Lordy Lordy Freddy's 40: A Nightmare On Elm Street / New Nightmare
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Last night was a celebration of the 40th birthday of arguably the most iconic and well-known horror movie villain in history, Freddy Kreuger.
Last night was a celebration of the 40th birthday of arguably the most iconic and well-known horror movie villain in history, Freddy Kreuger.
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| Show banner designed by Andrew Kern |
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| Show poster and t-shirt designed by Tom Bifulco |
Darryl Mayeski was in attendance with a merch table set up inside of the concession building. He is the publisher and editor of Screem Magazine from Wilkes-Barre, PA. One of the items that he had available for sale was a special edition of Issue #37 which had an alternate cover to commemorate the Freddy's 40th Birthday event at the Mahoning. The issue also included a DVD of classic slasher movie trailers.
The special concession item for the show was Freddy's Burnt Fingers, which were cut up hot dogs marinated in chipotle barbecue sauce and served alongside tater tots. It was something different, and a tasty pre-show snack.
Prior to showtime, there was a celebration of Freddy Krueger's birthday on the photo op stage outside of the concession building, with a birthday cake and all. Freddy was also on hand to take photos with fans in attendance.
The first screening of Saturday night marks my first film that I saw on three separate occasions on 35mm at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater; the original 1984 classic - A Nightmare On Elm Street.
We saw this movie at the Mahoning for the first time in October 2021 for Freddy Fest III. We caught it again the following year for Freddy Fest IV when the first six films in the franchise were shown. Now, we've seen it here again for its 40th anniversary. Man, it's hard to believe that this movie came out four decades ago. I don't really think of it as an old movie, but to put that amount of time into perspective, Casablanca won Best Picture forty years before A Nightmare On Elm Street premiered in theaters. Time really flies, man.
The second half of the Freddy's 40'th Birthday double feature is a movie that is turning 30 years old later this year: Wes Craven's New Nightmare. This was my first time seeing it, and I've got to be honest, I really didn't dig it all that much. I suppose that part of it could be the fact that it has been ridiculously hot out this weekend, even after the sun went down. I was also pretty tired and had to stand up next to the car to stay awake for the entire film, which now that I come to think of it is a pretty immersive experience for a movie about a dream demon who the protagonists struggle to stay awake to avoid. I'm probably going to give it a second watch sometime this winter. There were some interesting ideas at work here, but it just kind of dragged for me and I never really found myself getting into it the way that I usually do for a horror flick.
And that's a wrap on Lordy Lordy Freddy's 40. I have it on good authority that the Mahoning will soon be announcing a celebration of another horror icon from the 1980's that will take place later this year, so keep an eye on their social media for that one. If you were in attendance for this show, or if you wanted to be, it is a weekend that you're absolutely not going to want to miss.
