Camp Blood XI
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Exhumed Films' annual celebration of slasher films is in its eleventh year, and this year's lineup was absolutely stacked with classics.
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Exhumed Films' annual celebration of slasher films is in its eleventh year, and this year's lineup was absolutely stacked with classics.
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| Show banner designed by Andrew Kern |
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| Show poster designed by Justin Miller |
Last year, the Camp Blood lineup was a four day marathon of the entire Friday The 13th franchise. This year's lineup included the first film of that iconic series, but the rest of the films were an eclectic mix of 80's horror classics, with one Mario Bava giallo from the 60's that kicked off the event.
I worked on the lot crew this weekend to keep cars in tight rows on Friday and Saturday.
This is one of those roles that I didn't fully understand the importance of until I became a member of the lot crew. I was always polite to the people who were parking cars on busy nights, but I found it to be mildly annoying. I thought "yeah buddy, I know how to park... I'm here practically every night the place is open". Once I started working here, I quickly realized that everybody thinks that they know how to park at a drive-in, and at least a third of them really don't. I also realized that it only takes one car parking wonky to cause a problem.
There are two reasons why we park cars on busy or sold-out nights. The first is obvious; there is limited space on the lot, and we want to make sure everyone will fit and that everyone will have a clear view of the screen. The second, and more important, is that cars parked off kilter can become a safety issue. Once one car parks slightly askew, every car that parks in that row after them will do the same because they're instinctively lining up with the car that's next to them.
So, you may be thinking "who cares if the cars aren't in perfect rows". Here's the problem: The idea is that we want to leave a wide road between each row so that cars can pull forward when they leave. Those road areas aren't super obvious, especially toward the middle and back of the lot, and if parked cars drift out of the line, they are now blocking the exit for every car to their left. You may now be thinking "so what, they can just back out and drive down the road behind them, can't they?" Sure they can... if everyone in the row behind them is parked in a perfect row and no one is blocking that road. If we don't keep the cars in tight rows, people who leave during the first or second intermission are put in a position where they have to zig zag in the dark around parked cars, people walking (sometimes with their dogs and/or children), people in lawn chairs or on blankets, tables, radios, and other cars that are also trying to exit. Trust me... it is not easy. I'm usually on the lot four nights a week and can walk through the place blindfolded, and I sometimes have trouble pulling off of the lot on a busy night. It may be a mild annoyance to have a goofball like me telling you how to park your car, but trust me, it's worth it.
There was still plenty of time to hang out with friends and take photos with folks who showed up in costume. My favorite was the dude who came dressed as Jason from the Friday The 13th NES game from 1989.
I got to meet the director of My Bloody Valentine, George Mihalka. He was an incredibly nice man who signed my VHS copy of his 1981 horror classic.
This is instantly one of the coolest tapes in my collection.
I also got to meet Lauren-Marie Taylor who played Vickie Perry in Friday The 13th: Part II, who answered the question of her favorite sport when given the choice between football and hockey as "the one with the puck". She was also incredibly cool and signed one of the most interesting pieces of memorabilia that I've ever gotten at the Mahoning.
She had three hockey pucks at her table that she was signing for fans. I'm not sure who got the third one, but Tom and I got the first two.
Onto the films...
The first film of Camp Blood XI was Mario Bava's giallo classic from 1964: Blood And Black Lace. The title card for the 35mm print that we got to see had the film's alternate title: Six Women For The Murderer. It's a pretty great murder mystery story that I enjoyed.
There was a second 80's Italian slasher flick that was shown as a secret feature. I took the day off on Friday so that I could stay late, and I'm glad that I did. I liked the second movie even more than the first.
Friday night began with the 1980 slasher classic that kicked off an iconic franchise in horror cinema: Friday The 13th. They played the entire franchise last year at Camp Blood X, so this was my second time getting to see it on 35mm at the Mahoning.
Next up was the 1981 slasher classic My Bloody Valentine. I saw this for the first time when I was a teenager and loved it. Getting to meet the director and see it on 35mm at the drive-in was an absolute pleasure.
The final film of Friday night was another Canadian horror flick, the 1982 slasher Humongous. It's the story of a mutated man who was raised in seclusion by his mother on an otherwise deserted island. He was driven mad by the solitude after his mother died and spends the film hunting and killing a group who find themselves shipwrecked on the island.
The first film of Saturday night was the third Canadian horror film of the weekend, the 1981 slasher Terror Train. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis as a member of a sorority who is having a New Years Eve costume party on a train with her sorority sisters and a fraternity. They played a prank on another student three years earlier that resulted in him being institutionalized, and that student has come back to kill each of them one at a time. It's not a bad movie, but it could have been a lot better. Still worth watching though.
The second movie was one of the most creative horror movies of the 80's; the slasher with a twist that you won't see coming even though you probably should, April Fool's Day. This is another one that I saw for the first time when I was a teenager, and it's right up there with My Bloody Valentine as a must-see 80's horror flick.
Next up was the fourth Canadian film of Camp Blood XI, the 1983 giallo-inspired film Curtains. This one started strong, but it was kind of all over the place. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't recommend it either. I would, however, strongly recommend the movie that played as a secret feature afterwards. It's the same movie that played as a secret feature on the first night of Weekend Of Terror IX and it's a gem.
The first film of the final night of Camp Blood XI was the 1980 slasher He Knows You're Alone. This movie is probably best remembered for having the motion picture debut of Tom Hanks in a minor role, but it's a hell of a good horror flick about a killer who attacks women just before their wedding day.
Sunday night's second film was probably the strangest inclusion in the Camp Blood lineup, the 1984 Brian De Palma neo-noir erotic thriller Body Double. I say that it's strange not because of the film itself, but the fact that it's really not a slasher and kind of stands out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the movies. This was my first time seeing it, and despite it being an odd inclusion for the theme of the event, it was my favorite film of the weekend.
The final film of Camp Blood XI was the 1981 slasher Don't Go In The Woods Alone. This is one of about a thousand movies from the 80's in which young campers are slaughtered by a psychopath. This was my first time seeing it, and it's not bad, but it's one of those movies that I'm probably going to forget that I've seen.
