to give you financial and material backing, to investigate further?"
Investigator knows they could benefit - in resources - from such a sponsorship. They say yes.
At this point, the reason I accentuate this, there is a deal done. And what are the terms of the deal?
1) The Investigator has access to expensive equipment and a form of authority, when it comes to getting permissions, perception or credence.
2) The Producers want an entertainment 'return' on their money. They're not going to fund a small team to further discovery or knowledge. They want it to repay investment.
Entertainment producers aren't in the job to pay for scientific knowledge but ... well ... entertainment.

So the Investigator gets access to a budget way out of their league. They've an open cheque. And so too does any 'hangers on' who can put in a bill for being 'consultants". "I know a guy who will put us up for the night nearby" becomes "The cost of accommodation in the area will cost ..." or "I've a friend who can set up a camera trap" becomes "The cost of a camera trap from a local firm will be ..."
A (large) blank cheque from a disassociated organisation is open to inflation.
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This is why I suggested marketing it to the 'History' crowd rather than the 'I want to see immediate results' crowd.

Historical programmes are very popular (nobody suspected that Time Team would take off the way it did, but that was stupendously popular). Don't try to fake stuff but make sure the presenters are entertaining and engaging enough to keep people watching. Serve the public crap and it will watch crap. Serve them stuff that's a bit more intelligent, and they will watch that too, if you aim it right.
 
I loved the Boyzone episode of Most Haunted. The episode wasn't shown because of Steven Gatelys death. But it came out some years later. It was the most funniest episode that I had ever seen. All 5 of Boyzone were scaring the living poo out of Yvette Feilding and Derek Acora.
 
I've given up on the ghost hunting shows - I've been to two places where Most Haunted investigated with massive events....I saw nothing. I've also spoken to the buildings who were literally gutting a third - they experienced nothing at all during their work.
 
Well I watched the Afeared programme on BBC2 after recommendations on here. I have to say that that was far closer to the kind of 'ghost hunting' programme that I had in mind. Go to a haunted house (this programme was very light on the actual 'ghost' thing, but that could be worked on) and look into the events that supposingly gave rise to the hauntings. Because the programme was Ulster Scot focussed, the history was mostly based on uprisings and religious rioting (which was interesting in and of itself), but they also worked in a highwayman. It got a little bit repetitive but that was because I watched all three episodes back to back.

But a research based approach could be the way to go.
 
They have started to make documentaries sexier now. Shagging nudity. How are the kids going to learn history?(Horrible Hisories!?) Yes it's becoming harder. I wonder if the Ghost Hunting Shows will do the same?
 
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