A Haunting
2002 American TV series or program
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A Haunting is an American paranormal drama anthology television series that depicts eyewitness accounts of alleged possession, exorcism, and ghostly encounters. The program features narrations, interviews, and dramatic re-enactments based on various accounts of alleged paranormal experiences at reportedly haunted and mostly residential locations.
- Ed Smart
- Cret Wilson
| A Haunting | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | |
| Developed by | Allison Erkelens |
| Narrated by | Anthony Call[1] |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme |
|
| Ending theme | Ed Smart |
| Composer | Ed Smart |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 11 |
| No. of episodes | 115 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Single |
| Running time | 43–50 minutes |
| Production company | New Dominion Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Discovery Channel |
| Release | August 6, 2002 – November 9, 2007 |
| Network |
|
| Release | October 12, 2012 – March 4, 2022 |
Format
The series has featured several alleged paranormal encounters, including traditional hauntings, demonic activity, ghost attacks, possessions, and cryptic visions.[2][3] The series covers incidents from various locations mostly in the United States, but five episodes are set in international locations around the world, these are Canada, England, Ireland, and Taiwan. Episodes may be set in houses, apartments, farms, commercial areas, and even vast outdoor regions.[4][5][6] Most episodes present several accounts of paranormal experiences through cinematic re-enactments, which are accompanied by commentary from eyewitnesses and investigators themselves.[7]
Episodes within the series follow a frequently recurring pattern, in which victims of hauntings begin noticing peculiar incidents that gradually become more frequent and bizarre. Denial is most often the first reaction. As the situation escalates, however, and every possible conventional explanation is explored and found wanting, they either contact a paranormal investigator, a member of the clergy, or a spiritual medium for assistance. In some cases, victims are able to successfully resolve their paranormal issues, while in others, victims are forced to vacate their residence.[8][9] Certain episodes have also featured commentary from famed demonologist and clairvoyant Ed and Lorraine Warren, who have actually investigated some of the cases featured on the series. The episode "The Dark Side" was dedicated to the memory of Ed, who died in 2006.[9] The episode "Dangerous Games" featured commentary from the Warrens' nephew, John Zaffis.[10]
Background and production
A Haunting originally began as two feature-length specials, A Haunting in Connecticut and A Haunting in Georgia, which were developed by Allison Erkelens, who also served as head writer. The specials were executive produced by Tom Naughton and Nicolas Valcour for New Dominion Pictures.[11] Based on strong ratings, A Haunting became a weekly series on the Discovery Channel in the Fall of 2005 and was produced by Larry Silverman.[4]
According to Silverman, the show's writers search for stories and then filter out accounts with enough substantial content.[4] He has further added that the episodes are strictly based on the accounts of victims, although the Discovery Channel did compel the show's producers to sanitize certain case histories due to their graphic sexual and violent content.[4] Bill Bean, whose real-life experiences were first featured in the episode "House of the Dead", claimed that the show's producers left out some of his story and that "some of the content was altered."[12]
Release
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| Specials | 2 | August 6, 2002 | September 18, 2002 | Discovery Channel | |
| 1 | 8 | October 28, 2005 | March 24, 2006 | ||
| 2 | 8 | August 10, 2006 | September 28, 2006 | ||
| 3 | 10 | October 5, 2006 | December 14, 2006 | ||
| 4 | 13 | August 10, 2007 | November 9, 2007 | ||
| 5 | 10 | October 12, 2012 | December 16, 2012 | Destination America | |
| 6 | 4 | September 29, 2013 | October 20, 2013 | ||
| 7 | 16 | August 1, 2014 | January 23, 2015 | ||
| 8 | 10 | January 3, 2016 | March 20, 2016 | ||
| 9 | 16 | October 21, 2016 | October 30, 2017 | TLC | |
| 10 | 10 | May 27, 2019 | July 29, 2019 | Travel Channel | |
| 11 | 10 | December 31, 2021 | March 4, 2022 | ||
Broadcast
The show originally aired from August 6, 2002, to November 9, 2007, on the Discovery Channel, which produced four seasons of 39 episodes. After nearly a five-year hiatus, New Dominion productions began producing new episodes of a A Haunting in 2012. The show's fifth through eighth seasons were broadcast on the Destination America channel, which aired between October 12, 2012[13][14] and March 20, 2016. As of the show's ninth season, it aired on the TLC Network, where it premiered on October 21, 2016, and ended the following year on October 30, 2017. In 2019, the show's tenth season premiered on The Travel Channel.[15] After a two-year hiatus, the eleventh season of A Haunting debuted on December 31, 2021, on the Travel Channel as well as Discovery Plus.[16]
Home media
Timeless Media Group has released the first 7 seasons on DVD in Region 1 for the first time.[17][18][19]
On October 14, 2014, Timeless Media Group released A Haunting- The Television Series: Special Edition, a 9-disc box set featuring seasons 1–6.[20]
| DVD title | Release date | Released by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hell House | 2005 | Discovery Channel | Individual episode |
| Lake Club Horror | |||
| Cursed | |||
| The Haunting of Summerwind | |||
| Echoes From The Grave | |||
| Darkness Follows | |||
| Seasons 1 and 2 | September 4, 2007 | Timeless Media Group | |
| Seasons 1 and 2 | November 2007 | Discovery Channel | |
| Ghosts And Demons | February 5, 2008 | Timeless Media Group | |
| The House | February 5, 2008 | Released in tin case on September 22, 2009 | |
| Meeting The Dead | February 5, 2008 | ||
| Season 3 | May 20, 2008 | ||
| Season 4 | September 9, 2008 | ||
| Seasons 1–4 | September 9, 2008 | ||
| A Haunting in Connecticut | September 30, 2008 | Echo Bridge Entertainment | |
| A Haunting in Georgia | September 30, 2008 | ||
| Demon Angels | February 10, 2009 | Timeless Media Group | Released in tin case on September 22, 2009 |
| House of Fear | February 10, 2009 | Released in tin case on September 22, 2009 | |
| Spirits From The Past | May 12, 2009 | Released in tin case on September 22, 2009 | |
| The Anguished | May 12, 2009 | ||
| Twilight of Evil | May 12, 2009 | Released on Blu-ray on July 14, 2009; released in tin case on September 22, 2009 | |
| Season 5 | April 23, 2013 | Shout! Factory/Timeless Media Group | |
| Season 6 | August 19, 2014 | ||
| Seasons 1-6 | October 14, 2014 | ||
| Season 7 | April 14, 2015 | ||
Films
Gold Circle Films created two feature-length movies based on cases featured in A Haunting: The Haunting in Connecticut which was released in 2009,[21] and The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, released in 2013.[22]
Accolades
| Award | Year[a] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Telly Awards | 2008 | Bronze Telly: Film/Video – TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces – Documentary | A Haunting; New Dominion Pictures, LLC; Discovery Channel (for "The Unleashed") | Won | [23] |
| 2013 | Silver Telly: Film/Video – TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces – Documentary | A Haunting; New Dominion Pictures, LLC (for "The Exorcism of Cindy Sauer") | Won | [24] | |
| 2015 | Bronze Telly: Film/Video – TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces – Documentary | A Haunting; New Dominion Pictures, LLC (for "Curse of the Mummy") | Won | [25] | |
| 2020 | People's Bronze Telly: TV Programs/Segments – Television | A Haunting; New Dominion Pictures, LLC | Won | [26] | |
| Silver Telly: Documentary: Series – Television | A Haunting; New Dominion Pictures, LLC | Won | [27] | ||
| Silver Telly: Use of Music – Television | A Haunting; New Dominion Pictures, LLC; Ed Smart (Composer) (for "Provoking Evil") | Won | [28] | ||
| 2023 | People's Silver Telly: Television Series/Shows/Segments – People's Telly | A Haunting Season 11; New Dominion Pictures, LLC; Nicolas Valcour; Laura Marini; Lance Catania; Kelly Tucker; Dawn Wilfong; Kay Rothman | Won | [29] | |
| Silver Telly: Horror – Television | A Haunting; New Dominion Pictures, LLC; Nicolas Valcour; Laura Marini; Dawn Wilfong; Lance Catania (for "Asylum 49") | Won | [30] | ||
Notes
- Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.