…And not just the one about breeding with monsters.
I grew up in Lovecraft country, born in Salem, Mass. (Arkham) and reared in Ipswich (Innsmouth), before leaving New England for the greener (sometimes greyer) pastures of Portland, Oregon in 1991. Since 1995, I’ve been enjoying, and increasingly involved in, Portland’s HP Lovecraft Film Festival. I remember going with Mike Mignola the very first time, just catching a few short films. The Festival has grown quite a lot over the years, and I’ve grown more involved, providing some comics for the Festival newspaper The Daily Lurker, and speaking on panels about horror comics and film adaptations of printed work.
This year it was looking like it was not going to happen—Festival founder Andrew Migliore had to focus on other things, so while some friends organized a fest in LA, Portland was going to have to go without.
Fortunately, Brian Callahan of Sigh Co. Graphics and Arkham Bazaar and Aaron Vanek (director, The Outsider, The Yellow Sign) and a group of likeminded HPL devotees have teamed up to keep the original Fest alive, with a scaled down show this weekend at Portland’s Hollywood Theatre on September 30 and October 1. From 7 PM to 11 PM each night, you can come by to catch independent features and short films, as well as the Mall of Cthulhu, full of unique vendors like the HP Lovecraft Historical Society, Sigh Co., and Strange Aeons Magazine, among others. And be sure to pick up a copy of The Daily Lurker, which serves as a program to the fest as well as a source of art, poetry, and essays in a Lovecraft vein.
The stripped down event won’t feature panels or readings, but it’ll still provide a place to hobnob with other horror fans and professionals, so come be a part of the community. On Friday, the HP Lovecraft Historical Society presents Whisperer in the Darkness, a new film by Sean Branney and Andrew Leman. On Saturday, Huan Vu will present his feature film Die Farbe, a German adaptation of Lovecraft’s “A Colour Out of Space.” The filmmakers of both features will be there for Q&A’s, and there’s also a block of shorts each night. Andrew Migliore, the man who started HPLFF, will be there as well, happy to enjoy the festivities, rather than having the full weight of it sitting on him.
More details on the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival website and Facebook page.
Please come by—I’ll be lurking.
Scott Allie is a writer and editor at Dark Horse Comics. You can follow him on Twitter.
