September 20, 2009
DT – Island of the Dolls
by Oubliette
This week the Destination Truth team tackles the spooky sounding “Island of the Dolls”. With a story that sounds more like the script for a horror movie than a TV reality show, the DT team journeys to an area just south of Mexico City to a small island that contains dolls and their assorted body parts, some gruesome looking indeed. It is said they are possessed by the spirit of a girl who had drowned nearby.
Over the years a caretaker had been placing all sorts of dolls throughout the small island in an attempt to keep the spirit of the drowned girl at bay. There are many who believe that the dolls have become infused with the girl’s “paranormal energy”. Eyewitnesses have claimed that if one passes the island at night, the dolls can be seen moving and can be heard whispering to passersby, beckoning them to come onto the island. Strange siren calls, indeed.
The caretaker himself, Don Julian, was found dead, floating in the waters of the same canal in which the girl had lost her life. In a somewhat perverse twist, his spirit is also believed to haunt the island, wandering among the dolls that he had so carefully placed there over the course of many years.
Pictures of these dolls (or in some cases just their heads) are indeed disturbing, and the whole area truly looks like the stuff nightmares are made of. So the team pack their bags and wing their way southward to Mexico City to investigate.
Upon arrival, our intrepid explorers could not pass up the rich night life that abounds in this famous city that sits upon the capital of the ancient Aztec empire. And fun it is as music is danced to, many tequilas are imbibed, and Josh literally sweeps Jael off her feet and carries her off into the festive night.
It provides a stark contrast to what will await them on the Island of the Dolls.
On the way, they consult with Hector Mendez, paranormal investigator and author, who relates the strange story of how the caretaker was hearing voices and singing, beckoning him into the water. Having been found dead by his nephew almost at the exact spot of the little girl’s demise, the locals have concluded that the dolls themselves had killed Don Julian. Since no cause of death is mentioned, it is impossible to speculate on how he actually died.
Josh is assured by Mendez that if he spends a night on the island, he will indeed experience paranormal activity, but informs him that first permission must be granted since it was private property. So it was off to meet with the nephew and present caretaker of the island, Anastasio, who since his uncle’s death performed his duties at a safe distance away in the rural Mexican countryside.
Any episode of DT would not be complete unless a mishap occurred with the transportation, and this case was no exception. The DT Mobile begins to drip coolant at an alarming rate, forcing some of the crew to stay behind to fix the mess while Josh and Jael find other means of transport, in this case two horses controlled only by makeshift rope halters. Jael has trouble with her mount, but eventually the duo ride the three miles to Anastasio’s farm to gain access to the island.
Anastasio is convinced that he has seen the dolls stir even in the light of day, their heads moving up and down. He advises Josh to bring traditional offerings (candy, a candle) as well as a doll, which he believes will then connect with and appease the other dolls on the island. In order to see the spirit of the girl, he advises Josh to place their doll near the spot where the girl had drowned.
This necessitated a trip to a huge outdoor market where it appeared that one could find almost anything ranging from colorful scarves, food (Josh attempts to turn over a tortilla with his bare hand and discovers it was a hotter ordeal than he could handle), statues of saints (one for narc trafficking??) and other figures that had a definite “Day of the Dead” theme about them. Surrounded by skulls and other reminders of mortality, it was obvious they had reached the right place to find the necessary items.
After purchasing an appropriately creepy doll, nine candles and some candy, Josh is about to depart when he is met by Mike, who tells him of a weird experience he has just had. A woman placed three stones in his hand, sprinkles him with holy water and proclaims that he is blessed for the rest of his life. As with the story of the dolls, the offering and blessing rituals, it is obvious Mexico City remains a blend of modern religion and surviving pagan beliefs.
It must be a somewhat disturbing experience as the island comes into view. The team will remain there alone until the next morning. They waste no time in setting up their equipment, placing the majority of cameras etc. on the canal bank where the two deaths occurred.
Josh sets out with Jael (it seems that Jael is his right woman/man) to place the doll and other offerings near the water that took the life of the girl. Jael states “I think she knows we’re here” and immediately thereafter ripples appear in the water. Paranormal? Probably not; there are too many factors that could account for the ripples, and the environment itself can account for her subjective impressions .
In short order Josh begins picking up EMF spikes near some of the posts in the shed. No mention is made as to whether or not there is electricity on the island. I’m surprised that this was not checked on beforehand. In any case, Jael believes that one of the dolls just closed its eye. According to the meter, there is a high EMF reading coming from that particular doll. No sooner does Josh state that if the doll opens its eye he will p** his pants than the toy obliges him. Bizarre? Yes. Coincidence? Maybe. Paranormal? Unknown.
Meanwhile Rex is experiencing “something loud near the water bank”. Splashes in bodies of water are common–again, I would put this down to a subjective experience created by the dark surroundings.
Since the shed seems to be the most active spot, Josh decides to send each member to sit alone, without benefit of any light, and see what happens. This has been a procedure used by DT in the past, producing some interesting results. Cameraman Gabe is first up and nothing unusual seems to occur. Next up is Jael, and she also has nothing to report.
Josh is next and begins an EVP session, which seems a bit odd considering that it is done in English. Previously it was Josh’s practice to just set a recorder running and leave the area, but he seems to be leaning more and more toward a lesser scientific type of approach. Suddenly there is a noise (bang or spring) coming from outside, and this will set the tone for Mike and his over the top encounter.
Already in a hyper state of mind, Mike claims to see a dark shape outside the window, hears a strange vocalization and then taps are heard outside the shack. His belief that an energy is trying to communicate leads him to conduct an EVP session, again in English. It seems apparent that DT is now borrowing more than a page or two out of the TAPS manual.
Apparently the spirit of Don Julian decides to proclaim his presence by loud raps and sounds of dragging on the roof, scary enough to send Mike rushing back to base camp. A FLIR sweep by Josh supposedly reveals a hot spot that looks like a human head and shoulders appearing in back of Mike. Three orbs then briefly appear on the other side of the canal.
Back home, Mike analyzes the EVPs, and it is believed that the word “Leave” is heard on two separate occasions. Personally, as is often the case with GH, I did not hear anything that sounded like a human voice.
Taking the evidence to “the experts” Tango and Steve is the next step. Steve interprets the doll’s eye movement as energy attached to a personal item, strangely not even considering any other, more rational explanation. The FLIR anomaly receives the very in-depth response that “that heat needs to be coming from somewhere”. Well, yes.
Steve suggests the orbs are a manifestation of spirit energy. No other sources are discussed; again this is a practice I’m not comfortable with. Tango is strangely silent. Josh could have done better in his choice of video experts.
Turning to the audio evidence in the shed, Steve concludes that it sounds like something is trying to get in, which may very well be the truth. Why he would describe this sound as paranormal over animal to me indicates that little effort is put into looking for actual earthly sources . In the end, Josh has to admit that there were too many suspects on the island, namely, the dolls, to make an actual determination as to what produced the evidence.
This is the second episode where Josh has distinctly departed from his previous investigative techniques. In doing so, it is again apparent to me that elements of GH are being injected into this show. I cannot help but start to question, in this case, the evidence gathered, the interpretation of it, and why the idea that this was caused by a spirit is so readily leapt on as an explanation.
In my opinion this is a case where mysticism, a possibly mentally unbalanced man and superstition plays a far bigger role than anything paranormal. That there was also no research involving the two deceased individuals also is something that should have been done, but apparently no effort was made to verify these stories.
Being a long time fan of DT, I do not want to believe that tainted evidence coupled with some ,mediocre acting- Mike is way too jumpy and even Josh at times seems to be pushing it-is going to be the norm when anything other than a cryptid is being investigated. This does not bode well for the show’s reputation. The second half reverts back to the usual DT methodology, and to me it seems a breath of fresh air. That they will be investigating “King Tut’s Curse” next week does not help to instill confidence.
Filed under Destination Truth, Posts by Oubliette
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Comments on DT – Island of the Dolls »
Revenant @ 3:44 am
Oubliette – "Already in a hyper state of mind, Mike claims to see a dark shape outside the window, hears a strange vocalization and then taps are heard outside the shack. His belief that an energy is trying to communicate leads him to conduct an EVP session, again in English. It seems apparent that DT is now borrowing more than a page or two out of the TAPS manual."
Actually, I thought Mike was borrowing more from GA than GH. That level of irrational fear is GA's trademark.
And frankly, I do not see why he is in the field with the DT crew. I'm not trying to be Mr. Manly Man over here, but man…get a grip. Perhaps, oh…I don't know…maybe try to remain calm, objective and search for logical and reasonable explanations for the changes in the environment other than just jumping to the conclusion that spirits are trying to communicate with you. His reactions may make for "good TV" but personally, I find them to be weak, illogical, unscientific, and purely bothersome.
happilymarri3d @ 9:33 pm
Under most circumstances I'd agree whole-heartedly, however, dolls creep me the hell out…
Angelayo1970 @ 1:45 pm
I was really put off by the "analysis" from Steve. I'm already tired of the crossover episodes between DT and GH. I realize that SyFy likes their current ratings machines to seem like one big happy family, but it's such shameless cross-promotion that it's really aggravating. Now having said that, I DO really like DT and I truly hope that they aren't going to traverse the same sad road upon which GH currently treads.
Anthony Bourdain of "No Reservations" visited this island on his trip to Mexico City back in 2008 and, if memory serves, actually talked at length with Don Julian and his nephew. The nephew told Mr. Bourdain that his uncle had become very depressed and physically ill because of his obsessive quest to appease the spirit of the little girl, which could very easily explain his death on the island. I remember them saying that people brought dolls to the island when they visited, and they brought one themselves, but the dolls being brought as "offerings" to her spirit was not mentioned.
I also thought it was interesting that, on "No Reservations", they had mentioned that quite a few of the dolls on the island had mysteriously appeared floating in the water, and were fished out by Don Julian and affixed to structures on the island. He believed this was one of the ways the little girl announced her presence. I don't believe this was mentioned on DT as one of the experiences to watch for on the island. That seems like an interesting phenomenon and I'm curious as to why it wasn't mentioned, if indeed it was not. I suppose it could be that it doesn't happen anymore, but on "NR" there was a doll floating in the water and Don Julian said "She sent me another one" or something to that effect as he fished the doll out of the water.
JohnGalt @ 9:53 pm
Angelayo1970 saw the same Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations episode that I did and your recollection matches mine. I was sort of startled when this investigation began and realized that this was the same place.
The dolls were "creepy" – the experience in the shed was interesting. The doll's eye opening a little too cute. It happened once. Okay. Let's see if it does it again. Those dolls are made to have their eyes open when tipped – so did Josh tip the doll ever so slightly when he leaned towards it? Did the unit (EVP?) poke the doll just enough to cause one still functioned eye to open? We'll never know because the experiment wasn't repeated. That there was a disturbance in the water – well, let's see maybe a frog? A snake? That octopus from last week's show making a guest appearance?
I really wish that these shows gave more than the paranormal investigation equivalent of a fan dance. You THINK you see "something" – but *poof* it's gone.
Queen of the Nerds @ 12:25 pm
I don't normally watch Destination Truth, but I did catch this episode. I was so disappointed. The dolls were really creepy and Josh was fun to watch, but that was it! Why don't they investigate a little more? If I was investigating there and heard the noise on the roof, I would have taken my flashlight OUTSIDE where the noise was coming from. Sitting inside, all freaked out, doesn't help solve any mysterious sounds. That made no sense to me.
As I mentioned on the forum, the FLIR "person" looked just like a person hiding in the grass. They should have walked out there and investigated. Since they didn't, we will never know what that really was.
This show seems like it is more informative, ie- telling you about the myths and legends, than investigative. The island is creepy with all those dolls, but it didn't seem like it had any paranormal activity, IMO.
Leslie @ 4:05 pm
I agree, they shoud have investigated the FLIR "person". Aren't they supposed to be seeking the truth?!? You can't find the truth by standing still and guessing. As for the doll's eye opening, I believe there's nothing paranormal there. They're made to open and close with movement, so I think even a slight, undetectable, breeze would be the culprit. Like someone mentioned that it was probably from his walkie antenna being so close.
Bobarino @ 4:16 pm
I have to agree as well. I like DT, but this season they have fallen into a routine of when something happens they leave right away! This week, last week at the Haunted Forest, etc.
Maybe they did it last season as well and I didn't notice it as much. And don't get me wrong, some of the things, if indeed they happened the way they are shown, can be scary and dangerous with if nothing else real non-paranormal dangers like wild animals or crazy locals.
But the point *IS* to go investigate. Why go to someplace half way around the world to look for something to happen, then when it does run away as fast as possible?
Gives me the suspicion that things are NOT happening the way we see it, and we are being misled.
Angelayo1970 @ 7:15 pm
That bothered me to Bobarino. I think that's part of the problem with the majority of the paranormal investigative shows, they are not spending any amount of time on a place before they make their determination on whether events there are or are not of a paranormal nature. How can you know that about a place after only a few hours, or one night? It's not possible.
The Doctor @ 9:57 pm
@Bobarino – Likewiose, I had not watched more then a couple of DT's, but now have become interested, so I suppose the crossover paid off for them.
I'm watching the first season now and the first thing I notice is that they have the first adventure, then sent the evidence home to be analysed when they checked someplace else nearby.
What a concept ! Actually have professionals analyse their tape and make the calls rather then the amateur Stango.
All I can say is … Josh, you've gotten some GH audience, make them DT viewers, don't turn DT into GH or you will lose them again.
Oubliette @ 12:03 am
Sorry if someone already mentioned this, but remarks have been made that the doll opened her eye as Josh held the antenna close to-but not touching-the toy. It does seem a bit suspicious, IMO, though not conclusive. It was quite a coincidence, though, with the eye opening on cue.
About the crossover: the ultimate irony is that the GH fans (and others) that have been drawn to DT may actually turn the tables. I would love to see Josh and company pull ahead of the pack. Just compare the season opener of both shows. It's a no brainer which was the more interesting and exciting. DT contains elements that GH never had or will have. I just hope they don't inject the GH influence too far.
TasCat @ 12:55 am
I also posted in the regular forum, that I thought perhaps Josh's breath could have opened the eye by catching the eyelash. Someone also mentioned condensation, which would have loosened the eye, this caused by Josh's breath at night when it tends to be a bit more humid as the temp goes down (ex: the coastal waters off California show this very well, as does London, at night the fog comes in and gets burned off by the sun, or more precisely, the heat of the sun.), so when Josh's face and breath get closer to the doll's head, a simple breath could have caused that to happen, he was talking and not holding his breath, or simply as above, there was a slight tap of the antenna.
I do wonder if tonight's GH audience was carried over to the DT show, despite no ghostly topics, the GH/DT bits were to help each other out, more to help DT out though I think. I have yet to watch them, because my Mom likes to make a sit and eat munchie event, while I try to bite my tongue about saying anything that looks suspicious, which does get her quite peeved, she knows it's stretching the truth to put it politely, but likes to get into the show and no one likes a talker in the movie theater! But a trivial note, the narrator who hypes GH and does the "next week on GH" is the same guy from "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery….hmnn, long in the future will we see a very interesting "Dirty Job episode? Nahhh!
Bobarino @ 1:42 am
Well, at least you know "Plumbing" will *not* be the Dirty Job that week
Kira @ 11:43 am
After seeing Josh appear as a guest investigator on GH, I was completely uninterested in his show. He does not seem believable, but too hollywood. I have tried to watch the show DT, but his "scientific" studious demeanor is not convincing at all. Its like he is trying too hard. And whats with the scarf? Is this to subtly remind us of Dr. Who? I know this post has nothing to do with analysis of the evidence on the show, but I have wanted to express this opinion for weeks.
Revenant @ 4:05 am
Kira- You mentioned his "'scientific' studious demeanor" is not convincing. Although I am not sure if I'd use the word "studious" to describe Josh at this point in time, I would be willing to bet that he's probably smarter than the average bear. I mean he does have two degrees (archeaology and drama…odd pairing but explains a great deal) from Tufts University and he did graduate with honors. So…
But…you're 100% correct on the scarves. Wearing a scarf as a fashion statement…yeah…I'm having a bit of trouble with that myself.
TasCat @ 10:47 am
I have to correct myself, the Dirty Jobs guy, Mike Rowe, isn't doing the promo's or next week on GH voice over's anymore, if they continue to do the Deadliest Catch, I bet he sticks with that one…last night I noticed a different promo guy… "Ghost Hunters? I already cleaned up hippo and pig pens, inseminated a cow, what more do you want from me?? Sorry OT, but my post was above…
Angelayo1970 @ 4:07 pm
I'm thinking Josh saw how "sassy" Barry looks in HIS scarves on GHI and wanted a piece of the action…
nicoledee @ 2:04 pm
Ok, so, I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing the difference in their investigating techniques. Last season if they heard a noise or saw something crazy they CHASED it, now they RUN from every noise. Josh was more fearless last year. He may have come across things that made him feel uneasy, but he didn't really let it show and was usually rational and skeptical of the mythical beings they were chasing.
I'm also sick of the TAPS inclusions during analyzing of the evidence. I don't trust the TAPS team and they have had their "ghosts" debunked consistently.
Josh finally got a great team of people to work with, but that is all he needed to change; not the way he's investigating, just who he was investigating with.
nicoledee @ 2:11 pm
I also want to point out that they do travel to some crazy and usually underdeveloped sections of the world, so the transportation issues may seem predictable, but extremely plausible. You ever been to remote parts of Africa and Asia? You'll be lucky to get a car, period, let alone one that will effectively carry a crew of researchers and their gear on unpaved roads.
Moriah @ 3:17 pm
This was a very scary episode and i almost peed my self!!!!!=OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Air heart @ 11:00 pm
The other episodes is ok…but this 1 is creepy eepp