Entertainment – Page 107 – The Western Howl

BY STEPHANIE VILLALOBOS
FREELANCER

Students got a new take on Halloween, and a taste of the supernatural, as they wandered down the halls of Todd and Campbell Hall in search of ghosts. Professional ghost hunter Ross Allison visited Western Tuesday night and presented on what it means to hunt the supernatural to over 100 students.

Allison gave students a brief history on ghosts, and paranormal activity, shared his experiences of work he performs on a daily basis.

After his speech, Allison took students through Todd Hall, Campbell Hall and The Cottage in a ghost hunt, which provided students a hands-on experience of what he does for a living.
According to Allison, he is the only full time ghost hunter in the Pacific Northwest, and is the founder of A.G.H.O.S.T. (Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle-Tacoma).

He teaches students Ghostology 101 at the University of Washington and Tacoma Community College. Examining the unknown has allowed Allison to travel around the world and be featured on several television programs including The Learning Channel’s “America”,

MTV, CMT, CNN, A&E, The Discovery Channel and many more. He is planning to write several books and Western will be featured in one of them.

“I have always been curious about this kind of stuff and I believe there is something out there; people just need to keep an open mind,” Allison said. He said his main focus and goal while being a ghost hunter is to always be honest and follow “PDP” (Passion, Dedication, Patience).

He also allowed students to use his equipment, which included EVP Recorders (Electronic Voice Phenomena). This type of equipment detects human – sounding voices from any unknown source.
Throughout the night, Allison gave students the opportunity to interact with the unknown and ask questions.

“I really enjoyed being part of the ghost hunt, and getting to try something I would’ve never thought about doing,” said first year- David Hoover.

“There was definitely something interesting here at Western, and I would love to come back with my team and take a better look.” Allison said.

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

Movie Review: The Best of Me

by Haunani Tomas, Managing Editor

My friends and I decided to watch “The Best of Me” twenty minutes before show time on a Friday night. In other words, there was no time for some pre-movie plot research and I did not read the Nicholas Sparks’ novel.

I was unprepared and completely blindsided for assuming this movie would be a romantic tale comparable to other cliché chick flicks like “Titanic” and “The Notebook”. But, if you liked those movies even the slightest bit, you’ll be head over heels for this heartbreaker. Side note: I am not one to cry in movies or grovel at the cuteness of couples but this movie was an isolated incident.

Dawson Cole (James Marsden) and Amanda Collier (Michelle Monaghan) return to their hometown in Louisiana after receiving news about the passing of their mutual friend, Tuck. Tuck’s will requests the two to fulfill his final wishes together: pack up his belongings and spread his ashes at his cabin

Key word: together.

Flashback to a high school Dawson (Luke Bracey) running away from home, after refusing to help his family with a drug deal, to meet a young southern belle named Amanda (Liana Liberato) for a first date.

Dawson wanders aimlessly to find a place to sleep for the night. He comes across a garage and falls asleep in a sweet classic car.

Tuck finds Dawson the next morning, recognizes that he is the only good Cole in the family and takes him in without hesitation.

The Cole family, notorious for their drug and criminal activity, is the polar opposite of the Colliers: a Kentucky Derby-esque pedigree.

Mr. Collier attempts to bribe Dawson into leaving his daughter. Although we understand Mr. Collier’s desire for his pride and joy to be unaffiliated with the white trash clan that is the Coles, Dawson is an extraordinary exception.

Although they hail from opposite sides of the tracks, Amanda and Dawson are perfect for each other in the way that Mondays are for football and chips are for salsa. They are the type of couple that single sorority girls regard as their (high) relationship goals.

They literally bring out the best in each other.

Obviously, something happens that prohibits this exemplary high school sweetheart love, which will not be discussed.

Fast forward 21 years: while spreading Tuck’s ashes at his cabin, the old couple realize Tuck’s tacit final wish is to bring Amanda and Dawson back together despite their prolonged disconnect of two decades.

“The Best of Me” reminds us of the depth of a first love, the desire that arises when it is disallowed and the beauty of a feelings that ascend a decades.

The Western Howl

Home » Entertainment

All Hallow’s Read

Halloween is upon us again, and with it comes one of the newest traditions associated with the holiday celebrating all things spooky: All Hallow’s Read. Created by author Neil Gaiman in 2010, All Hallow’s Read asks participants and horror lovers to give books on Halloween. Whether it’s to a friend, a child, or a complete stranger, the only rule is that the book must be scary.

“I propose that stories by authors like John Bellairs and Stephen King,” said Gaiman “and a hundred others change hands- new books or old or second-hand, beloved books or unknown. Give someone a scary book for Halloween. Make their flesh creep.”

To help readers get into the spirit of All Hallow’s Read, a few members of The Journal staff have given their picks for horrific books you should get for your friends or family this Halloween.

“Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury

This just might be the quintessential “October” book. While leaning more on the side of fantasy than horror, there are plenty of creepy and unnerving passages and scenes to warrant giving it to a lucky friend as an All Hallow’s Read gift. “Something Wicked” has all the ingredients for a classic Bradbury story: a small Midwestern town, protagonists leaving childhood and entering adolescence, and dark, otherworldly forces. Plus, there’s a traveling carnival in October and a carousel that can alter the rider’s age. Check it out.

-Nathaniel Dunaway, Entertainment Editor

“John Dies at the End” by David Wong

This book is seriously wacky. It is unlike anything I have read before, but I enjoyed it so much. “John Dies at the End” is fun, ridiculous, and freaky in the strangest ways. The conglomeration of creepy-crawly and nightmarish other-dimensional creatures throughout the book make it a well-suited Halloween read. Any friend interested in the bizarre and the hilarious should get a real kick out of this book. If you love it, check out the sequel, “This Book is Full of Spiders.”

-Shannen Brouner, Photo Editor

“It” by Stephen King

“It” is a book that literally had me checking behind doors and shower curtains when I was finished reading it. It resonated within me even months afterwards; this book is definitely not one that should be read alone in a dark house at night. Keep your lights on when you read it, folks. You’ll regret it otherwise. But as scary as it was, “It” was phenomenal and a great novel to read during Halloween. If you like deranged, psychotic thrillers that twist and warp your mind, this book is for you.

-Jennifer Halley, Campus Life Editor

“Obedience” by Will Lavender

This book is probably one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. It’s about a group of college kids in a Logic and Reasoning class, and their assignment becomes disturbingly real about a murder that may or may not have actually taken place. It was a great book that made me slightly paranoid the whole time I was reading it…and kind of scared to go to college.

-Amanda McMasters, Copy Editor

A Touch of the Supernatural

Movie Review: The Best of Me

All Hallow’s Read

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