rts Culture
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010
The Clackamas Print 7
fans yell out the fractional chant “IAI” replicating the writings of H.P. Lovecraft during the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival at the Hollywood Theatre on
.After 15 years of bringing dark and deranged entertainment to the Northwest, the festival may be on hiatus next year.
y Jaime Dunkle
News Editor
(is not dead which can eter-
pith strange aeons even death
[P. Lovecraft,
[Nameless City”
limed horror writer H.P.
I has developed enough of
lowing to have festivals cel-
Kname; TheH.P.Lovecraft
Lal showcases films, com-
k visual art, and more based
[archaic author’s particular
¡aesthetic, which is common-
|dtoas Lovecraftian.
historic Hollywood Theatre
[th East Sandy Boulevard in
hosted the HPLFF. The
[fest ran from Friday, Oct 1,
pay, Oct 3.
p I caught the entire event,
Id only make it to the Sunday
Several people told me the
ps of short films' I didn’t
t exceptional, so I’m certain
»out on some quick qual
m-thrillers. I also missed the
pay aspect of the event,
called CthulhuCon. I wasn’t wor
ried because I prefer the progenitors;
I’m not into current horror authors.
Besides, listening to people read for
extended periods is boring, at least I
think so.
After running the H.P. Lovecraft
Film Fest for 15 years, founder and
festival director .Andrew Migliore is
stepping down. The 2010 festival was
the last fest he will direct, at least for
now.
‘It’s a lot of work. When I was
doing it full time, it was different,
but fee banking crisis in 2008 basi
cally left me without a credit line and
it became harder,” Migliore said. ‘1
ended up this last year having to get a
‘real job,’ so I ended up going back to
programming computers.”
Migliore said that although he
won’t be fee festival director anymore,
he intends to be actively involved
with any future festivals to ensure the
preservation of his original vision.
Indie filmmaker and writer Aaron
Vanek, a longtime friend of Migliore,
will continue directing the HPLFF
in Los Angeles. However, Portland’s
future is still undecided.
“The only problem in Portland
is finding someone equivalent, or
a group of people who are gonna
be able to take care of it and build
an organization that will continue to
grow and be successful,” Migliore
said.
Jon Ho, a student at fee Oregon
College of Oriental Medicine, was
working as a volunteer at the event
He did everything from stage set-up to
checking people at the door. Festival
shirts sold out fee first night of fee
three day event, according to Ho.
Later on, I asked someone handling
official merchandise and confirmed
that they were taking back orders.
' WhenTaskedTora film recom
mendation, Ho emphatically suggest
ed I catch an Australian horror film
called “Primal.”
“It had teef,” Ho said. “Spell that
wife an ‘F.’”
“Primal” did indeed have teeth!
I only caught fee last half of fee
movie, at fee very end of fee festival.
I walked out of “Re-Animator The
Musical,” which was hokey thespian
psychobabble, to watch it I could
tell fee Australian bloodbath was a
clever flick. The gore effects were
well done, and the monsters were
genuinely frightening. From what I
saw, it was about a group of people
on some desolate island full of hungry
cave-dwelling octopus demons and
bloodthirsty zombies.
“The Unnamable II: The Statement
Of Randolph Carter” was the first
film I saw. I had previously seen “The
Unnamable” years ago, and I recalled
it being corny and goofy. The sequel
was campy, but not as awful. The
audience found it amusing, and many
of us were laughing in unison.
The second thing I watched was
Shorts Block 3, introduced by an
onscreen art show with Coil as the
soundtrack One painting was espe
cially morbid. A boy and his dog
sfood in mutual decay wife nasal cav
ities and jawbones visible. It mocked
the style of vintage photography.
The short films were diverse.
Some were funny, witty, gory, imagi
native, or just plain awful. The fun
niest short was “At the Reefers of
Madness” by Brian Clement Itplayed
off fee gratuitous violence induced by
marijuana as portrayed in its. 1938
exploitation predecessor, “Reefer
Madness.” The film “A Tell-Tale
Heart” by Michael Swertfager was
an impressive CGI take of a famous
Edgar Allan Poe short story. During
a Q&A, Swertfager told fee audience
he wanted to add another minute
and a half, but it would have taken
two to three months! “Dagon” by
Michael Chase was a grim, abstract
animation with subtle mystical ele
ments. “Effulgence” was terrible. The
storyline, camera work, and acting
were all vapid attempts at failed cin
ematography.
“Eater” by Stuart Gordon, fee
director of one of the most famous
Lovecraft films, “Re-Animator,” was
the next movie on my list Gordon told
the audience that “Eater” was entered
into NBC’s “Fear Itself’ horror series.
The plot was good, and fee filmmak
ing looked great The cannibalistic
villain was scary. The blood spatter
scenes gave fee movie an ominous
touch. I’d watch it again. I still have
no idea why Gordon followed such
a cool film with that “Re-Animator:
The Musical” comball crap. I almost
wished I had caught the first half of
“Primal” instead.
Even though I spent more than
eight hours away from homework,
I’m happy I sat through all of those
films. I hope the HPLFF finds a way
to manifest in fee Northwest again
next year. If it does, I recommend
planning ahead to avoid missing out
on the overlapping films and read
ings.
Visit wwwhplfilmfestival.com for
updates on the festival’s future.
bming soon: 24-Hour Story Jam
By Kyle Smith
The Clackamas Print
Bok. up on the stage! It’s a bird! It’s a
BiNo, it’s Scott McCloud! That’s right,
■legendary cartoonist and comics theo-
Bis coming to Clackamas Community
Bge, and he’s bringing his 24-Hour
B'Jam with him.
Be Story Jam is a creative workshop
Bn with the goal of producing a fin-
Bproject within a 24-hour time span.
■Students who attend McCloud’s lecture
■Id expect to be entertained, enlightened
■ultimately challenged to think about how
Bake and experience art in the new mil-
B<” Trevor Dodge,- English instructor
Blackamas Community College, stated
Bh-mail. “Those who sign up and com
mit creative workshops in letter press-
Btomics or video can expect to chart
Bea from beginning to conclusion and
B Saturday evening having produced
B’shed piece of their own design and
Btion."
Be event starts in Gregory Forum on
BK at 6 p.m. on Friday the 15th and
[until 10 p.m., at which time it will
Rn for the night and resume at 9 a.m.
on Saturday the 16th ending that evening
at 6 p.m.
Scott McCloud’s talk and the 24-Hour
Story Jam is free to attend for current CCC
students.
To register, contact Kate Gray in the
English Department or attend the event
Friday night, as registration sheets will be
at the door.
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