I enjoyed it. I was hesitant after reading the negative reviews, but I'm glad I watched it. In some ways, this is a typical ghost hunting "documentary" - meaning, of course there's no evidence. Some reviewers seemed surprised there's no irrefutable proof of ghosts here. There never is - there's no scientific peer reviewed journal about to publish a paper on ghosts. You can't prove gods or ghosts are real, that's the root of people's fascination, and kind of the whole point.
What isn't typical about the Newkirks' approach is that they're not afraid to get into the weird complexities. I can't stand typical ghost hunting shows but this is much deeper. They dive into the psychological muck, take their time getting the emotional experience and tone right. They research everything and show how gooey myth and folklore are. It's cool to watch them piece together their research and experiences - no matter what I personally believe. Yea it's their cognitive bias but so is every single religious or supernatural experience. Regardless, I followed their logic. They touch on magic and the collective unconscious and tie it all together. They might have the goofy tools other ghost hunters have, but they use them in unique ways, and that's only the surface of what they do.
Even if this is all staged, it's still a good story. It's impossible to say what they actually believe, so I can't speculate on their intentions, but it was cool to learn about a goddess I didn't know about before. And I really like what Strand said about how studying the paranormal is like studying yourself. It's true. I think they manage to touch on something ancient that is a key part of the human experience we don't often get to connect with.
I didn't come out of this believing in ghosts or gods. What I got out of this was entertainment and I learned something new. And I did get a little spooked!
What isn't typical about the Newkirks' approach is that they're not afraid to get into the weird complexities. I can't stand typical ghost hunting shows but this is much deeper. They dive into the psychological muck, take their time getting the emotional experience and tone right. They research everything and show how gooey myth and folklore are. It's cool to watch them piece together their research and experiences - no matter what I personally believe. Yea it's their cognitive bias but so is every single religious or supernatural experience. Regardless, I followed their logic. They touch on magic and the collective unconscious and tie it all together. They might have the goofy tools other ghost hunters have, but they use them in unique ways, and that's only the surface of what they do.
Even if this is all staged, it's still a good story. It's impossible to say what they actually believe, so I can't speculate on their intentions, but it was cool to learn about a goddess I didn't know about before. And I really like what Strand said about how studying the paranormal is like studying yourself. It's true. I think they manage to touch on something ancient that is a key part of the human experience we don't often get to connect with.
I didn't come out of this believing in ghosts or gods. What I got out of this was entertainment and I learned something new. And I did get a little spooked!