Celebrity Paranormal Project
reviewed by Fiona Broome, Hollow Hill founder ©2006
click play button to hear fiona's comments
VH1 describes Celebrity Paranormal Project, as a show that combines "a unique blend of
gritty horror with hi-tech investigation, famous actors, musicians, athletes and comedians explore real life hauntings...
Hey, it sounds good, right?
As I see it, VH1 revisited the earlier MTV show, Fear, but with celebrities (and aspiring celebs)
who either didn't see the earlier show, are over-acting, are extremely gullible... or a mix
of all three.
Oh, it's a fun show. I watch it now & then because it's quirky, campy, and features "haunted" places.
I don't take it seriously for a second.
What prevents this from being a serious entry into the ghost-themed genre is that some of the frights
are obviously staged.
In addition, the cast do things--such as asking a spirit to enter them, to communicate--that
few experienced ghost hunters would risk.
If you watched and like Fear, this is more of the same. Dark settings, teams that sometimes
split up for individual scares, and attempts to scare the cast (or the viewers?) with ridiculous props.
For example: In a location that's supposed to be haunted by a little boy, the camera shows a ball rolling across
the floor as if it appeared from nowhere. Sorry, in real life, even The Myrtles Plantation doesn't offer anything that
extreme. Real hauntings are more subtle than that.
But, if you like campy shows in haunted places, you may enjoy the mix of real, has-been and aspiring celebrities and
the expected running in (faux?) terror, plus screaming. Like me, you'll guffaw, "You have got to be kidding,"
when the show steps firmly into self-parody.
My favorite episode so far featured a great contrast between actors Gary Busey and Hal Sparks. Gary's
emotional
prayers for the departed and Hal's tongue-in-cheek comments about Gary being the scariest thing about
the place... that was priceless.
But, the show's guests that asked a spirit to enter them... Well, I hope that they don't have
problems from this, later. That kind of request is foolhardy, especially for an amateur,
even if you're just reading lines from the script. I'd rethink that concept, if I was
advising VH1; that's the point where it stops being campy fun, and becomes risky in real life.
In general, it's a good show to watch with friends as campy comedy set in
locations that may be genuinely haunted.
Hollow Hill grade: B -
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