The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

I'd have to pick SF 5 which was bookended by both The Thing's. Seeing Death Race 2000 for the first time with 700 marathoids was almost more fun than should legally be allowed. Also Tremors, Hardware, Meet the Applegates, etc... Not the best movies per se, but great marathon choices. Journey to the Center of the Earth was a great experience on the big screen and like Forbidden Planet gave me a real appreciation for older movies. Great balance of all different types of sci-fi. SF 6 is a close 2nd for many of the same reasons.

Best horror lineup was the last (real) marathon at Studio 35 with George Romero as a guest. Great guest, great-near perfect lineup. Not a bad movie in the bunch. My back actually hurt more than every other marathon because I HAD to see each movie. Don't Look Now 2, NOTLD, Versus, Dead/Alive, The Hunger, Ichi the Killer, Zombie, etc....

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"I came here to chew bubble gum and kick a**. I'm all out of bubble gum."

While perusing the Marathon archives in an effort to answer my own query, I noticed a few odd things. For starters, there have only been four themed Marathons in Columbus history, those being:

*The 1992 IT CAME FROM THE DREXEL NORTH (500 Years in the Future)

*The 1995 IT CAME FROM THE DREXEL NORTH salute to 50 years of the A-Bomb

*The 1999 IT CAME FROM THE SONY CONTINENT Time Warp fest (even though the final lineup only included three time travel flicks.)

*The 2003 NIGHTMARE AT STUDIO 35 Zombie Invasion

It made me think: does a properly executed theme lineup have any advantage over a standard slate of films? The 1992 and 1995 Sci-Fi Marathons each had a strong and varied selection of themed films, complemented by good premieres and guests (the former) or interesting films that were tangentially related to the theme (the latter’s spate of post-apocalyptic/dystopian future fare.) I look back fondly at that final Studio 35 lineup as the most fully realized event I had the privilege to organize. The themed films were varied by vintage and tone, and the premieres and non-themed films were interesting or rare.

Another point to ponder in this search for Marathon greatness is the lineup’s relation to the time in which it was presented. In the early days of the Marathons, premieres were a fairly new concept. Would some of those premiers from long ago be regarded in the same glowing light today? And what about the rise of home video and DVD’s resurrection of everything under the sun? Twenty years ago, seeing the uncut edition of THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS in a theater was a rare treat. Today, anyone can see it on their 50” widescreen tv in pristine digital condition (granted, there is a legit argument for the merits of seeing anything on film, but we’ll hold off on that.)

I mention FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS as a segueway into my choice for best Marathon lineup. After taking the aforementioned factors into account, I can only conclude that the 1st Annual Edition of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREXEL is the best slate of films in the history of the Columbus event. The complete lineup is:

FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
HORROR OF DRACULA
THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (IN EMERGO)
THE HAUNTING
THE HOWLING
LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (OHIO PREMIERE)
SUSPIRIA
RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD
THE HILLS HAVE EYES
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN

Why does this lineup rank so high?

1.) The 24-Hour Horror Marathon concept was new and the audience didn’t quite know what to expect. This was only a year and a half into Columbus Marathon history, so the makeup of the crowd was still taking shape. This year’s event set a standard for all the Horror Marathons to come.

2.) The lineup plays as a trip through the history of horror cinema. What a fitting way to begin and end an event like this than with FRANKENSTEIN and EVIL DEAD 2? You get the granddaddy of all horror monster movies and the film that would soon push splatter horror into a new dimension and level of popularity. Remember, this screening of EVIL DEAD 2 took place less than a year after it bombed at the box office; it wasn’t yet the genre cultural force that it is now. As Carolco, James Cameron and Marvel were embroiled in trying to get a SPIDER-MAN movie off the ground at that time, whoda’ thunk that the guy who directed this goofy gorefest would eventually helm the project?

If you scan the lineup, you can view it as a logical progression from James Whale’s opus to Bruce Campbell’s calling card. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL both set standards for humor in horror that would go on to influence films like THE HOWLING and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. The manner in which the latter two films combined the campy slapstick and black humor of the former two (while wearing their genre influences on their sleeve) would go on to shape the split diopter nature of EVIL DEAD 2, which added more overt slapstick and references to its predecessors to the original EVIL DEAD to create its breakthrough formula (a balance that would tip toward campy adventure in ARMY OF DARKNESS.)

The rest of the lineup follows suit as a triptych through cinematic time. You get the beginning of Hammer’s renaissance with HORROR OF DRACULA and the beginning of its end with THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, a classic study in how the definition of genre eroticism could change in fifteen years. The advancement of that same definition is on full display in LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM, which strained erotic horror through Ken Russell’s twisted lens.

3.) As part of this trip through history, the lineup has something for everyone. There’s restrained psychological terror in THE HAUNTING and ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. Gorehounds are well served by THE HOWLING, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and EVIL DEAD 2. There’s a gimmick film, in E-M-E-R-G-O, no less. LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM and SUSPIRIA provide transgressive chills, challenging the audience to redefine their definition of straight horror.

For many of the reasons he stated, I came close to joining Carter in ranking the 1992 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREXEL as the best ever. It’s tough to beat one of the great Marathon guests of all time and arguably the greatest premiere in Marathon history (followed by one of the most divisive premieres in Marathon history…followed by THE DEVILS!) alongside a varied and interesting lineup. But for the aforementioned reasons, I still rank the one, the only, the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREXEL as major domo of all Marathon lineups.

Wow, what a very serious and insightful analysis. You bring up some excellent points. I have two things to add:

Firstly, SF18 had a theme but it was on a (pardon the pun) smaller scale. It was advertised as The Incredible Shrinking Marathon and was bookended by films in which characters shrink. You could also include TRON in the theme to a lesser extent. But it was also dubbed so because of being the first event at the cozy venue that is the Drexel Grandview. But seeing as how there was not a strongly supported theme film-wise, I can understand not including it in your analysis.

Secondly, I have heard you mention before that your last Studio 35 event was what you were most proud of, and though you had an unfortunate parting of the ways with the theater, in some respects it was nice to know that your last event was your best. I don't think Bruce would say the same about the final Night of the Living Drexel. My question is to Bruce. I would like to know if Bruce has a favorite Columbus Marathon or one that he is most proud of.

I know you don't post here much, Bruce. But if you have the time and are reading this, I'm sure it would make for an interesting story.

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

Well Robot Monster was riff upon during the first season of MST3K.

I missed the note that the old historical data was still available. I still think the first lineup was my favorite.

The Day the Earth Stood Still
It Came from Outer Space (in 3-D)
Trancers
It! The Terror From Beyond Space
Alien
Village of the Damned
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
Blade Runner
Infra-Man
Dark Star
Devil Girl from Mars
Forbidden Planet

12 films. Certifcates that were filled out. We had to get stamped regularly through the night so we would get certificates. Nice balance of movies, a little classics heavy which usually makes me happy. The fact it was the first one I attended may have colored my opinion.

The 20th would be second.

As for the horror marathons, I came to them late. I never attended any of the original ones. I started going to the Studio 35s to support Joe's efforts. I don't have the list handy, but the last three were all solid, I think I liked the year with Session 9 and Convent the best.

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not to mention challenging the audience to try and stay awake

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Jaws3dfan®
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The first marathon I attended was Joe's last Studio 35 one. I had such an awesome time that I still talk about it to folks to this day. My pic with Romero is one of my prized possessions. That lineup was perfect. Especially the beat-up grainy 16mm print of the film-that-dare-not-speak-its-name. Perfect. Oh, and there was beer. Sweet, sweet beer.