Out There: Crimes Of The Paranormal Is Strangely Captivating

Conspiracy theories and true crime mesh in the newest series Out There: Crimes Of The Paranormal from the Duplass Brothers. The eight episode series follows different stories with strange encounters in the paranormal world. From archival footage to expert interviews, viewers will be forced to question the truth of these cases. 

I was particularly intrigued by the series since it wanted to mix conspiracy and true crime and I was curious to see how both would connect. The first two episodes felt very informative… almost too much so. The stories themselves were compelling, but I felt there were moments where they over explained things. Along with that, the sequences jumping from the crime to backstory back to the crime then more backstory just scattered my brain. Considering the topics in those episodes deal with UFOs and ‘Lizard’ people, some of the theories felt outlandish. It didn’t deter me, but it didn’t engage me either. The rest of the series tends to focus more on small town crimes with mythical creatures such as the Kentucky Pope Lick Goatman and the Wildmen of Tennessee. It seems to find its groove by this point and becomes wildly engaging.I t really gives off the vibe of Unsolved Mysteries and even John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams mixed with The X-Files which I love. 

There’s one particular episode about mechanical genius Granger Taylor that had me hooked. His obsession with UFOs led him to build one himself and, when he felt a strong calling to travel to the aliens, a mysterious crater appeared in the woods with what seemed to be the remnants of his truck. However, those close to him, including his best friend and helper Robert Keller, believe those pieces do not match his truck. Cold, unexplainable cases like this are incredibly interesting to think about. They bring in Robert to hold the emotional weight of the story by missing his best friend, a young journalist who was eager to find a story and found himself attached, and his brother Doug who believes he’s actually gone. It’s just one of those stories that makes you question what really happened and if the truth will ever be revealed.

Though the series takes a bit to warm up to, I think it will entertain a lot of true crime and cold case enthusiasts. It has all the elements to bring you vastly different stories with otherworldly aspects. The use of expert interviews and individuals who were involved in the case bring in different perspectives so that the viewer can draw their own conclusions on what they believe. Even if you’re not completely convinced, I think it’s a fun way to spark up a conversation with friends or around a campfire for the spooky vibes. 

Out There: Crimes Of The Paranormal is out now on Hulu.