THE SPOONS: THE FIRST AND LAST TIME *** Canada 2019 Dir: Peter Sacco. 5 mins
For the uninitiated, The Spoons is a new wave Ontario-based band that, in varying incarnations, has been around since the late seventies. “The First and Last Time” is the first song from their 2019 album “New Day New World”, and this music video is the first chapter in a planned series of three. In a neat touch, it’s simulation of a typical paranormal investigation in a haunted castle is directed by Peter Sacco, who has experience in the field, having helmed Canadian TV shows of a similar ilk, including THE PARANORMAL PROFILERS and NIAGARA’S MOST HAUNTED MANSIONS. The band’s infectious melodies and knowing lyrics (“We’ve been here through this revolving door a million times before”) accompany an atmospheric hybrid of horror movie styles and tropes, shifting from homages to silent horror to Japanese ghost stories (particularly RING), found footage and traditional Gothic. Spoons frontman Gordon Deppe is the central “Paranormalist”, while guitarist Sandy Horne portrays the ghost that stalks him around the building. Sacco has fun with the clichés: fragmenting images, spooky mirrors, faux CCTV footage, ghost hunting radar, red moons and graveyards. Ending with a “To be continued” card, it’s a pleasant, if unremarkable light romp.
Review by Steven West
