Ghost Hunters 3.2: "OK Corral"
A lot of people have complained that the constant trips to high-profile locations has had an effect on the charm of the show. Certainly it has opened up the doors to more criticism. In this episode, we have two more locations promoting their “haunted” status and seeking validation. That’s not quite the same as demonstrating the TAPS mission statement of helping those in need, but since the non-TV team is covering the civilians, I won’t complain too loudly.
Case #1: Copper Queen Hotel
The first investigation takes place at the Copper Queen Hotel. I was immediately skeptical, and not just because the employees were practically begging for evidence. This place has rooms named after the supposed ghosts “haunting” the room! So when Jason and Grant started getting odd images on the thermal footage, I was a bit concerned. I thought it was fairly obvious that the “apparition” was a reflection and that Jason had inadvertently turned the camera towards Grant in the hallway, so when they ultimately debunked that footage with exactly those explanations, I was relieved.
The rest of the investigation was fairly normal. They’re still working on the production values and the general technique issues. They mentioned the baseline for the EMF readings, which was a good start, and they were quite clear that the EMF readings alone were little more than suggestive of unexplained activity. This being an older building with the power still on? I’m not at all surprised that there were EMF fluctuations.
Seeing Steve and Brian in the same bed was more frightening than the possibility that the luggage rack slid across the floor, but I was pleased to note that this relatively slow moment wasn’t filled with manufactured drama. I don’t see the signs of a silly “season arc” like the Brian Saga of the second season, so maybe Pilgrim Films got the message.
The big moment in this episode, of course, was the apparent evidence in Grant’s room. I’m with Jason on this one. Looking at the footage, the movement is caused by pulling, not pushing, and all of the action takes place on one small section of the blanket that folds under the gathering fabric. That’s an indication that the blanket was being pulled from underneath. (Pulling from above would have resulted in the blanket folding over itself as it moved.)
Naysayers will immediately claim falsification, but there’s a far more logical (and much less complicated) explanation. Grant probably pulled on the sheet under the blanket in his sleep, and the blanket pulled up as a result. It wasn’t a huge bed; it wouldn’t take much movement at all for that to happen. Try it at home; this is hardly unusual. It may look strange, but I wouldn’t call it paranormal. I thought it was quite amusing to listen to Grant rationalize it, though!
Case #2: O.K. Corral
I noticed that they were using a thermocouple probe with the IR thermometers this time around, which is a nice improvement. They still use the “cool” equipment at the request of the network, but they are trying to add some meaningful functionality. They even seemed to mention how the equipment was supposed to be working, reading surface temperatures rather than air temperature.
At any rate, as soon as they mentioned it was an outdoor investigation and the wind was picking up, I was certain that the investigation would be rendered moot. And sure enough, that’s how it happened. They tried to play up a couple things here or there, but mostly to fill the hour; I blame the editors for that more than anyone else.
All in all, not a bad episode. I like it when they show footage that could be claimed as evidence of a haunting and then explain why it doesn’t pass muster. Skeptical zealots will claim that this is all part of the vast pro-paranormal brain-washing conspiracy to fool the audience into a false sense of objectivity, but given that this is what they say they will do, it’s entertaining to see them do it.
Chill Factor: 7/10
Case #1: Copper Queen Hotel
The first investigation takes place at the Copper Queen Hotel. I was immediately skeptical, and not just because the employees were practically begging for evidence. This place has rooms named after the supposed ghosts “haunting” the room! So when Jason and Grant started getting odd images on the thermal footage, I was a bit concerned. I thought it was fairly obvious that the “apparition” was a reflection and that Jason had inadvertently turned the camera towards Grant in the hallway, so when they ultimately debunked that footage with exactly those explanations, I was relieved.
The rest of the investigation was fairly normal. They’re still working on the production values and the general technique issues. They mentioned the baseline for the EMF readings, which was a good start, and they were quite clear that the EMF readings alone were little more than suggestive of unexplained activity. This being an older building with the power still on? I’m not at all surprised that there were EMF fluctuations.
Seeing Steve and Brian in the same bed was more frightening than the possibility that the luggage rack slid across the floor, but I was pleased to note that this relatively slow moment wasn’t filled with manufactured drama. I don’t see the signs of a silly “season arc” like the Brian Saga of the second season, so maybe Pilgrim Films got the message.
The big moment in this episode, of course, was the apparent evidence in Grant’s room. I’m with Jason on this one. Looking at the footage, the movement is caused by pulling, not pushing, and all of the action takes place on one small section of the blanket that folds under the gathering fabric. That’s an indication that the blanket was being pulled from underneath. (Pulling from above would have resulted in the blanket folding over itself as it moved.)
Naysayers will immediately claim falsification, but there’s a far more logical (and much less complicated) explanation. Grant probably pulled on the sheet under the blanket in his sleep, and the blanket pulled up as a result. It wasn’t a huge bed; it wouldn’t take much movement at all for that to happen. Try it at home; this is hardly unusual. It may look strange, but I wouldn’t call it paranormal. I thought it was quite amusing to listen to Grant rationalize it, though!
Case #2: O.K. Corral
I noticed that they were using a thermocouple probe with the IR thermometers this time around, which is a nice improvement. They still use the “cool” equipment at the request of the network, but they are trying to add some meaningful functionality. They even seemed to mention how the equipment was supposed to be working, reading surface temperatures rather than air temperature.
At any rate, as soon as they mentioned it was an outdoor investigation and the wind was picking up, I was certain that the investigation would be rendered moot. And sure enough, that’s how it happened. They tried to play up a couple things here or there, but mostly to fill the hour; I blame the editors for that more than anyone else.
All in all, not a bad episode. I like it when they show footage that could be claimed as evidence of a haunting and then explain why it doesn’t pass muster. Skeptical zealots will claim that this is all part of the vast pro-paranormal brain-washing conspiracy to fool the audience into a false sense of objectivity, but given that this is what they say they will do, it’s entertaining to see them do it.
Chill Factor: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 16:09
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