It wasn’t that long ago that i wrote about the Authentic feel of Grindhouse cinema being largely lost(https://doctorhavok.wordpress.com/2015/02/26/42nd-street-forever-bring-back-the-grindhouse/), and now Northwest Nightmares Entertainment decides to roll out a Festival tailor made for Doctor Havok! I’m egotistical as fuck, so I’m going to pretend the organisers are readers of mine and did this solely to please me, despite any and all improbability.
Due to scheduling conflicts, I was not able to take in the full festival, as I would have liked, so I had to pick carefully. Unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to catch anything on Saturday night because of my commitments to ECCW Wrestling, so that limited my viewing choices somewhat. Friday nights line up was 1985’s Demons (preceded by shorts “M” is for Montage, and Inder Nirwan), and 1988’s Brain Damage (preceded by shorts Pumpkin Spice, and Seeing Red), and concluded with Cannibal Holocaust (preceded by short El Gigante). Saturday saw screenings of Massacre: Mafia Style(1975), Gone With The Pope(1976), Trailer Apocalypse (a collection of trailers presented by Grindhouse Releasing), and Pieces(1982). I didn’t bother to find out which shorts were shown this day because…well, I knew I couldn’t attend. Sunday wrapped it all up by screening the 1980 schlock-fest Nightmare City (with short Say What!?), and Lucio Fulci’s 1981 classic The Beyond(preceded by short Fruit of Thy Womb). I wound up seeing Cannibal Holocaust, Nightmare City, and The Beyond. I bought some Blu Rays from the Videomatica booth, I won a “Demons 2” steelbook, I got some free posters and tips about upcoming festivals and genre screenings, and I got to talk to other genre fans. All in all, I would say that for a first outing, despite modest attendance, The Northwest Horror Show was a success!
Each film was presented in 35mm print, and as you can expect, the quality was seriously degraded. Scratches, distortions, breaks and patches in the reel were all on the menu…and it was incredible! It felt raw and dirty, just the way these films were meant to be viewed. The venue felt like an odd fit though. Maybe I’m biased, but The Rio would have felt more fitting for a show such as this. Hopefully this will be an annual event and the NWHS will grow bigger and bigger. I see no reason why this couldn’t expand to a weeklong fest, with panels, short film contests , seminars and more classic films. If we want to see more events like this, we need to contact the organizers and demand more! As always, check your local screenings and stay informed, because you never know what awesomeness might be playing near you.
Doctor Havok's Haunt of Doom 
Heya! This is Shane, Organizer of the NWHS! Didn’t know about this write up until now but glad you enjoyed yourself!
Definitely would like to keep this going and am looking into ways of getting funding for next years festival.
As for the venue, I originally did want to do this at the Rio but their projectors were not fit for 35mm prints of pretty much any of our line up (they run on platters which would’ve cut out most of our line up).
Looking into making next year even sleazier and more fun and already chatting with some potential guests.
Thanks again and hopefully see you soon!
Can’t wait to see what next year holds!