Takes itself way too seriously

Let's be realistic.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Blistering performances.

Wow I miss this show. I remember talking to my brother about this one over coffee. I do admit you can't help but be amused watching it from the comfort of a sofa but when you are in one of the scariest places on earth well that's another story. What I liked about this show is also gives a history of the place and the interviews of locals and owners. The highlight in most episodes is when a family is given the challenge of an overnight stay at a reputed haunted place like Chillingham Castle or a disused sanatorium in one of the islands of Venice and the reactions of the participants looked very real. One night may be more than enough to cure a skeptic. It is fitting Linda Blair be the host and Zelda Rubinstein be the narrator one must not forget it's other commentator host Allan Robson. This British DJ puts a chilly twist to his warnings when a family camps in for the night. He makes it clear that this is no picnic. Whether you believe it or not Scariest Places on Earth is entertaining.

OK so Blair Witch Mania is running wild in the late 1990s. You have a successfull Indie Movie making millions at both Art House and Main Stream Movie Houses around the globe. So now how do you top this madness off ? By making a tv show based on the concepted storyline, only this time use real people instead of actors and real locations that are haunted. Fox Family Channel debuted this series with a Halloween Special that eventually went on to churn out several episodes. Scariest Places was hosted by Linda Blair of The Exorcist 1 and 2. The narrator was Zelda Rubenstien of the Poltergiest Trilogy. This show covered several American locations and European locations as well. Most of the European locations were located in The United Kingdom including Chillingham Castle which became a fan favorite location of the show. Fox TV dared and paid 2 families of 5 people to go and determine if Chillingham was indeed haunted. Well as it turned out "YES" this Castle was indeed very haunted ! Both families failed to complete the challenge because one or more family members were just too plain scared to finish what they started. This show was great in it's initial run but was at the same time being ripped off by a copy cat show called FEAR. This Mtv show had the same storyline challenge only with a financial incentive of $10'000.00 to the surviving team members. FEAR and Scariest Places garnered a small following of fans both abroad and on the internet. Fox Family Channel by the turn of the century was bought out by ABC TV who is in turn owned by Disney. Disney being family friendly canned this show in 2001. There were a few designated replays of the show on Family Channel but that was just to finish out the obligations to the creators of the show. Today this shows' video tapes sits in the vault somewhere at Family Channel Studios collecting dust and waiting to be released on DVD uncut uncensored and unedited. But knowing Michael Eisner and Disney that ain't never going to happen.

I have seen some episodes of this series.Most of the episodes are questionable and based on second hand eyewitness accounts and there is absolutely no attempt to get a balancing neutral/critical opinion. It is the paranormal equivalent of Von Daniken. I noted a particularly laughable episode on "ghosts of the colosseum" where a pyshcic with a lenghth of string comes to the conclusion that he "can feel" a ghost somewhere in the dungeons and finally "it" leads him to a street (somewhere else) where "it" was apparently buried. I mean who the hell is this guy and how do you know it is true? Then there are a whole bunch of "paranormal investigators" with infrared scanners and electromagnetic detectors claiming they see ghosts and presences everywhere and we just have to take their word for it.There are pics caught on cam of people running scared when they "felt" the presence of a spirit. These people have been already hyped up by being told the place is haunted and there is a ghost waiting for them somewhere. There is no effort to go back and analyse what happened or interview the people involved. All the episodes follow this pattern: shallow and full of tricks.

My mother watches this show every Friday and Saturday. They show you people trapped in haunted houses. It is funny when they start screaming bloody murder. Than it's up to a relative or cop or whoever to save the day. If you think you are brave watch this show. They always scream I think it is like that movie The Blair Witch Project.