The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Photo courtesy of Mark Fontana

Yes, it's once again time for me to start a thread about the bests and worsts of the Marathon. In the past, we've discussed best and worst premieres, best lineups, all-time dream lineups, etc. Here's my question for this round:

Say you have to sell the concept of the Marathon to a newbie. You have to pick one moment from Marathon history that sums up the unique experience that keeps you coming back year after year for more back pain and caffeine induced dementia. What would that moment be and why? This moment can be a movie, a guest appearance, an obscure short, a bizarre occurrence during a contest, etc. and can be from a Sci-Fi or Horror Marathon. Have at it and I'll post my moment later.

Very good question. I'll tell you honestly, to narrow it down to one single thing that happened on one specific occasion, it's tough. Narrowing it down to one single aspect that sums up the most important part of the event is much easier for me: The Regulars. (No, it's not a movie title...)

It's the cheering, the jeering, the laughing, the costume contestants, the people in front of or behind us in line telling funny stories. It's the crowd that makes the worst movies among the most enjoyable - and those are the same people that recognize a great movie when it's on, and clam up so everybody can enjoy it. There have been a few bad apples, but by a great majority we have a great group.

OK, so I still haven't answered the question. While not my *favorite* all time moment, this was still memorable...

Remember the girl that flashed the crowd from the stage at the Ohio Riffe Center? I can't remember who our guest of honor was that year, but later during that same marathon she had a verbal joust with him from her seat, and he obliterated her. THAT I enjoyed.

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""Well, doesn't this mean anything to you?" He tapped the numerals 451 stitched on his char-colored sleeve.

It's all about the films.

Seeing "Forbidden Planet" for the first time on the big screen at SF04 was a fundamental epiphany ... and I've been hooked ever since.

Classics seen in the all-encompassing, larger-than-life presentation they deserve. An audience to soften the blow of the "I can't believe they made this thing" films. The shared experience of both good (and bad) premieres, shorts, and "gems from the archives."

Plus the fanatic atmosphere of stuffing as much love of Sci-Fi into 24 hours as insanely obsessive human beings can accomplish.

What more could one ask for?

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David A. Zecchini; Creature of the Wheel, Lord of the Infernal Engines
"Damnati Im Ludum" (VitruvianZeke@att.net)

Hey! Stick to the rules here, folks! ONE MOMENT that sums it up, not the general warm and fuzzy feelings or aspects that all Marathons have. I know it's tough to think of one moment; that's why I asked the question. Sheesh!

Hey, I gave you a moment!



You did ask for "the unique experience that keeps you coming back year after year" ... and you DID ask us to tell you what we think would sell the marathon to a newbie.

Like I say, it's all about the films.

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David A. Zecchini; Creature of the Wheel, Lord of the Infernal Engines
"Damnati Im Ludum" (VitruvianZeke@att.net)

I don't remember exactly which marathon it was, but they tried to show Gravity a number of times but kept having problems. Three or four times, they started showing Gravity, to much fanfare and hoopla, but each time something strange happened and it had to be stopped. Bruce apologized for all the problems and said that they were doing all they could. He mentioned that for the following marathon, they would do a live presentation of Gravity, with marathon attendees in all the roles. Immediately, someone in the crowd shouted out, "I get to be the shoes!" Huge laughter. Everybody got it. Everybody knew exactly what he was talking about.

That's what the marathon is to me. A group of people who all share this love of the fringe, the weird, the unpopular, but we all "get it". It's the one place where we all know the secret handshake. We all speak the language. There's a hidden truth in the marathon that you wouldn't understand unless you were there. At the science fiction marathon, nobody is cool. Nobody is a nerd. We all come from different walks of life, we all come for different reasons, but we're all there. Because, for one day (and night and morning), we all get to be "the shoes". We all get it.

There's nothing else like it. Sure, it's warm; it's fuzzy; but that's what it is.

Klaatu barada and all of that other stuff. See you guys there.

My defining moment has always been from my first marathon SF6. The standing ovation for the pianist after METROPOLIS. There are many others, but if I have to play by the rules and pick one, that's it.

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Aliens? Us?
Is this one of your Earth "jokes?"

The best moment for me is when you're just about to drift off to sleep and a group of trailers plays that totally wakes you up and gets you jazzed for the next film. Then, of course, you nod off somewhere around 20 minutes into the film. Still, the trailers are the best part for me. You'll see things you've never seen before!

The whole thing is too vague an answer. Maybe I am influenced unduly by Joe's picture, but I think the contests have some of my favorite moments. I think my favorite of those might have been the guy from SF9 who pretended to be the shower faller from Atomic Cafe.

For those of you who missed it, the Atomic Cafe is a collection of government shorts (and some other footage) dealing with what to do in a nuclear attack, etc. Since 9/11 I've been thinking it should be re-screened, especially when you have Homeland Security talking about Plastic Sheeting and Duct Tape. Anyhow, in one of the shorts, they show some portly man taking a shower and the serious government announcer vocieover talks about how the shower is more dangerous than nuclear fallout at which point the guy in the shower slips and falls.

I admire the folks who go to the effort to get the Darth Vader costume, even the Starfleet uniform, but it is the folks who take inspiration from a movie that was just shown and figure out how to throw a costume together on the fly who really earn my admiriation. Yes, a lot of those bomb or are just done to get some loot. Having won the costume contest my feeling is I shouldn't run again, though by no means do I think those that do try after winning are wrong. It just isn't my style.

As for the flasher, we discussed her a few years back on the old board. I don't think they have kept those posts but one of the folks posting at the time was in the group she was with or knew her somehow. She is married (I think) and has at least one child. Those Riffe Marathons tended to have a bit more liveliness than some other years. Not sure if it was the stage, the lack of food and drink in the auditorium or what, but we had her, we had Joe's live Gravity Show, we had the Gamera incident. I think we also had some of Jenny (a former grade school crush of mine, back at Glenmont Elementary) Reeder's best artwork on the stages those years.

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The wages of sin are royalties.