[Event Review] Portland Horror Film Festival

The Hollywood Theater, where the Portland Horror Film Festival is held, is one of the city’s most beloved institutions. With a grand marquee and a gorgeous exterior, the theater is host to many festivals, 70 mm film releases, and other celebrations of cinema and the joy it brings. Festival directors Gwen and Brian Callahan are also the directors of the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, boasting over 20 years of independent film. 

For the second year, Portland Horror Film Festival has worked around the pandemic, and for the 2021 season there was a well-curated collection of short and feature films offered through both in-personal theatrical screenings and virtual streaming. Always adhering to recommended in-person safety precautions, Gwen and Brian filled The Hollywood Theater with excited filmmakers and fans, including trailers for the feature-length films and a filmmaker Q&A after each block. 

The feature selections were impressive, including films from all over the world. Documentary entry The Horror Crowd offered the genre-lover an inside look at the Hollywood horror community. Directed by veteran actor Ruben Pla, the film features stories and insight from some of the most beloved horror icons as well as newly established talent, including Lin Shea, Brea Grant, Darren Lynn Bousman, and many, many more. Red Snow from director Sean Nichols Lynch is a cold-weather vampire story that feels more familiar than groundbreaking but does have entertaining performances that don’t disappoint. Alex Galvin’s The Turn of the Screw, inspired by the classic novella from Henry James, paranoia and doubt dominate the dress rehearsal of a stage production of the story as actress Julia (Greer Phillips) is called in as a last-minute replacement.  

As fun as the feature selections were, the Portland Horror Film Festival really pulled out all the stops in their short film curation. It is always a challenge to present a fully fleshed out story that thrills and chills, and this year’s short selections delivered in every way. 

The festival’s opening night offerings were some of my personal favorites. Portland-filmed Zombie Walk from director and star Rollyn Stafford succeeded in capturing a moment in time that all Portlanders remember. Through smoke-filled air from massive wildfires and city-wide unrest from protests and riots, a man and his zombie friend take an afternoon walk. She. Picked. Me. from Jason Wilkinson opens on a woman running from a psycho-killer and closes on a fun, original take on the ‘final girl’ trope. A mother is forced to accommodate her son’s alien appetite in Jean-Paul DiScisio’s Poor Glenna, with an outstanding performance from Ann Marie Shea this film straddles the line between horror and comedy, with one of the grossest, most horrific creatures to hit the festival screen. 

More fun was to be had in the nights following as undeniable love for the genre apparent throughout each screening. A fun documentary from John Campopiano explores the history of the lost Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made. From Thai filmmaker Jakkrapan Sriwichai’s Camper, about a writer who gets more than he signed for in a package delivery and quite possibly the scariest five minutes of the festival. 

Ashlea Wessel’s Weirdo feels like a proof of concept short as a troubled boy faces off against a cruel bully. Wessel has captured a feeling of dread that I, personally, would like to see extended into a feature length film, because the strangeness of the young star and grim imagery deserves more time to develop. The dream world takes front stage in Wonjae SONG’s Principle of a Nightmare, a funny and terrifying trip into the mind of a horror-fan’s mind while he sleeps.

In Monsieur Soeur’s sad and moving stop-motion entry Toll, a homeless man seeking shelter from a storm finds a strange shrine. Portland-filmed skater girl horror is my new favorite sub-genre with Mr. Salad’s Razor Tail, without any description, I encourage everyone to find this short and watch it. I was especially impacted by Craig Ouellette’s Strip, a gorgeous look at society’s attitude toward aging women, with a perfect balance of sex and gore. I sat down with Craig to discuss the film in a forthcoming interview for Ghouls Magazine. 

With a ton of films on the docket, the panel of judges for this year’s Portland Horror Film Festival has done an amazing job at selecting some of the most impressive, intriguing, and unique short films of the year. After a few dark years, one can really see the impulse of many filmmakers to offer more comedic and lighter horror fare, but there were a few dark and terrifying pieces in there as well. This is a film festival well worth the submission and admission fee. The respect the festivals directors have for the material is heart-warming, and the love we share for the genre will always be best experienced in a group setting, in a gorgeous theater, when possible, that is.

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