Benjie Paras puts on his creator cap for horror-comedy series

CEBU, Philippines —  Benjie Paras is such a fan of horror and comedy that he thought of melding both genres for a television show that all ages can enjoy.

A concept he pitched to Viva Entertainment gave birth to “Ghost Adventures,” which aired over Sari Sari Channel in 2019. The first taping day was barely wrapping up when the basketball player-turned-comedian was struck with another idea for a second season.

In “Ghost Adventures 2,” now airing Saturdays at 6 pm on TV5, Benjie’s ghost whisperer character Par Jack returns for more wacky and scary escapades – this time with a new villain and possibly a new love interest.

The famous Par Jack opens the Day Scare Center, a business that helps dead souls peacefully cross over to the afterlife. He also has a mission to look for his dead wife’s soul whom he believes has become lost. Helping Par Jack are his reliable sidekicks Nik (Pio Balbuena), who’s responsible for the Ghost Clients, and Bur (Billy Villeta), who handles the Living Clients.

The more souls Par Jack can help, the stronger his third eye will become, and the faster he can look for his wife’s lost soul. A dead soul’s request to save his girlfriend from death will also lead Par Jack to Luna (Kylie Verzosa), a girl who will remind him of his late wife. Luna will eventually join the Day Scare Center as the official vlogger of their adventures.

With the opening of the Day Scare Center, the lazy Grim Reaper Kasper, played by Empoy Marquez, suddenly feels threatened. Kasper fears he might lose his job because of Par Jack, and so he does everything to prevent him from helping souls cross over. Aiding Kasper with his devious schemes are his loyal Grim Reaper trainees, Ghosting (Andrew Muhlach) and Multoni (Madz Red).

All 13 episodes – the pilot premiered over Halloween – will feature guest actors and different tales of souls with unfinished businesses.

Benjie said the series is influenced by shows with similar themes, including that of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s “Ghost Whisperer” and the Korean series “Hotel del Luna.” But unlike these shows, he decided to go the comedy route, as a serious horror might scare off younger audiences.

As a kid, he would devour comedy films of Dolphy, Panchito, Babalu, Chiquito and the like. His mother too, had a knack for humor. Upon entering San Beda High School, among his classmates was Herbert Bautista who would later on appear in comedy films and be Benjie’s cast mate in his very first movie.

On one hand, he is also a devotee of fright flicks. The most recent he viewed on television was Anne Curtis’ “Aurora.” He loves the American series “Supernatural” and its main characters – the brothers Sam and Dean – so much that he named his younger sons after them.

As show creator, Benjie is hands-on in helping co-stars deliver their punch lines effectively. Timing, he said, was among those he learned from the country’s comedy icons, the very same stars he would just delightfully watch on the small and big screens as a child. This time, he is the mentor to younger cast mates who look up to him beyond his comedic gift.

“I feel very blessed na makasama ko si Kuya Benjie and si Empoy ulit. Sobrang galing talaga nila magpatawa,” said Andrew. “Nadadala lang ako. Actually hindi na kami umaarte, go with the flow na lang. Tinuturuan kami ni Kuya Benjie ng strategies.”

For Kylie, watching the more experienced comedians on set is an education in itself.

“Pinapanood ko sila. Since bago lang ako, importante yung pagsasama niyo sa set,” the beauty queen-turned-actress said. “Wala naman awkwardness, sobrang madali lang right away. They made it a very easy set for me to be in.”

A recent virtual media conference for the show in fact gave attendees a taste of Benjie and Empoy’s natural flair to illicit laughs, the latter often the punchline among his amused co-stars.

“Umaabot kami ng take 8 kasi kahit sobrang seryoso mo sa eksena, kapag umaarte si Empoy, maski kami mga artista, natatawa talaga kami sa kanya,” shares Andrew, “so paano na kaya yung viewers diba?”

Benjie, Empoy, Andrew and Kylie were all pleased to be part of an ideal lock-in set that felt almost like a vacation: not a dull moment, a good location, funny cast and crew, and abundant food to go around.

But what was a fun and memorable set would be marred on their final day, as Benjie received bad news. His mom in Australia passed away, and with travel restrictions still up that time, Benjie had no way to see and bid her goodbye.

“Binigay namin kay Kuya Benjie yung moment, pero sobrang hinangaan namin siya dahil kung ibang artista siguro yun, umuwi na,” Empoy shared. “Pero sa sobra niyang professional, mahal niya yung trabaho niya, of course super love niya yung mother niya, tinuloy niya pa rin yung trabaho.”

During a lunch break, Andrew recalled Benjie saying how hard it was for him to continue making people laugh and finish their remaining scenes well while he was in grief. For soldiering through despite the personal loss, “sobrang hinangaan namin talaga siya doon.”