Page 108 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2024

“I was talking to a friend of mine about different genres of horror books, and I had said
something like ‘I want a haunted house book that takes place in a modern home,’ and from
that comment, I thought ‘Oh, Modern Haunting would be a good band name,’” said
DeVillers. “It was in a document on my phone for two years, and when I found it again, I
had my song ‘Ghost in My Room’ ready to go. The two fit so perfectly!”

DeVillers brought on Catalano and Killian as full-time band members after the success of
WeezFest and SlashBash, and then asked Natalie Hoffman to play keys. DeVillers had
been holding onto his song ‘Ghost in My Room,’ intending to pitch it to Before Dawn due to
it being similar to their existing sound of 80’s-synth-pop, but eventually decided to release
it independently.

“I love 80s synth music and 80s horror movie soundtracks. My favorite movie, Near Dark
(1987), by Kathryn Bigelow, is a quintessential 80’s vampire movie that has been a huge
part of my inspiration, and I knew Before Dawn is also very into that genre,” explained
DeVillers. “In the end, I ended up releasing it independently.”

“I've always loved dance-rock bands like The Strokes and The Killers, so I've been
incorporating that into my sound. I'd say Modern Haunting is a mix of early 2000’s indie
rock, with 80s-goth-synth, and the whole Halloween aesthetic is the cherry on top of it. It's
really fun and cheesy. I love the 80s! I wish I were a vampire in the 80s, deep down in my
soul.”

DeVillers has adored the themes and theatricality of Halloween since he was a child,
dressing up in a range of silly to downright creepy costumes, and once he entered his adult
years, he was very dedicated to throwing an over-the-top Halloween celebration each year.

“I’ve always loved the aesthetic of Halloween. It’s goofy but spooky at the same time and
it's fun to talk about ghosts and haunted houses,” DeVillers laughed. “I don't know where
the connection set up camp in my mind, but I think rock music and Halloween go hand-in-
hand. It's fun to be silly and it's fun to write songs about ghosts.”

DeVillers and his friends poured their bloody hearts into SlashBash to display how seriously
the band takes the holiday. According to DeVillers, the group wrote and filmed a 25-minute
horror movie and decorated the venue from ceiling to floor to add to the atmosphere, aside
from their band debut! While they will continue to celebrate Halloween (and half-Halloween)
in varying ways, the group will not be replicating that level of celebration for a long time due
to how much it took out of them, both financially and emotionally.

“SlashBash became so huge, that I don’t think we’ll do anything to that level of extremity
again for a good few years,” DeVillers sighed. “We’ll still do themed parties for sure, and
obviously we’ll do something for Halloween, but nothing to that level anytime soon. We try
to have a bit for every show we book out or event we put on. For example, we threw a goth
night at one of our shows just because we wanted to, and for the fourth of July, we
coordinated a birthday party for my friend's dog. We get restless if we just put on a standard
show. It’s much more fun to have a theme or funny bit.”