The Dead Files

American documentary paranormal TV series

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The Dead Files

Genre|

* Paranormal
* Documentary

Starring|

* Amy Allan
* Steve Dischiavi
* Matthew Anderson
* Cindy Kaza

Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 15
No. of episodes| 244 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers|

* Jim Casey
* Rob Rosen
* Ross Kaiman

Producers|

* Joseph Bradley
* Desma Simon
* Angela Root
* Brian Kniffel
* Rob Mancini

Cinematography| Rob Toth
Editors|

* Jason Kothmann
* Stephen Carr

Camera setup| Multiple
Running time| 60 minutes
Production companies| Painless Entertainment, Inc.
Original release
Network| Travel Channel
Release| September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23) –
October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)

The Dead Files is an American documentary paranormal television series that premiered on September 23, 2011, on the Travel Channel. The program features physical mediums Amy Allan (until 2023), Cindy Kaza (since 2023), and former NYPD homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi, who investigate allegedly haunted locations at the request of their clients to provide proof of paranormal activity. Each partner is depicted exploring the case independently of the other, not to influence their portion of the investigation. They, along with their client(s), come together during the program's final segment, the "reveal," when they compare their findings.

On April 21, 2023, it was announced that the fifteenth season will premiere on June 1, 2023.[1] In the same press release, it was announced that Allan was leaving the series after the June 29 episode. She was replaced by medium Cindy Kaza.[1]

## Cast

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### Current

[edit]

* Steve DiSchiavi: Investigator (2011–23)
* Cindy Kaza: Psychic medium (2023)
* Matthew Anderson: Videographer (2011–23)
* Amy Allan: Psychic medium (2011–23)

## Show format

[edit]

Following her predecessor's (Amy Allan) guidance, Cindy Kaza continues her legacy alongside her partner, Steve DiSchiavi.

After items such as family pictures, trinkets, or personal effects have been removed from a location claimed to be haunted, Kaza walks through, attempting to communicate with ghosts and spirits. Meanwhile, Dischiavi questions residents, employees, and local experts in genealogy, local history, and law enforcement regarding the site's history. Later, Kaza collaborates with a sketch artist to create drawings of spirits she claims to have channeled during her walk-through. The episodes conclude with a "reveal", where the drawings will often appear to match Dischiavi's findings.

## Criticism

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According to skeptical reviewer Karen Stollznow, Allan often claims to find the same activity, such as shadow people, in multiple locations. Some items – such as religious iconography – are not removed but are often left in locations. Stollznow notes that Allan appears to offer no evidence to verify her suggestion she had no preexisting knowledge of a location, which could be problematic for well-known ones such as Alcatraz or the Lizzie Borden house. Stollznow characterizes DiSchiavi as more of a "biased believer" than a skeptic and suggests that the show is edited to make his investigation appear accurate, removing parts of Allan's observations that don't align with DiSchiavi's findings.[2]

## Episodes

[edit]

Main article: List of The Dead Files episodes

Season| Episodes| Originally released

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|

First released| Last released
1| 8| September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23)| November 11, 2011 (2011-11-11)
2| 14| March 9, 2012 (2012-03-09)| July 20, 2012 (2012-07-20)
3| 36| August 10, 2012 (2012-08-10)| August 2, 2013 (2013-08-02)
4| 15| November 1, 2013 (2013-11-01)| January 31, 2014 (2014-01-31)
5| 21| June 12, 2014 (2014-06-12)| January 3, 2015 (2015-01-03)
6| 22| April 25, 2015 (2015-04-25)| January 2, 2016 (2016-01-02)
7| 19| April 2, 2016 (2016-04-02)| September 17, 2016 (2016-09-17)
8| 20| February 4, 2017 (2017-02-04)| September 16, 2017 (2017-09-16)
9| 13| February 3, 2018 (2018-02-03)| June 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)
10| 13| June 15, 2018 (2018-06-15)| September 7, 2018 (2018-09-07)
11| 13| July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11)| October 3, 2019 (2019-10-03)
12| 13| December 3, 2019 (2019-12-03)| April 23, 2020 (2020-04-23)
13| 13| January 4, 2021 (2021-01-04)| March 15, 2021 (2021-03-15)
14| 12| October 23, 2021 (2021-10-23)| April 2, 2022 (2022-04-02)
15| 13| June 1, 2023 (2023-06-01)| October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)

## See also

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* Apparitional experience
* Parapsychology
* Ghost hunting
* Haunted locations in the United States

## References

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1. ^ a b "Travel Channel's "The Dead Files" Returns with an All-New Season on Thursday, June 1 at 9 P.M. ET/PT". The Futon Critic. April 21, 2023.
2. ^ Stollznow, Karen (January 18, 2013). "Dead Wrong: Travel Channel's The Dead Files". JREF Swift Blog. James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved July 28, 2019.

## External links

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* Official website of The Dead Files
* The Dead Files at IMDb
* The Dead Files at TV Guide
* The Dead Files at TheTVDB

*[No.]: Number