Here's some ways to beat the summer heat

First off, I want to thank everyone for the responses to my last post.  I try to keep my personal issues separate from the site, but last week was just hell and I had to vent.  Thank you all for listening and for your support. 

As for the coming week, it's looking like summer is back.  Temperatures in Portland will be pretty warm, and I'm assuming it will be the same for the rest of the Pacific Northwest.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the fall weather to return.

What it feels like when I leave my place in the afternoon.

Lucky for you, this edition of the Weekly Update has plenty of ways for you to stay cool while enjoying some great Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy fare.  If you're in the Portland area and want to get outside, I've got details on the Coraline Curious Cat Trail down below.  Just bring along plenty of water.

Also below, you'll find opportunities to apply for work at various haunted attractions during THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!  I hope to have more posted next week, or you can visit the Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Calendar later in the week, as I'll be adding all the opportunities there first.  

I also hope to get more future events on the site that I've found, but haven't added yet, as I just didn't have the time.  Check the calendar out later in the week to see if I succeed in that quest!

That's all I have for now.  Stay safe, keep hydrated, and I'll be back next weekend with another Weekly Update from The Shadow Over Portland!

Happening This Week

Live Attractions 

Area 51 Encounter, an interactive event exploring the history of non-human visitors, opens today at the Fox Tower (710 SW Yamhill St in Portland, OR).  The exhibit is open through Monday, September 2.

The cats are out!  Laika Studios commemorates the 15th anniversary of their film Coraline with Coraline's Curious Cat Trail, with 30 six-foot-tall cat sculptures placed throughout downtown Portland.  The cats are hand-painted by local artist and will eventually be auctioned off, with proceeds going to OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital.  The link gets you to the KGW article, which didn't include dates when published.  Here's a link to a recent story from KOIN.

Hidden Worlds: The Films of LAIKA is open at the Museum of Pop Culture (located in the Seattle Center; 325 5th Ave N in Seattle, WA).  The exhibit features never-before-seen artifacts from the Laika production studios, immersive set displays, character interactive and a sneak peek at the studio's next feature, Wildwood.  The exhibit will close after Sunday, August 11.

Film Festival and Stage Performance Submission Information 

Frighthouse Station (626 E 25th St in Tacoma, WA) is holding auditions for this year's haunted attraction on Saturday, August 17 and 24.  Visit the link for details (you MUST fill out an intent form before the audition).

ScareGrounds PDX (7805 SE Oaks Park Way in Portland, OR) is hiring for this year's haunted attraction.  Click on the link for details.

Nightmare Factory (which takes place at the Oregon School for the Deaf, located at 999 Locust St NE in Salem, OR) is looking for volunteers for the 2024 season.  Contact the emails on the above poster for volunteer forms.

The Bleedingham Film Festival is taking submissions through September 28.  The festival will take place from Friday, October 25, to Sunday, October 27, at the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA).

The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon is accepting submissions for the Annual Lovecraftian Microfiction contest.  Stories must be 500 words or less, and be in the cosmic horror, Lovecraftian and Weird Tale genre.  Deadline is Friday, August 9.  Visit the link for details.

The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon is accepting submissions for the 2024 festival in Portland, OR.  Visit the link above for all the details, as there are multiple deadlines (the final one is on August 13 for limited films).

The 16th Annual Guignolfest 72 Hour Horror Film Contest is taking applications for 2024 now.  You can also watch the trailer on YouTube, and follow the event on Facebook.

The Northwest Flying Saucer Film Festival returns to McFiler's Chehalis Theater (558 N Market Blvd in Chehalis, WA) this September, and will begin accepting submissions of UFO themed shorts, documentaries, animations or music videos from Northwest filmmakers on January 1.  Deadline is August 18, 2024.

August, 2024

Happening This Week

The conclusion to Ti West's X trilogy, MaXXXine, starring Mia Goth, is playing at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8).

Longlegs, the horror film written and directed by Osgood Perkins (Anthony Perkins eldest son) and starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, is playing at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Living Room Theaters (341 SW 10th Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Metro Cinema (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway St NE in Salem, OR; scheduled through Monday, August 5), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 8),  Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, Wednesday, August 7), the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), Studio One (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Ark Lodge Cinemas (; scheduled through Sunday, August 4), and the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8.

Repmageddon; Week Two is taking place at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), with screenings of Tank Girl, From Beyond, the original Godzilla, The Cat, and the Nicholas Cage version of The Wicker Man.  Visit the link for showtimes.

Twin Peep Show- A Cabaret of Secrets, a tribute to David Lynch, cabaret and Seattle in the 90s, is on stage at The Triple Door (216 Union St in Seattle, WA).  The show runs through Sunday, August 4 and is for audiences 17 and older.

The ultra-gory, over-the-top AWESOME Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is playing at The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) through Sunday, August 4.  The Friday and Sunday screenings will be presented in the original Cantonese with English subtitles, with the Saturday showing featuring the "infamously silly" English dub.

Studio Ghibli's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is playing at The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 8).

Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away is playing at The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA; scheduled through Wednesday, August 7).

M. Night Shyamalan's new psychological thriller Trap is playing at the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the St Johns Twin Cinema (8704 N Lombard St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Metro Cinemas (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), Studio One (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 8), and the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, August 8).

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) is showing the 1956 sci fi classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers (in GLORIOUS 35mm) on Sunday, August 4, at 2 pm.

Fathom Events brings Studio Ghibli's Ponyo back to theaters nationwide through Wednesday, August 7.  Visit the link to find a theater near you, and to find which screenings are subtitled and which are dubbed.

The Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre (508 S Main St in Moscow, ID) will show the Steven Spielberg classic Jaws on Sunday, August 4, at 4 and 7 pm.

Sunday, August 4

Wyrd War presents a fantasy double feature tonight at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR), starting with the Oregon theatrical premier of Weston Razzooli's 2023 film Riddle of Fire (in GLORIOUS 35mm), followed by Frog Dreaming (AKA The Quest), with director Brian Trenchard-Smith in attendance.  Doors open at 5 pm for Wryd War's Dungeon Market, with the first film starting at 7 pm. 

The Creepy Critters Late Late Show takes place at Escape Bar and Grill (9004 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) tonight at 9:30 pm.  Admission to this 21 and older event is FREE, but donations are accepted to support the cast.

Tilman Singer's (Luz) latest horror film, Cuckoo, will screen in GLORIOUS 35mm at SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) tonight at 8 pm. 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will screen an English dubbed version of Kiki's Delivery Service today at noon.

A 4k restoration of the animated sci fi film The Time Masters, presented in French with English subtitles, is screening at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) today at 2:30 pm, and on Monday, August 5, at 7 pm.  Be aware, this was directed by visionary sci fi animator Rene Laloux (Fantastic Planet), so it might not be suitable for younger viewers.  Just saying...

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will present an encore screening of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining tonight at 9:45 pm.

Flash!  A-AH!  Yeah, now that song's stuck in your head, but it prepares you for the screening of the camp classic Flash Gordon at 2 pm today, and on Wednesday, August 7, at 6 pm, at the Tracyton Movie House (1520 NE Riddell Rd in Bremerton, WA).

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) is showing Damian McCarthy's (Caveat) supernatural film Oddity, about a blind medium uncovering the truth behind his sister's death with the help of a wooden mannequin (oh, I'm sure that will end well), tonight at 7 pm, with a final screening on Tuesday, August 6, at 9:30 pm.

Monday, August 5

AGFA August continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with a restoration of The Last Slumber Party, based on the film's 16mm camera negative and VHS tape masters, tonight at 7 pm.

Church of Film brings the Toho horror film Matango (Attack of the Mushroom People), directed by Ishiro Honda, to the Dream House (412 NE Beech St in Portland, OR).  Admission is FREE.

Tuesday, August 6

The Portland Film Festival Monthly Indie Film Night at McMenamins Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR) presents a night of horror with the short film Beltane and the feature length film Moon Garden.  Doors open at 6 pm, films start at 7 pm.  A Q and A will follow the screenings.

The CMNYK Sci-Fi Extravaganza brings The Mad Monster to the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR) tonight at 7 pm.  Be aware, heckling is encouraged.  Preshow starts at 6:15 pm.

The 2003 remake of Willard, staring Crispin Glover is playing at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) tonight at 7 pm.

The Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre (508 S Main St in Moscow, ID) will show Robert Eggers' The VVitch tonight at 7 pm.

Wednesday, August 7

Church of Film brings a night of Soviet Sci Fi Animation to the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) tonight at 7 pm.

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) is showing the cult classic Donnie Darko tonight at 9:30 pm.

AGFA August continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with a newly restored screening of She Freak, a reworking of Tod Browning's Freaks, tonight at 6:45 pm.

AGFA August continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with H. G. Lewis' classic, first ever splatter film Blood Feast tonight at 9 pm. 

The 1994 classic The Crow is playing at SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA) tonight at 6 pm.  Wear your best goth garb for a chance to win The Crow-themed prizes.

Thursday, August 8

Thursday Night Terror at the 99W Drive-In (3110 Portland Rd in Newberg, OR) delivers a John Carpenter double feature, screening The Thing and They Live tonight starting at 9 pm.  Gates open at 6 pm.

AGFA August continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with a restoration (from the original 16mm camera negative) of Attack of the Beast Creatures tonight at 9 pm.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is playing at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) tonight at 7 pm.  Just don't get your hopes up for a final film.

2021's Dune: Part One is playing at the Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA) tonight at 8 pm.

Tilman Singer's (Luz) latest horror film, Cuckoo, is playing at Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 15), and the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, August 15).

Tommy Wiseau's Big Shark, with actor Greg Sestero introducing the film and sitting for a Q and A, is playing at 7 pm tonight at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC).

Friday, August 9

Ghosts of Summer 3: Nightmare in Portland takes place today and tomorrow at The Redd (831 SE Salmon St in Portland, OR) from 7 pm to midnight.  Tickets for this summertime Halloween festival and market are available online or at the door.  Follow them on Facebook for details on upcoming events.

The Steven Spielberg classic Jaws is playing at Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Wednesday, August 14).

Saturday, August 10

SPACE: The Drag Show takes place tonight6 at 6 pm at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) tonight at 6 pm.  Doors open at 5 pm, with a pre-show outdoor makers fair taking place at 4 pm.

Sunday, August 11

HEY YOU GUYS!  Tacky Wacky Inc presents Cult of! The Goonies: A Goonies Tribute Drag Show at 7 pm tonight at the Atlantis Lounge (3552 N Mississippi Ave in Portland, OR).  Advance ticket purchases are recommended for this 21 and older show.

The Deep Cuts podcast, hosted by Evan J. Peterson and Morgue Anne, will screen the cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space, followed by a live discussion at The Rendezvous Seattle (2318 2nd Ave in Seattle, WA).  Doors open at 5 pm, screening starts at 5:30 pm, and the discussion starts at 7:30 pm.  All proceeds will be donated to Scarecrow Video.

The Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) is showing Steven Spielberg's classic Jaws today at 3 pm (with English subtitles) and 7 pm.