Welcome back. Last year, I did a review over the first season of “Haunted.” Although I was traumatized for a bit, I eventually got over it. A sane person would have stopped watching horror shows/movies, but I’m not sane. Season two was released Oct. 11, so I decided to traumatize myself just a little bit more. 

“Haunted” is a six-episode show that focuses on the storytelling of real paranormal events by people to their family and friends. Last season focused prominently on paranormal experiences, however, although this season did focus on the paranormal heavily, there was one episode in particular, which I will go into later, that seemed very out of place.

First, let’s discuss my favorite parts of season two:

– Amazing special effects, in particular, episode one, “The Mimic.” The mimic entity was disgusting and I did close my eyes in fear, but I do appreciate the detail and the overall creation of such hideous creature. 

– The editing, filming, reenactment and overall ambiance continued to be great. Like I mentioned last year, every story had a certain mood that was clearly demonstrated. The editing was also very smooth, and there were no awkward cuts or breaks between the reenactments and the present day storytelling. 

– My favorite episode of the series was episode two, “Ward of Evil.” The story was gory, disturbing and disgusting.  But in a twisted way, I kind of liked all the gore and graphic nature of the scenes. I hid behind a pillow for most of them, but I did enjoy them. I also loved that this was a story that you could immerse yourself in. I was hooked immediately and if I got sidetracked for even a second, I was able to be engrossed again very quickly.

Although there weren’t many things that I didn’t like, let’s discuss the things that lowered my overall rating on the show: 

– I still couldn’t skip the intro. This is such a minor thing that just really irks me. The intro is not long at all, so I can see why it doesn’t matter to some that you can’t skip it. But I needed that skip button, especially after binge watching all the episodes in one night. 

– The questions at the end of most episodes. It made the stories feel incomplete. Unless they follow up in a potential future season, it creates horrible cliffhangers and even if they do follow up, it will probably be the same as season two with added details. 

– Episode three “Cult of Torture.” This episode was one of my personal favorites, I am not going to deny that it was a beautiful and heartbreaking story, but it was out of place compared to the other stories. Like the title states, the story focuses on a young boy growing up in a The Worldwide Church of God, a cult, and being tortured when taken to a camp to exorcise his “demon.” But his demon is not an actual demon, it’s the fact that the pastor for the church thought he was “possessed by a gay demon.” At one point there is a slight mention of an actual demon, but the majority of the story focuses on the torture he experiences. And yes, you can argue that this episode shows how the things that haunt a person don’t always have to be paranormal beings, but when the show is advertised as paranormal stories…you have to question why it was included. 

Overall, with pros and cons put into consideration, I would recommend this show. 

If you want to watch this show, follow these tips: 

– Stay away from the screen, a lesson I learned after almost hitting myself in the face with my phone. 

– Have something to hide behind, trust me you’ll need it for the multiple spine-chilling scenes. 

– Don’t watch this at night, or you will resort to asking your sister to walk with you to the kitchen.

– Please have the lights on and the closet door closed; you don’t need a monster creeping out of there trying to watch the show with you. 

You can find this show on Netflix. The length of episodes varied from 20 to 30 minutes. The total watch time is 152 minutes, so about two and a half hours. The show is rated TV-MA, as there is a mature language, graphic violence, nudity and mention/reenactment of sensitive topics. 

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 ghosts.