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Mr. Omar (2018-19)

If you are on the lookout for something very different and highly invigorating, then check out this five-part horror web series created by the Upstate New York-based actor-writer-filmmaker-singer-composer Frank Palangi. This gem has been flying under the radar on YouTube and it needs to be front and center in everyone’s view.

The eponymous character is a cannibalistic serial killer in a small town whose grisly deeds were uncovered after his death in the early 1960s. Although the home where he created his crimes was burned down, his wretched ghost reportedly continues to wreak havoc on the community.

Flash-forward a half-century and paranormal researcher Wes (played by Palangi) is trying to find a link to Mr. Omar’s ghost and the inexplicable damage visited on two of his friends: an ethereal beauty who is reduced to a catatonic state and a warped young man who might have been pushed into a homicidal state. When other members of Wes’ circle begin to violently disappear, his research takes him into territory that might be too extraordinary for his power.

“Mr. Omar” is a wonderfully crafted production that features some of the very best sound effects editing in an independent production – this is the rare work where the audio element richly complements the wonderfully vibrant visuals. The story is intricately composed and is anything but a connect-the-dots exercise – indeed, you have to wait to the final moments before the pieces lock into place.

The production features Aaron Michael Lambert and Jake Navatka, the charming stars of the delightful fan film “Abbott and Costello Meet Superman,” who are excellent in their respective roles as a potential murder suspect and a beleaguered police detective, and Jena Jones brings beauty and intelligence to the role of the catatonic woman whose silence might be masking something unexpected.

Allow me to make life easier for you: Start the five-episode series here and follow it to its conclusion. You’ll thank me, I know.