A Haunting

Overview

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. Based on strong ratings, A Haunting became a weekly series on the Discovery Channel and was produced by Larry Silverman. Production of new episodes ceased after four seasons in 2007. Reruns of A Haunting continued to air on the Discovery Channel and its sister networks. In 2012, Destination America brought back A Haunting based on strong interest from fans and viewers. Seasons five through nine have aired on Destination America and The Learning Channel.

The series has featured several alleged paranormal encounters, including traditional hauntings, demonic activity, ghost attacks, possessions, and cryptic visions. The series covers incidents from various locations across the United States, as well as five episodes that were set in Canada, England, Ireland, and Taiwan. Episodes may be set in houses, apartments, farms, commercial areas, and even vast outdoor regions. Most episodes present several accounts of paranormal experiences through cinematic re-enactments, which are accompanied by commentary from eyewitnesses and investigators themselves.

According to Silverman, the show's writers search for stories and then filter out accounts with enough substantial content. 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. Billy 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."

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. 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.

Gold Circle Films created two feature-length movies based on cases featured in A Haunting, The Haunting in Connecticut which was released in 2009, and The Haunting in Georgia, released in 2013.

DVD releases

Timeless Media Group has released the first 6 seasons on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. The seventh season was released on April 14, 2015.

On October 14, 2014, Timeless Media Group released A Haunting- The Television Series: Special Edition, a 9-disc box set featuring seasons 1-6.