It's the final Weekly Update for 2016!

It's no secret, at least not to you, dear readers, that 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for Northwest Horror/Sci Fi and Fantasy Fans. You'll find a taste of things to come in this edition of the Weekly Update, but you'll want to have a look at the Horror Calendar.  I've spend the past few evenings listing more stuff, like some great conventions coming to Portland next year, a TERRIFIC month of classic monster movies coming to The Academy Theatre in Portland, OR, genre screenings at The Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR and the Rio Theatre in Vancouver, BC, as well as geeky burlesque, the next Frankenstein's Comicbook Swap and lots more!

Remember, if you have an event you'd like to promote, or know of one, email me at shadowoverportland@live.com and I'll be sure to add it to the site.

And, should you attend any of the events listed here, or on the Horror Calendar, be sure to tell the organizers you read about it at The Shadow Over Portland!

Happy New Year, everyone!!

Ongoing

If you're looking for something family-friendly, but still a bit spooky, the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) is screening Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory through December 29.  Showtimes vary, so visit the Academy Theater website for details.

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Yippie Ki Yay!  The Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan in Portland, OR) is keeping the holiday spirit alive with a screenings of The Greatest Christmas movie EVER MADE, the original Die Hard through Thursday, December 29.  Showtimes vary, so visit the Mission Theater website for details.

Buy Tickets NOW

The 2017 Portland Black Film Festival at The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) has announced that the GLORIOUS Pam Grier will be present today for a screening of Coffy in GLORIOUS 35mm on Saturday, February 11.  Tickets are $15 and will go on sale to the general public on January 6.  More details on the festival are coming, but head to The Hollywood Theatre website for advance ticket sales (highly recommended) to this screening as soon as you can.


Open Auditions

Mark your calendars, as auditions for the The Night Attacks take place today and tomorrow (January 21).  Details are scant at this time, but the auditions will be for principal actors and extras (some roles are paid) for a feature-length horror film.  Dylan Hillerman and Julia Arrgh, the people responsible for GuignolFest, have already started filming in Transylvania!  Most of the film will be set in Portland, so if you want to be part of a local independent horror film, keep checking back here, or visit the Facebook Event Page, for more details as they become available.

December, 2016

Wednesday, December 28

The Horror-days aren't over yet as Hotel Broslin presents a screening of the slasher classic, Silent Night, Deadly Night tonight at Obsidian (414 4th Ave E in Olympia, WA).  Admission is free, but any canned food donations for the Food Bank of Thurston County are encouraged, and will enter you in the Hotel Broslin Helliday giveaway.  For more details, visit the Facebook Event Page.

Thursday, December 29

The latest film from Norwegian director Andre Ovredal (Trollhunter), The Autopsy of Jane Doe, plays tonight at the Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway in Vancouver, BC) tonight at 9:30 pm.  The film, Ovredal's first English release, centers on a father and son coroner team (played by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch) as they experience supernatural phenomena while examining the body of a "Jane Doe," who died with no apparent cause.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  For more details, and a link to advance ticket sales, visit the Rio Theatre website.

Friday, December 30

You'd be "Stupid!  Stupid!" to miss a chance to see the Ed Wood "classic," Plan 9 from Outer Space, on the big screen at The Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) through January 5.  Sure, it's considered by some to be the worst movie ever made, but that's not true (trust me!).  It might be silly, full of bad dialog, bad acting and bad Fake Shemp Lugosi moments, but the movie has a certain charm and much more energy than something like The Creeping Terror.  Showtimes have yet to be announced, so check back, or visit The Academy Theater website, later in the month for more details. 

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The Olympia Film Society presents Anna Biller's The Love Witch at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE in Olympia, WA) through January 5.  Showtimes vary, so visit the Olympia Film Society website for more details.

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Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining plays tonight at 7:30 pm at the Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway in Vancouver, BC).  I don't think I need to go into any further details on this one, as it's one of those movies that if you haven't seen it, you know enough about it to know it's a visual treat that shouldn't be missed on the big screen.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  For more details and a link to advance ticket sales, visit the Rio Theatre website.

January 2017

Sunday, January 1

Okay, you might think it strange that I'm listing the Hong Kong-A-Thon at The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) on the site.  Sure, you'll catch the Bruce Lee classic, Enter the Dragon, at 2 pm, and John Woo's The Killer at 6:15 pm, all on the big screen.  But sandwiched in the middle, at 4:15 pm, is the ultra violent kung fu classic Riki Oh: The Story of Ricky in GLORIOUS 35mm!  Ricky walks into a corrupt prison after killing the scumbag responsible for his girlfriend's death and instantly runs afoul of the warden and his evil henchmen.  Mayhem ensues in the form of exploding heads, intestines used as weapons and an insane climax featuring an industrial meat grinder!  This is the wildest, goriest martial arts movie ever committed to film, and you don't want to miss it on the big screen!!  Admission is just $12 for all three films, and I suggest you buy your tickets early.  For more details and a link to advance ticket sales, visit The Hollywood Theatre website.

Tuesday, January 3

The latest film from Norwegian director Andre Ovredal (Trollhunter), The Autopsy of Jane Doe, plays tonight at the Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway in Vancouver, BC) tonight at 9:15 pm.  The film, Ovredal's first English release, centers on a father and son coroner team (played by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch) as they experience supernatural phenomena while examining the body of a "Jane Doe," who died with no apparent cause.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  For more details, and a link to advance ticket sales, visit the Rio Theatre website.

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The Northwest Horror Pub Quiz takes place tonight at 7:30 pm at Home, A Bar (719 SE Morrison St in Portland, OR).  Gather up a team and win bragging rights and gift certificates to Home, A Bar.  For more details, visit the Facebook Event Page.

Wednesday, January 4

The Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway in Vancouver, BC) is screening the 1973 sci fi classic, Westworld, tonight at 6:30 pm.  This film, starring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin and James Brolin, was the inspiration for the current HBO series, and well worth seeing on the big screen.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  For more details, and a link to advance ticket sales, visit the Rio Theatre website.

Friday, January 6

The splat-stick Nazi zombie classic, Dead Snow, screens tonight at the Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway in Vancouver, BC) tonight at 11:30 pm.  A group of medical students in a remote, mountainous area of Norway, make the BIG mistake of picking up some gold that was taken by Nazis, and now their reanimated corpses want it back.  Of course, mayhem ensues.  The film is presented with English subtitles, but the gore translates to all languages!  Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.  For more details, and a link to advance ticket sales, visit the Rio Theatre website. 

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Start the new year right with a screening of one of the greatest 50s monster movies ever made!  The Thing from Another World will be at The Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) through January 12 in GLORIOUS 35mm!!  This is a smart monster movie, full of iconic moments, snappy dialog, one hell of a leading lady AND the first full body stunt burn ever filmed!  DO NOT MISS THIS!!  Showtimes have yet to be announced, so check back here, or at The Academy Theater website, later in the month for more details.

Krampus (2015)

Unless it's a retelling of A Christmas Carol, modern holiday films tend to follow a pretty standard pattern.  The hero has their Christmas spirit put to the test by relatives or a greedy Scrooge-like character.  Just as their feelings of holiday joy are crushed, something happens to renews their faith and the film ends with a rousing carol.  And Krampus follows this template for the most part, adding demonic toys, homicidal cookies and firearms to the mix.  In short, a perfect Horror-days movie.

If you doubt this is a holiday horror film,

let me introduce the film's giant jack-in-the-box.

The film opens on a scene of seasonal chaos, as shoppers invade a store like fast moving zombies.  People are knocked over and trampled, security personnel gleefully tase the most unruly of the bunch, and everyone lines up at the registers with a look of buyers remorse at the thought of next month's credit card bill.

In all the surrounding holiday mayhem, Max (Emjay Anthony) is trying to hold onto his Christmas spirit.  And though he no longer believes in Santa, he's composed a letter to the jolly old elf.  But his faith is crumbling, and it just takes one holiday dinner with his relatives to break him.  Max tears up the letter and throws it out his bedroom window.

Well, that wasn't the smartest thing to do, as a blizzard rolls in, knocking out power and isolating the family.  They soon discover the neighbors have vanished and something is stalking them.  As his family is attacked by monstrous holiday manifestations, Max realizes he is being punished by the demon Krampus for losing his Christmas spirit.  As his family is carried into the blizzard by Krampus' minions, Max sets out to face the demon and save his family.

That does not sound like eight tiny reindeer.

Yes, the Krampus legend is changed, but it works for the film.  Had the Christmas demon stayed true to his roots, and Max's family been deserving of punishment, the story would be little more than a holiday version of Friday the 13th.  Instead, by making Max the cause of the attack, the audience sympathizes with his family members and becomes concerned for their safety.  It also sets up the idea that Max might be able to rekindle his holiday spirit and end the demon's reign of terror.

While Krampus is considered a horror comedy, it's more intense than one might expect.  Writer/director Michael Dougherty (Trick 'r Treat) seems intent on scaring the audience once the mayhem starts.  Though the film does have some humorous moments in the first act, especially during the steroidal shopping spree, once people start vanishing, the humor tends to disappear as well.

And unlike other holiday monsters like the creatures in Gremlins, the monsters in Krampus are not funny.  Sure, the CGI gingerbread men might evoke a few laughs, the practical effects crew created some pretty frightening monsters.  And the cast does a terrific job of conveying the terror of watching loved ones being dragged away by the creatures.

You ate my best friend, you bastard!

As for the titular creature, Krampus looks terrifying.  The creature isn't a stuntman in body makeup and horns, but an otherworldly presence befitting a demon described as the shadow of St. Nicholas.  Aside from a few CGI shots early in the film, Dougherty slowly revels the demon, framing his shots to keep its full appearance a mystery till the end of the film.  This approach also hides any limitations inherent in the puppet.  By showing less early on, Krampus ends up being scarier than you might expect.

All I want for Christmas is.....

TO LIVE!

The cast is wonderful.  Anthony and the other child actors are quite good.  Adam Scott and Toni Collette (Max's parents) are convincing as they struggle to mend their stagnant relationship.  And Allison Tolman and David Koechner keep the Hummer-driving, gun-toting relatives from becoming mere stereotypes.  It's a pleasant change of pace from the standard portrayal of such family members, making the audience care for them and fear for their safety.

The script is fine, but the finale feels weak.  Dougherty attempted to have an ending that fit the dark tone of the script without being dire enough to upset a mainstream audience.  Though the resulting conclusion might have been a wise move for the commercial viability of the film, it's not a satisfying finish, as it leaves the fate of the family somewhat unresolved.  

Given a theatrical release in early December of 2015, Krampus performed above expectations, earning back it's budget on its opening weekend.  And it was second at the box office, behind the finale of The Hunger Games.  Yet for some reason, its success didn't prod another studio to release a holiday horror films to theaters this year. Perhaps we might find something slotted between the blockbusters flooding the multiplexes in 2017.

Krampus is a fun, scary horror-day film fans will want to add to their seasonal movie collection.  It might not knock any of the classics from the top of your list, but it's a great way to spend a cold winter evening with your family.

Ah, Krampus brings the cutest toys!

Happy Holidays from The Shadow Over Portland!

Happy Holidays to all Northwest Horror Fans!  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, or a holiday I haven't mentioned, may your celebration be festive and the New Year be kind to you all.

In the spirit of sharing, here's my favorite version of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  Yes, the short animated tale is Christmas-centric, but Dicken's commentary on humanity's ability to be uncaring towards others, regardless of the time of the year, isn't glossed over in this adaptation.  And it remains a ghost story with some pretty creepy images, which is rather surprising as the executive producer is Chuck Jones, better known for his Looney Tunes work.  Also, it features the voice of Alastair Sim as Scrooge!

Enjoy with your family and friends, if you like.  And once again, Happy Holidays from The Shadow Over Portland!