Joe Neff wrote:
Shucks, between the Halloween festivities and my being sidelined for a few days by a head cold, I've plum forgotten to update this thread with a report from Phildalephia! So, in belated fashion, here goes!
As I mentioned before, the Exhumed Films Marathon lineup is always a secret until each film unspools on the screen. While we stood in line before the doors opened on Saturday morning, we were given ballots with vague clues for each of the 14 films in the lineup; the top 4 scores would win prizes at the end of the event. Oh, and we were also told that for the first time in the event's history, the films would should in chronological order! Which was a side effect of the all-'80s lineup that the Exhumed crew chose in honor of the 10th Annual Marathon.
The final lineup ended up as:
MOTEL HELL
THE BOOGENS
VISITING HOURS
CUJO
EYES OF FIRE
NIGHT SHADOWS
MONSTER DOG
SCREAM FOR HELP
THE MUTILATOR
THE HITCHER
HOUSE
RAWHEAD REX
CHILD'S PLAY
SOCIETY
Some notes:
-The chronologically ordered lineup was a neat concept, but it seems like the films were picked and then the unique order, as in practice parts of the lineup felt a bit off-kilter (with the last five films coming on like gangbusters.) Subsequently, the four films from NIGHT SHADOWS to MUTILATOR ended up feeling like a prolonged detour into Z-grade material.
-But! BUT! Taken individually, two of those films were great! MONSTER DOG is the 1984 Italian oddity with Alice Cooper as a rock star returning to his home town for a music video shoot. It took awhile, but when I came around to its goofy charms I was sold something fierce. It's also one of the great fog films of the '80s. And SCREAM FOR HELP was undoubtedly the smash hit of the Marathon, a wry, self-reflexive comedy thriller about a teen girl who thinks her stepfather is out to murder her mother. We might have to inquire about either of these for a future Horrorthon.
-EYES OF FIRE is so excellent that it's surprising its reputation isn't greater. A spiritual companion to THE WITCH, it's a strong indie flick that gets great mileage out of atmosphere and slow burn creepiness.
-In general, the print quality was spectacular, a side benefit of the International House's archival projection capabilities. Even the 16mm print of VISITING HOURS looked really nice.
-Another unique aspect of the Exhumed Marathon: no real intermissions. The EF guys make announcements and hand out prizes before the first film, but they eschew all introductions after that. Instead, you get a non-stop barrage of films and trailers for the rest of the show, the house lights coming up partway for the trailers and shorts. It requires a more diligent planning for meals and bathroom breaks, but it's also a fun change from the typical Marathon format.
Glad that I FINALLY got to make it out, and I'm looking forward to going back next year!
Joe, please try to bring Rawhead Rex, Motel Hell & House to some future Columbus marathons!