Supernatural series ‘Miracles’
delivers more chills than others
The new ABC show follows
a paranormal investigator as
he encounters ‘eerie miracles’
while halting religious evils
Television review
Michael J. Kleckner
Editor in Chief
When I was much younger, I saw
things. Not quite dead people, but I
had some strange experiences. I
can’t exactly describe them, but they
left me with an emotional resonance
that cemented my belief in a meta
physical world.
The makers of “Miracles,” ABC’s
new supernatural series, must have
some familiarity with these experi
ences as well. At 10 p.m. Monday, I
was trying to do some homework
when the show came on, and I was
hooked by the grainy, flickering
opening sequence in a graveyard. No
homework got done the rest of the
hour, but I have new hope that I’ll be
entertained and creeped out on a
weekly basis.
“Miracles” tells the story of Paul
Callan (played by Skeet Ulrich with
an intense demeanor that sits well
on his chiseled face), a modern-day
investigator of miracles who has
grown tired of easily debunked “phe
nomena.” He goes on sabbatical to
recapture his faith in both God and
miracles and has a life-saving mysti
cal experience.
Then he meets Alva Keel, another
paranormal investigator (played by
Angus Macfadyen with a sense of
knowing urgency), who tells him this
miracle may not be the work of God
at all. Paul sees the words “God is
now here” written in blood, but Alva
says other people have seen these
words as “God is nowhere.” And so
the two are off to figure out the mys
tery and save the world.
This setup — searching for eerie
miracles in a bid to stop a religious
evil — makes for a pleasant twist
on the horror-TV genre. Some
shows, such as “Buffy the Vampire
Slayer,” “Big Wolf on Campus” or
“Dark Shadows,” are campy or
comedic and based on mythologi
cal creatures. Others, like
“Poltergiest: The Legacy,” “The
Dead Zone” and “Friday the 13th,”
set up an alternate schematic uni
verse, with psychometry, telepathy
and supernatural superheroes.
None of those series paid off for me
in genuine creepiness because
their premises didn’t allow for it.
What’s fun about “Miracles” is that
the suspension of belief required is
n’t that great — for many people, I
would imagine. Spirituality and reli
gion as a basis for paranormal events
is easier to relate to on a realistic lev
el than are werewolves. And the
clever way the show mixes visions
with reality makes it genuinely
frightening when the sky starts to
rain deep red blood.
The premiere needed to establish
the storyline and draw viewers into
the world of the religiously creepy,
so the plot may have been just a lot
of bang for the early buck, but other
aspects of the program give me hope
that it will continue to provide chills.
The opening sequence, with its
surreal, jerky black-and-white quali
ty, wasn’t the only cinematic visual
in the show. The camera work was
superb throughout, and the framing,
perspective and tonal quality contin
ued to give me the feeling I was
watching a movie.
The dialogue was natural, the act
ing was skillful (especially by Hector
Elizondo as “Poppi”) and the pro
ducers used volume in an intriguing
way, moving from near-whispers to
near-shouts with a fluidity that kept
the viewer on edge. Plus, Ulrich real
ly is a treat to look at for an hour.
Some of the show’s scary mo
ments were archetypal images bor
dering on the stereotypical, but as
long as “Miracles” builds on those —
and doesn’t just reuse them — Mon
day nights could continue to make
me feel like a scared little kid again.
Contact the editor in chief
at editor@dailyemerald.com.
His views do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
Bechard
continued from page 5
addicted prostitute after producers
paid him $100 to have the word
“bumfight” tattooed on his fore
head. The artist who applied Bren
nan’s tattoo said he seemed sober
and wasn’t forced to do anything.
Brennan seemed unconcerned
while he was getting the tattoo and
told the artist that he was going to
be a movie star.
The movie also features footage
of a man pulling out a tooth with a
pair of pliers, a homeless woman
named Porkchop attacking some
one in a public bathroom, a man
smoking crack and defecating on
the sidewalk and many other re
pugnant scenes.
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When asked how they came up
with the idea, producer Ray Laticia
said that he and his friends were,
“interested in the inherent humor
of something that hasn’t been
touched upon in mainstream enter
tainment, which is homelessness.”
The inherent humor in homeless
ness. What’s wrong with that pic
ture? Many critics herald this film
as the final step into the cultural toi
let. No single work should deserve
credit for that great feat, but this
video makes a strong contribution.
Supposedly, all participants were
lucid enough to sign agreements and
willing enough to perform the stunts;
some even did it voluntarily, but
what was the reasoning behind it?
According to various reports, pro
ducers paid the “stars” with alcohol,
money, shelter and, when one of
them was injured, they would take
them in for treatment or let them
recuperate in a hotel room. The
“stars” also had a phone number to
call when they were ready for more
booze or money. Many of the partic
ipants were either alcoholics, heroin
addicts or crack addicts.
With three of the film’s “stars”
now speaking out against the film
maker’s practices, it should be obvi
ous that the creators of this movie
took advantage of people who were
desperate not only for material
goods but for attention as well.
Contact the Pulse columnist
atjosephbechard@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily reflect
those of the Emerald.
014370
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