By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
* Renewed for season two;
Due Late 2020
There’s now a running joke that those still self-isolating are are living alone will notice every noise made–the ghosts– around them. Whether that’s because you’re living in a haunted house, or someone is playing a prank, I think the ongoing request to stay at home is a good time to get caught up with programs like The Holzer Files.
This paranormal reality show is over the top because the post production elements overshadows everything else. These inserts have the feel of reviving the golden oldies—the stuff you hear on radio—than to get serious about the matter. When considering you’re listening to old tape recordings of trance mediums from the original case files of Hans Holzer channeling their best version of Kane, the malevolent preacher in the 1986 movie Poltergeist II: The Other Side, I can’t take this program seriously.
Holzer rose to prominence in the 60s. He’s best known for studying The Amityville House haunting and no, he’s not the father of the paranormal. His daughter Alexandra certainly remembers her time with him, and authored Growing Up Haunted; she serves as a consultant in this television series. Darkness Radio personality Dave Schrader vouches for the self trained Austrian-American parapsychologist and is in contact with Alexandra to make some comparisons between the then and now. When the DJ is not behind the microphone, he’s in the forefront and leading medium Cindy Kaza, tech support Shane Pittman and researcher Gabe Roth into situations to validate if some haunts are still ongoing or not.
Unleashing these “skeletons in the closet” isn’t always the best. Sometimes, it’s best to leave them be. “A Grave Revenge” revisits the Whaley House, and while most people claim to know everything they want to about this very famous haunt, the only saving grace this show has is that it digs up something new past documentaries have not unveiled. “The Haunting of Lambert Castle” is one of the better episodes by a smidgen.
Not everyone will agree to Schrader‘s methods, and some viewers may find him abrasive–hard on the living and dead in how he handles investigations. He has a huge presence which shows he’s loving celebrity status rather than to take the study of seriously. So too is whether or not using mediums are helpful. In every new paranormal reality tv program that emerges, an unfamiliar person with the sixth sense is revealed. We don’t hear from well-established personalities anymore because they’ve passed. Sadly, they have not shared their wisdom to the next generation to carry on particular legacies. Whether we want to believe the visions Chip Coffey, Sylvia Browne or Edgar Cayce has, that’s besides the point. Kaza is a beautiful fresh face who looks like she should belong to a fashion magazine.
Travel Channel wants to be a destination for all things scary. I’ve noticed they don’t always put legal disclaimers that their programming is for entertainment. They don’t always say what they’re promoting is paranormal tourism. Besides, do we want to visit to validate the attacks are for real?
3 Boos out of 5
