Tag: Cthulhu

The Vintage Tempest’s Open Letter to Santa & Thoughts for the New Year

Ed Sum aka The Vintage Tempest
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Dear Santa,

Yes I know this letter is late, very very late, and I hope I can still get a surprise come Christmas day.

Before I take a break from this blog for a much needed R&R, I have to write to someone about all thats transpired in the past year. It’s been tough because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some folks have changed their behaviours and others have gone into hiding until authorities say it’s safe to resume a different kind of normal.

I’m surviving and consider this season a time of hope. Yes, you’ve heard all this goodwill ambassador stuff before but I feel the world really needs it as we go into this new decade. 2021 won’t feel too different. With a tentative vaccine not everyone will want, I’m debating it. I miss my comic book conventions. I’m glad to have taken on all of Fan Expo Vancouver before the lockdown, and if any shows take place at the end of the new year, I believe it’ll be one of trepidation. I’ll sound off on this in a different editorial though.

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The Color or Colour Out of Space? Continues to Hit Art Houses Worldwide

Image result for colour out of space 2019"By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Spoiler Alert

After watching the 2010 film Die Farbe (The Colour out of Space, using the UK Spelling) which adapts H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic tale of alien invasion many years ago, I had to wonder who else would take on the challenge of realizing this short story in feature length form. Richard Stanley is known for a few crazy works, and although credited for penning a revamp of The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), he rarely strays far from his staples. This movie is his return to the director’s seat and made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival 2019. Slowly but surely, the Colour has been landing at local art houses to spread the sickness.

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A Late (Un)Boxing Day Video: Digging into CMON’s Cthulhu, Death May Die

Image result for cthulhu death may die
The core game is available on Amazon USACMON Cthulhu - Death May Die Miniature Battles Game

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The battle of the titans, or rather Elder Gods has begun! The question of which H.P. Lovecraft inspired tabletop board game is better needs to be asked. When Petersen Games and CMON are dealing out destruction in an unearthly scale, the challenge lays more in which sculpt is better. My money is with neither. Cthulhu is an unwieldy creation that’s hard to realize in any visual format; the author wrote:

A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.

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Cthulhu, Death May Die Crowdfunding Operation Exceeds Expectations!

ed52bf2143626f7fe5f672b0d47f3550_originalBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Is it madness to want to own nearly every single Call of Cthulhu related gaming product that’s out there? I have six games in my slowly growing collection and this occult hobby makes for a terrific display for those miniatures based products. The first prints of H.P. Lovecraft‘s material can be a gold-mine when it comes to being collectable and valuable, and oddly enough, so can some of the role playing material. The board games are expensive in itself and that has not stopped me from helping crowdfund Cthulhu, Death May Die.

This board game is probably the most anticipated game for all Lovecraft fans to dive into and it has busted records for exceeding the goal within hours of going live. While it is too late to get the all-inclusive package (limits have been placed on production), the rest of community can still purchase the core product itself and order one or more of the bonus miniatures which make up the stretch goals.

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The Call of Charlie is a Fun, H.P. Lovecraft Inspired Short

The Call of Charlie is a wonderfully whimsical short film written by Nick Spooner (who also directs), Guy Benoit and John Simpson who brings the scares in a different kind of way.

mv5bn2rkzdc2ztetotq0ys00ndk3lwfhndqtmzy4zdy3zjg1zwyyxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymti1njcwotk-_v1_uy268_cr90182268_al_By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Disclaimer: a preview was provided by the director.

You never know where to find cultists from the Esoteric Order of Dagon (ala H.P. Lovecraft). The Call of Charlie is a wonderfully whimsical short film written by Nick Spooner (who also directs), Guy Benoit and John Simpson who brings the scares in a different kind of way. Why fight it when you can embrace it? This short film is making its rounds at select horror film festivals and comic conventions around the world. A schedule can be found on this film’s Facebook page.

Although never explicitly said, I’m guessing Mark (Harry Sinclair) and Diane (Brooke Smith) are from that cult. They seem like everyday folks who invited a friend, Charlie (Sven Holmberg), from work to dinner — or so they say. They are setting him up on a blind date. But when old friends Jay (Evan Arnold) and Virginia (Roberta Valderrama), unexpectedly show up, the night is going to hell in a hand basket in a downright hilarious way!

The scares are jovial in nature and the gore is handled with simple off-camera shots to convey a sense of you must not look lest you lose your mind. Jay is the only character who shows signs of wavering sanity as the evening can only go one way. Arnold conveys a charm to show he’s the only character who realizes what’s going on. The hosts handle the “threat” well, and they act like this occurrence is not above the norm. When you’re a cultist honoring an Elder God at home, common courtesy is a must!

5 Shoggoths out of 5

The Call of Charlie Trailer

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