108 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
with those directors? “I learnt a lot from those
guys. I did have a lot of freedom to play Simon
but it was also great to have directors who
cared about actors – some are more interested
in camera set-ups, lights etc. But our directors
were really focused on the actors – and they
would give me more options on what to bring
to a scene, which was great.” Clearly enthused
by the memories of the off-screen camaraderie,
Shenkarow adds: “It really was a collaborative
project and everyone was totally committed to
it, which made it such a blast to work on.”
When asked if he has a favourite episode,
Justin’s answer is perhaps unsurprising given
that it’s the one where Simon got to take centre
stage. “I think my personal favourite episode
would be ‘ATM With A Heart Of Gold’, as I
really got to do a lot in that episode. Simon has
a real journey and I mean, who wouldn’t want
a friendly ATM that spews out money to you,
right? That one was a lot of fun for me.”
As for being a fan of sci-fi , horror and
fantasy in general? “Oh, for sure, but I like stuff
that has more of a realistic edge to it. Shows
like Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone etc, that’s
the sort of thing I like. I fi nd things that feel a bit
more real are just scarier.”
Once the conversation turns to Eerie,Indiana’s short-sighted cancellation after just
one series and to whether anyone thought
at the time it would go on to become a cult
favourite, Justin had this to say: “We knew we
were onto something but at the time it was up
against 60 Minutes which was like the biggest
show on TV, and NBC didn’t give us a lot
of leeway so, unfortunately, we didn’t get a
second series. Then Fox bought it in, I think,
2001 and it became a smash hit. And now
people still talk about it and say how much they
love the show, which is great.”
Even the poorly received second season,
Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension, which
materialised in 1998 without any of the
original cast and crew being involved didn’t
dent the show’s reputation. “Nowadays you
get people involved in shows like Supernatural
and Stranger Things saying that Eerie, Indiana
was a real inspiration for them, which shows
the infl uence it had. It was The Twilight Zone
for kids, way ahead of its time and came out
before shows like The X-Files.”
It’s not lost on Justin that a number of Eerie,
Indiana’s spiritual siblings, such as Twin
Peaks and The X-Files, have returned to our
screens having never really left the public’s
consciousness. “[N]ow there’s a real nostalgiaJUSTIN SHENKAROW
FLASHBACK
“WE’VE BEEN WORKING REAL HARD ON BRIGING THE SHOW BACK
AND WE’RE CLOSE TO MAKING IT HAPPEN”
JUSTIN SHENKAROWfor a lot of these shows, some of which have
come back as well. People ask why is there this
nostalgia for a lot of Nineties shows? I think it’s
because the world just felt nicer back then, and
people want to remember that. It’s a lot harder
to get a job now and to make some money,
and the world’s a scarier place in general.”
Further discussions about the nostalgia for
shows of the past and the changing state of
fandom lead Justin to drop an unexpected
bombshell that will be music to the ears of
Eerie, Indiana’s fans: “[W]e’ve been working
real hard on bringing the show back, and we’re
close to making it happen. I’ve been putting
a lot of work into making it happen and since
social media became such a huge thing over
the past seven or eight years, we can see that
there’s a space for fans to congregate and a
market for a show like Eerie, Indiana to come
back.” When pressed for more information on
what a new series of Eerie, Indiana may look
and feel like more than a quarter of a century
after its fi rst appearance, Justin leaves us with
this intriguing teaser: “It’ll have a
darker edge...”Eerie, Indiana is available on DVD
from Fabulous Films.108 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
with those directors? “I learnt a lot from those
guys. I did have a lot of freedom to play Simon
but it was also great to have directors who
cared about actors – some are more interested
in camera set-ups, lights etc. But our directors
were really focused on the actors – and they
would give me more options on what to bring
to a scene, which was great.” Clearly enthused
by the memories of the off-screen camaraderie,
Shenkarow adds: “It really was a collaborative
project and everyone was totally committed to
it, which made it such a blast to work on.”
When asked if he has a favourite episode,
Justin’s answer is perhaps unsurprising given
that it’s the one where Simon got to take centre
stage. “I think my personal favourite episode
would be ‘ATM With A Heart Of Gold’, as I
really got to do a lot in that episode. Simon has
a real journey and I mean, who wouldn’t want
a friendly ATM that spews out money to you,
right? That one was a lot of fun for me.”
As for being a fan of sci-fi , horror and
fantasy in general? “Oh, for sure, but I like stuff
that has more of a realistic edge to it. Shows
like Twin Peaks, The Twilight ZoneTwin Peaks, The Twilight ZoneTwin Peaks, The Twilight Zone etc, that’s etc, that’s
the sort of thing I like. I fi nd things that feel a bit
more real are just scarier.”
Once the conversation turns to Eerie,Indiana’sIndiana’sIndiana’s short-sighted cancellation after just short-sighted cancellation after just
one series and to whether anyone thought
at the time it would go on to become a cult
favourite, Justin had this to say: “We knew we
were onto something but at the time it was up
against 60 Minutes60 Minutes60 Minutes which was like the biggest which was like the biggest
show on TV, and NBC didn’t give us a lot
of leeway so, unfortunately, we didn’t get a
second series. Then Fox bought it in, I think,
2001 and it became a smash hit. And now
people still talk about it and say how much they
love the show, which is great.”
Even the poorly received second season,
Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension,Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension,Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension, which which
materialised in 1998 without any of the
original cast and crew being involved didn’t
dent the show’s reputation. “Nowadays you
get people involved in shows like Supernatural
and Stranger ThingsStranger ThingsStranger Things saying that saying that Eerie, Indiana
was a real inspiration for them, which shows
the infl uence it had. It was The Twilight Zone
for kids, way ahead of its time and came out
before shows like The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files.” .”
It’s not lost on Justin that a number of Eerie,
Indiana’sIndiana’sIndiana’s spiritual siblings, such as spiritual siblings, such as Twin
PeaksPeaksPeaks and and The X-Files,The X-Files,The X-Files, have returned to our have returned to our
screens having never really left the public’s
consciousness. “[N]ow there’s a real nostalgiaJUSTIN SHENKAROW
FLASHBACK
“WE’VE BEEN WORKING REAL HARD ON BRIGING THE SHOW BACK
AND WE’RE CLOSE TO MAKING IT HAPPEN”
JUSTIN SHENKAROWfor a lot of these shows, some of which have
come back as well. People ask why is there this
nostalgia for a lot of Nineties shows? I think it’s
because the world just felt nicer back then, and
people want to remember that. It’s a lot harder
to get a job now and to make some money,
and the world’s a scarier place in general.”
Further discussions about the nostalgia for
shows of the past and the changing state of
fandom lead Justin to drop an unexpected
bombshell that will be music to the ears of
Eerie, Indiana’sEerie, Indiana’sEerie, Indiana’s fans: “[W]e’ve been working fans: “[W]e’ve been working
real hard on bringing the show back, and we’re
close to making it happen. I’ve been putting
a lot of work into making it happen and since
social media became such a huge thing over
the past seven or eight years, we can see that
there’s a space for fans to congregate and a
market for a show like Eerie, IndianaEerie, IndianaEerie, Indiana to come to come
back.” When pressed for more information on
what a new series of Eerie, Indiana may look
and feel like more than a quarter of a century
after its fi rst appearance, Justin leaves us with
this intriguing teaser: “It’ll have a
darker edge...”Eerie, IndianaEerie, IndianaEerie, Indiana is available on DVD is available on DVD
from Fabulous Films.