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Ghost Files Is Awesome And You Need To Watch It

I'm back with another reason to subscribe to Watcher

By Delise FantomePublished about a year ago Updated about a year ago 7 min read
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Ghost Files Logo in soft yellow-white light

Ahead of the season finale of Ghost Files, I just want to write a short piece about how fantastic this show is, and how the legacy of the Ghoul Boys is shaping up to be an enduring marvel of the 21st century. But before we get into it, let's go over some brief introductory facts.

What's Ghost Files?

Glad you asked! Ghost Files is a show about investigating well known places that have garnered a reputation for being haunted, or otherwise afflicted by the supernatural. Ghost Files is not a "new version" of Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural, and is in fact its own separate project. Anyone who's been following the path of Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej knew that somehow, someway, those two would end up returning to the cool embrace of the paranormal world- just nobody was quite sure how. With Unsolved having its curtain call last year, and no quick announcement of another paranormal show coming up, it did leave a few wondering if the years of investigation had left the resident believer (Ryan, here) a little weary. Turns out we were just impatient!

Ghost Files was announced first on the Watcher twitter account, and a countdown was given for the trailer. In the meantime they appeased their fans with pictures of the set, small videos, and other little media tidbits. It was barely enough, but we survived until the day of the trailer drop: December 8, 2021. A minute and a half- one minute, thirty-two seconds to be exact. So little time, but just enough to get me hyped like I haven't been since the Infinity War trailer. The trailer promised new tools (yep), new methods (yes!), new locations (. . . yes), and the same ghoul boys (hell yeah).

What's So Great About It?

It's new and tried and true, baby.

You've got the same dynamic that worked so well- the skeptical, slightly antagonizing, nonbeliever and the fervent, high strung and also goading, believer. But they're older now, they know more about the business, they've seen more than when they were freshman to this game, and they've done a lot of cool shit that gives them an air of erratic confidence.

Now you've got more methodology here, more avenues to cross reference, and it makes the scene look more legitimate which I appreciate. This show, unlike Unsolved, seems determined to be more connected to its fanbase by using evidence gathered by the viewers and presenting them alongside whatever evidence they gather. I love this idea! Ghost hunting has become such a popular hobby in the past decade or two, and with the number of people who also have gone to these same haunted places, why wouldn't you collaborate and compile evidence instead of pretending like you're the only legit group to do it (not that I'm . . . talking about anyone specific here . . .). It also just garners more admiration and a better sense of sincerity from the audience, I believe.

Plus, their cool new tools!

The spirit box is getting a vocal check with the Honeytone, filtering out the previously super annoying static buzzing of the radio channels being flipped through. Honeytone cancels that out and just amplifies the voices, or the words, that are caught. Why hasn't someone coined it the Honey Spirit?

The REM-Pod detects motion near it and temperature fluctuations. Certain light colors come on as temperatures rise, cool, or when something moves near it. Supposedly it is set to where it's not sensitive enough to detect the movement of bugs, only larger things. I can't say for certain, this one seems the sketchiest to me, but it did look really cool in the Whaley House episode when the ghost did a flip.

The SLS (Structured Light Sensor) might be familiar to those who have seen their fare share of ghost hunting shows. With a gridded display of tiny laser lights, it detects human-like objects in front of it, even in darkness. This one seems really interesting because they do test it out and show you how it captures their own human forms. This is used in conjunction with the REM-Pod more often than not. Pretty sure I saw a ghost twerk for beer on this . . . which was very valid of her.

My favorite of their new methods, though, is the ESTES method! The Spirit Box comes into play here again, only instead of using a speaker they use headphones! Either Ryan or Shane will wear the headphones- the other confirming that the wearer cannot hear them- and say aloud whatever word comes out clearly from the Spirit Box. Meanwhile their partner will be asking questions to the spirit(s), and the idea is that if they get coherent, sensible answers to their questions, or at least a string of words that makes sense in relation to each other if not the questions, then it works and the spirit communicated with them! I love this method because for a lot of the episodes it seems to work- and none better than in the Whaley House. I will say, though, that I was interpreting the answers in a completely different way than Shane was- I honestly thought the ghost was taunting or warning Shane away . . . though I guess it didn't matter either way, because both interpretations still justify that five piece combo Shane gave Mr. Whaley (allegedly).

And What Was That About A Legacy?

Like I said before, the ghost hunting career field has become . . . oversaturated. So many social media personalities are doing the whole ghost hunting shtick (some to better effect than others) and that's not including the number of ghost hunting shows that had filled time slots on Discovery, Vice, and Travel Channel because- hell, why not!

So it can be overwhelming and, ironically, underwhelming at the same time. So many of these people are clearly only in it for attention/clicks, and just to be a part of a fad or quirky hobby, and it's clear to tell. Which is why when you get a group or person who seems genuine in their appreciation of that which they cannot see with the naked eye, you want to support that and hope the authenticity stays for a while.

That's what Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara are. Authentic investigators.

They're not stomping into houses demanding for spirits to show thems- well, I guess- they are but it's not obnoxious. Not all the time. They don't start out that way, and if there's any shouting, it's very enjoyable to watch because that means either Shane is proving his Tumblr theory right or Ryan is sending a message to Gotham City. There's a true element of joy in their work, that even if they might not get a lot of evidence, or if the evidence is too weak to be believed . . . it was still fun doing it? They clearly aren't burned out by the work, and still enjoy it for the awesome opportunity it is.

They represent the two extremes of society's opinion on the supernatural, and therefore are perfectly balanced. As all things should be . . .

No but seriously they're a lot of fun to watch. You don't have to feel bad or suspicious if a piece of evidence doesn't seem enough to you, because Shane is already way ahead of you and grinding it beneath his heel with an apathetic look on his face. Or, if something spooky happened and you get excited, Ryan is already halfway to a mental breakdown. The set is great, the locations are fun, the chance to see what others might have seen in these places is so cool, and . . . I have a whole new comfort show, which is solidly a win in my books. I encourage you to watch it if you haven't yet, and consider giving Watcher the pleasure of your subscription on Youtube and/or Patreon for extra fun, you can read this article about the company for all the reasons why you want that extra fun. Definitely follow them on Twitter because their social media coordinator (I'm pretty sure it's Simone) is a loose cannon filled with confetti and I adore their posts.

I hope I've offered you a new show to binge, and as always, Happy Haunting~!

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About the Creator

Delise Fantome

I write about Halloween, music, movies, and more! Boba tea and cheesecake are my fuel. Let's talk about our favorite haunts and movies on Twitter @ThrillandFear

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