The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Ok, I'm barely awake but I figured I'd at least get my initial thoughts up to the Tubes ...

Overall, very pleased with the crowd, attendance was about on-par with last year, and the lineup was overall fantastic. Had a great time, although still very tired, and loved seeing everybody again.

Although how is it that EVERY YEAR we manage to double-up with that Columbus Marathon? Are they following us or something?

Anyway, on to the films ...

THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI - Fantastic opportunity to see a long-lost classic. Not as impacting as some others we've shown, but still wonderful to see on the big screen, and Sue Harshe did a phenomenal job with the score. Definite winner.

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM - Would have been a much better experience with the MGM print. I love the film, but this print was so badly red-shifted that I had real trouble getting excited over it. Still, the Vincent Price trailers were another huge score.

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL - Friend of mine dropped by and wanted to get coffee, so I missed most of this one. What I saw I really liked, though, so I'm going to need to re-visit soon.

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN - BluRay. Meh. Looked good, though, very clear presentation, but for a film I've seen a million times anyway I could have passed on it. Should have had trailers for WEIRD SCIENCE and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (and probably would have if it had been on 35mm.)

FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN - Even with the heavy cuts, this film is really fun to watch with an audience. I still enjoyed it despite its condition. One of the highlights of the marathon for me.

A SERBIAN FILM - Wow. Well, it is what it is. Frankly, having seen it now, I wouldn't have booked it. I'll go into more depth later about the content, but for now I'll just say that it was just such a heavy, exhausting, ultimate downer of a movie that it completely wiped out any enthusiasm I had left at a point midway through the marathon.

MIDNIGHT SON - A bit more mainstream horror, but I thought it was very well done. Enjoyed it thoroughly and probably one of the better premieres we've had at a horror marathon. Not sure if there's enough there to warrant a purchase, but I'll definitely consider it.

GOKE: BODY SNATCHER FROM HELL - As predicted, with this running so much later than expected (and after being pretty drained from SERBIAN), I totally zonked out midway through. This really annoyed me, as this has become a habit with late-night 70's goofball films, and this print was AMAZING. Really missed an opportunity by not being better awake.

THE HITCHER - Missed about the first 10-15 minutes of this one, but I'd seen it many times before. Great print, and I've always loved this movie. Highly underrated and one of Rutger Hauer's most fun performances. Was glad to at least to get to see the rest.

THE BEYOND - Good movie, and good Gonzo Italian Horror, but I was already just so worn out at this point I kinda floated in and out through the duration. It's Fulci, so there's always something to see, but it didn't leap out at me like it might have some other years. Meh.

HELLRAISER - Gave up. Went home. Just needed to get out of there at that point and get some sleep. This is an all-time classic and a big favorite of mine, but I've seen it (on the big screen) several times. I could afford to skip, so I did.

That's the gist of my overall impressions. Once I'm better rested, I'll probably come online again and give some more details (especially about SERBIAN FILM) and I'm looking forward to seeing what other people thought of the lineup. I think it's one of the best we've had in years.

And of course, fantastic to see all of you again, and really hope you enjoyed the experience ... especially the new folks.

EDIT: D'OH! And apparently I'm too tired to afford the courtesy to thank our benevolent hosts (Dave and Jen) and our fearless leaders (Bruce and Joe) for putting on such a fine and festive event. Plus a big shout out to all the volunteers, sponsors, decorating committee, and whoever else I'm forgetting to thank. Sorry, long night.

FURTHER UPDATE: The Hall of Marathonia and the Horror Marathon Archives are updated with some pictures and the basic film information and such. Feel free to stop by. As always, if people have more pictures they want to donate, just let me know and I can see about getting them up on the site.

http://www.vitruvianzeke.com/Marathonia/Marathonia.html#GH3
http://www.scifimarathon.com/Horror/horrorgallery/index.php?cat=44

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I really had a lot of fun this year. Shoutouts to everyone involved who made this event possible! Every last one of you is awesome. I honestly wasn't sure I would be able to make it through the entire 'thon, in fact, I was sure I wouldn't. But I ended up having such a good time that I decided to stick around until the very end after all; I was enjoying myself too much to leave. I didn't want to sleep either. However, I did end up dozing off during GOKE, which bugged me because I really did want to see the whole thing. Even so, I got such great vibes being there this year that I spent more money than I'd planned on (although I am not complaining, it's money well spent). My lameass pals whom I couldn't convince to join me really missed out and I have every intention of letting them know that, so that they will feel compelled to attend in future years.

The crowd was good too. There were plenty of moments that are just the reason that attending is so great, even for movies I've seen before. Part of the fun is the crowd spirit of genuine enjoyment and appreciation for the genre that I just don't find in my everyday life. There's just something about being in a roomful of people who love horror films as much as I do that makes me feel all happy (aw). If there was any obnoxiousness going on, I thankfully missed it. And plenty of lol moments that still make me chortle when I think of them.

On an aside, I feel like so far SERBIAN FILM is getting a bad rap. I can truly understand how people felt it was just too much for them, considering the subject matter (I believe Joe's word was "intense", which is pretty apt). But I gotta say, although I doubt too many people will give it another viewing to confirm this, one thing I noticed was that the scenes which are the most disturbing (read: the ones involving children) are very, very skillfully edited. I felt that the way those scenes were done, it was quite possible that actual children and adults were not even in the room together at the time. As I am personally very sensitive about scenes involving abuse of kids or sexual violence in general (having volunteered in the past for a sexual assault survivor hotline), I was probably even prejudiced against the movie from the start. But as has been pointed out, horror movies as a genre challenge us in ways that others do not. The reason I love horror films is that they challenge my mind in so many ways--what I fear, what I loathe, what I find entertaining. . . .and why. This one challenges me beyond most. I personally have no problem with having a lineup which includes only one film that pushes my boundaries as much as this. I do go to the marathon to have fun, and I did, but it's okay to have my limits pushed too. Don't forget that there are plenty of people out there who think the very idea of a 24-hr horror film marathon itself is twisted and sick!

Having said that, I really, really dug the rest of the lineup, even with the lack of SLITHER, which at first I was disappointed to discover had been lost by UPS. But everything else made up for it quickly and in the end I didn't miss it at all. Audience spirit seemed to run quite high even late in the game, and I am really glad I got to be part of it.

Many, many thanks again to everyone who make the marathons possible. You rock!

My second time at the marathon and I had SUCH a blast. Kudos to Joe and Bruce for their vision, their follow-through and their execution!

I wrote a recap up here:
http://scottwoods.livejournal.com/398484.html

...however, since "Serbian" is starting to take over the thread I will post what I had to say about it's inclusion in the marathon here and leave the rest for a proper "Serbian" thread.



Every film isn't for everyone, but that's how every marathon remains FOR everyone.

Oh yeah: lanyard, baby! (Too soon!)

Don't pop into the forum much, but I wanted to chime in my two cents :

1) I thought the film choices and the scheduling of them were uniformly excellent this year. It was a pretty good balance of classic vs. contemporary, cheese vs. serious, subtle vs. brutal in comparison to the last few years. I'd point to this lineup to a newbie as a good primer on what the marathon's all about.

2) As far as the classic films, Caligari was a good opener, and I think classic films of this type work better in the first hours of the marathon - and live performance was a nice touch. It was pretty unfortunate that Pendulum was so red-shifted, especially as we saw later in the 'thon when the trailer was shown how well it could've looked. <g> I skipped Bride (which was DVD, not blu-ray) to loiter, and Goke did look phenomenal, and even the last reel wasn't as torn up as it was made to expect. I would've rather seen an Argento or perhaps another more recent film then The Beyond, but the print was good and provided an opportunity to see more Italian horror that is not often seen, and should probably be represented in the marathon more often, although personally I fluttered on & off during that one (see below.)

3) I thought the premieres were, again, good representations of what the marathons should be about. House Of The Devil's pace was a bit glacial, but the leads were very good, and seeing genre actors like Noonan on-screen once again was a good thing (but seriously, at least 20 minutes shorter). I thought Midnight Son was a good film, especially in the age of the Twilight and Vampire Dairies-type nonsense that passes for horror these days. The Hitcher print looked great. It was a film I'd planned on switching off on to stay frosty for The Beyond, but I found myself watching it all over again. I skipped home right before Hellraiser, but I expect to pop open the Anchor Bay tin and pop it in here a few days to catch myself up....

(As an aside, was The Sleeper, a local film that recently had a showing at the Grandview, considered at all? I thought that would've worked extremely well, especially since it was home-grown in Ohio.)

4) So, moving to A Serbian Film... I thought it was a good choice and it deserved a place there, and a gonzo film like ASF I think should be part of every marathon as part of what to expect. Looking back in recent years with Martyrs, Henry, Irreversible, Cannibal Holocaust, and Ichi The Killer, all of these have provoked strong reactions in marathoids, and I'm happy to have seen them all at the marathon.

Were there walkouts? Sure. But viewers have every right to skip out and not watch it (I considered it myself), heck, your psyche might be better off. Maybe I personally compartmentalize the shocking films better. Is the intention to scare you off for the rest of the night? Gosh, I hope not, but it did seem to provoke that reaction for some.

But to paraphrase Denis Leary, 'It's a Horror Marathon. Wear a cup.'

The film was more disturbing than I expected, more professional and well-made than I expected, and provoked more discussion than I expected. So I consider it a success. (I'm just glad they didn't get Human Centipede II, because for all accounts so far, that film is just bad. And I'd certainly want shocking and good rather than shocking and bad.)

Do I ever need to see A Serbian Film again? Absolutely not. But in the context of the marathon, I'm happy it was there.

Miles of pixels I'm sure will be devoted to this movie in more depth, but I really don't have much to say beyond this.

5) as for other intangible errata, I thought the theater looked great, compared to marathons at the Drexel there's more space, nicer facilities, and better variety of concessions (although it was a shame about the coffee maker). It also brings people to the theater who probably don't realize it's there, so I hope for Dave and Jen who run the Grandview that's a win. I think the Grandview itself has such a potential for special events. The crowd also I think was very respectful in comparison to some recent years. Got a little chilly around 4am, but hell, I should've been sleeping.

6) But unfortunately, moving to perhaps a touchy subject, the presentation of the films themselves was a disaster. Not ONE film didn't suffer from some sort of projection problem, or audio problem, or seeing DVD menus or logos or computer wallpaper on-screen that should've stayed behind the curtain. And with being a marathoid across two decades, and having friends involved in all aspects of the marathon, whom I want all to succeed and come away happy, every time I noticed something it made me groan. It was so amazingly sloppy, it pushed me past a point beyond making me angry, and just made me sad.

I can only imagine what a thankless task it is to be running film/video/reels for 24 hours straight, and what all manner of practicality and people have to come together in time to pull off the marathons, but for folks like myself who have an emotional investment in them, look forward to them every year, get excited about them every year, and for some (unlike myself) who may travel great distance to attend every year, they deserved better.

Again, probably more pixels will be pushed on this, but the mis-steps I saw and their frequency colored so much of my experience, especially since so much of what I saw in the collective vibe of the marathon did click, and that I felt its line-up was so strong, I couldn't ignore it.

7) So, to wind up, an enjoyable marathon, although in some aspects in spite of itself. Let the continued back-splatter on A Serbian Film continue, and I wait for next year. Let the harping and unreasonable expectation on all involved with the Sci-Fi marathon commence!

As always, I've posted a full recap of the event (complete with trailers and posters) over at my website:

http://www.comicheronews.com/?p=23013

In summary (reposted from the article): Overall, I had a really good time. We had some serious film delays, and it is unfortunately true that A Serbian Film will probably remain the defining element of the marathon. Which does a disservice to the rest of the line-up. There were some amazing classics, a great live-performance by Sue Hershe, and the constant buzz of the audience. I worry about what A Serbian Film may have done to drive some audience members away – and to prevent new audiences from forming, but I also think that it is to the credit of the hosts and organizers that we were able to cover so many different varieties of horror during the event, and I know I'll be looking forward to coming back next year.

Excellent re-cap and you echo my thoughts on A Serbian Film very well.

Again, I don't fault Joe and Bruce for selecting the film, nor would I have excluded it on the merit of its graphic nature. The marathon was, in fact, probably the perfect audience for such a film.

But it's not only rough to get through, it's rough to come back from ... and that's something that's difficult to include in a 24-hour event.

Hey, some people liked it and I'm glad everyone had the opportunity to see it, so more power to you, Joe.

If people want to discuss the film in further depth we should probably spin off the discussions into their own thread, which anyone is welcome to do if they like.

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Here’s my version of the breakdown…Of course another year has come and gone and as I mentioned to a friend outside, this is my favorite “holiday”. I look more forward to this than Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Yom Kippur (even though I’m not Jewish), Ramadan (Not Muslim either) etc…
Joe has alluded to it on several of his podcasts that this is very akin to a dysfunctional family reunion, but I always say you can’t spell dysfunctional without FUN!! The wait in line before hand is just one of the many experiences that love. The stares from the commoners and the Gradviewites looking at the Thoids with disdain, curiosity, and wonderment remains to be a highlight of the experience. Walking outside for a break during that other Thon and shouting, “we’re doing a marathon too, don’t act like you’re special,” reminds me of how awesomely special this crowd is!! There are a few down sides one being the continuous commentary during the movies from incredibly unfunny people. As Joe and Bruce have said in the past, if you think what you’re about to say is really funny, it’s probably not. Again, that’s adds to the mystique of the thon. Now on to the movies…
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - This was a very unexpected surprise. Honestly I don’t have high expectations for silent movies, just not my cup of tea, but this was fantastic. The accompaniment of Sue Harshe just made it that much better. Looking forward to more movies like this as long as Sue is providing the music.
The Pit and the Pendulum – I was really looking forward to this as any movie with VP is entertaining. The print was not really good but it didn’t ruin the tone of the movie. It’s hard to watch any VP movie after experiencing the print of Masque a year ago.
The House of the Devil – Loved it!! It brought horror back to its roots. This movie should be mandatory for all film students wanting to go into the horror genre. This movie brought back the tension and angst that early films inherently had.
Bride of Frankenstein - didn’t watch all this because I really wanted to see it 35mm. Caught about the middle 1/3 and really liked it. Just needed to stand as I have chronic back issues and sitting to long boosts the nerve pain in my lower back and hips.
Flesh for Frankenstein – for all the build up and hype, this was a bit of let down. Still very good but I had a very, “ah man” moment. Then when Joe exclaimed it was the wrong print, it made all the sense in the world. Still very good but like I said, a bit let down. I am very interested in Blood of Dracula now.
A Serbian Film - Still trying to determine whether it was good or bad. I think the build up far outweighed the payoff. Don’t get me wrong it was incredible effective, disturbing and repulsive but I didn’t hate it either. I thought the direction, cinematography and acting for that matter were all really good but the story was just that, something to wrap my head around. I read a few interviews from the director and I can see where he was trying to go but I believe he could’ve gone a different route. There is still a lot to be said about subtlety. Let me say this, as one of my friends (not worldsfinest) and I agreed upon, I didn’t hate it as much as I hated Martyrs because I think part of that was due to ASF’s absurdity.
Midnight Son - This to me was the highlight of the night. Wow, what a great flick and think human evolution isthe reason for vampirism? This seriously took an old world story and scientifically tried to explain why vamps have a taste for blood and hate sun light. I’ve already recommended this to a few friends and I really am hoping for a larger release as this one deserves it. Also, am I the only one who thought Jacob looked a little like Joseph Gordon-Levitt?
Goke: Body Snatcher from Hell – Since I had no interest in watching this, this was the flick I slept through. Even with ear plugs in, the movie was incredibly loud and annoying.
The Hitcher – this one still stands up. No reason, no method, no care, Rutger Hauer was killin’ just to kill! Nothing inventive (aside from ripping a girl in half with tractor trailers) just good old fashioned shootin’ and stabbin’. John Ryder was so brooding and methodical that he seemed to be a vampire in the night, simply stalking and not having a single care for his victims. The print was great and I felt this was one of the highlights of the thon.
The Beyond – Seriously, how can anyone not like Fulci? I was really looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. In typical fashion, the oozing was over the top and the mood had a fantastically maniacal tone. I could’ve gone without the constant banter but it was, again, part of the experience.
Hellraiser – Actually left for a couple of reasons. 1. I have seen this at least 5 times and one more wasn’t going to make any better or worse. 2. I was just completely out of gas. In fact, I probably could’ve left after Goke but I really wanted to see the Hitcher and The Beyond.
So there you have it. My take on this year’s Thon. I personally don’t believe ASF took away from the Thon at all, in fact, I think folks are over reacting a little bit, just as some were overreacting prior to the ‘Thon. Again, just my opinion because I agree the movie was shocking, repulsive, but as pointed out before, extremely effective. I thought the flow of the line up was great and I always have complete confidence in Joe and Bruce to produce a solid product.
My only gripe and it’s been a gripe for a long time….if you’re going to say we’re starting the Thon at noon, please start at noon. It’s one thing to open the doors at noon but we’ve never started on time. Thought for next year, what about letting us in at 11:30 and getting started at noon, presuming we can do that.

Just a few early entries for next year…

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Never done one of these write ups but I have nothing better to do while Dell fixes my laptop I spilled soda all over so I thought I'd give it a shot. I have really come to enjoy the marathons to a great degree later in life and have challenged myself to stay till the end the last 3 and I like how doing so has made them more of a memorable, complete experience for me. I also love sitting once or maybe twice a year with friends I don't see enough experiencing several films.

cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The idea of adding the soundtrack is really a stroke of genius. I hadn't watched this in years and to see it on the big screen is an example of what I feel makes these marathons great. So many iconic images that you just absorb. Loved seeing this.

The Pit and the Pendulum
Not a huge fan of Vincent Price movies but I did enjoy this as I did Masque of Red death or whatever it was called two years back. Really kind of a disturbing, psychologically complex story that I feel didn't warrant the almost unbearable snarking that was going on during this. Poe's descent into madness has always intriqued me and any film that explores this to some degree even after taking liberties from his stories is intriguing for me to watch.

The House of the Devil
I was first introduced to Ti West after watching Trigger Man. I knew nothing about the director but added that title to my netflix and despite there being tediously long build up with badly improvised dialogue for the first 30 minutes when the first shot is fired it was a suspensful, gripping sustainment of tension for the remaining 50. This made me look up the director and I discovered his other low budget gem the Roost that was genuinely creepy. I wondered what this budding talent could do with a bigger budget and finally found out with House of the Devil. After seeing it the day it hit DVD I knew most horror audiences would find it too slow and wouldn't be able to get into the groove of the deliberate pacing so Ti West would never be a commercial horror director. To me Devil is one of the finest horror films of the last 10 years. I love that he captures that more innocent 80's horror film look which adds to the feeling that the nation's horror was hiding in the outskirts of our own back yard but hadn't been identified yet. I like how this film builds and builds. Some think it's over kill but it keeps teasing you with moment of shock and horror that you know will happen. The shot through the door of the prior family murdered and sacrificed is one of the most chilling shots in years and it's ending is the explosion of utter horror and terror it took so long to build towards which to me made it even more resounding. Strange how when I watched this at home for the first time I did feel it's pacing but in the theater this time it zipped right by and felt just right. By the way the first half of Cabin Fever 2 was amazing because of this guy. Apparently he got fired and that's why the 2nd half goes to crap. I'd rather Ti West be one of the futures of Horror then shock cinema but certainly there's a place for both.

Bride of Frankenstein
I'd forgotten how entertaining and emotionally satifying this film is. I hadn't properly watched it in years and I was reminded how effective it is as a sequel and a work of art that has stood up to become part of our culture all these years later. A great addition to watch with the crowd.

Flesh for Frankenstien
Depsite the cuts I had a blast watching this. Funny, over the top, weird and still possesses it's own viewpoint and vision. Really well paced as well which are usually problems for these types of films.

A Serbian Film
I always sacrifice one film for a nap and I chose this one. I decided a while back I wouldn't watch it if it played. Mainly it was because I feared I would have the response Vitruvian did above and it would kill the rest of the marathon for me. After returning to see my friends looking exhilarated (and repressively disturbed) I wondered if i'd made the wrong decision. Seeing the posters above report they did indeed experience a demoralising that affected the rest of the event (and the week apparently) I am glad I skipped it. It's a shame this sent so many people home. I zipped right along the rest of the marathon and saw every film without giving everything I had to A Serbian Film. The reactions afterward were pricess though.



Midnight Son
I didn't hate this I just didn't care for it. It did everything I expected it to do and really didn't offer me anything I hadn't felt like I'd seen a hundred times before. So the kid slowly realizes he's a vampire. To just watch a slow, low budget recreation of the Martin idea without the pathos of Martin seemed pointless. Maybe I'm sick of Vampires but I know of i'm sick of Vampire movies that just aren't adding anything new. Pretty poor dialogue as well but the acting wasn't bad for this sort of thing. I did like the last scene though I expected it.

Goke: Bodysnatcher
Looked fun but I fell asleep half way through. I knew I needed about 30 minutes to be totally alert for the rest of the films so I checked out.Oddly I don't regret missing the rest of it as I often feel that though these things are funny novelty viewing that they are also disposable viewing. Nice print though.

The Hitcher
The absolute high light of the marathon for me. Haven't seen it since I was a kid and I was grinning ear to ear through this as I forgot how sharp, unpredictable and just plain fun it was. Hauer is just so iconic for me in the 80's and I love him here. Despite it's implausability through most scenes it allows you to forgive it because it still feels like it's in complete control yet dabbling in and earning it's more extreme moments. Great, smart choice booking this.

The Beyond
Just didn't care for it. I get that it's fun because of the over top Italian gore and what not but there's just not enough of anything of any real substance happening here for me to even have to engage in any way. You just wait for the set ups to have spiders come out of wall and pluck eye balls out. Just too disposable with no real sense of fun to make the gore anything exciting. I did like the final shot again which at least had some semblance of a concept.

Hellraiser
I saw this late in life and what was interesting is I could see this film coming out today and still offering a hint of an idea that could grow to completely change the Horror genre. It's too bad it never quite materialized out of Barker though many films he's been involved with have been underseen gems (like Midnight Meat Train). Just such a fascinating, unusual concept executed quite brilliantly. I don't think movies like Hellraiser work as sequels because it's the desire to know more about these Cenobites and to have them fully explained that actually ends up killing the mystery and intrigue. I haven't seen the sequel to this yet as well which I heard is worthy but I can't see it doing anything other then dimishing the first but I will check it out. Won't be bothering with the other one's though.

Had a great time and appreciate all the care put into making this happen. I'm also very proud that I only slept through 1 1/2 films. My best showing yet. (I'm still kicking myself for sleeping through They Came from Within last year).

Great Marathon, as always. This one the first one in which I was awake for the entire event!

I really liked how consistent this marathon was with regards to quality---the only movie I didn't really care for was Goke.

My personal highlights included House of the Devil, Midnight Son, and the Hitcher. I thought that The Beyond could have been distilled down only to the awesome scenes of gore, and been just as good.

While I was able to process A Serbian Film and move on, a lot of others were not. I think I am in the anti-camp when it comes to these kinds of films---ASF disrupted the event for several of the people I came with, and discouraged me from trying to bring newbies to the event beforehand. These kind of films are just not a lot of fun, and I think fun is the name of the game with these types of events.

In a perfect world, there would be a better way to view films like these outside the context of the rest of marathon---as VitruvianZeke said, even if you didn't hate the film, it still disrupted the flow of everything and was difficult to come back from.

I also do wish that these events would go a little more smoothly---fewer projection problems and delays---but they're easy to forgive. It would be cool, just once, to get through all 12 films AND get out before 12:30pm.

Minor quibbles aside, these marathons remain a highlight of my year, and I can't wait until the next one!

Sincerely,

Rotorueter (AKA Fake Joe)

Wow,I'm still surprised at the kickback from A Serbian Film. I'm even kind of bummed at myself for running off to the restroom twice for a couple minutes because of the energy drink I consumed an hour before. I was missing a history lesson unfold and wanted to see and hear every single reaction. Since I already have the actual DVD with interviews and such and have now seen it 5 times I'm still wondering what the big deal is about. I've seen worse depressing images and nihilism on a Law and Order:SVU marathon on TV. I guess I just don't get it cause I've been possibly watching horror since age 4 or 5 and this just seems like being afraid of the dark to me. Not real. It's like the old saying "I like apples but I also like oranges". Sure A Serbian Film doesn't have the whimsy of films like I Was A Teenage Zombie,Blood Diner or Student Bodies but is indeed just a movie. Maybe more like films like Suicide Circle,Nekromantik or Der Todesking but still just a movie. And a horror film,at that. I know everyone wants to label this "torture porn" but it's just plain and simple a horror flick. You have to remember there were many who were sickened and vomiting at films like Blood Feast and The Exorcist when they came out. So I am kind of disappointed in Tim's attitude of rejecting the marathon content cause he is old and wants classics. I'm 43 and I thought A Serbian Film was a gutsy showing and hope the trend continues and maybe next year Nekromantik or its ilk will possibly get shown. I just don't want the marathon to sink into mainsteam,PG-13 levels where they are showing Twilight and Buffy. Yawn! I hope there are more widespread showings at the marathon of more obscure flicks like Nurse Sherri(which Bruce mentioned),Dracula Vs. Frankenstein,Willard,Satan's Cheerleaders,Legend of Boggy Creek,Final Exam,etc.
I think the nicest surprise was the showing of Legend of Beaver Dam(good old Stumpy Sam). A most pleasing treat and nod to the "killer in the woods" genre. Still shows there can be good stuff being made nowadays(even though it was only a short film).

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Yeah,I know Buffy,the movie,showed instead of Squirm years ago(which kind of showed me where the culture was going) but it doesn't mean there has to be a sacrifice of hardcore horror for the light stuff.

Just got back and settled in enough to catch up on the whole post marathon vibe. I travel a long way for these things and I have been coming a long time, so I understand and put up with the frequent timing and projection issues because I have a large investment in having a good time. That being said, it needs to be pointed out what a huge disappointment it was to have such a lack of urgency that killed the momentum from the start, beginning with not opening the doors until 11:45 or so. Then we were faced with a number of projection problems, which I tolerate because I know how difficult the logistics of everything is. It's great that they have the two projector system in order to accommodate more selections in the booking process, but it was quite clear that the theater needed more time or practice implementing that system. I mean no personal offense and I am not trying to be disrespectful, but it needs to be mentioned.

For any newbies out there, please don't be turned off by the logistic problems. There are always some hiccups, but this year had more than in recent memory from the ones I have personally attended. Heck, in many ways, it also adds an added bonus to the experience, like for example the countdowns during the reel changes in A Serbian Film.

I think the reaction to the elephant in the room was about as I would have expected. However, I am somewhat surprised and disappointed that it was such a turnoff to some loooongtime marathon and/or horror fans that it basically soured the rest of the event for them. I just don't want something as visceral and affecting as this to have a long-term effect on attendance, or the perception of the marathon.

Before going into detail about specifics and breakdowns and all that, I figured I would lighten the mood by just posting a series of random thoughts that occurred to me during each film, whether they were relevant or not:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: If you think about it, it's kind of weird that all these people in this movie are dead.

The Pit and the Pendulum: While watching the trailers before and after I had two thoughts. 1)Hey wait a minute! That movie was supposed to be in COLOR?!? and 2)It's not a new trend that Hollywood spoils way too much of the plot your average trailer for a film.

House of the Devil: My friend, who knew nothing about the movie beforehand, randomly asked me afterword "when do you think this movie was made?" When I told him 2009 he was genuinely shocked.

Bride of Frankenstein: Wow, all of these people are dead, too.

Flesh For Frankenstein: Oh, great, now we are going to have controversy over the "body count" of the marathon, because how can we count dead bodies that some bulls#@! censor won't let us see?

A Serbian Film: It was kind of like a "cartoon for adults."

Midnight Son: My back is getting kind of sore, I'll just put this neck pillow on and... hey wait, it's over?!

GOKE: Bodysnatcher From Hell: I'm a very busy man, do something!

The Hitcher: I was expecting our hero at the end to hold the shotgun over his head and shout "WOLVERINES!"

The Beyond: Where can I get me one of those 30 shot revolvers?

Hellraiser: Whatever happened to fantastic practical effects like these?

Slither: It's cursed. Don't EVER try to book it again. Everyone should take the time to watch it at home, though. I also recommend another of the writer/director's works, Super sans 8.

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