Paranormal State

Production

The show was a joint production between Four Seasons Productions International and Go Go Luckey Productions, the company behind MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County, as well as A&E's now-cancelled Rollergirls. Gary Auerbach and Julie Auerbach, who run Go Go Luckey Productions, served as executive producers alongside Betsy Schechter of Four Seasons. Before settling on the name Paranormal State, the series went by the working titles Out There, Dead Time, and Paranormal U. Co-executive producer Tina Gazzerro explained that the production team mapped out every episode in advance to guarantee a shootable outcome, pinpointing where to insert discovery moments and "Ah-ha!" moments.

Details about the case being investigated were sometimes kept from the student team to build dramatic tension, and only cases with a clear resolution were pursued. "We may have information we don't give to [the PRS team]," Gazzerro told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "but we need to make sure [the episode is] produceable." Each character on the show had a planned story arc, and the production team openly hoped a romance would develop between team leader Ryan Buell and one of the female cast members.

Both the producers and the show's researchers insisted no pressure was placed on the team to behave a certain way or to fabricate paranormal findings. A&E had strong expectations for the series, since cable reality shows about the paranormal cost roughly a quarter of what a scripted program of the same length does. They also attract younger viewers, with a slightly higher female audience than male—a desirable demographic for many cable networks. The first season consisted of fourteen half-hour episodes, but after reviewing the pilot and early installments, A&E increased the order to twenty.

If A&E had not picked up the show, Buell stated he had another series deal in progress with the Auerbachs and their production company. The premiere was originally set for May or June 2007 but was delayed to December 2007 for reasons that were not disclosed.

Reception

Most critics who enjoy the show credit it for being 'spooky,' with one reviewer describing it as 'the perfect blend of bump-in-the-night scariness and cinéma vérité' and comparing it to The Blair Witch Project meets Unsolved Mysteries. Reviewers have noted that the show effectively uses cinematic techniques common in horror films, including editing that leaves open whether paranormal activity is occurring, and cinematography employing night-vision and infrared photography to create suspense.

The writing was praised for creating a sense of portent and dread, and the music and graphics were said to contribute to tension and fear. At least one critic pointed out that the team's failure to definitively find paranormal activity in each episode gives the show credibility over other paranormal series. Conversely, the Orange County Register gave it a 'dishonorable mention' as one of the worst new shows of the 2007-2008 television season. The New York Times critic Neil Genzlinger faulted the series for being too low-budget and not frightening enough, calling it 'The Blair Witch Project minus the fright.'

Some reviewers criticized the high production values that others praised, with one positive review noting the show was 'over-produced, with too many eerie sounds and visual effects' and questioning whether heavy breathing was from PRS microphones or added by producers. Critics also pointed out that the show lacks visual punch, as interviewees declare they 'feel' a spirit but nothing is shown to viewers. One industry trade publication noted that 'the most compelling footage seems to come more from the editing room than beyond the grave.'

Reviewers said the show fails to effectively integrate its sophisticated audio and video equipment to heighten tension or support claims of paranormal activity.

Release

In November 2007, a six-story billboard was erected at the corner of Prince and Mulberry Streets in New York City. Behind the billboard were two directional audio speakers, or audioSpotlights, producing a highly focused beam of sound. Passers-by walking directly in the path of the sound heard spooky, disembodied voices whispering suggestive messages such as 'What's that?' and 'Who's there? It's not your imagination,' while someone standing next to them heard nothing. The billboard had a dramatic effect on people within the 'cone of sound' and was apparently the first commercial use of the technology on a billboard.