The Dead Files stands out as one of the longest-running productions in the ever-growing list of paranormal television shows. The Dead Files stars Amy Allan, a physical medium, and a former NYPD homicide detective, Steve DiSchiavi. However, as the show enters its fifteenth season in 2023, Amy Allen will be replaced by medium Cindy Kaza. Since the show’s first season premiered on September 23, 2011, the show’s format has had Allan and DiSchiavi launching separate investigations of a “haunted” location before meeting up at the end of each episode to compare notes. Besides this unique investigative approach, The Dead Files is much the same as other paranormal TV shows, with no tangible proof to believe the activities recorded on the show are real.
Paranormal activities, or the allusion to them, have existed for centuries, if not millennials. Whether there are any truths to these reports and findings of “spirit beings” and “haunted houses” is beyond the scope of the article. What is known and remains an indisputable fact is the growing number of TV shows mostly created to profit from the increasing curiosity of paranormal shows’ audiences. One such paranormal show is the Travel Channel’s The Dead Files. Here are five reasons The Dead Files is fake, and audiences should only take it as entertainment.
The Dead Files’ Lack Of Tangible Evidence
Arguments exist on the authenticity of claims of paranormal activity because there never seems to be any tangible evidence that could clarify all doubts. Unarguably, there will always be skeptics in matters like this, but the essence of a televised show is to capture irrefutable evidence of these paranormal activities. What The Dead Files offers at the end of each episode is nothing more than a reliance on Allan’s medium abilities and DiSchiavi’s slightly biased findings. With all the available video technology The Dead Files could incorporate to give proof to a live audience, the show is still subjected to recordings and production edits.
The Dead Files Have Signs Of Staging
Amy Allan is a physical medium who, according to Allan, only works with the dead, as against being a psychic. Allan states she isn’t informed about anything or anyone in the haunted house. All personal items are removed from the location before she enters. Yet, Allan walks around the house, a place she supposedly has never been into, with such ease, seemingly following the lead of the ghost or spirit.
Allan’s revelations are also often similar, as though she almost always encounters the same type of spirits. Even a non-expert in paranormal activity would agree ghosts should have varying personalities as humans and shouldn’t always be hostile. If Allan walks into these haunted homes without knowledge, she seems confident that none of the spirit beings will hurt her or her cameraman husband. Also, while not bringing the authenticity of Allan’s physical medium abilities/gifting into question, one can only help but wonder why she isn’t using it to solve real-world problems. Allan’s near-perfect description of ghosts and spirits, as well as her revelations of secrets, if real, should be used to solve crimes.
The Dead Files And Its Superficial Revelations
On a related note, it is rather interesting that Allan provides no fresh insights about what happened at the locations she investigates. Instead, her revelations contain the same information that could have been gotten from Google, which is unsurprising considering that she also appeared on A Haunting as a paranormal researcher using scientific tools rather than psychic powers. Allan’s revelations almost always coincide with what DiSchiavi finds in documented reports and “eyewitness reports.” If The Dead Files reports were entirely true, Allan should repeatedly provide new information that could shock the investigating detectives or throw more light on unanswered questions and dead ends.
The Dead Files Exploits People’s Need To Be Haunted
With 14 seasons with 231 episodes, with season 15 premiering on June 1, 2023, there seems to be an unending discovery of “haunted” spaces. Since Allan doesn’t get any information about the location before she arrives on camera, why haven’t any reported leads been false? There’s either a surprisingly growing possession of homes by ghosts and spirits, or The Dead Files have a great deal of luck in only receiving accurate leads.
While it’s easy for skeptics to find reasonable explanations for strange occurrences around their homes, a paranormal believer will always be open to “seeing” and “hearing” things. Why would anyone want their homes and spaces to be haunted? Interestingly, haunted spaces have become a lucrative business on their own. People pay to vacation in these places as though ghosts and spirits have become entertainers. Yet, somehow these property owners have found ways to get these ghosts to cooperate and show up to entertain their guests.
Things Are Not Always How They Look, Sound, Or Feel
This in no way agrees with or denies the existence of the supernatural, but certain events and occurrences have logical explanations if one is open-minded. Sometimes, “haunted” properties are often old and dilapidated structures. This means that what may seem like the presence of tormenting spirits might be nothing more than uneven heating, combined with wind, whistling through broken-down parts. The human mind can play tricks if allowed to wander. Paranoia exists and can be a leading cause for perceiving paranormal activities around a space. The Dead Files only seek to reinforce such paranoia rather than abate it.The Dead Files
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It kind of amuses me that people say paranormal investigation is fake because there’s “no evidence”. Yet, quite often, those same people still hold onto the belief in deities and religion when there is no evidence to support the existence of any god, either. If you say all paranormal investigation is fake due to lack of evidence, then you have to shed the blind faith of religion for the same reason or else you become a hypocrite.
I’ve lived in a couple of haunted houses where things happened without explanation. Things flying across a room when you’re in there alone and things moving even when no one is in the room at all can’t be written off at pattern recognition or anything like that. Are there some people who lie about this kind of thing for attention? Sure. But there’s a lot of things that aren’t on TV shows which are not explained.
Your exactly right. The biblical god is as big a joke as are spirits. As for you seeing things…I would suggest you invest in glasses. The human perception is the weakest evidence of all.
I completely agree with the comment t above. I am a believer in the paranormal. I look at it this way. There are so many stories out there of personal experiences with the paranormal. If just ONE of those stories are true, JUST ONE, that makes the spirit world, other dimension, pergatory, whatever name you choose, REAL. If also like to say to the author of this article that Amy was on A Haunting as both an investigator AND a psychic. The paranormal expert interviewed on A Haunting in Georgia, says on the show that Amy is the most talented psychic that he has ever worked with.
Now, I’m not saying that this show isn’t dramatized for T.V. somewhat. But I think it’s a little pessimistic to go wiser the whole of it “fake, and just for entertainment.” Your “reasons” that the show is fake are just as vague, and void of evidence as you say the show is.
I think the post is correct with this particular program unfortunately, and its a shame because programs like this set the stigma for ALL paranormal investigation. I`ve watched quite a few episodes and it seems VERY staged indeed. To me it`s very clear that the “psychic” is forearmed with knowledge about the location. Anybody who guessed `right` to the extent she does, would have been front page news all over the world long ago. I find all her grimacing, sidelong looks at the ceiling, and general eye rolling quite painful. You have to ask the question -why is she hamming it up in front of the cameras when she could be solving real murders or telling us just why the pyramids were built? It would be a breath of fresh air for just ONE episode if she were NOT to find any demons, mad psychotic murderesses or serial killers and tell the camera “Nope, theres nuthin here”… surely it must happen?
I agree. How many times have we seen fakes revealed as frauds when put in the spot? She is either the best psychic of all time and should helping police solves existing murders or she is just a stage prop that is used to wow the audience. I would love to see a few misses where she is baffled or just not getting the kind of information that is needed. Evidently the ghosts seem to be very cooperative with her and they never lie either. If there is a dark shadowy figure she sees that, if there is someone that dies she can see them and what age they were and how they died. If there was an event that happened that was significant then she can tell you what it was and what year it happened. She never misses.
I’ve had many paranormal experiences and I’m convinced that The Dead Files is a complete fraud.
You make a statement without giving any reasons for your statement. Why is it a fraud? What experiences? Personally I have to wonder if the woman psychic is either a complete fraud or she is really psychic. How can she be right on every time and with all the details? I find totally amazing as if someone has told her everything about the place she is investigating. Right down to drawing pictures.
I’ve spent the majority of my 51 years dealing with “activity” and “sightings”. Objects moving on their own, etc. 99% were mildly unnerving at the worst. The 1% was insanely bad. That said…someone here made mention of religion as a great example of belief without “proof”. Spot on. When one experiences ‘God’ or a ‘ghost’ that’s all the proof THAT person ever needs.
That said…this show is at times chuckle-worthy, sometimes foolish, sometimes obviously well choreographed, sometimes truly interesting, sometimes poorly edited and maybe a bit too often the people at the center need to learn a bit about body language and eye control.
So, if you dont like it or dont believe it…stop watching. If you like it and believe it…keep watching
If you want to see what it’s like to deal with regular “activity” come stay with me a while. Today a three drawer cabinet moved 1.5′ across the floor in the kitchen on it’s own. Just one more thing I’ve grown accustomed to.
Be well!
Obviously the losed minded Author of this vague and bland article has no personal experience with the paranormal and also seems to not want this show to be successful, Maybe he had a crush on Amy and she rejected him lol. Amy is very authentic and genuine. Steve is as well, and has the type of integrity that would not allow him to sacrifice his reputation as a long time NYC police officer or personal reputation to be on a show that wasn’t what it’s portrayed to be. He would not purposely be involved in anything that was meant to fool people.
The Author here should report on something that matches his exciting writing style, such as all the varieties of potatoes available to spud lovers.
I think you’re confusing dead files with the slew of other paranormal shows whose purpose is to show up and gather evidence. The evidence you want is???? There’s no pictures, there’s no recorders, there’s no attempt to quietly walk around the dark with night goggles and scan the rooms with a fancy tech. What you do have is a physical medium. Something most other shows Don’t have. Her whole purpose is to do a walk-through and try to explain exactly what she sees/feels/hears and that’s pretty much it. She doesn’t taunt them like most other shows as well.
Yes it’s at night. Why? Besides night time being ‘quiet’ and less likely to be interrupted, plus it makes it a lil more spooky. It is television.
Each house, visit, session, ect… Is different. Every medium is different. Every psychic is different. Every ‘gifted’ person is just a little different with different strengths/weaknesses, and handles situations differently. Amy has embraced hers and has more physical reactions vs just a mental whisper.
So if you’re expecting her to be right 100% or even give 100% facts then you’re a lil naive. You can be… Persuaded some times to think/believe abt certain things. Appearance is one, names is another, years of birth/death, ect…
I’d say it’s a more 80-90% truth with a mingle of “let me fill in the blanks” for the rest.
As for these paranormal groups being a ‘lucrative’ job and most wanting recognition… I’d give you the recognition and say… What money? Gotta build a reputation for that.
Also… If you do ‘ghost hunt’ you gotta walk into a building/home/land and believe it’s not haunted. The mind can play tricks and if you’re in the business to search for the paranormal then don’t be easily scared when a building creaks, a branch snaps, or the wind whistles. You stand your ground. Don’t just run because you see eyes in the dark.
Other than that… This article was more “seriously?” Vs “oh hey good point.”
I have to admit, I’m quite fascinated by this show. It’s only in the last 2-3 years that I’ve started watching a few tv shows after not watching tv since the early 2000s.
I still had Comcast/Xfinity for the high-speed internet service but watched nothing more than ID channel and occasional Fox local news for weather & local news. I became vaguely aware by about 2005-2006 that a few paranormal type shows seemed to be hitting the airwaves. Based on the little bit of footage I saw, the format did not appeal to me. They were using bizarre “ghost hunting/ghost detection equipment”, and I instantly felt skeptical because of this. It just seemed absurd to me.
Let’s be honest, after 9/11/2001, who WASN’T skeptical of almost anything and everything?
Fast forward to 2018 and I have seen more than my fair of these shows and have enjoyed several, for the entertainment value alone. Some try harder to appear genuine while others really don’t
I have questions myself about the show. There are times I am more thinking “this seems fake” and other times good. But where I struggle with, is all these so-called “haunted places” they visited, why hasn’t there been any kind of evidence, like them capturing something on film. I have watched all the episodes to date (as far as I know) and yet nothing. With watching these episodes and the “activity” is so bad but yet doing your own investigation you never get anything! If they did get something but edited it out, why?
What would really help the doubters of the show is Amy going first, not Steve. Steve always goes first getting all the background info and THERE IS NOTHING preventing them sharing info besides taking them for their “WORD FOR IT”
Other parts is that I can’t buy into the victims or the people they helping out. Everything seems the same. We see shadow figures, being touched, blah blah blah… Not to mention you can weed out the ones doing it for attention. I can guess which ones won’t go through with the advice of Amy is because they either lazy or just wanted the show.
I am not a religious person, but I also believe there are things in this world that is hard or can’t be explained. For a while, this show had me hooked (still do watch it) but lately been getting what episode is believable and which one isn’t!
Bonus – has anyone else wondered if the sketch artist was like “WTF she having me draw”
I’m so glad you brought up the fact that Amy’s husband is constantly filming while Amy is SEEING all these spirits and yet not one orb, no audible voices or noises… no dark vapors… totally wonder why….
I disagree. One of the episodes, “Satan’s Revenge”, I personally know the family and had been in the house before. I lived in the area and believe me… There is proof that it is real, and that the area is just a dark place to live. This city has been on different shows sa well and incidents and behaviors I have actually seen with my own eyes. I have always been a skeptic when it came to these types of shows, but when this episode aired it just about blew my mind. I had already moved out of the area when the episode aired, but when I moved from the area myself, my health improved dramatically.
A friend’s daughter who lives part time with me and part time back in the city of “Satan’s Revenge”… she states that she is an entirely different person when she is with me and when she goes back. I see the change in her as soon as she arrives back there. Mind you , she has never seen this episode, let alone the show…. I guess seeing is believing.
If you Really want to impress me… Do the walkthrough first. Keep Amy sealed up away from the internet, the camera man, the producer, etc. Go to the site fresh without knowledge of anything at all. Do the walkthrough. Then have Steve do the investigation. Then bring them together. It is the oldest con in the business… Fake medium and con man. The show is completely fake in all details. It makes me laugh. I watch it as a comedy. You can see when they are acting… because they are really bad actors. Nice comedy, though.
What cracks me up is are these people who criticize these shows have a clue? They say there has been no evidence of ghosts etc. what then are the EVP’s people get? what are the shadows people get? what are the furniture people get moving? or things flying off of shelves.
For these people to say these shows are fake etc they honestly do not know anything they make crap up to sell their articles and should be ashamed of themselves. I have seen and heard things my entire life so by them I guess I am lying, well i wish for them to have their own experience and call themselves crazy then.
Sorry but she is a fake. Same old lines sje says after one show from another. Why dont she do readings? Know why? Because shw is a fake
For those wondering why all paranormal investigations happen at night, it’s not because of the added suspense.ever heard of the witching hour? Read Hostage to the Devil, Malachi Martin talks about demonic possession and mentions the reasons as to why evil spirits are stronger at night.
I think they are all fake. The alternative is that all of the producers are stupid. Why? Imagine if one was NOT fake and they set up polygraphs for all of the actors on the Dr Phil show or some other venue that people might trust (maybe a police department would do it for a fee). Passing those tests would shoot the ratings through the roof.
Please *spare* us the overwhelming amount of gadgets and demonstrations of evidence. These people are asking for ‘help’… not ‘proof’. It doesn’t matter what order it’s edited in because it’s tv, where it’s possible to fake anything.
This show and it’s format are successful because it’s more than just ghost hunters with night vision. The stories, history and report of a reputable medium with the capability to actually resolve the issues are the focus. This is a show for the open minded and believers. If you’re a skeptic seeking evidence, watch the live shows on the live cams.
I personally know the victims are legitimate. Of course the producers use sound and effects to make it ‘scary’ and entertaining. This doesn’t prove the show is fake.
Regarding the need for fresh insight and other complaints against Amy’s repetitive mannerisms and reactions… Most victims experience similar common symptoms such as being drained of energy. There’s only so many different ways a person can describe or react to it. I find Amy to be gifted and animated with a unique personality which I personally find entertaining.
With that said, I’ll continue to watch the show not only to be entertained but also because I know it’s legit. I’ll need more undeniable evidence to convince me it’s fake :)
Yesss! You nailed it. I saw this after I commented and it’s pretty consistent with my comment as well!
He seems to be ignoring the fact that the purpose of the Dead Files is to get rid of the haunting which argues against the people trying to make money by showing their house is haunted. Many people follow her recommendations and get the things done that she suggests. Amy has a team that helps some of the people on the Dead Files too. Many of the people see an improvement but the placebo effect is possible, too.
Exactly!!!! Agree 100%
As someone who is a physical medium, myself, I find the argument that this article is constructed around, to be invalid and also doesn’t provide any defining proof of his reasoning. BECAUSE, it is clear that the author of this simply has a lack of understanding and a specific expectation for how the paranormal actually works. The reason that you don’t see items flying around and being manipulated on The Dead Files is because earthbound spirits typically only do things like this when they are trying to gain attention, scare, or harm the living people. However, there is no need for them to do this on this show because they don’t have to do this in order to let their presence be known with Amy. Amy is already acknowledging them and talking to them telepathically from the moment she walks in. That’s why the only physical interaction you see is when they are hitting or touching Amy, which she vocalizes and explains. The physical symptoms or interactions that Amy experiences always correlate with what the family says they experience. Those experiences are also consistent with details Steve finds in his investigation of the historical events. Just because the author personally needs to see someone in full possession or items flying around, to believe its real, is honestly pretty irrelevant to the validity to the show. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but it doesn’t mean it’s a fact. Additionally, she says similar things to explain this what’s happening because there are only so many types of entities that terrorize the living in these ways and they usually have consist ways of acting because they have similar motives. However, there are definitely episodes where Amy informs the families of things she’s never seen and need to be dealt with in a specific unique way. Sometimes she explains that there is no way of removing the entity from the location. If she was faking her abilities, it would serve her personal reputation and abilities a lot better to have an answer for literally everything. Obviously popularity isn’t her motive or she would never leave a location without giving a solid solution. If the author of this article or like minded individuals ever watched her interview outside of the show, they would know she explains all of these concerns and answers all of these questions in more detail. Her findings are not scripted but she does still have to follow the scheduled timeline that map out the episodes, which have nothing to do with her information she gives. If the episodes didn’t have a clear format in how they are put together, it would be a chaotic unorganized mess and would not make sense to the viewers. The camera guy, Matt Anderson, does not even necessarily believe in the paranormal because he’s not a sensitive and hasn’t live in an active location . But in public interviews he states that he knows these are Amy’s true experiences, because he used to be married to Amy Allen and has seen her go through similar experiences when she is completely off camera. All I’m saying is, just because it’s something you can’t see, doesn’t mean it’s real. Air can’t be seen, yet it’s real. Emotions can’t be seen, yet they are real and you see the physical symptoms of them. What IS proven is the scientific fact that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Humans are energy. When a human dies, this energy remains in our physical world in one way or another.
I wouldn’t say the show is “fake” as much as it’s entertainment. They don’t pretend to have evidence and only offer what they and their “client” say is true, which is not evidence, its hearsay.
That doesn’t mean it’s fake or false, only that there’s no real evidence to back it up, beyond the history that Steve digs up about the site. Anyone could do this themselves if they wanted to.
If they collected evidence at these sites, a la Ghost Adventures, it would be a much more compelling and believable show.
As it is it’s like Ghost Adventures with no paranormal evidence, but with much better research on DiShiavi’s part. If they merged with Ghost Adventures, using Amy as their medium of choice, they’d have a hell of a show.