Well. It seems the New PS thread bit the dust so ill post this well written review of PS here.
Thoughts on "Paranormal State"
At this point, I’ve watched several episodes of this series, and while there’s a fleeting chance that my opinion will change over time, I sincerely doubt it. This sampling is more than enough to understand the mindset of PRS as a group and the production company’s intention for the show. Taken in context with some easily-verified background information, this series is revealed as questionable at best.
PRS is run by Ryan Buell, whom I’ve met on at least one occasion. Ryan is a personable young man with a true interest in the paranormal. His organization has run the popular “Univ-Con” paranormal conferences at Penn State’s main campus for several years, and each convention has become more and more of an event. Many of the members of PRS featured on “Paranormal State” have been long-term members of the organization, and have been personally invested in the success of Univ-Con.
I attended Univ-Con 5, where the first “sneak preview” of “Paranormal State” was unveiled. That was in the fall of 2006, which should indicate how long some of the footage has been sitting on the shelf. This is an important consideration. This is not an organization like TAPS, where the core team members had been operating for years before the creation of “Ghost Hunters”. This is an organization of college students. If TAPS can be criticized for lack of experience and education, PRS certainly can as well.
If PRS had decided to pursue a scientifically-based method of investigation, basing the organization within a collegiate setting would make perfect sense. After all, PRS could then cull membership from thousands of scientists and engineers, providing a near-endless resource pool of analytical methods and instrumentation. Lack of experience is almost a moot point when such methods are employed; the subject is almost irrelevant when the goal is detection and analysis.
Unfortunately, PRS operates in very different territory. Where TAPS at least attempts to employ the scientific method, PRS relies on pseudo-religious demonology and accumulated pop culture folklore. Mediumship is more than accepted; it’s a vital tool in every investigation. Every investigation thus far has resulted in the presence of demonic entities or individuals otherwise in contact with the spiritual realm. In the eyes of PRS, figures like Chip Coffey and Lorraine Warren are legendary heroes. Thus far, not one shred of independently verifiable evidence has been offered on the show: no video, no audio.
Such methods have a long history in the paranormal field, but most credible researchers see little value in what must be, by default, subjective interpretation. Only so much can be attributed to editing and production decisions; the rest is what PRS is bringing to each and every investigation. And as the director, that falls on the shoulders of Ryan Buell.
Ryan, as depicted on the show, is a young man convinced that he is being hunted by a demon. He believes that this demon has followed him from investigation to investigation, purposefully attacking families to draw him into conflict after conflict. Psychologically speaking, this is a mindset that perpetuates and escalates itself with every new experience. Every time Ryan walks into an investigation, he’s sure that there’s demonic activity and he warns his team of that eventuality. So they go into the investigation ready to interpret everything as demonic, the scant “evidence” is analyzed through that filter, and ultimately the mindset is reinforced.
For their own part, PRS will consistently swear that they go into every new investigation with an open mind and few, if any, preconceptions. As good as that sounds, every investigator (especially those employing non-scientific methods) walks into a situation with assumptions and preconceptions. It’s disingenuous to state otherwise, and if anything, it’s a sure sign that the investigators don’t understand basic human psychology on a real-world level. Even the most seasoned, objective investigators in any field will categorize and profile situations based on experience and statistics.
It should be noted, however, that this is how Ryan and PRS have been depicted on “Paranormal State”. Considering that this is a “candid reality” show, it’s entirely possible that the emphasis on demons is all about editing together a storyline for dramatic purposes. Herein lies the problem: the editors cannot create words and deeds that never happened. They can retool context, but if Ryan is constantly talking about being a “holy warrior”, that’s not the fault of the editing.
Instead, it comes down to the question of sincerity and honesty. Ryan and his team are either completely sincere and honest in their belief of demonic forces behind every “haunted” door, or they are dishonestly approaching every filmed case in this fashion to generate interest, and therefore, ratings.
If Ryan has been portrayed accurately, then it would be very interesting to see what an independent psychologist thinks of his interpretations. Considering that everything he says has a basis in demonology, a subject that is essentially an accumulation of folklore, myth, and superstition, his interpretations are entirely subjective. His belief in a demonic stalker is disturbing, and one could look upon PRS as his own cult of personality. In fact, he appears delusional, seeking attention and confirmation that he’s “special”.
If he is convinced that he is part of some holy war against the darkness, I would love to have him explain why his conclusions about this demonic activity are unique and undisputable. Where is the proof? How does one categorize demonic activity, and where is this criteria outlined? And what previous sources led to those criteria? Seeing demons is a matter of subjective belief, because there is no objective means of confirming their existence. Similarly, if one believes in the presence of angels, they will filter all experience through that filter. It’s not about investigation; it’s self-fulfilling prophecy.
Unfortunately, other evidence suggests that this demon-haunted world of PRS may be manufactured, at least in part. One is defined by company kept, and in this case, Lorraine Warren is questionable company. Warren was part of the infamous Amityville hoax, which any credible paranormal researcher knows to have been concocted as a money-making scheme. Either Ryan failed to do his homework, or such incidents were not bothersome in the face of demons coming out of the woodwork.
Ryan also claims to have been brought in on a case by the local Catholic dioceses in at least one episode. This is very hard to believe. Setting aside the notion that the Church would call upon any paranormal investigator to deal with anything remotely demonic, considering their own well-guarded and intense training protocols for their own clergy, it’s quite laughable to suggest that they would ask for assistance from a college student. This is as bad as claiming religious authority based on purchased ordination from the Universal Life Church.
But the most damning evidence against the veracity of “Paranormal State” is the method of generating cases. When the show was first under production (as “Paranormal U”), visitors to Univ-Con 5 were solicited to generate potential clients for the series. That campaign soon spread to MySpace. In other words, PRS had to hunt clients down to get enough material for the series...and yet, every investigation seems to connect to Ryan’s demonic stalker or, at the very least, some kind of demonic activity. At the exact same time, no other group in the same region of the Mid-Atlantic reports a similar instance of extreme dark or negative paranormal activity. The statistics have disturbing implications.
There’s also one other item to consider. The demon supposedly stalking Ryan Buell is supposed to have a name so secret that it should not be named. It is particularly vile and esoteric, so no one should know the name unless they have encountered the demon before. The producers, of course, edit in the name in quick flashes, so it’s not much of a secret: Belial. Here’s the interesting point: this is such a familiar name that it has been used in horror movies for decades, never mind novels in the genre (“Basket Case”, anyone?). And while at Univ-Con, fellow paranormal fans were happily invited to watch every single horror movie in the theatres that weekend with the members of PRS. Hardly proof of anything, but it does paint a picture: if PRS members are horror film fans, they would be familiar with the conventions of the genre and seemingly “esoteric” names, familiar enough to scare viewers.
PRS hosts one of the biggest paranormal conferences in the nation. They see, year after year, the potential rewards that come with fame and fortune in the paranormal entertainment industry. It’s possible that a production company saw Ryan’s deep belief in demonology and thought the subject would make for a fascinating candid reality series. If so, the show does not portray Ryan and his organization in a favorable light; he seems more fanatical than intelligent. It’s also possible that Ryan and his organization conceived of a means to chase their own fame and fortune in the industry.
Whatever the case, “Paranormal State” works best if viewed as fiction rendered in the style of reality programming. Taken from that perspective, it is entertaining enough to watch and appreciate on its own merits. As a slice of reality, however, the final product is disappointing and demeaning to its subjects. It would take a lot more than “Paranormal State” to convince me of Ryan’s claims. As a paranormal researcher, it would be intriguing to see PRS in action in person, to see how closely reality is depicted by “reality”.
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/Cr...equot/800030982 Its well said with no attacks just plain talk.