“Hellier” season 2, which debuts Nov. 29 via Amazon Prime and then on YouTube Dec.13, promises some big reveals, and even more weirdness and authenticity that made “Hellier” such an instant hit in the first place.
Plunging into the Planet Weird paranormal production, Greg Newkirk and his team have created a binge-heavy brand that operates without the constraints of a big network push.
Dana and Greg Newkirk’s “Hellier” season 2 premieres all episodes exclusively on Amazon Prime on Friday. (Handout)
“ ‘Hellier’ was made by half a dozen people who did everything from the scoring, to the camera work, to the research, to the distribution, “Newkirk said. “We all believe in what we’re doing. We’re invested in making the project because it’s documenting our actual lives - we weren’t cast by a producer and we don’t have to pretend we’re a team that works out of a warehouse in Los Angeles. We don’t need to gather on a well-lit set with a bunch of fake newspaper clippings on bulletin boards because we actually have an office covered in real research. I literally investigate strange claims for a living. My wife is actually a practicing witch. The reason that ‘Hellier’ resonated so much more with people than a network television show is because it’s real, warts and all.”
Season one focused on the “goblin-like sightings” in rural Kentucky, and the weird, and wild chase to document their story with all the synchronicities along the way. Newkirk claims season 2 will include four “game-changer” experiments, and a season finale that has the crew still reeling after post-production.
Planet Weird would likely not be able to do “Hellier” the way they wanted if attached to a major studio production. Newkirk grew up on shows like “MTV FEAR,” and “Unsolved Mysteries",” and was able to appear on some paranormal shows as an expert, and was able to see all the behind-the-scenes workings. Newkirk sees one underlying factor that sets them apart from the Hollywood paranormal pack.
“I think the biggest difference between DIY paranormal projects like ‘Hellier’ and big budget network shows comes down to respect,“ Newkirk said. “ Respect for the subject matter and for the intelligence of the audience. …In TV land, there’s no such thing as a dead end. Ghosts, Bigfoot, Aliens - they all have their own special containers, and never get to mingle. The story threads are written by producers and get neatly tied up in three acts. The cameras are night-vision and need to match the ‘look’ of paranormal shows. There is absolutely no room for experimentation. The teams are created by casting producers, the history is sloppily-researched by interns who couldn't care less, and the camera crew doesn’t believe in any of what they’re shooting. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but generally, that’s how it goes. None of that speaks to the reality of what paranormal research really is.”
Director Karl Pfeiffer shot the series with an anamorphic cinema lens, and color graded it like a film, something no one has ever done for a paranormal television show. While meeting with networks to possibly distribute “Hellier” before going the independent avenue, Planet Weird was told they couldn’t shoot the show like that, nor could they focus on multiple phenomena.
“When we made the decision to create, produce, edit, and distribute Hellier on our own, it was because we couldn’t bear the thought of changing it to fit the formula,” Newkirk said. “We’d created a very real look at the inherent messiness of researching paranormal phenomena, complete with dead ends, high concepts, and the incorporation of elements like UFOs, cryptozoology, ghosts, witchcraft - and we didn’t segregate them - a concept that makes networks nervous. There’s a real-life narrative that pushes our show through every episode.”
“Hellier” has a specific look, and feel to it that is a product of the dedication and countless hours the crew spent on the series. The cinematography is crisp, and the overall quality of the finished product looks like you are watching a big-budget Hollywood horror film. Strange subject matter, and glossy finished feel aside, what really shines through in “Hellier” is the search for the truth is intrinsically honest.
“We wouldn’t put in the effort if we didn’t care about the subject, because our budget for an entire season is literally 1/20 of what a cast member for a network ghost hunting show gets paid per episode,” said Newkirk. “Network television might have boatloads of cash to throw at a series, but they can’t buy authenticity. That’s the power of DIY content.”
-By MIKE DAMANTE