Not what I expected at all from a documentary on the paranormal. I can't wait to see what comes next! Loved the soundtrack to this, added a lot to the atmosphere
16 Reviews
Great documentary!
gioparra-7124817 November 2019
Never seen anything like it...
sophiagraeffbuhlnielsen16 November 2019
Highly engaging documentary. Superb quality of research, original and thought-provoking. I felt like I was accompanying Laura on her journey investigating the possibility of the paranormal. The integration of her personal story makes this documentary... A brilliant first production
Fantastic and Realistic Documentary on the Possibility of Life After Death
gingerwitch-1860424 November 2019
I watched "In Search of the Dead" last night on Vimeo. What an amazing documentary! Very professionally done and so incredibly interesting!! The amount of research and professionals involved in the making of the film make it a believeable documentary on the topic of all aspects of life after death. From haunted forests to ghosts and mediums, the makers of this film looked at the topics with a critical eye and provided arguments both for and against each of their subjects. Looking forward to watching it again. Kudos to the Ink and Quill Society aka the Paranormal Scholar for the excellent film they have made!
Engaging, heartfelt, and moving.
creepingtaffer19 November 2019
A genre of documentaries wherein the films generally tell an established story, the events in In Search of the Dead end up being the story in itself. An appropriate amount of the film consists of a series of interviews that are sectioned very well to suit the narrative, while the rest is more "on location". All of it serves as a glimpse into Laura Rowton's quest to find for herself proof of life after death. She delivers a very refreshing viewpoint on the subject of the paranormal, being a self described open minded skeptic. I don't want to give anything away, but the personal experience shared in this film left me with a lingering wondering and empathetic feeling. I would highly recommend this film to anyone interested in the subject of life after death. The filmmakers' research prowess coupled with Laura's sober perspective make for a very interesting and engaging documentary worth multiple viewings.
Worth the wait
stoylesdanielle18 November 2019
When you are so excited to see something you build it up and think it will never be as good as you imagine. This, however exceeded all of my expectations. It was brilliant. Definitely worth the wait and definitely worth a watch.
Honesty and open mindedness for fans of the paranormal
sinfubar19 November 2019
Long wait and well worth it. Really enjoyed this, congrats to the both of you for achieving your goal and being able to share your learning adventures. I thought the camera work was excellently done and you really captured not only the creepiness of some of the places but the beauty of them as well. The section about the girl and Laura's book was thought provoking and shared incredible imagery. The view through the trees to the overgrown cemetery in the background was excellently eerie. The shots of the stairs now and the river scenery were really nice additives to paint the picture for the viewer. I just really enjoyed seeing a skeptic get down into the mud of it all and be honest and open to some change. I personally feel very agnostic about the matter and it's nice to watch material which never sways too much to either side of the argument but represents both sides equally and fairly. Truly well done.
I wanted to mention the monologue around 28 minutes in with Laura was great. The movement and hand gestures and everything really sold it as a professional piece. It stood out to me right away. You seemed very naturally professional in the moment. Owning your project and selling us on it with some gusto before the reveal. Good work.
I wanted to mention the monologue around 28 minutes in with Laura was great. The movement and hand gestures and everything really sold it as a professional piece. It stood out to me right away. You seemed very naturally professional in the moment. Owning your project and selling us on it with some gusto before the reveal. Good work.
As a jaded paranormal enthusiast, I HIGHLY recommend this film
Gibius28 December 2019
Please forgive me for an indulgent preface that I hope might give an indication of the position from which I approached watching this:
As a child, the combination of a family bereavement and the 90's ITV documentary series "Strange But True?" sewed the seed for a huge interest in the paranormal as I grew up. It could be said that I had an obsession with it, but especially anything to do with ghosts, demons, the afterlife, and that particular spectrum of the subject. This was maintained in my twenties where I'd devour anything I could find on the topic - books, documentaries, YouTube videos, discussion forums, you name it! Eventually, though, I suppose I became jaded with the whole thing. Too many frauds, too many overly dramatised TV shows where poor actors/presenters would act terrified after kicking the leg of the table they were sat at, too many attention-seeking fanfic-quality "experiences" typed up on various forums and websites... all added up to make me just get a bit fed up with it and walk away with a sort of "maybe there's something to it but who cares?" outlook.
Review:
Earlier this year, I caught a video from The Paranormal Scholar on YouTube. This sort of reignited a bit of the old interest, and I got cautiously back into watching videos on the topic. I saw the trailer for this documentary and decided that I'd buy it when I got some downtime (good old Christmas).
I've watched it today and I can say that this is probably the best documentary I've seen on the subject. This film has such a high level of honesty. I completely trust that the filmmakers are taking it seriously, and have no motive beyond that which they state; to find out for themselves if there might be life after death, and therefore indirectly validate some paranormal experiences. This is surprisingly rare in the world of paranormal media where usually there's a conclusion the filmmakers start with (whether pro or anti-paranormal). One of the interviewees in this film talks about how we live in a Tabloid society where things seem to have to be definitely one thing or definitely the other, where we can't settle for some ambiguity or walk away with a challenged but possibly opened mind. What this film has managed to do is present something that, hopefully, leaves you with an open mind but without declaring a particular conclusion either way. Further to my comment about its honesty, what I found rather nice was the heartfelt approach taken by the presenter, Laura, whereby she is very open about her thoughts and opinions on the topic at the start, during and at the end of the journey. This has the effect of making you feel like you are along for the ride as well, and as another reviewer has indicated, we get to share in an experience that is rather profound and moving as it develops. At various times, Laura allows herself to both be swept up in the moment (or, it might be said, open enough to the experiences) when along with some investigators, but also makes sure to more calmly analyse the situation afterwards, without being dismissive or overly affirmative in that analysis. Somehow, for me, that approach and level of honesty really gives this film a huge sense of authenticity when compared to the many others I've seen on the topic. All of the people in the film are interesting to listen to, and they all have differing insights into what the truth could be. It really has left me with a somewhat reopened mind. So, as a somewhat less-jaded paranormal enthusiast, I HIGHLY recommend this film. Worth every penny.
As a child, the combination of a family bereavement and the 90's ITV documentary series "Strange But True?" sewed the seed for a huge interest in the paranormal as I grew up. It could be said that I had an obsession with it, but especially anything to do with ghosts, demons, the afterlife, and that particular spectrum of the subject. This was maintained in my twenties where I'd devour anything I could find on the topic - books, documentaries, YouTube videos, discussion forums, you name it! Eventually, though, I suppose I became jaded with the whole thing. Too many frauds, too many overly dramatised TV shows where poor actors/presenters would act terrified after kicking the leg of the table they were sat at, too many attention-seeking fanfic-quality "experiences" typed up on various forums and websites... all added up to make me just get a bit fed up with it and walk away with a sort of "maybe there's something to it but who cares?" outlook.
Review:
Earlier this year, I caught a video from The Paranormal Scholar on YouTube. This sort of reignited a bit of the old interest, and I got cautiously back into watching videos on the topic. I saw the trailer for this documentary and decided that I'd buy it when I got some downtime (good old Christmas).
I've watched it today and I can say that this is probably the best documentary I've seen on the subject. This film has such a high level of honesty. I completely trust that the filmmakers are taking it seriously, and have no motive beyond that which they state; to find out for themselves if there might be life after death, and therefore indirectly validate some paranormal experiences. This is surprisingly rare in the world of paranormal media where usually there's a conclusion the filmmakers start with (whether pro or anti-paranormal). One of the interviewees in this film talks about how we live in a Tabloid society where things seem to have to be definitely one thing or definitely the other, where we can't settle for some ambiguity or walk away with a challenged but possibly opened mind. What this film has managed to do is present something that, hopefully, leaves you with an open mind but without declaring a particular conclusion either way. Further to my comment about its honesty, what I found rather nice was the heartfelt approach taken by the presenter, Laura, whereby she is very open about her thoughts and opinions on the topic at the start, during and at the end of the journey. This has the effect of making you feel like you are along for the ride as well, and as another reviewer has indicated, we get to share in an experience that is rather profound and moving as it develops. At various times, Laura allows herself to both be swept up in the moment (or, it might be said, open enough to the experiences) when along with some investigators, but also makes sure to more calmly analyse the situation afterwards, without being dismissive or overly affirmative in that analysis. Somehow, for me, that approach and level of honesty really gives this film a huge sense of authenticity when compared to the many others I've seen on the topic. All of the people in the film are interesting to listen to, and they all have differing insights into what the truth could be. It really has left me with a somewhat reopened mind. So, as a somewhat less-jaded paranormal enthusiast, I HIGHLY recommend this film. Worth every penny.
Paranormal
accies-194804 December 2019
Boring to extreme and no answers to give.
MidoriAi15 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The woman doing the the "search" looks like she's about to cry, dressing like she's about to be a nun, always with a serious face, like she never went to a party. But she likes to show her face all the time (she's even on the poster)
I can't believe she didn't mention Brian Weiss. He's famous on this subject matter!! Instead, a lot of psychologist and "paranormal investigators" that did little to nothing to clarify about life after dead.... Well, I think she didn't mention Weiss because I was fast forwarding all the time.. It was immensely boring!!
There are many stories about people who had near death experiences.. and we have to listen to barely legible sottish paranormal people with that silly voice recorder....
I'm with Imdb-23821 review, and I think it is highly suspicious all those 10/10 reviews rantings, really.. I bet they are from friends and family....
I didn't pay to watch this, I just downloaded from a website. I'm glad for that, because I'll be pissed off.
I can't believe she didn't mention Brian Weiss. He's famous on this subject matter!! Instead, a lot of psychologist and "paranormal investigators" that did little to nothing to clarify about life after dead.... Well, I think she didn't mention Weiss because I was fast forwarding all the time.. It was immensely boring!!
There are many stories about people who had near death experiences.. and we have to listen to barely legible sottish paranormal people with that silly voice recorder....
I'm with Imdb-23821 review, and I think it is highly suspicious all those 10/10 reviews rantings, really.. I bet they are from friends and family....
I didn't pay to watch this, I just downloaded from a website. I'm glad for that, because I'll be pissed off.
In Depth Paranormal Documentary
amywaine30 December 2019
A very popular film among dead people, as shown in the ratings
imdb-2382129 May 2021
Is there life after death? Can anyone speak to ghosts or spirits of dead people? As i really don't want to provide a spoiler, the end of this film is predictable.
It is an honest description. A pretty, young woman documents her personal curiousity to find out about the afterlife, on her budget. She visits a haunted forest in Romania. Will the spirits show themselves? Being alone, at night, in a remote forest, it was shocking to discover she felt dread! Fear! And on the last photo she took, there was an orb of light! Could it be spirits? Orbs are a common phenomenon. Perhaps they should have named this one "bokeh" after the most famous photographed spirit of them all.
I remember being in high school and willing to tell an attractive young woman that I'd be willing to consider anything exists so long as we experience it together, lol. Sure honey, whatever you say, it's interesting. Now why don't you slip out of those tight stockings when the camera shuts off. That is exactly what this movie felt like, in which she explains her fascination with the dead is shared by her now fiancee/husband (I'm not sure which), so they fulfill her fantasy with her very light, limited "research" into whether the Dead are indeed alive in the afterlife.
Video interviews of several people willing to do so led to profound conclusions. Many of these mediums are able to see what is beyond the mirror (admittedly some of the time) but never what is in it, such as a need for proper dental maintenance. Profound wisdom was gleaned - such as that sometimes it is phony! People looking for signs that their guesses might be accurate based on your emotional response! Revealing!
I'll give the couple a star for effort to make a 2 hour movie and having the cute wife sit in various positions so they can artistically take a shot of her thinking. Doing a search on Google so the result feels scientific and consistent with the spoken narrative. The other star is for being young and a dreamer. OK folks, now it's time to get a job and earn some money because it certainly won't be made producing 2 hour epics on your personal thoughts on whether life exists after death.
It is an honest description. A pretty, young woman documents her personal curiousity to find out about the afterlife, on her budget. She visits a haunted forest in Romania. Will the spirits show themselves? Being alone, at night, in a remote forest, it was shocking to discover she felt dread! Fear! And on the last photo she took, there was an orb of light! Could it be spirits? Orbs are a common phenomenon. Perhaps they should have named this one "bokeh" after the most famous photographed spirit of them all.
I remember being in high school and willing to tell an attractive young woman that I'd be willing to consider anything exists so long as we experience it together, lol. Sure honey, whatever you say, it's interesting. Now why don't you slip out of those tight stockings when the camera shuts off. That is exactly what this movie felt like, in which she explains her fascination with the dead is shared by her now fiancee/husband (I'm not sure which), so they fulfill her fantasy with her very light, limited "research" into whether the Dead are indeed alive in the afterlife.
Video interviews of several people willing to do so led to profound conclusions. Many of these mediums are able to see what is beyond the mirror (admittedly some of the time) but never what is in it, such as a need for proper dental maintenance. Profound wisdom was gleaned - such as that sometimes it is phony! People looking for signs that their guesses might be accurate based on your emotional response! Revealing!
I'll give the couple a star for effort to make a 2 hour movie and having the cute wife sit in various positions so they can artistically take a shot of her thinking. Doing a search on Google so the result feels scientific and consistent with the spoken narrative. The other star is for being young and a dreamer. OK folks, now it's time to get a job and earn some money because it certainly won't be made producing 2 hour epics on your personal thoughts on whether life exists after death.
Thought provoking documentary
cziss-932604 December 2020
A well thought out, intelligent and non-sensationalist documentary from an admited sceptic of the paranormal. Laura makes you feel part of her investigation and takes you along on her journey. Excellent first time production.
A very well made documentary and personal journey.
OrionTiggre8 October 2021
In Search of the Dead is, as one should expect, a search. Anyone who watches a film like this for iron-clad evidence and proof is quite likely not going in with the right mindset.
The film is well made. Good camerawork, voice-over work, and high quality throughout. It is also a long film. The total run time is just short of two hours and ten minutes. While it is long, it is very well paced. It never feels like it drags on to belabor a point.
In Search of the Dead does not pretend anything. It is a search, a documentary. It contains a series of good interviews throughout, while also physically going out to various locations. Whether exploring a forest known for paranormal activity or a haunted building, there is no false drama. There is no false "Oh my god did you see that!?" moment. Near the start of the film, Laura, the presenter, says "Yet, even though there are abundant personal testimonies, the theory of survival has not been proven scientifically."
This film takes that central core, and runs with it. It is full of interviews with people who are skeptics, and people who are believers, but never does it outright tell you what to believe. Some people may find that lack of 'in your face drama' boring. Some people may also want more of a solid conclusion, for example Laura being the skeptic and saying 'Well, I searched, and there's absolutely nothing to find.' This is not the goal of the film. This is not a movie that tries to tell you what to think, and provides you all the answers. This is a film that asks questions, and wants you to think about them yourself, and ponder your own answers.
The framing around that central core in the film is Laura's journey on the search. Actively going places and doing things; actually investigating and engaging with the subject. Not just being a skeptic who wants to study life after death from the comfort of home. Her personal journey is a large part of this film, and the main part that I feel is spoil-able, so I shall leave that alone; aside from to say that it is there, and it is worth while.
From a personal perspective, I greatly enjoyed this film. I almost never watch anything. I listen to audio while I go about my day. When I first saw the film, I thought I was going to do much the same. Put it on a second monitor, and listen to it while playing a game in my free time. Maybe look at it from time to time if something caught my eye. I did not do this. I watched the full run time of the film, and enjoyed the whole thing. I want to stress this: I am not exaggerating when I say that this is one of less than ten movies I have sat down and watched in the last five years. (And the only one I have done so for twice, as I just watched it again before writing this review.)
For me, this film is exactly what I want out of this sort of thing. A sober documentary that makes you sit down and think about it while you watch. Not some drama filled ghost hunting trip that tries to make you think that there's a ghost in every room. Not someone spending two hours to say "Well, there's nothing."
If any of you who read this think that sounds good, and you would like to watch a quality film about life after death, and the personal journey of the presenter/researcher/director, then I highly recommend this film. If you just want people going ghost hunting and spending all night scared in some building, or to see a skeptic ridiculing the idea of life after death, this is not the film for either of you.
P. S.
Laura and Erik have an already established audience, so if you see all these high reviews and think its just friends and family inflating up their buddy's project, that is not quite accurate. We are here because we enjoy their work, and want to support them. We also want other people who may enjoy their work find it.
Thanks for reading this.
The film is well made. Good camerawork, voice-over work, and high quality throughout. It is also a long film. The total run time is just short of two hours and ten minutes. While it is long, it is very well paced. It never feels like it drags on to belabor a point.
In Search of the Dead does not pretend anything. It is a search, a documentary. It contains a series of good interviews throughout, while also physically going out to various locations. Whether exploring a forest known for paranormal activity or a haunted building, there is no false drama. There is no false "Oh my god did you see that!?" moment. Near the start of the film, Laura, the presenter, says "Yet, even though there are abundant personal testimonies, the theory of survival has not been proven scientifically."
This film takes that central core, and runs with it. It is full of interviews with people who are skeptics, and people who are believers, but never does it outright tell you what to believe. Some people may find that lack of 'in your face drama' boring. Some people may also want more of a solid conclusion, for example Laura being the skeptic and saying 'Well, I searched, and there's absolutely nothing to find.' This is not the goal of the film. This is not a movie that tries to tell you what to think, and provides you all the answers. This is a film that asks questions, and wants you to think about them yourself, and ponder your own answers.
The framing around that central core in the film is Laura's journey on the search. Actively going places and doing things; actually investigating and engaging with the subject. Not just being a skeptic who wants to study life after death from the comfort of home. Her personal journey is a large part of this film, and the main part that I feel is spoil-able, so I shall leave that alone; aside from to say that it is there, and it is worth while.
From a personal perspective, I greatly enjoyed this film. I almost never watch anything. I listen to audio while I go about my day. When I first saw the film, I thought I was going to do much the same. Put it on a second monitor, and listen to it while playing a game in my free time. Maybe look at it from time to time if something caught my eye. I did not do this. I watched the full run time of the film, and enjoyed the whole thing. I want to stress this: I am not exaggerating when I say that this is one of less than ten movies I have sat down and watched in the last five years. (And the only one I have done so for twice, as I just watched it again before writing this review.)
For me, this film is exactly what I want out of this sort of thing. A sober documentary that makes you sit down and think about it while you watch. Not some drama filled ghost hunting trip that tries to make you think that there's a ghost in every room. Not someone spending two hours to say "Well, there's nothing."
If any of you who read this think that sounds good, and you would like to watch a quality film about life after death, and the personal journey of the presenter/researcher/director, then I highly recommend this film. If you just want people going ghost hunting and spending all night scared in some building, or to see a skeptic ridiculing the idea of life after death, this is not the film for either of you.
P. S.
Laura and Erik have an already established audience, so if you see all these high reviews and think its just friends and family inflating up their buddy's project, that is not quite accurate. We are here because we enjoy their work, and want to support them. We also want other people who may enjoy their work find it.
Thanks for reading this.
Beautiful and thought provoking
AquaTofana17 February 2020
Absolutely beautiful and thought provoking documentary with the beautiful and eerie backdrop of Europe. I follow Laura and Erik on YouTube and I truly value her ability to give light on both sides of the believer and skeptic in a respectful and thoughtful manner. Now I can't wait for her next project!
Excellent
mother_goose33327 March 2020
Amazing documentary
sannceemail8 February 2020
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
