Post by Theenormityofitall on Sept 29, 2005 15:59:07 GMT -5
I wanted to see this but couldn't fit in my schedule.
AURORA — It was a dark and stormy afternoon.
Like the legions of the undead, they converged on the drive-in theater, miles from the heart of town. They were dressed in black, and they came to celebrate the creepy, the gruesome and the macabre.
They are horror-film fans, and not even a torrential downpour could keep them away from Saturday's Flashback Weekend Horror Convention at the Hi-Lite Drive-In.
Beginning at 2 p.m., fans were treated to a horror-film convention, including collectibles for sale and special guests signing autographs. At night, however, the Flashback Weekend truly came to new life with a dusk-to-dawn film festival, including Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left and Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II.
It's the films that are at the heart of everything, according to Mike Kerz, one of the event's organizers.
Kerz has arranged horror-film festivals in the parking lot of the Rosemont Hotel in Chicago for the past four years, but Saturday was his first collaborative event with a real drive-in theater.
"Horror movies are among the best movies ever made," he said. "Look at Oscar winners like
Terms of Endearment. No one's buying DVDs of that movie. And yet, John Carpenter's
The Thing, made the same year, still has a following."
Kerz takes his horror very seriously, likening classics like George Romero's
Night of the Living Dead to the independent films of today. He also believes that behind the gore and terror lies a positive message.
"Horror films are morality tales," he said. "The theme of Halloween (a 1978 film by John Carpenter) is that there is evil in the world, but if you are alert, you can triumph over it. Look at The Exorcist. It is one of the most religious movies ever made."
The horror-film audience also has a knack for making celebrities of the most unlikely people. Among the guests at Flashback Weekend were David Hess, an actor best known for 1972's The Last House on the Left, and Ari Lehman, who played the first Jason Voorhees in 1980's
Friday the 13th.
Special guest Tom Sullivan designed the special effects for 1981's The Evil Dead, and its 1987 sequel, Evil Dead II. (Both movies were directed by Sam Raimi, best known for the recent Spider-Man films.) Sullivan makes an average of 10 appearances a year at conventions and film fests, bringing along a veritable museum of props from the two movies.
Even Sullivan remains surprised at the enduring popularity of the Evil Dead films.
"When we made the first one, we thought that, if it played at one or two drive-ins down South, we'd be ecstatic," he said. "I'm amazed and happy that my weekends are still being taken up by something I did 25 years ago."
Sullivan believes the entertainment value of a horror film can't be beat.
"With a horror movie, you know you will get something," he said. "Whether it's thrills, or good special effects, or just fun, horror films deliver."
If you really want to know what makes these films so enduringly popular, ask the fans, who trudged through rain and mud to watch them Saturday.
"I live for this stuff," said Larry Brown, of DeKalb. "These movies are ridiculous, but they're much more entertaining than most of the dreck that comes out these days. I like to see if I can get scared."
Brett Baish, of Aurora, believes the older films are still the best.
"They're grittier and meaner," he said. "They're not glittery. They have small budgets, so they use creativity, not money."
Mike and Patti Wilson, of Aurora, have been married for two decades, and they remember going on dates to the drive-in to watch horror movies. They've been hooked ever since.
"These movies are hilarious," Patti said. "They're not scary. And they fit in with the whole drive-in atmosphere."
Local fans of horror films can count on Kerz to keep providing them with film festivals. He hopes his association with the Hi-Lite becomes an annual event.
"The films are popular because they're about something," he said. "The ideas are timeless, and fans enjoy dissecting and analyzing them."
AURORA — It was a dark and stormy afternoon.
Like the legions of the undead, they converged on the drive-in theater, miles from the heart of town. They were dressed in black, and they came to celebrate the creepy, the gruesome and the macabre.
They are horror-film fans, and not even a torrential downpour could keep them away from Saturday's Flashback Weekend Horror Convention at the Hi-Lite Drive-In.
Beginning at 2 p.m., fans were treated to a horror-film convention, including collectibles for sale and special guests signing autographs. At night, however, the Flashback Weekend truly came to new life with a dusk-to-dawn film festival, including Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left and Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II.
It's the films that are at the heart of everything, according to Mike Kerz, one of the event's organizers.
Kerz has arranged horror-film festivals in the parking lot of the Rosemont Hotel in Chicago for the past four years, but Saturday was his first collaborative event with a real drive-in theater.
"Horror movies are among the best movies ever made," he said. "Look at Oscar winners like
Terms of Endearment. No one's buying DVDs of that movie. And yet, John Carpenter's
The Thing, made the same year, still has a following."
Kerz takes his horror very seriously, likening classics like George Romero's
Night of the Living Dead to the independent films of today. He also believes that behind the gore and terror lies a positive message.
"Horror films are morality tales," he said. "The theme of Halloween (a 1978 film by John Carpenter) is that there is evil in the world, but if you are alert, you can triumph over it. Look at The Exorcist. It is one of the most religious movies ever made."
The horror-film audience also has a knack for making celebrities of the most unlikely people. Among the guests at Flashback Weekend were David Hess, an actor best known for 1972's The Last House on the Left, and Ari Lehman, who played the first Jason Voorhees in 1980's
Friday the 13th.
Special guest Tom Sullivan designed the special effects for 1981's The Evil Dead, and its 1987 sequel, Evil Dead II. (Both movies were directed by Sam Raimi, best known for the recent Spider-Man films.) Sullivan makes an average of 10 appearances a year at conventions and film fests, bringing along a veritable museum of props from the two movies.
Even Sullivan remains surprised at the enduring popularity of the Evil Dead films.
"When we made the first one, we thought that, if it played at one or two drive-ins down South, we'd be ecstatic," he said. "I'm amazed and happy that my weekends are still being taken up by something I did 25 years ago."
Sullivan believes the entertainment value of a horror film can't be beat.
"With a horror movie, you know you will get something," he said. "Whether it's thrills, or good special effects, or just fun, horror films deliver."
If you really want to know what makes these films so enduringly popular, ask the fans, who trudged through rain and mud to watch them Saturday.
"I live for this stuff," said Larry Brown, of DeKalb. "These movies are ridiculous, but they're much more entertaining than most of the dreck that comes out these days. I like to see if I can get scared."
Brett Baish, of Aurora, believes the older films are still the best.
"They're grittier and meaner," he said. "They're not glittery. They have small budgets, so they use creativity, not money."
Mike and Patti Wilson, of Aurora, have been married for two decades, and they remember going on dates to the drive-in to watch horror movies. They've been hooked ever since.
"These movies are hilarious," Patti said. "They're not scary. And they fit in with the whole drive-in atmosphere."
Local fans of horror films can count on Kerz to keep providing them with film festivals. He hopes his association with the Hi-Lite becomes an annual event.
"The films are popular because they're about something," he said. "The ideas are timeless, and fans enjoy dissecting and analyzing them."
