If there is one thing GhostTheory readers know about me, is that I hate despise paranormal reality television shows. I do. And I say that wiith a total and utter passion. I tend to write less about these shows nowadays.  After awhile, it just begins to feel like a Sisyphean task.

There’s this new show though; and this might just end up being the crème de la crème. Not in any good way of course. Telemundo’s sister network ‘Mun2’ or Mundos (worlds) –which is a clever play on the name TeleMUNDO– is now promoting their new paranormal show called “From Beyond”.

From Beyond, a chilling new reality series featuring a young psychic medium AJ Barrera and paranormal investigators Christian Vera and Ramiro Ramirez who investigate and document paranormal activity in Latino communities in and around Los Angeles.  Throughout the 13 episode unnerving series, the ghost hunters take viewers on a personal journey into hauntings, urban legends and ghost stories proving that the paranormal needs no translation.  For more information, visit: mun2.tv/beyond. — Mun2

The three person paranormal crew consists of a “ghost hunter“, a “medium to the rockstars” and a producer.

Intuitive A.J. Barrera has helped thousands of people worldwide by sharing with them his experience of The Beyond, giving them an understanding of what spirit communications is all about. A.J. is one of the youngest and most accredited Latino mediums in the industry, with a roster that includes his own radio show on the CBS Radio Network, “Breakthrough with A.J. Barrera, appearances on KOST 103.5 Angels in Waiting and Radio Medium on KBIG 104.3.

Due to A.J.’s amazing reputation and credibility, the media coined him as The Medium to the Rock Stars and Celebrity Psychic Medium to the Stars. Through inspiration and intuitive counsel, A.J. helps people to expand the limits of their own consciousness, explore their inner-guidance, and experience the awakening of a Soul Discover

 

I’m not so sure A.J. “manager” to freak out his female companion, Christian Vera. She’s fully aware of the frightening events that unfold before the young Latino viewers, after all, she is the writer and producer.

The show is written and edited in such ways that it’s clear what the producer’s intentions are: To get the short-lived attention of today’s kids. So they default by adding “spooky” sounds and fake EVP whispers and noises. Which brings me to our last From Beyondcrew member. Ramiro Ramirez.

For 15 years Ramiro has experienced personal encounters with the paranormal. He has found a better understanding of what spiritual movement is through his association with 3am Paranormal, a team of respected investigators who have been carefully examining paranormal activity throughout the U.S. for over 22 years. From Fairhaven Cemetery in Santa Ana, California to Private residencies in Guadalajara, Mexico, Ramiro continues to bring pure respect and intentions when conducting professional investigation. Ramiro is a certified EVP/ITC audio analyst who has investigated hundreds of locations throughout the country and over seas.

What’s worse is that I couldn’t even bring myself to watch an entire episode. From the moment A.J. Barrera butchers the pronunciation and use of the words apport and “repport”, to minutes later when the show added a ghostly exhale effect during an EVP session, I clicked it off. The show is riddled with a lot of ghostly sound effects and catholic symbolism to appeal to the young Latino crowd. It’s a shame really, because a more interesting show would focus on what scholars think the paranormal is, and how we go about quantifying the unexplained. Instead, we are left with kids running around in the dark with night-vision cameras pantomiming their confrontations with the unseen spirits.

Who cares though. Do the fans of these shows really care about critical thinking or fringe science? I’m not saying that their audience is composed of mindless zombies, but what I am saying is that these young viewers really can’t be bothered with research and proper scientific conduct. I do want to believe that their audience is more demanding and could see through the smoke and mirrors — and sometimes sound effects– But, alas, browsing through the From Beyond website, I’m reminded why I consider writing about paranormal reality shows a Sisyphean task:

You can watch the full first episode of From Beyond here.