Fond Farewells to the Mt. Shasta Cinema
By Anastasia Sprout | Mount Shasta Observer
After 25 years, the Mount Shasta Cinema is closing Sunday August 16th.
The 6-screen movie theatre that played first-run movies opened in September 2001 in beautiful Mount Shasta, CA.
The August 11th bargain matinee "$5 movie Tuesday" showing almost sold out for The Hole Story, an award-winning documentary about a mysterious hole on Mt. Shasta.
It seemed fitting to end the week with a film about the area written and directed by local filmmaker Elijah Sullivan. When the mountain first appeared on screen, audience members cheered.
In the ticket line, moviegoers reminisced about past movies enjoyed at the theater, like The Lemurian Candidate.
Many films have been shot in or around Mount Shasta, offering local employment and excitement:
Siskiyou County
| Film | Year | Location(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacques of the Silver North | 1919 | Mt. Shasta | [7] |
| Murder in the Private Car | 1934 | Dunsmuir | [8] |
| Gallant Bess | 1946 | Montague, Dunsmuir | [8] |
| Messenger of Peace | 1947 | Dunsmuir | [9] |
| The Red Stallion | 1947 | Mount Shasta, Dunsmuir | [8] |
| Climb an Angry Mountain | 1972 | Mount Shasta, Weed, McCloud, Yreka, Castle Crags State Park | [8] |
| Farewell to Manzanar | 1976 | Tulelake | |
| Baby Blue Marine | 1976 | McCloud, Weed, McCloud River | [8] |
| Standing Tall | 1978 | Etna, Yreka | [8] |
| Stand by Me | 1986 | McCloud | [8] |
| Rescue 911 (Box Canyon Rescue) | 1992 | Mt. Shasta, Box Canyon | |
| Unsolved Mysteries (Season 8 Episode 1) | 1995 | Dunsmuir, Sweetbrier | |
| Babysitter Wanted | 2008 | Montague, Weed, Lake Shastina, Yreka | |
| Repo Chick | 2009 | Dunsmuir | |
| Bigfoot Country | 2012 | Siskiyou County | |
| Happy Camp | 2014 | Happy Camp | |
| Andy Grammer: Lease on Life | 2021 | Castle Lake, Heart Lake, McCloud Falls | [2] |
| Hotel Dunsmuir | 2022 | Dunsmuir | |
| Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God | 2023 | Mt. Shasta | |
| Peter Five Eight | 2024 | Dunsmuir | |
| Tracker (Mt. Shasta) | 2024 | Mt. Shasta | |
| The Golden Ghosts | 2024 | Mt Shasta, Yreka, McCloud | |
| The Lemurian Candidate | 2025 | Mt Shasta |
Contributors to Wikimedia projects
As of August 17th, the closest movie houses also owned by the parent company - Coming Attractions, Inc - will be Cinemark in Redding and the Varsity Theatre in Ashland, Oregon.
On a neighborhood discussion group, one Shasta City resident suggested that movie lovers relocate their entertainment needs to the nearby Cedar Lanes bowling alley in Weed, CA.
Others hope for a purchase and remodeling of the space to a performing arts theater.
Transitions continue in Mount Shasta City, CA.
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