ADVERTISEMENT

    Shocking Around the Clock this Weekend at Drexel

    Who’s up for a night of unbridled cinematic madness? A heart-stopping plunge into your nightmares? These are the promises made by the hyperbole rich duo behind Shock Around the Clock, the 24-hour horror movie marathon celebrating its eighth year at the Drexel Theatre this weekend – from noon Saturday, October 15 to noon(ish) Sunday, October 16.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Bruce Bartoo and Joe Neff once again program a celebration of the macabre, boasting 10 films, nutty old trailers and shorts galore, a costume contest, a scream contest, and “the best horror audience anywhere!”

    The 2016 lineup brims with premiers and seriously underseen gems – an intentional tactic.

    “We’re always looking to fill a significant chunk of the schedule with things that most of the audience hasn’t seen before,” says Bartoo.

    Neff concurs “The increasingly wide reach of home video and the internet has definitely shifted some of our focus to more hard-to-find or underseen fare. And most of the audience feedback says that while they enjoy the classics and crowd pleasers, they also dig the lesser known titles – both new and old.”

    “And to the extent that we consider ourselves part of the audience, we’re eager to find things that we’d like to see ourselves,” says Bartoo. “Especially with this devilishly enthusiastic crowd.”

    One particularly unique aspect of this year’s programming is the screening of Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 masterpiece Vampyr with a live accompaniment written and performed by Sue Harshe of Scrawl.

    “Sue has played for our Horrorthons twice before,” Bartoo says. “I can’t say enough about her moody, moving, atmospheric accompaniments.”

    “Sue’s score for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was haunting, hypnotic and propulsive,” says Neff. “Easily the highlight of that 2011 Horror Marathon. Can’t wait to see what she has cooked up for Vampyr.”

    As usual, Neff has peppered the event with a number of Ohio premiers. One of those – Beyond the Gates – comes with a Q&A with writer Stephen Scarlata.

    “This year’s slate seems to be a perfect embodiment of the Horror Marathon experience,” Neff promises. “There’s the throwback, crowd-pleasing charms of Beyond the Gates, the over-the-top splatter comedy of Night of Something Strange, and the deranged boundary-pushing of We Are the Flesh.”

    Pushing the horror envelope has been a theme for the marathon over the years.

    Flesh, in particular, has garnered a reputation as one of the must-see WTF films on the festival circuit this year,” Neff says. “We’re firm believers in films like this that push the genre into new and unexpected territory.”

    The program’s better known titles include the cult favorite Halloween III, the zom-com hit The Return of the Living Dead, David Bowie’s vampire fable The Hunger, and David Cronenberg’s rumination on divorce and procreation, The Brood.

    “After last year’s lineup, which leaned toward the slow-burn and moody, we made a conscious effort this year to book more titles that went off the deep end into cinematic insanity,” Neff says. “Hence, Cronenberg’s disturbing classic, which still holds up to this day as an unnerving examination of repressed rage and parental paranoia. Being able to secure it in 35mm also helped, as we try to include several celluloid titles every year. And c’mon, how can you go wrong with Cronenberg?”

    After so many marathons, how does the pair keep things fresh?

    “A mix of the classics, the challenging, the goofy, the gory, the old favorites and new surprises,” says Bartoo. “It keeps the core of faithful Marathoids coming back and attracts enough fresh, new blood to replenish any vacancies created by non-survivors.”

    For those willing to test your endurance, the marathon runs from Saturday, October 15 to Sunday October 16. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 day of. Tickets are available for cash or charge at the Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.), cash only at Laughing Ogre Comics (4258 N. High), and at the Shock Around the Clock website.

    Full Shock Line-up:

    • Vampyr (1932), with live musical accompaniment by Sue Harshe
    • Ohio premier of Beyond the Gates (2016), with film producer/co-writer Stephen Scarlata in person
    • Midwest premier of We Are the Flesh (2016)
    • Ohio premier of The Night of Something Strange (2016)
    • 35mm screening The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
    • The Hunger (1983)
    • DCP restoration of The Devil (1972)
    • 35mm screening of The Boxer’s Omen (1983)
    • The People Under the Stairs (1991)
    • 35mm screening of The Brood (1979)
    • The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
    • Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

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

    Looking for more film events in Columbus? CLICK HERE to visit our Events Calendar.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Gateway’s New Program Celebrates Women Making Horror

    Hot on the heels of Gateway Film Center’s frosty...

    Cinema Columbus Returns to Venues Across CBUS

    Cinema Columbus returns to local theaters beginning Wednesday, April...

    Loads of Spooky Goodness for March

    So much spookiness to choose from this week: family-friendly,...

    Concert Preview: Sleater-Kinney at Newport Music Hall

    Little Rope is the 11th studio album from veteran...

    Beat Bazaar Creates New Space for Columbus Producers

    On February 23, The Kutt Record shop filled with...
    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.
    ADVERTISEMENT