Our beloved local Portland Horror Film Festival has announced its feature film roster for 2021. And for ONE MORE DAY, you can get the Patron of Horror Pass that gets you all of the fantastic swag that PHFF is famous for! The festival is doing a hybrid streaming and theatrical event this year, and you can pick and choose how you want to see the movies.
It’s almost here! The fantastic Portland Horror Film Festival had to wait a bit this year as arrangements with the Hollywood Theater had to be worked out as we come out of the COVID-19 restrictions. This year’s theme is “The Season of Our Renewal” in a Midsommar motif, which is particularly apropos as we emerge from our pandemic cocoons.
The Scariest Things, once again, is proud to be a sponsor for this event, and if you hurry (The Patron Packages are on sale until July 20) you can still get one of the Patron of Horror Packages, which not only gets you access to the films but also their as-always amazing tee shirts and lanyards. If you aren’t a local, no worries! You can get a full streaming package as well as in-person screenings. Only interested in the theatrical screenings? You can do that too!
And, if you caught this too late, don’t fret. Regular individual tickets for both the theatrical and screening events will be made available soon.
Of course, you might ask yourself, what movies are they showing this year? There are NINE feature films this year, with offerings from the USA, Sweden, New Zealand, and two from Malaysia. Is Malaysia going to follow in Indonesia’s footsteps with some of the best horror movies being made? Come and find out!
PHFF’S FEATURE FILM ROSTER
Greywood’s Plot (USA)
After finding a tape of what appears to be a monster, two friends journey into the woods to uncover if the video was a hoax.
Mareld (Sweden)
In the Summer of 2018, a film team went out to the Stockholm archipelago to film a horror film where the scenes were improvised in chronological order, keeping the cast in the dark about the story. But, what happens behind the scenes may be the real horror! Blending beautiful cinematography with behind-the-scenes documentary film, this experimental feature blurs the boundary between fiction and reality.
Miimaland (Malaysia)
One by one, a group of people dies a horrible death after they visit and accepted the challenge to confront the evil spirit of the haunted ruins of MiiMaland.
Red River Road
A family of four isolating against a pandemic that spreads through the internet and disrupts your ability to perceive reality–often violently–begins to unravel when they suspect that one, or all of them, may be infected. Shot under Covid lockdown by one family serving as the entire cast and crew.
Red Snow (USA)
A struggling vampire romance novelist must defend herself against real-life vampires during Christmas in Lake Tahoe.
The Horror Crowd (USA)
A revealing, intimate documentary from veteran actor insider Ruben Pla, THE HORROR CROWD spotlights the Hollywood horror community, covering such wide-ranging topics as Women In Horror, Race Relations, Being The Weird Kid, Sparking The Imagination, Helping Each Other, and The Dark Side.
The Stairs (USA)
What started as a week-long adventure with friends quickly turns into a terrifying fight for survival in The Stairs. With each step away from civilization they are pulled deeper into the treacherous trap of the mountain terrain where they stumble upon a set of ominous stairs.
The Turn of the Screw (New Zealand)
Adaptation of Henry James’ ghost story set in a theatre over one evening. As Julia, a replacement actress, interacts with the other characters on stage and the story becomes increasingly terrifying, she begins to believe that not only is the fictitious story haunted, but also the real theater!
Zombie Infection – Belaban Hidup (Malaysia)
What starts off as a series of secretive biological experiments has distorted into a complete dystrophic state as Borneo Island is crippled by a zombie-like epidemic in the year 1999. It spreads so fast that it has reached a point of no return.
THE PHFF SHORT FILMS
Brian and Gwen Callahan have always delivered with well-curated shorts blocks, and this year is no different. There are an astounding 72 short films in this year’s program, including 11 world premiere films. A special shout-out to friend of the Podcast Jay Kay who is having his Pacific NW premiere at the festival for his short film [WIthin the Frame]. And, stay tuned… there might be more short films added to the schedule.
Rather than list them all, go to the Festival Films Page and take a look at the offerings. PHFF does a great job of offering up a mix of artistic, goofy, brutal, and melancholy shorts.
Come to the famous historic Hollywood Theater in NE Portland. The Portland Horror Film Festival will be one of the big opening events for the phoenix emergence from these dark times. And what better way to celebrate the end of dark days than watching horror movies with hundreds of your horror-loving sisters and brothers! The Scariest Things will be at the theater in person, so if you’re coming and want to hang out and talk horror, let us know!
We hope to see you there, and you can’t make it, you can stream it! And this year, PHFF has a Discord channel to do audience chat if you enjoy movie banter.