I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal. I guess that’s why I work in the Haunted house field, trying to imitate and create the things that scare me. I’ve even had my own bouts with ghosts, or at least I think I’ve had. Once, while living in Germany as a kid I was staying in a very old house while my parents were waiting to get base housing. One night, I left the dinner table and starting walking down the hall to my room. About half way down, I started feeling physically sluggish, like you do when you walk through water. I looked up to my right and saw a man up against the wall, hanging from a noose. He was just staring at me. I tried to scream or run, but could not do either for several seconds. Finally, when I could move, I ran back down to the kitchen screaming. My parents tried to blame it on something I ate, but I had a feeling there was more to it. It wasn’t until I was 15 years old and back in the states, that my dad admitted to me that I quite possibly really saw something.

He told me that the town we were staying in used to have a large German-Jewish population and many people were killed in the homes back during the WWII. He told me that there were often sightings like that in many of the homes in that area. He just didn’t want me to know that at 9 years of age. My fascination from that point on has even led me to doing my own little investigations when I was in high school. (Never really found anything cool though…)

So as it happens, I was very interested when Ghost Hunter style shows starting popping up, only to be disappointed by most as they depended too much on quick camera edits and really bad acting to make viewers think there was something really going on. The shows were too slick and too fake. Hated them all. Until I saw “Ghost Hunters.” Headed up by hosts Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, this show was much better produced. Though they still relied a little on quick edits, their aim was not to fake viewers out. Their team would go into a location expecting to be able to debunk a lot of the ‘paranormal goings-on,’ but hoping they would find something real. I only recently started watching this show, and loved the way they handled the entire investigation. When they could explain something away by faulty wiring and the like it was just as cool as when they couldn’t explain something. And only occasionally there would be something really startling that they couldn’t explain. Their excitement was real.

The show was so popular that it spawned “Ghost Hunters International”, which followed the same style of investigation, albeit in very… VERY… cool locations across Europe. Admittedly the main host, Robb Demarest is bit of a stiff and doesn’t come across as genuine as the hosts from the original show, though he does seem to lighten up a little bit in later episodes. The thing I do like about this show is the aforementioned locations. It was cool to see some of the old castles, some of which I visited when I lived in Europe (most notably Frankenstein’s Castle) in a different light and see areas that I wasn’t privy to when I was there. Watching these guys hanging out so much makes me want to be a part of the team and experience what they do.

Recently Image Entertainment released the first half of the freshman season, which gave me my first look at the spin-off. Aside from Demarest, I really, really enjoyed it. The release itself is a rather bare-bones affair, with only the three discs inside the case. There are no inserts or episode guides to take you through. As for extra features, there are only some deleted scenes, a few of which are actually quite entertaining as you get to see the crew joking around a bit more. I would have liked to have seen a few interviews, personally.

Still, “Ghost Hunters International” is an entertaining show for those of you interested in the paranormal and want to steer clear of the horrid old MTV shows that purported to do the same. As for picking up the set, that would depend on your level of interest in re-watching. I’m actually kind of looking forward to the release of the second half of the season.

Episodes:
Chillingham Castle
Evil Unearthed
Whispers From Beyond
Haunted Village
Fortress of Fear
Headless Haunting
Frankenstein’s Castle
Larnach Castle
Devil Dogs
Castle of the Damned
Shattered Spirit

Starring: Robb Demarest, Dustin Pari, Barry Fitzgerald, Brandy Green
Extras: Deleted Scenes
Specification: 1.33:1; Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: Image Entertainment
Release Date: 6/1/2010
MPAA Rating: NR

We'll give Ghost Hunters International: Season 1 Part 1 a B.