Hull's Drive In Halloween events

[MauEvig]

So last year another thing we did to have fun during Halloween season was check out the drive-in movie theater in Lexington at Hull's Drive In for their annual Halloween events. I think the one we went to was called "Horrorfest" but they also had "Mini Fright Night" and "Hull O Ween" but we didn't go to those ones. This particular one had a fun line up of movies including It, It 2, Evil Dead and Nightmare on Elm Street. I think there was more, I can't remember the whole line up that was on there, but the movies spanned the entire night until about 4 in the morning or so. It was so much fun going to this movie marathon and I think it's great they host this. I'd love to go again if they have it this year.
Drive in movie theaters are so hard to find, but there's this one and one in West Virginia if I remember correctly. I'm glad we have this one!
They have popcorn and snacks of course and you park your car and just sit back and watch. Unlike regular theaters you can also bring your own food in if you want.
A LOT of people like to park and get out lawn chairs, but to be honest, I had the most fun sitting in the truck to watch the movie. We got a nice spot where we could sit high up and get a good view of the movie.
Oh and here's a funny story too...I was so tired I fell asleep during the middle of Nightmare On Elm Street. Freddy could have got me!
I felt bad though because I love the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, but that's just how tired I was. We went to watch it again later (I technically have the DVD set of most of the Freddy movies, I might be missing one or two though...but honestly going to this event was more of a novelty than anything. But I don't care. We had fun and enjoyed ourselves and we went for the Drive In movie experience more than anything.)

[Murfreesboro]

I've probably been to that drive in, but in August. I recall going to one that was 30-40 mins' drive from Staunton. Lexington would be about right. I guess we went during a meteor shower, because I recall seeing several falling stars that night. I remember the movie was a Dennis Quaid/Meg Ryan flick, maybe a remake of some film noir thing. I recall the plot, about a man dying slowly from poison and striving to find his killer before he dies. But I can't remember the name of it.

Don't go too hard on yourself for falling asleep. It's tough to sit up all night watching movies. But it does sound like a fun time.

ETA: DOA, that was the name of that movie.

[MauEvig]

We actually decided to attend horrorfest again this year last night! Different line up of movies, except for Trick R Treat, I reckon they're going to play that one every year. A good choice though for Halloween. Last nights line up was Beetlejuice, Trick or Treat, Evil Dead Rising, The Conjuring, and Annabelle Creation. I felt like they had a nice variety this year, and I had NO idea that Annabelle was inspired from The Conjuring or that the doll made a cameo appearance in it. I felt like they both had good stories, but the Annabelle one had a very compelling one in my opinion. If you haven't seen it, I'm not sure if I want to spoil it. It was fun watching Beetlejuice again, and Trick or Treat despite seeing it a hundred times already. (I'm exaggerating a bit.)

But I have to admit one of my favorite things of the drive in is the old timey intermission commercials they played. I really liked those.(Admittedly they did remind me of the game Fallout 4 XD) I'm grateful that, in a world of cell phones, PC's, tablets, streaming services and the like, that we can still enjoy a night out at the drive in, or any movie theater for that matter. Hull's is the first I REMEMBER going to, but mom said they took me to see a Star Trek movie when my parents were married, and I climbed all over the seats. I guess I was too little to remember. By the time I was more self-aware of my own existence, Drive In movie theaters were a thing of the past. Having experienced one in Lexington, I think it's a lot of fun and I'd like to see them make a big come back.

You are definitely correct that it would be about 30-40 minutes to Staunton from Lexington. Whenever we go to Lexington I know from there Staunton is but a hop skip and a jump away. Staunton sadly isn't what it used to be though. They tore down the old mall, and when I first came to Virginia there were but a few shops in there. I think at one point there was a movie theater, and I remember an arcade. They had this military surplus store that had swords that was pretty cool. (We collect swords and medieval stuff, we enjoy that sort of thing ) Oh and Hot Wok which is a mall-food-court style chinese food restaurant and our top choice for dining. But they had to move Hot Wok due to them tearing down the mall. It's next to the Martin's grocery store now. They left only the Belk store open and tore down the rest of the mall around it. The last I saw it, it looked like a scene out of Fallout 4, all rubble. (What can I say, it's a good game with a good story and there's plenty of Halloween references in the game itself. )A lot of the good shops from what I understand moved to Roanoke or Waynesboro. But there's still some good things in Staunton. There's a decent little card and game shop called the Dragon's Den, and there's the toy store called Pufferbellies. Both a little high end, but at least there's that.

Sometimes I don't remember all the movies I have seen either. Or sometimes I can't even remember if I've seen a certain movie or not. ETA:DOA sounds interesting, I'll have to look that one up.

I'm proud of myself that I stayed up through all the movies this time. I'm over it, but I still like to joke that "Freddy could've got me" as that's always good for a laugh. My boyfriend drove us home and I did snooze before getting back to the house though.

[Murfreesboro]

I just told my husband that they'd torn down the Staunton Mall. When we lived there it was the main place to shop, and the food court was good. I think they had Chick-Fil-A before those were everywhere, and an Indian restaurant I used to like.

There was a quaint main street in Staunton near Mary Baldwin--Beverly, maybe? It had interesting little upscale shops and restaurants and a B&B. There used to be a nice bookstore there called The Bookstack. I knew the owner a little. There was a bakery that had the most delicious banana chocolate chip cake. It was fabulously expensive, and I used to order a half a one for my birthday every Christmas. I have looked all over the internet for that recipe, but have found none that resemble it. And there was an intriguing import shop that sold stuff from everywhere. I still treasure a Christmas ornament from Peru that came from that shop.

Have you ever toured the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace, I believe on Coalter? They have a nice Christmas-themed tour in December, if you like that sort of thing.

ETA: I really like The Conjuring universe and have most of those movies. I like that they are genuinely scary, but dont usually have terrible endings.

[MauEvig]

Times change. When I visited New York over the summer my favorite mall was a shadow of it's former self. Sadly, I wouldn't be surprised if it's eventually made into a glorified parking lot one day. I think going to the food courts is one of the best things about going to the mall. My boyfriend also remembers when Staunton Mall was in it's hay day. I still like to visit Staunton though, and I've been meaning to check out the local shops along Mainstreet and that area. A lot of them are open during the week though when I'm working, so that can be challenging.

Was the Bookstack on East Beverly by any chance? I looked it up but couldn't find a website. There's a shop called The Book Dragon which I've been wanting to check out. The bakery sounds nice, and like a place I'd like to check out. One of these days I'm sure I'll get to it. An import shop sounds nice, I wonder what kinds of goodies they'd have there? Is it mostly stuff from South America, or all around the world?

The tour sounds like a lot of fun and something I'd enjoy. Though I'm often busy during the holiday season. Perhaps one day.

I'll have to check out more of the Conjuring movies.

I enjoyed the milk shakes at a place called Tastey Eats and Treats. I think also called Tastee Freeze, but they sadly closed shop. Found Baskin Robbins to be a nice replacement, and they're in with a Dunkin Donuts so.

I don't get to Staunton all the time granted. It's a long drive. I actually had to take two special needs kids up there twice a day when I worked for Bath County. But the drive got exhausting, as they wanted me to drive back and do my aide duties back at the High School in Bath County. I was on the road a total of 6 hours a day. I got to know Staunton a bit better during that time, but I couldn't do it every day. My health was starting to go downhill. I asked the Principal if I could just go back to being an aide, but when he reached out to the superintendent the superintendent said "she drives or she's fired." Needless to say, I work for Alleghany County now at an elementary school. But I haven't been up that way in a while. Last year I was tired of it, but now I don't mind it because I don't go very often.

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, for sure things change. Back in the 70s and 80s, a mall called Hickory Hollow between Nashville and Murfreesboro was a premiere area. It was still going strong when we first moved back here in the 90s, but by the late 90s it became infested with gangs, and it became a dangerous place. People stopped going there. It's been closed for a while now. Folks are trying to revitalize the area. Figure skating great Scott Hamilton (who lives in Franklin now, just south of Nashville) has invested a lot of money in a skating rink in hopes that the youth will have a more positive activity center. Haven't heard how that's going. I think the gangs may have diminished, but it's hard to reclaim an area that's declined so much.

I'm sorry but unsurprised to hear The Bookstack is gone. Book stores have been closing everywhere, and the lady who owned it was around my age, I think, or a little older,, and probably wished to retire. Perhaps that Book Dragon you mention replaced it.

I think the import shop in Staunton was mostly South American goods, but I'm not sure now.

[Andybev01]

You would love the Smith Family Bookstores here in Eugene, OR.

2 locations, one on the University of Oregon campus and one in the historic shopping district.

They are both in 2 story buildings and are well organized and, as they say, are 'clean, well lighted places' for books.

Tens, if not 100s of thousands of books.

[Andybev01]

...and a fully functioning regional mall.

It was my home away from home as a teen in the 1980s.

Although modernized and expanded over the decades, it is full of name brand stores and major anchor stores.

The food court is large, with a variety of good chain restaurants and the ubiquitous Cinnabon!

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, I would enjoy that!

Our Stones River Mall still exists, but they had to remodel and upgrade it extensively to compete with The Avenue, which is more of a strip mall or shopping center nearer to the interstate.

Our local bookstores are mostly gone, except for Barnes and Noble at The Avenue, Books a Million at the mall, and a used bookstore called The Grumpy Book Peddler. And of course the university down the street. Nashville used to have a spectacular two-story bookstore, but it closed. Even the Vanderbilt campus bookstore is nowhere near as good as it was when I was a student there. And it is run by Barnes & Noble, as many are nowadays at colleges. There is a well known boutique bookstore called Parnassus in Hillsboro Village, a shopping district within walking distance of Vanderbilt.

If you were ever to make it to Oxford, Mississippi, there is a very famous bookstore on the Square there called Square Books. It occupies three buildings. It is actually quite the tourist attraction. Book lovers from all over the country know about it.

[nora10]

Absolutely loved the Halloween events at Hull's Drive In, The spooky movie lineup was perfect for a night of thrills, and the creative decorations added an extra layer of fun. The staff did an incredible job making the experience enjoyable for all ages. From the eerie atmosphere to the tasty treats, it was a fantastic way to celebrate Halloween. Can't wait for next year's festivities at Hull's Drive In – a must-attend for any Halloween enthusiast. magic 8 ball

[Murfreesboro]

Ah, another voice from the Shenandoah Valley! I don't think that drive-in was doing the Halloween spectacular when I was up there, but it sounds like a great idea, especially since I think those places close for the winter months. It's great to end the season with a bash like that.

[Andybev01]

Drive-ins make me yearn for summer.

Warm evenings, dusty air, kids running around the lot.

I'm old enough to remember hanging a wired speaker from the car door and telling people to be quiet so we could hear the dialog!

Now I can hear movies in theaters via bluetooth in surround-sound through my hearing aids.

It's just not the same.

[Murfreesboro]

I remember going to drive-ins with my family as a young child. I particularly recall seeing Ben-Hur like that with my mother, grandmother, and aunt and cousins up in Arkansas. It was a big deal to me, because I had already seen it in the theater with my parents down in Jackson, and Mama NEVER went to any movie twice. But we did see that one twice, the second time at a drive-in.