The Manitou (1978)

 Okay, I'm gonna say it.  It's hard to explain why I love this film.  It's cheesy, misinterrets Native American beliefs and has an ending so CRAPTASTIC that words can not describe it.  I'm not even going to try.  You'll have to scroll down to see what I mean.

Oh, the ending is why I love this film.  Also, Tony Curtis trying to pull off jeans with leather back pockets.  Such CHEESY goodness.  And we've got solid acting, including Michael Ansara as John Singing Rock taking on the evil medicine man for a donation to Native American resources and a pouch of tobacco.  He sells the line, but he's risking his life for that?  What could go wrong?  Well, everything.  But that doesn't mean it's not a fun time, IF you overlook the flaws.

Based on the 1976 novel by Graham Masterton, the film involves Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg), who has a tumor growing on the back of her neck.  The medical doctors figure out it's actually a living being, who begins to strike out at the doctors, as the use of X-rays is stunting its development.

 Hey, John Hurt, got any advice for this scene?  Oh damn, I'm a year too early.

Karen reaches out to her ex, phony psychic Harry Erskine (Curtis), who starts talking to actual psychics (including one played by Burgess Meredith), and deduces the growth is an old Native American shaman, Misquamacus, reincarnating himself to take revenge on the race that invaded his land and exterminated its native people.

Curtis enlists the help of John Singing Rock, about an hour before the movie introduces a Native American character into a plot based on Native American beliefs.  But hey, it's the late 70s, so you should expect that the white guys would carry the bulk of the film, no matter how poorly it aged.

 I have no idea what's happening, but that doesn't mean I won't be the hero.  I'm the white guy, after all.

Despite John's, and the Western science professionals, best efforts, they are unable to keep Misquamacus from returning and taking his vengeance by releasing some shadow lizard monsters and freezing the entire wing of the hospital.  John says the Manitou of nature are not match for Misquamacus, but Harry implores him to call on the Manitou within the hospital technology.

OOOOkay, let's pause here for a moment.  Manitou, according to some Native American theology, is the spiritual and fundamental life force in all things.  Of course, Europeans misinterpreted the term, as this movie does.  Medicine men could manipulate manitou to see the future, change the weather and cure illnesses, but my (meager) research says nothing about reincarnation.  And the manitou were connected to nature, leaving the idea of such spirits lurking within modern technology seems pretty far fetched.  But what do I know, I did a few minutes research on the Internet, but I don't think technological devices have manitou.  At least that's my opinion, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

 But watching stuff blow up is so much fun!

But we have such glorious cheesiness to get to, so let's get offline and get back to the movie.

John tries to call the manitou of the machines to act through him, but fails.  However, they focus their power through Karen, resulting in the wackiest ending to a horror film since the nuclear explosion in Bride of the Monster.  I'm serious, it's the most crap-tastic ending I can think of, and given how many bad movies I've watched, that's saying something.

 That's some serious Jedi hands going on there.

 Okay, I know this movie isn't respectful to Native American beliefs and culture.  But I don't expect it to be, as it took almost an hour to bring in a Native American actor, and ends with a white woman floating on a hospital bed within a star field, shooting lighting at an evil medicine man.  I'll admit, I'm old enough to know some of the films I love have flaws, but I can accept them for what they are.  Just as I can accept Lovecraft's OBVIOUS racist tones, but appreciate the stories his view produced.

I'm not saying The Manitou comes close to the literary significance of Lovecraft's cosmic horror.  But it's a fun, gloriously, cheesy ride, and for those with similar appetites, this is a feast best enjoyed with the substance of your choice, some greasy snacks, and friends with similar tastes.  It's not high art, but damn, it's fun.

Look, the effects crew did their best.  Try not to laugh.

 

 

Find some fun away from the sun with this edition of the Weekly Update

Okay, I'm NOT going to post another headline mentioning the heat wave happening in areas of the Pacific Northwest.  But it doesn't mean I can't mentioned the sun.  Sure, it's responsible for the hot weather, but let's skip that and talk about the other ways the sun is too damn much. 

For one thing, it's just too damn bright.  Doesn't matter if you're in a car, on a bike, or just walking around, you never know when the sun's gonna blind you.  Yes, I know, that's why we have sunglasses, but come on, the sun ain't gonna be stopped by some shaded lenses.

And you have to worry about overexposure to UV rays.  Vitamin D is great and all, but the sun can really bake you skin.  And man, do I like to avoid any sunburn.  After a few painful days, you get to watch your skin slough off, which is pretty messy.  And no, you just can't rely on sunscreen to save your skin.  

 

Sunscreen or not, I'm usually charbroiled after a half hour of direct sunlight.

So, if you think being out in the sun is as overrated as I do, the Weekly Update is loaded with movies and a few other indoor events that will help to keep your eyes from seeing spots and your skin on your body.  

If you're looking to start checking out things to do during the Halloween season, the Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Calendar is full of things happening during the rest of the year, and even a few happening in 2023!  Never too early to start filling in your calendar with the events you don't want to miss.

That's all for this week.  Be safe, don't forget to stay hydrated, and I'll be back next week with another update from The Shadow Over Portland.

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

Happening This Week

 

The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) will screen the 2022 Brazilian film Medusa through Wednesday, August 17.

 

BritCon, for fans of British Sci Fi and Fantasy, takes place through Sunday, August 7, at the Hilton Bellevue (300 112th Ave SE in Bellevue, WA).  Guest include actors Paul McGann, Eric Roberts, Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso, as well as producer Philip Segal and writer Matthew Jacobs from the Doctor Who TV Movie.  You can get more details on the BritCon Facebook page.

 

Hey you guys!  The Goonies is playing at Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA) through Thursday, August 11.

Watch Nicolas Cage at his Caginest, as Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA) screens the cult classic Mandy through Wednesday, August 10.

 

The animated/live action mockumentary Marcel the Shell with Shoes On opens tonight at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; plays Saturday and Sunday, August 6 and 7), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway NE in Salem, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; plays through Thursday, August 11), The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10), the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), and the Olympia Film Society is showing the film at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE in Olympia, WA; scheduled through Friday, August 19).

VFX artist Phil Tippett's stop motion film Mad God continues at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10). 

OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave in Portland, OR) is hosting a Middle-earth Film Festival, screening all three The Hobbit films and the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy on the giant screen through August 7.

  

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 Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; the extended cut is scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the McMenamin Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10), the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10), and SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA;scheduled through Thursday, August 11).

 

Jordan Peele's latest film, Nope, opens tonight at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10), Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park Lane SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; plays through Thursday, August 11), SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), and The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 11).

It's summer, so you know Marvel will put out another movie.  Thor: Love and Thunder is playing at the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park Lane SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11), Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10), the Blue Mouse Theatre (2611 N Proctor St in Tacoma, WA; scheduled Fridays to Sundays through Sunday, August 7) and the Milton-Freewater Drive In (84322 Oregon-Washington Highway, Milton Freewater, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10).

 

Jurassic World: Dominion, the *cough cough* "epic conclusion," is playing at the 99W Drive-In (3110 Portland Rd in Newberg, OR; scheduled August 5, 6, and 7 after Minions: The Rise of Gru), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 3), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park Lane SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 4), and the McMenamin Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11)

 

The latest Disney/Pixar toy ad animated feature, Lightyear, is showing at the McMenamin Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 11)and the Milton-Freewater Drive In (84322 Oregon-Washington Highway, Milton Freewater, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, August 10).

 

The 14th Annual GuignolFest is taking applications for filmmaker to put together a short horror film in just 72 hours.  If you're up for the challenge, you'll find details on the link. And you can follow the event on Facebook.

 

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.  

The Haunted Taft 2022 Ghosts and Legends Tours start on July 9 and run through September 17.  Tours depart from the Sapphire Center (4840 SE Hwy 101 in Lincoln City, OR), but you need to buy tickets in advance.

Stalker Farms Haunted Attractions (8705 Marsh Rd in Snohomish, WA) is now hiring scareactors, paintball actors, makeup artists and security for the 2022 haunt season.  Click on this link to apply, and you can visit the Red Barn at Stocker Farms on July 20, 27 or August 17, from 6 to 8 pm for more information and details.

ScareGrounds PDX (7805 SE Oaks Park Way in Portland, OR) is now hiring for the building crew, walkaround actors and management positions, with other jobs to be announced in the future.  Visit the link above for all the details.

 

August, 2022

 

Saturday, August 6

David Yost (Billy Cranston/the Blue Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) will be at Unlock the Con (1101 Outlet Collection Mall SW Ste 1325 in Auburn, WA) from noon to 3 pm.  See the link for costs and other details.

 

VFX artist Phil Tippett's stop motion film Mad God returns to the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) for an encore screening tonight at 6 pm, with a final screening on Wednesday, August 10, at 8:45 pm. 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will present a final screening of John Carpenter's The Thing tonight at 10:45 pm.

 

Takashi Miike's musical comedy/zombie film The Happiness of the Katakuris plays tonight and tomorrow at 9:35 pm at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR).

PAMCUT will screen the musical sci fi film Neptune Frost at 2 pm today at the Portland Art Museum Whitsell Auditorium (1219 SW Park Ave in Portland, OR).

Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema at the Fairhaven Village Green (1207 10 St in Bellingham, WA) will show the Disney animated feature Moana tonight after sundown.

The Hollywood Theatre Summer Movies at Oregon State Parks concludes tonight with a screening of  Encanto tonight at Champoeg State Heritage Area (located in St Paul, OR).  Admission is FREE, with free day-use parking after 7 pm.  The show starts at dusk.

 

The Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) presents a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture at midnight with the Clinton Street Cabaret.  Doors open at 11 pm.

 

Sunday, August 7

 

The Church of Film celebrates its 9th anniversary with a collection of shorter works. The program, entitled Dreams Memories Nightmares, includes A Long Twilight, a Hungarian adaptation of a Shirley Jackson work, A Rose for Emily, a "ghouly" Faulkner adaptation with Anjelica Huston, and The Image, featuring a young David Bowie.  The show starts around 8 pm at the Red Fox (5128 N Albina Ave in Portland, OR).  The screening will be outdoors.

 

The Black Phone will play at 9:30 pm tonight at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC).  It will also be shown on Tuesday, August 9, at 9 pm.

 

The SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) celebration of the work of Taika Waititi continues with Thor: Ragnarok today and on Thursday, August 11. 

Tuesday, August 9

The Portland Horror Trivia Massacre takes place at 7:30 pm tonight at Home, A Bar (719 SE Morrison St in Portland, OR).

The August edition of Burlynomicon takes place at 8 pm (doors open at 7 pm) at The Coffin Club (421 SE Grand in Portland, OR).

 

Wednesday, August 10

 

Clint Eastwood's directorial debut, the thriller Play Misty for Me, screens at 7:30 pm tonight only at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR). 

The vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows will be shown at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) on Friday, August 5, and Wednesday, August 10, as part of the theater's weeklong series celebrating the films of Taiki Waititi.

 

The Whiteside Theatre (361 SW Madison Ave in Corvallis, OR) will show Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind tonight only at 7 pm. Doors open at 6 pm. 

BECU Drive-In Movies at Marymoor Park will show Shrek at Marymoor Park (6046 W Lake Sammamish Parkway NE in Redmond, WA) tonight at 8:45 pm.  For more details and to buy tickets, visit the link above.

 

Thursday, August 11

 

The A24 black comedy/slasher film Bodies Bodies Bodies opens today at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 18), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 18), SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 18), and the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway NE in Salem, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 18).  

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey tonight at 6 pm.

 

Friday, August 12

 

The A24 black comedy/slasher film Bodies Bodies Bodies opens today at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 25) and the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 18). 

ClayDream, a documentary charting the rise and fall of the "Father of Claymation," Portlander Will Vinton, opens at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Sunday, August 14).

 

The SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) opens the theater's celebration of the work of The Wachowskis with screenings of The Matrix tonight and Saturday, August 13.

 

The sci fi horror classic Event Horizon plays at 7:30 pm tonight only at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR).  Man, this is going to look so good on the big screen!  You can read my review at this link.

PAMCUT will screen Dash Shaw's animated feature Cryptozoo at 7 pm tonight at the Portland Art Museum Whitsell Auditorium (1219 SW Park Ave in Portland, OR).  Arrive early to see some of Mike Bennett's Crypto-Zoo characters on display.

 

It's a Punk Kidz Double Feature at the 5th Avenue Cinema (510 SW Hall St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Sunday, August 14) with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and We are Little Zombies.  Be aware, this is a cash only venue.

 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail will be showing at the Egyptian Theatre (229 S Broadway in Coos Bay, OR) today and Saturday, August 13.

 

On Set Cinema heads to Coquitlam, BC, tonight and tomorrow to visit the property where several scenes from Twilight: New Moon were shot.  Only 14 guest will be able to attend per night, so get your tickets now.

Saturday, August 13

Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre will play at 8 pm tonight only at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA).

 

The celebration of the work of The Wachowskis continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with a screening of The Matrix Reloaded today only at 2 pm, The Matrix Revolutions today at 5 pm, and The Matrix Resurrections today at 8 pm..

The Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) presents a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture designed for virgins tonight at midnight.  Doors open at 11 pm.

 

Sunday, August 14

The Church of Film will show Morbo, a mix of "Bunuel-inspired surrealist experimentation with psychological horror, and shadings of giallo," around 8 pm at the Red Fox (5128 N Albina Ave in Portland, OR).  The screening will be outdoors.

The celebration of the work of The Wachowskis continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with Speed Racer at 3:30 pm and on Wednesday, August 17, at 6:30 pm, and Jupiter Ascending tonight at 6:30 pm.