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Paranormal Pals: First Look at the Pilot Episode on Youtube

By Susan Leighton

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Paranormal Pals is a welcome return to creativity and bare bones production at its best. It is a perfect cocktail of comedy and the supernatural: refreshing and cool.

Annoyed with Hollywood’s lack of originality, I have started to look for my entertainment on other mediums. Thanks to a fellow writer, I was turned on to a pilot for a new web series called, “Paranormal Pals.”

The Truth is Out There

Shot in the style of Ghost Hunters, this offering is from the production team of Jesse Gouldsbury and Jon Weiss. The show is about two fledgling ghost hunters who are trying to achieve their goal of appearing on New Jersey public access television. In the first frame, we are introduced to Earl Statkawitz played by Dylan McAvenia who is on a ghost hunt at the Cryer Missile Base.

While setting up his equipment, he conducts an experiment where he punts a liter of Mountain Dew down a creepy, hallway. After a few moments of eerie silence, the same bottle is torpedoed back at Earl with tremendous force.

Excited and armed with proof that ghosts do exist, Earl shows up at his friend Spencer Amir’s house. Amir is convincingly portrayed by Matt Stowe. Initially, Spencer is reluctant to join Earl because of his recent stint in the psych ward. After much convincing, Spencer gives in and decides to accompany Earl back to the base.

Echo in the Dark 

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Once there, the duo attempt to have an EVP session with the spirit. However, they run in to a security guard named Deacon. Actress Jennifer Onvie clearly enjoys her role as the bad ass guard possible shadow government operative as she interrogates the ghost hunters about their escapade.

In the midst of the questioning, Earl has the sudden need to use the restroom. It is there that he runs into the captured, suicidal alien, Zephor as voiced by Derrick Acosta. Earl makes a botched effort to free Zephor from his incarceration only to stumble into a mysterious laboratory full of items that could only be found in a pseudo X Files episode.

Meanwhile, Spencer is about to be shot by one of Deacon’s goons because he is a liability. They drag Spencer to the kill room only to be thwarted by Earl and his stolen loot. In an effort to save his friend’s life, Earl rips the lid off a seemingly innocent box unintentionally conjuring up the Eater of Worlds.

Now It’s a Party

Determining that the only way for everyone to escape alive is to give the Eater a sacrifice (side note- there is an amusing discussion on the lore of Cthulhu in this scene). Earl offers up the suicidal Zephor who happily submits to being food for the Eater. Saving the group, Earl and Spencer escape the facility.

Once at Earl’s house, they are confronted by a pissed off Deacon who tells them that ghosts, demons and aliens exist and that if they air their reality show footage she will kill them. This sets the show up for possible future episodes where the pals will be chased by shady government types.

Taking into account that this is a pilot episode and the budget was next to nothing, “Paranormal Pals” is campy, good fun. Inventive and creative, I give this effort, 3 Aliens out of 5.

Photo credit: Jesse Gouldsbury, Jon Weiss

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What did you think of “Paranormal Pals?” Hit or Miss? Let everyone know how you feel in the Comment section below. 

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