Opposing Viewpoints: MTV's Fear

By: Sam Little

Once again welcome to DPRT's opposing viewpoint article series. This time around we are going to look at one of the most controversial shows in regards to paranormal research. That show is MTV's Fear and what it did was take a group of young people and place them in a reputable haunted location and have them complete dares that would in turn cause the paranormal activity to increase. The goal was for these young people to complete their tasks and gain $5,000 for their efforts as well as determine if the location is really haunted. Fear captivated audiences who watched for several reasons. The hope of seeing a ghost, the thrill or just the good TV are all a few of those reasons. In this article I want to discuss the good, the bad, and the uglies of MTV's Fear. I want to express how MTV did make both a positive and negative impact on the paranormal field.

The Good

The major good in regards to the show was the fact that the locations chosen where those that topped most researchers to visit lists. Places like St. Agnes Hospital, Duggan Bros. Cement Factory and of course Eastern State Penn to name a few. hat made the show have more of a real feel to it. Ask any researcher and they will tell you that the locations chosen are ones they them self would love to visit.

Another great factor was that the gear used to monitor these events was in fact high quality and not just for looks and effect but to serve the purpose of discovering paranormal activity. MTV really seemed interested in not only a good show but finding true activity. Night vision cameras, tri-field meters and the such all served to better document paranormal activity. This in my opinion was exactly how it looked, a great way to get research at the same time a show was being made.

One of the largest factors in stating that Fear was a positive influence was the techniques used. The cast made use of automatic writing, channeling and various other techniques used by many researchers today. The dares, in a sense were recreations of the actual event and in the early days of paranormal research this was thought to release the spirits from their earthly binds. The dares were like bait that would attract the ghosts and bring them out for better evaluation. These techniques were tagged with great historical research. MTV did not just pick these spots and go with it, they brought in experts such as criminologist, former employees of the locations, and famed paranormal researchers. Even the Warrens made several appearances on the show to help with the selection of the locations. This made the cast well informed of what they themselves were getting into. It is often noticed that evidence is usually discovered when least expected which gave this show a very good edge as evidence was not the main focus as much as the actual fear factor.

The cast were allowed to stay more than a few hours and this gave a great amount of time to do actual research. The real emotion and drive was a thrill as well as a vital way to attract ghosts. MTV's Fear was positive in the way it gave normal people the opportunity to venture into abnormal surroundings and make their own decisions on what they experience. It allowed us as viewers to see the emotional impact a haunting can have, even if just for one hour a week. We could watch the trials of people who were tossed into the center of something they did not know, and watch as they either triumph over fear or let it consume them and their drive to achieve the dares and goals. It was a show to lift the spirits, pun intended, as well as open the mind a little wider and allow us to stop looking at everything under the microscope of scientific inquiry and more with the inner parts of us.

As with all things good, bad is in there some where. Fear is no exception to that age old rule. The techniques used are what most researchers would view as angering the spirits and causing results that could prove harmful. The show made use of reinactments that could have caused a spirit to feel as if it were being mocked. This would not be a good thing if you are dealing with the spirits in a place were violence was the day to day life. Also channeling and the such is not to be toyed with and using untrained people to conduct these acts opens the person up to many things, including the possibility of demonic possession. Use of tools like Ouija boards and other spirit communication methods are dangerous if the person doing them does not understand fully what it is they are doing.

Another factor leaning Fear in the angle of the bad is that the cast is scared prior to their experience by hearing psychics and the such speak about the locations. They are informed but at the same time the fear is being implanted like a seed, and that seed will only grow as the dares continue. This creates a very unclear and foggy thought frame that could result in injury while fleeing from a "ghost". Also that fear that is already there may cause the person to lose sight of things intentionally. They don't want to see a spirit so they try their hardest to avoid them.

Another key factor is the way TV works. These young people are cast for specific reasons, maybe because they look good or because they have some factor that makes them highly presentable on a TV program. The makers of the show do not cast people who are average, thay want above that. If it is a girl they want hot and sexy, guys need to be hansom and distinct and of course as with MTV's mounting stockpile of shows there is a large gay factor. This adds the suspense of an expected reaction but with my experiences (DPRT wiccan research specialist is gay) the gay people usually are the most fearless, so we get shocked when they don't act the way society has tried to make us see them. That TV factor is also a big influence on the cast. The temptation to become an actor or actress may be present and then we are left guessing whether or not the reaction and emotion we see are genuine or just a show and tale process. This really causes us to second guess the very nature of the show and we stop seeing it as paranormal research and start viewing it more in line with soap operas and the such. TV factors in again with it's fake side. Cheesy visual and audio effects take away from the seriousness of the show and bring about a more horror movie feel to it. This keeps our attention but for the wrong reasons. The thrill of a ghosts should out weigh the thrill of the eerie music and fade outs, but it seldom does. The want for good TV is there in abundance. Sometimes we get to see dares that are appropriate like reinacting a suicide but other times we get the fear factor dare. Placing your head in a box of roaches and that sort of thing have no reason to the over all purpose other than to make good TV. Fear factor has proven year after year that this is effective for keeping an audience and MTV must have felt that would work here as well.

The ugly side of Fear is of course what we are left with. Is it paranormal research, reality or simply shock theater on a smaller scale? Are we watching a search for ghosts or a quest to eliminate that which scares us? It really matters to each individual to make that choice and to determine if this is a show for them. Sadly Fear for such a small amount of time and we never really got to see the full potential of the show. I felt it had a great thing going for it and there did seem to be some genuine activity at times. Fear was to some a show that showed how silly paranormal research was and to others it demonstrated the need for more scientific approach. It was a show that truthfully helped to start the wave of paranormal programming we see today. The ugly side is simply that we did not truly learn what was there to learn and that we never saw what we needed to see, but coming in with years upon years of research under my belt, I can tell you that is almost always the case. Happy Hunting.