Why Paranormal Topics Are So Popular in the Media

With the movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" soon to be released, I couldn't help but think how various media such as television, cinema, and websites have exploded onto the scene about various paranormal topics and stories. Whichever way I turn, I am easily able to satisfy my hunger for bizarre stories and information. Paranormal, anything outside of what is considered to be the "norm," is on the rise and so it seems the public's penchant for more of the same.

Recently, I have noticed that paranormal themes have been no stranger to the normally conservative, mainstream news media, either. Over the past few months, I have either watched or read numerous news stories about strange things, such as haunted buildings, UFOs flying over Texas and Chicago O'Hare airport, and several strange creatures caught on video surveillance cameras. Even after the devastating cyclone that ravaged Myanmar, I stumbled across a sad news story of ghostly voices coming from the flooded fields at night, while rescuers searched with flashlights and could not find anyone living who could have created the pleas for help. The paranormal seems to be surfacing everywhere in the media.

For example, Sci-Fi Channel recently aired a documentary, hosted by respected journalist Lester Holt, about the crystal skulls mystery. Be honest. Had you ever heard of crystal skulls before this, and if so, were you aware there was a mystery concerning them? It would seem the success of Sci-Fi's "Ghost Hunters" reality TV show is spawning more and more paranormal television programs, such as "Mystery of the Crystal Skulls," "Destination Truth" and A & E's "Paranormal State." In fact, maybe we should take time to account for the sheer number of paranormal reality television programs in our midst. I mean, perhaps we are seeing so much of it, that the paranormal is now becoming normal to many of us. Maybe, you can recall how many of the following paranormally-themed television shows you watched in the last few months: "UFO Hunters," "Psychic Investigators," "Most Haunted," "A Haunting," "Rescue Mediums," "Alien Abduction," "John Edwards: Cross Country," "The Unexplained," and "UFO Files." Doesn't sound like much, you say? Well, documentary and reality-type TV shows are not the only programs going paranormal. I forgot to mention the one-hour weekly dramas, such as "Reaper," "Ghost Whisperer," "Saving Grace," "Medium," "Heroes," "New Amsterdam," "Supernatural," and "Moonlight." It would seem everyone has a favorite paranormal show or two they watch weekly on television. For some reason, we just cannot seem to get enough, so there are of course other sources for our paranormal fix.

Movies, have long been the media of choice to offer consumers topics of a paranormal theme, and this summer is no different. The following are just some of the movies with paranormal themes, that will be on the silver screen during the Summer of 2008: "Iron Man," "Narnia: Prince Caspian," "Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "The Happening," The Incredible Hulk," "Wall-e," "Hellboy II," "The X-Files," "The Dark Knight," and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." How many of these movies will become huge blockbusters this year? We'll have to wait and see, but until then, I need more paranormal.

When I searched the Internet for various paranormal topics, websites abound with interesting information concerning angels, UFO pictures, Bigfoot, fairies, leprechauns, Nessie (the Lochness monster), Champ Monster (of Lake Champlain legend), chupacabra, vampires, ghosts, dragons, and more! In fact, it would seem that the World Wide Web has today put a wealth of information right at the fingertips of those thirsty for paranormal information, stories, images and videos. The creation of flash-based video websites, such as YouTube, MySpace and Revver have given many the power to create their own strange, odd and amusing informational videos, stories and movies others can easily watch and share.

As I considered all this media blitz of the paranormal (or what many may consider to be abnormal), I cannot help but wonder what makes such off-topic subjects so popular. Could it be that when society in general deems something as being "not normal," our human curiosity will quietly drive us to explore what has silently been declared off-limits? And when the human curiosity is given such a challenge, could it be that deep down mankind is driven to seeking greater answers to life's questions? All of this makes me wonder if we are looking for personal experiences, so we may come to our own conclusions about the unknown. I have concluded that many of us are looking for answers of some sort, but we really desire to have our own experiences (or adventures) with the paranormal. Perhaps the paranormal found within media helps to inform us, yet more importantly, inspire us along the way to our own life journeys.