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Los Angeles, California: Classic Horror Films Screened at the Hollywood Drive-In Movie Theater

By on August 18, 2009 in Drive-in Movie Theaters, Guerilla Cinema, Outdoor Movie Events

Outdoor Movies at the Hollywood Drive-InThink the drive-in is dead? Not in ! Though it may not be a permanent fixture, Hollywood MobMov in conjunction with the Steve Allen Theater created an impromptu drive-in movie theater earlier this summer. Each Friday night the parking lot of the theater would be devoted to the outdoor cinema, with films projected onto the theater wall. Films screened were not your typical family-friendly fare, as one of their most popular nights was the Masters of Horror Series. It was a double feature night with Suspiria, a well-loved 1977 Italian film by Dario Argento, considered a classic in the horror genre, and Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise, a delightful 1974 “horror-thriller-comedy musical” starring Paul Williams. Actress Jessica Harper starred in both films and made a live appearance for a Q&A during the intermission.

And unlike many guerrilla drive-in theaters today, this was an actual drive-in: cars lined up and tuned their radio to a specific station to hear the audio. On that night of horror classics, the weather wasn’t perfect, but with everyone warm and snuggled up in their cars it didn’t matter. There should definitely be some more outdoor movies coming up in the near future, so sign up on the mailing list for Hollywood MobMov for notifications. This is guerrilla cinema unlike any other, and these days you don’t get many chances to see cult classics in the outdoors. Don’t miss your opportunity to see these awesome outdoor movies!

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New York City, New York: Guerrilla Cinema is the New Drive-In

By on August 15, 2009 in Guerilla Cinema, Outdoor Movie Events
Photo Credit: CBS

Photo Credit: CBS

Once the drive-in was entertainment of choice for most Americans. Now most drive-in movie theaters have disappeared but outdoor movies are making a comeback in the way of guerrilla cinema. Across the nation outdoor films are popping up in abandoned parking lots and on the sides of buildings. Regarding this phenomenon, John Young, a guerrilla cinema promoter comments that DVDs and home theaters are great but “you… want the experience of going out, with people, people that you’re talking to and seeing a movie” (CBS News).

John organizes a guerrilla drive-in in City that screens outdoor cinema on the sides of buildings in secret locations. Spread by word of mouth, clues are dropped which lead you to a hidden FM radio transmitter. Once found, you must decode the message to get in to the movie. Movie-goers seem drawn to this particular outdoor cinema because it’s kind of underground, and not many people know about it. But the outdoor movie events have grown in popularity, and over 200 people attended a recent screening of Back to the Future.

New York isn’t the only place where outdoor films are cropping up. Parks and recreation departments have caught on the the trend, with not-so-guerrilla screenings of family-friendly films in the parks. Film festivals are also adopting outdoor movie screenings to their roster. And guerrilla cinema has caught like wildfire with portable movie screens and massive underground organizations like MobMov (Mobile Movies). These days, finding an outdoor film near you might not be quite as easy as going to the drive-in, but it certainly is as fun!

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Sub Rosa Guerrilla Drive-In Refutes Attacks and Obtains Licensing for Outdoor Movies in New Hampshire

By on July 8, 2009 in Guerilla Cinema, Outdoor Movie Events, Outdoor Movie Producers

Outdoor Movies at Sub Rosa Guerrilla Drive-InAfter we posted the previous article about Sub Rosa’s attempts to obtain licensing for their guerrilla cinema, we did some more research to find out if there had been any developments on the matter. We are pleased to report that Sub Rosa Guerrilla Drive-In is now officially licensed and completely legal. They will continue to screen outdoor movies in various locations around the Seacoast region of , reclaiming public space and enjoying great cinema. The following report is drawn from Sub Rosa’s official website, which should be referred to for more information about the much-loved al fresco cinema. Click here to read the previous blog post about Sub Rosa’s film licensing issue.

You may have an idea of what’s been going on lately but in the interest of full disclosure here’s the deal in a nutshell:

Foster’s Daily Democrat ran a front page article about us back on Monday, which was awesome. It made so many of you aware of us and your excitement and support was so unexpected and thrilling. However, Dan Jacobitz of Somersworth business, Video Under The Stars, took great exception to what we’re doing and wrote to the paper calling us a bunch of names. He also called Swank Motion Pictures to rat us out.

Swank, whom I’ve had a relationship with in the past, emailed me to ask what I thought I was doing. Suddenly, flying under the radar was no longer an option, Larry and I were way out in the open. Our backs to the wall, we had no choice but to work out a deal with Swank to license our movies.

Last week’s showing of Pump Up The Volume is now officially licensed. We paid the fee for that. We also paid the fee for tomorrow’s Red Dawn show and The Warriors in two weeks. License fees for us are $100 a piece. Many of you came to our aid to help us out with donations and we cannot possibly thank you enough. For that we’re going to bring you the best possible guerilla drive-in that we can. We’re still accepting donations for future shows so please give what you can, whatever you think that we’re worth and we’ll keep this rolling for as long as the money lasts or as long as the city of Dover will tolerate us. Whichever comes first.

But know this! We are officially licensed. We have paid the fees. We have permission to screen these movies and we can prove it.

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