There’s some stuff in Portland’s first PDXtreme Fest that’s going to dredge up repressed memories. Like when your babysitter let you watch all those slasher flicks while she made out with her boyfriend? Maybe you were scarred for life seeing all those knife-wielding psychopaths stalk their teenage prey. And yet? You kept coming back for more—and now look at you, an unrepentant gorehound. Well then. Good news.
PDXtreme features 45 feature-length and short films from countries as far-flung as France, Taiwan, and the ethereal unknown of Canada. With more than 25 hours of horror and other genres, that’s a lot of blood, guts, and butts. Based on the films I screened, the benefit of getting a $30 festival pass (tickets to individual screenings aren’t being sold) is well worth any discomfort that comes from watching a man erotically writhe around in a pit of body parts. (Heads up: This happens in Headless.)