Thoughts On Ghost Hunters

Ghost Hunters is a Sci-Fi channel reality television series that debuted in 2004. It features Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, two men from Rhode Island who are plumbers by day and paranormal investigators by night. With the group they’ve founded (aka The Atlantic Paranormal Society or TAPS) they investigate suspected haunted areas and try to “debunk” them using specific tools (EMF scanners, infrared and night vision cameras and digital audio recorders to name a few) made to test “charged” areas.

What I like most about this show is that, unlike other ghost shows, they go into the home, office, former prison, etc. with a scientific mindset, seeking the truth instead of seeking a good scare. They don’t expect to find anything which makes their findings all the more reliable when they do find something. They treat each case separately and with respect. You genuine believe that they care about the people who call them for help. When the problem is not paranormal, but structural, because of their “day jobs,” they are able to fix or, at the very least, recommend someone to help fix a problem. They are good guys with good intentions.

I understand that there is a related show called Ghost Hunters International. I have caught this show a couple of times and am not a fan. While the international team has, or supposedly has, the same mission to “debunk,” they lack Jason and Grant and the sensibility and integrity that these men bring on every assignment. In my opinion, the international team is only out for scares and ratings.

Unfortunately, I rarely get to watch Ghost Hunters anymore. I am never home when the show airs but will catch it if I am and will certainly watch it if it’s randomly on. From time to time, I go to their section of the Sci-Fi website and watch clips. Being a fan of both the paranormal and historical sites, such a show as this is perfect for me. With all of the ghost shows that keep surfacing that rely upon cheap gags and mood music, it is good to know that Ghost Hunters is still going strong. Most Haunted should take a page from their book.