Yes, once again, February enticed most of us with a Spring Preview of sunshine and warm weather. But me, I'm welcoming the return of gray skies and drizzle, so prevalent under The Shadow Over Portland.
But that doesn't mean I'm not going to get out of the damp weather and I've found some great opportunities to dry out and watch some great genre features. And, as always, I'm happy to share these experiences with you. So, without further delay, here's the events that will make Horror Fans in the Northwest happy to stroll down the streets to their favorite theaters!
Ongoing
Submissions are being accepted for the
PDXtreme Fest, 3 days of horror, crime, gore and more at the the
Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark) in Portland, OR, December 2 through 4 this year. You can find more details on how to enter your film at the
Facebook Event Page.
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Mental Trap Escape Room Game invites you, and four to ten members, to escape a locked room in one hour. And yes, it is timed. Created by the devious minds behind
13th Door Haunted House,
Glowing Greens Miniature Golf and
Haunted Productions, this offers you the challenge to find the clues keeping you locked in the room and escape within an hour. But, as the website suggests, it's not as easy as it sounds. Located at 3855 SW Murray Blvd in Portland, OR, you can challenge your wits (and those of your team mates) to solve the puzzle before time expires. I don't know what happens if you don't succeed, but that's part of the fun. For more details, visit
the link.
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The Horror Darling of the
Sundance Film Festival,
The Witch, continues at
The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd) in Portland, OR. I've heard mixed about it, but I plan to see it and suggest Portland Horror Fans take a look. More details, and advance ticket sales, are available at
the link.
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Nesting, a four part semi-improvised stage performance, opens tonight at
The Shoebox Theatre (2110 SE 10th Ave) in Portland, OR. Created by Joel Patrick Durham, this production is described as a cross between
Friends and
The Shining, "original, live, and just scripted enough to be dangerous." Sounds good to me! For more details, and advance ticket sales, visit
the link.
Thursday, March 10
Well, one can debate if
Heathers is a horror tale or not, but a musical version of the 1988 pitch black comedy seems to be worth mentioning. This Portland premiere of this stage production will take place at
triangle productions! (1785 NE Sandy Blvd) in Portland, OR, through April 2. Showtimes and advance ticket sales are available at
the link.
Friday, March 11
Projekt Records presents a screening of 2000's
Shadow of the Vampire, in GLORIOUS 35mm, at
The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd) in Portland, OR, tonight at 9:30 pm. A fictional retelling of the filming of the vampire classic,
Nosferatu, this version envisions what might have occurred had director F. W. Murnau (played by John Malkovich) had hired an actual vampire (William Defoe) to appear in his film. As you might expect, things don't work out well. Gift bags will be given to the first 50 "darklings" to enter the theater, so be sure to arrive early. Oh, and your admission includes a raffle ticket for PRIZES! Get more details, and a link for advance ticket sales (when available), at the
Facebook Event Page.
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VHS Uber Alles returns to
The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St) in Seattle, WA, with a screening of the
Robocop ripoff you never asked for, but know you HAVE TO SEE!
Robo C.H.I.C., part cop, part machine and ALL WOMAN, screens tonight at 9 pm in GLORIOUS VHS for just $2! Click on
the link, and scroll down to the appropriate date, for more details.
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Beware the moors, as the
Olympia Fright Club presents a screening of
An American Werewolf in London tonight at 9 pm at the
Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave. SE) in Olympia, WA. This horror/comedy features some AMAZING (and Academy award winning) gore effects by Rick Baker, stellar work by the entire cast and....
Oh, I should have to be telling you this. The film is a classic and deserves to be seen on the big screen. Visit
the link for more details.
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The Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan) in Portland, OR, celebrates the 45th Anniversary of
Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (and it should be obvious this IS NOT the Tim Burton remake) with screenings through Monday, March 14. I should mention Saturday's screenings will be a Sing Along, so get ready for the "Ooompa Loompa Doompety Doo" chorus those nights. And be warned, while the film is G rated, it might be pretty intense for younger children. Yes, the Seventies was a different time, when family films were allowed to be scary and feature an actual chicken decapitation (I'm not joking!). Find more details and showtimes at t
he link. Children are allowed into the theater only with a parent or guardian.
Saturday, March 12
OH MY!
The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd) in Portland, OR, along with Wyrd War, presents a screening of
Rats: Night of Terror, schlock maestro Bruno Mattei's fusion of the apocalypse via
Escape from New York,
The Road Warrior,
Dawn of the Dead, with softcore skin flick moments. All due to rats, shown on conveyor belts to speed them up.
But wait, there's more. Also showing is
Demons, the fever dream of director Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento. A theatre audience is attacked by demons, which possess, no, burst out of the bodies of the living. It might not make much sense, but DAMN, it's a great film, with lots of over the top gore and mayhem, and this screening will be in GLORIOUS 35mm, which is one you don't want to miss.
BUT THERE"S MORE. Crowned Rose Parade Princess, and star of both films, Geretta Geretta
will be in attendance, with a Q and A hosted by Dennis Dread between the films.
It's one not to miss. More details, and advance ticket sales, can be found at
the link.
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The Bigfoot and beer speaker series,
Hops-Squatch, presents a screening of
Stomping Ground, with director Dan Riesser in attendance, at the
Lucky Lab NW (1945 NW Quimby) in Portland, OR, tonight at 6 pm. Tickets are limited, and only $5. Space is limited, and doors open at 5:30 pm, so be sure to arrive early! For more detail about the film, the monthly
Hops-Squatch events, and advance ticket sales, visit
the link.
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You might be asking why I'm including the Jimmy Stewart Western,
Bend in the River, in the Horror Calendar. Well, it's not because the film is being screening in GLORIOUS 35mm and shot in the Northwest, but two Horror Icons are in the cast. The film features Julie Adams and Lori Nelson, both of whom caught the eye of the Gill-Man in
Creature from the Black Lagoon and
Revenge of the Creature, in the cast. One can only wonder what these two actors might have talked about, had this film not been released two years before the first Creature film. The showtime for this Western is 3 pm, and features a post-film discussion with Tim Williams or Oregon film, and with Ethan Field and Ron Campbell, hikers that might have found a camera in the Columbia Rive Gorge that might have been the one lost by Jimmy Stewart, which was lost during filming. You can buy advance tickets at
the link.
Wednesday, March 16
It's
Weird Wednesday again at
The Joy Cinema and Pub (11959 SW Pacific Highway) in Tigard, OR, and they have a treat for Kaiju fans! The South Korean Monster Film,
Yongary, Monster from the Deep, screens tonight at 9:15 pm and a fun time should be had be all. Remember, admission is FREE (so spend some extra at the concession stand, damn it!), but you must be 21 or older to attend. You can find more details at
the link later in the week.
And if you're interested in learning more about the film before you see it, check out
this episode of
Monster Kid Radio, where host Derek M. Koch and guest Stephen D. Sullivan talk about this flick. And, while you're at it subscribe to the podcast! It's a great weekly podcast for all Monster Kids!!
The Old Porkchop Express is coming to the
7th St Theatre (313 7th St) in Hoqiuam, WA, as John Carpenter's classic spoof on the American hero,
Big Trouble in Little China, screens tonight and tomorrow. No word on showtimes (Hey, it's a few weeks away!), so keep checking back or visit the
7th St Theatre website closer to the screening date.
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Well, Northwest Horror Fans, if you're looking for a St. Paddy's Day celebration that doesn't involve drinking cheap green beer and inappropriate pinching, head to the Blue Mouse Theatre (2611 N. Proctor St) in Tacoma, WA, for a screening of the festive slasher film Leprechaun. This holiday slasher film is bound to be you into the mood for, well, whatever your local celebration entails.
Finding a pot of gold isn't enough to keep it, you have to outwit the leprechaun looking to reclaim it. Warwick Davis and a pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston star in this classic bit of 80s cheese, originally aimed at a PG audience, was given enough gore to secure an R rating. And it's all awesome fun, as the film spawned multiple sequels, though I think Leprechaun 4: In Space was probably the best of the bunch, in terms of complete awesome crappiness. I leave it for you to decide. The show starts at 10 pm.
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Beware the moors, as the
Olympia Fright Club presents a screening of
An American Werewolf in London tonight at 9 pm at the
Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave. SE) in Olympia, WA. This horror/comedy features some AMAZING (and Academy award winning) gore effects by Rick Baker, stellar work by the entire cast and....
Oh, I should have to be telling you this. The film is a classic and deserves to be seen on the big screen. Visit
the link for more details.
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Richard Matheson's I Am Legend has a dodgy run on the silver screen. The Last Man on Earth, with Vincent Price, wasn't a bad version of the story, but the Will Smith update was, well, let's be honest, an ABOMINATION! Still, I have a soft spot in my Horror Heart for The Omega Man, director Boris Sagal's 1971 version of the tale. Full of religious symbology (the final shot so nails what the screenplay was building to), the film features Charlton Heston as the last man on Earth, after an accidental plague outbreak reduced the human race to Donald Trump followers.
Oh damn, I'm sorry. I try to keep political discourse out of The Shadow Over Portland. But the anti-science, anti-art, anti-outsiders followers of Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) just makes it an easy (and cheap, I'm not denying it) metaphor.
I expect to be sued soon. But let's get back to the film...
The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd) in Portland, OR, is showing the film in GLORIOUS 35mm tonight at 7:30 pm. Part of the Frak! Theater sci-fi series, you have to go in knowing this IS NOT the Matheson story. We've got Heston showing off his pre-IRA roots, the LOVELY Roseland Cash in some daring PG nude scenes (a few of which were in the KPTV Portland broadcast of the film, back in the late 70s, when it was locally owned; I guess the Christ image at the end made up for the nudity). But still, Heston's acting (or, perhaps, overacting) works much better as a tormented human than Smith. despite the dog's death (Price, however, NAILS IT!). So this is a RECOMMEND, especially in 35mm!!
You'll find more details, and advance ticket sales, at
the link.
Saturday, March 19
When Worlds Collide can't be a good thing, at least according to this George Pal classic Sci Fi feature from 1951. Watch Earth be destroyed, and all the chaos ensuing from the inevitable collision, on the big screen at
The Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St) in Bellingham, WA, today at noon. Tickets are just $2, and you can find more details, and advanced ticket sales, at
the link.
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Well, that's what I have for now. Remember to check out the
Horror Calendar, for events happening through the rest of 2016 and, eventually into the next year!
And don't forget, listing your genre event at The Shadow Over Portland is 100 percent free! Send me an email at shadowoverportland@live.com and I'll include your event on the Horror Calendar, and in my weekly updates. And, as I'm including a Western (starring two Horror Icons) in this week's post, I do play a bit loose with my definition of a genre event. So send me an email and chances are I'll list it.
Once again, I ask if you attend any of the events listed above, let the organizers know you read about it at The Shadow Over Portland!!
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