Metro Arts’ Deathfest rang in the month of November with Ghost Stories presented by Yarn Storytelling at The Lumen Room on Thursday 1 November. Hosted by celebrated Canadian born, Brisbane based comedian Jasmine Fairbairn, Ghost Stories was a chilling event that celebrated the hauntings of the innermost ghosts from the pasts of Hayden Foote, Michelle Jassen, Aria Salan, Luke Mustchin, and Jacob Lingard.
The show opened and closed with personal stories shared by Hayden Foote, and Jacob Lingard, locally based comedians with personalities larger than life, or death, itself. Opening the show, Hayden’s ghostly tale revolved around his father-in-law’s passing after catching a glimpse of the angel of death in the form of a little girl in red. This story kept the audience on edge and ended hinting at the possibility of imminent death for Hayden’s mother-in-law within the next few weeks, sending chills down their spines and leaving them contemplating the meaning of life – and death.
Jumping on the bandwagon of terrifying tales, fellow comedian Jacob Lingard closed the show with a gripping ghost story about the passing of his grandmother. Peppered with simple, but effective (and eerie) sound effects, Jacob enthralled the crowd with his morbid reenactment of the days leading up to his grandmother’s passing and the hallucinations, manic episodes, and deaths that followed.
Acting as buffers for the scary stuff, Luke Mustchin, Michelle Jassen, and Aria Salan, were the second, third, and fourth acts of the night. Their stories were a good mix of nostalgia, longing, loss, and progress, all revolving the different ghosts of our past. Luke’s tale about his step-mother touched our souls and helped the audience understand the importance of self-realisation and moving on, while Michelle and Aria both advocated for the will to understand your worth and how sometimes, the hauntings of your past traumas and of people still alive, can be the most brutal.
Deathfest 2018’s Ghost Stories was no doubt a ghastly success that gave us both chills down our backs and tugged at our heartstrings, proving to be an event for everyone – save for the three people seen sobbing in the bathroom on the way out.
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