The marathon event, “Shock Around the Clock,” will be held at the historic Grandview Theatre on Saturday.

Columbus is one of only three cities in the U.S. to host 24-hour horror marathons annually. Boston and Cleveland also hold similar events.

Drexel Theatre held a similar event for many years, but not annually. Bruce Bartoo and Joe Neff hope the marathon at Grandview Theatre will become a lasting yearly event.

Bartoo and Neff have worked in organizing film events together for the past five years and are excited to be partnering with the owners of the Grandview, David Nedrow and his wife Jennifer, to put this marathon on for the public.

The event will consist of a continuous lineup of 12 movies and one, hour-long episode that will get viewers into the Halloween spirit early this year.

“It’s a rare opportunity to be a part of this event by not only staying an entire day in the theatre, but also to experience what the event is like,” Neff said. “In some ways, when we programmed this, we tried to make it a mix of films so much that it is sort of like a mini history lesson.”

According to the Web site, horrormarathon.com, a few of the films that will be shown are Roger Corman’s “The Masque of the Red Death”, John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and Larry Cohen’s “Q.”

It will also be the Columbus theater premiere of “I Sell the Dead.”

Guest of honor Stuart Gordon, known for directing horror classics such as “ReAnimator” and “From Beyond,” will make a special appearance at the event Saturday evening.

Over the course of three hours, two of Gordon’s works will be shown. His Showtime “Masters of Horror” episode “The Black Cat” and a 35mm print of his “From Beyond” will be featured. Afterward, Gordon will hold a Q&A forum with his fans, followed by a personal movie choice for the event, Gaspar Noe’s 2002 “Irreversible.”

The event will also hold a celebration of American writer Edgar Allan Poe’s 200th birthday, which will include two films and one television episode tribute.

A costume contest will be held, with winners receiving a $100 cash prize.
Although it is a 24-hour marathon, movie patrons will be free to come and go as they please and there will be 10-15 minute intermissions between each film.

At similar events, about one-third of all guests stay the entire time, and by the end of the 24 hours the audience has bonded and gotten to know one another well.

“It has that kind of twisted family reunion aspect to it,” Neff said.
Grandview Theatre holds about 300 people and the movie marathon is expected to sell out. Tickets are available for $40 at the door, but purchasing tickets in advance for $35 at Grandview Theatre or Laughing Ogre Comics is recommended.

The event will start at noon Saturday, Oct. 17 and end at noon Sunday.