Tag Archives: British Columbia

Vancouver’s Most Haunted in Review

22 Oct

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Torchwood Editions
Available to order on Amazon USA

Although Ian Gibbs of Victoria’s Most Haunted (2017) didn’t take a road trip to explore the rest of Haunted Vancouver Island to put into a new book (it’s been tackled by Shannon Sinn), he is back examining the Lower Mainland instead! This time, he’s delving into the secrets Greater Vancouver has tucked away. Instead of always tackling the most well-known places, he went around to find other incidents in Vancouver’s Most Haunted: Supernatural Encounters in BC’s Terminal City.

I’ve looked at his first collection (review here) and it’s an enjoyable read. This latest shows how his narrative has developed over the years. When Gibbs is not telling tales of meeting the undead as one of the many guides in Victoria, BC’s Discover the Past’s Ghostly Walks, he’s working on his next Ghost n’ Bears podcast. What he enjoys the most is extoling the incident that helped shaped the transition of human to spirit. Sometimes, as with a certain “Private Home on Marine Drive,” it’s about testing the cultural mainstays of whether other ethnic cultures believe in this world or not. Kristy’s (not her real name) experience of staying at her grandparent’s luxury home is a standout. It is this chapter and another run-in at a private residence that I found the most engaging to read.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , ,

An Interview with Denver Jackson & Esluna: Crown of Babylon’s World Debut!

6 Oct

Babylon_press_kit (1)-6

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Denver Jackson is the creative mind behind a techno-fantasy world that he can uniquely call his own. Esluna: The First Monolith is a standalone work that introduces Maeve Riverflare, a relic hunter, to the world. This nine episode series is available on YouTube, and received a few national awards for best digital series made (Blood in Snow Festival) and a Leo Awards nomination for direction. He also has a solid team of friends, like Mark Junker (musician), Daniel Hogg (producer) and the voice actors (see below for credits) to back him in his many projects.

Next is Esluna: The Crown of Babylon and its set to play at various film festivals like Vancouver’s Spark Animation (Oct 28 to Nov 7th) and Sitges Festival in Spain (Oct 7 to 17th). Catching the prior series is not required for newcomers, but this director said there’s a few nods here and there for those followers of his work.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

How Much do We Want to Believe? Haunted Objects Part Two

6 Oct

nullBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Are Ouija boards the real deal? It’s tough to say when Spiritualists swear by it, occultists warn about being careful in what you seek, and mediums say as long as you perform the right ceremonies before and after use, it’s safe. This means having the right mindset, if not wards of protection up. Other caveats are to say “goodbye” before removing your finger from the planchette (which is nicely included in this video) and politely ask that those entities not follow you home afterwards. 

The We Want to Believe team (also known as Canadian Paranormal Foundation) had a fun time with this board in part two of Haunted Objects. They used an old one that was allegedly destroyed; it repaired itself the next day. They used it to communicate with those entities said to be connected with it. Instead of following up with the items they were investigating in part one, this next episode examines new objects. This episode is a different kind of watch given the jovial energy the group was putting out. If any nasty ghost was there, it’d flee instead of throwing a poltergeist tantrum.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , ,

Vancouver International Film Festival @40 Years! and Genre Picks

2 Oct

Reviewed: New Logo and Identity for Vancouver International Film Festival by Cause+Affect | UX AgencyOctober 1 to 11th * Various Venues * Vancouver, British Columbia

The Vancouver International Film Festival is terrific in spotlighting international films and don’t always have a wide selection of genre picks. When they do, especially during their ruby anniversary year, there’s reason to cheer! Anyone who’ve missed seeing a few films from Fantasia have a second chance here!

Most of these titles are geo-locked to this province and in-person attendence is most likely capped. Anyone with questions can also read the Health & Safety Guidelines in the official VIFF website.

On my list of notable pieces to view are:

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , ,

The Shadow in the Water, a Different Kind of Shark Tale

8 Sep

shadowVictoria Fringe Festival

Showtimes:
Sep 8, 2021 – Sep 12, 2021

Metro Studio Theatre
111 Quadra St.
Victoria, BC

Tickets can be bought in advance here.

Anyone who knows Peter Schilling’s music video of his hit single, “Major Tom,” may well get the shivers when learning about Mary’s life in David Elendune’s The Shadow in the Water. She’s coming home alright, but not in a way I would immediately suspect.

This story billed as a tale of love, loss and sharks is a deceptive tease. I’m thinking it’s about sailing into the mystic, Van Morrison style. This octogenarian is recounting moments about her life to Sharon. I assume this younger character is a caretaker sent to check in on this senior–who is listening to the broadcast of the Apollo 11 landing at the start of the play. Bits of this landmark moment in human history plays out throughout the show, and it’s highly suggestive that eventually, Mary’s time will come to “go home.” 

Instead, Mary is lost in her own memories. She wants someone to know everything she’s done since before the night fades away.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries

%d bloggers like this: