The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

I'll be posting an extended review of this year a bit later on (still kinda recovering), but everyone feel free to post your comments, thoughts, and what-not here in the meantime.

I'll also announce when I've got the pictures uploaded to the Archives. So ... have at it ...

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

As I said on the Facebook page today, this is one of the most fun marathons I can remember in recent memory. I've been coming to these since 2001, and I believe that this was my 10th horror marathon, and it's great to see the event appear to be in such healthy shape.

You guys did a fantastic job of creating an amazingly stinker-free lineup, and even though you faced the challenges of a new venue and juggling multiple projection formats, we managed to fit in all of the scheduled movies. Getting a seat early on was a piece of cake---the whole experience felt very professionally organized.

[b]Some highlights:[/b]

-absolutely loved that remastered print of the Exorcist. While I don't come to these events to see blockbuster-type films, these types of prime-time exhibitions (Psycho and the Shining also come to mind from the last decade) are always some of the most memorable parts of the 'thons.

-Night of 1000 Cats was a lot better than I was expecting. It was extremely funny and over-the-top, and, unlike a lot of these type of "haha, low-budget" type entries, really never lagged. Tons of laughs, tons of fun.

-I had never seen Candyman, and it totally blew me away. Beautifully shot and has a soundtrack by Philip Glass? Also, this is perhaps sort of exploitative, but as a geek for this kind of stuff, it was pretty amazing to see a realistic time-capsule depiction of the Cabrini-Green Projects (which have since been demolished). I can't believe I've missed this one up until now. I guess the print was sort of weird with regards to focusing, but it was still great.

-Cabin in the Woods would have made more of an impression on me had I not already seen it in the theatre TWICE before today. Regardless, a great film that is even more enjoyable with a great crowd.

-Thirst was a spectacular and unique take on the vampire genre. It felt a little long, and reading subtitles at one of these events is always sort of dicey, but this one definitely worked. So glad to have seen it.

-I don't want to review every film, but I want to say that they were all really enjoyable, and all possessed very different vibes. They always do a great job picking out the films, but Joe and Bruce outdid themselves this year with regards to quality and variety.


[b]There weren't many disappointments at all, and the ones that were there were not major, but here goes:[/b]

-As an enormous Suspiria fan who owns the film on DVD, I had been looking forward to seeing the film on the big screen. Man, that print was disappointing, though. Inaudibly quiet dialog punctuated by the deafeningly loud soundtrack. Also, while Joe himself touched on the puzzling deletion of the "dog bites creepy kid, blind guy gets fired" scene, what I also noticed is that this cut lacked some of the gore of other versions I've seen: including closeups of the glass roof carnage from the early part of the film, and a longer shot of the dog eating the piano player.

Still cool to see it on the big-screen in any form, given how rare Joe says it is to find functional prints of Argento work in the US, and it did deliver Argento's visually arresting style, but I was really expecting something special overall, and what we got was only decent.

-I would suggest vetoing the White Castle option for dinner next year. A 24-hour marathon with a theatre full of people doesn't exactly lend itself to a positive olfactory experience, and White Castle made it worse.

-a piece of me misses the grand spectacle that the marathons used to be. The famous guests, the over-the-top decorations, etc. I get that we aren't doing these events in as big venues as we used to, so I understand the logistic limitations, but this is just an old 'Thon veteran doing his best "in my day" speech.

In closing, great event! Can't wait til next year!

I won't bog this down with a break down of every movie but I'll provide just a summary of the evening from my point of view.

Overall, again, another great job by Joe, Bruce, The Drexel Staff and anyone else I may have missed. As me and another thoid were discussing prior to the start of the event, constructive criticism is one thing (especially since this only comes around once a year) but out right, blatant disrespect is completely unwarranted and unwanted. However, with that said, the event went great...I personally prefer the Drexel over the Grandview for a few reasons...1. seats are WAY more comfortable, 2. The bathroom factor alone makes this a huge win.

- The crowd was great as always, riffing was down this year but i don't think there were a ton of opportunities to do so.

- Loved Thirst, Candyman, The Wolf Man, and The Exorcist

- Loathed Lords of Salem (Sheri Moon is an atrocious actor and reading how she "doesn't like auditions because she finds to be degrading, explains why she's only in her husbands movies) Suspiria was very meh for me, the print was good, the story was ok but the sound was so loud and distracting that it was difficult to really enjoy the show. Charlie's whining from Fright Night (loved the movie overall).

- loved the costume contest since my brother and best friend were Milosh's member and baby...I told them it was a sink or swim idea but it definitely was a swim since they got 2nd place.

Overall, great event and great time...add the fact that we were only an hour behind and didn't have to cut anything was a huge success.

oh and as mentioned prior, the 3 am white castle idea, was a good idea in theory, not a good idea in practice....this is just one man's opinion, though.

thanks again for the great times!

Joe, Bruce and the Drexel staff did an amazing job this year. I think they really listened to us and gave us more food options, brought back 35mm and the fun.
Even though this wasn't the biggest crowd, I have to say the vibe was fantastic.

The films - Having Fright Night at the beginning was very smart. It got everyone pumped up for the rest of the marathon.

I thought the Wolf Man looked great, in fact, I don't think I've ever seen it look like this. What else can I say about such an iconic film?

Lords of Salem ended up being my 1st nap film - 1)I had already watched it and 2)the night before didn't go how I expected so I didn't have the rest I really needed. I'm not a huge fan of this movie, but I don't outright loathe it like so many people do.

This was the first time I had seen the Exorcist on the big screen. It did not disappoint. I thought the DCP presentation was marvelous.

House of 1000 cats was purely exploitative, but the perceived animal cruelty was too over the top. I shouldn't expect too much from Rene Cardona though (Night of the Bloody Apes).

Suspiria was loud, but I think part of that was on purpose, the soundtrack was extremely loud, so I have a feeling it was done intentionally. The cuts were very odd and offputting, but at the same time I think we are all spoiled, back in the pre-internet/VHS days, we were all happy to have something.

I made the decision to sleep through Thirst, I knew I would revisit this film later, It was a matter of picking and choosing my battles. I woke back up for Phantasm and I still love the score. The Tall Man doesn't get as much love as Freddy,Jason and Michael, but he's still creepy - I have one of those Coronet films with Angus in it...

Cabin in the Woods, I had already watched this on the big screen and fell asleep about halfway through.

Woke up in time for Trick or Treat, which I had seen back in the 80's. Marc Price (Skippy from Family Ties) was a known entity, and in some ways, seemed like he was trying too hard to be Crispin Glover. I didn't have many fond memories of this slice of cheese, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised. Still a big hunk of cheese, but played a little more fun this time.

As a huge Larry Cohen fan, I remember Q from the drive in, but more just a creature feature, not as Joe called it the Michael Moriarty / David Carradine improv hour (which it completely was).

Finally Candyman, this movie gets better with every viewing. From the music (which I love, but think the main theme was a bit overused) to the cinematography. It was a GREAT way to end a festival.

Everything else:
The trailers, the shorts, the commercials, the intermissions. A good mix of digital and 35mm. I can't complain. I really felt like Joe and Bruce *really* heard our pleas for bringing all this back. I really couldn't be happier.

Next year I am going to make sure I get plenty of rest, I am not going to repeat what happened this time. I also think the warm temperature (at least for me) was making me sleepy as well.

Food options:
It was great to see your could get something other than popcorn, pizza and a hot dog. I know the subs went over pretty well, every one who had them around me were pretty happy about it. I don't know if this is feasible or not, but I *think* if a vegetable cup was offered (pre-packed cut veggies with a dip or some cubes of cheese) you would have people buying them up. I know I would. I can only handle so much salt and soda before I just asked for water.

I know people have brought this up before, and I don't want to sound like a broken record, but PLEASE shower and (if possible) use deodorant before heading to this marathon. You are stuck in the room with a bunch of people for 24 hours.

I hope to be able to give back to the marathon in a very special way next year. My wife and I have only been going for a couple of years, I think it will be a tradition that we will be doing for a long time.

Again, thank you to everyone involved for making this marathon what it is. I have a feeling that with liberties that have been given to Bruce and Joe, it's only going to get better!

Alrighty, I think I'm awake enough to post my thoughts on the event. I'll try not to bore you all too much.

First, let me just thanks Kevin and CAPA and the whole of the Drexel staff involved, along with Anna and ALL the people behind the scenes who worked so hard bringing this event to screen. There was a lot of work done to bring the 35mm projector back into order, and it really was the key to making this event as good as Bruce and Joe wanted it to be.

Things went amazingly smoothly up in the booth. The schedule was kinda tight going in, and I know there were trailers cut from the start of Phantasm, but all in all I think it went WAY better than it could have gone given the fact that this was basically its first production run. Sound switching issues were no fault of the booth, and may be something that we can look into improving for next time. Again, huge thanks to Kevin and Anna for the extensive time and effort that went into the restoration.

The Drexel staff were top-notch as always, and I was overall pretty pleased with the food situation. I know this was something that the Drexel had committed to pretty early on, so if you have any feedback or suggestions for them, by all means let them know. Making sure you guys have good choices is important to them.

Of course, as I often forget to do (since I pester these guys all too often), huge thanks to Joe and Bruce for once again bringing a phenomenal lineup in the face of adversity. Changes in the industry, local theaters, and general shifts in technology have made the last few years really tough to plan around, but somehow they manage to pull it off.

OK, enough of my bootlicking ... here's what I REALLY thought ...

FRIGHT NIGHT

Wow. This was one of my real favorites back in the day and it held up nicely, especially with that excellent DCP restoration from Sony. It often gets overlooked, but there are some truly great performances there and I'm a sucker for the meta "genre looking at a genre" style movies. Probably my second favorite film of the event. Definitely an excellent choice for lead-off film.

THE WOLF MAN

Having caught several of Universal's restoration series at the Wexner (somewhere that ALL film fans in town should keep a watch on, because they play some phenomenal stuff), I fully expected that this restoration would be top notch. I was not disappointed in the slightest. I can't stress enough how important these 2k, 4k, and 8k digital restorations are to the future of the industry and the long-term survival of the classics. What can I say? This movie is iconic. I suggested it last year to go along with An American Werewolf In London, but I'm actually glad to have waited. The DCP was really worth waiting for.

THE LORDS OF SALEM

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little divided on Rob Zombie films. I love the idea behind what he's doing, independent explorations of the horror genre that don't have to fall into the Hollywood mold. Unfortunately, I usually don't think the films live up to the ideal. This turned out better than I'd expected, though I'm still not a huge fan. Sheri Moon Zombie just doesn't have the oomph to carry a central role like this. It's the supporting names where this movie really shines ... Dee Wallace, Patricia Quinn, Ken Foree, and especially Bruce Davison ... they're the real reasons to watch this film.

The 5th Annual Costume Contest

Apologies if I got in anyone's way or ruined anyone's photo-op. Joe had me on backup photo-snap duty. Pictures should get uploaded to the website's archives tonight or tomorrow.

THE EXORCIST

Again, what more can be said about this movie that hasn't been said already? Phenomenal DCP transfer of an absolutely bone-chilling classic. The only negative point I will make is that I'm not a huge fan of the Director's Cut of this film. I don't mind the lengthening of the scenes, and for once I don't think that it really hurts the pacing. But the addition of several of the demon-face flashes and in particular the spider-crawl scene sort of overtly accelerate the supernatural aspect of the film's timeline for the audience. Part of the true horror of the film is that it's played so straight and so dubious for so long to build the tension. The Director's Cut sacrifices some of that for little gain. Having said that, though, it still plays out brilliantly, and my nits aside it was a rock-solid choice.

NIGHT OF 1000 CATS

So, when I got into work this morning the first thing that people asked me was "What was the best movie that got shown?" The answer came to me without missing a beat. Words cannot describe my surprise at how enjoyably cheesy this movie is. Wretchedly boring helicopter rides punctuated by gonzo-surreal behavior and completely gratuitous mass cat shots. I went in expecting this to be a snooze-fest, and instead I got really, really, really wacky cheese. I really was pleased.

SUSPIRIA

Ah, Suspiria. I like Argento, Goblin, and Jessica Harper all three ... but I'm still not a big fan of this film. Most of that comes from the cuts and the previous releases. As Joe mentioned, cuts in several key scenes really undermine the narrative, which at times feels really forced and somewhat unimportant. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen any release of this film with a decent sound mix. Heavily accented dialog gets badly washed out and the Goblin score is shrill enough without being over-amped and drilling through the skull. Plus, there was a while when Sci-Fi Channel was showing this film ad nauseam on weekends. I fully support the choice, because it's one of Argento's best known films (and the others are REALLY hard to get), but it's never been my brand of vodka. Hopefully people enjoyed it.

The 5th Annual Scream Contest

Again, sorry if I got in anyone's way. The scream contest is harder to shoot, people move around a lot more when screaming and the light's low enough that it's tough. Still, got some good shots, so watch here for news that they're available.

THIRST

I like this film, but as good as it is it didn't really quite grab me. The story's a little disjointed, the virus ends up being a largely pointless MacGuffin, and the film feels like it runs a bit long. I think it could have played better and tighter with a bit of focus. Still, I'm glad I got to see it on the big screen with this crowd. It definitely deserved the play, and I know a lot of the crowd hadn't had the chance to see it.

PHANTASM

The Ball is BACK! This is another of my favorite 70's/80's bridge horror films, and another movie that I think is pretty highly underrated. The Tall Man is a really creepy villain, Mike is as level-headed and as intelligent a protagonist as you can get (he's surprisingly smart for a kid in a horror film) and Coscarelli brought a genuinely unique filter to the typical horror/slasher genre. Again, I'm a sucker for genre-bridging stuff, and Phantasm has a nice mix of horror with a sci-fi feel.

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Joss Whedon (and Drew Goddard both) have their share of critics, but I have to say that I absolutely LOVED this film when it showed in the theater. As I said above, I'm a huge fan of films that explore their own genre (The Player is another good example) and this one has a lot of brilliant things working in its favor. I think it was a good idea to show, even if it is a wee bit recent ... I know a lot of people probably saw it during its theatrical release, but I think mixed reviews kinda pushed people away. It definitely sounded like it was a crowd-pleaser, and it sure managed to keep me awake at 5am.

TRICK OR TREAT

The film's a perfectly cheesy hair-metal 80's offering, and it was quite a bit more amusing than I'd remembered. But, I was starting to flag a bit by this point, so I nodded off a couple times and was out of the auditorium for a bit. Again, never one of my main choices, it was pretty good schlock for the early morning. It did not bring back my nostalgia for cassette tapes.

Q: THE WINGED SERPENT

This is another giant-ball-of-cheese that I'd seen a long, long time ago and had mostly forgotten. The movie always came across as a really, really impromptu "get it in one take" cheapie. Cohen mostly lets the actors just throw stuff out there, and I never got the feeling anyone seriously wanted to be in this film. It didn't really leave much of a mark on me the first time, and by this point keeping my eyes open was becoming nigh-impossible. Not wanting to miss anything in Candyman, I just let myself drift off through most of it. Unlike most others, I hadn't been disappointed when it was dropped for time in 2009, but I'm glad Quetzalcoatl was finally able to break free.

CANDYMAN

This was another of the films I was most excited to see. Again, as with Fright Night and Phantasm, I've always felt people lumped the film into a "knockoff" category (B-Rated versions of B-Rated movies) thinking it a typical slasher film. When I first saw it I realized there was a lot more here than meets the eye. Granted, the dialog and pacing can be a bit corny and off-putting at some points, but overall it's a solid story that's very well executed. It's well thought out, and I'm a sucker for the Chicago skyline in any film. Plus, I've been wanting to have Virginia Madsen's alien love child since Electric Dreams so, um, sorry ... little distracted there. The movie's genuinely creepy and pretty stirring with some deeply disturbing visuals, and a great choice to end the marathon.

So that's it! I have a ton of pictures to post to the Archives later, plus Joe will probably post his at some point as well. I'll update the Halls of Marathonia once I've had time to sort out my scanner situation at home and can digitize the certificate and the ticket.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for coming and for all your support. Bruce and Joe have said it many times, but I believe it myself ... it's because of YOU that this event happens at all, and YOU set the standard that Bruce and Joe live by. Thanks as well to the great people at Laughing Ogre, Epic Loot Games, and of course CAPA and the Drexel for their phenomenal support of this venture. Plus the countless decorations guys, staff, Fat Guys at the Movies, etc. Man, way too many people to thank and I know I've forgotten too many. You guys just rule.

By way of thanks, I highly encourage you to patronize the Drexel and other independent theaters around town ... the great comic/game shops mentioned above, White Castle, Jimmy John's, Donatos ... and all the businesses who threw in a hand.

There's still a while, but keep checking back for word about the Science Fiction Marathon, and Bruce's upcoming Trailerthon and other late-night Drexel offerings. Your support is very much appreciated!

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

I had more fun at this year's thon' then I have in years..

The line up had something for everyone and the staff at the Drexel made things easier with how friendly and helpful they were..

I won't go through every move like somehow how people give a good damn about my opinion
But am I only one of the few people that love ..Lords of Salem?

My highlights were Lords of Salem on a big screen (I have watched the Blu ray at least a dozen times..
Trick or treat I have seen TONS of times and seeing it again on a big screen was so much fun

Night of a 1000 cats was a blast to watch with a crowd but I somehow think it would have that effect at home

Everything was in place this year and the vibe proved that

I do hope the gentleman who had the diabetic seizure is doing well

_________________
You should be loyal to your hero's
They can turn on you!

Just wanna say thanks to everyone who put so much work in to make this such a great marathon! I had a blast and drank way too much coffee. The highlight for me was probably seeing The Exorcist on a big screen for the first time...I'd only seen it once before on DVD on a tiny TV, but both times it managed to make me feel physically tense and scared for almost the entire movie. The other movies were great for the most part; even the ones I was less than enthusiastic about (Lords of Salem, Q: The Winged Serpent) had some really enjoyable moments. And I'm glad I managed to keep from dozing off for more than 30-45 minutes at a time, and those only during the overnight movies (Thirst, Phantasm, Cabin in the Woods). Hope everyone else had as much fun as I did, and I'll see you all next year at Sci-Fi!

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to everyone who had to endure the hurtful, idiotic comments from my "friend" Tammy, who had something terrible to say about everyone and everything through out the entire event. (brown haired, brown eyed girl who won the scream contest, the ONLY PERSON that didn't like "The Night Of 1000 Cats") Don't worry, folks: I will NEVER again bring her to another public event for as long as I live. She is clearly incapable of the maturity and respect mandatory for a public event. That being said, on with the rest of my thoughts!

To Joe, Bruce, the Drexel staff, the volunteers, the companies who provided the awesome prizes, and the participants: THANK YOU all so much for giving me the most fun I will have all year, every year! I LOVE you guys. I offer my sincerest, deepest apologies to the diabetic who suffered a seizure. I had no idea that it was a seizure, and thought it was someone riffing on the movie. I really am very, truly sorry. I didn't know. I would never deliberately make humor towards anyone because of any disability. After learning the person had a seizure, I felt terrible. I hope that person is doing much better.

FRIGHT NIGHT
This is easily one of my MOST favorite films at the marathon! I have never seen this on a movie theater screen before. I'm almost sure the movie was intentionally cheesy (Peter's hair being spray painted gray to make him look older, Jerry pressing "Play" on a cassette tape player before biting Amy, the HUGE amount of fog billowing out of Jerry's house when Charlie and Peter arrive to rescue Amy) If it WAS intentionally cheesy, I think it hurt the seriousness of the serious scenes. Maybe I'm wrong. I think it depends on how you think of Fright Night. The poster alone seems to imply it is a VERY straight forward, serious movie. I used to think of it as such, until I noticed the cheesiness. It's one of THE BEST vampire movies either way. I've seen this movie I don't know HOW many times before, and when I seen it at the marathon, it finally occurred to me why Amy acts surprised just before Jerry bites her LOL Let's just say there is a reason why we can't see where Jerry's hands are. There are some things I am confused about:
-Since Jerry is undead, how can his stomach acid break down all the apples he eats? Technically, vampires are not alive, and only living people can break down food with stomach acid.
-Why doesn't Jerry just kill Charlie's mother? She's asleep. It's not like it was would be difficult.
-Sure Charlie....because raccoons make enough noise to rival the noise level and sound of car windows being broken.....
-Did we REALLY need to see Jerry push "Play" on a cassette tape player to provide music for this scene? Couldn't the music have just come naturally, like in ALMOST EVERY MOVIE EVER MADE???
-Apparently, when girls become vampires, their hair grows longer and their voice changes.
-So there are LEVELS of vampirism? Jerry's "bodyguard" is immune to sunlight, like a human, but dies like a vampire.....(scratches head) Is he HALF vampire?
-No explanation is given as to who is pounding on Jerry's front door. It could be Jerry himself, because Jerry has proven that he can teleport, like he did on the streets when he was after Charlie and Amy, but why not IMMEDIATELY bust through one of the windows at the top of the house? It's HIS house, he didn't need to be invited.
-PLEASE explain to me how the HELL Evil Ed survived a stake to the heart, which would kill ANY OTHER VAMPIRE, and if that's NOT Evil Ed, is it Jerry's sister who is in the sequel?

THE WOLF MAN
I LOVE the classics!
TRIVIA:
• A clip of this film can be seen after the ending credits to the movie "The Howling".
• Lon Chaney's cane can be seen in the movie "Cursed".

THE LORDS OF SALEM
One of Rob Zombie's best. I, like probably many, wondered WHAT THE HELL was going on during many scenes, but Rob Zombie's movies are usually very metaphoric and dream like. There IS logic in there, somewhere.

The 5th Annual Costume Contest
This contest had the 2 most (expletive) up costumes I have ever seen. You all know which ones I mean LOL Not insulting them. Just throwing that out there. This costume contest brought hapPENIS to all. Giggity.

THE EXORCIST
A true horror classic if there EVER was one. This iconic movie has withstood the test of time even after all of these decades. The scene where Reagan gets that needle injected into her neck makes me feel sick to my stomach EVERY SINGLE TIME I VIEW IT! There is one thing I never understood about this film. Please explain how it is "too vulgar a display of power" for THE DEVIL himself to merely remove some freakin' straps?? You waged war in Heaven and created an army of demons, but BED STRAPS!! Holy CRAP! That's IMPOSSIBLE!!....You're joking, right? I actually prefer the version shown at the marathon over the original version. More footage = more horror
THE POWER OF SHOCK COMPELS YOU!!
THE POWER OF SHOCK COMPELS YOU!!

THE NIGHT OF 1000 CATS
A zany, fun movie with a predictable but fun ending, starring one of THE WORST MOTHERS in cinema history (cheating on her husband while leaving her young daughter all alone for hours), and HOW THE HELL did that woman's husband know the serial killer? He seemed to be friends with him, despite the movie not showing any interaction with them prior.

SUSPIRIA
I love this movie. Dario Argento's beautiful, artistic style shines brighter in this than ANY of his other movies. I just have ONE complaint: DEAR GOD OH MIGHTY the music was loud! I am not kidding when I say this: My ear drums actually hurt. If it was intentional, it really is a HORRIBLE idea. Watching horror movies shouldn't be painful.

The 5th Annual Scream Contest
I am truly shocked that the previous champ was a male. Not to bash him at all. He is great!, but, no females could beat him before??? Females have better vocal cords or vocal range or etc.

THIRST
This was a very excellent movie, and one of my favorite at the marathon. It had a nice mix of comedy, horror, romance and drama. Asian film companies do EXCELLENT when it comes to vampires! (see: The Vampire Effect)

PHANTASM
A real classic, old school horror hit. This movie has BALLS! Oh and, I would have LOVED if the ice cream idea with Bruce that was mentioned in the Fat Guys At The Movies interview had actually come into play. BOYYYYYY!!!!!

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
My FAVORITE movie at the marathon!! Despite what another user said, I definitely do not think this movie "sucks". Cabin In The Woods manages to break apart from the usual standard fare of a cabin in the woods cliche. It takes not one but TWO sudden turns, stars a classic movie star near the end and has EVERY kind of villain you can imagine, and in my opinion, is one of the most influential horror movies ever made. It dares to be different. To this user, if you want the same old cabin in the woods films, they will always be there and Cabin In The Woods is NOT taking away from that:
THE EVIL DEAD
EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN
EVIL DEAD (the remake of "The Evil Dead")
MAMA
KNOWING
HOUSE HUNTING
FRIDAY THE 13TH
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2
FRIDAY THE 13TH 3-D
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 4: THE FINAL CHAPTER
FRIDAY THE 13TH V: A NEW BEGINNING
FRIDAY THE 13TH VI: JASON LIVES
FRIDAY THE 13TH VII: THE NEW BLOOD
JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY
JASON X
FREDDY VS JASON
FRIDAY THE 13TH (THE 2009 REMAKE)
Just like the Scream movies have done, Cabin In The Woods both celebrates and plays with the horror franchise. Cabin In The Woods is like a love letter to horror fans. I LOVE the fact that it steps outside the box, and even if you HATE Cabin In The Woods, you might AT LEAST appreciate that it goes where no movie has gone before, and probably never will again.

TRICK OR TREAT
I used to own this movie, and I LOVE it!!! It is a fun rock and roll horror hit that has fun with society's hatred of rock and roll, "the Devil's music", showing the haters how ridiculous and overblown their preconceived notions are, and that in real life, rock musicians are some of the most awesome people ever. To everyone who liked this movie, check out these:
http://letterboxd.com/holliehorror/list ... ror-films/

Q: THE WINGED SERPENT
Unfortunately, this is the ONE movie I lost my battle with sleep deprivation to. I didn't sleep for long periods, but several times, I just dozed off for what seemed like a few seconds. A good movie from what I seen of it. I DID notice that it stars Candy Clark from "Cat's Eye", "The Blob" (remake), and "Cherry Falls". She is awesome in everything she does, and is my favorite thing about this movie. What else did I love?
"TWO WORDS: David Carradine and Kung Fu."
lol Props if you actually know what movie that quote is from!

CANDYMAN
BEAUTIFUL haunting music score by Phillip Glass. It's no wonder why this place was torn down in real life! It's a DUMP! I actually got angry when that hoodlum attacked Helen. CANDYMAN HIMSELF showed her more respect!! As someone who has been a victim of violence in bad neighborhoods MANY times before, that scene was tough to watch. Not my favorite Clive Barker film. That honor goes to HELLRAISER.

FOOD
There was a great variety of food to enjoy, including the subs (which I never got to eat....cue the violin music) As for White Castle, NEVER have food at a movie marathon that is well known to and nicknamed for giving people gas. There is a reason why those things are called "Sliders". It's not just the god awful smell they cause people to produce, it's the utterly disgusting noise. HAHA!!

One last thing: To anyone who stayed awake all 24 hours: Please teach me how to do it. I always get angry at myself if I fall asleep, even for only a microsecond. "TEACH ME, MASTER!" (cue the Kung Fu theme)

_________________
"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
- Arthur C. Clarke

Here is my Guide To Staying Awake All 24 Hours (been Marathon-ing since 1979 and haven't slept yet!!):

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=823&hilit=stay+awake#p7716

_________________
Long Live the Orson Welles Cinemas

I'm quite please with the 5th Shock Round the Clock at the CAPA's run Drexel. They learned from their mistakes from the debacle known as the 30th SF Marathon. Now that being said that the CAPA's Drexel must remember what they done right with the 5th Shock Round the Clock.

Consessions. A properly fed Marathonoid is a happy Marathonoid. They IMPROVED on the menu selections. They swtich to Donatos pizza. They have subs from Jimmy Johns. I finally have my first two Jimmy Johns subs. They were great. White Castle was a great choice for an late night snack or very early breakfest. Now I would counterpoint that the odor form the Donatos pizza was about the same as the odor from the White Castle. I enjoy my White Castles. Now before anyone argue about the price of one dollar per slider over at the Marcus Theaters are selling WC sliders four for seven or eight dollars. The coffee was greatly improved as well. I'm very pleased. Keep it up.

The Staff. Kevin Rouch did an excellent job to get the 35mm projector up and running. The Drexel staff as always are excellent. Joe and Bruce did a fine job as always.

The Films. I'm glad that the 35mm projector was back up and running. Able to see trailers, shorts, and other filmic visuals that I missed at this year's SF Marathon. I'm glad that the Bread Films are now DCP!!! Quite please with it. I'm pleased that the extended retrograde projection segment. I enjoy all of the films in the lineup. The flawless switching from 35mm trailers reels to DCP was great.

The Experience. I did find the costume contest was disturbing and funny. To explain my opinion on the A Serbian Film costume duo here is a visual.



Seeing Joe standing next to the guy in the cock costume was funny. I did enjoy the 3D costume.

Overall it was a great marathon.

Whoops willcail, you said Drexel once without adding that it's the CAPA-run Drexel.

By the way ... my round of photos (dim as some of them are) are uploaded to the Archives ...

http://www.scifimarathon.com/Horror/hor ... p?album=80

Enjoy.

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

I'll steal a page from someone else's approach from last year and label my missive

THINGS I LEARNED FROM THIS WEEKEND'S 5th ANNUAL SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK

*WAITING FOR THE FULL EXPERIENCE CAN BE A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
-Full disclosure: before this weekend, I hadn't seen TRICK OR TREAT or Q. One of the benefits of programming film events is that you can afford to wait to see something until you personally can ensure that maiden voyage will be in a theater. Despite being one of the quietest heavy metal films of all time, TRICK OR TREAT totally validated this approach for me. I was surprised by how much less goofy it was than I thought it would be. However, if I had known that Q was SO talky, I would've scheduled it much earlier.

*I REALLY WANT HUGO STIGLITZ'S AMAZING FLYING MACHINE
-Because, apparently, it gives you carte blanche to stalk anyone you want, without them feeling creeped out.

*CANDYMAN IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED HORROR FILMS OF THE LAST 25 YEARS
-In the run up to the Marathon, I had several people remark to me that they remembered CANDYMAN as a fairly run of the mill horror flick. I hadn't seen it in ten years, but damn was I impressed this time around. As a drama, it's genuinely moving. As a horror film, it's genuinely creepy in a very realistic way. And as a film film, it's a great work of art, with a dynamic score by Phillip Glass. Too bad I forgot to tell the story about how I met Tony Todd at the Drexel concession stand back in 1995.

*WE SEEMINGLY LOVE TO PROGRAM FILMS IN WHICH CHARACTERS LIVE IN COLD ENVIRONMENTS
-How else to explain the seeming preponderance of scenes featuring women who....um....weren't wearing brassieres? Or, if they were, appeared to be VERY cold? There was Hugo's gal pal in NIGHT OF 1000 CATS, the bizarre occurrence in the end of CANDYMAN (which almost took away from the gravity and horror of the scene)...and at least a few more that I'm forgetting. Is THIS why "The Degradation of Women" received four Hall of Fame votes?

*I WILL NEVER LIVE DOWN THE DECISION TO BOOK SERBIAN FILM. NEVER.

*JOSH ROXX IS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVES LORDS OF SALEM.
-This was the third time that I'd seen Rob Zombie's best film. And each time, I've enjoyed it more and more. I actually really like Sherri Moon Zombie in this role. She's not a traditionally great actress, but Heidi Hawthorne needs to be dippy and unmannered in order for her to decent into her fate seem all the more realistic.

*WHEN IT COMES TO SUSPIRIA, THE MEDIUM IS INDEED THE MESSAGE
-A quick history: Back in the late 70's, 20th Century Fox acquired the domestic rights to SUSPIRIA. But they ended up not being that proud of this distinction. So they formed International Classics, a shell company whose sole purpose was to release the film without the Fox name being plastered all over it. In its initial release, SUSPIRIA was presented with the cuts you saw this weekend, but also with a genuine 4-track stereo soundtrack, the natural state in which the film was produced and a luxurious way to experience the enveloping, powerful sonic experience that Goblin and Argento crafted. But after the initial print run, Fox decided to issue the remaining prints with a compressed and compromised mono track.....which hampers the film's full power. What you saw this weekend, was one of those mono prints. As I mentioned, there have been rumors for some time of Fox planning a full-scale digital restoration of the 4-track version.

But ultimately, does that really matter? Yes, SUSPIRIA is a more effective film when all of its gore is intact. And yes, the missing plot points are a bit strange (they comprise about two minutes of screen time.) But SUSPIRIA is not a film that's all about the gore, which really takes up a small amount of screen time. Argento's great triumph is in his fully formed evocation of nightmare logic, from Tovoli's lush cinematography to the off-kilter production design to the slightly mannered and eccentric acting. Nothing quite makes sense in the film, but that's sorta the point. I've seen SUSPIRIA 3-4 times in a theater, including an IB Technicolor print from the BFI a few years back (curiously, the British version includes less of the lead up to the violence but more of the aftermath, whereas the U.S. cut is the exact opposite. I suppose there's a commentary about domestic views on violence in that, but hey.....).

And yet, seeing this absolutely gorgeous print was revelatory; I was stunned by the richness of the visual style. And by the overpowering soundtrack. For even in its 4-track version, Goblin's score is supposed to be percussively overwhelming, uncomfortable in its extreme. That first 15 minutes is still, in my book, the greatest opening salvo in horror film history. I've seen it so many times, and yet seeing it again on 35mm, I felt a sense of panic and awe that I hadn't felt since one of my first viewings. I love the gory moments, but some of my favorite parts of SUSPIRIA are the more subtle moments: the tracking shots of Alida Valli's blocky heels stalking down the corridor, the long shots of the billowing curtains in the dark hallways, Mark's waving hand as he sinks behind the gymnasium's curtain, the closeup of Suzy and Sara's faces bathed in red as they discuss the true identity of the directress.....and many more. We always try to show films in an uncut (or close to uncut) state, but I don't regret making an exception for a 35mm screening of this film. I can only hope that SOMEDAY, we can screen a high quality version of the full-strength uncut 4-track stereo version.

Will you be fine if there is a 2k or a 4k DCP of a uncut version Suspira was made available?

I got around noticing that the Joan Bennett of Dark Shadows was in Suspira.

The overwhelming soundtrack, which is still plenty overwhelming in the higher-quality DVD version, would have been easier to deal with if not for its extreme contrast with the whisper-quiet dialogue. Having to recalibrate so drastically between those two massive extremes took me out of the film.

The sound issue, to me, is more egregious than the missing plot points and gore (which I wouldn't have missed at all had I not seen the film numerous times already).

But, all of this is rooted in the expectations game, I think. If, hypothetically, you had stressed before the film, "this print's soundtrack isn't great, and there are some editing problems, but the print is totally gorgeous" , I would have said, "Fine, whatever, let's run it! Yay Suspiria!", and I probably would have been fine. In a similar vein, if you had shown a similar print of something I had not seen like, say, "Four Flies on Gray Velvet", I also would have been fine.

I think part of this is also that I was totally spoiled by how totally stunning the Exorcist print was. /swoon