The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Photo courtesy of Mark Fontana


Debating the silliness factor and how it should be employed in programming a Marathon lineup (and a side discussion about Horror Marathon history with IAmJack'sUserID over on the Boston boards) has got me thinking. So I'll pose a question I don't think I've asked in previous years: what has been the best movie lineup at a Columbus Marathon, and why?

I'll throw open the door to any 24-Hour fest (since that's where our discussion is based) Science Fiction or Horror, from the Drexel North to Studio 35 to Cinemark's 24-Hour Midwest Horror Spectacular (and who could forget that one? ) Try to come up with reasoning beyond "it rocked" or "I never fell asleep during the whole thing." What factors combined to make your chosen Marathon's lineup the best? I'll check back and post my thoughts later.

Incredibly difficult question to answer ... they've all been fantastic in their own way. But since you're holding my feet to the fire ... out of the marathons I'VE attended ...

It Came From the Drexel North - The 6th Annual 24 Hour Science Fiction Marathon

Held at the Drexel North Theatre, April 4th-5th, 1992

Dune
Project Moonbase
Invader
Metropolis
Split Second
World Without End
A Clockwork Orange
2010: The Year We Make Contact
Predator 2
Total Recall
Planet of the Apes

It's difficult to say why I liked this best overall (SF07 is a REAL close second with the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" bookend and "20,000 Leagues", as is SF08 with "Banzai".)

(Also, from a purely nostalgic perspective, SF04 will always be worth mentioning. First Marathon, best friend in tow, and my first time seeing "Forbidden Planet" on the big screen.)

But, the piano-accompanied "Metropolis" was just way beyond cool, and the overall film quality was exceptional. The premieres were engaging enough (though not spectacular), but "2010", "Clockwork" and "Planet of the Apes" were all SOLID classics. "Dune" is always a personal favorite, and "World Without End" was a real high point on the big screen.

Of course, if you ask me again in another 10 minutes, I'll probably pick another Marathon. Of the Marathons I MISSED, there's no doubt that SF01 is the one I'm most disappointed I never attended.

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

There are several different answers here. I think Zekestrom is right on the money with SF6. that one was also my first, so it holds a certain amount of personal nostalgia as well. I would also put SF7 as a close second.

But if you take away all of the intangibles and just look at it from a pure lineup standpoint, factoring in not only the films, but the order and pacing, two of the best lineups were one's I was unable to attend.

My runner up would be SF18:The Incredible Shrinking Marathon.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN
THE IRON GIANT
PLANET OF THE APES
TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN (Premiere)
FREQUENCY (Premiere)
TRON
X
DEATH RACE 2000
MEN IN BLACK
THE FIFTH ELEMENT
FANTASTIC VOYAGE

Solid, something for everyone, great placement.

I implore anyone to come up with a better argument for the best marathon lineup (taking away any personal bias) than the aforementioned
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREXEL 1993:

THE SHINING
A CHINESE GHOST STORY
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
The U.S. PREMIERE of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3
THE EXORCIST
The SECOND U.S. SCREENING of CRONOS
The MIDWEST PREMIERE of CARNOSAUR
EVIL DEAD 2
ARMY OF DARKNESS
HALLOWEEN
The MIDWEST PREMIERE of TICKS
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

Anyone have a better argument? Or should the question really be "Okay, what is the second best Marathon lineup?"

On a side note, the marathons for me have always been about the little things as well, just like the moral of the fantastic film STRANGER THAN FICTION. The standing ovation for the live musical accompaniment, Gamera pushes Trekkie, hearing "aarrrrrr!" throughout the one with ESCAPE FROM NY, when the audience is quiet and respectful in all the right places, looking at the program and wondering what the hell is this movie from New Zealand called BRAINDEAD? Never heard of it, I wonder what it's about. Anyway, you get the idea.

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

As you can see, I presented such a compelling argument it has left the rest of the community speechless!

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

By the way, although Jen has not yet worked up new History pages, the old pages are still up on the website:

http://www.scifimarathon.com/History.html

Just in case anyone's wondering about the Sci-Fi list at any rate .

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

From the history page it looks like you showed "Twilight Zone: The Movie" at SF20 but didn't show the Gremlin segment. That's the best one! Am I misreading the history?

"Wanna see something real scary!?!?!" I think of that every time I hear "Midnight Special" by Creedence.

The best was my first. What a marathon:

1) PSYCHO
2) THE REFIGERATOR (Midwest Premiere)
3) BLACK SUNDAY
4) FROM BEYOND
5) THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
6) BRAIN DEAD (AKA DEAD ALIVE) (US PREMIERE)
7) TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (MIDWEST PREMIERE)
8) THE DEVILS
9) ROSEMARY’S BABY
10) THE MASK OF FU MANCHU
11) LIFEFORCE
12) THE DEADZONE

1st off – Stuart Gordon was the special guest. The 2 premieres were fantastic and I think PIT may have been a premiere, because it was pretty much a straight to video.

There was nothing like, AND I mean nothing like seeing Brain Dead with a nearly sold out audience. It is my single all-time greatest moment watching a movie in a theater, and I mean ALL movie experiences, not just the marathon. During the movie, my friend John, was falling out of his seat laughing with tears in his eyes. The guy in front of me kept half getting up and then sitting back down, and then almost getting up, all while covering his mouth as if he is about to vomit from the gore on the screen. The people behind me were laughing a cheering at almost every moment. At the end, the film got a standing ovation – STANDING ovation, and not just a small one. I mean people really cheered. I have never had another audience experience like this again.

I also remember falling asleep during THE DEVILS, but I kept waking up and everytime I did, there were naked nuns. I remember thinking…”Naked nuns, man I should stay awake.” Inevitably I would fall asleep and reawake 5 minutes later again to the site of more naked nuns. I have yet to rewatch the film in an awake state.

That is essentially correct. I have a notation about it on my own version of the page:

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

Alien
The City of Lost Children
Queen of Outer Space
Tremors 2: Aftershocks
Forbidden Planet
Cemetery Man
Blade Runner
Strange Invaders
Brazil (U.K. Release Version)
War of the Worlds
Aliens

As far as lineups go I thought this was awesome, despite the uncomfortable seats, and NO concessions aloud into the theater.....!!!! WTF!!!!

Besides that I loved wating those movies!!!!!!

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http://www.ilmfan.com/credits/project_d ... project=26

For me it was the 24-hrs horror-thons over at the old Studio 35. When I got to meet Bruce Campbell and George Romero. Plus I got my picture (in panorama) with them. Now I have nice "widescreen" pics of Bruce and George.

Also I like Sci-Fi thon 19, over at the Arena Grand. That was my first Sci-Fi-thon. I was introduce to Gravity and Spaceboy.

The low of the thons was the year at the Grandview show a bad print of The Shining.

In my old age I can't remember complete line-up's but I can point out some major highes:

Seeing HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL at the very first Horror Marathon at the Drexel North is something I will never forget, my first time seeing it on the big screen complete with Emergo!!

DEAD ALIVE being unleashed on an unsuspecting audience, the only Horror movie I have even seen get a standing ovation.

You know I can't do this it would take hours to type out all the great times I have had at the marathons and frankly I am to lazy for that. The marathons have been and continue to be the one constant in my life, the annual event I look forward to twice a year every year, I have quit jobs that wouldn't let me take the weekend off to go to the marathons and I have missed family functions to go to the Marathons and I have left weddings early to go to marathons even scheduled my own wedding to avoid marathon conflicts. And this years line up looks to be handed down from the Marathon Gods and promises to be one of the best ever marathons.

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Jaws3dfan®
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Some of you are cheating! You have to tell us WHY it was your favorite lineup, and "Because it was SWEET!" doesn't count. Now, pencils on paper and begin again!

I think the reason why I listed mine is because I did not attend them. So as an outsider, I'm thinking "WOW, what a lineup! That must have been awesome!" I don't have any kind of disappointment factoring in. As for the best one I attended, I'm sticking with SF 6 because the first shot of heroin is always the best, there was a great balance in tone to the films, the live music, and it was my first ever viewings of some classic films: DUNE (though, not so much a classic I guess), METROPOLIS, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, and PLANET OF THE APES.
I was opened up to a whole new world of appreciation for older films.

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

My favorite?

The 20th.

Twilight Zone: The Movie (Prologue and Episode 1)
Gamera 2: Legion Attacks (Midwest Premiere)
Captain Marvel (Chapter 11)
Robot Monster
Twilight Zone: The Movie ("It's a Good Life")
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Captain Marvel (Chapter 12)
Cowboy Bebop (Ohio Premiere)
Beyond Re-Animator (Midwest Premiere)
Superman (The Director's Cut)
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Eight-Legged Freaks
X-Men
Equilibrium


I loved the lineup, and the atmosphere was fantastic IMO. I'll never forget how almost the entire theater transformed into a mass MST during Robot Monster, getting to see Gamera on the big screen, the way the crowd responded to Equilibrium(which is still currently my favorite marathon film of all time), and the first taste of anime at the marathon as well. Well, that and the...ahem...confrontation, at the end of Beyond Re-Animator has been forever burned into my memory...whether I wanted it to be or not.

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