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Whether there's any truth at all to reported paranormal experiences, one principle holds true: They are extremely popular in the media. From the magazine tabloid The Star to the television news tabloid 20/20, the ''weird and strange" attracts attention. In this chapter, we'll explore just how pervasive the paranormal is in our culture. |
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The eerie music, the skewed camera angles, the pervasive sense of secrecy and doomyou all know it, or at least most of you do, because the television series The X-Files has made quite a splash. In its first season, The X-Files caught on as a cult hit and soon it was a hit series on a new network, winning a Golden Globe and earning an Emmy nomination for Best Television Drama in its second season. Its popularity continues after a 1998 summer movie hit enjoyed box office success. |
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The X-Files' combination of quirky characters, featuring the leading pair Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, with bizarre FBI investigations of anything from vampires to mutants to Loch Ness monsters, keeps everyone on their toes, wondering what will happen next from week to week. But the biggest boon to the show is its interspersed episodes involving aliensand a governmental conspiracy to cover them up. The overwhelming fascination with this topic may reflect the public's rampant paranoiaor its obsessionwith discovering the truth. |
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The X-Files isn't alone on a paranormal podium. The airwaves are exploding with popular perspectives on paranormal perils. Within the past few years, shows such as Millennium and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have won a loyal following. Third Rock from the Sun offers an absurdly silly look at life on Earth through the experiences of extraterrestrial guests. And then there's the perennial feel-good favorite, Touched by an Angel, which offers a comforting glimpse into the world of angels. No matter their tone or subject matter, these TV programs show how obsessed we are with all things "out there." |
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