In recent years the number of movies with paranormal themes has risen dramatically. Some of these films have even given us pop phrases, such as M. Night Shyamalan's "I see dead people", from the film" The Sixth Sense".

Why the interest in paranormal topics? Hollywood filmmakers didn't create the interest, they merely cash in on it. The interest existed before these films were ever created. So what is responsible for the underlying interest in paranormal subject matter?

Perhaps there is disillusionment with modern society that leads many to explore paranormal ideas and concepts. Many mainstream beliefs and practices have left a large section of the population feeling disappointed and confused.

Take the medical establishment for instance. The health care industry has become, in many cases, a cartel operated by the pharmaceutical industry. Doctors receive kick back payments for every prescription that is written to their patients. The pharmaceutical industry is constantly developing drugs that treat symptoms not creating medicine that provides any cures. There is money to be made by convincing the public that a lifelong dependency on drugs is the answer to their health concerns. People are becoming more aware that there is something wrong with the "system".

Another example of this modern disillusionment can be found in the promises made by the technology industry. There is a never ending supply of devices and gadgets that line the shelves of every retail store. Do any of them actually increase our quality of life? Have we come any closer to understanding the nature of our existence, now that we microwave our dinner in less than five minutes, rely on a robot to vacuum our rugs, or download the latest ring-tone to our Nokias? Computer chips get smaller every year, the price of a digital camera is becoming more accessible, and plasma televisions are now available in screen sizes bigger than the average refrigerator. And yet there is still no cure for cancer and society is still a mess. Technology rarely offers any usable solutions to our most common problems.

Organized religion provides yet another clue into the disillusionment with modern beliefs that may be responsible for the upswing in interest into paranormal subjects. The Catholic Church, for one, has suffered a huge amount of negative publicity surrounding the abuse scandals of several priests. Other religious doctrines seem to be losing credibility or at least generating less interest than they once enjoyed. And we are all painfully aware of the consequences of radical religious belief systems. Many people are seeking a personalized form of spirituality that moves away from institutionalized doctrines and dogmas and focuses more on the discovery of the spiritual self.

Modern science brings another plate to the interest in paranormal topics table. Today physicists are publishing scientific articles and research that seems to validate many age old mystical and esoteric concepts. String theory physicists talk about the existence of a multi-dimensional universe. Scientists have successfully demonstrated the ability of a single photon of light to exist simultaneously in two separate places. More and more the study of physics moves into the realm of the paranormal, with strange and fascinating results.

Disillusionment with antiquated beliefs as well as modern society; the real need to discover a personal sense of spirituality and the validation of mystical concepts by modern scientists, I believe are responsible for the increasing interest in paranormal subject matter. We see this interest reflected in the cinemas, on television, on the book shelves and on the radio. Every media outlet is aware of this trend and there seems to be a rush to produce as many products as possible.

I believe that this trend is a truly positive one. By increasing the public's awareness of these topics the media gives the viewers tools for self discovery. There is a void that needs to be filled, questions that need to be answered. With every book, movie or other media outlet which deals with paranormal and spiritual subject matter, the disenchantment felt by many may indeed give way to beneficial insights.