Movies
TV: ‘Ghost Hunters’ Spinoff Gets Educated
Say what you will about Jason and Grant, but I love Sci Fi Channel’s GHOST HUNTERS. Whether the experiences in the show are the real deal or not is beyond the point, the show is simply entertaining (if only they’d bring Brian back and get rid of that annoying Joe dude). After spinning off the series into “International” territories, Sci Fi is about the give the series a spinoff with a higher education. Read on for the skinny.
Sci Fi Channel has ordered a pilot for another spinoff of the popular reality franchise from exec producer Craig Piligian.
Tentatively titled “Ghost Hunters: College Edition,” the show features a group of students going around the country to seek out paranormal activity.
The students will be guided by an experienced ghost investigator. Producers have not determined if any cast members from the other shows will be involved in the new project.
“Hunters” launched in 2004 starring two Rhode Island plumbers who investigate purportedly haunted houses in their spare time. The show has since grown every season and is now Sci Fi’s second highest-rated series (after new drama “Sanctuary”). The Oct. 8 “Hunters” episode scored an all-time high of 2.7 million total viewers.
” ‘Ghost Hunters’ appeals to a wide demographic, and we felt the college edition would be a great asset to the franchise,” Piligian said.
The first spinoff, “Ghost Hunters International,” took the format around the world. The show debuted in January to record ratings and enjoyed a successful seven-episode run, averaging 2.4 million viewers. “International” has been renewed for a second season.
Sci Fi’s “Ghost Hunters” franchise has been an on-brand and relatively affordable success for the network. The new show is sure to prompt comparisons to A&E’s “Paranormal State,” where Pennsylvania college students investigate supernatural claims. A&E launched “State” last year and, along with Travel Channel’s U.K. impor
In the wake of Backrooms and Obsession, everyone is prowling YouTube for horror shorts to adapt and horror filmmakers to scoop up, so don’t be surprised to see a whole bunch of upcoming articles about YouTube success stories crossing over into theaters. One horror short that’s already been picked up for expansion is Dolly director Rod Blackhurst’s Alone Time.
The 12-minute short was uploaded in 2014 and has amassed nearly 2 million views at the time of this article being written, and Deadline reports that it’s getting a feature adaptation.
Witchcraft Motion Picture Company & Fever Dream will turn the viral short into a feature film.
Alone Time follows Ann Saunders, a young NY professional whose carefully constructed life begins to unravel following a devastating personal loss. “Seeking refuge from a collapsing relationship, a deteriorating family situation, and mounting emotional trauma, Ann reluctantly joins her closest friend on a remote camping trip deep in the Adirondack wilderness.”
The synopsis continues, “When her friend mysteriously disappears, Ann becomes convinced that an unseen figure is stalking her through the forest. What begins as a survival nightmare slowly transforms into something far more disturbing as fractured memories, conflicting realities, and hidden truths force Ann to confront the possibility that the greatest threat may not be lurking in the woods at all, but buried deep within her own psych.”
“Alone Time has quietly followed me for over a decade,” director Rod Blackhurst said in a statement. “What began as a short film about isolation and the weight of life now feels more relevant than ever. The original short found its audience organically online long before that was considered a legitimate path for filmmakers. Bringing it to life as a feature allows us to explore those themes on a much larger and more psychologically unsettling canvas.”
Blackhurst is directing the feature length expansion.
You can watch the original Alone Time short film below.