The Trylon Cinema is a small movie theater (92 seats) in south Minneapolis that shows older films, often international, independent, or otherwise a little obscure. I’m not a huge film nerd the way some people are, but I do love horror movies.
Since 2017, they have been hosting an annual all-night Horrorthon, in which they play six to seven horror movies, ranging from a short, silent film (for which they hire a small band to compose an original score to play live!), to obscure 1960s Japanese films like Goké, Body Snatcher from Hell, to 1980s B movies like Alligator, to 1994’s Candyman. They also play old horror movie trailers that often hint at what the next movie will be. (The movies are never announced ahead of time.) Every year I see movies I’ve never heard of.
My friend and I have gone every year (except one year in which we had a ticket mix-up; then only he went because he’s that much more of a movie lover than I am). It always sells out now—the 2020 event (which ended up getting rescheduled to 2021) sold out in an hour, so we set reminders to buy tickets literally as soon as they go on sale. Then, we get there about an hour before doors open to ensure we get a good seat.
Not only is this something a close friend and I love doing together, but the feeling of community on these nights is incredible. It’s a lot of the same people every year, and the Trylon staff and volunteers surely recognize the regulars by now. They make it really fun by keeping track of the most ridiculous deaths and sharing other commentary and enthusiasm, and it’s acceptable to cheer and laugh during the movies. (B movies work really well for this!) Lots of people wear horror-movie-themed shirts and sweatshirts. Eventually, everyone is loopy from sleepiness and has eaten too much candy and popcorn, but that creates an even stronger sense of comradery. At the end of the 2020 Horrorthon, which had been rescheduled to July 2021, the man sitting next to us waved and said, “See you in October!” (which is when the true 2021 Horrorthon is happening).
At the end—around 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning—my friend and I go to a 24-hour diner to have breakfast and talk about the movies we just saw.
