For anyone who knows me or is in any way familiar with this blog you'll know I LOVE my paranormal/ghost hunting television. My most popular entry on this blog is my review of season one of Kindred Spirits, which was a turning point for the genre. The 2019 fall season has been an exciting one for lovers of the ghost hunting genre with new and unique shows - the serial killer spirits mini-series of Ghost Adventures, Travel Channel's live ghost hunt in Salem, the return of the OGs of the genre with Ghost Hunters on A&E (which is such a joy) and Ghost Nation, the announcement of season four of Kindred Spirits, and the immensely disappointing Holzer Files. The list goes on and on. In the midst of all of these new and returning gems of the paranormal reality tv genre none have stood out quite as strong and refreshing to me as Destination Fear. It was just different and completely captivating. One episode in and I was immediately hooked and each episode after continued to cement its status amongst the top tiered new shows of 2019. From the first episode it was easy to see that Destination Fear, conceived by Dakota Laden of Ghost Adventures fame, was something different. It was nostalgic of days when ghost hunting television was still new. There's a sense of wonder, excitement, and most of all raw fear. It's the paranormal show you should be watching this season. Travel channel is know for their paranormal based television, so why is this any different?Ask almost anyone what their first thought is when it comes to Travel Channel and they'll probably mention some form of ghost hunting television show haunting their late night hours. It's a staple that has become ingrained in their regular program block for so long that the channel seems obsolete in the off-seasons when the spooks aren't what most viewers want. This genre heaviness can become a bit repetitive for viewers, though, because so many of the shows follow a similar copy+paste style nowadays that have been such staples since the days of Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures in their adolescence. This is one of the many reasons Destination Fear has become such an instantly loved fan-favorite over the last few weeks since its premier. It's different, it's unique, it's fresh, it's the biggest fantasy for anyone who has ever had the urge to go spend a night in a haunted location and ask the question "hello?". With an ever growing fanbase on social media and genuinely excited and passionate cast members, it's easy to see that Destination Fear is both engaging and addictive. A "psychological experiment" based around fear, the show takes Dakota Laden, his sister Chelsea, their childhood friend Tanner, and cameraman Alex, and pushes them to their limits when it comes to how much a person can take while diving head first into the world of the paranormal. Think of it as a terrifying family vacation across the country that ends with isolation experiments and sleepless campouts designed to test just how far the human psyche can be pushed. The group travels across the country to various locations - from asylums to hotels and beyond - in an RV on a "haunted road trip". Each location is a historic landmark with a dark history. The spaces are large and usually abandoned and the local communities speak about them in hushed voices. One of the things I appreciate about this show is how much attention the history of each location is given. Beautiful interior shots and intensive interviews allow viewers to be given a chilling historical tour that is both visually and audibly appealing. Dakota is the only one that knows where they're going, so before they arrive the team is given a folder with information on the location to prepare for the night. Upon arriving the group spends time investigating various floors and hot-spots throughout the building, deciding which spaces are the worst-of-the-worst. They then draw from a hat and split up, spending three hours alone in the most terrifying floors/rooms (attempting to sleep and rarely doing so) and document their experiences while isolated. It's a tremendously stressful experiment that pushes the team to their limits and leaves viewers feeling tense. Each episode is a uniquely wild experience filled with emotional ups and downs and some of the most powerful evidence of the paranormal to grace television in recent memory. The group has a healthy fear and respect of the locations - which is so refreshing in an age where numerous seasoned paranormal investigators feel the need to act overly cocky for no reason, or worse antagonize or even summon something in just to hype up the shock factor. Destination Fear focuses less on seeking out the things that go bump in the night and more on existing in their space, allowing for more authentic interactions to be had. The long standing relationships between the members of the group allows for some light-hearted and genuinely funny moment and their newness to overnight stays in notable haunted locations is one of the things that immediately drew me to the show as well, it adds to the realness of the experience which is a rare commodity in such an oversaturated genre. They still look at everything with fresh eyes and their reactions to evidence and the weird occurrences around them are met with genuine shock and thorough investigations to try and find answers. The Destination Fear crew has done such an amazing job capturing real, raw experiences - as well as the toll it takes on one's mental and physical health in the process - with some of the most intense evidence and encounters I have seen in years. It has been a long time since I've seen such shocking paranormal moments captured on camera that leave me wanting to keep the light on at night. It harkens back to the days when paranormal investigations weren't so mainstream and young, adventurous, curious minds first stepped foot into the world of overnight lock-ins. It's not only a nostalgic but refreshing thrill ride to add to your Saturday night schedule. If you aren't watching Destination Fear on Travel Channel I highly suggest you start, because it's so hard to capture in words the feeling you get from watching this new powerhouse of the genre. I wholeheartedly believe that Destination Fear has opened the way for the next generation of paranormal television to take its place amongst the legends of documentary-based television. For a seasoned paranormal TV junkie like myself who has pretty much seen it all, I can't recommend this gem of a program enough. Written by Alycia D. (MaybeMockingbird ) All pictures are copyright Travel Channel. Destination Fear is currently airing on Saturday nights at 10pm EST.
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AuthorJust your average geek chic gamer chick into all things ghostly and geeky (and vice versa) Archives
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