When bad reality TV mixes up with the paranormal

There is a television show on TZ Azteca (Mexico’s largest television network) called “Extra Normal”. It’s a 30 minute report on local haunts. I’ve seen one full episode awhile ago while surfing TV and thought that it was a horrible paranormal show. A poor attempt for ratings.

The episode I watched was a report on a local legend of a haunted hotel. The show was dubbed with “eerie” music from start to finish and had so many sound effects that it was difficult to hear the actual recordings. In the end, they kept focusing on the only “evidence” that was captured that night. It was that of a shadow that appears for a split second in the corner of the screen.

Right off the bat, one could see that it was a shadow created by the camera crew’s equipment illuminating a column in the foreground. The shadow moved as the camera moved about the empty ballroom in the hotel. Regardless, the show’s producers and editors kept replaying that piece over and over with sound effects and music.

Well, there is another episode floating around YouTube from “Extra Normal”. The case involves a haunting outside the major city of Guadalajara. In the neighboring city of Tlaquepaque.

Now, as I watched the “Extra Normal” episode on YouTube, it’s still embarrassing to watch. The same cheesy reporting and sound effects are evident throughout the episode.
There is however something authentic in this episode.

The EVPs that the residents had captured prior to the production crew learning of the haunting; also the expressions in their faces throughout this investigation.
To me, the sincerity is apparent when they are being interviewed and we can see how mortified they are to be around these spirits.

The clip is too lengthy to translate in it’s entirety, so I will summarize what is going on and point out references in the clip you should watch/listen to.

In Tlaquepaque, homeowner Maria Agredano is so afraid of the spirits in her home, that she is too afraid to even sleep in her own home at night.
Apparitions of a young boy and a women are said to be so frequent, that it can be a nightly thing. Disembodied voices and screams are heard throughout the home at all hours of the day.

The residents report being grabbed at, pulled and tormented by the ghost of a woman which they claim responds to their actions and questions. In one instance, a young girl was pulled by her shirt (stomach area) while in the bathroom. She ran out frightened of the incident.

The daughter of Mrs. Agredano is a witness to all these events. Maria De Los Angeles has been trying to rid her mother’s home of these spirits. Spirits that they believe are evil. She’s seen the apparition of the woman numerous times and describes seeing physical effects of the poltergeist.

Video at 1:52 – Maria: “What happened is that I heard her, and you know, the fright is there. There was around 5 or 6 people here when we heard her. In fact, I saw her [apparition] move about and go through those plants. The plants parted way as when someone is walking through long grass and it parts.”

Maria De Los Angeles is the only person who has communicated with the spirit of the woman. She has demanded that the spirit leave their home on several occasions, to which the spirit answered with a “I don’t want to”

The residents were keen enough to use their cellphones to record the encounter with Mrs. Maria and the spirit as she questions and demands it to leave their home. Ruben Gonzalez helped record the events.

Video at 3:14 – Maria: “Are you here?”
Female voice: “*moans*”

Maria: “You are not good, are you?”
Female voice: “No” (You can slightly here the response at the 3:21 mark)
Maria: ” You are not”
Maria: “leave now”
Female voice: “No!” (3:26 mark)

Maria: “For the love of Christ, leave this place!”
Female voice: “I don’t want to, I don’t want to” (3:32 mark)

Ruben: “It went that way..” (3:39 mark)
Female voice: “I’m over HEREEEEEE!” (3:41 mark)

Now, I don’t have a lot of faith on EVPs since they are the type of evidence in which you need video to be shot at the time to help dispel any trickery. But the fact that the show’s crew members had no part in capturing those EVPs give a little more credibility to the authenticity of them.

I know the majority of you reading this are die-hard skeptics of evidence that is passed around the web (isn’t that why you read this blog?) as am I, but I want to point out that there are some cases in the annals of the paranormal in which I consider to be authentic and show unexplainable evidence. (Very few indeed)

This episode of “Extra Normal” really stands out in my eyes. Not only do you have a large list of witnesses to the events, you also have clear EVPs that have not been manipulated by any ‘high roller’ production company. Not to mention that the people who are interviewed have this expression of desperation and real concern among their expressions.

At the end of the clip, we see Maria anointing the home with what I guess is holy water. The reporter then says that their microphones were able to detect the ghost screaming as Maria blesses the home.
Something I highly doubt, since the residents all report that the spirit is audible with the naked ear. So why is it that the mics from “Extra Normal” captured a ghostly scream when no one else heard it?
I don’t want to really debate this since the show was no credibility whatsoever.

Can this all have been faked by the family members? Sure, but for what purpose? A mere ruse? a book deal?

I strongly doubt that a book deal is in their minds. Then, can it all have been done for fun? I guess it’s possible. But usually tricksters don’t involve the majority of their family members.

My overall impression of this, is that it can pretty well be a authentic haunting in which evil forces are at play. It’s just a shame that they are mixed up with a horrible reality show.