I've watched a few episodes of Paranormal State, the new A&E show that purports to follow Penn State's Paranormal Research Society. Penn State, by the way, has been trying to shut them down for some time now. It must have been terrible for them when news of the show came along, "publicity for the University, Paranormal Research Society, publicity for the University,Paranormal Research Society......"
To those who like this show, I apologise in advance. Truthfully, I kind of like it too, in a cheerful, watch the train wreck sort of way......
The first thing that impressed me was the errie sensation that I was watching a Scooby Doo episode. I expected Thelma to come out and perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram....... oh......that's right.....Thelma DID come out and perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram,(actually no, it wasn't Thelma, it was their Occult Specialist, who I think is a freshman...).
Whenever I watch this, I get this really...errr.....really nasty desire to watch them come across a house so haunted, that it is the demon of all haunted houses. A real huffing, puffing, blow-the-paranormal-investigators-down demon of a house. Something worthy of a book and three or four movies, you know? I want to see these kids run out scared out of their wits. This..........is why I watch...........
Why am I so mean? Why does this show MAKE me so mean. Is it the Christian assumptions? No, people are always best working with what they know. Is it their age? Well..... no, not really, I've seen some brilliant occultists who were quite young. Is it..... I KNOW what it is......it's the gestalt! It's all those things together! The youth, the spooky Satan stuff, the bad acting........it's Scobby Doo! The problem is that in Scooby Doo, the supposed paranormal events were all disproved at the end of the show, but on Paranormal State that never happens. On paranormal state, the spooky Satan stuff gets upheld, people watching get real scared and start looking around for demons, we all know what happens when THAT starts up.
Not only that, but the badly acting kids always seem to fix everything by the end, and there's a subplot where their director is being hunted by a demon. So, I will wait patiently for them to run into the Bilasco house. I will wait for the episode "Amittyville Horror 5!" I will wait and watch.......
