Paranormal Files: Info ou intox

When this show first aired I think on SyFy Channel, I loved it.

Upon recently watching reruns on Destination America, I've come to realize that these people were trying way too hard to be the paranormal MythBusters.

It's OK, but not as amazing as I once thought.

I'm at a loss. I really am. I've read the other reviews on this show and I have to remind myself that we are talking about the same program. I had just looked up the Josh Gates show 'Destination Truth' which, correctly, received applause and I had expected the same here. Fact or Faked is a hugely entertaining, well researched, comprehensive look at the paranormal, cryptozoology, Ufology and the general unexplained. The program looks at these phenomenon without bias and I love the fact that they never ridicule anything, everything is possible. For those of you who enjoy Bigfoot, Ghosts, Lake monsters, Aliens, Conspiracy theories or if you simply enjoy the very lovely Jael De Pardo, then Fact or Faked is an absolute must.

I have loved this show since I was a small child and as a person who's always been interested in the paranormal, this was right up my alley. The show doesn't have the traditional format of most ghost hunting shows or Bigfoot investigations. It centers on a team of filmmakers, photographers, and journalists who seek to debunk supposed paranormal videos. The topics range from ghosts to aliens to the lizard man.

I've heard many times that the show is like a mystical Mythbusters (another one of my favorite shows), I agree with this sentiment.

At some points the show does feel staged and like the hosts are very clearly talking to the camera and have a script but the experimentation is legit and lends credibility to the people behind the show. The team has a sort of familial dynamic that makes them feel real and relatable.

Some of the investigations do even in inconclusive evidence, and I wish that the episodes were longer so they could explore more explanations and really get to the bottom of it. Sometimes it just feels like there's not enough time to cover every possible explanation.

Overall, this show is a must watch for anybody interested in the supernatural and tired of clearly faked ghost hunting shows. It's a shame that it was canceled because this was one of the best shows for the common skeptic to be introduced to the weird world of the paranormal.

This is another in the endless stream of 'people saw a few things over the past hundred years so let's do a one night investigation' type paranormal shows.

As usual they attempt to convince us there is no rational explanation and are therefore justified in immediately jumping to the EVP level of who-cares paranormal nighttime investigation.

Why at night? It's absurd to think ghosts sleep during the day, or that aliens would have the same visual limitations we have. If we aren't seeing these things during the day, we sure as heck aren't seeing them at night.

Not that it matters anyway. If all these ghosts or aliens or spirits or whatever can accomplish is localized brief temperature fluctuations, muddled blobs in photos, and faint sounds on questionable-premise spirit boxes then why bother. Seriously. Who cares if they exist or not if that's all they amount to. It doesn't change our day either way.

To the show's credit at least they spare us the usual parade of so-called experts on fictional subjects. Honestly, how can someone be an expert in Bigfoot or Nessie or aliens when no one has proven the darn things so much as exist. I love when these so-called experts assert authoritatively that Bigfoot feeds at night or is at higher altitudes during the summer. Something that no one has proven exists feeds at night? Sure thing. I've decided I'm an expert on the tooth fairy. Producers, call me.

All that said, attractive, likable actors doing harmlessly silly things requires no attention and makes great background noise. Five stars.

"Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files" is nothing more than an ultra-cheap ripoff of "UFO Hunters." The salient difference is that the ultra-youthful cast of "Fact or Faked" has zero scientific background whatsoever. They collect the cheesiest videos from here or there; set out to "prove" or "debunk" things based upon the most ill-conceived notion of the scientific method, indeed, of science in general; pepper the audience with nonsensical, high-falutin'-sounding nonsense such as, "Come on, guys, let's examinate this rocketological conburblification," and cannot-do-without exhortatives, such as, "Let's go green, guys!" (I think the kindergartners behave basically the same way on "Sid the Science Kid.") The kids are ignorant, annoying, unscientific, and a slap in the face to any viewer whose education extends beyond junior high school.