X-Files New Zealand Style

Throughout the nineties there was one show that stood alone. A beacon of oddities among a sea of bland sitcoms and reruns from the sixties.

At 8:30 on a Wednesday night I would be poised ready to watch it, knowing that I would probably not sleep well and would imagine all sorts of creepy ghouls in the shadows. It wouldn’t matter where in the house I was, as soon as that music played I would be on the lounge.

The X-Files was an institution in the nineties. Featuring shape shifters, creatures that lurk in walls feasting on human flesh, living dolls and, of course, aliens, audiences were enraptured by the mysterious entities that would grace our screens in all their hideous magnificence.

A detective show like no other and perhaps the precursor to the typical NCIS style of one hour, catch a murderer per episode, and throw in a few witty lines along the way.

If you have never seen an episode (or the film) Mulder (David Duchovny) is an FBI agent obsessed with the supernatural and extraterrestrial. He is relegated to a basement office and allowed to investigate the weird and wonderful cases that are too strange for the regular FBI.

Scully (Gillian Anderson), an agent who is showing promise of big things, is saddled with Mulder as her partner and is not terribly happy about it, but ever the professional, she is the scientific mind that pulls Mulder back from getting too caught up in the fantasy of their cases. She also happens to be a medical doctor who can conveniently perform all their autopsies to keep the oddities out of the coroners office.

The show went for eleven seasons which aired over three decades plus a film and a cameo on the Simpsons.

The eighth and ninth seasons saw Mulder take a smaller, intermittent role, effectively being replaced by Robert "Have you seen this boy?" Patrick as Special Agent John Doggett. Mulder was then reprised in the final couple of seasons which, to be honest, I couldn't really get in to.

So... If you loved the X-Files I have the perfect recommendation for you.

Wellington Paranormal was created by the comedy geniuses Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi and is a spin off of their fabulous 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows.

A mocumentary, now in its third season, New Zealand police officers, Minogue and O'Leary, investigate all manner of beasts and ghouls, ghosts and vampires. Officer Kyle Minogue, bumbles his way around the investigation with laugh out loud consequences and O'Leary saves the day.

While this is a comedy, compared to the drama of the X-Files, it feels more wholesome and, let's face it, possibly more true to life. The unflappable Mulder and Scully never seemed to be surprised or shocked by the entities they encountered but Minogue and O'Leary dive straight into all kinds of supernatural situations with no idea what they're doing, to keep their community safe... even a literal portal at suburban BBQ.

In season two we saw a cameo by New Zealand's 'first bloke' Clarke Gayford, fiance to the Prime Minister, Jacinda Adhern. The couple are fans of the show and so he was quite excited to be involved even though he was covered in goo.

During the lockdowns over the last year the Wellington Paranormal team have starred in a series of advertisements from the government featuring hilarious advice on how to stay COVID safe.

Now, I don't know the availability of Wellington Paranormal in other countries but hunting this show down will be well worth your effort. Be prepared for a few jump scares and to cackle at the craziness that these New Zealand cops endure.

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