The Happenings follows two magicians on a supernatural journey across the US and UK
Media 811
Orson Welles did it in 1938; with the now famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast that fooled Americans into believing aliens had invaded the planet. Now, some 76 years later, there is a new duo of tricksters out there, armed with an arsenal of high-tech illusions and social media weaponry aimed at the naive citizens of small towns in the USA and the UK.
Their goal: to make people believe the unbelievable.
The new four-part series The Happenings, premieres on Saturday, 19 July at 20:05 on National Geographic, channel 181 on DStv. National Geographic Channel joins two magicians on a supernatural journey across the United Kingdom and United States. Cloaked in Men in Black dress suits, subversive illusionists Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod invade unsuspecting towns to convince residents of paranormal, vampire, extra-terrestrial and psychic activities. Much more than pulling a rabbit out of a hat, their mind-bending illusions and elaborate hoaxes are convincing enough to not only sway their targets, but also have the viewers back at home asking, “How did they do that?”
Armed with an arsenal of high-tech illusions and social media weaponry, the dynamic duo uses magic, misdirection and suggestion to convince people that something preposterous is happening. In the small, quaint town of Stamford, England they fool people into believing they have actually been abducted by aliens. Over in Whitstable, they manifest “Mr Nearing,” a fictitious ghost that haunts the town. And across the pond in America, the tricksters crush a car using “mind control” and convince the citizens of a quaint southern town that a vampire is living in their midst.
Tapping into the social media craze, Jones and MacLeod enlist the help of a local celebrity in each town to help spread their rumours. Through the use of media interviews, Twitter, and some carefully executed YouTube videos, word of bizarre and unusual activity sweeps across each community. One of their most successful endeavours involved surveillance video of what appeared to be a poltergeist wreaking havoc in a supermarket; the video quickly went viral.
Through a mix of candid-camera style pranks and street magic, these two skilled illusionists are able to pull off feats of eerie proportions. They convince a guy that his own foot was suddenly sucked into the ground by a mysterious gas, and another that his best friend is an actual shape-shifter. They even get a group of young women to believe aliens abducted them after leaving the local pub. By combining magic with the power of social influence, The Happenings leaves residents of each quant town searching for answers.
The Happenings airs from Saturday, 19 July at 20:05 on National Geographic, channel 181 on DStv.
About the author
This is only some dummy text because I dont really know what to write. This is only some dummy text because I dont really know what to write. This is only some dummy text because I dont really know what to write.