User Reviews

This show has shown some scary stuff and it was my favourite as a kid because it uncovered some of the stuff that goverment's around the world try to put a lid on and its very educational about paranormal activity around the world.

IMDb seems to omit the fact that actor/producer Henry Winkler was executive producer of "Sightings". Also worth mentioning, is that the Jeff Rense radio show was originally named "Sightings", by agreement with Henry Winkler. Jeff Rense's radio show was web cast from the URL: www.sightings.com until about the year 2000. At about that time, the web site: www.rense.com was begun, and all reference to the name "Sightings" was dropped. Jeff Rense's radio show is still web cast via GCN radio network, and the live web cast can be heard for free at www.GCNLive.com (Network 3). Mr. Rense has recently stated that he intends to put "all 14 years" of his recorded archives on line, but to only be available via paid monthly membership.

This was a great show when it started. Traveling the country and sometimes even the world for real ghost stories, this series had a great premise although a somewhat static and sterile approach to the stories it depicted. Changing from a half hour to a full hour was an improvement that few shows engaged in. Documentary and newsroom like in its approach, it suffered greatly when it stopped doing ghost stories and cryptid sightings and became just for UFOs.

"SIGHTINGS" was THE best documentary series about paranormal phenomena, in my opinion. I really wish that Paramount would release the entire series on DVD, preferably in separate season releases. So far, the only official releases of the series by Paramount were three VHS cassettes that featured compilations of different segments from the first 2 or 3 seasons of the show. These VHS tapes were titled "Sightings: The UFO Report", "Sightings: The Ghost Report", and "Sightings: The Psychic Experience" which were all released in 1996. The 58-minute long cassettes barely scratched the surface of all of the stories and investigations covered by the series over the years and featured story segments in an edited format. Unedited DVD releases of the entire series are really wanted by fans.

Here is the history of the show, for those who aren't familiar with it: "Sightings" started out as an hour-long TV special about real-life UFO sightings and alien encounters titled "The UFO Report: Sightings". It aired on the Fox network in October 1991 and received great ratings. That led to a second "Sightings" special about ghosts and hauntings titled "Sightings: The Ghost Report" which aired in February 1992. Ratings were good again, so Fox decided to make "Sightings" a weekly half-hour series which began airing in April 1992. It aired on Fox for 2 seasons from 1992 to 1993. After being canceled by the network, the show returned as an all-new hour-long weekly series airing in first-run syndication from 1994 to 1996 for its 3rd and 4th seasons. The Sci Fi Channel picked up the series for its 5th and final season from 1996 to 1997. The cable channel also produced and aired a half-hour behind-the-scenes special about the show, featuring interviews with host Tim White and executive producer Henry Winkler (among others) which aired in 1996. After the weekly series ended, the Sci Fi Channel produced 5 two-hour "Sightings" specials featuring different paranormal topics that aired sporadically in 1998. (Repeats of the weekly series continued to air occasionally on the channel until 2003.) In 2002, a scripted, made-for-TV movie based on a segment of the series aired on the Showtime cable channel titled, "Sightings: Heartland Ghost". That movie was later released on DVD. In 2003, the producers of the show edited together some old footage with some new interviews and produced a weekly first-run syndicated series called "Unexplained Mysteries" which aired until 2005.

"Sightings" had both style and substance. The writing on the show really sucked you into each segment and made you interested in it. The show was packed with lots of information and managed to get it all in within each 5 to 10 minute segment, without seeming rushed. I liked the fact that it featured several different topics per hour (or 30 minutes in the first two seasons). Topics mainly included UFOs, aliens, ghosts, psychic detectives, near-death experiences, and creatures (such as Bigfoot and lake monsters). Other paranormal topics were also explored from time to time, as well as some science news. In some ways, the show was the unofficial precursor to the popular fictional series "The X-Files". ("The X-Files" replaced "Sightings" on Fox's Friday night schedule in 1993, exploring the same topics, except in a fictional format.)

"Sightings" wasn't the first show of its type. Other shows such as "In Search Of" and "Unsolved Mysteries" aired years before "Sightings" and covered various paranormal topics occasionally, but "Sightings" was one of the first series to feature paranormal topics as its main episode content each week. Over the years, other paranormal documentary shows tried to copy the show's formula (never succeeding as well, in my opinion). In the early 1990's, "Sightings" seemed to pave the way for more paranormal programming, not only on Fox, but on other networks, cable channels, and in syndication.

This is one of the more spookier TV series I've seen, a reality show that delves on the world of the paranormal, including ghosts and UFOs. Witnesses tell their stories of their abnormal experiences and share chilling details of what they've went through. It's a show that unlike a conventional horror movie will give you goosebumps and intrigue, as these are true tales of horror being foretold - versus fictional horror flicks.

This is a show that really gives out levels of suspense and thrills with gravity and sensitivity - not like those so-called ghost-hunting shows where you get a bunch of overzealous guys trying to act like they're the ghostbusters or paranormal know-it-all geeks.

Good stuff here - great for a real scare.

Grade B+

This is another one of my favorite unexplained phenomena documentary shows, and it's another childhood gem of mine as it was another show that fully got me into the unexplained phenomena genre and has inspired me to become somewhat of a researcher and investigator in that field.

I really like that theme which is solid, the music fits but of course as it was playing there were a lot of those images and the categories the show covers. It was cool though I'll admit as a kid that one ghost face or alien that is just a little fuzzy visual, I saw when the Mind category comes up was a little creepy. Tim White is a solid host as he is very much mater of fact, I really like how the show treats the unexplained phenomena mater with seriousness.

The show is format much like a news program which I think gives this show not just a unique flare, but it also means multiple subject matter in one episode will be thoroughly covered and at a good pace. In a way this show basically is a news program for anyone that is into unexplained phenomena, let alone one of the only news programs that are worth watching because it's interesting, useful, and important (in my book anyway) even cool and fun if you can believe that.

This format works to the those benefit because with it their able to cover multiple subjects in the genre all in one episode. The interviews and even the camera footage let alone editing is all well done in the professional manner. Certain stories might be a tad dated since this program was on years ago but it's still cool to watch them as those stories are a historical record now giving it some educational value but also, it's just fun to compare note from the findings of before to the findings of now.

Each of the stories are always different from the UFO sighting reports which are always cool, psychic powers, hauntings, you name it. Like one story was on Orson Welles and the Voodoo curse on him and the incomplete documentary he made called "It's all True" being a film buff these things I honestly never knew about and from this story and considering his downfall latter on you can't help but wonder.

Though I really enjoy the stories on the prophesies which are interesting to watch now considering they were made in the early to mid-90's and considering how far we've came as it's now 2019 and maybe we'll make it beyond that, it's a bit funny. My only conclusion to some of those doom and gloom prophesies are either their we're off by centuries or years, or they saw into an alternate reality. I don't know, but no one ever did say prophesy is always an exact science and beware as sometimes some of them do come true.

For enthusiasts of Unexplained phenomena, this vintage documentary show is a sight worth seeing.

Rating: 4 stars

This is what I really like about the Internet Movie Database. It's like rummaging through a box of old Top 40 records which you left in the attic twenty years ago. I'm forever coming across something that immediately brings back happy memories ... " Oh, my God ... do you remember THIS " ?

Enter ... " Sightings". What a great series! And no wonder ... it was produced by the same creative talent who gave us "Unsolved Mysteries".

Thinking back to shows like this only reconfirms my long-held belief that television has really hit the skids over recent years. I used to love TV. Now, I hardly ever watch it.

Oh for those olden, golden days of home entertainment. Give me a good ghost story any day of the week.

Sightings was and is a very interesting show. It is what paranormal buffs and fans have always dreamed of. It isn't a documentary of a few hours of strange and spooky stuff, but a regular hour of paranormal news and feature stories. While it is not always the unexplainable, it does deal with different anomalies and strange situations. It is interesting and very diverse in its coverage of the paranormal. You get UFO's, strange creatures, ghosts, sea and other monsters,psychic phenomena, strange sounds/noises, legends, urban legends and more. It is probably one of the best shows of its kind, done with a t.v. news magazine approach. It should be brought back and updated.

This Television programme happened to be the best up to date programme I have ever seen. When I was younger at age 8 (which is pretty young to be watching this show) I would only be allowed to watch the aliens part - one day my parents weren't there to stop me from watching it all - but I vaguely remember the "House of tomorrow" I think it was and Yes - It scared me into believing for the next 8 years to this present day that there was a ghost in my cupboard lol =) The show is great - loads of really good true stories. Some were a little boring as I remember but It was something i'd watch again to get my fear of the cupboard out of the way. Highly recommend it - but do not recommend it for youngsters (as you know by now). Thanx for reading my review and hope to write another one up soon.

If you enjoy a good ghost story, if you enjoy reading, researching, watching shows about the supernatural, this is a movie for you. I wish I could find all the episodes on DVD.

Remember watching Unsolved Mysteries, who hasn't? It is true television is no longer what used to be; taking shows like Unsolved Mysteries, Sightings off the air and replacing them with too many surreal life junk is not entertainment. I wouldn't mind watching re-runs, but I no longer watch TV, because it has become boring. Hope to find more videos about the supernatural and sightings, hey sometimes I want to sit in front of the television and watch something that keeps me glued to it like this video did. Just make sure you are not home at night watching it might scare you.

Now from time to time I watch this series which now reruns on the Sci-Fi channel, and "Sightings" is a series that always leaves a viewer thinking. The stories featured on this program are real not made up only to be told and reported in a way to leave the viewer thinking with wonder and mystery. From hauntings, Bigfoot sightings, ghosts, urban legends, and the unexplained this series has it all a must watch if you like to let your mind explore!

there are a lot of episodes of sightings that were bone >chilling. some of the scariest stuff i've ever seen in my >life. there was one episode about a enity that rapes,beats,and scares the hell out of a group of women >living in a house in ohio. they call the enity the beast. >that episode was hands down the scariest thing on tv i've >ever seen in my life. it was more scarier than any horror >movie i've ever seen. for days or more i couldn't sleep >with the light off. the show was full of very interesting,scary as hell episodes. if you like scary ghost stories or UFO stories,then you have to see this >show. on a scale of 1 to 10 i give sightings a 9 1/2

This is, in my opinion, one of the best TV shows on paranormal phenomena ever made. Travel Channel has done a number of good shows on the same topic, and A&E has done shows on haunted mansions/castles I believe, so that's what I watch since Sightings hasn't been on the air. I think Sci-Fi occasionally shows it in syndication.