Amish Haunting

What Hans Christian Andersen was to the Danish, these tales are to the Amish, perhaps. What do you think of when you hear about these old fairy tales...Danny Kaye? A glimmering, sentimental film set? Well, these are actually rather gruesome and unforgiving tales: the Little Match Girl, the Red Shoes...all cautionary tales against excess, or being cut off from family and one's community.

Are they Amish Hauntings true? Some of them may be, some may be exaggerated or made up. It isn't hard to see, though, that they fulfill a 'cautionary tale' role in Amish folklore. Some of these tales are as difficult to believe as your standard 'urban legend' but what makes this series interesting, perhaps, is that these are 'RURAL Legends.'

Take a step back to the campfire of yore and hear a ghost story set in a place sans modern conveniences and distractions. Yes, there are moments when the modern world comes into play, even in these tales, but mostly, I think you will find some good old fashioned, scary fun like your great-grandparents (or better yet, earlier than that) might have enjoyed.

I like the reviews above, one about the headstones and use of electricity. I also researched the electricity issue. The Amish do use batteries and the episode touched on this so I don't think the series meant to slight or lead anyone astray. The tombstone issue of their being varied in the episode but not in Amish tradition which the reviewer brought up is a valid point. Still, I don't think anyone is trying to mock their plain neighbors. I'm in Ohio and we have great respect for the Amish---especially their cooking, and furniture making--in fact I think we idolize their 'plain' ways a bit--so I don't think we need to be so politically correct that we must pretend not to notice that people in our communities have different traditions, stories or folkways. I think it's fascinating and certainly I do not see any disrespect intended in the series.

I have seen every episode. I did take exception to portraying the actors as actual Amish people (hence my score of 8/10) who allegedly experienced these events but that is understandable. The actual Amish participants who do not want to have their photo taken are not likely to appear in a TV show.

Another tedious "_____ Amish _____" reality TV series brought to you by the same guy who created "Breaking Amish", "Amish Mafia", "Return to Amish" and a host of other uninteresting series. This uninspired gem repackages the worst of ghost hunting, demonology and Amish life with the eerie pumping, squealing, clanging and pounding sound tracks that bring to mind a family of raccoons let loose in a closet full of unused musical instruments.

There's lots of shunning, family disgrace, and even a "demon camp" (apparently the Amish equivalent of a possessed kid's summer camp.) It's a rich tapestry of clichés likely to last two seasons at best.

This is one of those annoying fake documentaries in which bad actors portray interviewees pretending to be real people telling their stories. The scripted interviews are intercut with dramatic voiceover narration and re-enactments to add to the unconvincing charade. The fake haunting stories themselves are incredibly lame and generally amount to the Amish somehow angering their God (you know, the Judeo-Christian one) and getting punished for it by ghosts and demons. The re-enactments are cheap, unconvincing, and devoid of horror. This series is simultaneously an insult to intelligence, imagination and good taste.

If you loved the original A Haunting series, you will LOVE this show. Even the original narrator is back! This is even more true to the original series than the A Haunting reboot.

As for the controversy, sadly, even though it is not intending to portray the Amish in a negative fashion, it is doing so inadvertently through issues like shunning (seriously, how does one NOT get shunned by the bishop). Those that are looking at this show as some kind of anthropological study of the Amish will be disappointed. However, those looking for entertainment true to form of the original series of A Haunting are going to be very pleased.

Once again, just as in the asinine "Amish Mafia," our kindly Protestant friends are picked on and picked at for no other reason than that they wish to be alone. The Amish are devout Christians who also adhere rather closely to the spirit of the original 613 commandments; as such, they will have absolutely nothing to do with ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, witches (all covered by the Hebrew term "ovoth"), or even the merest suggestions of such phenomena. They stick close to God and distance themselves maximally from the Devil; any other considerations are, well, not considered. Against my better judgment, I watched a second episode, where we learned that (a) tombstones come in all shapes and sizes in an Amish graveyard (WRONG: they're all the same), and (b) electric appliances are not allowed in Amish homes (WRONG: connecting to public power lines is disallowed, but battery power and private water power and such are used regularly). PLEASE avoid this absolute drivel as a courtesy to your conservative neighbors who have never bothered anybody.