By Patrick Legare May 9, 2005, 0:05 GMT
For those types of films that are packed with digital effects, one can only view them in optimum theatrical conditions with sharp projection, a massive wide screen devoid of imperfections and ear-splitting surround sound. But for many of the other films coming out this summer, I would like to suggest an alternative—the drive-in theater.
This American tradition is slowly dying and there are only a few hundred drive-ins left, but if you are near one, you owe it to yourself to pack a bunch of friends into a car and spend a night in a time warp. Certainly, a normal theater offers a cool, dry, bug-free climate, but if outdoor conditions are favorable, the drive-in offers some great benefits:
1. Double features—most drive-ins offer two films for the price of one.
2. Low cost—In the Northeast United States, most drive-ins charge about $5 a head or $20 per carload—for two movies!
3. Strong hook-up potential—It’s not your average date these days so it makes the man look like he did some thinking…plus you have some privacy.
4. It makes seeing a bad movie a little more fun.
Drive-ins and horror films were meant to be together. When they were booming in the 1950s and 60s, drive-ins were showing double-bills of cheap horror films because they attracted audiences of teens who liked being scared or shocked. It didn’t hurt that you could make out with your girlfriend for 20 minutes and not really lose track of the plot. In the summer of 2005, there are several genre flicks that are custom-made for the drive-in.
“George A. Romero’s The Land of the Dead” (June 24): Romero back in zombie territory for the first time in 20 years. If you know his three previous “Dead” films, then you know this is drive-in material. It will be bloody, it will be action-packed, it will be scary.
“The Devil’s Rejects” (July 22): Rob Zombie’s sequel to “House of 1000 Corpses” is another perfect drive-in flick. I’d bet most drive-ins will show this and “Land of the Dead” on a double-bill. If they don’t, they deserve to go out of business.
“The Cave” (August 26): Spelunkers encounter a man-eating creature deep within the bowels of a Romanian cave. Standard, low-budget horror film that fares perfectly on the drive-in screen.
“The Amityville Horror” (in release): Drive-ins rely on second-run films since they cost the theater owner much less to rent. This remake isn’t great, but if you haven’t seen it, it is worth catching in the drive-in setting. Same goes for the next film.
“House of Wax” (in release): See above—another crappy remake, but one worth seeing in the drive-in setting. At the Fair Oaks Drive-in in Middletown, NY, you can catch “House of Wax” and “Constantine” as the double feature!
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