Is it just me, or are the episodes made between say 1989 and 1996 (give or take a few years I suppose) a LOT creepier than those produced later, like 1997-2002? The music is creepier, the re-enactments seem creepier and more accurate somehow and the cases featured from around '89 to '96 or thereabouts seem a lot darker and more frightening than those featured later.

What do you guys think?

The production values changed from the beginning of the series to those filmed towards the end. They decided to videotape and then "filmize" the episodes instead of using film stock in the later episodes, And there were clear cost cutting measures used in the re-enactments, including shorter segments and a tendency towards fewer actors.

I agree. The earlier episodes were much creepier, and obviouly more time and money went into making them. Also, there were a lot of small, out of the way places where some of these mysteries took place, and in many instances with earlier episodes, the segments were actually filmed in the places where they are supposed to take place, but in the later episodes, most of them were filmed somewhere in California regardless of where the mystery actually occurred. Also, I've always admired Robert Stack's inimitable way of narrating, and in the episodes from the early 2000s, it's impossible to ignore the deterioration of his voice. He really sounds like he's struggling sometimes.

Does this really even require a discussion?? :)

My theory is that UM jumped the shark when Keely Shay Smith came aboard (which, according to IMDb was 1995, which would pretty much coincide with CuriousMind's timeline). It's not like it jumped to the point of unwatchability, but the early episodes were when UM was in its prime.

Also later on in the series there seemed to be a general change of philosophy behind the show. They started to feature cases along the lines of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" fodder rather than UM.

They always featured "The Unexplained" as one of their available topics/buckets but in the late 90s, they began profiling stuff like aphrodisiacs, fertility statues and a woman who specialized in the holistic healing of animals. These cases in general were a huge departure from the cases they were featuring a decade earlier and I believe overall they hurt the show.