May ends on a high note for Pacific Northwest Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Fans.

I want to start by thanking everyone for their kind words about the passing of my father.  So many of you posted on Facebook after I posted about him on my site, it was very touching.  Again, thank you everyone.

As for the Weekly Update, May is ending with a bang!  We have two cons this weekend (and maybe a third next week, but I doubt Star Trek Mission Seattle is a go; you'll find details below), The Beacon in Seattle is hosting a three day Memorial Day Weekend Rip-Off Rampage, while at the same time, the Hollywood Theatre in Portland is screening some classic 80s sci fi/action flicks.  And Satanic Panic returns to the Hollywood Theatre on the last day of May with a screening of The Devil's Rain in GLORIOUS 35mm, along with some other treats! 

 

I have conjured up a devilish good ten days for Pacific Northwest Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Fans!

And let's not forget the end of Pagan May at the Clinton Street Theater in Portland, the start of the BECU Drive-In Movies at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA, and Fathom Events bringing the director's cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture to the big screen!  Yep, this month is ending on a high note.  

But the rest of the summer is looking pretty awesome as well.  You'll find all the details at the Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Calendar, including more outdoor movies, cons, stage shows and SO MUCH MORE!  Click on the link to take a look, but keep checking back, as I update the page every few days, and I'll have details about EVEN MORE outdoor flicks, where to go see David Cronenberg's new film, Crimes of the Future, and anything else I can find that will thrill Pacific Northwest Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Fans.

That's all I have for now.  Until next week, stay safe and I'll be back with more great events happening under The Shadow Over Portland!

If you'd like to help support the site, please visit my Ko-fi page.  Thank you!

 

Happening This Week   

 

Michelle Yeoh fighting to save the multiverse?  I'm SOLD!  Also starring the amazing James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once continues this week at the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR), the St Johns Twin Cinema (8704 N Lombard St in Portland, OR), the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR), the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway NE in Salem, OR), the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR), Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR), the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR), the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR), the Empirical Theater at OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave in Portland, OR), and Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR).

 

Alex Garland's (Ex Machina, Annihilation) latest horror film, Men, opens tonight at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR),  the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR), SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA), Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR) the Yelm Cinema (201 Prairie Park Ln SE in Yelm, WA), the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR),  the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR), the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway NE in Salem, OR), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR), the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR), and Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR). 

 

"If Boogie Nights and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a baby, X would be their demonic love-child!"  Well, just shut up and take my money!!  The latest from director Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers), X continues at the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR) through Thursday, May 26. 

 

The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) will show Gaspar Noe's Lux AEterna, through Thursday, May 26.

Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA) will show Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle at 4 and 7 pm through Wednesday, May 25, and a 5 pm showing on Thursday, May 26.  The 4 pm screenings are English dubbed, the 7 pm in Japanese with English subtitles.  No word on the 5 pm show yet.

 

Get to da chopper!  Er, I mean get to Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA) for screenings of the original Predator through Wednesday, May 25.

 

Guilds of Manzoa: Fantasy Rock Musical takes the stage at the Samaritan Odd Fellows Lodge (10282 SE Main St in Milwaukie, OR) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 20 to 22 and May 27 to 29.  The Torchsong Theater Company production follows a group of D and D players transported to a fantasy world when they start playing a mysterious RPG called Guilds of Manzoa.  Dragons, meta humor and musical numbers ensue.  You can listen to some of the songs from the score at the link. 

 

The latest adaptation of Stephen King's Firestarter continues this weekat the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park Ln SE in Yelm, WA), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR), and Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR).

 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continues next week at the 99W Drive-In (3110 Portland Rd in Newberg, OR; plays after The Bad Guys; a Sunday screening has been added to the schedule as of this week), the Granada 3 Theatre (1311 Adams Ave in La Grande, OR), the Liberty Theatre (315 NW 4th Ave in Camas, WA), the St Johns Twin Cinema (8704 N Lombard St in Portland, OR),  the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park Ln SE in Yelm, WA), Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR), the Columbia Theatre-Saint Helens (212 S 1st St in Saint Helens, OR), the Mt Hood Theatre (401 E Powell Blvd in Gresham, OR), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR), CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR), the Kelso Theater Pub (214 S Pacific Ave in Kelso, WA), the Joy Cinema (11959 SW Pacific Highway in Tigard, OR), the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR), and the Cameo Theatre (304 E 1st St in Newberg, OR).  

 

It will play at the following McMenamins locations through Wednesday, May 25: Anderson School (18607 Bothell Way NE in Bothell, WA),  the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthrone Blvd in Portland, OR),  Grand Lodge (3505 Pacific Ave in Forest Grove, OR), Old St. Francis School (700 NW Bond St in Bend, OR), the Olympic Club (112 N Tower Ave in Centralia, WA), the Edgefield Power Station Theater (2126 SW Halsey St in Troutdale, OR), and the St Johns Theatre (8203 N Ivanhoe St in Portland, OR).

 

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore continues at next week at the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park Ln SE in Yelm, WA)

Morbius takes a bite out of the McMenamins Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR) this week.

 

The Bleedingham Horror Film Festival is taking submissions through September 1, 2022.  The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, October 22 and 23, in Bellingham, WA.

 

Metalesque Fest will be taking performer applications through June 18.  The festival takes place from September 30 to October 2 at locations in Portland, OR.

 

May, 2022

Friday, May 20

This Mother's Day, take your mother to the Blue Mouse Theatre (2611 N Proctor St in Tacoma, WA) as Friday Night Frights screens 1980's Mother's Day tonight at 10 pm.  Mom's gonna love it!

Crypticon Seattle takes place this weekend at the Doubletree Hotel Sea Tac (18740 International Blvd in Seattle, WA).  Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2, The Devil's Rejects), Noah Hathaway (The NeverEnding Story, the original Battlestar Galactica), The Chiodo Brothers (Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Critters), William Katt (Carrie, House) and Phil Fondacaro (Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Troll, Willow) Dana DeLorenzo (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Christine Elise (Child's Play 2, TV's Chucky), Alex Vincent (Child's Play, Child's Play 2) voice actor Roger Jackson (Scream, The Powerpuff Girls) and Fiona Dourif (TV's Chucky, Cult of Chucky) are scheduled to attend.

UPDATE:  Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), author/director Matt Shaw (Monster), Eugene Clark (Big Daddy in George Romero's Land of the Dead), David Tennant (Doctor Who, Good Omens, Jessica Jones) Eileen Dietz (The Exorcist and local film A Haunting in Ravenwood, which will be screened at the con), and actor Phil Fondacaro (Troll, Willow, Return of the Jedi) are scheduled to attend.  And Northwest filmmaker Joe Sherlock's latest film, Dark Zone Thirteen Part Two, will be screened at the con at midnight on Saturday, May 21.  Also, author/filmmaker John Skipp (Tales of Halloween) has cancelled his appearance due to illness.

 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will screen Cowboy Bebop: The Movie tonight at 11:15 pm.

The 7th Street Theatre (313 7th St in Hoquiam, WA) will show the shot-in-Oregon favorite The Goonies today and tomorrow at 7:30 pm. 

 

Saturday, May 21

 

Norwegian filmmaker Eskil Volgt's supernatural thriller The Innocents will screen at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) Saturday, May 21, at 4:45 pm and on Monday, May 23, at 9:15 pm.

 

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) presents an encore screening of the anime classic Akira tonight at 9:30 pm. 

UPDATE: This event is SOLD OUT.

 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will screen Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away today at 2 pm and on Monday, May 23, at 1:30 pm.  Both screenings are English dubbed versions.

 

VHS Uber Alles presents a Teen Zombie Thriller in GLORIOUS VHS at 9 pm tonight at the Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA).  Don't know the title of the film, but a plot summery is available at the link.

 

Pagan May continues at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) with screenings of Gaspar Noe's Lux AEterna, at 7 and 9 pm.

 

Stunt Rock, about an Australian stuntman developing pyrotechnic magic tricks for a rock band's show, will be screened at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) tonight at 7 pm.  Legendary Ozploitation director Brian Trenchard-Smith (Turkey Shoot, Leprechaun 4: In Space) and star Margaret Trenchard-Smith (AKA Margaret Gerard) will be in attendance for a Q and A after the film.

 

The Mid Valley Comic Art Expo takes place today from 10 am to 6 pm, with a cosplay contest from 6 to 7:30 pm, at the Oregon State Fairgrounds Columbia Hall (2330 17th St NE in Salem, OR).  You can follow the expo on Facebook.

 

The Whiteside Theatre (361 SW Madison Ave in Corvallis, OR) will show the animated sci fi film Home today at 3 pm. 

 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 11:30 pm tonight with a live shadowcast from the Geekenders.  Costumes and audience participation is encouraged.  Doors open at 10 :45 pm. 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be shown tonight at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) with a shadowcast from the Clinton Street Cabaret.  Doors open at 11 pm, movie starts at midnight.

 

Sunday, May 22

 

Fathom Events brings the director's edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture to theaters nationwide today, on Monday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 25.  Follow the link to find a theater near you showing the film. 

 

Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie will play at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) todayat 1:35 pm.  The screening is in Japanese with English subtitles. 

Tuesday, May 24

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will show a new restoration of Johnnie To's 1993 Hong Kong classic The Heroic Trio, starring Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui, tonight at 7:30 pm.

Wednesday, May 25

BECU Drive-In Movies at Marymoor Park will show The Princess Bride at Marymoor Park (6046 W Lake Sammamish Parkway NE in Redmond, WA) tonight at 9 pm.  For more details and to buy tickets, visit the link above.

Thursday, May 26

BECU Drive-In Movies at Marymoor Park will show E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at Marymoor Park (6046 W Lake Sammamish Parkway NE in Redmond, WA) tonight at 9 pm.  For more details and to buy tickets, visit the link above.

Star Trek Mission Seattle takes place through Saturday, May 28.  At least that was what was posted on Facebook in April.  But I have yet to see any updates including the venue, guests and such.  You can also visit the official website, though I didn't find anything about this event there, either.

 

Friday, May 27

The Mermorial Day Weekend Rip-Off Rampage opens at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) with the Star Wars rip-off Message from Space, starring Sonny Chiba, Sue Shiomi and Vic Morrow, followed by the Raider/ET "homage" Magic Crystal, staring Andy Lau, Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton.  Showtime is 8 pm.

Get to da chopper!  Er, I mean get to the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) for a screening of the original Predator tonight at 11:45 pm.

Pagan May concludes at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) with Roger Corman's 1982 Sorceress at 10 pm.  As the film stars Playboy playmates Leigh and Lynette Harris, you know what's in store with this flick.

The Mondo Trasho series at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) takes on the bugs with a 25th anniversary screening of Starship Troopers tonight at 7:30 pm.  Would you like to know more?  Than just click on the link above.

5th Avenue Cinema (501 SW Hall St in Portland, OR) will show the South Korean monster movie The Host in GLORIOUS 35mm through Sunday, May 29.

The Kiggins' Cult of Horror series brings the podcast Horror Movie Talk to the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) to introduce the body horror of David Cronenberg's The Fly tonight at 9:30 pm.

Saturday, May 28

The Mermorial Day Weekend Rip-Off Rampage continues at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) with the Jaws rip-off Alligator, starring Robert Forster, and the post-apocalyptic Escape from the Bronx.  Showtime is 9 pm.

The Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) has added the teen comedy Teen Witch to the Pagan May lineup.  Showtime is 7 pm.

"If Boogie Nights and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a baby, X would be their demonic love-child!"  Well, just shut up and take my money!!  The latest from director Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers), X will have one final screening at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) tonight at 11:45 pm.

Game over, man!  GAME OVER!!  The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will screen James Cameron's sci fi classic Aliens today at 3 pm.  The film features Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and the best timed countdown in cinematic history (just so you know, it ends a few seconds EARLY!).

 

He did say he'd be back.  The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will screen James Cameron's 1984 classic The Terminator tonight at 7 pm. 

Rounding out the 80's sci fi/action films playing today at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) is a new restoration of Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop, screening tonight at 9:30 pm.

The Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA) series It's Alive! continues with the 1933 horror classic The Invisible Man today at noon. 

The Vampire's Masquerade Ball takes place at 9 pm tonight at the Portland Art Museum (1119 SW Park Ave in Portland, OR).  For all the details concerning the event, visit the Facebook Event Page.

 

The Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) will show The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with the Denton Delinquents Time Warping across the stage, tonight at 10 pm.  Doors open at 9 pm. 

 

The Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) will show The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with a shadow cast by the Clinton Street Cabaret.

 

The Blue Mouse Theatre (2611 N Proctor St in Tacoma, WA) presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show tonight at midnight.  The Blue Mouseketeers will provide a live shadowcast, with any donations going to the production of Little Shop of Horrors in July, in collaberation with Friday Night Frights.

Sunday, May 29

The Mermorial Day Weekend Rip-Off Rampage concludes at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) with Bruno Mattei's Robowar and his Aliens/Terminator rip-off Shocking Dark (AKA Terminator 2: Mattei's not even trying to hide it) Showtime is 7:30.

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will screen Terminator 2: Judgement Day tonight at 6 pm.

Game over, man!  GAME OVER!!  The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will screen James Cameron's sci fi classic Aliens tonight at 9:30 pm.  The film features Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and the best timed countdown in cinematic history (just so you know, it ends a few seconds EARLY!).

Tuesday, May 31

Satanic Panic returns to the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) with a screening of the 1975 horror film The Devil's Rain, starring William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Ida Lupino and gallons of goo!  The evening will include a selection of occult short horror films, horror-themed burlesque performances, diabolic giveaways and MORE!  You can read my review of The Devil's Rain here, and you'll find me discussing it with Derek M. Kock on Monster Kid Radio here.

 

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

 

It isn't often you have two movies dealing with the idea of a multiverse playing in theaters at the same time.  But, if you can only see one this week, I'm going to suggest you check out Everything Everywhere All at Once, rather than the big blockbuster playing now.  As I haven't seen the new Doctor Strange movie yet, I can't compare the two films.  But I don't think the latest offering from the MCU will be as jaw dropping fun and crazy as this offering from A24.  And that's saying a lot, as Marvel brought Sam Raimi back to superhero films.

The film stars Michelle Yeoh (Police Story 3, The Heroic Trio) as Evelyn, a Chinese-American running a laundromat with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, The Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom).  Life hasn't been kind to Evelyn, aside from dealing with her customers.  Waymond is filing for divorce, her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) is trying to get her to accept her girlfriend Becky (Tallie Medel, The Carnivores), and her disapproving father Gong Gong (James Hong, Big Trouble in Little China and so damn deserving of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame) is arriving for a visit.  Adding to her problems in an IRS audit with a disagreeable Deirdre Beaubeirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween).  But all those issues pale in comparison when Waymond is taken over by a version from another dimension, claiming Evelyn is the only one who can same the multiverse from the threat of Jobu Tupaki.

Of course, mayhem ensues.

Thankfully, Michelle Yeoh is on it!

Okay, I'll be honest.  If you've seen enough movies, you'll know who the big threat is within a half hour, and have a pretty good idea of how the film wraps up.  But it's not the journey, but the destination, where this film excels.  It's a glorious mashup of martial arts mayhem, insane gags and some surprisingly sweet moments that makes you forget the faults of the script. The Daniels (writers/directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) deliver some amazing fight scenes laced with laugh out loud moments.  It's brilliant filmmaking, even when the predictable story takes center stage.  I was laughing, cheering and applauding for most of the running time, even when I needed to use the restroom.   I couldn't tear myself away long enough to go to the bathroom during the final act.  And no, I held it.  Get your mind out of the gutter.

The cast is wonderful and, thankfully, play it straight no matter how insane the action gets.  And believe me, things get wonderfully wacky.  Yeoh is amazing, both in the more emotional moments and the fight scenes, providing a depth to her character I didn't expect.  Quan is equally good, playing between his two versions seamlessly.  And I'm amazed how well Curtis keeps up with the martial arts mayhem.  I guess all those years battling Michael paid off.

Don't let her physique fool you.  She's got some move in this movie that would take Michael out!

This might be a short review, but I don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment.  You need to go into this movie knowing as little as possible.  If I wrote too much, it would be like watching Airplane after someone told you all the jokes.  Don't worry if you've seen the trailer, it doesn't matter.  Just get to your local theater, strap into your seat and get ready for the best movie of 2022.  Yeah, I'm calling it here.  Because I don't care how much the other critics rave about the new Top Gun film.  If it ain't got hotdog fingers, it's got nothing.

Yep, hotdog fingers.  If that doesn't get you to watch this film, you have to get out more.

Goodbye, Dad

 

My father passed away in February, and I'd planned on writing this tribute to him soon after.  But with issues at work, and moving, I just wasn't able to bring myself to sit down and spend the time to express my thanks to how he shape my life.

I think part of the problem was how he died.  Unlike my mother, who died three years ago after a fall, my father died before my eyes.  He moved back to the Pacific Northwest last year, just before his ninetieth birthday, to live with my brother in Vancouver, WA.  It meant I was able to see him more often than yearly visits in Florida, which were placed on hold thanks to COVID.  He seemed in pretty good health, so my brothers and I thought we had a few years to be with him.  But, as fall and winter set in, and the COVID isolation mandates continued, we could see the toll being locked in the house took upon him.

 At least we were able to celebrate his ninetieth birthday with him.

But, watching his mind and body fail him over time, it was a relief when my youngest brother called me to say he'd passed on, as the last time I saw him, he was just a shell.  No spark to remind me of who he was, just a body breathing on autopilot.  It was difficult dealing with his passing, but wasn't as hard as with my mother, whose sudden death was the result of an accident.

Enough of that.  This is a chance for me to say how he influenced my love for classic monsters, horror, sci fi and fantasy.  And I have to say, like my mom, he couldn't understand where my interests came from.  But he accepted who I was, and made sure I learned things outside my interest.  Dad taught me how to do basic electrical and plumbing, and how to fix a car (before all the computer interfacing required you to take your car to a mechanic), lessons I still use to this day.

But Dad was also instrumental in fostering my love of reading.  When my family moved to the Pacific Northwest in the 70s, he worked cabin maintenance for a major airline.  It was a major step down from his previous job as a mechanic, but he kept working it until he retired.  This was before Kindle, so people brought paperback novels onto airplanes and often left them after the flight.  So he'd always bring home some great stuff for me to read, from "trashy" horror novels and sci fi novels to best sellers like Jaws and The Exorcist.  I also learned he traded "men's" magazines with his co-workers for novels he thought I'd like.  It wasn't that he'd keep them, he just knew, when he found them, he could use them to keep me supplied with books.  And, like my mother, he didn't care what I read, as long as I was reading. 

As for my love of genre, it's always be a point of speculation at the family dinner table.  Now, my brothers and I were able to find that my parents attended the premiere screening of Psycho when she was pregnant with me (yes, I'm that old) and, at one family dinner, I postulated that the rise in adrenaline and other hormones Mom experienced while watching Psycho caused my love of genre.  My mom looked at me and said, "No, it was when Vera Miles turned around Mrs. Bates.  Your father jumped in her lap.  That's what did it."  

My brothers and I started laughing, while Dad just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yeah, that's basically what happened."

 So, if you're ever watching Psycho with me and I'm smiling at this scene, you know why.

To say my father didn't like horror films would be an understatement.  But I remember the night I was watching Army of Darkness on VHS, and my dad came home from work, as he was working a swing shift.  He sat down, asked what I was watching and to fill him in.  I did, and after Ash retrieved the Book of the Dead, he said, "This is too stupid, I'm going to bed."  This was after laughing as Ash was assaulted in Three Stoogies style by the Deadites (Oh, I should mention he was a fan of the Stoogies and Benny Hill; thank you for that as well, Dad).  But five minutes later, he came out and said, "I have to see how this ends."  I offered to rewind the film, but he was fine with my summery.  And when the Classic came out with the whirling windmill blades, he smiled and said, "You don't see that every day."

 And he was right.  You won't see that on the freeway.

He said the same thing when I brought home the first original Mortal Combat, and Goro entered the picture. But he was fine watching that film, as he loved a good action film.  Which is how I made him a Jackie Chan fan.  Police Story will do that.

And, to his credit, he never had a problem with me switching away from the Wide World of Sports, or some other sports event, during a commercial break to catch a glimpse of the monster movie on Channel 12 at the time.  Though I suspect he was happy when Mom relented and allowed me to buy a small black and white television for my room, so he got to watch sports uninterrupted.

But, my favorite story about Dad took place several years ago in Florida.  I was staying in my parent's guest bedroom, filled with all their trinkets and several antiques.  I'd spent a lot of time painting their kitchen and living room, and as payment, my mom told me I could pick something from the room to take home with me.  I spent a few seconds looking over the room, than came out with a resin figure of Honest John from Disney's Pinoochio, which he'd purchased it as a kid after seeing the film.

"So," Mom asked, "why'd you pick that?"

"Well, it's kind of link with Dad," I said.  "I buy figures from films I like, and this is the only one he ever bought.  So it's special in my eyes."

Dad nodded.  "Good choice, son.  I love that figure.  Give it a good home."

"It's not going on eBay, right?" Mom asked.

"Hell no," I replied.  "I'm displaying it with some of my figures."

A few weeks after I got home, I was on the phone with my parents.  "So," Dad asked me, "did you look up what the figure's worth?"

"Yeah, I was curious," I said.  "I could get up to $500 for it."

"And..." Mom said.

"It's staying right were it is, next to my figure of Boris Karloff as The Mummy."

And it's still there today, though Angela is hanging out in the shadows.

 Good bye, Dad.  I love you and I'll miss you.  I hope you and Mom are dancing on a beach somewhere.

 My parents and I on a trip to Silver Springs in Florida, so I could see where they filmed Revenge of the Creature.