How Ghost Hunters Chills the Spine

Wednesday, 19 October 2011 12:00

How Ghost Hunters Chills the Spine

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By Rick Paulas This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
September 27, 2011 |
12:00 pm |
Wired October 2011

In the dark in Ghost Hunters.

As a rule, episodes of Syfy’s incredibly popular show Ghost Hunters have a certain rhythm. Members of the Atlantic Paranormal Society enter a rickety building. They interview the owners, set up some high tech cameras, and then spend the night asking a ghost to “give us a sign.” If you’re wondering what could possibly happen next, here is some guidance: There is no such thing as ghosts.

But TAPS investigations are always spooky. For those chills, you can thank the show’s classic pseudo-paranormal setups.

	“What’s that smell?”	“Did something move?”	“I’m hearing voices.”	“I just got the chills.”	“Something touched my hair.”
	Ectoplasm that reeks of rotting flesh.	Ethereal shades from beyond the grave.	Anguished souls pleading for closure and rest.	Death bringing down the temperature.	Ghoulish wraiths trying to make contact.
	Dead animals, moldy basements, and paranormal investigators crammed into a surveillance van.	Shadows moving when lights shift + hyperalertness + motion-sensitive cells at the corners of our eyes.	The anguished living: One homeowner forgot the team was there and came at them with frying pans.	An open window in the middle of the night. Adrenaline-induced goose bumps and shivers.	Yeah, OK, that one probably was a ghost.*
*No, it wasn’t.