Piercing Cameron Beyl’s The Veil and Forbidden Mysteries Answered–An Interview

Many people have said The Veil is like a lost episode of the Twilight Zone, and they’re right! The themes explored and just cinematography just nails what made this series special, and we can expect more from Cameron Beyl.

Cameron Beyl HeadshotSome movies like Cameron Beyl’s The Veil need to be savoured, and while the wait for it to arrive on home video/streaming felt long, that’s because to find the right window to release it meant waiting for a certain time of the year to arrive. People believe that the curtain separating the world of the living from the dead is at its thinnest during Halloween. Readers can check out my original review here.

As an enthusiast who has studied the behaviours of spirits through reading other case reports and participating in client-based (not the holiday style) paranormal investigations, everything told in fiction felt spot on. But in order to understand everything that went on in this film, the opportunity to interview this filmmaker to learn about his thought process made this movie what it is:

For readers unfamiliar with your work, can you please introduce yourself?

I’ve been making films, using the DIY approach, ever since I was eleven, and went to Emerson College to get a formal education. I made my feature debut with So Long, Lonesome (2009), and a couple of years later, made Here Build Your Homes. During that time, I made other short films, did commissioned jobs and also worked on documentaries. My “The Director Series,” is well known [it delved into examining notable talents like Stanley Kubrick, David Fincher and Paul Thomas Anderson -ed], and after that The Veil. Continue reading “Piercing Cameron Beyl’s The Veil and Forbidden Mysteries Answered–An Interview”

When Adam and Stuart are Told Don’t F**k With Ghosts, What Are The Lessons Learned?

It’s best not to believe anything presented in Don’t F**k With Ghosts as serious. It’s as fun as a Laverne and Shirley sitcom, and that’s a complement!

Don't F**k With Ghosts Movie PosterPlaying at select theatres nationwide

Quite often, fans of the paranormal reality television genre rarely get to look at what goes on behind the making of. Although Don’t F**k With Ghosts does not want to bore viewers with all the meetings and paperwork required to get permission to investigate locations, what it does is to show how some places get chosen, and why some media personalities behave a certain way. Here, the focus is on Adam Rodness and Stuart Stone (Donnie Darko), wanting to make a documentary about ghosts.

In the investigations, this pair of wannabe paranormal investigators rely on the occultists, mediums, and celebrity guests (including a cameo by Colt Cabana) to prove whether ghosts are a product of the mind or just made-up to sell tickets. This cameo blurs the fine line between reality and fiction, and when Ghost Magnet with Bridget Marquardt is also included, I couldn’t help but wonder!

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Not Every eVil Sublet is Safe! With this Horror Comedy, The Best Bet is to….

….make sure that tenents get to know who their landlords are, and if the house has a not home to another Lizzie Borden! When it’s billed as an evil sublet, maybe it’s best to look elsewhere!

eViL Sublet Movie Poster IMDBAvailable to stream on Amazon Prime

Allan Piper is not your average filmmaker (landlord). In his horror comedy, EVil Sublet, he’s not only producing, filming and editing but also is the director/writer who wants to make sure anyone viewing the insanity he’s made visible in this fun house enjoy themselves rather than run away in sheer terror. That’s because in this story, a loving couple is trying to find some place cheap to live within New York City’s East Village. But when Alex (Jennifer Leigh Houston) and Ben (Charley Tucker) come across the deal of the century with a fully furnished apartment, hopefully those grey hairs won’t manifest soon!

They are told the abode is haunted. All those past murders left an imprint, and what’s presented suggests not everyone moved on. They have a need for vengeance. They are all after Reena (Sally Struthers) and she’s run away and is in hiding. As for what the current tenants can do is to hire an exorcist. Just who they find are kind of like Ghostbusters, but are only worse. These wannabe (and gay) paranormal investigators are hilariously played up for laughs by Stephen Mosherr and Pat Dwyer.

Continue reading “Not Every eVil Sublet is Safe! With this Horror Comedy, The Best Bet is to….”

Light Chaser Animation Studio’s Next Film is Strange Tales From A Chinese Studio! Teaser Trailer

For those unfamiliar with thie collection of spooky stories from China, Strange Tales from A Chinese Studio shows that ghosts are just as prominent in local folklore!

Strange Tales from a Chinese StudioLight Chaser Animation released a teaser to their next project over the weekend, and for fans of the book, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Amazon link), this news is very exciting! One of the most famous stories includes a short to which Tsui Hark’s 1987 A Chinese Ghost Story is based on. And as for what I assume to be an anthology series, just what other spooky tales can be offered can range from spectres just wanting a second chance at life to that of spirits taking vengeance! The date for this release is the summer of 2025!

With over 500 tales to choose from in the 12 volumes published, I can’t venture to guess just how many segments will be offered. If I was producing, I’d opt to select one story per book, and instead of making one movie, at least make it a trilogy. In the West, the only compilation I’m acutely aware of is The A, B, C’s of Death where 26 shorts are offered in just one work!

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When There’s Nothing Too New in Entertainment for Hungry Ghost Festival 2024, What Else Is There to Watch?

Although there was never a huge demand for entertainment to enjoy during Hungry Ghost Festival, perhaps that’s best since the time should be spent honouring those whose have passed on by visiting their grave and giving their spirit a chance to smile.

Hungry Ghost Festival in Hong Kong
Hungry Ghost Festival Starts on Aug 18 and runs until Sept 2, 2024

The Hungry Ghost Festival is looking worse for wear in recent years, because sometimes I just want to see new content over repeating what I’ve said in the past. While some new material exists, I don’t recommend one of them.

The documentary, Island of Hungry Ghosts, is depressing because it’s about one particular refugee camp built on Christmas Island. Rumours say that many Chinese spirits roam the land in search of a place called home in this very remote community. When they weren’t given last sites, this work is a moving piece to follow. I understand the symbology concerning the crab migration that also happens, but this work won’t be for everyone.

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[Fantasia 2024] When The Dead Thing Involves More Than Just A Fatal Attraction

Be careful in who you ghost here, in this indie horror movie simply known as The Dead Thing.

The Dead Thing Movie Poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival 2024 July 26 & 28, 2024

Alex (Blu Hunt) is a young woman who “would do anything for love.” And when I get this song by Meatloaf stuck in my head, to see what she will and won’t do in The Dead Thing can become fatal. When the question of who Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen) truly is arises and this woman is trying to break away from him, life will not be like Paradise by the Dashboard Light either.

Had Meat’s music been used, I’d say we got a film to remember. In its current form, the question of what kind of reality Alex is living in is raised. She’s too reliant on her smartphone. As for her obsession with finding this man, whom we learn is dead (by the end of the first act), that’s when the maudlin drama turns into a thriller.

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