"Haunting in the Heartland"

Paranormal-Television will be with us forevermore.  The reason is simple.  It is relatively inexpensive to produce.  People are intrigued by the Paranormal, so it is a subject matter to which they are attracted.  It is inexpensive to produce television with a built in viewership.

This new Travel Channel series, "Haunting in the Heartland," is intriguing to me.  First, it focuses on the Heartland of the country, and I love stories like this set in small towns and rural areas.  Secondly, I don't know Steve Shippy, but perhaps he'll be fairly grounded and reasonable in his approach.  One can hope, and be optimistic.

A real paranormal investigation or consultation is NOT made for television. These things tend to be fairly long and uneventful.  So, shows such as this one feel a natural pressure to produce something one film that is compelling.  In some cases this means faking events, and in other cases it means using editing and narration to exaggerate everything to a fever pitch...though in the end, very little has happened.

I think there would be room in the market for a paranormal show that follows a very grounded group, as they logically examine legends, anecdotal experiences, and reported phenomenon.  But, to date, I'm not sure we've seen this happen yet.  Perhaps Steve Shippy will buck the curve.  :-)

Though this marketing copy from the article suggests my optimism might not be warranted:  "The alleged evil spirit at work in Merrill may be connected with another haunting. Shippy gets help from a clairvoyant during the episode to ward off the spirit."

Well, even if the show is a completely loopy over-hyped train-wreck, it might still be entertaining.  And really, what more can we ask from a television show than entertainment?

Mark Stinson
Ghost Vigil Investigations