In early 1978 I went to the Circle Theater in downtown Indianapolis to see a double bill of Piranha and Eaten Alive. Piranha was an amazing Jaws ripoff featuring Keenan Wynn, Barbara Steele and Bradford Dillman. Eaten Alive was director Tobe Hooper's tremendous follow up to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The former was a fun romp through a story of genetically engineered fishies killing folks and the latter was a feverish and fucked up acid trip of a version of the story of Joe Ball who fed women to his pet alligator. My buddy, Matt McGlade said of Eaten Alive "this movie is for crazy people". And he is right. Watch it and you'll see.
The Circle Theater now is a beautiful sight. It has been remodeled and beautified and is indeed one of the most lovely buildings in this city. Back then it was dilapidated. Some good rock n roll shows happened there. Rapper saw Cheap Trick blow Styx off the stage there in 1977. Or 1976. I forget which. I saw Molly Hatchet there when they were touring for their first album and...FUCK...they were great! Anyway, when I went to see these movies I had the greatest movie going experience of my life. The majesty of which has never been repeated. From beginning to end of the entire double bill, older black gentlemen were hollering, screaming, laughing, drinking booze and tossing lit joints back and forth to each other. There was constant shouting through the movies.
I TOLE YOU NOT TO GO IN THE WATER
MUFUKKIN FISHES ATE THAT MUFUKKAHS FEET OFF
NAW HELL NAW GET OUT THAT WATER
It was the greatest thing ever.
Those days are long gone now. And that's sad because I would love to be able to experience that again. And take some kid to enjoy it as well. But the young now won't get that. And that's a fuckin' shame.
No comments:
Post a Comment