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    Halloween Comes Early to the Drexel Theatre

    A lot of people complain when they see Christmas decorations at Target along with the back to school sales, but is it ever too early to begin celebrating Halloween? Bruce Bartoo and Joe Neff, the diabolical duo behind the Drexel Theatre’s annual Shock Around the Clock horror marathon and 24 Hour Science Fiction Marathon, are kicking off the Halloween season this weekend with a program mean to pique interest for their full length October marathon.

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    shock-o-rama-01Beware, it’s Shock-O-Rama! A Triple Bill of Terror!

    The Drexel Theatre unleashes three back to back horror flicks along with a celebration of cheesy horror trailers at around 11 pm this Saturday, August 29th.

    Bartoo and Neff are hoping the event will draw some fans unwilling to make the full 24 hour commitment of the marathon, while also servicing their core marathoners who are jonesing for some horror.

    “For quite a few of our loyal attendees, marathon season is a year round psychological state,” says Neff. “We thought it would be great to extend the tremendous energy we get from the marathon crowd into August… and to spend a bit more time with our beloved, demented, fellow movie mutants.”

    Besides the three features and an hour of vintage trailers – all in 35 mm – movie mutants can expect to hear the full line up for the October marathon.

    On that topic, Neff hints, “You can expect the usual mix of classics, rediscoveries, premieres, oddness, etc. One of the titles is something we’ve wanted to show for quite some time, a somewhat non-traditional genre entry that is still probably one of the best horror films of the modern era. We have a restored version of a film by a foreign master whose work has never played a Columbus Marathon. And we’ve secured at least one crowd pleasing premiere that should be a lot of fun.”

    In the meantime, though, we can enjoy an early dip into Halloween season. Shock-O-Rama! screens the David Cronenberg classic They Came from Within along with George Romero’s third installment of the dead, Day of the Dead, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The program rounds out with the John Carradine atrocity Vampire Hookers.

    Why is that?

    Vampire Hookers has been lurking nearby in the darkness for a few years now, but I’ve never been able to persuade the marathon brain trust to unleash it on our unsuspecting marathoids,” explains Bartoo. “Including it here shuts me up for a while. It’s unmitigated cheese from the Philippines: atrocious acting, clunky dialogue, barroom brawls, an “artistically” shot sex scene, and a delightful John Carradine winking as he picks up a check for a day or two’s work.”

    You, too, can get your almost-Hallow’s-Eve on this Saturday night, 11pm at the Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.).

    Tickets are $10 at the door.

    Read more from Hope on MADDWOLF and listen to her weekly horror movie podcast FRIGHT CLUB.

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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