Most Haunted Live culminates its week-long spook-fest in the run up to Halloween on Saturday. But is Living TV’s most successful franchise frightening or plain farcical?
Most Haunted has been going so long (seven years) you’d think they might have actually caught a ghost on camera by now. Perhaps the presence of Yvette Fielding is understandably enough to scare any ghoul away. Or perhaps the series’ formula is successful enough as it is; that imagination is always more terrifying than reality.
When you actually watch the programme (in weird luminous night-vision) the crew always tend to experience the same things: ‘supernatural’ knocks, footsteps, sudden cold spots, unexplained noises, glasses moving on Ouija boards. Someone always ominously says something like ‘did anyone breathe out then?’ (um, yes – perhaps one of the eight members of the film crew you have with you) which is invariably the cue for lots of shouting and swearing – and thus the implication that something has actually happened.
Most Haunted Live is big on its viewer interaction too – so they always have webcams up where viewers can see members of the crew actual ghostly silhouettes with their own eyes! Then viewers can call/text the show – at a premium rate – to share their scary sightings (or just offer up mad ramblings).
Resident parapsychologist Dr. Ciaran O’ Keeffe famously did an expose in The Mirror on the shows former spiritualist medium Derek Acorah who famously got possessed by ghosts that O’Keeffe had made-up. Unedited footage was also uncovered which showed members of the crew faking paranormal occurrences. This eventually resulted in Ofcom ruling that Most Haunted was an entertainment show, not a legitimate paranormal investigation to be taken seriously.
Though perhaps ‘entertainment’ is a bit too generous. Yvette and co.’s formula is so well-worn it’s a bit like going on the same, crap ghost train ride at a fairground over and over again.
In the case of Most Haunted, do believe your eyes – because you’ll never actually see anything.
Most Haunted Live: Halloween 2009
Saturday 31 October, 8:00pm – 12:00am on Living TV
john brown
thursday nights show @about 2359hrs three names were mentiond mary edith & william these are the names of my daughters three deceaced grand parents(she is getting married tomorrow in the ashton memorial)
cal
how dare u put most haunted down, im a paranormal investigator myself & ghosts do not appear on command, maybe they have faked the odd bit, but i believe that 95% of that they do is real,
if they faked then i would lose faith in the spirit world completely, derek acorahs the fake not them, even yvette said so, & i for 1 will have enjoyed this halloweeen series more than i did pendle hill, its obviously doing well or it woulndt still b on tv now would it !come on think about it, whether they r faking or not, its still a good show & none of them are actors apart from derek, come on now, think about it !
John
The program is tripe. Money for old rope and the sad thing is some people still believe its authenticity when in fact it’s purely entertainment with no supernatural foundations whtsoever. Cut the show now and get something decent on.
ian m
If you dont like most haunted .. dont watch it,,, to go on about how crap as you so nicely put it something is.. is just your view…i think the crew and yvette are very very good …they come over very well and work very hard… even if you belive or not.. good viewing ,, keep ip the good work..
G8
Besides showing some buildings of real character – the rest is laughable
John Barnes
Its almost becoming a parody of itself. All those “experts” and the sudience going “back to the action” what action?. A load of screaming and the odd bout of fainting.
Mind you this morning i woke up and my fridge bulb has blown…lol.
karla cottle
most haunted is a show meant to entertain and nothing else ,
the investigations are not credible to any scientific study
also at least 2 members of the team in my opinion hype up the paranormal
experiances (throwing items around).
the show is old and boring now!
William R. Richards
I really liked most haunted and enjoyed it tremendously! when it was on Freeview channel 20! but its been taken off now for a couple of years or more! I can not see it at all on living! because I can’t get living t.v. SO WHEN!!!! can I see most haunted come back onto Freeview? Please, Please, Please?
Carol Williamson
Well I used to watch the show, but thought after a while….come on surely they should have something on film by now….!!!! It is’nt even entertaining any more let alone believable!!!!!!
Poor Evette would have kittens if a spirit did actually appear because she’s had so many years of faking it….laughable really.
rosalind sparkes
What a load of rubbish.The whole lot of them must be laughing their heads off during filming.Spirits do really exist I know but its when you are alone,in a quiet place that they come.In my husbands family some of them have seen the odd arm,leg,body without a head appear floating across the room.The cat has hissed at the air in the room and moved its eyes slowly across the room as if seeing something but thats all.One member of the family lived in a house on the sight of an old monestry with monks a long time ago and saw spectres floating across the room coming through next doors wall.Their neighbour saw them to.How could they mean you harm.This show is just insulting ones intelligence. Take it off.Regards.R.Sparkes.
d walters
It is shows like this that made us ditch the TV and save the licence fee —utter nonsense to entertain the gullible
Chris Downing
This is probably the silliest program on air. At best it is a second rate reality show, even more dire than one of Cowell’s offerings. At worst it preys on the gullible and those in need.
Dodger
To all none believer’s, go and spend the night in Pendle Hill alone, lets see if you think it’s all so fake then….
Jane
i have watched most haunted since the very beginning and have always enjoyed it. I agree that it seems to be the same knocking or breathing every week but have always enjoyed seeing them look so scared, especially the men, it makes me laugh to see them screaming. I am not so keen on the new medium Brian ?, my favorite was David Wells. Derek Acorah was a joke, getting possessed on every show.
The halloween special has been okay but last night (Friday) when they were all fainting was exciting.
John
How dare I put Most Haunted down???? How dare you even say that! It’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it. I’ve watched the show since the start and there has been no significant evidence, which is a bit surprising if YOU think about it Cal. Wake up and smell the coffee. It’s a TV show based on people’s curiosities and fears, nothing more. No proof, no evidence, nothing to convince open minded people and certainly nothing of substance after thousands of hours of recordings and measurements. Couple that with the only real evidence we have (cast members generating stuff and cheating) and that’s enough for sensible people to make their own minds up.
Colin Hewitt
what a load of rubbish,the EXPERTS must be forewarned where they are going so they can read up on the legends of the place they are going to visit.I watched 20 minutes of it last week what a load of crap.That was the first and last time.What’s paranormal about switching lights off and filming in infra red just makes people look funny.
Rob Bradford
I used to enjoy this program but now it seems to be all about finding a ghost, screaming and running away. Same old thing all the time.
Stephen
“if its gonna happen…it will hapen tonight!”
They have said that crap for years now and not once,EVER has anything happened.
Strange sounds in derelict old buildings…what a shock….sounds of people breathing….whats the chances of that!
The same few numptys every time feel faint or out of breath and get that worked up they blank out…load of cobblers and is now just a money making,text now at top rates rip off!
Keith Baker
The whole show is just that … a show! I do not believe in anything paranormal, it is all mumbo jumbo based on primitive beliefs that were based on lack of knowledge and basic superstitions over many centuries. Today anyone who has a modicom of intelligence and scientific understanding cannot surely show their ignorance and irrational fear by saying they believe in the paranormal! Their are much more worthwhile programmes to air than this staged rubbish.