Halloween Events for Horror Movie Fans in Portland, Oregon

Forget about kid-friendly Halloween events. If you're into slasher films, grindhouse movies, and really getting scared, you want something a little more intense. Portland, Oregon does have Halloween options for the horror movie fans - you just have to find them.

13th Door Haunted House in Beaverton is in a new location for 2009, and says, "We have severed off all ties to any kiddy shows. Getting back to what we do best... scaring you to your worse nightmares!" The promo reel on their website is much like a horror movie preview; however the haunted house is not in a farmhouse like the one in the video; it's actually in a grocery store building. They've also attached a faux horror movie legend to the new site: "In 1952 it was discovered that at an old farmhouse in the West Slopes of Beaverton was the site of unspeakable acts of violence, torture and murders."

The 13th Door is located at 8805 SW Canyon Lane, just off of Canyon Road. They're open October 9 to November 1, 2009, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. General admission is $15.

If you'd rather be a zombie than watch zombies, the Portland Zombie Walk is for you! Zombies gather in costume in a predetermined location (usually downtown), and basically just mill around and act like zombies! Participants aren't allowed to touch non-participants, but have been known to pretend-attack light rail trains. A Thrill the World dance is performed on the same day; zombies who have learned Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance ahead of time can participate in this event.

The Zombie Walk will be on Saturday, October 24. Time and place will be announced on MySpace closer to the event date (it's all done flash mob-style). The Thrill the World Dance will be at 5:30 p.m. on the same date, but the location will also be announced at a later time.

Any horror movie fan knows that something real (or that could be real) is often scarier than a made-up fright. For Halloween, try visiting Portland's Lone Fir Cemetery. The Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery offer a special tour on Halloween Night, featuring costumed characters who portray or tell about "the cemetery's more unique residents who had unusual or untimely deaths." Tours are offered from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and there's a suggested donation of $5. The cemetery is located at SE 21st and Morrison Street.

Finally, what about the movies? There are horror films scheduled in Portland throughout October and on Halloween night. October is Fright Film Month at the Laurelhurst Theater, where they're showing Poltergeist from October 9-15th, Poltergeist II from October 16-22nd, and Lifeforce from October 23-29th. The Bagdad Theater and Pub will have two screenings of werewolf film The Howling, one on October 29th at 10 p.m., and one on Halloween at 11 p.m. The Halloween screening follows an all ages Halloween party, although only those 21 and older are permitted after 8 p.m.

If you'd like to make your own movie, or help discover new horror movies, the Red Flag Tavern (344 NE 28th) is hosting a Halloween Horror Movie Contest. Entrants show up at the tavern on October 16th between 9 p.m. and midnight, pay a $10 entry fee, and draw (from a hat) a sub-genre, in which they then have to make a short film. Entrants also receive a prop, name, and a line of dialogue to work with. Entries are due by October 19th, and will be shown at the tavern on October 25th at 9:00 p.m. First prize is $100.