The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Eh... been there, done that.

No, I didn't attend. And, no, I don't intend to see A SERBIAN FILM. But, here are few observations from afar, if not far afield.

1. One of the problems with it's inclusion at this event is that it simply doesn't appear to be a Horror film in the strict sense of the term. HORRIFIC images and actions do not necessarily a horror film make. Nazi atrocity films (with the exceptions of such supernatural offshoots as THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN, THE FROZEN DEAD or DEAD SNOW) are not categorized as Horror films, but they can certainly shock and disgust. One could argue whether most torture porn films qualify as horror films as well, but, they seem to have been made by filmmakers who intended their movies to appeal first and foremost to horror film fans. ASF tried to, at least in the beginning, sell itself off as an arthouse movie with serious symbolic intent (not that the two are necessarily mutually exclusive). Still, this isn't a film that appeals to more than a sliver of the 'straight' horror film crowd.

2. Even if one buys that it is a Horror film, does that necessarily validate it for a Marathon? Here the problem is that the programmers of the marathon seem to believe that there NEEDS to be at least one over the top nasty extreme film every year - MARTRYS, IRREVERISIBLE etc.. To me, this seems to be some sort of perverse 'dare' that is both impudent and short-sighted. Why turn off current or potential marathoners? Sure, if the same 200 hard-core marathoners is all you want to appeal to now and forever, then fine. But, that seems self-limiting.

3. The main counter-argument seems to boil down to, "Hey, just leave during that one movie". First, as noted above, that is self-limiting at best. But, more importantly, one film CAN ruin the flow and mood of the marathon. As more than one posting here has mentioned, seeing ASF spoiled at least part of the marathon for some attendees. A marathon should have a flow and an overall sense of enjoyment and fun. Like the old joke goes, "Besides the assasination, how did you enjoy the play Mrs. Lincoln?"

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I disagree. Irreversible played because Stuart Gordon requested it. Martyrs played because Joe really liked the film (as do I). I honestly don't believe that Joe and Bruce are trying to intentionally book "extreme" horror films. I also personally know Joe and Bruce and they are certainly not "Extreme horror" aficionados, so you don't have to fret about that too much.

What we classify as extreme though....that's up for debate. What is extreme today will be considered mild in 10 years. Last House On the Left was considered an extreme film for its time, and personally I think it still is, though I think a lot of people wouldn't consider it "too" extreme to show at a marathon.

Joe has already said repeatedly now that they AREN'T intentionally trying to book "extreme films" for the sake of it. How many times does he have to say something before you guys believe it? Joe said at the marathon that this and Midnight Son were the only premieres they could get, other than Kill List which is more of a crime film with horror elements. They made their choice. It was between those two films and another film that doesn't fit. That's what they had to choose from. You either believe that or you don't.

Whether or not the film is "horror" is a matter of opinion. But the film has been covered and discussed on many horror-film news and reviews sites for the past year or so now. So it's not difficult to make the leap that based on that, SOME horror fans might be interested in seeing it. They are not purposely trying to top themselves every year with more and more extreme films. Joe has said this. Why do people have such a hard time believing him? Do you think he purposely wants to sabotage his own event? For what possible reason?

If you'd prefer the marathon to limit themselves to very strict definitions of "horror", you're entitled to that opinion. But that's all it is. I don't see the need to keep repeating it 147 times. The point has been made. I'm sure Joe is aware of the criticisms by now.

So can we PLEASE put this to rest now? Everything has been said, multiple times over now. Whatever people think of the film, just PLEASE don't give up on the Marathons. That's all I care about.

Yes, let's move on to whining and begging for some sci-fi titles now!

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Hey, now ... don't get ahead of yourselves. You need to start begging for a date first.

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Okay, folks, as Wolf so eloquently put it, there seems to be a bit of forgetfulness about what's been stated on this forum in the past. So here are the facts. You're free to believe them if you want, but they're the facts nonetheless.

1. The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons have been successful over the years, in large part due to their diverse lineups. There has ALWAYS been a little something for everyone...or most everyone. If you want to see all hardcore gore films, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you want to see all goofy films, you'll be sorely disappointed. That's the nature of the beast.

2. As stated MANY times, Bruce and I have not intentionally sought out a barrage of more extreme films over the last span of years. Stuart Gordon requested IRREVERSIBLE in 2009, and while I'm proud of his selection and will champion it to my dying breath, it was his selection. We booked MARTYRS last year because we needed another more recent film, were unsure if we'd be getting a premiere, and because it deeply affected me when I first saw it. And like or not, MARTYRS is widely considered to be a major international horror film of the last five years. We've covered SERBIAN FILM ad nauseam, so I won't go there again (although what Wolf brings up is, again, what I already stated before, on the forum and at the Marathon.)

3. Throughout the history of these Marathons, there have been films that have been considered very shocking for their times. There have been films that are not for everyone, that some have chosen not to watch. Every attendee has the right not to enjoy a film and the right not to watch a film.

4. Most of the crowd stayed to watch SERBIAN FILM. At the end of the Marathon, when we informally polled the roughly half of the audience left, SERBIAN FILM received some of the most sustained applause. Don't believe me? I have the videotaped evidence to prove it. There seems to be this myth that the film alienated a lot of the audience, when it didn't.

5. This forum is often fun, entertaining, frustrating, annoying and, ultimately, invaluable. It's also (as we've stated many times) a small representation of the crowd. Anyone reading this forum as being representative of how the vast majority of the audience might feel is mistaken. That's not to say that the conversations that go on here are meaningless. But they're still a small sampling of the whole.

L.A. let me boil down your argument:
-You haven't seen SERBIAN FILM, but you can judge how the film plays.
-You haven't been to a Columbus Marathon and really have little idea of the crowd dynamic, but you can pass judgment on what works filmwise due to your experience in Boston and your reading of this forum.
-Even though you've known Bruce and I for a long time, you can now judge that we just throw these films out there in an "impudent and short-sighted" dare.
-You can judge that the film ruined a lot of Marathon experiences, when in fact, it didn't necessarily seem to.

As stated above, the Ohio Marathons have always shown a wide slate of films, and yes, some of those films don't appeal to the wide audience. But that doesn't mean that they don't deserve a place at the event, especially since there's no way to know how a specific audience will react to them.

Come on, how many times do we have to have this discussion? I've always appreciated your take on the Marathon form, but without any experience with our events, your arguments lack a certain amount of validity.

I just want to add that A Serbian Film is very much unquestionably a "horror movie." You can't possibly categorize it as anything but horror. At least, I'd like to see someone try (someone who has seen the film, obviously).

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Is this one of your Earth "jokes?"

I left right before ASF due to a Fibro flair up(Fibro and theater chairs suck) but I had seen the film a few months back and I was sooo looking forward to watching the reaction as this movie played..

Is it a film for everyone? No of course not but nor is Bride..The Hitcher or any other title on the line-up. I applaud the decision to include it and think the line up was stellar as aways and can't wait to see what next year shall bring us.....

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They can turn on you!

Hi all,

It was brought to my attention that someone has been posting on this site using my pseudonym. I am here to set things right, if I can. I want to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by the current postings of Marathonoid88. Believe it or not, these are not mine. I personally have not looked at the board for quite some time and I was not even at the Marathon this year unfortunately. I have read what the person said and it shocks and irritates me to no end that they used me to say the things they did. I have been a propenent of the Horror and Sci-Fi marathon since I was in High School (back in the 80's), and have been fortunate enough to know Joe on something of a personal level. He and I know one another well enough that if we feel that if we have a disagreement about something that we can talk to one another without the use of a forum and fake names. I would never go out of my way to disparage the marathon or especially Joe or Bruce. Those two work so hard every year to bring something special to Columbus in the hopes of giving everyone involved a night of fun. I hold Joe and Bruce in the highest regard for what they have been able to achieve year after year under less-than-optimal circumstances in most cases.

I do not know how this occured. I do know I have had a couple of accounts hacked this year and I have shown a lot of people this website using my logins. I myself am offended and hurt that this has occured. I intend on talking to several people about it and changing my password in the hopes of preventing this from happening again. I will also remove the posts immediately.

I once again want to apologize to anyone who felt they were slighted or offended in anyway. It pains me to know I was used to insult the people and marathon that I have enjoyed for many years.

Again. . .sorry.

Best regards,

The "Real" Marathonoid88

Marathonoid88 you should ask Jenbowie to check the IP Address logs for the person using your username and block that IP Address from this site.

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Password changed. That should do it.