Tag: Ghosts

The Holzer Files Season One in Review

The Holzer Files Season One PosterBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

* Renewed for season two;
Due Late 2020

There’s now a running joke that those still self-isolating are are living alone will notice every noise made–the ghosts– around them. Whether that’s because you’re living in a haunted house, or someone is playing a prank, I think the ongoing request to stay at home is a good time to get caught up with programs like The Holzer Files. 

This paranormal reality show is over the top because the post production elements overshadows everything else. These inserts have the feel of reviving the golden oldies—the stuff you hear on radio—than to get serious about the matter. When considering you’re listening to old tape recordings of trance mediums from the original case files of Hans Holzer channeling their best version of Kane, the malevolent preacher in the 1986 movie Poltergeist II: The Other Side, I can’t take this program seriously.

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Master the A-B-Cs of Paranormal Investigation (Part One): A Beginner’s Guide to the Haunted

Paranormal Investigation is not just an art, and nor is it a hobby. It’s a discipline that deserves a proper discipline going forward.

Halloween paranormal investigationHalloween is a very enjoyable time for many. Whether attending a live theatre production, a book reading, a horror movie marathon, or a paranormal investigation, it’s a time to be merry—or to get your spook on. Getting closer to the spirit world has come a long way. In the early 20th century, options were generally limited to séances, allowing people to attempt contact with loved ones.

Even the annual tradition of contacting Harry Houdini became part of the paranormal tapestry. He passed away on All Hallow’s Eve. He promised his wife Bess that if either died first, they would attempt to communicate, using a code word to prove it. Over the years, methods have evolved and organizations have formed.

Technology has also expanded the tools available to newcomers. For casual investigators, all that’s needed is an open mind and the willingness not to bring personal spiritual beliefs into a case. Many veterans believe such biases can taint the data. Experienced investigators generally agree that a good dose of common sense, a basic camera, and an audio recorder are all that’s required.

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Making Polterheist, an Overnight Interview with Dave Gilbank

When the budget is tight, and you are dealing with a possession meets crimeland scenario, Polterheist has all the makings of being a cult film.

Director Dave Gilbank, the man behind PolterheistBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Movie Available on Amazon UK
This interview also appears in Absolute Underground Magazine

How can anyone go wrong with a crime heist type film with supernatural elements mixed in? When the budget is tight, and you are dealing with a possession scenario, Polterheist has all the makings of going either way. In what I found when watching this indie work is a huge respect and perfect use of the tropes commonly found in a ghost story.

Quite often, it is not about the scares that can take place. Instead, it’s with how unfinished business gets resolved, especially by those whose life gets cut short. In this hilarious mashup of drama and comedy, I was certainly hooked. This mini-review serves as my intro to Dave Gilbank, the writer-director of Polterheist. He’s been making independent works for about 15 years, and is now based in the UK–the place to experience many a classic haunt due to its millennia-old history–and I had to ask how this story came about.

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TIck Tock, The House With A Clock In Its Walls Chimes in Tues, Dec 18th!

Not every trope needs to be explored in The House With A Clock in Its Walls. It’s essentially a movie about a haunted house.

House with a Clock in its Walls
Click here to pre-orderHouse with a Clock in its Walls

Horror maestro Eli Roth proves he can make a family-friendly film and still remain loyal to his humble beginnings. When considering certain production elements gave the cast the creeps, I had to chuckle. This admission can be found in the bevy of extras (5 to 7-minute clips) included in The House With A Clock in Its Walls home video release. It’s already available on digital and can be bought online or purchased at media outlets come December 18th. 

Fans of the 1973 novel by John Bellair and newcomers to his works can hear about how his book was adapted. Included are alternate opening and ending sequences which would have entirely changed the tone of the film. Though I have not read the book in years, I do know filmmakers record a collection of ideas, and work with editors to fashion the best narrative possible. Full details of deleted scenes and the creation of can be found listed at the end of this article.

Roth imbues this work with a lingering sense of dread. Screenwriter Eric Kripke is best known for creating Supernatural and to see him writing screenplays with that jovial camaraderie as the series makes this tale shine. The film even slimes it up Nickelodeon style! The terror is soft enough to give goosebumps and when I share the same sentiment as Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) for rustic looking porcelain dolls, I had to bite my lip. His goal is to find where that clock is and he gives this work the comic relief to make it just as fun as Robin Williams Jumanji. He is aided by Blanchett as Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett). Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan) is the villain, and he makes no bones about it; he wants to turn back time.

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Disseminating The Last Will & Testament of Rosalind Leigh, DVD Movie Review

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Available on AmazonHouse with a Clock in its Walls

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

One unique gem for fans of the classic ghost story formula to watch is The Last Will and Testament of Rosaland Leigh. This movie originally released back in 2012 and it is one I frequently watch because it is very poetic, very lucid. It’s produced, written and directed by Rodrigo Gudiño, the founder of Rue Morgue Magazine. To liken it to any other films might give too much of this movie way and ruin the beauty of this film.

When Leon (Aaron Poole) has to settle the affairs of his deceased mother’s home, the horrors he experiences are not his own making. He’s just one of the few main actors who have to carefully navigate through unfortunate memories. As for what they represent, that’s left up to the viewer to decide.

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Mass Media, The Paranormal & Pop Culture

ed in shadowPractically every Halloween season will see the media be all over the paranormal. Whether that is through an increase in articles in a published work (newspapers), on television, with more movies than usual or a sudden rise in public ghost hunts, the choices are not limited. The big question some folks may have is which of these is the best to participate in or to experience some thrills? Television networks believe having a special during this time is fashionable. When programs like Ghost Wars and Ghosted are two new entries, this genre will not fade away anytime soon. Not only has interest in the spiritual world become part of the pop culture scene — beyond comic books, fiction and film — the wonder of why some folks want to investigate these haunted places now than at any other time come into question.

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