Yesterday, I caught "Darkness Falls," the eighth episode of Paranormal State's fourth season, where Ryan Buell and his Paranormal Research Society investigators go to West Virginia State Penitentiary -- allegedly, Buell had been there six months earlier and encountered "something dark and evil" . . . and it scared him, apparently.
The episode was all about Buell returning to the old penitentiary to confront the Big Bad and overcome his fears, I guess. He drags along the usual PRS crew yet he tells them nothing about his earlier experiences or what they could possibly face.
In fact, the team talks amongst themselves and speculate upon why Buell brought them to WVSP. Buell does his best Robert Pattinson angsty pout -- minus the sparkling -- and says nothing whenever he's asked by the team why they're at the site or what had happened before.
Buell has a hissy-fit when the PRS share a laugh and he decides not to tell them anything until they take the situation "more seriously."
And, earlier on, Buell takes issue with the "Shadow Man" picture that investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson debunked when TAPS went to the prison. Allegedly, Buell had others debunk the debunking, alluding that the photograph was real. I don't buy it. I've seen shapes and shadows, mixed in with poor lighting, produce "Shadow People" phenomena. I would have loved to have seen the "debunking" but it was never shown.
After awhile, Buell takes the crew to the "Warden's Tower," where Buell had the Big Bad Encounter . . . the crew find an inverted pentagram *gasp*.
In typical Buell fashion, he postures and rants about Satanism and hints that there must have been a satanic conspiracy among those who worked at the prison. Michelle Belanger supports his statements.
In disgust, I switched off the TV.
A few things. Paranormal State is entertainment and it's not how an investigation should be conducted. Case in point how Buell melodramatically led his team into the prison.I'm sorry, but if I had encountered some "Big Bad" and was taking my team to where it had happened -- it's my duty and responsibility as a lead investigator to keep my team informed, for their safety's sake.
Then again this is Ryan Buell, who supposedly was stalked by a demon . . . and during that time, he allegedly went on investigations, dragging that bloody baggage into people's homes -- as if the clients had enough to worry about.
I don't really know how much was real and how much was "for the show" . . . . But if Buell is like that during actual investigations, then I'm not impressed; if anything, I'm more concerned for the other investigators and the clients.
Especially the clients.
Now for the "inverted pentagram."
Sigh.
http://www.munroe-falls-paranormal-society.com/blog/?p=269
The above the link is a great resource of information about pentagrams and the like and I highly recommend it to paranormal investigators.
In fact, I highly recommend it to Ryan Buell and Michelle Belanger.
But I digress.
What of the prison and the "pentagram?" It's nothing. There's nothing satanic or occult about it, there wasn't a coven of satanists at the prison and so on.
In fact, these symbols can be found on many older buildings -- even churches -- scattered throughout the world. Again, nothing dark and sinister.
I'm disgusted by this episode. Shoddy investigation and shoddier research, enabled by Buell's narrow-minded views.I was never impressed by Paranormal State and I would never recommend it to people.
Unless I wanted to illustrate to people on how not to conduct a paranormal investigation.
Be seeing you.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment