SkimIt
Network: Syfy
Genre: Reality TV
TV Rating: TV-PG
Other Choices: Celebrity Ghost Stories, Paranormal State, Ghost Hunters
Available On: Online
Common Sense Says: Spooky ghost sightings are entertainingly dramatic.
Common Sense Rates It:
Parents need to know
Parents need to know that School Spirits features first-hand accounts of paranormal activity at academic institutions, and dramatic reenactments designed to increase the show's spooky entertainment value. Occasionally bloody wounds are visible. It also contains some creepy imagery that sensitive viewers may find frightening.
- Families can talk about the various ways the media approaches the subject of paranormal activity. Are these shows designed to entertain viewers? Or to convince viewers that ghosts are real?
- Do you believe in ghosts or spirits? Why or why not? Did you know that some universities and other institutions promote ghostly legends as part of their folklore and/or tradition? What is the appeal?
What's the story?
SCHOOL SPIRITS is a reality series that explores paranormal stories of hauntings at academic institutions around the United States. The series uses first-person accounts of students, faculty, and alumni to detail the various spooky sightings in buildings at educational institutions like the University of Michigan, Sweet Briar College in Virginia, and Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Reenactments of events add to the drama. From haunted dorms to possessed sorority houses, each episode details the various paranormal encounters people have experienced within the walls of their school. When possible, actual recordings and images documenting these events are shown. With the help of experts, historical information pertaining to some of the buildings in which the unexplainable events take place are offered.
Is it any good?
The series successfully blends personal interviews with theatrical dramatizations to create some entertainingly creepy moments. But it also reveals some surprising introspection from those describing the experiences from their school days, especially when they share the emotional and spiritual impact their experiences continue to have on them today.While some of the recreated images -- many of which are a result of special effects -- are a little over-the-top, folks who like this sort of thing will most likely enjoy the tension-filled stories being told here. But those who are more sensitive will probably find what is being discussed here a little disturbing.
The Good Stuff
Messages: The series promotes the idea that paranormal activity is real and that ghosts and other spirits are real.
Role Models: Some spirits are described as being helpful or protective. Others are defined as troubled and/or evil.
What to watch out for
Violence Paranormal sightings include images of people being burned alive and other frightening images. Physical reactions to paranormal activity include being pushed, screaming, and people getting violent with each other. Contains images of bloody wounds. Occasionally during reenactments guns are drawn. Suicide is discussed.
Sex: One episode shows someone naked in a nonsexual setting (no private parts are shown).
Language: Not an issue
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs & smoking: Not an issue
