Picture taken at Saint Laurent Centre in Ottawa

Throwback picture: Halloween 2006! I even won a price for my costume at my high school! 

Here are the scariest horror movies I would recommend for Halloween!

1. Insidious (2010)

2. The Wailing (2016)

3. I Saw the Devil (2010)

4. Nosferatu (1922)

5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

6. Ichi the Killer (2001)

7. Audition (1999)

8. Phantasm (1979)

9. The Shining (1980)

10. Marebito (2004)

11. Jeepers Creepers (2001)

12. Get Out (2017)

13. Godzilla (1954)

14. Bedevilled (2010)

15. 30 Days of Night (2007)

16. Dead End (2003)

17. Tomie (1999)

18. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

19. Oldboy (2003)

20. My Little Eye (2002)

21. Train to Busan (2016)

22. The Devil's Game (2008)

23. Uzumaki (2000)

24. The Mummy (1932)

25. Don't Look Now (1973)

26. Halloween (1978)

27. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

28. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

29. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

30. Suspiria (1977)

Florent Vollant est un des plus grands artistes des Premières Nations du Canada. Cet auteur-compositeur-interprète innu qui est né à ce qui est aujourd'hui Wabush au Labrador a grandi dans la réserve de Maliotenam, à l'est de Sept-Îles. Il faisait parti du duo folklorique Kashtin qui a sorti trois albums couronnés de succès avec Kahstin (1989), Innu (1991) et Akua Tuta (1994) avant de lancer une longue carrière solo. Son tout nouvel album Mishta Meshkenu, qui signifie La Grande Route en langue innue, est sorti en automne 2018 et fait référence à la route 138 qui traverse l'est du Québec. Florent Vollant a donné une rare prestation intime de ses plus grands succès avec trois collaborateurs à Ottawa plus tôt cette semaine. Ce concert d'environ soixante-quinze minutes a été précédé du visionnement du documentaire Innu Nikamu: Chanter la résistance du jeune réalisateur Kevin Bacon Hervieux. Le documentaire, incluant des entrevues et prestations de Florent Vollant, aborde le festival Innu Nikamu à Maliotenam ainsi que les défis des réserves autochtones en lien avec leur passé sinister avec les pensionnats. Le documentaire était très émouvant et devrait être visionné par n'importe qui s'intéressant aux cultures autochtone, québécoise et canadienne.

Roughly three years after the underwhelming first extended play If You Have Ghost, the Swedish occult rock phenomenon released this record. Popestar is much more interesting than its forgettable predecessor for the reason that it includes one brand new song which also happens to be one of the best tracks the band has written it is career.

''Square Hammer'' finds the right balance between gripping riffs and rhythms on the thin line between hard rock and heavy metal, a gloomy, obscure and occult atmosphere transported by organ sounds and catchy, mellow and saccharine vocals that make especially the chorus an unforgettable experience. The ideas to open the tour supporting this release with this song and to record the band's first live album on that tour were courageous but turned out being successful. This song mixes metal and pop elements in almost equal parts. The brilliant songwriting can be compared to the greatest moments of ABBA and Metallica alike. This is quite a statement but if you don't believe me, just spin this song and let it grow on you.

The cover songs can't keep up with the astonishing opening track. Eurythmics' ''Missionary Man'' is quite potent with Brian Reed's passionate harmonica performance and Fia Kempe's chilling background vocals. One most also admit that the band didn't choose to cover some of the band's more popular songs and rather adapted this hidden gem into a quite diversified cover song. Imperiet's ''Bible'' comes along in epic proportions with a gigantic chorus and a length of over six and a half minutes. The atmospheric grower somewhat overstays its welcome however.

In the end, Popestar is a much better extended play than If You Have Ghost three years earlier. This release includes an absolutely outstanding brand new song and the cover versions are overall also a little bit better than on the predecessor. The cover artwork is particularly detailed, creative and beautiful again as well. Still, this release doesn't offer too much value for money in the end and is only interesting for avid collectors and faithful fans. Pick it up for a reasonably reduced price but don't waste ten bucks or more on it.

Final rating: 67%

Offering an extended play to fill the gap between two regular studio record sounds like a good idea. However, in the case of Ghost's If You Have Ghost the execution is somewhat underwhelming. Two cover songs had already been included on the limited edition of the strong preceding studio record Infestissumam. The fifth track that sounds completely out of place is a quite tame live version of ''Secular Haze'' that doesn't represent the band's intense shows that I could already attend in person and which have later on been documented on the outstanding live record Ceremony and Devotion.

One has to admit that Ghost has managed to choose four unusual cover songs of different genres and adapted them to their very own style. If I had to categorize these cover versions, I would describe them as occult pop. The melodies are quite simple but there is a psychedelic undertone due to vintage organ and piano sounds and eerily saccharine vocals. The record represented the band's mellowest release to that point but this stylistic shift wasn't really rewarded because the original songs aren't particularly outstanding in the first place and Ghost's versions sound atmospheric on one side but quite toothless on the other. The guitar work is too fluffy and forgettable, the bass guitar only plods along and the drum work is missing dynamics.

If you like occult pop and rock music from the late sixties and early seventies, you can give If You Have Ghost a spin. If you find Ghost's own songs quite commercial already, the four cover songs included here will give your audial diabetes. The grimmest thing about this release is its stunning cover artwork referencing F.W. Murnau's creepy silent horror movie Nosferatu that you should watch once in your lifetime. Instead of picking up this extended play, pick up the movie and nourish your mind.

Final rating: 50%