A Deep Look at What Is In Ghost Hunt: Burlington County Prison Museum: A Movie Review

*a screener of this film was provided by Gravitas Ventures.

Producer/host: Dan Marro.

Special Guest: Trish Lescas.

When Ghost Hunt: Burlington County Prison Museum is on, curiousity seekers will no doubt want to flock to dark, tortured, chambers and hope some kind of paranormal evidence will be found. The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) investigated this place for their television show, "Ghost Hunters" (on SyFy) early in season four, and their results are not necessarily definitive. As more groups continue to investigate, maybe more telling evidence will surface, and that can put this prison on the map of the world’s most haunted sites.

Shadows and orbs are said to be commonly seen at this penitentiary located in Mount Holly, New Jersey. But by whom do the spirits tell their tales? As a museum, plenty of folks have walked through its doors. As a detention center, plenty of prisoners have gone in and out, with some being executed for their crimes.

Dan Marro is the producer of this documentary and he is also the host of the "E.S.P. Dark Harvest Radio Program." With no surprise, the acronym means Event Supernatural and Paranormal and that draws into question a debate in the community. Can public ghost hunting events provide any education or spread in the belief of the paranormal upon the unsuspecting public. Some people go to these ‘events’ for a show, and not all paranormal investigations will have that. Experiences will vary per individual.

With this product, an investigation at a high profile venue highlights two concerns: the Museum can cash-in by renting their facilities out to investigators hoping for an encounter. For Marro, he has enough cred' in his star meter to book the venue. Once that is done, he has called upon his group of friends, who have a keen interest in the paranormal, to scrutinize what is said to habituate the prison at night.

He admits that everyone he knows are not licensed professionals. That is, they hold no degree in the study of parapsychology, psychology or even metaphysics. They are just enthusiasts. That humble beginning makes for a good start to what should be a believable product.

But is it? The DVD release has the feel of being a one-off video project so that it can ask viewers if what Marro’s team has captured is truly evidence of life everlasting. More could be down the road, and hopefully Marro does not develop a need to become as famous as Zak Bagans ("Ghost Adventures") or Ryan Buell ("Paranormal State"). Marro’s laid-back attitude is reminiscent of Jason Hawes ("Ghost Hunters") and that is much more apropos.

The extras are far more interesting than the documentary itself. The interviews with the individual members of Marro’s group help viewers understand who these people are. This featurette should be viewed first before watching the show. It helps viewers understand why each person behaves the way he or she does. For example, one guest investigator (Trish) explains why she is confrontational towards a ghost.

Paranormal investigation often means sitting around, walking around, and hoping strangeness may occur for the cameras or audio recorders to capture. The debate over provoking a spirit is one that will have more people saying: ”Do not do it!” Say the wrong thing, and the living may well join the dead. Just as unfortunate, some investigators may get a dark attachment that can cause harm down the road. But just like in any job, there will always be a few idiots who will not listen.

This 70min documentary has several moments where the tech has malfunctioned. But is that paranormal? Maybe, since spirit energy can possibly disrupt equipment. After the halfway mark of their investigation, and the team has reviewed their recordings, they have found some interesting evidence. The best part is to see how this team tries to debunk the material they have captured by revisiting the location and testing possible explanations.

There is an electronic voice phenomenon which sounds very watery, and hard to hear despite all the filtering done to the sound file. Another is a weirdly shaped orb or piece of ectoplasm that second unit cameraman, Joe Carruolo, says has followed the other team members. But after it loses its interest with the girls, it returns to room and floats downwards, like a piece of dust—this action makes this piece of evidence tough to say if it is a ghost or not. Motion can cause air disruptions and dust can come in various shapes.

Maybe what Carruolo captured is the immaterial remains of Joel Clough, a prisoner who was executed by hanging. He was accused of brutally stabbing his girlfriend, because she left him for another man. But when considering that this prison hosted several executions by means of the noose, the spirits that linger here are not simply individuals with a grudge to bear. They are entities who simply want to be left alone, so they can wallow in their own misery.

With paranormal investigation, the results are never clear-cut, and with this product, it’s a better one that does not rely on high production values to sensationalize a hobby still garnering scrutiny. This documentary is decent, and it’s clearly made for sharing amongst the community of hobby paranormal investigators rather than for a host hoping to start a career in lecturing at conventions. Zack Bagans is not out of a job yet.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

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