By Lizz Panchyk
What started out as a talk show on one of the many YouTube Buzzfeed channels ended up as a ghost hunting show on an entirely new channel called Watcher. In passing, you may have heard of “Buzzfeed Unsolved” with Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej. They had two series: “Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural,” in which they would explore haunted buildings in the hopes of catching ghost evidence, and “Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime,” where they would bring up cold cases to discuss in full; everything from Princess Diana’s death to the Keddie Cabin murders.
The series had a good and long run of 15 seasons, and then they started their new channel, Watcher, about two years ago where they have several different shows that come out throughout the year. There’s “Are You Scared?” in which Ryan tells a fictional story written and submitted by a fan or a writer to Shane and they react to it. The most recent one that came out was based on the new movie “Smile” and gave a chilling introduction to what the movie’s about. Their other show is “Too Many Spirits” in which the two are made cocktails to try, and read short, true stories told by fans throughout four separate episodes per season. The channel includes other short shows such as “Puppet History” and “Dish Granted,” but “Are You Scared?” and “Too Many Spirits” were the prominent Ryan and Shane shows while “Ghost Files” was in the making.
“Ghost Files,” which came out on September 23, is a sort of twist on “Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural” but goes down deeper into ghost hunting. Here, they gather evidence through social media platforms from fans or those with experiences and take it to be tested. They travel to said location with their small camera crew and explore a haunted building while discussing and showing outside evidence that was found. Ryan and Shane bring multiple devices that allow them to possibly see/hear spirits in the buildings they are in. They explore the most “active” or most haunted sections and collect evidence as they search together, ending the show with an individual search from each of them. There have been four episodes released as of October 14, but each episode will be coming out at 3 pm Eastern Time on Fridays and so far, the episodes run from 40 minutes to just over an hour.
Though spooky, the show is lighthearted and lets you pause to laugh once in a while. Ryan is a believer of the supernatural while Shane is a skeptic, so the dichotomy between them is hilarious, and you watch them take pleasure in taunting whatever may be haunting the halls that they happen to be residing in. The comedy makes it less intimidating to watch because you know that they are secretly terrified (as Ryan says whenever he enters a haunted building alone, “I am not my fear”).
While I have gotten to know the characters by watching their past shows, they do have a great on-screen presence with undeniably likable personalities. The show came out just in time for Halloween. For all the YouTube watchers out there, check out “Ghost Files” for uncanny ghost evidence brought to you by infamous ghost hunters Ryan and Shane. Whether you’re a Shaniac or a Boogara, you’re bound to find yourself afraid to leave your room after watching this show. Stay tuned as “Ghost Files” releases more episodes, and don’t be afraid to check their other shows on Watcher as well.