A-Haunting We Will Go

09/29/2010

 

Scare Tactics

For those who love to be scared silly, but only from the safety of their TV set's glow, two fave Animal Planet series return this week. It's so great to let others experience that hair-raising, skin-crawling fear of the unexplained, invisible or just plain creepy happenings. Let them run far, run fast: some of us would rather cheer them on while getting a head start on those Halloween snacks.

That's definitely the case for cryptozoology series "Lost Tapes," airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. You'll see a pair of back-to-back episodes of this cool, suspend-all-disbelief program, which shows you some amazing footage shot by those who've experienced the totally weird, up close and personal. Think that zombies exist only in that famous "Thriller" video? Guess again: an investigation into an elusive murderer brings a company called the Enigma Corporation to New Orleans, where some of the 'undead' give new meaning to the term "house party."

Then there's the Yeti story, which two intrepid journalists hope to report when they sneak aboard a cargo ship. But their findings are bigger broadcast news than they'd dreamed.  And If you've pondered poltergeists, you'll relate to one family's story that baffles even the experts. "Lost Tapes" finds new thrills and chills in every episode. Check it out starting this Tuesday.

Fright Night

In "The Haunted,"beginning Sunday Oct. 3 at 10 p.m., you'll encounter unsettling ghost stories that will have you wondering at every creak in your own floor. Tales of both animal and human possession are re-created with stunning cinematic realism. Add some eye-witness description,and the input of paranormal experts examining the case and the place--and you'll be holding your breath to find out what really is happening here.

Even experts themselves are not immune to unsettling circumstances. In Taunton, Massachusetts, Robert "Jake" Jacobs,  whose start-up paranormal group just completed a difficult investigation, returns home to see a shadowy figure, and behavioral changes in his family's Pomeranian. Strange dreams and disembodied voices bring Jake to seek help for an emergency exorcism.

And if animals are vulnerable to the unexplained, so are children: the brand new home for Herve and Michelle apparently includes an invisible, disturbing playmate for their two-year-old daughter Maggie, who describes her imaginary friend with "boo-boos and blood" all over her face. But can even a psychic and a demonologist find the mysterious child's origins?

"The Haunted" is back for a 10-episode run, so you can hide under the covers and watch with your eyes closed till well past All Hallows Eve!