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Beyond Reality (1991 - 1993,
cast:
Shari Belafonte, Carl Marotte, Nicole de Boer)
This
anthology series is about two researchers who investigate
paranormal events.
The main problem is that this show tries to be two things and
fails at both.
First, it's marketed as a Horror show. But the horror is weak. I
don't need gore, but these stories aren't even suspenseful, let
alone scary.
Second, it's marketed as a True Paranormal show. Something for
Jonathan Edwards fans. For people who watch "true ghost-hunting"
shows with "dramatized recreations" of supposedly real events.
Each episode begins with the message: "The following story of
paranormal activity is based upon reported incidents."
But note the phrasing -- "reported incidents." Plural. In other
words, each episode is not a recreation of an actual incident, but
a "story" based upon a mish-mash of many incidents.
I think the producers simply perused many articles about astral
projection, reincarnation, hauntings, whatever -- then created an
entirely fictitious story "based upon" whatever bits and pieces
they liked from all their research.
These stories aren't recreations of actual paranormal events.
Which would be okay if the horror weren't so weak. Unfortunately,
the "horror" is laden with squishy New Age, feel good spirituality.
In "Intimate Shadows," a woman sees her husband's ghost. Not that
the ghost is scary -- he's nice to the woman. Then our intrepid
paranormal investigators discover that the "ghost" is not a ghost
at all. It's an astral projection by the husband, who's still
alive and living as a homeless man. In the end, the wife reaches
out to her homeless hubby, and it's implied that she'll help him
get back on his feet.
In "The Bridge," a boy sees his dad's ghost, and wants to die to
join him. But the ghost tells the boy that he needs to go on
living, because it's not his time to die, and his mother needs
him.
In "The Cold," a woman sees an old lover's ghost in a frozen cave.
Research reveals that the lover died recently, and was
cryogenically frozen. But he's changed his mind, and wants to
fully die. The woman, and our paranormal investigators, convince
the dead man's wife that this is indeed her frozen husband's true wish. So
she "frees his soul" by unfreezing his body.
Many episodes feature this sort of squishy, spiritual, New
Agey, feel good stuff.
Some of the stories are just plain silly. In "Master of Darkness,"
college students engage in a Dungeons & Dragons type role-playing
game. Through hallucinogenic incense, they transport themselves
onto an astral plane where the game becomes real. What happens to
them on this astral plane happens to their bodies back on Earth.
Those who are imprisoned on the astral plane, disappear on Earth.
So the paranormal team enters this astral plane -- one of them,
luckily, was a role-playing game enthusiast back in college -- and beat
the Dungeon Master at the game. This frees all the trapped
students. The Dungeon Master/college student apologizes for
getting carried away, and everyone is friends again, having
"learned their lesson." (The show's moral: live life and meet
people, rather than get lost in fantasy role-playing games.)
Stephen King has said that the typical horror anthology show has
about 1/3 great episodes, 1/3 so-so episodes, and 1/3 duds.
I'd say that
Beyond Reality is more like 40% duds, 40% so-so,
and 20% good stories.
I bought this on Amazon for $5.99. For 22 episodes, that's pretty
cheap, so I don't mind the duds. I fast-forwarded through a couple
of the really bad episodes, and you can do the same.
One bright spot: a half dozen or so of the supporting actors
appeared in episodes of
Friday the 13th: The Series, another
made-in-Toronto TV series shot around the same time. (e.g., Kate
Trotter played the wife in "Intimate Shadows.")
Horror fans may want to add this DVD to their collection, provided
the price is low.

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