That drive-in theater in Ohio changed my mind about bad horror movies

I went to the Starlite Drive-In near Columbus last weekend for a double feature of old slasher flicks. The projector kept glitching and the audio was a mess, but the crowd was laughing and shouting at the screen the whole time. Has anyone else had a live viewing experience that made a terrible movie suddenly fun?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagecooper15d agoMost Upvoted

Hold on, gotta correct something real quick. That Starlite you went to isn't near Columbus, it's actually closer to Mansfield, about an hour north. I grew up going there and the owner used to run the projector with a piece of duct tape holding the lens together, so I believe you about the glitching. But yeah, a bad movie with a loud crowd is completely different than watching it alone on your couch. The sound was always a little off and the screen had this weird ripple in the corner, but everyone screaming and laughing together makes you forget all of that. It's like the whole experience turns into a big inside joke with a hundred strangers.

max22315d ago

Yeah exactly, @park.miles hit it - the crowd turns a trash fire into a party. If you want to repeat that experience, here's some real talk: pick a movie that's already bad on purpose, not just boring bad. Something like "The Room" or a random late 80s horror sequel where nobody cared. Also, show up early and sit near the middle of the crowd, not off to the side. The energy is way better when you're surrounded by people yelling. And bring snacks to share, that gets strangers talking to you before the movie even starts.

park.miles15d ago

Wait... are you telling me that duct tape lens is actually part of the "charm" and not just the owner being cheap? That's hilarious, honestly. The crowd experience really does make or break a bad movie night, I've had the same thing happen at a midnight showing of some awful 80s monster flick where the DVD froze for a solid ten seconds and the whole place just started cheering. Makes you wonder if drive-in owners know the projectors are garbage and just bank on the audience noise covering it up. Can't beat that feeling though, being part of the joke instead of just watching it alone.