I have watched a few episodes of the Syfy Channel's new show, Haunted Collector. And I have to admit, although I really want to like this show, I remain unimpressed and skeptical.
Haunted Collector is one of those "recombinant formula" shows that keeps popping up these days. It's a combination of Ghost Hunters, plus the genre of "finding stuff" shows (Pawn Stars, American Pickers, et al). The show's hook is that most (all?) hauntings are connected to an item in the household. That you can somehow narrow down the specific haunted item, and if you remove it, the haunting ends.
This is an interesting premise gone horribly awry. First of all, the lore of haunted objects is indeed vast and varied. Items with a strong emotional attachment are often considered haunted, as are "important" items like the Hope Diamond. The idea is that the psychic energy of a living human spirit often "rubs off" on an object, like an invisible residue, causing residual hauntings in the future.
(I'm thinking of a particularly awesome episode of Ghost Hunters where the team investigated a museum display of Titanic memorabilia. It did seem that some of the ghosts of the people who went down with the Titanic were silently following the objects on tour around the country.)
But I think most people would raise an eyebrow at the thought that all hauntings can be traced down to a particular item. (Unless you want to consider an entire house or parcel of property to be an "item.") And yet, that is exactly what happens on Haunted Collector.
I haven't watched all the episodes, not by a long shot. Maybe it's just coincidence that I only saw the episodes where the team identified a specific item that was causing the haunting. Maybe sometimes they show up and nothing happens. Maybe sometimes they pick out an object, but the haunting continues. If that's the case, then I'll definitely change my tune.
But as it stands, Haunted Collector strikes me as being more akin to those faith healers who palm a scrap of chicken, only to pluck it triumphantly from the chest of the patient. Behold, this vase was causing all your problems! I'll take it away, and your haunting will end!
The more ghost shows I watch, the more I appreciate Ghost Hunters. In this case, I appreciate the number of investigations when the Ghost Hunters team finds no evidence of paranormal activity. That feels real to me - in scientific terms, "falsifiable."
Haunted Collector is one of those "recombinant formula" shows that keeps popping up these days. It's a combination of Ghost Hunters, plus the genre of "finding stuff" shows (Pawn Stars, American Pickers, et al). The show's hook is that most (all?) hauntings are connected to an item in the household. That you can somehow narrow down the specific haunted item, and if you remove it, the haunting ends.
This is an interesting premise gone horribly awry. First of all, the lore of haunted objects is indeed vast and varied. Items with a strong emotional attachment are often considered haunted, as are "important" items like the Hope Diamond. The idea is that the psychic energy of a living human spirit often "rubs off" on an object, like an invisible residue, causing residual hauntings in the future.
(I'm thinking of a particularly awesome episode of Ghost Hunters where the team investigated a museum display of Titanic memorabilia. It did seem that some of the ghosts of the people who went down with the Titanic were silently following the objects on tour around the country.)
But I think most people would raise an eyebrow at the thought that all hauntings can be traced down to a particular item. (Unless you want to consider an entire house or parcel of property to be an "item.") And yet, that is exactly what happens on Haunted Collector.
I haven't watched all the episodes, not by a long shot. Maybe it's just coincidence that I only saw the episodes where the team identified a specific item that was causing the haunting. Maybe sometimes they show up and nothing happens. Maybe sometimes they pick out an object, but the haunting continues. If that's the case, then I'll definitely change my tune.
But as it stands, Haunted Collector strikes me as being more akin to those faith healers who palm a scrap of chicken, only to pluck it triumphantly from the chest of the patient. Behold, this vase was causing all your problems! I'll take it away, and your haunting will end!
The more ghost shows I watch, the more I appreciate Ghost Hunters. In this case, I appreciate the number of investigations when the Ghost Hunters team finds no evidence of paranormal activity. That feels real to me - in scientific terms, "falsifiable."