The Dead Files

The Dead Files is an American paranormal television series that premiered September 23, 2011, on the Travel Channel. The program features physical medium Amy Allan and former NYPD homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi, who investigate allegedly haunted locations at the request of their clients in an effort to provide proof of paranormal activity. Each partner is depicted exploring the case independently of the other, so as not to influence their portion of the investigation. They, along with their client(s), then come together during the program's final segment, the "reveal," when they compare their findings with one another.

The Dead Files
Genre
Starring
  • Amy Allan
  • Steve Dischiavi
  • Matthew Anderson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons13
No. of episodes206 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Jim Casey
  • Rob Rosen
  • David E. Gerber (co-executive)
  • Ross Kaiman
Producers
  • Joseph Bradley
  • Desma Simon
  • Angela Root
  • Brian Kniffel
  • Rob Mancini
  • Ashley Laub
  • Janelle Land
  • Tracy Weatherby
  • Cameron Dieterich
  • Carrie Paul (line producer)
  • Oliver Becker
  • Phil Abatecola
  • Tyler Jenkins
  • Brian Paterson
CinematographyRob Toth
Editors
  • Jason Kothmann
  • Stephen Carr
  • Vasan Insixiengmay
  • Patrick Reilly
  • Michele Gitomer
Camera setupMultiple
Running time45 minutes
Production companiesPainless Entertainment, Inc.
DistributorTravel Channel
Release
Original networkTravel Channel
Original releaseSeptember 23, 2011 (2011-09-23) 
present
External links
Website

In January 2021, The Dead Files, along with some other original paranormal series on the Travel Channel, moved to Discovery+.[1]

Show format

Opening introduction:

[Allan]: My name is Amy Allan. I see dead people. I speak to dead people. And they speak to me. But there's only one way to know if my findings are real. I rely on my partner.

[DiSchiavi]: I'm Steve DiSchiavi. I'm a retired New York City homicide detective. And I know every person, every house, has secrets. It's my job to reveal them.

[Allan]: But Steve and I never speak.

[DiSchiavi]: We never communicate during an investigation.

[Allan]: ...Until the very end.

[DiSchiavi]: When we uncover if it's safe for you to stay...

[Allan]: ...Or time to get out.

After items such as family pictures, trinkets, or personal effects have been removed from a location claimed to be haunted, Allan walks through attempting to communicate with ghosts and spirits. Meanwhile, Dischiavi questions residents, employees, and local experts in genealogy, local history and law enforcement regarding the site's history. Later, Allan collaborates with a sketch artist to create drawings of spirits she claims to have channeled during her walk-through. The episodes conclude with a "reveal", where the drawings will often appear to match Dischiavi's findings.

Criticism

According to skeptical reviewer Karen Stollznow, Allan often claims to find the same activity, such as shadow people, in multiple locations. Some items - such as religious iconography - are not removed but often left in locations. Stollznow notes that Allan appears to offer no evidence to verify her suggestion she had no preexisting knowledge of a location, which could be problematic for well-known ones such as Alcatraz or the Lizzie Borden house. Stollznow characterizes DiSchiavi as more of a "biased believer" than a skeptic, and suggests that the show is edited in order to make his investigation appear accurate, removing parts of Allan's observations that don't align with DiSchiavi's findings.[2]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
18September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23)November 11, 2011 (2011-11-11)
214March 9, 2012 (2012-03-09)July 20, 2012 (2012-07-20)
336August 10, 2012 (2012-08-10)August 2, 2013 (2013-08-02)
415November 1, 2013 (2013-11-01)January 31, 2014 (2014-01-31)
521June 12, 2014 (2014-06-12)January 3, 2015 (2015-01-03)
622April 25, 2015 (2015-04-25)January 2, 2016 (2016-01-02)
719April 2, 2016 (2016-04-02)September 17, 2016 (2016-09-17)
820February 4, 2017 (2017-02-04)September 16, 2017 (2017-09-16)
913February 3, 2018 (2018-02-03)June 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)
1013June 15, 2018 (2018-06-15)September 7, 2018 (2018-09-07)
1113July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11)October 3, 2019 (2019-10-03)
1213December 3, 2019 (2019-12-03)April 23, 2020 (2020-04-23)
1313January 4, 2021 (2021-01-04)March 15, 2021 (2021-03-15)

See also

References

  1. White, Peter. "Travel Channel Originals To Move To Discovery+ As Factual Giant Experiments With Windowing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. Stollznow, Karen (18 January 2013). "Dead Wrong: Travel Channel's The Dead Files". JREF Swift Blog. James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
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