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Ghost Hunters 4.14: "Iron Island" |
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Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
| I go into every leg of every season of “Ghost Hunters” with the resolute hope that TAPS will evolve past their previous mistakes and miscues. I’ve always accepted the value of their philosophy, after all, and I’ve practiced what they’ve preached in the sense that I apply that philosophy in my own investigations. It’s specifically why I continue to point out when TAPS falls short of their own stated intentions. It’s not blind criticism, but the disappointment of a fan and supporter who has seen behind the curtain.
I had no intention of making this a negative review. This show is about entertainment, as it’s been noted time and again. I don’t expect the production company to portray TAPS in the best light, only the most entertaining one. And I certainly don’t expect perfection, whether in technique or behavior. The members of TAPS are human beings, pure and simple. None of them need to be placed on a faultless pedestal.
What I would expect, however, is some consistency. TAPS talks the right talk at conventions and on their own radio show. While obviously strong believers in the paranormal (this is not “Mythbusters”, after all), they claim to take a scientific approach. They say they want to investigate new equipment and methods honestly, discarding the ideas that don’t make sense or don’t work.
But they don’t walk the walk, and it’s frustrating. To a certain extent, I understand why they use the FLIR system. It provides a cool visual for television. On that level, I get it. Far worse is the now-constant use of the infamous K-II Meter. TAPS has been aware of how ridiculous the device is since it’s first appearance in the reviled “Manson Murders” episode. Even then, after its flaws were exposed, Jason and Grant admitted that they had doubts about it. Now, they state openly in the episode that they believe it’s a real tool for spirit communication! The interpretations made in this episode will do nothing but undermine their credibility.
It also makes it hard to accept it when genuinely intriguing “evidence” is gathered. After all, the editing forces us to take them at their word. If their judgment on the use of equipment is questionable, since they continue to misunderstand something as simple as a K-II Meter, then what about their evaluation of “evidence”? This is a point raised by the skeptics and naysayers that I can’t argue, because it’s a valid criticism.
That said, I try to consider what my reaction would be if I had the same experiences and “evidence” from one of my own investigations. If the door was locked and secured, that’s an oddity to be explained (even if I couldn’t see the movement all that well on the footage). I’m not particularly impressed by the higher-pitched EVP, because as I’ve said before, I’m wary of audible voices. Acoustics play odd tricks with the mind, and it was completely unintelligible.
The other two EVPs were a lot more interesting. For one thing, they’re well above the background noise, which is a good sign that it’s not random pattern recognition. The voices are also relatively clear. The first one is still open to a great deal of interpretation, but the last EVP was crystal clear. I don’t see how that could misinterpreted. If I had recorded something like that on an investigation, I’ll be stunned (and thrilled).
Unfortunately, for me, the presence of that damnable K-II Meter (and TAPS’ willingness to accept its RF sensitivity as “paranormal activity”) tainted what was an otherwise interesting investigation.
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