and the summer nights are short – so short that halfway through the final film the sun came up, turning the screen white and obliterating my view of Neve Campbell and Fairuza Balk in schoolgirl uniforms. And that’s just unacceptable. It’s not so surprising that there aren’t any drive-ins left in Alberta. (FYI: Wikipedia notes that last year there


I


were 371 drive-ins remaining in America; I’d estimate there are less than a tenth of that in Canada.) Having moved to Ontario’s warmer climes, I felt like I should visit one of these curiosities before they’re extinct. But before I go further, a little drive-in history. After a few years of experimenting with the ideal set-up,


Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr., a chemical company magnate, opened the first drive-in on June 6, 1933, in New Jersey. It could accommodate 400 cars and had a screen that was 40 by 50 feet (12 by 15 metres). Sound was transmitted by large outdoor speakers, which were later changed to smaller speakers that you’d hang in your vehicle window, and then finally the soundtrack was piped directly into car radios via a low-frequency transmission. Drive-ins peaked in the late-’50s/early ’60s, with, according to Wikipedia again, approximately 4000 of them


operating throughout the US. Teens flocked there (where else could you have privacy on a date back in those days?), and they were eventually labelled “passion pits” by the media. As they became less of a family expe- rience, the theatres embraced exploitation films, which worked well for a while. As late producer David Friedman recalls in this issue, the premiere of Blood Feast was marked by traffic jams, police and suspicion that the gore was real. That’s about as exciting as exploitation gets. Eventually, though, convenient multiplexes with better sound systems, urban sprawl and more home-viewing


options decimated the drive-in. These days, you mainly see overgrown lots with dilapidated screens consumed by rust and graffiti, standing against the skyline like part of a modern Stonehenge. As the many websites ded- icated to memorializing closed drive-ins suggest, however, there’s no shortage of nostalgia for them. The owners of the outdoor theatre that I decided to make my return to, the 50-year-old 5 Drive-In, understand


this well. Their neon signs blaze through the night, the retro snack bar is inviting, and fantastic vintage re- freshment ads are screened before the features. When I went, the place was alive with families, giggling teens and couples, who were not only there for the value of a double-feature, but also the ability to control their viewing experience. I think this is why the drive-in could be poised for a bit of a comeback, and should appeal especially to horror fans, beyond reasons of nostalgia. Y’see, horror offers two very different viewing experiences in a way that other genres do not. There’s the


obvious one, in which you shut out the rest of the world and immerse yourself in the narrative on the screen that will hopefully rock you with plenty of thrills and chills. The other experience is the opposite – it’s all about the distractions off the screen. This is why drive-in horror was so popular with teens of decades past. As a rite of passage, kids don’t so much watch horror films as endure them to prove to their peers that they can take it. Teens talk, laugh and, nowadays, screw around with their phones during movies because they don’t want to give themselves over to the fictional horrors, or at least enough to be overtaken by genuine fear. Drive-ins allow for multiple viewing options. You can shut yourself in your car with a great sound system


and concentrate on the movie, or be as social in there as you want without bothering your neighbours. You can sit outside, hear others reacting to the movie, look away at the odd shooting star, take in the night air (infused with wafts of pot smoke) and go for a walk if you’re restless... or maybe even a little scared. I love the collective movie experience, so my three trips to the drive-in last summer meant going in a group,


bringing camping chairs and a blanket to share with the girlfriend, sneaking in some beer, buying popcorn, and generally soaking up the sights and sounds both on and off the screen. (That double bill of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Fright Night was the perfect end to both summer and the Festival of Fear weekend.) The heyday, when exploitation companies such as Crown International and AIP caused a stir, may be long


gone, but if you’ve never been to a drive-in, or not for a long time, make it happen. If you’re like me, you might fall in love all over again. And at the very least, you won’t have to tell some asshole in front of you to shut off his phone.


STAFF


fell in love under the stars last summer. Yessir, that’s when I rediscovered my affection for drive-in, movies after not having been to one since


I saw a triple bill that featuredThe Craft (1996). That was back in Edmonton, Alberta, and, being that far north, it got chilly after sunset (even during warm days), mosquitoes made it their mission to annoy


PUBLISHER Rodrigo Gudiño


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CONTRIBUTORS


STUART F. ANDREWS BRENTON BENTZ A.S. BERMAN LYLE BLACKBURN JOHN W. BOWEN PHIL BROWN JAMES BURRELL PEDRO CABEZUELO PAUL CORUPE MICHAEL DOYLE ERIC S. EICHELBERGER JAY FOSGITT THE GORE-MET


PETER GUTIÉRREZ MARK R. HASAN


DAVID KONOW LAST CHANCE LANCE ANDREW LEE AARON VON LUPTON MICHAEL MITCHELL GEORGE PACHECO SEAN PLUMMER CHRIS POGGIALI GARY PULLIN JESSA SOBCZUK TAL ZIMERMAN


RUE MORGUE #121 would not have been possible without the valuable assistance of Craig Reardon, Mary-Beth Hollyer, Al McMullan and Dracula’s Dog.


COVER: POLTERGEIST Design by Justin Erickson.


Rue Morgue Magazine is published monthly (with the exception of February) and accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photos, art or other materials. Freelance submissions accompanied by S.A.S.E. will be seriously considered and, if necessary, returned.


We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. RUE MORGUE Magazine #121 ISSN 1481 – 1103 Agreement No. 40033764 Entire contents copyright MARRS MEDIA INC. 2012. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN CANADA.


dave@rue-morgue.com RM6


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