SCARED!

infobox television
show_name = SCARED!
bgcolour = #FF0000


caption = The SCARED! logo (Early 2007)
format = Documentary
picture_format = 480i (SDTV)
runtime = 45-55 Minutes (No Commercials)
developer = CORE Films Inc.
executive_producer = Chris Mancuso
Brian J. Cano
starring = "See Credited cast below"
country = USA
network = Staten Island Community Television
first_aired = September 12 2002
last_aired = Present
num_episodes = 12 (As Of March 25, 2007)
imdb_id = 0815074
website = http://www.scaredonline.com

"SCARED!" is a reality television series produced by CORE Films, Inc. featuring a team of paranormal investigators/urban explorers who investigate claimed hauntings and explore abandoned buildings. Collectively known as "The SCARED! Crew", the show centers around the triumvirate of three main members, who represent three points of view or beliefs: the Scientist, the Psychic and the Skeptic. The show began in September 2002 on Staten Island Community Television (CTV), a local cable-access station in Staten Island, New York under the name, "Scared on Staten Island".

The Early Years

The concept of SCARED, originally known as “Scared on Staten Island”, was conceived in early 2002 by Chris Mancuso and Brian J. Cano. Along with several other producers, they gathered historical facts, and compiled a list of rumors and urban legends surrounding the site where they would later investigate. With a mixture of paranormal investigation, urban exploration, humorous personalities and even some social commentary, “Scared on Staten Island” became an instantly recognized cult success in New York City.

The first season featured episodes filmed in the most basic of documentary styles. First-person camera work was the signature look of the show and it was often compared to The Blair Witch Project. Produced through the facilities of CTV, certain restrictions were placed upon the production in accordance with station protocols. The initial filming equipment used and editing processes employed were services CTV provided, but often served as obstacles, since a time limit was imposed upon each episode produced. This caused the initial batch of episodes to be raw and basic, but it's simplicity and honesty gained the show some popularity. Viewers kept tuning in, although it was obvious that the crew did not consist of professional film makers or professional paranormal investigators. Their ghost hunting equipment was extremely limited. Nevertheless, the viewership continued to grow. It was reality television at its most honest as nothing was scripted, so the sincerity of the crew touched viewers young and old. Word of mouth spread quickly and soon the crew was contacted by a reporter for The Staten Island Advance, who followed them on one of their investigations as research for a news article (June 2003). Advance writer, Seth Solomonow wrote:Cquote| Just watching (them) wander around, clearly frightened by their surroundings, brought the fear factor to new heights. And that’s what draws in the audience. [Solomonow, Seth "The creepier the better for TV trio" Staten Island Advance, June 10, 2003. Retrieved May 12, 2007.]

The article further widened the show’s viewership. The “Scared on Staten Island” website went up in late May 2004 in order to help the crew keep in touch with their ever growing fan base.

Episode Five (The St. George Theatre) was a milestone for the crew. It was the first time they had actually been invited to film an investigation. [2] This was also the first episode edited solely on a computer. As an added bonus, the episode featured spots from actors Tony Todd (best known as “Candyman”) and Kane Hodder (famous for playing “Jason” in the Friday the 13th movies). A few months later, after the success of “The Halloween Episode,” Brian left to pursue other goals. His departure was amicable and the show continued. By March of 2004, the crew brought on Wael “Shawn” Sharaydeh to fill out the crew. The program’s title was then shorted to “SCARED!” with the intention of exploring the rest of the country. Brian returned to the fold that August as the crew finally expanded their search beyond Staten Island and broadened their horizons, hoping at the same time to widen their audience.

Metamorphosis & Growth

When the show first began, the search for paranormal evidence was garnered through such methods as using chalk circles and toy cars to detect movement, the use of Ouija boards, as well as the sprinkling of baby powder on the floor to look for ghostly footprints. Once the show changed its name, the focus on more scientific equipment became apparent. The resident skeptic of the show, Cano, began introducing more electronic equipment each episode to assist in the investigations. Digital thermometers were used to look for cold spots, an unproven sign of a ghostly presence. EMF (electromagnetic field) scanners, night vision cameras, handheld digital video cameras, digital audio recorders, and laptop computers were also employed to further widen the search.

In recent years, the airwaves have been flooded with television shows devoted to and touching on the paranormal. In the past, such programs would pop up around Halloween and then be gone by Thanksgiving. They were one-shots, specials and reruns of old shows seen year after year. But something happened in 2004 that changed all that. It wasn’t a single event, but more like a change of attitude in the industry. Ghosts and the paranormal were the new “in” thing on television. In the wake of shows like Crossing Over With John Edwards and The Dead Zone (TV Series), more and more stable series were being created in both the drama and reality veins to explore this new category of entertainment. The subject was gaining legitimacy and, with it, a larger audience. By the end of 2004, the SCARED! Crew had been doing the show for almost three solid years and had eight episodes under their belt. This accomplishment was a mammoth one for them given the fact that there was absolutely no budget.

2005 dawned with the premiere of their ninth episode, an ambitious endeavour which marked a change of direction for SCARED! The location this time was the oft-written about Danvers State Hospital, in Massachusetts. The page had definitely been turned for the once-small cable access show from Staten Island. Having gone completely digital, editing on computers and focusing more on showcasing the crew in front of the camera, the Danvers episode was almost like the first of a new series. Scared on Staten Island was the practice but Scared! was the genuine article. Even the shows’ critics had to acknowledge the growth the group had made over the past three years.

Their fourth year would prove to be a busy one as the shooting schedule filled up with requests from establishments and private residences for paranormal investigations to be conducted. A positive reputation was being built, replacing the somewhat-shaky outlaw preconception that hung over the group in the beginning. Enough people had seen the show, had heard about the show, had met people associated with the show - it was not a fad nor a hobby and it had real staying power, as demonstrated by other shows of its kind on major networks. Fame was being built, little by little, show by show. This fame was increased by appearances on other local shows as well as in revews in publications both print and viral. Several more icons in the entertainment industry filmed introductions to the show, such as voice actor Jon Kassir and one of the original Ghostbusters, Ernie Hudson. With this rate of momentum, the group felt it was time to expand their horizons. In 2003 the show had been featured in the First Annual Independent Film Festival at Ubercon, to warm reviews. By 2005 the crew had become regular guests at the now bi-annual event. This was an event where local directors and producers could show their work amidst the atmosphere of a gaming convention. The SCARED! crew became well known there for the show as well as their showmanship in and around the convention itself. At this event and others like it, they began to meet and work with artists and writers known throughout the industry.

Rebooting an Original

The first few years saw much growth and interest in the show by the public and amongst the professional community, however that initial momentum slowed down as a slew of paranormal-themed shows appeared on larger cable networks. Ghost Hunters was the first of these, firmly establishing a large viewership and gaining some of the highest ratings of any SciFi Channel program at that time. [ [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/pr.aspx?id=20051020scifi0 SciFi Network Ratings Release] ] In November 2006, the SCARED! Crew felt the show needed to be rebooted and simplified back to the core formula of their views. Having undergone official schooling and study in the areas of parapsychology and the paranormal, Brian shifted from skeptic to Scientist. Chris, who had previously been the hopeful, open-minded middleman, after years of finding little, had become the Skeptic. The psychic aspect, which had been lacking during most investigations, needed to be addressed. Instead of one psychic, they decided to have an entire sub-team of psychics. Dubbed "The Psychic Division", or amongst the cast "The Psi Corps" (a Babylon 5 reference) the show now utilized an aspect that had been present, but seldom-used in the past. Lisa Ann, an experienced psychic-medium headed up this new division along with new team member Paul DiGennaro.

Reorganized, the show unofficially began again - with the investigation of the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, in Staten Island. While the prior body of work would not be ignored, this episode reintroduces all the cast members as if it were the first again. Another new aspect of the show was the frequent collaboration with other paranormal investigation groups. Each episode features a local expert or local group who lend their help in their area of expertise. Such topics have included EVP collection, laser imaging and dowsing.

"SCARED!" was sold to CORE Films, Inc. by Thousand Hats Productions in 2007 and continues to be produced under the same name.

PARA-Troopers™

"PARA-Troopers™" is a series currently in development by CORE Films. The show follows the adventures of a team of paranormal investigators who operate a private firm whose purpose is the continued defense of this plane of existence from intrusions by the spirit world, as well as other forces. It can be described as a drama in the tradition of The X-Files that integrates the wit of Ghostbusters, yet based on the characters seen on SCARED! [ [http://www.scaredonline.com/pages.php?cID=0&pID=33 "Who Ya Gonna Call Now?" Official SCARED! website] ]

Trivia

*Mancuso and Cano were inspired by MTV's Fear. Feeling contempt for the show's array of seemingly cowardly contestants, the two sought out a way to appear on it themselves. Finding out they were too old to meet the casting requirements, they decided to do their own show.
*Originally titled, Scared on Staten Island, the show was meant to be a limited six-episode miniseries, focusing on the rumored haunted locations around Staten Island, the home of the show's cast members. After the six episode run, local reviews and local fan demand prompted the crew to continue with the show. The name was changed to simply, SCARED! in 2004.
*Thinking the show would end with the sixth episode, Mancuso felt it needed to end with a final note. Being the only scripted, fictitious episode in the entire series, "The Halloween Episode" saw the deaths of all the investigators present. In the spirit of The Blair Witch Project, the episode was filmed as if it were from a tape that had been found from the doomed expedition and ends just as abruptly with a "TAPE END" last scene. The episode took place in the fictitious "Davis Center" which, in reality, was the Farm Colony, where the second episode had been filmed.

Credited cast

Current members

*Chris Mancuso (2002-present) - Producer, Lead Investigator
*Brian J. Cano (2002-present) - Producer, Parapsychologist
*Lisa Ann (2007-present) - Psychic/Medium, Head of Psychic Division
*Paul DiGennaro (2007-present) - Psychoscopist, Psychic Division
*Greg Cusick (2002-present) - Investigator
*Jason Porcino (2002-present) - Narrator, Investigtor
*Wael "Shawn" Sharaydeh (2002-present) - Investigator

Former members

*Joe Rice (2002-2006) - Producer, Psychic
*Erick Bonet (2002-2006) - Security

List of "SCARED!" episodes

Season One

Note: "All locations in Season One are in Staten Island, NY."

Season Four

Notes

ee also

*Ghost
*Ghost Hunting
*Haunted house
*Haunting
*Paranormal
*Paranormal Investigation