'Goonies' house covered up to keep tourists at bay

For years tourists from far and wide have flocked to the sleepy town of Astoria, in the Northwest tip of Oregon, to visit the house made famous by the cult ’80s movie The Goonies. Now, however, their pilgrimage culminates in a wall of blue tarp and a handwritten plea.

The owner of the quaint two-story home where Chunk performed his obligatory truffle shuffle has covered up the facade to dissuade the crowds of visitors who drop by unannounced, according to a report by the local outlet KGW News. (The photo above, from 2001, shows the house in its uncovered glory.)

Amid signs reading “Private Property” and “Access Closed to Goonies House,” a scribbled note posted outside says the site “sees 1000+ people everyday. Most are kind, fun and welcome, but many are not.” Per the report, the house’s owner used to welcome fans and lead impromptu tours, but social media attention caused an overflow of visitors, some of whom left behind beer bottles and cigarette butts. And that prompted her to take action.

“I’m surprised that she waited this long,” Astoria City Councilman and neighbor Russ Warr told KGW in a video interview. He added that visitors “park in the no-parking zones, they park on the sidewalks, they relieve their dogs on the lawns.” The shrouding of the Goonies house comes, perhaps not coincidentally, a few months after Astoria hosted a four-day 30th-anniversary celebration of the movie.

While some Goonies diehards have been put out by the lack of hospitality, they can at least cling to hopes of a Goonies sequel. Never say die, right?

Watch the video from KGW below.

•Fans of The Goonies are ringing in the 30th anniversary of the film in a big way

•Goonies director Richard Donner says a sequel is in the works

•The real-life Up house might have to come down

WANT MORE EW? Subscribe now to keep up with the latest in movies, television and music.