“Expedition Entity” is an episodic paranormal documentary seen on Paraflixx, home of the paranormal, which explores some hidden gems of haunted locations in the American Midwest, led by paranormal investigators Dan Norvell and Larry Eissler. This episode of “Expedition Entity” titled “Brodhead Manor the Second Floor” follows the haunted happenings on the second floor of an old school in Brodhead, Wisconsin called Brodhead Manor.
Lillian Likes…The stirring music in the opening credits outlining the names and titles of the investigators. This gripping intro revved me up for the ghostly adventure to follow.
Lillian Likes…The Expedition Entity logo of the black cross over a blood moon with the overlay of the title.
Investigator Dan Norvell is greeted by Bill Wolter, the owner of Brodhead Manor, who brings Dan back into the gift shop. This is where the audience learns, if they had not been following the series, that the Expedition Entity team had been to this location previously to delve into the happenings on the first floor. Since their last visit, apparently the Manor has undergone some renovations such as a gift shop, an effects room, a private condo, a conference room, along with guest rooms for the bold to stay overnight. We learn that the ghosts of Brodhead Manor are not fans of change, as these areas of renovation were the subject of a bevy of paranormal phenomena and were aptly dubbed hot spots.
Lillian Likes…That the film showed flashbacks of a previous episode documenting the paranormal activity recorded in the basement of the Manor, to bring the viewer up to speed who may not have seen the prior episode.
Lillian Likes…That Bill was texting or playing on his phone during the ghost stakeout in the basement in the flashback from the previous episode. I know I should not find this as amusing as I did, as I’m sure the filmmakers did not intend this to be a point of humor, but I did.
Lillian Likes…The point that the owner makes about how anytime that he moves something or makes changes such as painting a room, “they’ll (the ghostly occupants) tell us if they don’t like the color, that they’ll make the wall peel.” I guess the dead are no different than the living in their strong feelings regarding what color a room will be painted in their home.
Lillian Likes…The flashback scene of the sound of a ball bouncing that was caught on audio during Dan’s interview with the owner.
Lillian Likes…How the filmmakers don’t make assumptions about the audience. While those who have seen the previous episodes may have an advantage, the production team wisely fills in the gaps in the storyline to bring the audience to the current point in the expedition.
Then we come to learn about the surly janitor spirit that resides primarily in the basement of the old school. This ghost has acquired a bit of a reputation for having very little patience for guests and investigators alike, as we see demonstrated in a flashback from the previous episode. This janitor does not mince words when in no uncertain terms he tells the investigators to leave, but to “f*cker leave.”
Lillian Likes…The way Larry and the team were politely thanking the adversarial ghost janitor for speaking to them as they are leaving the area.
Lillian Likes… The shot from the landing of the stairwell peering eerily down to one of the school exits.
We come to one of the other hotspots, the Principal’s Office, where we learn is titled that because whatever spirit lurks within those walls was a person of power in the facility, as he insists on being called, “Sir.”
Lillian Likes…The suspense built with a flashback of a previous investigator, Natalie Jones, whose experience in the Principal’s Office left her visibly shaken, describing the impressions she had of the ghostly inhabitant with the word: "Rage."
The next hotspot we are brought to is the Boiler Room, which we learn that the janitor, being from a different time, had expressed a strong dislike of women investigators.
Lillian Likes…The subsequent scene of Steve Wren, one of the investigators, who sat down in the dark, dank Boiler Room to catch the disembodied voice of the janitor on tape. We see Steve holding a peculiar device in his hand, which we learn are dowsing rods.
Lillian Likes…The font used for the captioning of the words spoken by the disembodied voice of the janitor. Rather than the traditional small text font used in captioning, the filmmakers used the same font used for their logo title. While a small detail, this just shows the level of thoughtfulness that this production team put into their work.
Lillian Likes…The amusing “Do Not Disturb” eye mask that channeler/investigator Jenny Davis uses during their channeling/communication session with the ghost in the Principal’s Office.
Lillian Likes…The way that the filmmakers highlighted the physical effects experienced by particularly the women in the investigative team. When the spirits were communicating, it became abundantly clear that some of the ghosts haunting the Manor had a particular malice towards women by psychically attacking them. This attack came in the form of headaches, nausea, and feeling very ill at ease.
Lillian Likes…The way that the filmmakers chose to cut to black with the words “Jen in the Hallway” over the screen. The audience then only hears the audio of Jenni Gill, another investigator, in the hallway retching and describing how the experience made her feel. This choice of visually not showing one of the women on the team, but only hearing the audio, was a powerful way to capture the attitudes of the ghosts that women investigators were not welcome and should be out of sight.
Lillian Likes…Jen Gill’s screen presence. I found Jen to be very compelling to watch, as she was deeply affected by whatever was happening in the moment.
Lillian Likes…The interesting blending of ghost detecting and mediumship/channeling. While other ghost hunting documentaries focus on the paranormal in an investigative, nuts-and-bolts approach, "Expedition Entity" gives equal attention to the spiritual channeling aspect of the investigation.
Lillian Likes… The way that the episode was concluded by a recap of the episode. While there was a preview of the episode at the beginning giving the highlights of what was to come, there was also a recap summarizing the episode. Usually, you see one or the other. However, this production chose to include both, which made me as the viewer feel like the story and investigation were brought full circle.
This was a well put-together ghost-hunting documentary that could easily be seen on SyFy alongside shows like “Ghost Hunters.” The quality of the production was there and deserves to be showcased.
Lillian Likes… ”Expedition Entity: Brodhead Manor the Second Floor”
Investigative Crew: Dan Norvell (lead investigator), Larry Eissler III, Steve Wren, Jenni Gill, Jenny Davis, Bill Wolter
Videography by Larry Eissler III, Steve Wren
Edited by Larry Eissler III
Produced by Small town productions, LLC
Brought to you by Paraflixx Paranormal
To catch this episode, along with many others, be sure to visit: https://paraflixx.vhx.tv/expedition-entity
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