Ghost, specters, spooks, apparitions, and demons seem to be all the rage nowadays and the public is hungry for as many paranormal investigation shows it can fit down it's gullet. "Ghost Lab" is one of these shows. Led by the Klinge Brothers, soft spoken Barry and excitable Brad, the Ghost Lab team travel throughout the U.S. to reportedly haunted locations in search for paranormal evidence. Though the team has a huge amount electronic and scientific equipment, Brad's favorite method for luring out ghost is good old fashion provocation. Unfortunately, he's not very good at it as he rant and rave without the tact necessary to cleverly lure a spirit in front of the camera. However Brad's attempts to bully the ghosts into revealing themselves sometimes pay off and the results are usually amusing but the excitement is short-lived. Ghost Lab, like with most paranormal investigation shows, just doesn't have enough paranormal activity to keep your full attention.
What works for this show is the editing and Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs). By building the drama with eerie or abrupt music and running short clips that leads to whatever strange is about to happen, it gives the viewer hope that some paranormal discovery is just around the corner. It's a pretty good effect to keep the viewer interested.
Occasionally, there is history pertaining to the reportedly haunted location and is narrated by the familiar voice of Mike Rowe. With photos and sometimes a dramatization, Rowe's voice, which can range from sympathetic to strangely haunting itself, compliments the mini history lesson. The history narrative can sometimes be the most interesting part of the show.
Watching Ghost Lab is not the worst way to spend an hour, the show definitely has its moments. It just need a little more ghosts and a little less Brad's obnoxious provocations.
