Outdoor Movie Events Archive: Texas
2010: Film Society Has Big Plans for 2010 Involving Outdoor Movies and Spielberg
Heading into the second month of 2010, officials with the Big Spring Film Society say they have a full slate of new film screenings lined up for the coming year, beginning with a classic.
Brandon Johnson, chairman of the film society, said the group will kick off the year in April with a screening of the Steven Spielberg blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark, the film that launched the exploits of Indiana Jones into movie history.
“This will be the last leg of our Spielberg retrospective during the outdoor movie series this summer,” Johnson said. “We’ll be screening Raiders on April 24 in the Comanche Trail Amphitheater in the city park. We honestly couldn’t think of a better place to screen the film than a stone amphitheater, and I think it will make a fabulous backdrop for all the fun. We’ve been looking forward to this screening for quite some time.”
Johnson said the Spielberg retrospective will then continue in June, as the film society plans to screen one of the most recognizable horror films of all time.
“Poltergeist wasn’t officially directed by Spielberg, but he stayed right in the middle of the film from pre-production all the way through the finishing touches on the final edit,” Johnson said. “He wanted to direct the film but was under contract to do The Extra-Terrestrial and couldn’t direct two films at the same time. However, he was so involved with Poltergeist that the Directors Guild did an investigation to see if Spielberg should have had a co-director credit.”
The film was directed by Tobe Hooper, who also directed the 1973 original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Johnson said Spielberg is quoted as having said, “If E.T. was a whisper, then Poltergeist was a scream.”
“Anyone who has seen Poltergeist will tell you the film has Spielberg’s fingerprints all over it,” Johnson said. “It was more of a Spielberg film than a Tobe Hooper movie.”
The film is rated PG, but the public is warned that it contains some extremely scary situations, and parents are advised that young children may have trouble sleeping after viewing it.
If Johnson seems excited about the Poltergeist screening, it’s no wonder.
“Poltergeist is a film that holds a very special place in my childhood memories,” he said with a smile. “It’s the film that caused me to bury my Ronald McDonald doll because I was afraid it was going to get me. It also caused me to sleep with my parents until I was 12 years old. It doesn’t contain the type of over-the-top gore most recent horror movies feature, but it is certainly enough to scare the pants off most people.”
Set for June 18 by the lake at Comanche Trail Park, Johnson said the location was a no-brainer.
“Last year we screened Jaws at that location, and it got a wonderful response,” Johnson said. “A lot of people told me it really added to the suspense of the movie. So when we started trying to come up with a location for Poltergeist, we felt it was perfect.”
Johnson said the group plans to finish out the summer with an August screening of Jurassic Park atop historic Scenic Mountain. Before the season gets fully underway, however, he hopes to add one more ingredient to the society’s plans.
“One of the most important aspects of what the society does is the men and women who donate their time and hard work,” Johnson said. “Volunteers and sponsors are what drive this summer program, and we’re always needing more. We have a lot of fun, and I just can’t tell you how great it makes you feel to see people’s faces light up during the films we screen.”
Johnson said the film society will hold a meeting Feb. 25 at the Hall Center for the Arts on the Howard College campus and encourages anyone interested in helping to attend.
“The meeting will get under way at 7 p.m.,” he said. “We are in desperate need of sponsors for the series this summer and volunteers to help with the three events—ushers, concession stand help, and anyone willing to lend a hand. If people want these events to continue, we’re going to have to step things up a little and get some help. We really feel like this is a great thing for Big Spring, and we’d like to see it continue.”
by Thomas Jenkins
Source: Big Spring Herald
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Across Texas, outdoor cinema has become a cornerstone of community life, replacing the fading nostalgia of traditional drive-in theaters with inflatable movie screens, family-friendly programming, and shared experiences under the stars.
In Dallas-area communities such as The Colony, Parks and Recreation departments host Movies in the Park events at venues like Five Star Sports Complex, where families gather with blankets and lawn chairs for free outdoor movies. Screenings such as Kung Fu Panda draw crowds with sunset showtimes, affordable concessions, and a relaxed, family-oriented atmosphere supported by local service organizations.
Smaller cities like Helotes have embraced outdoor movie nights as part of their community events roster, drawing hundreds of residents to parks for open-air cinema accompanied by live music, moon bounces, cartoons, and kid-friendly films. Supported by business sponsorships and parks funding, these events evoke memories of classic drive-ins while introducing a new generation to movies under the stars.
In Austin, nostalgia takes a mobile form with Driftin’ Drive-In, a traveling outdoor movie operation founded by Charlie and Rachael Hurtin. Using portable projectors, sound systems, generators, and inflatable screens, Driftin’ brings cult classics and horror films to neighborhood venues like Brevita coffee hut, blending independent business culture with open-air movie screenings.
Outdoor movies have also played a role in public safety and civic engagement, as seen in Port Neches and Port Arthur during National Night Out celebrations. Large inflatable screens, free food, live music, emergency vehicle displays, and family films such as Monsters vs. Aliens helped draw thousands to anticrime awareness events, reinforcing the power of outdoor cinema as a community unifier.
College campuses have joined in as well. San Antonio College launched its fall outdoor movie series with Star Trek, offering free or low-cost screenings, student-run concessions, and monthly Friday Night Movies designed to bring students and local residents together in a relaxed setting.
In Killeen, the Movies in Your Park series concluded with The Wizard of Oz, transforming a softball field behind the community center into an open-air theater complete with face painting, character appearances, inflatables, and food vendors. Attendance regularly exceeded 500 people, ensuring the program’s return in future seasons.
Outdoor cinema has also appeared in unique contexts, from Crawford, where a documentary about George W. Bush premiered on a 50-foot inflatable screen at a football field, to Beaumont and Port Neches, where fall festivals combined pet costume parades, car and motorcycle shows, street magicians, and outdoor movies like Monster House.
In McKinney, the 10th Annual Family Fall Festival expanded to a larger venue, featuring an inflatable outdoor movie screen, carnival games, pony rides, laser tag, live music, and fair food. Sponsored screenings such as The Spiderwick Chronicles highlight how outdoor movies integrate seamlessly into large-scale municipal festivals.
Finally, in Dallas, outdoor movie nights have even supported charitable efforts. At Mockingbird Station, free outdoor screenings paired with Toys for Tots drives, holiday events, and family nights demonstrated how open-air cinema can combine entertainment, philanthropy, and community engagement.
From city parks and downtown streets to college malls and mountain overlooks, outdoor movies on inflatable screens continue to thrive across Texas—bringing neighbors together, supporting local businesses, and transforming public spaces into shared cinematic experiences.