The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Honestly? We weren't quite sure how the print would sound when put through the Drexel's sound system. It's been showing around the country all of this month, so it didn't arrive at the theater until Friday, which didn't give us an opportunity to test it out. So I was as surprised as you that the dialogue was that soft. I'd seen mono prints before without that problem, so I'm not 100% sure how much of it was rooted in the specific print and how much in how it played in the Drexel's system (which, granted, had just been recently been revitalized. I also noticed some minor dialogue problems during the mono print of Q.) Perfect storm, etc. etc.

The giant ancient Gods in Cabin In The Woods all have something to say to you about that:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8SwdOKMgde ... SwdOKMgdeE

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

FRIGHT NIGHT

Great way to start off the Thon. Good mix of fun and creepy.


THE WOLF MAN

Slept through this one. I figured it would be easy to find again if I ever wanted to watch it, but I needed somewhere to get a nap in because I wanted to watch several of the films after it.


THE LORDS OF SALEM

I enjoyed it for what it was. Rob Zombie knows what makes for creepy and unsettling, his wife's a decent enough actress. It was entertaining, creepy, and kept you interested to want to know where it was all going. Plus who doesn't love seeing a weird little troll suddenly appear next to a woman's bed.


THE EXORCIST

Actually my first time seeing this. Loved it. The print was great and I couldn't imagine a better way to see such a classic for the first time.


NIGHT OF 1000 CATS

This film was made for the marathon. What a ridiculous movie. The cats. The chopper. The horrible skank mother. Feeding your mentally challenged man-servant to your cats because he won at chess.


SUSPIRIA

Tapped out here. Had to try and get some sleep, but the deafening volume put a damper on that, just saw a little at the end.


THIRST

I was actually excited to see this, but was a little let down. Granted, I slept through maybe 20 minutes of it, but something about it just didn't come across to me.


PHANTASM

Tried to stay awake for this, but just couldn't. My crappy Susperia nap mixed with trying my hardest to stay awake during Thirst lead to me missing most of this. Really wish I could have stayed awake, hopefully I can find it at my local movie store.


THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Pretty fun film to take things to the next level. I knew absolutely nothing about it going in, so I didn't really have any idea where the plot was going. Funny to see Thor get killed so unceremoniously.


TRICK OR TREAT

Loved this one. Like Fright Night, it gave a nice blend of comedy and over-the-top antics with some really creepy stuff. Seriously, something about the way people die in this really unsettled me, especially Ozzy and the teacher. Fun stuff.


Q: THE WINGED SERPENT

Slept through most of this. Once I realized how slow it was going to be I just decided to go for it and sleep. Was interested in first, but I don't think I missed too much of Bill Burr running around getting chased by a large, clay animation bird.


CANDYMAN

Loved it. Probably my favorite movie of this year's Thon. Such a visceral and psychologically stunning movie, probably one of my top horror movies ever. Also: boobs.

First and foremost, my utmost complements to Joe, Bruce and Co and the overall execution of the entire event. Been coming for about a decade now and I think this is the smoothest running marathon I’ve been to yet.

Year-in, year-out, I’ve had one consistent and major complaint and that has been the inability to stay on schedule that resulted in either movies getting cut and/or having a large time overrun. Though the event went over, being only an hour off (in the scheme of things) struck me as pretty minor. Bravo.

Food options were great. I’d much rather eat a good sandwich over a pizza so the inclusion of an option like Jimmy Johns was great.

Now to the important stuff:

Fright Night
Longtime favorite of mine. Great to see it on the big screen. Been a few years since I last saw it, but I just enjoy the hell out of it every time I see it.

Wolf Man
I was disappointed that I couldn’t stay awake throughout this, but sleep took me for about 20 minutes unfortunately. I appreciate the classics but have loved few. Most just don’t fully connect with me for whatever reasons (Bride of Frankenstein last year being another example).

Lords of Salem
A pleasant surprise. Wasn’t over the (Sherri) moon about it or anything, but definitely better than I was expecting and I’d watch it again at some point. Effective. Mostly interesting. And I’ll tell you what, I just watched The Howling this week and Dee Wallace has aged quite nicely. Meow.

Exorcist
THE argument in favor of DCP. I love 35mm as much as anyone (and I even find a bit of charm to the occasional screwed up print like Q in the marathon setting) but the moment this started rolling, I made peace with any snobby reservations I might have still been holding on to about the format. As for the movie, it’s one of the best for a reason. It’s always great. The slow build is incredible (agree with the point made earlier that the director’s cut takes some of that build away). The medical scenes creep me out almost as much as the possession.

Night of 1,000 Cats
Simply. Amazing. Easily the movie I’ve talked about the most since the marathon ended. Just when I thought they couldn’t go to yet another shot of the helicopter hovering over people, they would.

Suspiria
The most anticipated me for me. Seen it before and loved it. Never in a theater setting though. I’m familiar with the score, but forgot how overwhelming it could be at times. Like Mr. Neff, however, I came in totally in the bag for Suspiria. Even the cut print with sound issues didn’t dissuade me.

Thirst
Enjoyed what I saw of it. Felt a little tedious but I think that was just the time of night and not so much the movie itself. A fine late addition.

Phantasm
I struggled to stay awake, but lost that battle for about 30 minutes which really disappointed me. Seen it before, but it has been years. One positive to watching it while tired is that I think it really amps up the nightmare/weirdness of the experience.

Cabin in the Woods
Another movie I dozed off in. Didn’t bother me in this case since I’ve had the theater experience with this one. A good choice for sure but the least interesting in the context of the lineup for me.

Trick or Treat
Maybe the biggest disappointment for me. I say that relative to the rest of the lineup. Didn’t dislike it, but didn’t like it as much as I had hoped. I think I had hoped for more cheese than actually was there. It might have just been the time in the marathon (historically, I seem to be pretty irritable right around movie 10), but it felt like it really kept dragging along.

Q
I was a fan. Exceeded expectations largely because Moriarty and Carradine who both seemed to be in different movies and neither one was the monster movie.

Candyman
Ok, I guess this is the one I’m in the minority on. I remembered it much more fondly than what I experienced this weekend. Wasn’t as scary as I remembered. Just found myself sitting there and picking nits with it. I think the funeral scene is corny

Overall though, no stand out duds in the lineup though, which may be a first – there’s almost always one or two I dislike. Can’t say that this year.

Well... I've had time to recover. I want to add my thanks to all involved. One of these days, maybe I'll get to know the group.

First of all, this was just so much better than this year's sci-fi marathon. The food situation was better, still room for improvement, but most definitely better. I didn't notice any issues with White Castle. Maybe next year, for those of us that drink beer, the Drexel can stock Great Lakes Nosferatu, great beer that is only available around Halloween. The return of the shorts and trailers was most welcome. And the costume contest actually had some people trying.

Now on to the films:

Fright Night - Pure 80's cheese, but good cheese. I had purchased the blu-ray that had come out earlier in the year but hadn't watched it yet; so, really enjoyed it on the big screen. Nice way to start the marathon.

The Wolfman - Love the Universal classics. Keep them coming.

Lords of Salem - Work issues kept me in the lobby on the cell phone for good chunks of the film. Not really sure I missed anything. The only Rob Zombie film I've seen is the Halloween remake which I hated.

The Exorcist - Great film, but as always played more of a drama than a horror film for me. When DCPs look this good, I have no complaints (considering that film prints of this era are often very pink...).

Night of 1000 Cats - Wow... just wow. It was about here that I realized that there was more female skin (or tight, nearly see-through tops) than any marathon I can remember.... not complaining at all. My only complaint was the two instances of animal cruelty.

Susperia - While the print was in OK shape visually, I could barely understand any of the dialog. Wish it sounded better. I say we go for a Jessica Harper trifecta and screen Shock Treatment at either of next year's marathons... always had a crush on her.

Thirst - I have a feeling that I would really enjoy this film if it was about 15 minutes shorter and earlier in the day. But it was a tad long and late so I began to doze off. I may try to catch it again sometime which is a testament to how interesting I thought it was.

Phantasm - Ok, now we have 70's cheese. Pretty good film, I hadn't seen since the original release.

Cabin in the Woods - really enjoyed it every time I've seen it, but only lasted about 1/2 way through this time. Having an hour plus drive home and knowing I wasn't going to get a second wind, I decided to leave about 6:30 AM.

I know this is coming a bit late (I have mostly been away from my computer for various reasons) but I just wanted to say congratulations to Joe, Bruce and everyone involved for another successful marathon.

Really enjoyed Lords of Salem (one of 2 titles that I hadn't seen already, as it never opened in my area), and seeing The Wolf Man, Suspiria, Thirst and The Exorcist on the big screen was a real treat for me, as well as a second viewing of Cabin in the Woods. Some of the other titles... not to my taste necessarily, but I'm glad the audience had fun with them. That's what it's all about. I was really looking forward to seeing Candyman on the big screen, but sadly I was feeling ill by that time and missed most of the movie. Sucks for me.

I sincerely hope the guy who suffered the seizure is feeling better. The trailers, shorts and contests were lots of fun as always. Already looking forward to next year! Thanks Joe and company for all your hard work.

Let's just talk for a second about how much we need Night of the Lepus to play at next year's marathon...

Oh I forgot to mention how I loved once again this years viewing of "Slither" it always stuns the house :-p

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

I would be totally down for that. The moment when the trailer revealed the name of the creatures got a big laugh at this year's marathon; I haven't seen the movie but judging from the trailer it might be a fun pick.

How about The Corpse Grinders as well? Paired it with Night of the Lepus.

When will the teasing stop and the Hot BBQ Beef Sandwich begin?! If need be, I'll fire up the ole' crock pot and bring my own in, just try and stop me!

Context is EVERYTHING.

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

Prison style!

I think that is a wonderful idea! I would love to see healthier food choices at The Drexel Theater. The food at movie theaters was never intended to keep you awake. Movie theater food is the way it is because it is cheap and delicious. If The Drexel Theater were to have vegetable cups, it would definitely keep us awake more than junk food, but it would also be more expensive, since healthy food comes from the planet and not a factory. Artificial food is cheaper to produce, and can afford to be sold at a lower price, but obviously, healthier food helps out the movie marathonner who is trying to stay awake for 24 hours.

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

I didn't get any interest from the Drexel on this idea, but I sent them an email a few months before the event offering to help them potentially organize a pop-up restaurant in the Radio Cafe space during the marathon.

Perhaps it would just be too challenging for them from a logistical/legal point of view, despite the fact that they wouldn't have to cook the food themselves, but wouldn't that be amazing?