Well, this has been a hellish week!

I'm not kidding, it's been a week where I wanted to just stay in bed and hide from the world.  And I should have listened to its siren call, as my bed just wants to wrap its covers around me and keep me warm.

 Fortunately, it hasn't tried to eat me...  Yet.

I worked the entire week with a strained back muscle (which is much better now), and as the day job involves a lot of lifting, I had to get a bit creative on moving things.   I also ended up having to stay late a few nights, and was called in early on Friday.  Add to all that, the stem on my bicycle's rear tire fell apart as I was pump up the tire, so been riding the bus for the past two days.  And some of the passengers can be, well, a bit interesting, shall we say.  Yeah, this week made hiding from the world in a Death Bed feel like a good option.

So I'm sorry this edition of the Weekly Update is late, but I promise it's worth checking out.  I've found some great events for Pacific Northwest Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Fans that will brighten your week.

As always, I've been updating the Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Calendar, and have more to add over the next few days, so keep checking back!

Well, back to the day job I go.  Hoping to get out on time tonight, but not holding my breath.  Stay safe and I'll be back next week with another update from The Shadow Over Portland.

Happening This Week

Live Attractions 

Squatchcon 2024, the Olympic Peninsula cosplay, comic, gaming and fan culture event, takes place through Sunday, March 24, at the Vern Burton Community Center (308 E 4th St in Port Angeles, WA).  

The Oregon Ghost Conference takes place through Sunday at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center (415 First Ave in Seaside, OR).  Events include a screening of A Flash of Beauty: Paranormal Bigfoot  at the Times Theatre and Public House (Tickets are $18).  Visit the link for more details.

Wyrd War kicks off the March Into Fantasy wraps up on Saturday, March 23 at Wyrd War Gallery (3505 NE Broadway in Portland, OR) for a showing and meeting with fantasy artist Richard Hescox from 4 to 7 pm.  Then, the Hollywood Theatre will screen French multimedia artist Erang's Another World, Another Time, followed by Charles Band's The Dungeonmaster in GLORIOUS 35mm.

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 be open through Summer 2024.

Back in Theaters

The sci fi/rom com/drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is playing at the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA; scheduled through Monday, March 25).

The sci fi dystopian film Children of Men is playing  is playing at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) tonight and tomorrow night at 7 pm, and at 4:30 pm on Monday and Wednesday, March 25 and 27.

Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated feature, The Boy and the Heron, is playing at McMenamin Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, March 28).  Please check the link to find out when the dubbed or subtitled version is playing.

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show the subtitled version on Saturday, March 23, at 2:45 pm, and the dubbed version on Sunday, March 31.

The Sprocket Society brings back The Saturday Secret Matinee to The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) running through Saturday, March 30.  Every show starts with an episode of the serial Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, followed by a secret classic feature, all in GLORIOUS 16mm.  And yes, you can purchase a series pass.  Check the link for hints of the features to be shown.

The Olympia Film Society Kids Club is showing Jim Henson/Frank Oz feature The Dark Crystal at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE in Olympia, WA) on Sunday, March 23, and 31 at 1 pm.  Kids under 12 are admitted FREE. 

First Run Features  

The Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) will screen the found footage horror film Late Night with The Devil (scheduled through Tuesday, March 26), The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Thursday, March 28), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Tuesday, March 26), and the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, March 28).

The psychological horror film Immaculate opens tonight at the Metro Cinema (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, March 28), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, March 28) and the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, March 28).

The latest Blumhouse horror film, Imaginary, is playing at the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, March 27).

Okay, this sounds too weird not to include on the site.  Mike Chelsik and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews (Lake Michigan Monster) latest film, Hundreds of Beavers, about a drunken applejack salesman becoming a hero during a supernatural winter by trapping hundreds of beavers (take a look at the poster and imagine the Looney Tunes possibilities), is playing at the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR; scheduled through Thursday, March 28).  The film will also play on Sunday, March 24, at the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC), and the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) at 2 pm. And the PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater (3530 SE Division St in Portland, OR) will show the film on Saturday, March 23, at 4 pm (doors open at 3:30 pm), with musician Jet Black Pearl performing a live looped accordion set.

The film will be shown at 7:45 pm on Thursday, March 28, at the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA), and opens on Friday, March 29, at the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway St NE in Salem, OR; showtimes TBA), and on Friday, April 5, at SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Friday, April 12.  Please visit the link for showtimes, as it's not continuously playing).

Poor Things, based on Alasdair Gray's novel about a young woman who is resurrected after her suicide to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery and sexual liberation, is playing the Metro Cinemas (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, March 27).

The Make Believe Seattle Film Festival

The Make Believe Seattle Film Festival takes place through Tuesday, March 26 at three different locations.  Visit the Facebook Page or the link above for more details.  Passes are on sale now.

March Monster Madness Festival

March Monster Madness opens at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) opens with screenings of the 1954 kanji classic Godzilla on Monday and Thursday, March 25 and 28.

March Monster Madness continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with Jordan Peele's NOPE playing on Wednesday March 27.

March Monster Madness continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with the found footage monster movie Cloverfield on Friday, March 29.

March Monster Madness continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with David Cronenberg's The Fly on Tuesday, March 26.

March Monster Madness continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with the 1990 monster classic Tremors on Wednesday, March 27. 

March Monster Madness continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with the South Korean monster movie The Host on Saturday, March 30.

March Monster Madness continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with Peter Jackson's King Kong on Saturday, March 23.

March Monster Madness continues at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim on Tuesday, March 26.

Film Festival Submission Information 

 

I'm a little late on this one, but you have until April 2 to submit your horror short of feature to the Portland Horror Film Festival, taking place Wednesday, June 5, to Sunday, June 9, at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) and the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR).  Visit this link to learn how to submit your film.

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 1 for limited films).

The 16th Annual Guignolfest 72 Hour Horror Film Contest is taking applications for 2024 now.  Visit the link for details.

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.

March, 2024

Friday, March 22

Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise  is playing at The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) tonight and tomorrow night at 9:30 pm.

The fantasy rom/com Splash is playing tonight at 7 pm, and tomorrow at 2 pm, at the Egyptian Theatre (229 S Broadway in Coos Bay, OR).

Saturday, March 23

The Denton Delinquents brings The Rocky "Horror Icons" Show to the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) tonight, with doors opening at 9 pm.  It's a shadow cast of the cult classic, but each performer will be dressed as a well-known Icon of Horror.

The cult classic Tank Girl is playing at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR) tonight at 7 pm.

Monday, March 25

The Feminist March 2024 series at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) presents Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien disguised as a human woman praying on men in Scotland, tonight at 7 pm.

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will screen the 1976 remake King Kong tonight at 9:30 pm.

Tuesday, March 26

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

The Grindhouse Film Festival series at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) presents the cult classic 1983 low-budget monster movie The Deadly Spawn in GLORIOUS 35mm tonight at 7:30 pm.

Fathom Events brings Winne-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (Electric Boogaloo?) to theaters nationwide through Thursday, March 28.  Visit the link to find a theater near you.

Wednesday, March 27

The Feminist March 2024 series at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) brings to Re-Run Theater an episode from the Saturday morning series The Secrets of Isis, an episode from the animated series Jem and the Holograms, and an episode of the 1970's live action Wonder Woman series, with Lynda Carter rocking a special superhero skateboard outfit in GLORIOUS 16mm.  It all starts at 7:30 pm.

The Whiteside Theatre (361 SW Madison Ave in Corvallis, OR) is showing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade tonight at 7 pm.

Thursday, March 28

March Monster Madness concludes at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St in Seattle, WA) with a screening of one of the films voted on by you!  Visit the link to vote for your favorite from the line up.  The film will start at 7:30 pm.

AND THE WINNER IS:  Destroy All Monsters.

Portland visual artist Eatcho and musician Roman Norfleet join forces to perform an original live score to the 1995 horror anthology Tales from the Hood at 7 pm tonight at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SE Clinton St in Portland, OR).

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire opens tonight at SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave N in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Thursday, April 11), the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, April 4), the Liberty Theatre (315 NE 4th Ave in Camas, WA; scheduled through Thursday, April 4), the Metro Cinemas (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, April 4), the St Johns Twin Cinema (8704 N Lombard St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, April 4), Studio One (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, April 4), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, April 4), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, April 4), and the North Bend Theatre (125 Bendigo Blvd N in North Bend, OR; scheduled through Sunday, April 7).

The film opens on Friday, March 29, at The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA; scheduled through Thursday, April 4). 

Weird Elephant at The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA) will screen Dario Argento's horror classic Suspiria tonight and tomorrow night at 10 pm.

Friday, March 29

Funhouse Lounge (2432 SE 11th Ave in Portland, OR) presents Burwesque! A Wisque Cewebwation of The Pwincess Bwide (I think that drove my Spellchecker insane) tonight and tomorrow at 10 pm, and on Sunday, March 31, at 7 pm.

Cross-Faded Cinema with DJ Nicfit invites you to become "One of us!  One of us!" at 7 pm tonight at the Here-After (2005 1st Ave in Seattle, WA; enter through the alley).  Doors open at 6 pm.  This is a 21 and older show.

The OMSI Sci-Fi Film Festival opens today in the OMSI Empirical Theater (1945 SE Water Ave in Portland, OR) and runs through (checks the site) holy Cthulhu, Thursday, May 23!  Nope, not listing everything, but I will say the selections are pretty strong.  '78's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, three films from John Carpenter, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, '53's The War of the Worlds,  and the festival ends with a screening of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga!  All on the Empirical Theater's four-story screen!!  Visit the link for all the details.

Staff Picks Spring 2024 at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) include Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula (playing on Friday, March 29, and Thursday, April 4) and the zombie flick Wild Zero (playing on Friday, March 29, and Tuesday, April 2).

Brian De Palma's sci fi film Mission to Mars is playing at 7 pm tonight at the Egyptian Theatre (229 S Broadway in Coos Bay, OR).

Saturday, March 30

DC in Concert brings 1989's Batman  to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1037 SW Broadway in Portland, OR) with a live symphony performing the score, tonight at 8 pm.

The A24 horror film Bodies Bodies Bodies is playing at 7 pm tonight at the Clinton Street Theater (2522 SW Clinton St in Portland, OR).

John Carpenter's sci fi/horror film The Thing is playing at 7 pm tonight at the Egyptian Theatre (229 S Broadway in Coos Bay, OR).

Sunday, March 31

The PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater (3530 SE Division St in Portland, OR) will show Ari Aster's Midsommar tonight at 7 pm.  Doors open at 6:30 pm, and you can make a flower crown before the movie starts.