The Baby Boomers and Gen-X'ers were heavily influenced by paranormal-themed TV in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Let's revisit why we are so into the unknown.
The Mysterious Monsters (1975 documentary)
Hosted by Peter Graves. This documentary seems outdated nowadays, but honestly the Bigfoot segments were the best and the witness reports are lost to today's research. The music is cool. The reenactments are fun. And Graves brought a bit of class to a subject that in 1975 made people nervously giggle.
The X-Files (series 1993-2002)
Starring David Dichovny and Gillian Anderson.
The government having a paranormal records keepers? I loved this series. My favorite was "Darkness Falls." It was amazing to see the two of them butt heads on belief versus skepticism, but the music, the settings, the things that they stalked were unsettling. As long as they stuck to paranormal and monsters, it was amazing, but the government episodes dragged it down.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker (series 1974)
Starring Darren McGavin.
This was a must-see show! A bumbling reporter for a Chicago newspaper and a cranky boss. Kolchak had a knack for finding crimes that were odd and spooky. His natural curiosity brought him into dangerous encounter with zombies, werewolves, vampires, and more.
In Search Of (series 1976-1982)
Hosted by Leonard Nemoy.
This was really the one show that launched us paranormal geeks into ecstasy. Each epiosode handled a different subject of the unexplained like psychics, do plants think, Bigfoot, and more.
Scariest Places in the World (series 2000--2006) Hosted by Linda Blair.
Imagine creepy music scoring, Linda Blair hosting, and Zelda Rubinstein (the psychic with the scary voice on "Poltergeist) narrating. Families are sent to haunted locations and castles to spend a night in the dark exploring and ghost hunting.
Night Gallery (series 1970-1973)
Hosted by Rod Serling
A painting started each episode into the unexplained. They appeared to be harbingers or hints of what was to come. It was in typical Rod Serling creepiness.
Outer Limits (series 1963-1965)
This series had creepy scoring and terrifying episodes. I remember, as a wee tot, I watched reruns and the episode with the monster made of electricity had me behind the sofa crying and terrified.
Twilight Zone (Series 1959-1964)
Hosted by Rod Serling.
Rod Serling's series is the be-all and end-all of scary anthologies with twist endings. The music alone sets our hearts pounding, even decades and decades later.
The Sixth Sense (series 1972)
Hosted by Gary Collins
A slightly more updated version of the Twilight Zone vibe. It had some unique and spooky episodes.
Unsolved Mysteries (series 1987-1988)
Hosted by Robert Stack
Stack made this series classy for having some scary and unexplained episodes. This included reenactments about crimes and unsolved unexplained subjects.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (series 1997-2002)
Hosted by James Brolin and later hosted by Jonathan Frakes. This anthology series reenacted episodes based on supposed real events.
That's Incredible! (series 1980-1984)
Hosted by John Davidson, Fran Tarkenton, and Cathy Lee Crosby. This star-studded series had short anthology episodes involving all kinds of things that are mystifying and incredible.
Circle of Fear aka Ghost Story
Hosted by Sebastian Cabot designed by Richard Matheson.
Another horror anthology. With the delightful British actor, Sebastian Cabot hosting, it was engaging.
Lost in Space (series 1965-1968)
June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, Bill Mummy, Guy Williams, Jonathan Harris. A space adventure with a family and robot shot out into space and crash land on a planet, finding they have a pesky stowaway.
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Other fun vintage shows with paranormal themes -
My Favorite Martian
The Addams Family
The Munsters
Bewitched
Jennifer Slept Here
Out of This World
Rentaghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Goober and the Ghost Chasers
Milton the Monster
Beetlejuice
The Invaders
Scooby Doo: Where Are You?
Topper
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir
My Mother the Car
It's About Time
My Brother the Angel
I Dream of Jeannie
Mr. Ed
Six Million Dollar Man (Bigfoot episodes)
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If you check out YouTube, you are likely to find many of these episodes available. They are worth chasing down. Nothing will bring back that creeping excitement like the music scoring and hosts from childhood.