[Zine Review] Drive-In Asylum #19

In recent years, we've witnessed a resurgence in film-related print zines: Tim Paxton's Monster!; Brian Harris, Paxton and Tony Strauss's Weng's Chop; Mike Watt's Exploitation Nation; Pete Chiarella's Grindhouse Purgatory. The first generation of film zines (in the 1980s and 90s) was supplanted by the Internet, and blogs in a sense became the new film zine for those who follow less-than-mainstream cinema. But, to quote Tim Paxton, "The Internet is getting boring." So, it is a pleasure to see fellow film enthusiasts continuing the older tradition in print-on-demand formats. To the list of the film zine's new generation, editor-publisher Bill Van Ryn's Drive-In Asylum is a fine addition, itself recalling the cut-n-paste xeroxed fanzines we used to read in the heyday.

To date, Drive-In Asylum has had twenty quarterly issues (the latest just came out, and has yet to arrive), and four special issues, "in print only". (In other words, no e-book.) If your passion lies in horror-exploitation from the drive-in's heyday, circa the 1960s to the 1980s, then this publication is a worthy addition to your shelf. In addition to film reviews, this digest-sized gem is noteworthy for other reasons. 

Each issue features an interview with someone who worked before or behind the camera. For enthusiasts (like yours truly) of regionally-produced genre films from that era, these interviews are important documents of an alternative cinema history that needs to be preserved. In Issue #19, actor Terry Tenbroek shares his memories of working in the 1979 horror film Delirium (such as juggling his acting career with his full-time job as a firefighter), as well as other highlights in his career before the camera. After reading about this film (which was also added to the dreaded "Video Nasty" list back in the day), I had an interest to watch it. I remembered the VHS box art from my beloved Paragon label, and went to pull it from the "Paragon pile", only to discover that I didn't have this movie after all! Oops! YouTube, here I come!

The film reviews are refreshingly personal, as Bill's writing staff often conveys how they first encountered the movies, or how much they play in their lives. For instance, in Issue #19, Joseph Perry's overview of Sunn Classic Pictures, Andy Turner on Fireball Jungle, Sam Panico on the late Mexploitation classic Cemetery Of Terror (coincidentally, being released by Vinegar Syndrome next month), and Robert Freese's Manhattan Baby, will surely give you a deja vu feeling of discovering these films for the first time at the drive-in, grindhouse or even on the late show. I especially like Roger Braden's reminisces of seeing Mario Bava's Beyond The Door II (aka- Shock) in the bottom of a drive-in triple-bill, and J.H. Rood's discovery of the Thriller TV series on late night television. (Note to self: research Psycho Cinema from KASA TV 2 in Albuquerque.) But Drive-In Asylum exists as more than just nostalgia. I like how JC Greening's correlates his revisiting of Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girls to the "unprecedented" times in which we now live. 

Additionally, Drive-In Asylum is noteworthy for its eye-filling pages of vintage movie ads from newspapers and TV Guides. Their "in print only" mandate cited above is most telling here. This design simply couldn't be replicated properly in an electronic medium. (Even the front cover is designed like a marquee: the logos are the "attractions" you will read about within these pages.)

This plethora of ads also reminds you of the moviegoing experience back in the drive-in's golden age. There were dozens of films to choose from, instead of today's usual handful. And in a time before Internet, before Rotten Tomatoes, before IMDB, you just picked something and went. Discovery is part of the fun!

The Drive-In Asylum enterprise exists online in several fashions. Their Facebook group, entitled Groovy Doom (itself a cool title neatly summarizing a time and place), has of late featured Saturday night live streaming events, hosted by Bill and Sam, introducing a double bill of vintage exploitation. Groovy Doom also exists as a blog. Additionally, Sam Panico and his wife Becca review similar genre fare online in B&S About Movies. 

As prevalent as they are online, though, do pick up the print zine of Drive-In Asylum, and prepare to get lost in those pages. (Bring your own tinny speakers and mosquito coils.) You can order their zines at the link below. If you're a Canadian reader, to save shipping costs, it would be advisable to order several issues at once. (And believe me, you'll want to get a few anyway.) Check out their shop today!

Links:

Drive-In Asylum's online store at Etsy

Groovy Doom on Facebook

Groovy Doom's blog

B&S About Movies