I guess as a current student I feel obligated to start this:



It premieres next Monday

I asked my roomate if she had heard anything about the show, she hadn't. I knew they had a club though. Maybe I don't run with the right people?

I think this is the group:
http://www.pennstateprs.com/

I hope A&E does a better job (more reliability, less attitude and more scientific investigation/less sloppiness and nondisclosure) with this group than SciFi has done with Ghost Hunters--- and anything is better than Most Haunted!

I'm a recent Penn State grad (as my handle suggests). I was fairly familiar with the group. One film major friend of mine was offered a chance to work on the pilot, but he turned it down because he thought nothing would come of it. (He's kicking himself now.) I checked out one or two PRS events--they held a research conference around Halloween, if I remember correctly--because I've always had a passing interest in paranormal stuff. I never went back because it was so, well, boring. They take it very, very seriously. I went to a talk or something on hauntings, and the entire session was spent discussing equipment. That's obviously how they got a reputation to be good at what they do and is a good sign for this being a serious show, not just a Ghost Hunters knockoff.

I also have heard through the grapevine that Ryan, the leader, is a weird dude, but that's not exactly shocking.

I listened to a couple videos-- I hope he lives up to some of the things he professed.

Caught a short preview a couple days ago. The team meets a 10-year old boy that has befriended the ghost of a man that used to live in the house and whose body was discovered in the woods behind the house post-mortem.

Let me repeat that;it's a young boy that sees dead people. I'm calling shenanigans. Not on the Penn State crew, but on the kid and his family. It's way too Sixth Sense for my taste.

I can't wait to watch this. I am a Penn State alum and have heard all the ghost stories about campus. The PRS conference that they had in October sounded interesting (yes, I read the Collegian online almost every day!)

Sounds a bit hokey--- but I'm game to see what's up with it before I give it a pass/no pass.

I heard a little gossip yesterday. Appearently one of my roomates friends tried to join the club either this year or last. The made her fill out a questionare about why she wanted to join (understandable to me at least, you don't want people there for camera time) and then provide a headshot (??).

Oh here we go----if you don't fit the media bandwagon take a hike.... *sigh* This show may be going down hill before it starts.

I will watch this show. That being said, I hope it is not as histronic as the "OMG Portal-To-Hell" preview I have been seeing.
Packing your stuff and going home because a "psychic" said hell is under your coffee table does not really make good ghosthunting.


eta:
I suppose I ment paranormal research, not just ghosthunting.

I think it should be called ' Paranoid State'! How deep can you sink, A+E?[rolls eyes]

As a Penn State grad, I'm going to check this show out, just to see what it's like. I'm a big fan of Ghost Hunters though, and really like their more technical/skeptical approach, so I have a feeling this show might be a little over the top for me.

I cannot wait for this show!

I'm not shocked by that. I heard the same thing with Ghost Hunters. TAPS has like a ton of members but only a select few get camera time and the appearance fees that go with it. I'm not shocked that they're looking for photogenic people.

I think I'll give this one a try. I like Ghost Hunters and since they aren't back until January and everything else is ending, I've got the time.
I was a little hesitant after reading the description of the second episode on my DVR, one of the team leaders confronts a demon who has been following him around . Huh, we'll see.

After watching the first shorter episode... I think I could do without the tape-recording narration. Or at least, not use that effect every 10 seconds.

Director's log: Star Trek isn't even on anymore and Patrick Stewart still kicked my ass.



I had a very hard time taking the show seriously with that. I'm not sure I would have thought any better of it without the narration, but it certainly wasn't doing the show any favors.

I much preferred the format of the "case update," with the traditional sit-down commentary, vs. the director's log v.o.

I thought this was interesting. I liked how they were very calm and methodical about everything, vs. running all over screaming like ninnies (*coughMostHauntedcough*), and the score was not that intrusive (*coughGhostHunterscough*). I'd like to see a bit more analysis of the evidence, which is one thing I do like about Ghost Hunters. There wasn't any follow up on the bathroom door that appeared to open and close--did they even try to debunk??

The first episode was OK, but I agree, the taped narration is pretty annoying. It's too frequent, and I feel like I'm listening to half the show through a walkie talkie. That kid definitely had something going on with him, paranormal or not. But whatever was going on in the house seemed suspect - the breathing and the shadow in the basement (did no one go down there to make sure it wasn't a real person?)
The second episode was kind of a big old mess. Right off the bat I figured whatever was going on had to do with the adolescent turmoil her son and as a result the mother was going through. Then she "forgot" to mention to the investigators that oh yeah, a whole family was murdered here a while ago? Come on. That's the first thing you'd tell investigators when you called them, and the first thing investigators would look for before even getting in the car to go to a place.
I also think the whole demon thing is either 100% faked or extremely blown out of proportion for the sake of the cameras, as was the door incident. And bringing in two mediums, noting that one had worked on the Amityville Horror case - wasn't that later proven to be a hoax?
For a half hour show, there was a heck of a lot of storylines going on, yet no real investigating or a look at any evidence collected. They seem to have all the cameras, recorders, etc, but do they actually use them, and do we get to see what they caught? If every episode is going to center on this Ryan guy (who I didn't really care for) gearing up for a good vs. evil showdown, no thanks, I'm out.

Basically my take on the show is that in two episodes, the investigators have done nothing to gain any credibility in my eyes. I'll probably give it a few more episodes, but I was not impressed yet, and the whole thing felt very scripted. It felt like an MTV "reality" show.

This show isn't anything special-- it's just another joke.

I enjoyed the show, it was really creepy and spooked me a bit. I don't really believe any of it was real, but even if mostly fiction I enjoyed it like I would a good scary movie. Either Ryan really believes all this stuff, or he is a really great actor. I don't really believe Ryan is being stalked by a demon and, yeah, as a medium you might want to take the long-debunked Amityville off your resume. I'd watch it again.

I've only seen the first episode so far but that kid was definitely put on.  The whole thing seemed very staged to me.

I don't have kids, are they normally that fidgety at that age?  The way he was constantly squirming around made me feel nervous and tense.

Just saw PS and yeah, ugh.

I could appreciate it for its entertainment value but the show is clearly just a vehicle for spreading Catholic propaganda. I was suspicious of this at first when Ryan gave the small boy the holy water but was certain of it after Lorraine Warren (The Infamous Demonologist) was invited to visit the second family. And believe you me, Lorraine Warren knows her demons!! Even the one whose name mustn't be spoken!

Meh. Over it. PS needs to learn from the Ghost Hunters and keep religion out of the investigation.

So Voldemort is real? I guess I am kind of mixed about the show. I love how there was no creepy music that seems to be plaguing a lot of the other ghost hunting shows. But there wasn't really any pressing evidence of these particular hauntings. No mists, no shadow people or anything of real consequence. Just a bunch of people sitting in a circle saying that they sense people in front of them. There wasn't really any debunking of the door shutting either.

It's not Catholic propaganda at all. Then there is a legit case of demonic possession -- and that's determined after a whole long process that this show didn't even touch on -- your choices for exorcism are the Catholics or the Pentecostals (and assorted other charismatic groups). The Catholic Rite of Exorcism is far more formal though, which is possibly why it's preferred.

Anyway, while I enjoy the production values of this show when compared to Ghost Hunters or Most Wanted, I agree that it's a little short on evidence and debunking. And that it's obvious they're going to use that Ryan guy's "demon issues" as a common thread through out all of the episodes. Great. Especially as the guy's about as charasmatic as a sweat sock.

This article seems to be about the dead guy in the first episode, Tim Shirey:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com:8000/x/daily...t/s_190244.html

I was looking forward to this show because I live in State College, Pa which is where Penn State is. I thought this would be about local hauntings and that I would recognize things. But Mount Pleasant and Elizabethtown are not nearby. They show Penn State's Old Main building in the credits, but that's about it. I guess I should be relieved that my hometown isn't overrun with demons. But since the demons only want to mess with Ryan, it wouldn't be too bad.

And there's far too much religion in this show.

I don't know if it's too much religion or if the focus is muddled. Are they trying to provide scientific proof of existance beyond death? Or are they trying to deal with the eschatological? The minute you imply demonic possession, you're dealing with the eschatological as opposed to the metaphysical. I guess that's what annoys me -- that and the involvement of the Amittyville Horror lady.

I tend to agree. The whole thing just seemed a little muddled. It seemed less about the actual investigation and more about the buildup. Perhaps it's the pilot syndrome, where all these stories have to be told at once to get the viewers caught up?

The religion stuff sort of offended me just because I have an interest in the occult and was raised Buddhist. Plus, it seems interesting to label a dark entity a 'demon' when we (the viewers, anyway) don't know much about this supposed 'he who shall not be named' that follows the "Director" around.

I thought the voice-overs were hokey, too, with the disembodied "calling from a cell phone' sound. Why tell us something when you can show us? It hearkened back to the cheesy radio shows that my great grandparents listened to (not that they're not fun to hear now).

What are the PRS members' credentials, anyway? (Although, I suppose a couple of plumbers might not have had obvious credentials either.)

This is what I was hoping too. Penn State has a lot of reports of paranormal activity, such as in Old Botany, the Pattee stacks, and some of the older dorms.

Ugh...I was so disappointed in this show...I couldn't even finish it.

I couldn't stand the "director." He seemed to be putting on some act and I couldn't stand how pretentious he came across. What was the point of using all that equipment if we the viewers barely saw anything? I kept asking myself when they were going to finally show some evidence.

Maybe I feel a lack of credibility coming from them. I am 22, but some of those girls looked and sounded 15! More power to them for researching the paranormal, but does that mean anyone can be a paranormal investigator then?

Granted the Ghost Hunters fellows are plumbers but they come across as being well-invested in their tools and don't jump the gun (ie: the boy recognized a picture of the man, therefore, he definitely sees him). Where was the debunking? Where were the thermal cams? And if these cases were so terrible and dangerous, I am surprised TAPS wasn't contacted first. They travel all over the country, so I'm sure they could travel over a couple states.

Nothing seemed to add up.

Another thing about Ryan that stuck in my craw was his whole speech about how the hierarchy of the Catholic church called upon him (among others) to work some demonic investigation a few years back and never explained WHY the diocese contacted him in the first place or what the investigation was all about. I mean, are we supposed to assume that he is an expert in the field of demonology and not JUST a paranormal investigator? So much so that the heads of the Catholic Church call upon him? And the fact that he can just have Lorraine Warren show up from a phone call... this is no ordinary "ghost hunter" folks. He's essentially on a crusade to "fight demons" in the guise of a paranormal investigator. This is ALL about religion y'all. Don't be fooled.

I don't know if saying "We not only believe in demonic possession, but we'll send a weirdo PSU student out to rid you of said demon!" is really a huge selling point for Catholicism. But hey, different opinions make the world go around, right?

And he wouldn't be the first person to claim to be a Catholic Church approved demonologist. Malachi Martin claimed to be especially appointed by some Pope (can't remember which) and the Vatican refused to confirm (or deny) that. I find it interesting that no priest was involved with any house blessing though.

Actually, now that you mention it, the Catholic Church tends to stay far, far away from anything demonic-related scenarios (i.e. possessions, exorcisms, etc) for fear of ridicule, among other things, and its usually the one renegade priest who comes to the rescue and saves the day without the Church's blessings, no? I suppose I'm most specifically referencing most of the Warren's past cases (the Smurls, Glatzels, etc).

I guess that depends on who you're talking to, really. The Catholic Church acknowledges that they have a Rite of Exocism, but say they don't officially use it very often (I think they said the last time it was "officially" performed was in the 60s, on a Protestant kid from St. Louis -- which became the basis for The Exorcist). But there are more than a couple laicized (sp?) and former priests running around claiming to be demonologists and exorcists.

I spent 13 long years in Catholic school, and we actually covered a bit of the Rite of Exocism when I was in high school (our teacher was a disgraced former Vatican canon lawyer and priest). I tend to believe him on these things as he was a no BS kind of guy. He stressed how hard it was to verify demonic possession and get an exorcised authorized. He also told us that the charismatic Catholic who taught freshman religion was acting out when she started speaking in tongues during class.

No, they don't; I believe that in this age the Church looks for more earthly causes, and generally approaches such cases with a more modern presumption that mental or medical issues are in play.

I thought the first episode was a lot of hype for nothing special. The second episode had me going until the demon incident. You mean to tell me that none of these so-called experts in the paranormal and demonology have ever heard of the demon Belial (the name that kept flashing on the screen) before? I call shenanigans.

Seems like the critics didn't really like the show either:
http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment...ticleid=1049752
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935605...yid=32&cs=1

Very interesting Lemurcat! Don't get me wrong, I love learning about all shades of theology and find the Catholic Church's Rite of Exorcism fascinating. I'll be the first to admit, I've read every book I can get my hands on regarding the subject. I suppose I'm just annoyed that PS isn’t more scientific in their research and approach. When spiritualism muddies the investigation, legitamacy goes right out the window for me.

Lorraine Warren, worried mothers and Belial the demon...OH MY!

The voiceovers were incredibly distracting and hokey, the smug look on Mr Directors face the entire time did not help. I AM Catholic, and I thought the church stuff was way overboard. No evidence to be seen, and investigators sent home? If a case was so "out of control" wouldnt you want to have every single person available there to document what was going on? You know, with cameras and stuff...not notes passed between a "psychic" and the main character (Oh, I ment Investigator!).
It seems to me they are just setting up Ryan to be some sort of Belial-fighting superhero, and not really a paranormal researcher. A superhero who gets all kinds of girly groupies!

It's so apparent they are trying to use the university affiliation and Lorraine Warren to give false legitimacy to their operations. I did not see anything handled in any sort of scientific manner.

One of the things that made me laugh was in the second episode when they called in the "therapist" to speak with the teenage son. Jeez, she looked about 2 years older than him. What was she, 18?

The other thing that made me laugh out loud was Ryan recounting his childhood "other worldly" experiences as credentials. He talked about, as a child, the women he saw going in/out of his closet. And then said, as further proof, ...And in the morning, my fever had broke!"

Uh.. Ryan? I think it was the fever that caused your visions. It's not unheard of happening if a fever is extremely high. It's called being delusional. And apparently he still is. ;-) Whatever.

I thought that was a hoot, too. Can we say hallucination boys and girls. I know you can....

So we're to believe that Lorraine Warren gets a phone call at 4 am and in about an hour she's dressed and on location in Elizabethtown? Elizabethtown is south of Harrisburg and Hershey in Lancaster County. You know, like in the movie Witness.

She had to be waiting out in the van.

Did anyone catch where the 1800s murders were supposed to have happened? Because that house was not around in the 1800s.

eta: I just did a little web research and this story just falls apart. The family was killed in North Dakota and then buried in Pennsylvania. It's so much bullshit that the lady didn't know they were buried across the street. Here's some info about the Kreider family murders:

http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com...21&id=I5665

Wow. He forced Annie to make breakfast for him after slaying her family. Nice going Bomberger. What a douchebag.

Don't be silly - Lorraine is not conformed by the limits of time and space, of course! LOL. Maybe they should have just stood her behind a curtain or door in the house and then given her a grand unveiling when it was her cue to arrive.

Oh...I had forgotten about the fever shenannigans as well, Moche!
Its really too funny!

This show was entertaining but I didn't get it. I wanted to see some type of evidence since they had all of that equipment with them. The segment with the child came off as staged but it was hard to tell. The boy's speech and affect could have just been his personality. Although when he identified the deceased in that wedding photo, things seemed a bit fishy. He barely appeared to look at the picture before pointing out the guy. Maybe he can identify faces quickly. Anyway, the most silliest part was...
OK. So maybe naming a thing gives it power but they were just over the top with the writing down of the name and passing it around thing. And then to send the two females back home and call in Lorraine "the big guns" Warren was sheer theatrics. And on top of that, is this the only demon in existence? They might as well have said Legion was after him. I suppose he is so important that one of the most famous-est of the demonic world is after him. That's like when a person claims they were someone grand like Cleopatra or King Tut in a past life instead of Joe Smith the farmer.

And I was turned off by the Holy Water thing. Why tell a little boy to throw Holy Water? That doesn't seem like a healthy way to deal with the situation. If you are going to base your intervention on religion, then use it more wisely. Now the poor kid will be fixated on the act of throwing Holy Water around instead of actually dealing with the situation.


LOL for real! I couldn't believe that they called this lady at 4am and at 5am she was there.

Well that was the fakiest bunch of fake that ever was faked.

I felt sorry for the kid in the first episode--you could tell his mom was gung-ho on her child being "gifted." He probably started talking about invisible friends after moving into a new house (as many lonely children do) and mom immediately labeled the "spirits" and proclaimed that her son was seeing dead people. Note that she was the first one to "feel" anything during "dead time" (which, in itself, was incredibly hokey). Oh look, the kid is awake--maybe because there's a camera in his face while he's trying to sleep? Either because of legitimate mental illness or his mom's continued insistence that he's talking to ghosts, he will probably end up with a prescription for Risperdal in the near future.

I couldn't decide who was more melodramatic in the first episode--The Director or the "Psychologist" who's name was whispered from the basement and could barely stand while reading the Bible.

Ironically, I thought the most rational person in the second episode was Lorraine Warren. She's the one who pointed out that maybe some of the tension in the house was related to the teenage son blaming mom for his father issues, and that counseling might help.

Oh, and the footsteps during the seance! What the fuck was that? I know that exact foley clip from Avid Pro Tools, a professional audio-editing program. In fact, I used it several times in film school.

I can't even begin to comment on the demon sub-plot. Suffice to say that it was enough to convince me NOT to tune in next week.

Let me put it in my Easy-Fake Oven and out pops a "Paranormal Event" pie! ;-)


I also love how they are a one-stop operation! "Demons-R-Us" We provide the Triple C's: Catch, Communicate and Cleanse!"

Not only can we detect and determine presences, but while we are here, we also carry the ability to communicate with those presences, and if needed perform a cleansing. Normally that would take a complex team of scientists, mediums, and priests, but we can do it all! And usually in about a day. This month we are having a Christmas special, all 3 for $99.00! Hurry fast before or your demons will last.

Forgive me for posting a previously posted observation, my internet connection is slow this week.

Did anyone catch the "sixth-sence" childs wicked speach impediment? Not to pick on him but he is old enough to pronounce his "R"s and although i do not have a background in speach therapy i do have family members that have worked in the psychology/therapy field and I do think that a child at that age have a major speach impediment like that is a huge pointer toward potential psychological/emotional underlying problems. SO this kid may have a ton of issues not addressed in this film. That makes me want to doubt the validity of his claims (he seems kind of isolated, maybe not any friends, no siblings) however it did creep me out how readily he identified Tommy - although that scene could have been highly edited.

Even taking this show on face value of 1/2 hr "story telling" entertainment like Ray bradbury theater or alfred hitchock shows of time past, it seems like there is still a lot of build up in the first 2/3 of the show to very little resolution or payout in the laswt 1/3. Oh and did i mention, i'm a penn state grad. Based on the premiere episode(s), i feel some shame and embarassement.

All right, how many of the rest of you are PSU grads?

Class of 2000 here.

I found out I had a demon there too. But I name mine. It's name is rum.