Sound Cinema: Anacortes Cinemas

Theater inside Anacortes Cinemas

The Evergreen Echo

There is no long storied history for the Anacortes Cinemas. There have been records of movie theaters and performance arts theaters in Anacortes since the early 20th century, but this particular building, in this particular location, is a bit nebulous as to when it came into being. What is known is that it is owned and operated by local chain Far Away Entertainment, which I have erroneously named “Far and Away Entertainment” in previous incarnations. Anacortes Cinemas is their fourth cinema to be covered by Sound Cinema (Bainbridge Cinemas, the Historic Admiral, and the gone, but not forgotten Varsity). It’s one of their youngest theaters, but it retains a certain nostalgic charm.

The building is in downtown Anacortes and unfortunately its parking lot is also the public parking lot for the downtown area, so it may be hard to get a spot close to the theater. Fortunately, and charmingly, like a lot of buildings in downtown Anacortes, the building has colorful characters adorning its walls. Unlike the rest of downtown, which has prominent figures with ties to the town's history, Anacortes Cinemas has movie characters. Out front you are greeted by Christopher Reeves' Superman, C-3PO, and R2-D2. Around the side you can see Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp and Errol Flynn as Robin Hood.

Inside, the lobby feels homey. The smell of popcorn wafts from the concession stand to the left and colorful murals with posters of coming attractions are hung on the walls. The restrooms are to the right and all of the theaters are down a long hallway. 

There are three screens at the Cinemas. I was in theater one for my screening of Backrooms; it has a center aisle with seats on either side and a gentle slope toward the screen. It feels a little strange sitting down at first because it looks like the seat in front of you will completely block the screen, but the comfy seats gently rock back, giving you a great view as well as ample leg room.

Backrooms is a horror film based on the web series of the same name. The film follows a furniture salesman as he discovers a strange and seemingly endless liminal space through a portal in a wall. After he disappears, his therapist feels she has a duty to try to find him, getting sucked into the space herself. As with all strange worlds, not everything is as it seems and something in these backrooms is not interested in sharing its space. For me, I feel like we have reached a point where the market for horror is a bit oversaturated. Backrooms is not bad or less horrifying than anything else from the genre this year, but for me it didn't have enough oomph beyond a solid concept, incredible production design, and some good jump scares. It tried to amp up emotional components to get us to sympathize with its characters, but those human moments all felt a little flat to me.

Anacortes Cinemas façade

The Evergreen Echo

Anacortes Cinemas is a first-run cinema so you can expect that there will be many blockbusters coming to it in the next few weeks. Currently the rippling muscles of He-Man can be seen in Masters of the Universe, and very soon Steven Spielberg's original epic Disclosure Day will grace the screens. Yet, with the inclusion of Backrooms there may be a few smaller films making the rounds in between the blockbuster entertainment.

The summer is when most theaters really come alive. It is a time to get outside, yes, but it’s also a time to feel the electricity of the crowd. So often, unless you're going to something with a hot buzz on opening weekend, the theater can feel a little lonely. In the summer, though, there's so much to see and so many times you can see it, that the community feels more energized.

In Washington we have a summer that can become unpredictable at any time. Sunny for a couple of days, downpouring for the next week. Which is why it is best to know your theaters, where they are, and what they play. When you take your long weekends this summer and your planned outside day becomes an inside day, the theater is there to welcome you with hot popcorn and a fresh flick. These are the sorts of days Anacortes Cinemas was made for.

This is a gem of this lovely beach community. Nestled just off the main drag, it’s the perfect spot to wind down a day of fun and sun and wining and dining. Even though you could see the films playing here closer to home, a big movie in a cozy theater will absolutely hit the spot in the warm summer nights ahead.