Well, the Weekly Update is late because I had to tackle some issues in my kitchen...

Yeah, the past couple weeks have been rough, between the day job and other stuff.  So, rather than work on the Weekly Update on Friday and Saturday, I decided to spend some time cleaning up my place.  I started in the kitchen, and dealt with the stack of festering pile of dishes in my sink.  And it was not a pretty sight. 

Dammit, I should have done something about these dishes earlier in the week!

Well, the kitchen is clean, the floors are swept up (that was another battle, but much drier), and I've finished the Weekly Update.  Despite how late I am, I wanted to get this update out, as the coming weekend has some great events I don't want you to miss out on.

Of course, you can always check out the Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Calendar for the most up to date listing on movies, cons and other events happening in the Pacific Northwest.  I do my best to keep updating the page, so keep checking back, as I've found some great things happening in 2025! 

Well, that's what I have for now.  You can follow me on Facebook (where I share a lot of great events I find before posting them on the site) and on Bluesky.

That's all I have for now.  Have a wonderful rest-of-the-week, and I'll be back soon with another Weekly Update from The Shadow Over Portland!

Live Attractions Happening Now

Chain Link and Neon!, a collection of original 70s and 80s movie posters and memorabilia from "the Golden Age of Neon Sleaze," is on display at Wyrd War (3505 NE Broadway in Portland, OR) this month.  I hope to have more details coming soon.

Film Festival and Stage Performance Submission Information 

The Crypticon Seattle Film Festival is accepting submissions for the May 2 to 4, 2025, event taking place at the DoubleTree Hotel Seattle Airport (18740 International Blvd in Seattle, WA).  The late deadline is March 21, 2025.  Visit the link for all the details.

November, 2024 

Happening Now

The Substance, starring Demi Moore, Margaret Quality and Dennis Quaid, is playing at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, December 4), the Art House (492 E 13th Ave in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 5), McMenamins Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, December 4), the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC; scheduled on  Monday, December 2, at 9:30 pm) and the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 5).

The animated feature The Wild Robot is playing at the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, December 4).

The horror film Heretic, starring Hugh Grant, is playing at the Metro Cinema (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 5), the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, December 4), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 5), the Living Room Theaters  (341 SW 10th Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 5), and the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 5).

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is playing at McMenamins Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 5).

CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) is showing Three Films from Studio Ghibli, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind through Thursday, December 5.  Visit the link for showtimes.

John Water's Female Trouble is playing in GLORIOUS 35mm at the Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Wednesday, December 4).

The Wizard of Oz is playing at the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway St NE in Salem, OR) on Wednesday, December 4, at 6:30 pm.

The Ukrainian fairy tale Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is playing at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Wednesday, December 4).

December, 2024

Tuesday, December 3

The Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) present a Holly Jolly Evening of Holiday Horrors tonight at 7 pm.  The show, presented in part by the Portland Horror Film Festival, includes holiday-themed horror shorts from around the world, some dastardly holiday drag and burlesque, as well as raffle prizes.

CMNYK Sci-Fi Extravaganza brings The Wasp Woman to the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 45th St in Corvallis, OR) tonight at 7 pm.  Preshow starts at 6:15 pm, and be advised, heckling is encouraged.   

Scrooged, Bill Murray's take on A Christmas Carol, is playing at the Garland Theater (924 W Garland Ave in Spokane, WA) today at 1 pm.

Wednesday, December 4

Reel Oddities brings a 4K restoration of the holiday slasher classic Black Christmas to the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE in Olympia, WA) tonight, and on Wednesday, December 11 and 18, at 7 pm.  A special limited edition poster can be purchased at the December 11 and 18 screenings (check it out above).

Church of Film brings the Chinese animated film The Monkey King Conquers the Demon, an adoption of stories from the epic novel Journey to the West, to the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) tonight at 7 pm.

Trek Nights at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) brings Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan back to the big screen tonight at 7:30 pm.

Thursday, December 5

Circus Obscura will bring deliciously wicked entertainment to Raven's Manor (235 SW 1st Ave in Portland, OR) tonight and on Thursday, December 12.  Reserve your seat now, as this event will likely sell out.

The horror/comedy The Invisible Raptor (what did you expect from a title like this?) is playing at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) tonight at 9 pm, and on Sunday, December 15, at 7 pm.  And yes, Sean Astin is in the movie.

The animated fantasy Flow opens at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 12), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 12), and the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, December 12).

It opens on Friday, December 6, at the SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Sunday, December 12) and the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, December 12).

The horror comedy Y2K, in which two losers friends crash a high school New Years Eve party in 1999 just as the Y2K bug causes all technology to start hunting humans (getting a Maximum Overdrive vibe), opens tonight at the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; schedule TBA).

Once again, Hundreds of Beavers invade the Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) tonight at 7:15 pm, and on Sunday, December 8, at 6 pm, the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) tonight at 7 pm, the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway St NE in Salem, OR; $3 from every ticket sold will be donated to Tips for Tots), and the Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA) tonight at 7:15 pm.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is playing at the SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Sunday, December 8).

Friday, December 6

Cobalt Studios PDX (1030 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) is hosting a kid Friendly Christmas with Krampus from 4 to 9 pm tonight.  And pets are invited as well.

The holiday fantasy classic It's a Wonderful Life is playing at the Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Thursday, December 26) in GLORIOUS 35mm (with the exception of a few dates; details at the link).

The controversial holiday horror film Silent Night, Deadly Night is playing at the Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) tonight at 9:30 pm, and on Sunday, December 8, at 8:30 pm.

Weird Elephant at the Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA) brings the holiday slasher classic Black Christmas to the screen tonight and tomorrow night at 10 pm.

A Very CineMagic Christmas is happening at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) with screenings of such holiday classics as Die Hard, Gremlins, and Santa's Slay (on VHS Night, Friday, December 6), scheduled through Thursday, December 12.  Visit the link for details.

You can read my review of Gremlins and Santa's Slay by clicking on the links.  And seriously, if you can, go see Santa's Slay.  It will be AWESOME in a theater with a group of people.

Christopher Thies' low budget film Winterbeast is playing at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) tonight at 10 pm.

Saturday, December 7

A KRAMPUS bazaar takes place from 11 am to 5 pm today and tomorrow at the DEVIL-ish Little Things Museum (3409 L St in Vancouver, WA).  This is the annual "Museum shop" shopping weekend, with the event located in one of the rooms, with the other closed and no tours given.  But you can take a photo with Krampus for $8 per person, or FREE with purchases over $25 a person.  Bring your own camera, and one of the friendly museum staff will take your picture.  Can't say Krampus will be as friendly...

Krampus Seattle and Krampus253 will be at Krampusnacht Bremerton 2024 today.  That's all the details available for now; check the link closer to the event date for details.

Krampus253 will be at the Tacoma Haul Crawl on Antique Row (located between 9th and 7 on Broadway in Tacoma, WA) between 10 am and 5 pm.  Pre-purchased tickets are recommended, but walk-ins are welcomed.  The event is co-hosted by the Productivity Parlour for Artful Living (753 St Helens Ave in Tacoma, WA).

Creepy's (627 SE Morrison St in Portland, OR), purveyors of fine American Schlock and Cocktails, is hosting a 21 and older chance to get your photo taken with Krampus tonight from 6 pm to midnight.  Photos by Cobalt Studios.

New Deal Spirits  is hosting a Krampus Party pop-up at Workshop Vintage (4011 N Williams Ave in Portland, OR) today from noon to 8 pm.  Boozy seasonal drinks will be available while you shop, and Krampus will be in attendance.

The PNW Unicorns will be at the Unicorn Christmas Event at the Farm (93 Meadow Lane in Raymond, WA) today from 5:30 to 8 pm.  Each ticket includes a photo opportunity in the Christmas-themed tent, and a visit to the petting corral with a second unicorn.  

The holiday horror classic Black Christmas is playing at the Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) tonight at 9:30 pm, and on Tuesday, December 10, at 7:30 pm.

The film is also playing at the Garland Theater (924 W Garland Ave in Spokane, WA) tonight at 8 pm.

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) is hosting the Oregon premier of Troma Entertainment's The Curse of the Weredeer, with director Ben Johnson in attendance, tonight at 9:30 pm.  You're invited to wear your flannels, trucker hats or reindeer antlers to the screening, and expect a host of Troma fun to be had by all!

Fathom Events brings Studio Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro back to theaters nationwide through Wednesday, December 11.  Visit the link to find a theater near you, and to find which screenings are subtitled and which are dubbed.

The SIFF Film Center (167 Republican St in Seattle, WA) will show the shot-in-Oregon thriller Strange Darling tonight at 7:30 pm.

Sunday, December 8

A 40th anniversary screening of Joe Dante's holiday horror classic Gremlins at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE in Olympia, WA), today at 1 pm.  This screening is a fundraiser for the Citizen Science Institute, and you can read more about it at the link.  Doors open at noon.

The film is also playing at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre (508 S Main St in Moscow, ID) tonight at 7 pm.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is playing at the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA; scheduled through Tuesday, December 10), and at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) today at noon and 2:15 pm..

Animayhem brings the fully uncensored US theatrical cut of Fist of the North Star, in GLORIOUS 35mm, to the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) tonight at 7 pm.

My Neighbor Totoro is playing at the Tracyton Movie House (1520 NE Riddell Rd in Bremerton, WA) today art 4 pm.

Monday, December 9

The Japanese horror fairy tale, The Snow Woman is playing at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Thursday, Decmbner 10).

Tuesday, December 10

The fantasy Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life is playing at the Renton Civic Theatre (507 S 3rd St in Renton, WA) tonight, and on Tuesday, December 17, at 7:30 pm.