Tag: halloween

Categories
Student Life

The city’s oldest costume rental shop

A glimpse into the closet of Joseph Ponton Costumes shop. Photo by Mackenzie Lad

Joseph Ponton Costumes celebrates 152 years of business in Montreal

At a time when temporary Halloween costume shops pop up in every available storefront, Joseph Ponton Costumes is celebrating 152 years of creating and renting out costumes. “We first opened our store in the Old Port area of Montreal back in 1865,” said Carmelle Gagné, the co-owner of Joseph Ponton Costumes. “After 149 years, we decided to move [to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve] in August 2014 due to the fact that we all live nearby and it is more convenient for us.”

Co-owner of Joseph Ponton Costumes, Carmelle Gagné gave us a tour of the costume rental shop. Photo by Mackenzie Lad

Gagné said many students have chosen to rent rather than purchase costumes for Halloween this year. “Many students are coming [to our store] wanting to be film characters. This year, students want costumes of characters in Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Star Trek and Superheroes,” she said. “Young people come in groups, and they have a lot of fun just dressing up.”

 

Gagné said it’s important for the store to update its costumes to attract a younger crowd. “Our costumes change every year depending on what’s in fashion. This year, many students are requesting costumes of the clown from the It movie by Stephen King,” Gagné said, adding that Halloween costume requests often depend on what movies and TV shows are popular at the time.“Some of the other popular choices include vampire and demon costumes, especially with films these days, and also clothing from the Middle Ages,” said Jocelyne Brassard, the former owner and now a part-time employee at Joseph Ponton. According to Gagné, one costume that seems to be ageless and unaffected by trends is the cowboy. “Many children and young adults want to be cowboys,” she said. “It is the costume that is the most widely requested by all ages every year.”

Upstairs at Joseph Ponton, costumes are organized by time period. “From hippies to cowboys, we have costumes of all ages, including outfits from the 20s and the 60s,” she said. Downstairs, the selection is a little more miscellaneous, with costumes ranging from the characters in films like Back to the Future to comic book characters and superheros, including the Hulk, Wolverine, Superman, Batman, the Joker and Harley Quinn. “We even have costumes for people who want to dress up in groups such as multiple characters of Star Trek,” Gagné added.

The atelier where costumes get created and altered. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Aside from co-owning the store, Gagné works as a seamstress for Joseph Ponton Costumes. She especially enjoys creating handmade Victorian-style costumes. “I first started making costumes for theatres, and now I do it for Joseph Ponton Costumes,” she said. As for renting a costume, the price ranges from $35 to $150. “When people come here, we ask for a deposit, which is the same price of the costume,” Brassard said. “The rental period is from Thursday to Monday for weekends, and 48 hours for weekdays.”

According to Brassard, since many people order their costumes online these days, the ones who come to the store are people who want to specifically try out the garments or find unique costumes. “Here, that is our specialty,” Brassard said. “When we first opened, our goal was [and still is] to provide handmade costumes for our customers.”

Although shopping for costumes online has become a trend over the past years, Brassard recommends students come experience what the store has to offer. “You need to at least come and visit,” she said, emphasizing the shop’s handmade selection. “See what we have to offer because we do have many beautiful costumes that you cannot find elsewhere.”

Photos by Mackenzie Lad

Categories
News

The ghosts of Grey Nuns

Ghost stories involving Grey Nuns are nothing new.

An inside look at Concordia’s haunted residence

For many Concordia students, the ghost stories surrounding Grey Nuns—the former convent and current downtown residence—are nothing new.

According to former Grey Nuns resident Gabby Crowley, people have claimed multiple children from the building’s daycare report having the same “imaginary friend,” a man with tattered clothing and burnt flesh.

“It was actually kind of cool,” Crowley said, “but I was never really freaked out [by the stories].”
In 2016, CBC News confirmed 50 orphans died in a fire in 1918.

Concordia professor Daniel O’Leary explained that, among the many stories about Grey Nuns, the Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk is a chilling first-hand account of the convent from the 19th century.

Monk, who O’Leary described as a “non-voluntary inmate” at Grey Nuns, claimed the building hid an oubliette—a secret dungeon—containing the bodies of dead fetuses and infants from nuns who had secretly gotten pregnant.

Monk’s account might be seen as anti-Catholic propaganda, however O’Leary admitted to feeling uncomfortable being inside the building.

“It is an eerie place, and it is a common thing to see shadows and flitting figures” O’Leary said.

While I have never lived in Grey Nuns, both of my roommates have. After hearing our fair share about the supernatural, we decided to investigate.

On Oct. 26, we embarked on a slightly non-conventional investigation: a séance, complete with a talking board and a protective circle (a space that is safe from demonic entities, and cast by reciting a spell).

As we set up our protective circle, we heard eerie, operatic music echoing from a piano down the hall. Neither of my roommates remember this being a normal occurrence, but we decided it was likely nothing more than a coincidence.

For several minutes, my roommates and I waited in silence—our fingers on the board’s pointer—but nothing happened. It wasn’t until we were ready to give up that we felt the pointer glide across the board. In nearly perfect unison, we all insisted it wasn’t us moving it.

The planchette continued moving across the board, spelling out four letters: G-E-M-A. Then it stopped. Over the next 90 minutes, we seemed to have conversations with multiple entities, each one sliding to “yes” to tell us when they arrived, and “good bye” when they left. Few were as talkative as “Gema” seemed to be. When we asked her if she had been affected by the 1918 fire, she indicated no. When asked why she was here, the planchette slid from letter to letter, spelling out N-E-E-D-C-A-R-E.

Towards the end of the session, we noticed the pointer was repeatedly circling over “good-bye.” While this left us with a bad feeling in the pit of our stomachs, we continued, until the pointer began sliding manically across the board. When we asked who was with us, the pointer spelled out “Gema” again. Before we could ask another question, “Gema” began spelling out: G-E-T-A-W-A-.

Before she could finish, I quickly thanked her and told her she was released, as the board’s instructions indicated I should do. My roommates and I were fine not knowing if “Gema” had really intended to send an ominous “get away” warning.

As my roommate Hanna Buchanan explained, it’s interesting that many Grey Nuns residents are first-year students as there is something almost symbolic about spending your first year away from home in an allegedly haunted convent.

“Since Grey Nuns is essentially a place where students go to […] get out of their comfort zones, the fact that there’s this whole mythology around ghosts and the other world feels symbolic,” Buchanan said. “It’s all linked to the unknown.”

Photo by Megan Hunt

Categories
Music

Rocky Horror’s fabulous legacy

Nick Turnau and Heidi Rubin first bonded over their love for Rocky Horror. Photo by Mackenzie Lad

A conversation with long-time cast members of  Montreal’s annual performances

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has created a culture for itself. People all around the world come together to watch the movie, while performers reenact the film live on stage. The Montreal performances are the biggest in North America, hosted annually at the Imperial Theatre.

We met up with a few cast members, Heidi Rubin and Nick Turnau, a week before the first show of the year. Turnau has been involved with the show for the last 18 years. Although he focuses on the behind-the-scenes elements of the show these days, he has performed as Frank, Riff, Brad and one of the groupies. Rubin is a 19-year veteran of the Montreal production. She fell in love with the movie as a kid and joined the local cast when she was 19. She has performed nearly every role, including Colombia, Janet, Rocky, Riff and Frank.

Q: How were you first introduced to The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Nick Turnau: Funny you should ask. It’s actually due to the person sitting to my left. We met in CEGEP. I’d seen the film before and was aware of the midnight performances—a sort of weird cult thing that happened or whatever. But we met in an English class. We met ditching an English class to go…

Heidi Rubin: Smoke pot [Laughs].

NT: Smoke pot, and she said, “Hey do you want to come to the Imperial [Theatre] and be part of this thing called The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Do you want to come and check it out?” I said, “Sure!” I ended up being in the show as a groupie [Laughs]. I think there was a dozen of us at that point.

Q: What’s the history of the show in Montreal?

NT: The cult thing started in New York. B-movie houses would play it on a weekly basis. Weird cult fanatics—such as ourselves—would go and get really really into it and involved. That’s how it sort of began. I don’t know exactly when the cult phenomenon started in Montreal. I know, when we signed up, the troope had been doing it for years.

HR: People did it in the Sivel Theatre, which was a theatre back in N.D.G., and they would do midnight showings—I think they did it weekly. Then, the cast before us, they were doing monthly performances. When Phil Spurrell, our producer, came in 20 years ago—so a year after myself—he began producing it because they needed somebody to take it over. He had a lot of experience in the film industry here in Montreal. So he took it over and changed it from a monthly thing to build up the anticipation and turn it into a really big production, the biggest in North America—I kind of believe in the world. It changed the dynamic, going from just once a month.

NT: It starts to become oversaturated once a month. It was far more niche back then.

HR: They didn’t have a cast. It was just random people who would go up.

NT: That’s how the shadow cast started, essentially. It was super-fans dressing up and acting it out.

HR: Montreal is just like any big city—there are so many diverse people here, they come to be in and a part of the show. It’s just been a riot for everyone, especially when I’d seen it back in the day.

Q: When you look at the audience, do you feel like it has changed over the years?

NT: It was more subversive back then. It had a much smaller niche market. It’s changed, but it’s always been great. Sometimes we get families [Laughs].

HR: Do you remember the old lady that would come to every show? She was like 85, and she would be sitting up there [on stage]. Anyway, she was awesome. But I find that when we first started the costume contest, that’s when crazy stuff really happened. It’s out of our control, as people get up on stage and do whatever they can to get the audience going crazy.

NT: Things got out of control [Laughs].

HR: Back then, nobody had a cellphone, so they couldn’t take a video and post it. There were two years when there was a switch-over, and I think a lot of things went online and then people just realized, we can’t do this without having millions of people potentially seeing it. So, the truth is, that there’s a part of it that’s kind of sad. Because of social media, we can’t keep secrets anymore. It’s all consensual for everybody in there, but it doesn’t stay in there anymore. So there’s a bit of a vibe that’s somehow changed.

Q: You’re right Heidi. Some people aren’t comfortable knowing that this may potentially be outing closeted people who don’t want others to know. For them, the show is a safe space.

HR: And that’s what we’re looking for. This is why I’m in the cast—this is the ultimate safe space. It doesn’t matter how weird or straightedge you are; if you’re in the cast, you’re safe. It’s good. And people come to the show because they want to be wild and they want to be crazy and they want to party and let loose, and you’re still in fucking high school, looking over your shoulder thinking, “Who’s going to judge me?” People let go of that when [they’re at the show].

NT: There’s this aspect to it, but at the same time, the ideals that have always been part of Rocky have proliferated so much more. It’s helped us more, and it’s been wonderful to watch what it’s done for us.

The final performances of this year’s edition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show are on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Photos by Mackenzie Lad 

Categories
Arts

Children’s theatre takes on Halloween

Exploring death: the surprisingly philosophical children’s play The Halloween Tree  is on until October 31st

Playgoers of all ages were buzzing with excitement as they gathered outside Concordia’s D.B Clarke theatre, awaiting the start of a beloved adventure. Geordie Productions did not disappoint—the Montreal-based theatre company brought the thrilling tale of The Halloween Tree to life.

The story of The Halloween Tree has become a seasonal classic. Based on the 1972 children’s book written by Ray Bradbury, the tale follows five children who travel through time, experience history first-hand and come to terms with death. The hour-long play begins as the children head off to trick-or-treat, but soon realize one of their friends is missing. The group then embarks on an adventure to save their friend, Pipkin, from death. With Halloween fast approaching, this is the perfect play to get you in the holiday spirit.

Even though the story is based on a children’s book and the acting is geared towards a younger audience, with over dramaticized physicality and language, the performance did not neglect the adults in the audience. The script included some very philosophical undertones—one of my personal favourites being the description of death as change. Death was compared to the setting of the sun every night and the beginning of a new day every morning. Every day the sun is “killed” by the night, but in the end, the sun always comes back, transformed into a new day, like hope after death.

The play also touches on the historical evolution of Halloween and it’s significance in different cultures, from Ancient Egypt, to the Irish Druids, all the way to modern-day Mexico.

At it’s core, the play is about friends standing together and facing their fears. The characters—and the audience—learn the value of friendship, of taking risks and of making selfless sacrifices to save one of their own.
The play also featured entertaining music and songs, which complimented the atmosphere of the story. Each of the six actors gave their character unique quirks, which helped bring them to life on stage.

Amanda Kellock, the director of this stage adaptation, wrote in the program that Halloween is an important holiday in her everyday life, and this play gave her the chance to share her delight of the holiday. She did note that it is a play about death, but quickly followed this by stating that it is also a play about life. By exploring death and confronting it, we are able to appreciate life more—to enjoy every moment of life and to savour it.

The play also helps explain death to younger audiences, and helps them come to terms with it. Although the play ends all tied up in a pretty bow, I believe it is setting unrealistic expectations for children about death. However, I understand the need for a happy ending for the sake of the children. My issue, though, is that it gives children impossible hope. If they happen to have a relative close to death, it gives them an improbable expectation that they can save them by giving up something precious to them, just as the children in the play did. As a whole, I did enjoy the show and it tackled questions that everyone should consider. If you love Halloween and want to get into the spirit, I would recommend going to see this show.
The Halloween Tree runs from Oct. 21 to 30 at the D.B Clarke Theatre, and tickets range from $13.50 to $19.50. To learn more about the director, you can also check out The Concordian’s profile of Amanda Kellock on our website here.

Categories
Arts

The Cinéclub Film Society starts the Halloween season early

Get into the spirit of Halloween with two classic horror films

Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari will be screened and accompanied by live music

For those interested in getting into the spirit of Halloween a little early, the Cinéclub Film Society of Montreal has a solution. On Oct. 7 and 8, the Cinéclub will be screening a double feature of Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Be warned: this is not a normal vintage screening. While the Cinéclub usually holds screenings at Concordia’s downtown campus, this event will be held at the Gothic-style W. P. United Church in Westmount. Each screening will feature live music, including a cello, piano and theremin. Period costumes will also be on hand for the purists, along with popcorn and drinks. In keeping with the Cinéclub’s tradition, both films will be projected onto a screen.

The silent films being showcased are two hallmarks of German expressionism as well as cornerstones of the horror genre. Nosferatu (1922), directed by the great F. W. Murnau, is the vampire movie. Considered to be the first vampire film ever made, Nosferatu is known for its use of shadows. Count Orlok’s shadow moving up a staircase is one of cinemas most iconic scenes.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), directed by Robert Wiene, tells the story of the psychopathic Dr. Caligari, the director of an insane asylum who hypnotizes sleepwalkers into killing victims. While Nosferatu is known for its vampires and striking shadows, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari features incredible set design. The film has more of a resemblance to a series of gothic paintings than to a modern-day horror movie. The camera captures the many shadows painted on the sets, creating some of the most memorable expressionistic visuals to come out of the horror genre. Both films will be presented with English intertitles.

The Cinéclub Film Society is dedicated to preserving Montreal’s film culture. The group has been active in the city since 1992 and, in association with the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, they screen classic films throughout the year. The group is one of the last outlets for Montreal cinephiles to experience film on actual film, as colloid projections become increasingly difficult to find. Anyone interested in attending this or any of the Cinéclub Film Society’s events is guaranteed to have a one-of-a-kind experience not found in the average cinema.

The W.P. United Church is located at 4695 de Maisonneuve West, near Vendome metro. Tickets cost $14 ($9 for students) and can be purchased online or at the door. The screenings start at 7:30 p.m. but event organizers recommend arriving early, as the church pews fill up fast. You can visit the Cinéclub Film Society’s website for more information.

Categories
Student Life

Mim meets Montreal

In which Mim does Halloween the Montreal way

My Halloween started off with some good ol’ grocery shopping where I was served by a partially decapitated checkout chick. A corpse bride unpacked a box of long-life milk, a mime served me at the deli counter, and an Elizabethan Queen offered me a cheese sample. Like many other stores on Mount Royal Ave., the supermarket had been transformed into something dungeon-esque with spider webs, bats, pumpkins and skulls, but it was the costumes that impressed me the most.

On the way home I came close to death. I walked past him—the Grimm Reaper, that is—standing in front of a dépanneur. He held a scythe in one hand and a diet Coke in the other. Further down the street I passed a witch with five animal children trailing behind her and then a sailor smoking casually on the corner.

When night fell the kids came out. I could hear the trick-or-treaters from the eighth storey of my apartment building. Later in the evening, I went to my friend’s on the tenth floor to transform myself into something non-human. The day before, we found out that we happened to be dressing as the same thing: a pale, white-haired, stripey-suited Beetlejuice. What were the chances? We are both from Melbourne (but had met in the apartment elevator one evening in September), so perhaps it was some spooky telepathic Australian thing that only happens on Halloween. Although we were going to separate parties, we decided to get ready together. Sharing grey hair spray, white face paint and three metres of pinstriped fabric we created two very different Beetlejuices.

Just before midnight my flapper friend showed up with gin and a deadly amount of Halloween candy. Only at 1:30 a.m. did we finally rock up to the intended destination: Metropolis on Ste-Catherine St. for a Halloween event called First Kontakt. All kinds of creatures lurked out in front, but inside, it was another world. I admit, the night was a little hazy. I met a moose, may have been hit on by a gangster and (I think) was insulted by a zombie. Despite there being hundreds of people (perhaps over a thousand), I managed to bump into a university friend in the middle of the dance floor. Engulfed by a sea of people dressed as villains, sinister creatures, something sexual or something deceased, I felt like I was at the centre of post-apocalyptic madness.

Luckily I got home in one piece. Just. People sprinted for taxis like animals chasing after prey. A girl literally bared her teeth at me as she told me to get lost—“this is mine.” It was so hard to find an available cab that I didn’t get home until 5 a.m. I hear that the after party went past 7 a.m., so in that respect my evening was apparently pretty civilized. Montreal, you sure know how to Halloween.

Categories
Student Life

It happened to a friend of a friend of mine

These are true stories, they happened to an editor of mine

Mia Pearson:

I woke up for school on Halloween in grade seven, and realized that I didn’t have a costume, but I refused to go to school without something amazing. My mom was a singer in a band, and the band had just invested in this elaborate cabaret style get-up. So my mom suggested I wear her full sequin suit—and I mean this was a fancy suit. It included the sequin silver pant-suit with flowing legs that flared at the bottom, the full (very heavy) evening coat with penguin tails, and, of course, a full silver sequin top hat. So I spent the whole day at school, walking down the halls with about 2,000 silver sequins blinding my classmates. The whole thing was twice my size as well, and I must have looked like a tiny pimp hustling about. When people asked me what I was, I told them I was an astronaut.

THE END.

 

Michelle Gamage:

Halloween was never really about the costumes for me. The costumes were a means to an end, an end to getting free candy from our neighbours and strangers in my town. What was really important was the pumpkin carving on the evening of Oct. 30.

The whole ordeal had a ritualistic vibe to it, following the traditional steps to usher in the day of Hallows’ Eve.

Amidst the decorations of kleenex ghosts, construction paper cats and the felt-coloured witches we would wash the pumpkins we had selected from the muddy fields, sacrificing a boot to the pumpkin-field gods along the way.

Then scrawling outlines along the bumpy skin and sinking the knife into the pumpkin for the first time, juice welling up like beads of blood.

Using big salad-serving spoons to scrape out the guts, squishing our fingers through the tangles of seeds and tendrils. The smell of fresh pumpkin filling our kitchen, while we stood on chairs to be tall enough to carve.

A face slowly taking shape, painstakingly carving expressions of delight, of horror, of evil into the orange flesh.

Then rinsing the pumpkin once more before flouncing out to the back porch for some true Halloween magic.

Tealight candles gently placed in the gut of the pumpkin and being very careful not to burn ourselves with matches as we lit them.

And it was there, at the exact same moment every year that I would feel the buzz of delight, of excitement, of spooky magic.

Glowing Jack ‘O Lanterns, fresh born beneath our fingers, gleaming out into the night.

Simultaneously warding off evil spirits and promising candy, the perfect smell of candles and pumpkin amongst damp leaves.

Halloween was here.

THE END.

 

Frédéric T. Muckle:

As a grown man, I love to be scared. There’s something about being helpless, afraid, and in danger that I weirdly enjoy. Without getting into the whole possible Freudian implications of this facet of my psyche, this actually started pretty early when I was a child. I recall at least one specific Halloween night spent in the long abandoned drive-in cinema close to a creepy forest (at 10 years old, any dark places are creepy). This once highly active social environment where people went to enjoy double-features was then a barren field inhabited by the theatre screen giants casting their shadows on the deserted buildings of this bygone theatre.

Glass and bottles smashed by bored teenagers, construction materials from another era lying around, high grass possibly hiding wild animals; all in all, a safe playground for young children. The only trace of life was the distant neighbour of this open-air theatre living in a mysterious small house. We had never seen this person, but a dim light always served as a reminder that someone was there, watching.

We were having fun, eating candies, making noise, simply being children until we saw “It”. A silhouette, wielding what appeared to us as a fork, slowly but steadily coming our way. A moment passed. From our attempt to rationalize the situation, I remember only the heavy silence that filled the air. Then, “It” yelled at us. No more rationalizing was needed. We ran Usain Bolt-style… straight into the woods. Thus followed an even scarier moment in which I realized that as a child, you’re pretty much vulnerable to anything.

Thinking about it now, I realize “It” was probably the old man living next to the theatre tired of having youngsters playing in his extended backyard, but I will always keep in mind the real-life horror chase that my friends and I went through on this Halloween night. Cause sometimes, a little fantasy is welcome to either embellish reality, or in this case, to make it a little more mysterious and scary.

THE END.

Laura Marchand:

My family has little things that we are proud of. We make a great spinach dip, have an adorable dog, and are (mostly) calm, law-abiding citizens.

And for a while, we were extremely competitive about Halloween. Or, rather — Halloween decorating. By Oct. 2 every year, the house would be decked up for the spooky season. I’m not talking cobwebs and jack-o-lanterns, ladies and gentlemen: I’m talking fear, and the one year we took it too far.

We liked elaborate sets, and it started with a simple, plastic gardening table. Then came the tablecloth, appropriately red. They were placed in the middle of our front-lawn, and then the skeleton came out — and his head was promptly ripped off.

Our plan: create a ritual sacrifice in the middle of suburban Montreal. The skeleton, covered in (fake) blood, with its head ceremoniously floating in a bowl of (still fake) blood. We surrounded him with tiki torches and hid a boombox in the bushes that played appropriately dramatic  music, which of course, would not be complete without the occasion scream. Our job happily done, my Dad took me trick-or-treating.

It wasn’t until later, when I returned with candy, victorious, that my tired mother explained the problem with our stunt. Not a single child gathered the courage to walk to our door. In fact, the opposite happened: my mother, every so often, looked out our front window to see clusters of children crying and shivering in fear. She dutifully walked to the end of the driveway every time to give them their well-deserved candy — and promptly banned cult sacrifice from our house. Whoops.

THE END.

Categories
Student Life

Mim meets Montreal

Photo by Sara Baron-Goodman.

Episode 4: In which Mim searches for the true meaning of Halloween

So, Halloween is on the horizon and pumpkins are everywhere. Back in Australia we love pumpkin, but we don’t carve faces into them: Halloween isn’t really a “thing.” Why, though? Mystified, I did some investigative research.

This weekend I went to the Jean Talon market with some friends for the pumpkin festival. The moment that I saw the pumpkin stalls I was flabbergasted. “Holy moly!” I exclaimed a little too loudly, a couple of people looking towards me. “Uhhh, it’s just an ordinary vegetable…” they were probably thinking.

Photo by Sara Baron-Goodman.

Yes, true, but in Australia I had only really seen the humble butternut squash or Japanese pumpkin. As for those cartoon-esque Halloween pumpkins, they’re just a day-to-day occurrence here, lining Montreal’s commercial streets and supermarkets. They’re everywhere in October, yet the jack o’ lantern is still, to me, a novelty.

According to Celtic history, Halloween is based on the rituals commemorating tasks demanded by the passing of autumn into winter. As each day gets darker and more foreboding in North America, we are reminded that winter is on its way, as apparently are ghosts. The 31st of October marked the division between the light and dark halves of the year. It marked the rift between the lands of the living and dead, whereby wandering souls could visit the living. I’m sure this information has left you fearing for your life and you’re wondering how you could possibly ward off these evil spirits. With costumes, of course. Over yonder in Australia it’s currently almost 30 degrees: wintery ghosts are nowhere to be seen. Surely that’s a legit explanation for why Australians don’t dress up for Halloween, right?

Clearly this wasn’t a sufficient answer, so I looked further. Apparently only two percent of Australians consider Halloween to be “very important,” according to McCrindle Research, an Australian social research company. This might explain the time when my five friends and I dressed up for Halloween, strolled the streets of Melbourne and were stopped by two giggling Japanese girls who wanted to take our picture because they thought we’d come straight from a cosplay. People looked at us oddly, me dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and another friend as a skeleton. Perhaps it was the fact that we were twenty-something-year-olds (and not “trick-or-treating” children) dressed in ridiculous costumes that confounded them.

Now at the end of my search, it appears that I cannot offer many answers as to why Halloween is not as widely celebrated in Australia. That just makes a better reason to join in with all the festivities while I’m here! Someone get me a pumpkin.

Categories
Student Life

Halloween 2014 – Fright night festivities

Get your spook on with these awesome upcoming Halloween parties!

Sexy voodoo blackout party
by Sara Baron-Goodman

Cirque de Boudoir will be hosting what they claim is “Montreal’s sexiest Halloween party” at Bain Mathieu on Oct. 31.

The venue itself is an old bath house turned nightlife venue, where the dancefloor is an emptied out pool. To add to the chilling atmosphere, the basement level will be lit only with black lights.

The theme of the night is Voodoo, and party-goers are strongly encouraged to dress accordingly. What does this mean exactly? According to their website, anything from Voodoo dolls to zombies to fetish attire will do. Cirque de Boudoir has a longstanding reputation for intricate theme parties, infused with an air of kink.

In addition to DJs Omni, Mary Hell and Davide, there will be Cirque de Boudoir go-go dancers and a slew of other performers.

Tickets are available online for $25 through ticketzone.com, with a high risk of selling out, so act fast!

Bain Mathieu is located at 2915 Ontario St. E.

First Kontakt will be an otherworldly experience
by Sara Baron-Goodman

First Kontakt will offer you an otherworldly experience at the Montreal Science Centre this Halloween night.

With a stellar lineup arranged of DJs Shlohmo, Rustie, and HU₵₵I, along with a secret guest whose identity has yet to be revealed, this is the event for trap lovers.

The theme, as you may have deduced, plays with the idea extraterrestrial contact with Earth. The Science Centre will be your intergalactic hub for the evening, so get ready to be sent reeling into outer space, against the backdrop of the Montreal skyline.

Costumes are mandatory, but don’t have to pay tribute to the theme — though of course, it is encouraged.

Tickets are available online or at Off The Hook for $35.

More information is available through kontaktmtl.com.

The Science Centre is located at 2 de la Commune St. W. in Old Montreal.

 

Party like an angsty UK youth
by Sara Baron-Goodman

The success of the early to mid 2000s British teen drama Skins has seen spinoff potential in the form of raves and raucous parties around the world, and in Montreal since 2009.

On Nov. 1, Skins X: Rave 2 The Grave promises to be just as much nitty-gritty and reckless fun as its predecessors.

The location has yet to be determined, and will only be revealed 24 hours in advance of the party so as to secure the underground authenticity of the event.

The acts on board include Pilo, Tom Deluxx, and Vakkuum, amongst a slew of others.

In true Skins fashion, the party will rage on all night, and is sure to be more grimy than gorey — in the best possible way.

All manner of costumes are allowed, but fans of the show are encouraged to get into the cult spirit and come inspired by their favourite characters.

Tickets are available online for $30 at wantickets.com.

Science fiction, double feature
by Sara Baron-Goodman

Give yourself over to absolute pleasure — this year, as always, The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be coming to the Imperial Theatre for Halloween weekend.

Whether you’re more of a Janet or a Frank-N-Furter, this 1970s cult classic musical is a favourite fringey Halloween tradition. Guests are invited to participate in the pre-show costume contest and watch the Montreal Rocky Horror actors perform a live show alongside the silver screen.

So grab your rice, toast, squirt guns and all, and let your freak flag fly high and proud.

Showtimes this year are Oct. 30, 31, and Nov. 1 at 8 or 11 p.m.

Tickets are available online through rockyhorrormontreal.com for $17.95, or at the door for $19.95. A $5 student discount is available, but only for the Oct. 30 show.

The Imperial Cinema is located at 1430 Bleury St.

Do you believe in ghosts? Experience Montreal’s haunted past
by Sabrina Ponzo

Ghost hunting tours in Old Montreal will have you spending this year’s Halloween exploring the darker side of the city’s streets.

You and your friends will hear mysterious stories and legends about crimes, witchcraft, hangings and other gruesome events from all the hidden corners of Old Montreal.

Choose between the Traditional Ghost Walk or, if you’re feeling brave, partake in the action-packed Ghost Hunt. You also get the choice between two ghost hunt themes, each with a different itinerary. The first is Montreal’s Historical Crime Scenes, the second the New France Ghost Hunt.

Regular ghost tours run every Saturday until Oct. 25and start at 8:30 p.m. Halloween ghost hunt dates are Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1, and begin at 6:30 p.m.

All tours are offered in both English and French and last 90 minutes. Private group Ghost Walks are available year round.

Cost is $18.50 for students with a valid ID.

To purchase tickets for this year’s tours, go to 360 St-Francois-Xavier St., between St. Paul St. W. and de la Commune St. (also accessible through Place d’Armes Metro). Remember to reserve tickets one hour to 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the tour.

For more information call 514-844-4021 or visit fantommontreal.com.

Fall down the rabbit hole at Malice in Wonderland
by Sabrina Ponzo

This Halloween night, the Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASAJMSB) invites you to embark into the mystery of its Malice in Wonderland event.

With its freaky tunes, psychedelic scenery, and unlimited candy bar, this year’s Hallow’s Eve will surely be one to remember.

The party will be held at the Olympia Theatre, located at 1004 Ste-Catherine St. E. Doors to the rabbit hole will open at 10 p.m. Be sure to bring your student ID card.

Michael Richardson, President of CASAJMSB, assured this year’s event will not disappoint.

“Each year, CASA adds a unique twist to their Halloween party,” said Richardson. “Last year’s “Voodoo Resurrection” was an incredible success and we expect the same amazing event quality in our much more spooky version of Wonderland.”

The event will feature two DJs and two openers, who will be in charge of making your night as entertaining as possible. As Richardson noted, it’ll all be thanks to the effort of the CASAJMSB members.

“Our events team has been hard at work planning the amazing décor, as well as a tip-included open bar,” said Richardson. “Of course, CASA’s famous candy bar will also be in full swing throughout the evening.”

Tier one tickets can be bought online for $35, with a $5 discount for sharing the event on Facebook. You can also purchase your tickets in person in the McConnell Building, in room 4.105.

With 45 per cent of tickets already sold and over 2,500 adventurers expected, don’t miss your chance to explore the darkness of Wonderland with your fellow Concordians!

Categories
Music

Jump into an alternative world at the The Full Moon Halloween Party

The Witching Hour, don't miss it!

Witching Hour Events throws otherworldly parties that are cool and innovative

“Band, cigarette, beer. Band cigarette, beer.”

The Witching Hour, don’t miss it!

Witching Hour Events’ creator, Michael Noom, describes a lot of people’s night out as pretty drab and redundant. On Oct. 8, possibly the first Halloween party of the year kicks off at the Rialto Theatre under the only full moon of the month. The doors open at 8:30 p.m. and once you step through, you’ll be in a totally different realm that’s nothing like the world outside. The Full Moon Halloween Party is different from what a lot of party planners are throwing — as an attendee, you’ll be making art yourself and participating in “creating an alternative world,” Noom said. All around, various forms of art will be displayed, played, and fabricated which’ll make for an interesting cocktail of creativities to see and experience. To kick-off the evening, a series of local filmmakers will be showing shorts while you crunch on $1 GMO-free popcorn sold at the event. Later, dancing will inevitably ensue when musical acts take to the split stage — electronic DJs on one side, and bands on the other. Musical performances include Marie Davidson, Cosi e Cosi, She Devils, a battle of the Theremins, L’Ħāliġ Orchestre Impérial du QuebékisŤanz, as well as live art from Chang E Ling. Throughout, you can tie your wig back for apple bobbing, go dancing through the mist of fluid lights and multimedia flashes, or create something cool at the activities set-up.

The Rialto Theatre will be riding a new wave  on Oct. 8 — one where event-goers are free to tap into whatever natural impulse drives them to create and learn. It’s a night to feel something different from the regular pumping beats of your favorite bar. “It’s like you’re in a psychic spa, and you’re going to come out of it on a different frequency” Noom said.

Head into the unknown on the full-moon Wednesday night — and you’ll never want to leave.

Want more info? Head over to facebook.com/events/384626255021077/390629144420788/

Categories
Music

Halloween Mixtape

It’s Halloween! The ghosts, ghouls, and vampires have come out to play. What better way to celebrate the spooky season than to shake your bones to some scary tunes. Side A of this mix is composed of some go-to Halloween songs, many from classic movies and artists.

Side B is a little more unconventional. Songs that aren’t necessarily about Halloween, or related to the holiday, but have that eerie feeling to them. That feeling that just sends tingles up and down your spine and forces the hairs at the back of your neck to give the song a standing ovation. I threw Backstreet Boys in there because everyone remembers dancing to that Halloween video. Everyone.

Happy Hallows’ Eve!

 

Side A: The Obligatory Halloween Karaoke

1. “Time Warp” – The Rocky Horror Picture Show – The Rocky Horror Picture Show

2. “This is Halloween”- The Nightmare Before Christmas – The Nightmare Before Christmas

3. “Jump In Line (Shake Señora)”- Harry Belafonte – Beetlejuice

4. “Thriller”- Michael Jackson – Thriller

5. “Superstition”- Stevie Wonder – Talking Book

6. “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” – David Bowie – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

7. “Ghostbusters”- Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters

8. “Ghost Town” – The Specials – Single

9. “Monster Mash” – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers- Single

10. “I Put a Spell on You” – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – Single

 

Side B: The Not-So-Obvious

1. “Heads Will Roll”- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

2. “Running Up That Hill” – Placebo – Sleeping With Ghosts

3. “People Are Strange” – The Doors – The Soft Parade

4. “Somebody’s Watching Me” – Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me

6. ” My Body’s a Zombie for You” – Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones

7. “Dead Hearts” – Stars – The Five Ghosts

6. “Point of Disgust” – Low – Trust

7. “All Fall Down”- OneRepublic – Dreaming Out Loud

8. “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” – Backstreet Boys – Backstreet’s Back

9. “Creep” – Scala & Kolacny Brothers – On The Rocks

10. “Cinderella” – Aqualung – Memory Man

Categories
Opinions

Halloween: chocolate, costumes and shenanigans

Graphic by Phil Waheed

The overpriced costumes, smell of face paint, and miniature chocolates that make you feel less guilty about eating them, and the parties — oh Halloween, how wonderful you are.

Halloween is one of those commercial holidays that is hard to hate, because it can be so darn fun for just about anyone, regardless or their age or their personality. It is also one of those holidays that comes with ridiculous stories of costume malfunctions as a child and drunken adventures as a teen.

I still remember my triumphant 15 minutes of fame in elementary school, when I wrote a Halloween carol and had to sing it to the tune of  “Gloria in excelsis Deo.” Laugh all you want, but it was so good that my teacher made the whole class learn it. We had to sing it in front of the whole school and our parents at the Halloween assembly. Halloween could have made me a rockstar recording artist! My non-existent celebrity career aside, Halloween is a holiday where something ridiculous is bound to happen. I asked for people to share their funniest Halloween experiences, and here are some of the responses Concordians gave me:

I had a bit too much to drink at a Halloween party and spotted a guy in a Batman suit, and I was dressed as a witch. So, being in a drunken state, I of course, logically put bat + witch together = bat is witch’s pet. Hence, I went up to him and said, “You are my pet, Mr. Bat. I command you to fly!” and took some random thing I found at this house party, used it as a wand, and started waving it in front of him. “FLY MR. BAT. FLY, FLYYYY.”  He ACTUALLY began flapping his arms. We both began hysterically laughing so much that we fell on top of each other and broke the crystal stick-thingy…not sure what it was really. Good thing the kid who hosted the house party never found out it was me. I would have probably paid a good sum.

-Barbara Madimenos

So, right, it was cold as shit. And my friend was dressed as a ninja, even though he didn’t plan out his costume properly so it was kind of just a black tablecloth wrapped all around him in weird ways. So anyway we get our candy at a bunch of places and its all going great and then he tried to adjust the costume in the middle of the street and ended up taking it apart and the tablecloth just fell away, and he started crying there in his underwear. I think we were probably about six.

I just remember laughing at him even though he was obviously upset.

-Anonymous

Some of my best Halloween memories as a kid were my costumes. I love dressing up, and even if I usually work on Halloween I still put together a costume to wear. Now, I grew up in an Italian household, and money was sometimes tight, so splurging on an expensive Halloween costume for your 4-year-old wasn’t really a priority. But my parents never made me miss out on anything, and my mother took it into her own hands to make some of my costumes. They were endearing in the sense that people had no idea what the hell I was supposed to be. I remember one year my clown costume turned into a wizard costume somehow, put together with some weird potato sack material and glitter…lots of glitter. I was a young female clown wizard.

-Casandra De Masi

A friend of mine had a stepmom who put on these elaborate haunted houses and I would act for them. One year I was a fortune teller, another year I was a person who had no legs, with blood spewing out all around me.  We were rewarded with huge chocolate bars. It is safe to say that some of my best halloween memories were from acting in these haunted houses…and scaring people.

 

          – Amanda Shore

Graphic by Phil Waheed

 

So, my elementary school went on a field trip to a local high school. This high school always put on this crazy haunted house…well it was crazy to a 10-year-old. As a kid I was always a bit of a scaredy-cat and I hated small, dark spaces. However, everyone else was going into this haunted house, so I didn’t want to be left out. I ended up going in with one of my teachers behind me. I passed the exorcism and Frankenstein and I thought “hmm…well this isn’t so bad.” The second part was worse. The only light was from glowsticks on the ground, and this guy just jumped out of nowhere and grabbed my shoulders, shaking them roughly. I flipped out and started screaming, and I couldn’t stop. Before I knew it tears were streaming down my face and they had to secretly take me out by the emergency exit. Not my proudest moment.

However, it wasn’t as bad as the girls after me. They were so scared that they grabbed onto the walls, bringing them all down. The haunted house had to be closed for repair. Safe to say we were not invited back the next year.

 

-Anonymous

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