Okay did we all watch the same documentary because this movie was TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so glad that a fellow colleague let me borrow this movie because I'd pretty upset with myself if I had actually paid for this crap. There was nothing paranormal about this movie. Chad, Ryan and Chad's parents are all a bunch of attention seekers (to say it in a nice way). The title was a deceit and so was the promotion of this movie. In my opinion, Chad and the people in this so-called documentary are just a bunch of scammers and they give the paranormal community a bad reputation. Please save your money and your time you are most definitely not missing out on anything.
20 Reviews
Deceptively Begrudging, Abnormal Inactivity, Ghosts' On Holiday
sacmcnasty28 September 2013
(This review was written by a puppy lover with happy feelings inside) Being a devout follower of anything that the paranormal moniker so mysteriously entails...I wanted to love AGH just as much as I didn't want to hate it (but) Unfortunately, I kept feeling compelled (or possessed) to stab myself in the neck with a mechanical pencil (after it had been doused with garlic, lemon juice and kerosene while being repeatedly lit on fire) Not only does AGH fail to deliver on its very own title "American Ghost Hunter" (which should have been named; DUDE, WHERE ARE THE F@#$%ing GHOSTS GODD***IT!?!?) But...it also falls flat on its holy watered head because NOTHING that happens throughout the entirety of the film constitutes anything ghost/paranormal related whatsoever.
Chad Calek (AGH Director/lead character) is the consummate fictional story telling protagonist who draws you in with his enigmatic charm and naive yet courageous demeanor while Academy Award nominated Ryan Buell (financier and supporting actor) set out to find the truth behind the life long struggles of the Calek Family which seem to be facilitated by the inexplicable bombardment of paranormal activity.
Do not watch this video if you are looking to find ghosts and/or paranormal phenomenon because you will not find it. You will, however, find yourself immersed in a very well crafted dramatic and climaxing storyline replete with a somber melancholy narrative from the director who leads us on and teases us with photos, recollections and second and third party sourced information that does not appear on camera to ascertain the source behind the activities discussed herein.
Ryan's expressions might as well have been portrayed with a mannequin that resembled Steven Seagal because the suspense that should have been created, built and sustained with the camera panning towards his empty expressions was missing.
Genuine suspense isn't utilized because none was generated in the first place and while I feel completely empathic towards Calek and his family for having to undergo several life threatening/altering events that are very traumatic...one thing remains clearly omitted from this film: GHOSTS, Evidence, Empirical Data and most of all: A conclusion that culminates the extrication of these demons due large in part because film time simply just ran out OR because nothing really happened.
If it wasn't for the fact that I had to pay 1/5 of a hundred dollars just to watch this production I would have rated it higher because it isn't a complete atrocity sans the fact that this title should be labeled a docu-drama and not a documentary that rides on the tails of the paranormal because quite frankly my guinea pig being tickled while pooping is much more frightening and suspenseful (especially when she chews her cage)
Chad Calek (AGH Director/lead character) is the consummate fictional story telling protagonist who draws you in with his enigmatic charm and naive yet courageous demeanor while Academy Award nominated Ryan Buell (financier and supporting actor) set out to find the truth behind the life long struggles of the Calek Family which seem to be facilitated by the inexplicable bombardment of paranormal activity.
Do not watch this video if you are looking to find ghosts and/or paranormal phenomenon because you will not find it. You will, however, find yourself immersed in a very well crafted dramatic and climaxing storyline replete with a somber melancholy narrative from the director who leads us on and teases us with photos, recollections and second and third party sourced information that does not appear on camera to ascertain the source behind the activities discussed herein.
Ryan's expressions might as well have been portrayed with a mannequin that resembled Steven Seagal because the suspense that should have been created, built and sustained with the camera panning towards his empty expressions was missing.
Genuine suspense isn't utilized because none was generated in the first place and while I feel completely empathic towards Calek and his family for having to undergo several life threatening/altering events that are very traumatic...one thing remains clearly omitted from this film: GHOSTS, Evidence, Empirical Data and most of all: A conclusion that culminates the extrication of these demons due large in part because film time simply just ran out OR because nothing really happened.
If it wasn't for the fact that I had to pay 1/5 of a hundred dollars just to watch this production I would have rated it higher because it isn't a complete atrocity sans the fact that this title should be labeled a docu-drama and not a documentary that rides on the tails of the paranormal because quite frankly my guinea pig being tickled while pooping is much more frightening and suspenseful (especially when she chews her cage)
Not worth it.
moonchild332131 December 2013
I wanted to like this movie, especially since I waited 6 months to finally receive it. I will make this short and sweet. It was awful. NO paranormal activity, just some major family dysfunction. Mr. Calek attempts to convince you that his family experienced paranormal events. There is no proof, no evidence to support his claims. Ryan Buell co-stars in this movie, he does not add anything to substantiate the paranormal claims and to top it off, Lorraine Warren, a well-known demonologist, gets in on the act. Why she took part in this very poorly crafted "documentary" I will never understand. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME or money on this movie. You will most likely be disappointed.
fake
katie-674-3418571 May 2013
this documentary was so fake, the cinematography was mediocre and the attempt to fool someone into thinking this is real is just a joke. i sincerely do not want someone else to pay money to watch this movie and be as let down as i was. I was only able to watch the first 10 minutes before my computer froze up on me, which was a blessing in disguise. If you ever watch Ghost Adventures on the travel channel then you know what a real paranormal documentary is suppose to look like. I have read several things online about these guys from the a&e show being frauds.
Flat as a pancake
xfylz692 January 2014
This movie based on earlier reviews would lead you to believe its scary and raw and worthy of 10*.
It fell flat on all aspects. I've had more scares on a merry-go-round and was bored after watching with anticipation the 'IT' moment, it never ever came (almost like the actual movie).
Was it worth the wait NO - Was it worth eagerly anticipating it for 7 months NO - Was it worth watching NO - is it even worth 1* NO.
Plus after learning and reading a lot more about Chad and the PRS group from the general public, I have lost any respect for them as business people and investigators.
I was all a waste of time.
It fell flat on all aspects. I've had more scares on a merry-go-round and was bored after watching with anticipation the 'IT' moment, it never ever came (almost like the actual movie).
Was it worth the wait NO - Was it worth eagerly anticipating it for 7 months NO - Was it worth watching NO - is it even worth 1* NO.
Plus after learning and reading a lot more about Chad and the PRS group from the general public, I have lost any respect for them as business people and investigators.
I was all a waste of time.
Not what I was expecting, but still good
marie_m-123-8021223 October 2014
After my disappointment of this not being what I was expecting, I watched it again, and saw it for "itself". Lots of raw emotion. I was surprised that Ryan Buell finally felt free enough to share some of his story, which he has kept to himself up until now. I understand why he felt abused, and he was. Sad what happened to him and Chad, and this is the crux of the movie for me. Not sadness, but family, and how the paranormal effects "normal" people & the ones around them. We attach stigmas to things we don't want the neighbors to know. I hope that in time, these stigmas will just go away, because they are just prideful and stupid. Life is full of things that we don't understand, or are capable (at this time) to perceive. I grew up with "things" that scared my mother and my dad said didn't exist, and thought was stupid. I kept a lot of it to myself, and I grew up being scared all the time as I didn't really know how to handle "things". I know how to handle "things" now, but it would have been nice to have made it through high school without being a "weirdo", and scared out of my mind. Good movie, guys, keep it up.
Ugh, Ryan Buell...
druidyss27 August 2016
I was intrigued by this, finding it on hulu, and love paranormal anything, even documentaries, but I was watching the first 10 minutes or so and saw a familiar face from one of the worst paranormal shows I have ever encountered (Paranormal State). Ryan Buell. And not far behind Ryan was the beginning of religious overtones (when attempting to watch Paranormal State, everything is about demons, not the scientific possibility and evidence of a spirit entity of a once living human being). I quit watching, couldn't get past first 10 minutes or so. Anything involving that hack is not legitimate. Avoid. Unless of course you looooved Paranormal State.
Zzzzz
eowildangel28 March 2022
Icl couldn't make it past the narration
nancylmarine19 March 2022
I don't know who this lead guy is but his telling of his story is so bad and sounds so scripted and acted I couldn't stand it.
It's easy to figure out he's BSing is because of all the long pauses as he works to remember the lies. If I were sitting next to him in a bar and heard him telling this story, I'd call shenanigans about two sentences in and walk away.
And anything with Ryan Buell is crap. Sorry but most experienced ghost hunter at the age of 26? Again, I call shenanigans.
Don't waste your time unless you go into it planning to get a good laugh at all the fabricated drama. I'd put this on the same level of funny as Scary Movie 1,2,3, and 4.
It's easy to figure out he's BSing is because of all the long pauses as he works to remember the lies. If I were sitting next to him in a bar and heard him telling this story, I'd call shenanigans about two sentences in and walk away.
And anything with Ryan Buell is crap. Sorry but most experienced ghost hunter at the age of 26? Again, I call shenanigans.
Don't waste your time unless you go into it planning to get a good laugh at all the fabricated drama. I'd put this on the same level of funny as Scary Movie 1,2,3, and 4.
screw u HULU for recommending this one, Ghosts too were bored to sleep to not show up...
Tomayto_Tomahto21 June 2019
The best line from Bryan, the paranormal expert - "This is the bravest thing I have ever seen done..." after the fat guy hugs her supposedly possessed mom.
This is the funniest line I have ever heard in a supposedly scary piss-in-ur-pants movie / true story.
You guys bored the Ghosts to death with this one. True Exorcists. LOL .
This is the funniest line I have ever heard in a supposedly scary piss-in-ur-pants movie / true story.
You guys bored the Ghosts to death with this one. True Exorcists. LOL .
Dont waste your time
danashackleton23 March 2022
This was garbage. Nothing paranormal. Just a bunch of bangs &the crew claiming they feel wierd. No wonder the Warren's ignored them. I watched it bc the credits said Loraine Warren was in it. Shes not!! That's false advertising!! Another thing. RYAN &CHAD STARE BIZARELY IN THE CAMERA AT TIMES WITH ROCK MUSIC BLARING.. ITS JUVENILE AND NO DIFFERENT THAN ALL THE OTHER SO CALLED PARANORMAL JUNK DOCUMENTARIES. NO EVIDENCE OR GROUNDBREAKING PROOF. JUST TERRIBLE! ITS JUNK LIKE THESE WHY PEOPLE THINK EVERYTHING IS FAKE!
Don't Bother.
divineheresy18 October 2018
I was willing to listen to this B.S. story until at about 31:10 when he says the Warrens were "the principal investigators in the Amityville and Enfield Poltergeist cases." They showed up uninvited to Enfield and left after no one wanted to cash in on the case. To dare take credit away from Guy Lyon Playfair and give it to those charlatans was too much for me to take.
So Bad it's Funny
alicemar-4781225 November 2018
An Unusual Documentary Being Shown in An Unusual Way
aarongarton10 June 2011
You will not be able to rent "American Ghost Hunter" at your local video store, let alone see it in a movie theater -- as of yet. The sole "distribution" of this film is at events hosted by Director and "star" of the film, Chad Calek.
The Calek family of Persia, Iowa were affected by numerous unexplainable and tragic events which culminated in hauntings experienced by the family in their new home. The story of a family reacting to supernatural events is nothing new. What could have become another "Amityville Horror-esque" documentary takes a decidedly riskier twist when Calek turns the camera on himself and asks "why?"
The journey for answers not only surprises the viewer, one can see it surprising Calek as well. As he digs deeper, Calek finds that his family's story may well be part of a far larger and more interesting tale than he originally imagined.
The film ventures into uncharted territory for this genre.
The Calek family of Persia, Iowa were affected by numerous unexplainable and tragic events which culminated in hauntings experienced by the family in their new home. The story of a family reacting to supernatural events is nothing new. What could have become another "Amityville Horror-esque" documentary takes a decidedly riskier twist when Calek turns the camera on himself and asks "why?"
The journey for answers not only surprises the viewer, one can see it surprising Calek as well. As he digs deeper, Calek finds that his family's story may well be part of a far larger and more interesting tale than he originally imagined.
The film ventures into uncharted territory for this genre.
Does Ryan Buell Have any Credibility Left?
mikemitton-718342 April 2022
Ryan Buell has been involved in a scandal where he reported he had pancreatic cancer, which he didn't have, as well as other scandals which I believe he even served jail time for.
Hard to take anything he says or does seriously!
Hard to take anything he says or does seriously!
Real, Raw, Emotional
tonimichelle7510 June 2011
I attended the American Ghost Hunter event in Las Vegas on June 3rd. The presentations by the AGH and Paranormal State teams were amazing alone, then came the screening of American Ghost Hunter. If you think this film is the typical "ghost story" or "paranormal documentary", I cannot stress enough to you how wrong you are. When one thinks of an independent film and/or documentary, the general stereotype is poor audio, boring interviews, horrible cinematography, and below par directing/production. American Ghost Hunter is the TOTAL exception to this general stereotype. You can literally feel the emotion in this movie. It is REAL, it is RAW, and it is PASSIONATE. Whether you have had paranormal experiences or not, whether you believe in the paranormal or not - this film will push you to rethink everything you previously thought you knew about unexplained phenomenon. American Ghost Hunter is the type of film that will stay in your mind for days, weeks, months, and possibly a lifetime. A well deserved thank you goes out to Chad Calek and his family for putting their story out there for the public to see. Chad and his family put aside the possibility of harsh scrutiny that so many times comes with films such as this. They put aside selling their story to "Hollywood" because they wanted it told RIGHT, with no Hollywood spin put into it. They didn't decide to put their story out there for money or fame, but for you and I, so that we KNOW we are not alone in our experiences and I believe the fact that they didn't sell out should be commended. Also, a well deserved thank you should be given to Ryan Buell, a man that I held so much respect for before even meeting him, now that I have met him, the respect I have for him is immeasurable. Ryan put much of his time and effort into helping the Calek family bring their story through, not only for the sake of the film, but in helping them get closer to the answers they were seeking so that their healing process could begin. The AGH team and Sergey (Paranormal State) did an amazing job of helping to make this film the masterpiece that it is. For those of you who have not yet seen the film, American Ghost Hunter is not what you expect. It is not a creaky door ghost story, it is not a series of interviews with no evidence, it is not like a 22 minute version of Paranormal State (as much as I love Paranormal State) It is not even the story in which you are probably expecting to see. It is REAL and it is one family's lifelong journey of things more frightening than most of us could begin to imagine before seeing this film. If you have not yet had the chance to see it, please check and see when they will be touring near you and GO! It is so much more than worth it. Chad and Ryan are (as well as their teams) the most down to earth and REAL people you will ever meet. The film is absolutely amazing, the story touches your soul, and AGH member Joe Ansley (with his band) provide the music for the film that just further completes the spectacular movie that American Ghost Hunter is. Don't miss out on the tour! I cannot express how sincerely touched I was by this experience and I WILL be one of the first in line to purchase this film when it comes out on DVD - yes, it IS that good.
Wow
suekoo1 December 2010
It is hard to find words to describe this magnificent film. Chad has such an incredible creative mind and it shows a thousand fold in this movie...from the camera angles to photos to webisodes and movie posters. Everything about this film is a touching emotional roller coaster. I am moved to tears every time I watch it.
Get ready for a crazy ride when you watch American Ghost Hunter because it does have great evidence as well. This movie is not just about what Chad's family has endured but about why it all started in the first place...so some investigations take place at some pretty crazy places. I LOVE IT!
I admire the bravery of Chad and his family for putting their entire lives up for scrutiny. Congrats on a job well done.
Get ready for a crazy ride when you watch American Ghost Hunter because it does have great evidence as well. This movie is not just about what Chad's family has endured but about why it all started in the first place...so some investigations take place at some pretty crazy places. I LOVE IT!
I admire the bravery of Chad and his family for putting their entire lives up for scrutiny. Congrats on a job well done.
Raw, Intense and Emotional
rockinnole19 October 2011
I was fortunate to see this movie twice now and both times when it was over you could have heard a pin drop. I have NEVER attended a movie where everyone was so affected they didn't know what to say.
Chad takes you inside something that he and his family have dealt with for so many years, the paranormal and possible possession. Something that is very personal and raw. This is not your typical horror movie and don't expect to be scared or see blood. But do expect to see how a man with the help of Ryan, Lorraine Warren and his friends helps his family with paranormal happenings they have dealt with since he was a small boy and along the way discovers things about himself. I appreciate Chad putting something so personal out there and feel so lucky to be one of the few who has gotten to experience this first. I can't wait for the rest of the world to see what we have already gotten to. Bravo to Chad, Ryan and the AGH Team.
Chad takes you inside something that he and his family have dealt with for so many years, the paranormal and possible possession. Something that is very personal and raw. This is not your typical horror movie and don't expect to be scared or see blood. But do expect to see how a man with the help of Ryan, Lorraine Warren and his friends helps his family with paranormal happenings they have dealt with since he was a small boy and along the way discovers things about himself. I appreciate Chad putting something so personal out there and feel so lucky to be one of the few who has gotten to experience this first. I can't wait for the rest of the world to see what we have already gotten to. Bravo to Chad, Ryan and the AGH Team.
American Ghost Hunter
aquaaura991 December 2010
This is a raw look into the life of a man looking for answers. It takes you into a family who has gone through years of turmoil,unanswered questions, an a life time of trying to protect each other. American Ghost Hunter is a very personal an private journey that we are privileged to have been invited along on.
It makes you look at your own faith an belief in everything in the world around you. It also makes you ask of yourself how far,an what are you willing to do for the people you love. This is a beautiful reminder that answers don't always bring peace,sometimes they just bring more questions. That it is up to us to make our own peace.
American Ghost Hunter the movie is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. It you enjoy this check out The Ghost Prophecies.
It makes you look at your own faith an belief in everything in the world around you. It also makes you ask of yourself how far,an what are you willing to do for the people you love. This is a beautiful reminder that answers don't always bring peace,sometimes they just bring more questions. That it is up to us to make our own peace.
American Ghost Hunter the movie is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. It you enjoy this check out The Ghost Prophecies.
See also
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