Customer Reviews

Investigating the Afterlife

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're interested in ghosts or the paranormal, this flick is a serious treat!

We've all watched ghost hunting "reality" shows on TV, and going into this documentary, I was wondering what could they possibly show I haven't seen. Well, as it turns out, PLENTY.

Most ghost hunting programs - and films, for that matter - are so determined to frighten that they spend alot of time flash-cutting, trumping up fakey "results", and building heavy, overbearing "spooky" sound design. By contrast, INVESTIGATING THE AFTERLIFE shows what the experience of ghost hunting is really like - the patience required, the psychology, and ultimately, the terror. Instead of "trying" so hard to be scary, INVESTIGATING THE AFTERLIFE actually is. The process of paranormal investigation is played out, and as a result is WAY more intense and gripping than the editorially manufactured stuff you've seen on TV.

Amateur ghost-hunter Shane Free dares to do something so many of us have thought about doing, and by documenting his efforts in an unsensationalized and honest manner, puts us RIGHT THERE with him! This is a seriously spooky treat and an absolute must-see for fans of ghost-hunting, the paranormal, or anyone just wanting to watch an usually creepy movie!

This was probably the best amateur ghost investigation documentary I've seen. The footage and sound is clear. The evidence is presented very matter of fact without embellishment. I am very impressed by this. I suggest it highly to anyone that is interested in ghost investigation.

This documentary is RIVETING! The attempt here is to show how ghost-hunting is actually done, step by step, and the result is a serious case of the creeps. The ouija board sequence alone kept me up that night.

This movie reminded me a fair amount of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (which I also loved). Although far less sensational in its results (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is, after all, fiction), that same unsettling sense of dread and fear built throughout INVESTIGATING THE AFTERLIFE.

This one will keep you jumping. And if you've ever thought about taking on a ghost hunt, its a must-see!

bought this book for my sister and she hasn't read it yet so i can't tell you if it is any good.

For someone just going around visiting haunted places, I think he did extremely well. He isn't a paranormal investigator, he is just someone who is interested, but did better than many I have seen. Prospect Place was done very well. If you go back tell George HEY! lol. We had the house to ourselves and caught numerous things there. Excellent place to go if your interested in the paranormal.

I hope I'm not giving anything away, but I learned that the IR thermometer measures temperature changes, the EMF detector measures electro-magnetic fields, EVP is electronic voice phenomenon where you hear sounds on tape that you didn't hear when you were doing the recording, a disembodied voice is where you hear sounds that have no known source and orbs are round floating objects that sometimes appear on film.

This is a very well made production with expert cutting and a killer soundtrack which keeps you hooked in from start to finish. I am a skeptic of the subject matter and don't usually pay attention to documentaries relating to the paranormal. But the quality of the filmmaking kept me interested throughout.

I especially enjoyed the deleted scenes where we are introduced to the equipment that was used to detect paranormal activity.

This guy's name is Shane Free. Shane thinks he is a paranormal investigator. Don't we all? Shane traveled to Gettysburg to the Cashtown Inn, the Queen Mary in California, and Ohio's Prospect Place - all places that have been investigated before on television more times than I care to mention. I'm not sure why Shane Free bothered to make a DVD of his excursions. To show the world that he is not too bright, perhaps? Shane believes in orbs, and he showed many cringe worthy shots of dust particles that he swears are orbs and spirits. In fact, one small "orb" is in front of the faces of two investigators in one shot, and as they enlarge the footage, you can see that this orb miraculously has little legs making jerky little motions. Shane Free cannot tell a spider from an orb - or excuse me - dust particle. That's really embarrassing. And guess what else? Shane bought a Ouija board just for his trip to Prospect Place, even though we are warned again and again and AGAIN that you should never EVER use a Ouija board during an investigation. It is inviting trouble that you don't want and it is stupid. And dangerous. And did I mention `stupid'? But this is not all! Shane makes sure that the Ouija board that he buys is haunted. Yeah, let's not only use a Ouija board that can invoke seriously nasty evil spirits that will follow you home and to the Dairy Queen and anywhere you go, but let's make sure that it is already certified `dangerous' as it comes with a guarantee that it is haunted.

Shane opens the package when he receives it and, because he is apparently a seasoned paranormal investigator, throws the enclosed package of sea salt he is supposed to spread around when he is using this board, to the floor. Gosh, now he is `careless' and stupid. So on to Prospect Place, where he and two other suckers balance this board on their knees and have a session with it. What do you know? That little thing is really moving around that board and eventually goes off the board. And while one second Shane is beaming, self-satisfied, that he got a response from his haunted Ouija board, in the next second he is whipping this same board up into the air because he suddenly flew off his chair like someone lit a match under his butt. Apparently, something touched him on the back of the neck and he nearly did a number two in his pants. Suddenly I am beaming, self-satisfied, that Shane got a taste of why you should never EVER use a Ouija board on an investigation.

Nothing Shane Free got as `evidence' was trustworthy or exciting. It seems anyone can make a DVD nowadays and call themselves a paranormal investigator. Look, if you do, at least act responsibly and don't be stupid, and if you are stupid, certainly don't film it and then put it on a DVD to sell to the world to show them just how stupid you really are. Take up cooking instead and use the haunted Ouija board to chop carrots on. And stop taking our money for this nonsense. Please?

Not much happens on this DVD. If you've watched Ghost Hunters, you know the drill. While Shane and his friends had some "personal experiences," they aren't terribly convincing to anyone not experiencing them - that is, the viewers.

The production values are good, and the cost of the DVD is pretty low. But at 66 minutes, it still seems overpriced. Especially since those 66 minutes are pretty dull.

As an avowed fan of the paranormal, I found "Investigating the Afterlife" a bit dull and predictable. Not much different from what is shown on TV's documentaries of the paranormal. Mysterious noises, footsteps, doors that open or close on their own, unexplained lights and shadows showing up in pictures, etc., etc. For me, the DVD did not show anything new of what is already being featured on this documentaries. Admittedly a waste of money.