Ghost Adventures – Baggy pants but cool investigations

There is little doubt Zak went to the William Shatner school of overacting, but his crazy over emphasis, baggy pants and gravity defying hair gives him his own unique charm. But, unlike the couch dwelling Ghost Hunters, Zak’s enthusiasm keeps him constantly moving. He’s ready to jump into that mine shaft or go down the creepy tunnel, even if it does mean Aaron is going to bang his head. Maybe he is a little excitable, but I still enjoy listening to him tell the "dark" history of the place they’re investigating. Plus, it’s better than the underwhelming tone of Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab. His mannerisms and tone bring the story to life and it builds up excitement for the episode.

Aaron, or as I like to call him, "Shaggy" is one scared pup and half the fun is watching him react to his environment. If you go into a building in the middle of the night that’s supposed to be haunted and full of dark energy, I’m not sure why you get to the point of soiling yourself every time there’s a loud bump or bang near you. It never ceases to amuse me that as they’re all standing in the dark that inevitably Aaron will yell "Oh My God!" and go running across the room like he got a cattle prod in the backside. He then follows it up with, "Dude, I Swear To God!" It’s funny every time!

Speaking of cool investigations I watched the episode at the abandoned Remington factory, the company that makes weapons and munitions. Even in the daylight that place was creepy. The buildings are falling apart, there’s tons of holes in the floor, and not much about the place seems structurally sound any more. And from some of the pictures they showed, it doesn’t look all that different now than when it was in operation. If nothing else you get a glimpse into the working conditions of the day. Perhaps working in a cubicle isn’t so bad after all.

Their reliance on "orbs" hitting them in the back of the head or neck, which then causes odd behavior, headaches and in more than one case possession, is really bringing the whole show down. I’m not going to say that orbs of energy don’t exist and Zak and crew can believe in them all they want, but from what I’m seeing those are dust particles. With the night vision cameras everything looks like an orb, especially when you’re trudging through an abandoned building. I’m just not buying that those particles are an explanation of anything. If dust bunnies are ghosts my house is the most location on the planet!

The other drawback is the use of Frank’s box and the other voice database tools they have. I have to say, those seem pretty silly and don’t really bolster their scientific method or credibility. How is a spirit supposed to know what frequency a word is on? Is there some owner’s manual they refer to ahead of time? But again, I’m not tuning in for the scientific aspect (I’m not even sure there is one), I just think the places they go are really interesting.

Even though the show can come across as juvenile at times – the Halloween special certainly had them in hysterics, but at least they had a Halloween special – Zak, Nick and Aaron are still engaging to watch. They get up and move around. They don’t just sit in the corner and hope something comes their way. It’s not perfect by any means, and I don’t think they’ve actually captured a whole lot, but they still have enthusiasm for investigating. A little too quick to say something is paranormal for my tastes, but after three seasons I’m still tuning in and having fun.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Ghost Adventures – Astoria Underground – S16E10
• Ghost Adventures – The Stanley Hotel – S04E05
• Ghost Adventures – Mackay Mansion – S13E02
• The Ghost Hunters are NOT scientists
• Ghost Adventures – Poveglia Island
• Ghost Adventures – Prospect Place
• Paranormal State – Darkness Falls – S04E08
• Ghost Adventures – Bannack Ghost Town – S09E04
• Ghost Adventures – Chinese Town of Locke – S12E05
• Ghost Adventures Live Halloween Special