The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Best 21st Century Drive-In Double Features

Attribution: RoyBuchanan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

By Geoff Carter

A former cultural mainstay of my youth, the drive-in movie theater, is dying a slow death. Once one of the most ubiquitous entertainment institutions in the country—and what could possibly be more American? A venue that combines cars, movies, and parties. Of course. I, and millions of other teenagers, drove into these outdoor theaters with groups of friends—or dates—to take in everything from the last Hollywood A-listers (I saw The Godfather at The Castle Drive-in in 1972) to some of the weirdest B-movies ever made. Attack of the Wasp Women, Theater of Blood, Four Flies on Gray Velvet, and Blood and Lace were only a few of these schlocky—but fun—movies. Then of course we had the Frankie and Annette beach movies, Roger Corman’s horror classics like The Oblong Box, The Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, and other barely recognizable Edgar Allen Poe classics. And, of course, with Enter the Dragon, we were introduced to the martial arts films.

The last film I saw at the drive-in was Predator in 1987. While there are still some drive-ins around, they are few and far between, but the classic low-budget made-for-teen films have all but disappeared. In fact, ironically, a recent spate of low-budget independent films like Backrooms and Obsession have grossed obscene amounts of money. The previous B-movie model has been turned on its head.

I thought it might be fun to imagine double and triple-feature (or the awesome dusk-to-dawn screenings) drive-in movies with some more recent film titles. While these are not like the ultra-low budget campy classics like the original Little Shop of Horrors or Bucket of Blood, they still fit the bill of high-energy, thrill-filled summer fun. So, break out the Ripple or Annie Green Springs and snuggle up with your baby in the backseat for the Best 21^st Century Drive-in Double Features.

Ten Best 21^st Century Drive-in Double Features

Machete/Machete Kills: In the original Machete, Robert Rodriguez’s tongue-in-cheek take on action hero Machete’s (Danny Trejo) mission in taking on the evil forces bent on persecuting immigrants coming to the United States is a gore-filled combination of camp, physical humor (swinging out a window on someone’s intestines), and social satire. Machete features Trejo, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Shea Whigham, and Robert DeNiro, while Machete Kills boasts Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Hudgens, Lady Gaga, and others. As fun as the Flint movies—but a lot gorier—the Machete series has something for everyone.

X/Pearl/MaXXXine: This campy splatter-horror trilogy by Ti West has something every horror fan could want. Blood, gore, camp, a little skin, romance, and even Theda, a man-eating alligator, who lives in the pond out back. In X, a group of young people in a van (think Texas Chainsaw Massacre) rent an outbuilding on a farm in order to shoot a porn movie. When the elderly owners discover what they’re up to, they show their disapproval. Pearl is the prequel to X, and MaXXine follows one of the survivors of X as she becomes involved in a series of serial murders. Campy, funny, and at times poignant, this trilogy would have been prime drive-in material. Mia Goth, the star of all three, is perfect in these roles.

Grindhouse: Deathproof and Planet Terror: Quentin Tarantino’s tribute to the drive-in theater, this double feature even features vintage drive-in “snack bar” commercials. Deathproof features Kurt Russell Stuntman Mike, a psychotic ex-stunt car driver who uses his “deathproofed” car as his weapon, but when he runs up against a trio of girlfriends out to test-drive a vintage white Dodge Challenger, he bites off more than he can chew. Planet Terror, featuring Josh Brolin, Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, and Michael Biehn battle a horde of flesh-eating zombies created by a government experiment gone wrong.

Mad Max: Fury Road/Furiosa: A non-stop series of incredible jaw-dropping action sequences following a group of Furiosa, who is leading a group of women trying to escape the clutches of a tyrannical warlord in a post-apocalyptic world of hot rods, war wagons, “polecats”, and motorcycle demons. Furiosa (Anya Taylor Joy) is the prequel to the film, detailing her brutal abduction, her subsequent indoctrination in the warlord clan, and her final act of vengeance.

The War of the Worlds/Independence Day: Steven Spielberg’s modernized adaptation of War of the Worlds is criminally underrated. Boasting stellar performances by Tom Cruise, Elle Fanning, and Tim Robbins, the film contains heart-stopping instances of unimaginable disasters, as when one of the alien tripods tips over a ferry as easily as a child would throw a toy out of the bathtub. Independence Day is another invasion film cast in the more classic Hollywood disaster epic vibe. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Paxton battle the ruthless and technologically superior aliens. As a bonus, you get to see the White House get blown up.

Sinners/Us/Get Out: At least one step above the blaxploitation films like Blacula, Coffy, Super Fly, and Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Assss Song, Ryan Coogler and Jordan Peele have transcended the tropes of the horror film. Sinners starts out as a film about brothers striving to carve out a niche for black clientele in the deep South but find themselves overrun by vampires, which Coogler uses as a brilliant metaphor for white supremacy and cultural appropriation. There’s a lot of blood, too, and a lot of great music. Jordan Peele’s Us and Get Out also use horror tropes as a subtle metaphor for institutional racism and white privilege. All three are also tightly wound thrillers.

Major League/Ueck: Sports films like Hoosiers or Cinderella Man can be inspirational and moving. Or they can be funny. Major League is the classic underdog story of a team of misfit who somehow find a way to win baseball games. With Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, a young Wesley Snipes, and featuring ex-big league pitcher Pete Vuckovich, as well as Brewers announcer Bob Uecker, this is an hilarious film. The documentary Ueck traces the life of one of baseball’s most colorful (and hilarious) announcers from his boyhood in Milwaukee to his career as a major-leaguer and his career as a nationally recognized and universally beloved sports announcer.

Top Gun/Top Gun: Maverick: Renegade pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise_, high-octane fighter jets, and a bombshell love interest (an astrophysicist, yet), and a heated rivalry between hotshot pilots vying to be “top gun”. Who could ask for more? A great cast including Cruise, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Kelly McGillis, and Tom Skerrit, plus all the high-altitude action you could want make this ideal drive-in fare. Fast forward a few years to find Maverick at the Top Gun school, having never been promoted because of his chronic insubordination. Given a chance at redemption by his old nemesis “Iceman”, Maverick grooms his students to attack and destroy a uranium processing center in an unnamed country, and—of course—ends up leading the mission itself.

Spy Kids/Spy Kids 2: A double feature for the whole family. A pair of Robert Rodgriguez gems about retired spies Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid (Carla Gugino) Cortez called back to duty and almost immediately captured. Their children Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara)—who know nothing of their parents’ past, set off, with the help of gadget guru Uncle Isador “Machete” (Danny Trejo—yes, that Machete), to save him. A delightful mix of goofy gadgets, absurd villains, and send-ups of spy movie tropes. Spy Kids 2 has all of the above mixed with a mad scientist and Island of Dr. Moreau vibe and features Steve Buscemi.

The Incredibles/The Incredibles 2: An animated family/superhero film mash-up with overtones of the In Like Flint and James Bond spy series. After a series of legal actions have made superhero work illegal, Bob/Mr. Incredible (Craig Nelson) and his wife Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) must deal with life as ordinary citizens until Bob is lured to work for a mysterious patron. Featuring the beautiful animation of Brad Bird, the first film mixes breathtaking action sequences, wonderful spy gadgetry and technology. Edna Mole, the spy-themed costume designer (voiced by Bird) is simply a delight. The Incredibles 2 picks up where the original left off. Helen is elicited by millionaire Winston Deaver (Bob Odenkirk) in a world-wide effort to resuscitate the superhero image and return them to the mainstream, but villainous forces have other plans.