Hacker Cinema
Skinwalker Ranch
2013 · Film · 86 min
Directed by Devin McGinn
In 2010 “Skinwalker Ranch” gained media attention after experiencing a wide range of unexplained phenomena. Reports ranged from UFO sightings to livestock mutilation, but maybe most notable was the disappearance of ranch owner Hoyt Miller’s eight-year-old son Cody on November 11, 2010. Close to a year later, Modern Defense Enterprises has sent a team of experts to document and investigate the mysterious occurrences, which only escalate upon their arrival. Tensions rise as the team must decide how far they will go to unlock the mysteries of “Skinwalker Ranch.” The group debates whether the answers are worth risking their lives for, or if they should just call off the investigation and leave the ranch—that is, if leaving is actually an option…
2 negativefrom 2 commenters
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2 comments on Hacker News
We know little of the Sherman's motivations and it seems likely that they needed to sell the ranch for some other reason. The stories of paranormal visitation likely started out as most do, as small time rumors, and expanded in scale to the skinwalker ranch phenomenon to meet the opportunity to sell to Bigelow.
Brandon Fugel should not be trusted. Because of the History Channel series he has a clear financial interest in the ranch, and it's obvious on casual inspection of the show that he has few compunctions when it comes to the ways he promotes his interests. The television show is an embarrassment to anyone with a sincere interest in the topic, it is worse than its obvious inspiration The Curse of Oak Island and that is saying a lot. And yet Fugel's role is to occasionally pop in to stir the drama.
Bigelow claims that the DoD came to him, but these types of contracts are usually awarded through back channels after lobbying by the firm that eventually wins them... This is the norm in defense acquisition. We know that Bigelow was drumming up political support for his projects from Reid as early as when he was making plans to purchase Skinwalker Ranch. It's extremely hard to believe that the DoD happened to select him as the best provider when the program only existed due to influence from his good friend and compatriot Reid... Far more likely that Bigelow himself established the parameters of the contract before he was considered for it, a practice that is basically normal in DoD contracting.
I know I am being harsh but you cannot judge these events based only on the accounts of the people that benefit from them. They are benefitting enormously from the information vacuum associated with military intelligence and the credulousness of the media. There is virtually nothing to check them when they make claims about what happened, and there are plenty of indications that they take advantage of this situation to create the story that they want. It's good to be skeptical, but you need to also be skeptical of the people who stir up these conspiracies.
I have watched clips from shows with Taylor and I am continuously amazed, not by the over-dramatic fake acting, but by the fact that he apparently has several different PhDs and serious academic background.
Ignoring the fact that he produces the most brain-dead reality TV shows you could imagine, what really confuses me is simply his person. He talks like a Redneck who has never seen a classroom from the inside, makes incredibly stupid associations and statements that could be mistaken for the effects of a concussion, and if you watch his show you are absolutely convinced he's just a farmer living on this ranch.
Then, sometimes, he'll slip, and suddenly he makes a rational statement that shows a great depth of understanding of physics or engineering, with almost no detectable Redneck accent, and your brain literally feels like it tripped and fell. This is then followed without fail by regression back into some sort of naive association and explanation and several restatements of his original statement in extremely simple dumbed-down terms.
I am not from the US, I do not watch US television, even our reality shows are not this stupid, so this is quite honestly utterly confusing to me. It seems as if these shows are produced for viewers with major brain damage, yet I cannot possibly believe that the viewers inherently lack any sign of intelligence and looking at some of the comments always confirms that this style of acting is almost universally perceived as extremely annoying and devoid of value, with people constantly complaining about it and reiterating that this added reality TV show bullshit dilutes the value of the show 10x.
Even more confusing is that Taylor, who - even though he doesn't seem like it in the shows - appears to be a very intelligent and educated man, would purposefully allow and engage in this kind of production.
I truly believe that there is extraterrestrial life, the probability is too high to ignore, and that places like Skinwalker Ranch might contain traces or artifacts, but I'm not sure if History Channel should be the organisation researching them.