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'666 Park Avenue' a throwback to elegant horror By John Crook © Zap2it incidence that "666 Park Avenue," a new suspense drama premiering Sunday, Sept. 30, on ABC, opens in a glittering New York con- cert hall where an elegant- ly dressed audience listens to a classical performance. The orchestra's concert- master is in the middle of negotiating a tricky violin passage when suddenly the strings of his instru- ment begin cutting into his fingers, as if dipped in acid. Gritting his teeth in pain and mounting terror, the musician manages to get through the passage as drops of blood fly onto the music pages. In the audience, Gavin Doran (Terry O'Quinn, "Lost") and his beautiful wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams, "Des- perate Housewives"), smile enigmatically. Suffice it to say that It's probably not a co- violinist's night quickly goes from bad to the worst imaginable, but that so- phisticated opening sets the tone for this series set in the Drake, a stately New York high-rise that seems to have a mind of its own. The show doesn't stint on occasional jolts of horror, but "666 Park Avenue" is more interested in induc- ing a sense of mounting dread, much like "Rose- mary's Baby," another hor- ror classic set in an eerie old New York apartment building. Gavin, a real estate "666 Park Avenue" premieres Sunday on ABC. O'Quinn, who won an entrepreneur, owns the Drake, where he and Ol- ivia seduce at least some of the residents into enter- ing into infernal bargains to achieve their hearts' desires. Of course, eventu- ally payment comes due, usually in the form of the person's life and/or soul. That's why, as the series opens, there's an opening for a new building manager (the previous one, we are told, recently "moved to a warmer climate"). Enter young couple Jane Van Veen and Henry Martin (Rachael Taylor, Dave An- nable), who jump at the chance to live and work in the opulent world of the Drake. What they don't know is that Gavin and Olivia already are plotting a way to get their hooks into them. Emmy for his work on "Lost," admits he isn't a fan of horror himself, but he thinks the stylish chills of this new series may click with viewers. "I think it feels like a bit of throwback, and the more we shoot, the more it feels that way," he says. "It's getting better every week, I must say. I think that sense (of evoking classic horror of the past) is intentional, and they're doing a really good job of it. "I've never especially the stories of these people who are experiencing the supernatural. "Everyone has a dif- ferent barometer for what they find scary, and our show may not be for people who like more gore and things like that, but I think for a TV audience this kind of show delivers thrills and scares and lets people have fun with it, as well as juicy character, 'soap' elements." The series is nominally liked being scared or un- settled. To be honest, my favorite things are prob- ably romantic comedies or other light stuff. The occult or supernatural never re- ally appealed to me, but that being said, it's fun to play. But the more possible (horror) is made to seem, the less I want to watch it." If O'Quinn isn't a horror Catch the Craze & Save! Save on Rentals • Breakfast Get Free Glass Cleaner Save on a Quilt Find these great savings plus more on Coupon Craze! In The Goshen News every Monday, Online everyday! 574.522.4475 www.GurleyLeepHonda.com junkie by nature, "666 Park Avenue" creator and show runner David Wilcox defi- nitely is, fondly recalling such classics as Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting," the Antichrist thriller "The Omen" and, of course, "Rosemary's Baby." "Those early horror based on a book series of the same title by Gabriella Pierce, which was about witchcraft, but Wilcox says he kept only the title and broad supernatural premise for the TV series. O'Quinn says he pointedly asked Wilcox not to give him back story information that's not directly relevant to whatever scene he is playing, so he's still not sure of the exact nature of the eerie relationship that seems to exist between his character and the (living?) hotel. "It seems to me that movies were really the inspiration for doing this," Wilcox says. "The horror genre has been popular for so long. I mean, you also think about 'The Exorcist' and some of Hitchcock's movies. I thought, 'That's how you could make hor- ror work on network televi- sion,' where it's really so much more about the psy- chology of the characters and the subjectivity about there is a symbiotic re- lationship between the Drake and Gavin," O'Quinn says. "What I don't know yet is who has the upper hand. For me, if I have to make up any part of my story, it's that Gavin doesn't have complete control of this and isn't always aware of the out- come of any given choice or action. Maybe he's fol- lowing instructions, as it were, or the Drake is the boss." Wilcox says there's no such thing as a standard episode template for his show. 2 The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012-Saturday, Oct. 1, 2012 Nobody covers your hometown better 114 S. Main St., Goshen 574-533-2151 www.goshennews.com Employment Ad Today! 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