Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Five years ago, I had never heard of Dario Argento and had no idea what a Giallo film was. The closest I had come to either is that I had once heard that some American actors go to Italy to make films, and that these sometimes get picked up and distributed in the United States. If I had ever rented one of them back in the day, I didn't realize it at the time and I don't remember it today. That was all changed by Joe Bob Briggs and The Last Drive-In on Shudder.
The tenth film of the original 2018 Last Drive-In Marathon was the Argento-produced 1985 horror flick, Demons. It's absolutely batshit crazy and was one of my favorite movies that was shown that night. They also showed Deep Red in the second season which aired at the start of the pandemic, and Tenebrae was screened during the most recent season four months ago. If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't remember seeing Tenebrae so I'm guessing that I was at the Mahoning that night and hadn't gotten around to watching the episodes from this past season that I missed. I'll never understand why Shudder can't air new episodes of The Last Drive-In during the winter months when most actual drive-in theaters are closed, but that's another topic. However, I definitely remember watching Deep Red in 2020 and I found it to be one of the most fascinating films I had ever seen.
I've wanted to dig into the Argento filmography for a while now, so I jumped at the chance to buy tickets to a two-day festival of his works at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater.
The poster for Mondo Argento was designed by artist Sarah Karess. This isn't her first poster for an event at the Mahoning, but it's the first one for a show that I got to see and it's one of my favorite posters for the 2022 season. Check out some of her other work on Instagram.
The opening film of Mondo Argento on Friday night was originally released in Italy as Phenomena in 1985. New Line Cinema distributed the film in the United States, but not before they cut 20 minutes and renamed the movie as Creepers. It was this American cut of the film that was screened at the Mahoning this weekend, but since this was my first time seeing this movie, I couldn't miss what I didn't know was supposed to be there.
The poster for Mondo Argento was designed by artist Sarah Karess. This isn't her first poster for an event at the Mahoning, but it's the first one for a show that I got to see and it's one of my favorite posters for the 2022 season. Check out some of her other work on Instagram.
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| Friday, September 16th, 2022 |
The opening film of Mondo Argento on Friday night was originally released in Italy as Phenomena in 1985. New Line Cinema distributed the film in the United States, but not before they cut 20 minutes and renamed the movie as Creepers. It was this American cut of the film that was screened at the Mahoning this weekend, but since this was my first time seeing this movie, I couldn't miss what I didn't know was supposed to be there.
Creepers stars Jennifer Connelly in her second film role, having been released a year and a half before she would go on to star alongside David Bowie in Labyrinth. It also features the great Donald Pleasence in one of his many excellent performances. Connelly is an American student who enrolls in a Swiss boarding school, and there are two things about her that make her the target of bullying from her classmates: she is prone to sleepwalking, and she loves insects. She comes to realize that she actually has a psychic connection with insects, which is nurtured by a forensic entomologist (Pleasence) who lives not far from the school. These powers play a role in the two working together to catch a serial killer who has been murdering young girls in the area.
This film absolutely blew me away! When I saw the description written out, I thought "this could be ok", but it's an absolute masterpiece. It's not for everybody (particularly if the sight of bugs bothers you too much to enjoy a movie), but this is easily one of my top five flicks that I saw for the first time at the Mahoning. I'm going to have to set aside some time this winter to watch the uncut version.
The movie that I am the most familiar with from the Mondo Argento weekend was the second film from Night One. I first saw Demons in 2018 when Joe Bob Briggs screened it as a part of the original Last Drive-In marathon, and I've watched it several times since then. This isn't actually an Argento movie (it was directed by Lamberto Bava), but it was produced by Dario Argento and it certainly fit with the theme of the weekend.
The last movie of the first night was the 1975 Giallo classic Deep Red. It was called The Hatchet Murders on the title card that we saw, which suggests that the 35mm print of the film that was screened at Mondo Argento is from January 1980 when the film was re-titled and re-released in the United States.
At the end of the first night of Mondo Argento, Rob (the projectionist) said that Saturday night's lineup of Suspiria, Inferno and Opera is "one of the best lineups this drive-in has ever had".
Before I get into my thoughts on Suspiria, I want to make it clear that I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. It's widely considered to be Dario Argento's finest work, and is the first film in The Three Mothers trilogy. I had heard about this movie for years and always wanted to see it, but I never got around to watching it. In fact, I didn't even really know what it was about. I knew it by reputation only, and the opportunity to experience a classic film for the first time at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater is one that I truly cherish.
The second film of Mondo Argento: Night Two was the second of The Three Mothers trilogy; the 1980 film Inferno. The first film of the night may not have had me completely lost, but this one most certainly did. I can't say for sure if it's an especially challenging movie to keep up with or if I was just having one of those nights where I got lost in my own brain fog, but I struggled to understand what I was seeing from start to finish. This one might take me a few more screenings before I can wrap my head around it.
The movie that I am the most familiar with from the Mondo Argento weekend was the second film from Night One. I first saw Demons in 2018 when Joe Bob Briggs screened it as a part of the original Last Drive-In marathon, and I've watched it several times since then. This isn't actually an Argento movie (it was directed by Lamberto Bava), but it was produced by Dario Argento and it certainly fit with the theme of the weekend.
Demons takes place in Berlin where a group of people attend a screening of a horror movie after being given a free ticket by a masked man. The lobby of the theater has a display set up with what appears to be props from the movie that they're about to see. This includes a mask that has a sharp pin on the inside. One of the moviegoers puts the mask on and is scratched by the pin. Later while they're watching the movie, she notices that one of the characters in the film is also scratched by the mask, after which they transform into an evil demon who begins attacking her friends. The woman from the audience who was scratched excuses herself to the bathroom, and sure enough, she begins to transform into an evil demon who starts attacking the rest of the theater.
From this point, the movie starts to feel like a zombie flick because the people who are attacked by the demon transform into demons themselves, and a group of strangers have to work together to find a way to survive. I don't want to spoil any more of the movie than I already have, but you should know that the plot just gets crazier from here, and it's one hell of a fun ride!
The last movie of the first night was the 1975 Giallo classic Deep Red. It was called The Hatchet Murders on the title card that we saw, which suggests that the 35mm print of the film that was screened at Mondo Argento is from January 1980 when the film was re-titled and re-released in the United States.
Deep Red is a cinematic masterpiece. It's a visually stunning murder mystery which strikes the perfect balance of having a deep plot without crossing the line to being so complex that you have to be a student of filmmaking for the story to make sense. I am far from an expert on his body of work, but out of the movies of his that I have seen, I think that Deep Red is Dario Argento's finest work.
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| Saturday, September 17th, 2022 |
At the end of the first night of Mondo Argento, Rob (the projectionist) said that Saturday night's lineup of Suspiria, Inferno and Opera is "one of the best lineups this drive-in has ever had".
Before I get into my thoughts on Suspiria, I want to make it clear that I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. It's widely considered to be Dario Argento's finest work, and is the first film in The Three Mothers trilogy. I had heard about this movie for years and always wanted to see it, but I never got around to watching it. In fact, I didn't even really know what it was about. I knew it by reputation only, and the opportunity to experience a classic film for the first time at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater is one that I truly cherish.
Suspiria is the story of a ballet dancer who moves to Germany to attend a highly prestigious boarding school of dance, only to learn that it's being run by an evil witch. This movie was absolutely beautifully filmed. The sets and shots are colorful and stunning and give the movie an other-worldly feeling. Its use of music is unlike anything I've ever experienced in a movie. There were times that I felt like I was watching an extremely elaborate series of music videos.
Sometimes it will take me a few times watching a movie before I can fully absorb what it is that I'm seeing, and I think that's the case here. It's not that I was completely lost, but I had a difficult time keeping up with the story and it made me feel kind of ashamed. I think I'll get a lot more out of this on a second viewing.
The second film of Mondo Argento: Night Two was the second of The Three Mothers trilogy; the 1980 film Inferno. The first film of the night may not have had me completely lost, but this one most certainly did. I can't say for sure if it's an especially challenging movie to keep up with or if I was just having one of those nights where I got lost in my own brain fog, but I struggled to understand what I was seeing from start to finish. This one might take me a few more screenings before I can wrap my head around it.
We didn't end up sticking around for Opera. My wife was getting pretty tired, and my brain was just not having a great day. I wasn't upset or depressed or anything like that, but I had a hard time understanding the first two movies of the night, and that's a feeling that tends to snowball pretty quickly for me. The more that I don't understand, the more frustrated I get with myself, and the harder it is for me to understand the next scene. I'm going to circle back and watch all three of the movies from Night Two when I'm a bit more clear headed.
