Paul Schneider, others join cast of SyFy’s creepypasta series Channel Zero

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

SyFy's upcoming creepypasta anthology series Channel Zero has just announced a huge sheaf of cast members that will be featured in the first season. Based on the creepypasta meme "Candle Cove," the season will center on:

A man's obsessive recollections of a mysteries children's television show from the 1980s – and the show's suspected role in a series of murders and deadly events from his childhood.

That man is set to be played by Paul Schneider, who is best known for playing Mark Brendanawicz in the first two seasons of Parks and Recreation. His character is Mike Painter, a child psychologist who was a child himself when he witnessed the mysterious disappearance of his twin brother, Eddie, and four other children from their small town, Iron Hill, in 1988. Decades later, he is compelled to return to his hometown to investigate what really happened all those years ago, only to find that it – whatever it was – may be happening all over again.

His biggest co-star is a bit of a surprise: Irish actress Fiona Shaw, who played Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia. She will be playing Marla Painter, Mike’s mother and a widow. Marla is shocked when Mike returns home and is reluctant to relive the events of the long-ago disappearance of her son and the other children of Iron Hill.

The rest of the cast is filled out by less well-known but no less intriguing faces:

Shaun Benson (General Hospital) will play Gary Yolen, Iron Hill’s Sheriff and Mike’s childhood friend. The father of two is happy to see his old friend, but terrified that the evil that plagued Iron Hill in the ‘80s might be returning.

Natalie Brown (HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS) plays Jessica Yolen, Mike’s childhood friend and the Sheriff’s wife. As the mother of two, she faces every parent’s nightmare when it seems like children may be disappearing from the town once again. Brown also had a minor role as a Reporter in Zack Snyder's DAWN OF THE DEAD remake.

Luisa D’Oliveira (50/50) will play Amy Welch, the tenacious Sheriff’s Deputy. Too young to remember the original disappearances, she learns about them quickly when she takes charge of a new investigation seemingly tied to the original cases. 

The Candle Cove season will premiere on SyFy this Fall with a second season already ordered, to follow in 2017.  It was written by Hannibal's Nick Antosca, the showrunner. He will also executive produce with Max Landis. All six of the first season's episodes were directed by Craig William Macneill (THE BOY – no, not the doll one).