[EVENT REVIEW] 24 Hour Horror-Exploitation Thon
“Who will survive and what will become of them?”
In 2021 I completed a 13 hour ‘A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET’ movie marathon at The Frida Cinema for a fundraiser they put on to raise funds to keep the arthouse theater open. Exhaustion couldn’t even begin to describe how I felt afterwards. Well in 2024 my pal Mikey of See It On 16MM upped the stakes with a horror-exploitation marathon for 24 hours. What started out as a joke turned into something serious, last year when he screened 80’s horror films on 16mm for 12 hours he asked the audience if they would be interested in doing it again for 24 hours and the cries were a resounding yes!
Now, this was something we as a collective would embark on together and it felt right. Some people showed up 3 movies in, some left after 4 or 5 and a select few stayed from 12pm-12pm and for that I commend them. I had the mentality of staying the entire time to see if I could push myself to do something so, dare I say crazy? With the first movie being introduced by Mikey and a belly full of popcorn and diet coke I was ready for this journey.
Presented by: Mikey of See it on 16MM
Released in 1982; “Corn grain contaminated with steroids produces large rats the size of small dogs who begin feeding on the residents of Toronto. Paul, a college basketball coach, teams up with Kelly, a local health inspector, to uncover the source of the mysterious rat attacks and they eventually try to prevent the opening of a new subway line as well as find the mutant rats nest quickly, or there will be a huge massacre of the entire city!”
Right out of the gate I was excited for something new that I had never seen before and from the lack of cheers no one else had either. That was our way of letting know Mikey and the guest presenters if we had seen the movies before. This Canadian was weird to say the least but I had a damn good time watching giant rats kill people with no disregard for anything or anyone, including a baby haha.
Presented by: Creature Bazaar
Released in 1977; “An astronaut is transformed into a murderous gelatinous mass after returning from an ill-fated space voyage.”
It was fitting for Creature Bazaar to pick this film since Creatures are their bread and butter and boy was this a face melter… pun completely intended. Another film I had never seen but has been on the watchlist for quite some time. Rick Baker did the make up fx and that allowed the movie to have some saving grace because my god it’s a weird one!
Presented by Armando of Trash Mex
Released in (1961); “Four men are cursed by a voodoo priest for stealing a sacred idol from his temple. Soon a band of murderous "doll men" are after the men and their families.”
The only Mexican horror film to be screened during the 24 hours and it was a weird one! Voodoo was at play, superstition and of course black magic because who doesn’t love a little magic in their horror movie? It was cheesy sure, but it was also the perfect campy movie to squeeze in.
Presented by The Fold Line Poster Company
Released in (1977); Kyle Martin returns from WW2 as a silver star hero, but realizes running a one man farm is not profitable, and the bank wants to foreclose. Then a gambler Johnny has a car accident near his farm, in which Kyle saves his life, and Johnny offers him $1,500, which still isn't enough to save the farm. Then when Johnny past-posts on a horse race for over $50,000, he angers local mobster Passini as he and his three henchmen kill Johnny's bodyguard and then blind Johnny's eyes with acid to "make a example out of him". Johnny asks his girl Betty to ask Kyle to kill Prassini and his men one by one for $50,000, the money he needs to save his farm, which sets the path for revenge.
Revenge movies aren’t really my style but this one hit different. A simple man trying to get back on his feet and becomes a hit man? I’m all for it! My friend Hope presented this film and she had just watched it a few weeks ago and knew it would be perfect for this screening. Good choice, Hope!
Presented by Cinematic Void
Released in (1974); A perverted teenage boy who lives in the walls of a house finds the house sold to a family after his mother dies, then he falls for one of the new residents.
Arguably my favorite movie of the marathon! It could be that by this point I was running on maybe 5 hours of sleep and my delusion was slowly setting in but this was a hell of a movie. A kid accidentally murders a child and his mother hides him in the walls? Brilliant! The 70’s were something else
There was a secret film that was screened during the marathon and we have been explicitly asked not to post about it or event talk about it. I’ll be taking it to my grave but when I tell you it was a god damn treat to see it on 16mm… It truly was!
Presented by Rendevous / Severn Films
Released in (1977); A battle for survival ensues after a group of hikers encounters a chemically imbalanced forest.
This has Leslie Nielsen being a complete asshole which is funny since he’s most known for his comedic roles but damn does he kill it in this! Really enjoyed this strange film
Presented by Bat City Cinema
Released in (1973); A young couple inherits an old mansion inhabited by small demon-like creatures who are determined to make the wife one of their own.
The final film of the night for me and to be completely honest I passed out almost immediately once they hit play. I’m bummed because this was on my list of movies to watch for years! I do plan a rewatch at some point so don’t fret.
A 24 hour movie marathon is no joke, I had to tap out at 4am because my eyes were burning like I was staring directly into the sun. It was a damn good effort on my part and I thoroughly enjoyed each movie that was screened. I know Mikey is thinking about doing this again but we’ll see if that comes to fruition…
