What to Know
- Oct. 8, 9, 15, and 16 at Lake Balboa Complex
- A portion of every ticket will be donated to the Valley Relics Museum, to help it recover after its pandemic closure
- $20 general admission per person (everyone in the vehicle must have a ticket); $55 Family/Group Pack (covers everyone is a seat with a seatbelt)
When we're inside our cars, we're usually on the move. We're headed to work, to school, out on some errands, by the store, or toward adventure.
But sometimes, when we come to a full stop, and take the key from the ignition, and slip a sweater over our shoulders, and crack open up a pack of cheesy snacks, and stare out our windshield at a spooky film, other things can begin to move, even as the engine sits still.
Our heart can thump loudly, or so it seems, our mind can race, and our imagination? A scary flick can send it into a surreal spate of mental somersaults.
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It's the magic of the drive-in theater we're describing here, the place where our physical rolls stop rolling but our brains go into overdrive at the sight of a spirit, monster, or villain.
The organizers behind the San Fernando Valley Drive-In understand this perfect pairing, a stopped auto and a lively movie screen, and they're ready to welcome back any cinephiles who enjoy some good startles while staying cozy in their cars.
To help this haunt-tastic happening happen, the drive-in is coming back in October, to the Lake Balboa Complex, with four nights of frightful classics.
What isn't frightful is the event's emotional element: Part of each ticket sold will be donated to the Valley Relics Museum, which saves and displays signs, photos, and artifacts of the San Fernando Valley. The museum remained closed for several months, early in the pandemic, and the team at My Valley Pass, which helms the drive-in, want to help it recover.
The dates? Look to the middle of October, right around the time when we're looking for some pre-Halloween high jinks of the most movie-ish variety.
"The Lost Boys" is on the schedule, and "Teen Wolf," too, while "Sleepy Hollow" will ride in on a spooky steed. Adding to the Burton-esque flavor of the films? "Frankenweenie" will be on the big screen, too, and "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" will flicker on a different night.
"Gremlins," "Return to Oz," and "The Craft" will soon materialize, too.
Each person in the vehicle needs a ticket, though there's a family/group option, too, an admission that covers anyone in a seat that has a seatbelt.
For all of the details on this returning gem, what you can expect, and how this four-nighter will help out the Valley Relics Museum following its pandemic closure, click.
