WYRD WAR

05/17/2026

PORTLAND: Join WYRD WAR this coming Memorial Day weekend at the Jupiter Hotel located at 800-900 East Burnside for VOID TATTOO FEST 2.

On Saturday May 23 from 2pm-5pm, Wyrd War’s own DJ Dennis Dread conjures his inimitable black magic brüe of horror soundtracks, dark fantasy synth, biker dirges and raw power HEAVY METAL for the hordes!

Our mobile gallery & gift shop will be posted up on the second floor of Jupiter Next, inside the Flex Lounge, with an array of limited-edition graphic tees, underground art books, imported folk horror literature and new & used vinyl records.

We have assembled an exhibition of rare original artwork from our private WYRD WAR collection, including vintage linework by Hal Robinson (Easyriders), horror paperback paintings by biker legend David Mann and an exceedingly rare copy of Life and Adventures of Capt. Harry DeCoursey, The Miracle of All Mortal Marvels, a souvenir “pitch” book published in 1882 that features a cover illustration of famed jeweler Harry DeCoursey (real name William Denny) displaying his full body suit by Martin Hildebrandt and Stephen Lee, two of America’s first commercial tattoo artists. If you know, you know. If you don’t, the WYRD WAR crew will be available to teach you. This is your opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the greatest and most influential underground artwork from the United States of America.

https://www.voidtattoofest.com/

05/05/2026

Witness the satirical collision of fine art and horrific exploitation cinema!

‘Whistler’s Mother’ is the colloquial title for American painter James McNeill Whistler’s 1871 understated oil exercise in composition and tone that is formally titled Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1. The painting features his mother, Anna McNeill Whistler, as the figure of austere matriarchy, who allegedly sat for him after his professional model cancelled. Swipe to see an original New York Times newspaper ad from September 1980 just days before Charles Kaufman’s MOTHER’S DAY (1980) wreaked havoc on U.S. theaters.

This Sunday May 10, 2026, WYRD WAR brings the elusive Charles Kaufman to town for a rare big screen presentation of his misunderstood r**e revenge horror classic. DO NOT MISS IT! Charles will not be back and he has agreed to sign memorabilia and meet everyone in attendance. Tickets are available here and at the ticket counter Sunday evening:

https://hollywoodtheatre.org/show/mothers-day-with-charles-kaufman/

05/02/2026

We got some great local press from the good people at Our Town newspaper, which covers the area around Silver Falls State Park.

Few horror movie fans have had the opportunity to spend the night at the location where their favorite film was shot. But this summer a lucky 100 enthusiasts of the 1981 slasher, Just Before Dawn, will get that chance, thanks […]

05/01/2026

THANK YOU to everyone who rode with WYRD WAR for our 11th Annual Walpurgisnacht Film Festival! As many of you know, it is our custom on Walpurgisnacht to offer our audience a small token of gratitude for many years of support, trust and dedication, and this year is no different. DJ Dennis Dread’s full folk horror set was recorded live directly from the soundboard, in all its unedited crackling vinyl splendor, and it is now available for your enjoyment at the link below:

https://www.mixcloud.com/WYRD_WAR/walpurgisnacht-2026/

Thank you to our projectionist Matt Cunningham for remembering to record the set (because we definitely forgot to ask!) and thank you to our own A.K. Wilson for the beautiful photo.

https://www.mixcloud.com/WYRD_WAR/walpurgisnacht-2026/

Happy 55th anniversary to Piers Haggard’s THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971)! Happy May Day!

DJ Dennis Dread's Walpurgisnacht vinyl set, recorded live at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon on Thursday April 30, 2026 before Wyrd War's 55th anniversary screening of the folk horror classic THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1971).

04/22/2026

Happy 80th Birthday to John Waters!

“To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about. If someone vomits watching one of my films, it’s like getting a standing ovation. But one must remember that there is such a thing as good bad taste and bad bad taste. it’s easy to disgust someone; I could make a ninety-minute film of people getting their limbs hacked off, but this would only be bad bad taste and not very stylish or original. To understand bad taste one must have very good taste. Good bad taste can be creatively nauseating but must, at the same time, appeal to the especially twisted sense of humor, which is anything but universal.”

🤍 WYRD WAR

04/18/2026

Thank you, Portland! Our 35mm screening of Piers Haggard’s THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971) is officially SOLD OUT two weeks in advance. When we say “sold out,” we mean 384 seats have been claimed. This makes us tremendously proud of our city and our supporters. Scholarship seats have also been claimed. See you on Walpurgisnacht!

04/14/2026

Fifty five years ago TODAY, on April 14, 1971, Piers Haggard’s THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW made its U.S. theatrical premier in New York City. A few days later it opened in theaters across the country, frequently paired by its Cannon Group distributors with another Tigon British Film Productions release THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR (1971).

Check the comments to see a vintage newspaper ad from its appearance on a triple bill with the proto-slasher NIGHT OF BLOODY HORROR (1969) at Oregon’s long gone North Salem Drive-in Theater.

There are less than 40 tickets remaining for our 55th anniversary presentation of THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW on Thursday April 30, 2026. Get your ticket now and come to the sabbath with WYRD WAR:

https://hollywoodtheatre.org/show/the-blood-on-satans-claw-in-35mm/