PSYCHING OUT “PSYCHICS”

Do you believe in magic? If so, Danny Korem, Richardson’s resident magician, may change your mind. He exposes “fakers” – people who claim to possess psychic powers and who perform hocus-pocus for awe-struck audiences. Because of his work, Korem has traveled around the country and taken on several new roles: writer, director and producer.

Korem’s headhunting of so-called psychics began several years ago with what still ranks as his most challenging case. He was approached by a Dallas man who was worried that his older brother had become involved in a cult in Salt Lake City. When Korem went to Utah, he discovered James Hydrick, a 21-year-old martial arts expert who claimed that with the help of psychic powers he could move objects without touching them. As a result, Hydrick had developed a following of pupils determined to gain psychic prowess.

Korem mastered Hydrick’s tricks and confronted Hydrick with the fraud. (The movement actually was caused by very controlled breathing.) Hydrick confessed, the group disbanded, and Hydrick went to jail. But Korem’s job wasn’t over yet. He had been filming his dealings with Hydrick, and with the help of investigative reporter Hugh Aynesworth, he created Psychic Confession, a documentary about the Hydrick case.

When Korem produced the film, he was hoping it would be shown to church groups and organizations with possibly a few stints on syndicated television. But those few stints have multiplied, and the program has been aired in more than 160 television markets. Recently, Korem was approached by a major movie studio interested in making a made-for-TV movie about the Hydrick case. Korem will act as producer of the film, which should be aired sometime next year. He also will be working on a series of television specials on psychic fakers as well as on a magic book. And he’s making public appearances at corporations and universities.