Happy Birthday Retrofantasma!
In today’s tough economy, it’s hard to get the value out of one’s dollar. It’s equally difficult to find a local theater that offers programming of films from outside the Hollywood mainstream. The Carolina Theatre in Durham and it’s monthly Retrofantasma shows are the solution to both of those problems.
This is part of what makes Retrofantasma at the Carolina Theatre so special. The crew at the Carolina Theatre work hard day in and day out to bring Retro audiences a wide array of classic horror films all year long. Audiences from the Durham area are treated to monthly double features of some of the rarest 35mm horror prints around.
Jim Carl, the program director, states that “Retro was born in November 1998 with a single showing of Friday the 13th Part 2. More than a decade later, we’re now one of the longest-running monthly genre film series in the United States!” The spectacular programing is no accident as anyone that talks to Jim can tell you. He is as big a fan of the genre as one will find.
Retro crowds make every show a treat.
This week marked Retrofantasma’s twelfth anniversary of bringing classic horror and cult movies to the Durham area. The reason for its continued success is simple, Retrofantasma is programmed for the fans by a fan. A quick glance at the list of titles that have played in 35mm at Retro over the past few years reveal just how much Jim and company love genre films: Alien, An American Werewolf in London, Black Christmas, Creepshow, The Exorcist, Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th part 4, Lucio Fulci’s Gates of Hell, The Thing, Monster Squad, Hellraiser, Spider Baby, The Shining, The Howling, Army of Darkness, Night of the Creeps, A Nightmare On Elm Street III: Dream Warriors, My Bloody Valentine, Lifeforce, The Story of Ricky, Jaws, The Road Warrior, Race with the Devil, Prince of Darkness, Pieces, and Killer Klowns From Outer Space.
To celebrate their twelfth anniversary, the Retro team hosted a double feature of slasher classics from the hey day of the genre. Fans may have plunked down their hard earned $8 for tickets to see Happy Birthday To Me and Alice Sweet Alice but what they were treated to was much more than a simple show – it was a party. Balloons, obscure lobby cards and rare one sheets lined the halls to the theater. The crowd was treated to bits of cake on skewers in honor of the infamous shish kebob kill featured on the one sheet for Happy Birthday To Me. On this night, no one was trying to ram the skewers down the crowd’s collective throat – although they were heavily encouraged to sign up for the door prizes which included DVDs, movie passes to the upcoming B-Movie Weekend Marathon and even a pair of tickets to the all but sold out John Waters Christmas show in December.
Congested traffic delayed a lot of the Retro Regulars from making it to the show on time – so Jim and Co. held the curtain for an extra half hour to give everyone time to make it to the show. That gave the crowd more time to fuel up on beer and cake prior to the start of the Retro Ring. For those that are unfamiliar, the Retro Ring is the video montage that opens every Retro show and is comprised of chase scenes, boo scares, and kill scenes from over one hundred movies. As soon as the Me First and the Gimme Gimme’s start their rendition of “Science Fiction Double Feature”, the fans know that they are in for a night filled with more thrills and chills than you can shake a boomstick at!
This weekend, Retro did not disappoint as they played Melissa Sue Anderson’s horror debut Happy Birthday To Me from the only surviving 35mm print and then closed it out with Brooke Shield’s horror and movie debut from 1976 with Alice Sweet Alice. As if these classic slasher films alone weren’t enough to satisfy the raucous crowd, they were also treated to trailers from the respective time periods and then during intermission a new In Memoriam played featuring clips of the celebrities that have passed away in the previous months.
Most moviegoers would be numb from the excitement of watching two classic horror films back to back but the Retro crowds are always energized at the end of the show. The crowd spills out into the night time plaza with a blissful white noise hum filling their heads from an evening that only Retrofantasma can provide. Most would feel fatigued at the prospect of now having to drive home after midnight – but the Retro crowds always leave with a pep in their step and a smile on their faces. They know that they just witnessed a rare event and look forward in great anticipation to next month’s show – or in even greater anticipation to one of the many fantastic weekend festivals coming soon from Carolina Theatre whether it be the Nevermore Film Fest, the Escapism Film Festival or The Groovy B-Movie Weekend Marathon.
Here's to twelve more great years at Retrofantasma!
For twelve years, Retrofantasma has been bringing North Carolina the best in genre entertainment. Through good economies or bad – Jim and the staff at the Carolina Theatre have worked hard to bring you your money’s worth and then some. You need only ask any of the Retro Regulars that make the show a part of their monthly routine and they’ll tel
l you that if you’re in the Durham area, nay if you’re in the Carolinas period, it is ALWAYS worth the drive to the historic Carolina Theatre in Durham for an evening at Retro! There’s only one way you’ll get to see the famous Retro Ring and that is by laying down $8 for a night at Retro that comes with a ticket for two movies but brings a priceless night to remember.
