"Fear Factory" is the third episode of the third series of Wellington Paranormal, and the sixteenth episode overall. It aired on 10 March 2021.
Synopsis[]
The cops' worst nightmares are realised when they encounter a shapeshifter who turns into the thing you fear the most.[1]
Plot Summary[]
O'Leary and Minogue respond to multiple reports of strange incidents occurring in Cuba Street. They encounter Dave, who saw a giant rat, Lorraine, who saw a faceless man, and Paul, who was attacked by a shark. All three of the victims were colleagues and had just attended a work outing at Fear Factory, a nearby haunted house attraction. The officers arrest several of the workers there.
Under interrogation, all the workers claim innocence, but when the Paranormal Unit interview the Fear Factory owner, Joe Blakes, he suddenly transforms into a giant spider, terrifying Sergeant Maaka. Blakes is held in a station cell, where he turns into a bottomless pit, trapping the supervising Officer Roy into a corner. The Paranormal Unit rescue Roy using a plank of wood and Blakes escapes while the cops try to calm him down. Blakes runs out of the station, transforming into numerous disturbing forms on the way to frighten away the police.
At the Paranormal Unit headquarters, Maaka looks at the station CCTV footage and notices Blakes looked a lot younger as he left the station. Maaka deduces that Blakes is a shapeshifter who transforms into the phobias of his victims in order to feed on their fear. The group head to back to Cuba Street along with Constable Parker, despite his admittance that there are numerous things he is afraid of.
Minogue and O'Leary encounter Lorraine again, who reports seeing a giant snake, and a man with a fear of climate change who saw a melting iceberg. The two officers enter and split up in Fear Factory, where Minogue finds himself on a stage, representing his fear of public speaking, and is tormented with his other fears: sock puppets and balloons. He flees the stage and finds O’Leary facing up to an overly critical and embarrassing image of her own mother. Minogue convinces O’Leary that it is just an illusion, but the two end up overwhelmed by Blakes' shapeshifting. They call for backup and Parker summons up enough courage to go inside to rescue them. Blakes confronts Parker and turns into so many of Parker’s fears that he becomes overwhelmed and collapses into a puddle of buttons. The Paranormal Unit contain the buttons inside a jar and praise Parker for saving them.
Cast[]
- Mike Minogue as Officer Minogue
- Karen O'Leary as Officer O'Leary
- Maaka Pohatu as Sergeant Maaka
- Thomas Sainsbury as Constable Parker
- Lynda Topp as Mrs. O'Leary
- Vaughan Slinn as Joe Blakes
- Catherine Yates as Zombie Bride
- Albert Latailakepa as Ghoul Guy
- Ben Fransham as Officer Roy
- Sonia Yee as Duty Officer
- Ben Ashby as Woke Young Man
- Caleb Pedro as Dave - Agitated Man
- Asia Tumama as Lorraine- Agitated Woman
- Matthew Dussler as Paul - Pained Man