SCI-FI Channel Haunts July With Premiers of ‘Scare Tactics’ and ‘Ghost Hunters International’

Article originally published 07/9/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Beginning this week, fans of paranormal reality shows will be much happier with their Wednesday nights. This week marks the premiere of two of the SCI-FI Channel’s ghoulishly popular shows, Ghost Hunters International and Scare Tactics. How do these two shows stack up against other perennial summertime reality favorites like Amazing Race and The Mole? Well, there really is not much of a comparison. These two shows can’t be pigeonholed into the the ‘reality television’ genre as they fall more on within the SCI-FI realm of the fantastical. Regardless, any way you look at it, ghostbusting twentysomethings and an unwitting assistant to the delivery of a devil child always makes for good television. We caught a peek at the season premiers for both shows… read on for our reactions to these summer screamers from SCI-FI (hah!).

Scare Tactics:

This season marks the return of Scare Tactics to the SCI-FI channel. The show, which features a hidden-camera premise, puts its ’stars’ into situations which combine elements of Punk’d and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. An intriguing premise, I’ll admit. Unfortunately, the new Scare Tactics, along with its new host Tracy Morgan offers more groans than shrieks. Morgan introduces each prank with a combination of grim humor and wooden dialog so flat it would make the Crypt Keeper want to off himself… again. The pranks themselves are pretty great, including one that involves a delivery room, a midget painted red and a very confused nurse-in-training. However, the show’s clearly scripted nature gives little credence to the ‘reveal’, leading you to believe that the mark was in on the gag from the beginning. Oh well, regardless of its missteps, I say that there is always room on television for a man being shoved in a wood-chipper.

Ghost Hunters International:

Building on the success of their first paranormal series Ghost Hunters, SCI-FI went in search of spectres on a global scale. GHI chronicles the journeys of a new team of investigators as they traverse the globe on a quest to debunk ghost sightings. The premise doesn’t differ much from the original Ghost Hunters series but what really sells GHI is its elaborate locations. In this season premiere the team travels to Larnach Castle, the only one of its kind in New Zealand. There, they immerse themselves in the castle’s deep (and violent) history, hoping to learn more about the building’s former inhabitants. Much of the episode relies on setup, preparation and more setup. All of this is loosely tied together with a few mysteriously clattering dishes and some common-sense ‘debunking’ showmanship involving a hair dryer. When the payoff finally comes, we are left with little more than a history lesson and some well-presented speculation. A fun trip for sure, I just wish the destination wasn’t such a letdown.