Drive-In Movie Monsters

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At this time of year, when ghosts and goblins are about, I am reminded of the biggest venue for horror movies, the Drive-In Movie Theater. We had a wonderful Drive-In up there on Route 1 in Rockport.

We still have a few drive-ins left in Maine. I’ll tell you where they are at the end of this blog.

This video shows the trailers for some of the best of the horror flicks. The same producer who brought us “Night of the Living Dead,” brings us “Dawn of the Dead” in this video. Also featured are horror movies such as the double feature: “Terror from the Year 5000” and The Screaming Skull.” The trailer also includes a clip of an “authentic” certificate for free burial service should you die of fright while viewing these movies. Other featured horror films include “Beast From Haunted Cave” and “Dracula vs Frankenstein” and “Man with the Synthetic Brain.”

I’m sure all of these films played at our drive-in at one time or another. The thing about drive-in movies was that they were always B level movies. I don’t ever remember viewing a top-rated film at a drive-in. I firmly believe that a pre-requisite for being an actress in one of these horror films was determined by the quality of your scream. Whoever came up with the best and most spine-tingling scream won the part.

Besides the horror flicks, the drive-ins also featured “biker” films and “bad girl” films. This video features “Angels’ Wild Women,” which I assume are Hell’s Angels’ girlfriends. Also featured is “Satan’s Sadists,” starring of all people, Russ Tamblyn. I suspect that this role came way before his role in our favorite mid-coast film, “Peyton Place.”

These biker films were the B films copied from such A films as “The Wild Ones,” with Marlon Brando; and “Rebel Without a Cause,” starring James Dean. Both of these films are now classics.

The next video features drive-in intermission ads. Do you all remember “Let’s All Go To The Lobby?” The Lobby was, of course, the concession stand. The drive-in made their money selling food and drink to its patrons rather than from the sale of an entrance ticket. The same is true of most movie theaters today.

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Teenagers who went to these drive-ins during their heydays in the 50s were often times up to no good. If they could, they would try to sneak in an extra kid or two by hiding them in the trunk. It was also a favorite place for a guy to take his girlfriend on a date, especially if it was a horror movie, or better yet, a double-feature horror movie. What better way to get your girl into your arms than through fright. There were no bucket seats to contend with either.

A lot of car-hopping and running back and forth to the concession stand took place. If a car’s windows were steamed up you either just left them alone or knocked on the driver’s window to scare the two lovers inside.

I know for a fact that more than one boy drove off with a speaker still attached to the window. Said speakers would then be attached to the guy’s radio wires in his car and placed in the back window…shazam…you had one of the first stereo speaker systems.

We had a lot of fun at the ‘ole drive-in, didn’t we. If you want to recapture an “American cultural experience,” you could try out one of the five drive-ins left in Maine. They mostly run in the summer though. Here are the ones we have left in Maine, per Maine Magazine:

Westbrook, Prides Corner Drive-In holds 550 cars, the largest capacity in the state. The theater opened in 1953.

Bridgton, Bridgton Twin Drive-In, built in 1957, is the only twin drive-in theater remaining in Maine.

Saco, Saco Drive-In, built in 1939, is the second-oldest operating theater in America and the oldest in Maine.

Madawaska, Skylite Drive-In, opened in 1973, which makes it the newest drive-in in the state.

Skowhegan, where a drawing is held during intermission for all ticket holders. The winner receives free admission for a future screening.

Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr., the chemical-company magnate, who started this whole thing in his driveway in Camden, New Jersey, in 1932, probably never envisioned the development of his drive-in patent being used all over the country. He tried out the concept of his “drive-in” idea in his own driveway after nailing a screen to trees in his backyard. He set up a 1928 Kodak projector on the bonnet of his car and put a radio behind the screen to test volume levels.

His “experiment” resulted in his patent being established in 1933. Thanks for all the joy you brought to us all, Richard. Take a road trip to one of the above drive-ins this summer. Enjoy the show!

Thanks for listening.