Rickylee Russell-Waipuka stars in Beyond The Veil, a new horror anthology series on TVNZ.
Rickylee Russell-Waipuka stars in Beyond The Veil, a new horror anthology series on TVNZ.
Some actors new to primetime are about to spook viewers in the supernatural anthology series Beyond The Veil on TVNZ 2 over the next six weeks.
The series features stories from Māori, Pasifika, and Filipino cultures in New Zealand.
Many of the stars of the series are believers in otherrealms, and in tomorrow night's episode, Taumanu, star Niwa Whatuira, 27, says cast and crew had things go bump in the night when they filmed at Alberton house in Auckland.
"We did have interesting experiences . . . which you could class as supernatural," Whatuira tells Spy.
Niwa Whatuira in TVNZ's supernatural anthology series Beyond The Veil.
"Taumanu is set in the 1920s, and follows the story of a Māori butler, Tipene, who serves a rich Pākehā family. After strange guests arrive, Tipene comes to realise he is at the centre of a blood feud that spans generations, and he must decide on which side of the feud he stands."
Rickylee Russell-Waipuka, 26, produced and stars in the same episode and says it's is all about reclaiming taonga, family, mana and identity.
"I believe a Māori worldview is intrinsically intertwined with the supernatural. It can be very scary for some but also beautiful."
Dahnu Graham, who stars in the episode called Tappy about a haunted road trip, explains that in te Ao Māori, the supernatural is not a foreign concept but is as real as you and I.
Dahnu Graham in the horror anthology series Beyond The Veil.
"The word supernatural has a weird and spooky feeling attached to it when it shouldn't always be the case. The best way I can change this vein of thinking is to break down the word Supernatural … super - natural." And for Māori and all indigenous cultures, it is super natural, Graham says.
He intends to grow the genre from his own supernatural experiences in the middle of the bush in the Far North.
"The experiences I had there I want to one day write about and hopefully they'll be brought to screen."
