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For real horror fans, there are no set seasons for suspense, bloodlust or mass-murdering monster-villains—it is an everyday obsession. So while Michaela Granger’s new horror-centric book and video store, Midslumber Media, held its grand opening on March 22 at the dawn of spring—rather than, say, Halloween—it shouldn’t have been a shock to see a line out the door of her Alberta Arts District shop.
“I had to start looking up city ordinances because I didn’t know how many people could be inside legally,” Granger admits.
Granger is a lifelong horror buff who was born on Friday the 13th, so the inevitability of her getting something like Midslumber Media off the ground seemed preordained. The 700-square-foot newly opened shop boasts more than 1,500 horror film titles categorized into several subgenres like Vampires, Witches and Zombies, Queer Horror and even Botanical Horror. Granger’s main aim in opening the shop was to provide a safe space for lovers of a genre that has one of the most diverse subcultures of all mediums.
“One of the things that was most important to me was making sure that everyone is represented here,” Granger says. “As a woman and queer business owner, inclusivity is incredibly important to me.”
Granger’s film selection should continue to grow, with new releases joining shelf space with hard-to-find horror like 28 Days Later, Stuart Gordon’s Dolls and Granger’s personal favorite, the 1981 supernatural horror Possession. Formats run the gamut from a healthy selection of VHS tapes, Blu-rays, DVDs, and a small but impressive group of LaserDiscs and horror film soundtracks on vinyl.
Midslumber’s book selection is similarly extensive, covering new titles, classics, extreme horror, splatterpunk, anthologies, graphic novels and, of course, the latest editions of the legendary magazine Fangoria. Granger notes the overlap between different subgenres, particularly with horror and romance readers. Granger has books that bridge that gap, too.
“I made it a point to try to find romance for all sexualities,” Granger explains. “I’m still trying to expand that.”
Horror has long been out of the grindhouse underground and the B-movie straight-to-video paradigm. Quick looks at the featured films of pretty much any theater in Portland will yield something that dwells within the shadowy veil of horror’s eldritch influence. And with Midslumber, Granger joins other niche bookshops in the city—like Parallel Worlds, a fantasy and sci-fi-centric haunt up the street on Northeast Alberta Street—that strive to serve the needs of their rabid fan bases in unfettered browsing environs. Horror’s current high visibility, Granger says, is likely the product of the genre’s purveyors keeping a pulse on current events, among other factors.
“Horror has always been very political,” Granger says. “It’s loud, so it kind of gets the emotions across more clearly.”
Streaming services like Shudder have reignited horror’s accessibility to anyone with an internet connection, but streaming burnout is also a linchpin for an endeavor like Midslumber to thrive, per Granger.
“People are sick of streaming services, and the impermanence of it,” she says. “In terms of physical media, and especially with how expensive streaming services are getting, it’s like, once I own it in the physical form, it’s mine. You can’t take it from me.”
Granger wants Midslumber Media to become an integral part of the greater Portland horror community. Book clubs, sponsored film screenings and in-store readings and signings are just a few of the North Star aims that Granger would like to explore. Those goals will need to wait a little longer while she spreads the word about Midslumber Media; as a one-woman operation, she’s becoming keenly aware of the dedication and attention to detail it takes to satisfy the expectations she’s setting with the horror crowd.
“There’s a whole slew of people who watch horror,” Granger says. “I don’t think it’s pigeonholed to one group. I think it’s everyone.”
On Mondays and Tuesdays, when the shop is closed, Granger is likely to be found restocking the books and videos herself to ensure her diverse clientele finds something to write home about. She is quite far from complaining about the long hours.
“I still have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m figuring it out,” Granger demures. “I love it! I signed up for this.”
GO: Midslumber Media, 1609 NE Alberta St., 971-347-3148, midslumbermedia.com. 11 am–7 pm Wednesday–Friday, 9 am–8 pm Saturday–Sunday.