Forthcoming drive-In marathon in Vandergrift, PA

[TimLehnerer]

There's a drive-in in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania that is trying to fundraise enough money to get a digital projector and continue to stay in business (apparently in 2013-2014 there won't be 35mm film prints made of any movies for theatrical release); this last weekend they just held the first April Ghouls' Day marathon over two nights (80s night was the first Friday the 13th, The Burning, Return of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead while the 70s night showered the audience with Scream, Blacula, Scream, Sugar Hill, Blood and Lace and The Thing With Two Heads.

Why am I telling you about this now, when it's too late to go? Because there's going to be another marathon in September wherein there will be THREE nights at the drive-in. The first night will be a "Go Ape!" marathon of all five Planet of the Apes films; the schedules haven't been released for the other two nights yet but George Reis, the organizer, said earlier that he was trying to put together an all-50s-B/W-monster-movies night for one of the two remaining slots.

I've been to thirteen B Fests and four Monster-Ramas; it's honestly a lot easier to relax and enjoy the movies at the drive-in because there's more room to spread out, fresher air (though it did drop down to the high twenties on 80s night last week), and plenty of unhealthy snacks at the snack bar including real-sugar Coca-Cola from a vintage vending machine.

If you've been to B Fest, then you (possibly) know me as the guy who burns a mix CD full of goofy monster movie music every year. I love these kinds of events. I'd like them to keep happening. If you live within a feasible distance, please consider going to Monster Rama 2013 and enjoy three nights of crazy monster flicks under the Pennsylvania sky.

[66Crush]

I wish I lived there. I love drive-in's. I barely got to experience them, The one in my town closed in 1982. I even liked that garbled sounding, parking meeter looking speaker that hung on your window. They remind me of watching STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE in mom's '72 Gremlin when I was 8. The smell of the heater, eating a hot dog, a Fleetwood Mac tape sticking out of the 8-Track. I'm so old.

[Criswell]

Sounds amazing, I have a few drive ins near me but they never show anything awesome. Usually just stuff that's been out a while.

One thing that makes me sad about this post is that 35mm is going away. Only one theater near me still uses them and it's the second run cheap theater. Prints look and feel way better then digital ever will.

[The Burgomaster]

Wow.  This sounds like my kind of drive-in.  If I had enough money, I'd open a drive-in that showed only cult/horror/exploitation films from the 1980s or earlier (mostly 1970s stuff . . . my favorite decade for movies).  I wouldn't even care if I lost money doing it because it would be lots of fun.

There are a couple of drive-ins within about a 1 hour drive of where I live.  My wife and I try to go maybe once every one to three years.  Unfortunately, they only show recent movies and most of the time I've already seen one of the movies in the double feature (or I'm only interested in seeing one of the movies).  One thing hasn't changed though . . . the concession stand food is as bad as it was when I was a kid in the 1970s.  But ya gotta love those cardboard-tasting cheeseburgers and stale, salty popcorn!

[BoyScoutKevin]

One thing hasn't changed though . . . the concession stand food is as bad as it was when I was a kid in the 1970s.  But ya gotta love those cardboard-tasting cheeseburgers and stale, salty popcorn!

Actually, the hamburgers taste like hockey pucks. It's the pizza that tastes like cardboard.

I can't make it, but I do wish 'em good luck. Anything to help drive-ins survive, as I have such fond memories of the three drive-ins in the area of southern California, where I lived as a child. Then there was 2. Then there was 1. And now it may be none.

Then, when I grew up and moved to north Texas, I can remember there were still drive-ins in the area in which I lived, but the land just got to be too valuable to do anything but sell it to developers. Though, looking at the list of theaters for this area, drive-ins may actually be making a comeback. I can only hope, as they were such a part of my life, when growing up, and a part of life for most of us, who grew up during the last half of the 20th century.

[voltron]

Wow. You lucky bastard! The local drive in around my area only shows "big" movies that have been out for a while. I'd give my left nut to see 70s/80s cult flicks there, but alas.....

[Pacman000]

No traditional film prints? None at all? 

[Trevor]

No traditional film prints? None at all? 

Unfortunately true: the major film laboratory in Africa (located in Johannesburg) has had to scale down operations as a result of 35mm film no longer being used. I think the only place that you'll find film at on any gauge is at archives which will eventually have to have their entire collections transferred to a digital format.

I speak from daily experience, unfortunately. 

[Trevor]

Prints look and feel way better then digital ever will.

Person with jumping dinosaur avatar speak truth. 

Speaking as a projectionist, if you have a digital hard drive that you project from, it better be 100% good because if it is out of focus, out of rack and the sound is bad, you can't fix it whereas with a film projector, you can.

[Pacman000]

Interestingly, Kodak still offers 35mm movie film on their web site, for both cameras and prints:

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Products/Distribution_And_Exhibition/index.htm