5/5 A critical documentary
  by Ethanator (Albuquerque, NM United States)
Unlike most documentaries on the paranormal, which seem to present various opinions without any criticism, the Is It Real? series dares to ask if what they're investigating actually has any evidence to back it up. It's more like the kind of journalism people used to do before everything was spoonfed by authorities, only in this case they ask various skeptics, special effects people, etc. if there are any alternative explanations. In the episode on ghosts, for example, they send a ghost hunter to an allegedly haunted house to see if he can identify the ghosts that are supposed to live there. Also, some special effects people recreate a video of an alleged ghost with a piece of glass and an action figure. I show this in a critical thinking class and the students seem to enjoy it. Overall, it's nice to see a documentary series that dares to ask the unfashionable question, Is It Real?