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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 2015)
GRAB BAG book shelf • glimpse • wildlife • pop culture • words • q&a • food • fun ~ a wicked ~ What’s your favorite scary movie? Staying in on Halloween doesn’t mean you can’t get your spook on. Coast Weekend rounded up experts from local video stores to offer some more recent film recommendations guaranteed to horrify your home theaters. This is Part Two of Two. By RYAN HUME a case of the Warrens, the real-life The Conjuring (2013) Rated R Recommended by Jenna Johnston Video Depot 575 S. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside 503-738-6095 The takeaway: This James Wan-directed horror flick is based on paranormal investigators whose me- dia-hyped forays into the supernatural (they were one of the first on the scene of what would become known as the Amityville haunting, which spawned its own film franchise) got a lot of ink in the ’60s and ’70s. Here, the Warrens are played soberly by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, but the real attraction are the elaborate tricks and supernatural scenarios that pump fresh blood into the haunted house genre. Recommended for: Anyone looking for a classic ghost story in 1970s wardrobe with some fresh chills thrown in. Surround sound is a plus. 1408 (2007) Rated PG-13 Recommended by Larry Gresham Nehalem Bay Video 733 Manzanita Ave., Manzanita 503-368-5538 The takeaway: As the current season of FX’s “American Horror Sto- BREWERY PICKS Coast Weekend has rounded up a few offerings from local breweries for you to check out this fall. This is Part Three of Three. Read, sip and savor. Cheers. Photo by Dwight Caswell North Jetty Brewing owners Erik and Michelle Svendsen with Seaview Autumn Blueberry Rye. Story and photos by Lynette Rae McAdams Hydnellum peckii Bleeding Hydnellum ry” would like to remind us, it’s not just houses that can be haunted; hotels too can have terrible pasts and a penchant for undoing their occupants. This chiller, based on a short story by Stephen King, stars John Cusack as a failed novelist who has turned to debunking haunted places for a paycheck. Samuel L. Jackson offers some atmosphere in the first act as the stern harbinger and hotel manager who implores Cusack’s Mike Enslin to not check in to the infamous room. But once the door shuts, this is Cusack’s show as he encounters all manner of psycho- logical spooks. Recommend for: You don’t have to be old enough to remember the boom box scene in “Say Anything” to enjoy this well-paced genre entry. The soaking rains and heavy autumn mists so com- mon to our coastline bring with them an abundance of fungi each year. Some are delectable treasures, prized by chefs and local foragers; others are deadly and poi- sonous. While the Bleeding Hydnellum won’t kill you, it’s not considered an edible mushroom (meaning: It tastes horrible, and will likely upset your stomach). That said, coming across one in the woods is still a pure delight. Known commonly as the Red-juice Tooth or Straw- berries and Cream, this mushroom’s most prominent feature lies in the beads of blood-red droplets that emerge from the fresh cap. Lovers of pine and spruce forests, they spring up from the ground within piles of tree needles and are very tough and fibrous. The un- derside of the cap has tooth- like spines (instead of gills or a spongey spore base), and as this species matures, its pale pink center becomes dark, almost black, in color. Fiber artists adore this mushroom for its ability to dye yarn; when harvested properly, it yields marvelous shades of blue and green. Araneus diadematus The Cross orbweaver spider Perhaps the most com- mon spider to appear in Northwest gardens, the Cross orbweaver is actually indig- enous to Northern Europe and likely arrived to North America during the age of exploration. Typically or- ange-brown or light yellow, it can also be dark gray, but its distinguishing character- istic is the mottled markings across its back, which are always accompanied by five or more white dots, forming what looks like a cross. The females are the largest and most noticeable of these spiders, making a strong pres- ence in gardens, open fields, and in the eaves of buildings from late summer through fall. Known for her beautiful, intricate webs, the orbweaver exudes spider silk from three pairs of “spinnerets” located at the tip of her abdomen. By day, she waits at the center of her web or at a nearby retreat post until a flying insect becomes ensnared. Once captured, she quickly wraps it in more silk to prepare it for exsanguination. Cross spiders are said to eat their webs every night, recycling any leftover bug bodies along with the silk, which is reabsorbed by the spider and turned into a fresh web by morning. Though quite unpleasant, the orbweaver’s bite is essen- tially harmless to humans. Picks and photos by DWIGHT CASWELL North Jetty Brewing North Jetty Brewing in Seaview, Washington has two seasonal of- ferings. Brewer Erik Svendsen says of their Seaview Autumn Blueberry Rye, “The rye gives it some spiciness that we use to balance out the 126 pounds of blueberry puree.” The beer has the aroma and some sweet- ness and flavor of blueberries plus caramel flavor from crystal malt. “It doesn’t scream fruit beer,” says Svendsen. “The blueberries are part of the whole, not out in front of it.” The other seasonal offering is the Graveyard of the Pacific Impe- rial Red Ale, a big beer with strong malt and caramel flavors to balance the hops. It’s made in collaboration with Heathen Brewing in Vancouver, Washington. Photo by Lynette Rae McAdams Photo by Lynette Rae McAdams This Bleeding Hydnellum mushroom, found in Ilwaco, Washington, is prized for its ability to dye yarn. A Cross orbweaver spider in Ocean Park, Washington, prepares to feast on a fly in its web. October 29, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 21