Summary
From the creators of Explained comes this chilling docuseries that invites you to take a trip down the dangerous rabbit hole. From aliens to haunted houses, you’ll question everything you think you know.
Who hasn’t experienced something they can’t explain? From ghosts, orbs, sounds, mysterious situations, aliens, and disappearances, to folklore tales — all across the world, people have experienced things they can’t explain or understand. This is where Files of the Unexplained steps in.
This Netflix series travels across North America talking to ordinary, everyday people about their extraordinary and bizarre experiences that seemingly can’t be explained. Or can they? Files of the Unexplained investigates eight haunting encounters that might have you second-guessing everything you thought you knew. Or it’ll give you the chance to play skeptic and debunk each apparently true story. Either way, you’ll get a kick out of each episode.
In the eight episodes we get a multitude of stories, including an alien abduction in Mississippi, the U.S. government’s investigation of more than 650 unidentified objects and lights, severed feet washing ashore on the West Coast, and haunted houses! They’re much more than just ghost stories. Some of them are quite awful, unbelievable, and jaw-dropping. What is evident is that Americans love their aliens.
The series contextualizes each event with news stories, documentation, witness testimony, and expert analysis. Some use clips from films such as War of the Worlds, and they create reenactments of what might have happened to help the viewer visually. With old archive footage, newspaper articles, and updates on old cases, you’re taken through some one-of-a-kind experiences.
There is a narrator, who gives more detail and helps drive the episodes along. The voice is simple, effective, and not distracting. The series is well shot, with some intense close-up shots for the interviews and aerial shots of the locations.
Each episode does well in not being biased and not manipulating the viewer into thinking one way or another. What I enjoy is this series’ ability in storytelling. I felt as if I were listening to old friends and family recalling troubled tales from their past and I was going on a journey with them. It’s incredibly easy to watch; something you can binge-watch in one sitting.
My favorite episode is the ghost story, where they delve into how folklore and beliefs can shape and ignite our imaginations, and become part of our identity. Therefore, are we just heightening our imagination or are we truly seeing ghosts? The episode with the missing men (for over forty years) is quite harrowing and intriguing. Where did they go? You’ll be itching for answers.
Even if you’re not a believer in anything supernatural or mysterious, you can still enjoy hearing stories. What makes it a lot more compelling is the shared experiences of different people, at different times. I’m already waiting for a second season with more stories.
If you are a fan of the unknown and spooky stories, Files of the Unexplained is worth watching. If not, you’ll find this another boring, over-the-top show about crazy people and their antics.
