Shared DNA and haunts definies what Haunted Discoveries Family Spirits is all about. Now into its third season, what’s presented in this series run suggests that sometimes, what brings troubled souls together conerns more than the humanity lost for those brought to Waverly Hills Sanatorium. And viewers who love a bit of spooky drama can find it available to view online.
For the two creators of these series, Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gadillari, helping the folks affected by this past get closure is important. And with additional talents like Dr. Harry Kloor to work with and Craig Owens as part of the team, they have a tight focus. The former is an innovator holding a degree in Physics and Chemistry (think Tony Stark), which is important to field studies, and the latter is the author of Haunted by History Vol. 1: Separating the Facts and Legends of Eight Historic Hotels and Inns in Southern California (Amazon link), which brings credibility to what the team does.
To encompass the emotion behind those supernatural experiences, Alvis revealed that reenactments are a really good way to show the audience what that feeling was like for Harvey Althaus. In the second episode of the third season, “Haunted by Faith,” this individual had a problematic childhood with his mother. Not only was it haunting, but the reveals are just as good as following a tale written by Shirley Jackson. It’s an episode worth watching.
“I think there is a place and a time to utilize reenactments properly. But with a lot of the paranormal TV shows, it seems like when there is a reenactment, it can get pushed a little too far where it supersedes the testimony of the person who actually experienced it,” said Alvis. “So I think Mustafa and I and the rest of the producers on Haunted Discoveries and Family Spirits have done a really good job walking the tightrope of allowing the person to tell their story while also showing the emotion and the visual terror behind it.”
In what this filmmaker revealed, he said they used a lot more cameras to document some places. He said, “At one point we went through the entire alphabet to name all the cameras and how we were going to use that with DIT. And just to be able to go through all that, which Kevin Ottey is really good at, to not miss anything, to put that into a linear timeline and tell a coherent story, can be very difficult.
As for how much of that helped? It varies. Just what this team offers and does is taken into account on a per-case basis. Some locations are famously haunted, and others are more like beacons. In the parent show, from Old Stone Tavern to Grand Victorian Inn, the reason for the haunt varies. Even at Hall Place, what this team revealed to a former innkeeper was that she was visited by family members who have passed on. Sometimes the living doesn’t quite know why the dead are appearing to them. And when this team has Mariah, who is also a therapist, to provide counselling, every little bit brings relief.
That’s a topic rarely explored in other series, like Ghost Hunters, where they first met. After their stint on that program, the two teamed up to create their own type of investigation. They believe that the past is much more important than simply documenting instances of moving objects and apparitions. Owens’ presence in Family Spirits helps create a rather effective program that blends noir-style charm with actual investigation to find the truth, and perhaps bring peace afterwards.
After all, isn’t that what everyone wants in the end?
Haunted Discoveries Family Spirits Trailer
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