Reality television series often follow one of a few formats.
Still, one genre that continues to create a dynasty for itself is that of paranormal investigation.
Hill View Manor is Episode 1, and that one was a total surprise to me.
Everyone’s like, “Oh, it’s the scariest place I’ve ever been [etc.
],” and you get there, and you’re like, “Right.
I get it’s creepy, but nothing’s going off the walls here.”
That place really creeped me out.
We had some wild things happen … we can’t explain it.
The people that investigate that regularly can’t explain it.
You could hear it go.
There’s no access to this roof.
I was looking, I was like, “Okay, did a bird drop something?
Is there a huge owl up here?
What was that?”
I can’t explain it.
I wish that would’ve been in the episode.
I’m like, “No, we’re not doing that.”
Do you watch these supernatural horror series or do you prefer more real-life paranormal series?
I don’t tend to watch too [much] horror.
Then it gets a little out there, doesn’t it?
Yeah, but it’s fun.
The thing is, the TV that I make and horror, they go hand in hand.
They complement each other.
It’s something within human nature to enjoy.
Even Shakespeare was writing a lot of ghost stories, which I think is really interesting.
These old buildings are full of chemicals and asbestos and all that s***.
That is so interesting.
There’s been times where I’ve literally fallen asleep while investigating.
That is so wild.
You seemed to have a reaction to that.
I understand the trope of naming spirits.
It’s an investigative tool, but we don’t know what this is.
Does Jack have limits when it comes to investigating?
We have no idea.
I don’t know what this is.
I’ve done, probably, over a hundred investigations in my life.
I have more questions than answers after that time.
There’s so many other things going on that we can’t quite comprehend.
That’s really interesting.
You also let Katrina do some solo investigating after things get really spooky.
Katrina is so damn brave when it comes to some of these places.
A lot of times, I end up psyching myself out because I’m like “Ugh.”
It’s really not that common in my experience.
There was a place called Hill House in Texas … Everyone was like, “All right, there is something remarkable about this place.”
That place was pretty heavy, and then, dare I say, Bobby Mackey’s.
If anyone’s, whatever’s here, come at me", basically.
He ended up having to be rushed home because he said he felt like his skin was on fire.
What, to you, makes them stand out from one another?
“Want to Believe” is shot in my parents' theater at home.
It’s very comfortable.
I don’t have to worry about demonic entities except for our dogs.
It’s a good way to spend time with your folks.
On when he became interested in investigating
Yeah.
I get to go home to my kids at night.
My fiance is not like, “Where are you now, come home.”
It’s like, “I’ll see you at 4.”
Is paranormal investigation something you’ve been interested in since you were a kid?
I grew up in the “X-Files” era.
I loved everything paranormal, weird, unexplained.
I used to love reading UFO books and stories about abductions.
It was a real big draw for me as a kid, entertainment wise.
When I was [around] 12, I went to school dressed as a UFOlogist.
It was like a career day, “What do you want to be?”
I was like, “I want to study UFOs.”
You mentioned the long nights and everything earlier about lack of sleep.
How do you personally maintain a solid routine when the job does require such long nights?
It’s really tough to maintain a routine.
I would drive my Airstream from location to location and lived out of the Airstream.
That way, I could have a lot of my creature comforts from home.
I brought some gym equipment with me.
Then, I got into it.
I like this, because I have home with me.
I’ve got my own sheets, I’ve got my own shower.
I love living out of an Airstream.
Jack reveals the reality series he likes to watch
It sounds really nice.
I know you did “Haunted Highway.”
Katrina’s show “Paranormal State” was one of my favorites.
MTV had that show “Fear,” which I loved.
There was stuff that I was always intrigued by.
At The List, we cover a lot of reality television.
That’s a guilty pleasure.
We wrapped a season there.
What other reality stuff do we watch?
“Love Alone”?
What was the other one?
Oh, and “Naked and Afraid.”
A lot of “Survivor.”
It’s all survival.
Jack reveals what’s next for him
They’re not wrong.
As far as prime time, big box, reality stuff, I find that it’s all so …
I have a really hard time stomaching the over-scripted, contrived stuff.
Let’s be honest, we had ten years of the Kardashians.
We really need another series on Hulu?
I get it, that’s their commercial, but come on.
If there’s people to watch, they’ll make it.
What can you tell us about what’s next for you?
I’m [doing] this season and then I’ve got a bunch of stuff I’m producing.
We’ve got a bunch of projects in various stages of development and at different networks.
Let’s hope those merger gods shine bountifully upon me.
“Portals to Hell” premieres on April 9 and airs every Saturday on Travel Channel.
Episodes land on Discovery+ the same day.
