THE CIRCLE DRIVE-IN IN SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, TO HOST THE FIRST ANNUAL BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCK FESTIVAL ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021

 

THE CIRCLE DRIVE-IN IN SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, TO HOST THE FIRST ANNUAL BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCK FESTIVAL ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021

FESTIVAL TO FEATURE A CLASSIC AND SAFE MOVIEGOING EXPERIENCE PLUS A DRIVE-IN-BLOOD DRIVE, HALLOWEEN HAUNT, AND BLOOD-THEMED MOVIE FESTIVAL 

CELEBRATING THE BALLYHOO AND  SHOWMANSHIP OF PRODUCER SAM SHERMAN INCLUDING A 50TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING OF HIS AND AL ADAMSON’S  1971 CULT CLASSIC, "DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN"

SEE MONSTERS AT YOUR CAR, INCLUDING "THE BEAST OF BLOOD" AND A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED VERSION OF THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER BY MAKEUP EFFECTS ARTIST ROY KNYRIM OF SOTA FX STUDIO 

SCRANTON, PA, August 26, 2021  – Calling all horror movie fans and drive-in movie enthusiasts! The Frankenstein Monster from 1971’s cult classic DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN will be returning from the dead after a 50-year rest, courtesy of makeup effects artist Roy Knyrim of SOTA FX STUDIO.  The man-made monster will be making a live appearance as Sam Sherman's Retro Road Show Drive-In Tour returns to the State of Pennsylvania with two back-to-back screenings of the Al Adamson cult classics, DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN (1971) and BRAIN OF BLOOD (1971), both films celebrating their 50th Anniversary, on  October 22rd, 2021  as part of THE FIRST ANNUAL  BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCK FESTIVAL at The Circle Drive-In in Scranton, PA.  Gates open at 4 pm for this special event which will feature a local community Blood Drive and an opportunity to see the resurrected Monster of Frankenstein before the sun sets, and the film festival begins at 6 pm.  The night will also feature two other blood-soaked movies, THE MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND and BEAST OF BLOOD, during the evening’s film program, as well as an opportunity to experience THE CIRCLE DRIVE-IN’s spooky Halloween haunt, THE CIRCLE OF SCREAMS!   Don’t be surprised if another creature, The Beast of Blood, shows up to meet and greet fans during the evening’s drive-in festivities with free Zombie swizzle sticks.    In addition, the first 100 cars that arrive at the drive-in will receive a free “Drac Pack,” which includes a plastic Dracula ring and plastic vampire fangs. (Note:  One “Drac Pack” per car.)

The idea for THE CIRCLE DRIVE-IN’S BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCK FESTIVAL with the Drive-In Blood Drive and Blood themed movie event was based on a couple of producer/distributor Sam Sherman’s packaging and marketing campaigns for Hemisphere Pictures during the early 1970s, entitled THE CHILLER CARNIVAL OF BLOOD and THE BLOOD-O-RAMA SHOCK FESTIVAL.  A number of the films Mr. Sherman worked on emphasized the word “Blood” in the title to lure “blood-thirsty” horror and gore fans to seek the films out at their local theatre or drive-in.  Some of the film campaigns and titles Sherman worked on include  BLOOD CREATURE, THE BLOOD DRINKERS, BRIDES OF BLOOD,  BLOOD OF DRACULA’S CASTLE, HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS, HELL’S BLOODY DEVILS, and BLOOD OF GHASTLY HORROR.  In fact, it was Mr. Sherman who was the brains behind the classic drive-in campaign and audience-participation gimmick called “THE OATH OF GREEN BLOOD” for the Tiki creature feature, THE MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND (1968), which is part of the festival.  Mr. Sherman, a drive-in movie pioneer, just completed his memoir WHEN DRACULA MET FRANKENSTEIN (Murania Press), which will be available in limited supply at The Circle Drive-In. 

The film DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN was also originally conceived with the crimson fluid in titles like SATAN’S BLOOD FREAKS, THE BLOOD SEEKERS  and even BLOOD OF FRANKENSTEIN before Sam Sherman decided to add and exploit a classic monster match-up plot with the immortal characters of the King of the Vampires, Dracula, and the man-made Frankenstein Monster. 

Sherman, who still has the original latex appliance for the Frankenstein Monster’s head used in 1971’s DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN, has been trying to find the original make-up man responsible for the man-made monster,  Anthony Tierney.  “Sadly, we haven’t found Tony, and the latex appliance for the Frankenstein Monster is deteriorating beyond repair,” Sherman relayed.  However, all was not lost.  Sherman and his colleague David Sehring of Drive-In-Sanity Films were referred to veteran make-up and FX wizard, Roy Knyrim of SOTA FX Studio, to help resurrect the monster.  Knyrim jumped at the opportunity to tackle the Monster of Frankenstein and sought out whatever reference material he could find.  Knyrim remembers DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN as, “One of my childhood favorites! Having the opportunity to re-create the Frankenstein  Monster from DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN was a childhood dream come true for me. I have great memories of this movie on the Saturday afternoon Creature Features in NY. “   Knyrim added, “We are trying our best to make the Monster as accurate as possible using traditional sculpture and mold-making techniques. The same way it was made back in the day. What an honor to be able to be a part of this!”

Sam Sherman’s Retro Road Show Tour of Drive-In Cult Classics features recently restored and remastered versions of the films he made with drive-in maverick Al Adamson, including DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN and BRAIN OF BLOOD. In addition, Adamson’s life and tragic death and the films he made with Sam Sherman were celebrated in the recent documentary BLOOD & FLESH: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON by director David Gregory for Severin Films.  

Tickets for The Circle Drive-In’s Blood-O-Rama Shock Festival on October 22, 2021, are available in advance on Ticketleap:  https://circle-drive-in-theatre.ticketleap.com/blood-o-rama-shock-festival

ABOUT THE CIRCLE DRIVE-IN  

Circle Drive-In Theatre has continually been running since  Sept 10, 1949, making it one of the longest-running drive-ins in America!  The Circle Drive-In Theater operates from the Spring to Fall each year, showing first-run features and retro classics.

The Drive-In has two GIANT outdoor screens, one being over 5000 square feet, one of the largest in the state of Pennsylvania, with the newest technology in the country, and a state-of-the-art digital projection and audio system.

The Circle Flea Fair is the largest flea fair market and farmers’ market in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with hundreds of vendors from March to November.

The Circle of Screams is the Drive-In’s own haunted attraction and brings fun and frights for the whole family during the Halloween season. 

Circle Special Events change with the season and include film and music festivals throughout the year. 

For more info on The Circle Drive-In, visit their website at:  https://circledrive-in.com

ABOUT ROY KNYRIM, SOTA FX STUDIO

Roy Knyrim is an American film director and special effects and makeup artist from Rochester, New York.  A film fan from a very young age, Knyrim made his own films as a child.  After graduating high school, Knyrim worked on the second and third TOXIC AVENGER films.  Roy later moved to California, co-founded SOTA F/X, and created visuals for THE ABYSS, SOCIETY, and ED WOOD.  Roy Knyrim and SOTA FX Studios' career also includes a long list of genre films. Roy Knyrim and SOTA FX Studios' long list of genre film credits including DARKMAN, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD; SPAWN; WISHMASTER 2-4; SINISTER 2; and Bill Conden's GODS AND MONSTERS among others.  

ABOUT SAM SHERMAN, PRESIDENT, INDEPENDENT-INTERNATIONAL PICTURES CORP.

Sam Sherman is New York’s own Drive-In and Grindhouse maverick.  Known as one of the masters of exploitation, his over-the-top style of wild marketing campaigns, ballyhoo, and gimmicks are largely attached to cult classic horror, biker, and blaxploitation films.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, when Drive-In theatres were still fueled by wild-eyed kids and teenagers who saw Mr. Sherman’s crazy promotions on the big and small screen, Sam, along with his future partner and friend, Al Adamson, made their name and mark on Independent film.  They also inspired many genre filmmakers, like Quentin Tarantino.

Sherman was born in New York City in the 1940s. He was an early fan of Horror Comic Books, Horror Dramatic Radio Programs, and eventually Horror Movies in Theatres and on Television. In 1958 he started working for James Warren’s Warren Publishing as a writer and advertising specialist on FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND MAGAZINE. At the same time, Sherman attended the Film Institute of the City College of New York, graduating with a BA in Motion Picture film Techniques.

Sherman went on to work for Hemisphere Pictures to do their marketing of Horror films, including reviewing screenplays, creating Movie Trailers, TV and Radio spot commercials, and special graphics and copy for print advertising and posters. Sherman eventually went on to write and produce one of Hemisphere’s Horror films - BRAIN OF BLOOD.

In 1968, Sam Sherman and partner Al Adamson started their own film production/distribution company, Independent-International Pictures Corp., with former theatre owner Dan Kennis.

The company specialized in films for drive-in theatres in the US.  The company eventually started its own Home Video label, Super Video Inc., and its own television sales company. Some of the company’s well-known films include PSYCHO A GO-GO, SATAN’S SADISTS, THE DYNAMITE BROTHERS, CINDERELLA 2000, and NURSE SHERRI, and many more. 

The films of Al Adamson and Sam Sherman have become cult favorites, with many comparing their exploitation film legacy to that of Ed Wood with their bewildering low-budget fare, weird subject matter, and the inclusion of “has-been” Hollywood actors. Unfortunately, when Adamson and Sherman were working on their last film, BEYOND THIS EARTH, a docu-drama on UFO sightings and alien abductions, Al Adamson was tragically murdered in 1995. Mr. Sherman was left to carry on their film legacy with Independent-International and the memory of his friend and partner.  Their films are still popular with Mondo movie and drive-in lovers worldwide.

Mr. Sherman is one of the last film exploitation mavericks that can tell the story of the waning drive-in and grindhouse days, the strange and bizarre marketplace of that influential era of independent filmmaking.  Sadly, the murder of his business partner and friend — Al Adamson — who Sam describes as the brother he never had — parallels the end of this unique period of filmmaking.

Sam Sherman: a New York filmmaker and film historian as well as a UFO chaser.  He’s a believer and a dreamer. Sam is 81-years-old and just completed his memoir WHEN DRACULA MET FRANKENSTEIN (Murania Press).