If you have been consuming content on Youtube for an extended period of time, you know Buzzfeed. While a lot of attention has been directed towards the Try Guys lately, for very good reason, some other ex-Buzzfeed employees have been making waves for a niche, appreciative group of longtime fans on their channel, Watcher. Ryan Bergara, a hardcore beliver, and Shane Madej, an equally devoted skeptic, investigated haunted places and discussed spooky events on the incredibly popular channel, Buzzfeed Unsolved, earning seventeen to almost thirty seven million views on the videos they starred in. link and stats on their most popular video. They became viral memes (“hey there demons, it’s me, ya boy”) and were hugely popular. On the first episode of their new, independent series, Ghost Files, they racked up an impressive three and a half million views in two weeks, and command an impressive million quickly after posting each new episode. They also returned to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, in a callback to their first investigation location on Unsolved.
Something that makes the show great for newbies and return viewers is the quick animated breakdowns, including voiceover explanations, of the technology they use on the show. I’ve been watching Ghost Adventures for many years, but was unfamiliar with some of the technology, so they have plenty of new tech to see in action for those who are already fans of the paranormal investiagtion genre. My favorite method, as mentioned in their “Debrief” videos by other fans, was the ESTES Method. One of the duo would put headphones connected to the Spirit Box on, and be unable to hear the questions their partner asked, only able to answer with what they think they from the Box. This made for some hilarious, but sometimes hair-raising answers. I got literal chills when they started talking about the bear (ifykyk)!
Whether or not the evidence is genuine, the connections between the show runners certainly is. Their friendship and happiness radiates out from the video, and never fails to put me in a. good mood. Even the excitement of the crew is obvious, as shown here when they interviewed their cinematographer. The incorporation of questions from the fans and admitting to reading the comments shows how dedicated they are to their fans, and to outside input. They also love to take goofy pictures and posts across social media, proving their engagement with the public while having fun, which we love to see them do! It’s clear how involved and excited everyone on the team is to be making the show.
In the future, they plan to have special guests like Garrett Watts, also a lover of ghosts and YouTuber for years (who happens to have access to a special haunted location!), and possibly Danny Gonzalez, a skeptic and YouTuber in his own right. If you love YouTube and ghosts, why haven’t you seen it yet? If you’re new to the boys’ brand, ghost hunting, or both, this is an accessible, hilarious watch that I highly recommend!