The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

So, within the last 7 days I've watched The Babadook (finally), Sleepaway Camp 2 and All Cheerleaders Die...

Loved The Babadook...I have a lot of questions and theories but overall it was certainly satisfying.

Sleepaway Camp 2...It's a horror movie, with a beginning, middle and end...that's all you really need to know!

All Cheerleaders Die...Ok, ok. Admittedly, I saw this on Netflix and thought it would be a nice little skin flick...I was completely mistaken and pleasantly surprised. It's definitely horror-comedy but it was a nice little gem to find. If you watch it, don't take it too serious and enjoy. There were a couple moments where I laughed out loud.

I'm trying to curb the horror movies for a while because I don't want to get burnt out too soon.

I hear you, I get so excited so early every year, then by the time the marathon and Halloween roll around I'm a little horrored out. But when it comes to keeping my enthusiasm in check until closer to October, Shock-O-Rama certainly isn't helping!

Soooooo, tempted to go.

Last night I finished reading SHOCK VALUE by Jason Zinoman, the inspiration for SHOCK VALUE: THE MOVIE, which is showing at this year's Shock Around the Clock. It's mostly a collection of anecdotes surrounding the creation of the "New Horror" movies of the 60s and 70s (e.g. Rosemary's Baby, Night of the Living Dead, The Exorcist, Halloween, Alien, etc.), but it does a good job of tying the innovations of these films into a coherent cinematic trend. For more seasoned horror fans, most of the info might be old news, but for someone like me, catching up after years of thinking I "didn't like horror movies" (without really giving them a shot), it was an entertaining and fascinating read. Can't wait to see the movie!

I've watched a few more Horror films to sate my thirst for the greatest annual movie event in Ohio history:
DRACULA UNTOLD
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE
AFFLICTED
OUT OF THE DARK

I watched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD last week to prep for SHOCK-O-RAMA, and then of course I saw SHIVERS/THEY CAME FROM WITHIN, VAMPIRE HOOKERS and DAY OF THE DEAD at the event.

Next weekend starts my pre-month viewing when i'll be going to the Riverside Drive-in Theater in Vandergrift, Pa for their annual Monster-rama event. For those not aware- a really fun drive-in event the place hosts at the beginning and end of their drive-in seasons (Late April, early September respectively).

This year has a Vincent Price night for their Friday screenings (really excited to see Haunted Palace) and Saturday night is a retro-vampire eve, some Hammer stuff and Son of Dracula.

For those who can't make it but would be interested in the future, an interesting thing to note: Their two marathons are actually quite different depending on if you go to their April thon or their one in September. The one they have in April usually has more grindhouse/slasher horror: original Friday thirteenth, Carrie, Halloween, Tx Chainsaw, Cheerleader Camp, etc.
Their Fall horror lineup has more British horror ,usually a decent handful of more Hammer films, and often some weird retro sci-fi horror movie (like one of the Blobs).

Sorry for raving so much, but have been going to this thon and Ohio for the past 7 seven years and really like the way both are run!

NEVER apologize for for telling us all about awesome events! I thank you for the heads up! That reminds me: Probably every single October, the South High Drive In here in Columbus, Ohio shows two Horror films back to back. Last year, they screened HALLOWEEN (1978) and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984), and get this...it was FREE, because the haunted house they had got closed down for some reason! As soon as I find out any plans they have to screen more Horror films, I will be sure to post the info here on the forums.

So great to hear about all these events; I love SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK but it'd bum me out if there were no other events of its kind for hundreds of miles...everyone deserves to experience communal audience-driven film.

Last night I watched A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT. Gorgeous movie; plot was scarce but that wasn't really the point.

I recently re-watched Dark Floors. It is a lot of fun and who doesn't love a little Lordi in their life?

_________________
"Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you." ~Klaatu

Oh man, I need to see this. I remember hearing that one song that won Eurovision like 9-10 years ago, but I had no idea this movie existed.


Yesterday I watched THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, another one I hadn't seen before. Still pretty scary in parts, but I bet when it first came out it was terrifying.

That one song is "Hard Rock Hallelujah" Lordi is an Amazing Band and the movie Dark Floors is well worth watching.

This weekend I watched BLACK SABBATH (Boris Karloff), HOUSE OF A 1000 DOLLS (Vincent Price) and William Castle's The Night Walker (Barbara Stanwyck)

_________________
"If you have GHOSTS you have Everything" - Papa Emeritus II GHOST B.C.

I'd have to say Chainsaw Buffet is one of my favorites but I haven't kept up with them in a while. I hope they are still rockin'. The world needs more monster metal.

I'm going to watch Lost After Dark this week. It's a throwback to 80's slashers and written by a podcaster I listen to sometimes.

_________________
"Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you." ~Klaatu

I’ll have to check out Lost After Dark. I haven’t seen that one.

Haven’t watched much horror lately. Partly because I was waiting for the lineup announcement. I did watch Evil Dead (original) recently once the lineup was announced. With Evil Dead TV series coming out I plan on watching the trilogy.

Oh, and I did watch Zombeavers. I’m not sure why. I typically don’t like those kind of horror films. The beaver transformation was kind of cool. The first 5 minutes seemed promising. But yeah….it’s just Zombeavers….exactly what you would expect.

In the cue for this month:
Cat People
Dog Soldiers
Nadja

Once October hits - Beyond Fest, Screamfest LA, and who knows what else….

I really hope that Evil Dead series is good. I'm not sure how they can stretch it out, plot wise. Will it be set in modern times and parallel with the Walking Dead in a way? Will it link to medieval times with AofD? Even with a strong fan base unless it has an epic pilot I'm not sure how long it could last.

Saturday I watched Nightbreed Director's cut. I remembered that movie being more than it is. I was a little disappointed. Maybe I was tired but it felt slow at times and the characters weren't as developed as I remembered. It made me want to read "Cabal" which it was based off of. I just think that it could answer a lot of questions that the movie left me with.

reading over this post I sound really cynical. Maybe I need a little more coffee...

The good news is that it looks like Netflix has beefed up their horror selection in light of the season. I saw a lot of new and interesting choices when I was scrolling.

_________________
"Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you." ~Klaatu