Halloween type movie safe for kids but not too kiddie?

[ChadTower]

Halloween night after trick or treating I'm thinking of throwing up a cloth and showing a movie in the backyard.  I'll probably have the kids each invite a friend or two over if it's not too cold.  Suggestions on a movie that grownups would actually want to watch but is reasonable enough for kids 7 and up?  Keep in mind I'm pretty conservative for the kids when it comes to clear violence.  So far the wife suggested Monster House, but I don't really want to do animated, so the best I have come up with thus far is Ghostbusters.

[shardian]

Monster House kicks ass. Me and the wife have added that to our yearly Halloween queue.

Personally, I think you should go with Ernest: Scared Stupid. 

Ghostbusters is not really a movie for the younger kids.

[ChadTower]

Monster House kicks ass. Me and the wife have added that to our yearly Halloween queue.

Personally, I think you should go with Ernest: Scared Stupid. 

Ghostbusters is not really a movie for the younger kids.

Erg.  Don't think I could deal with Ernest.  nowuttuhmean?

My kids have seen Ghostbusters.  They thought it was pretty scary but did make it through.  I've seen it like 45 times, though.  I was just thinking about The Ghost and Mr Chicken.

[whammoed]

E.T.

Has a Trick or Treating scene anyway.

[ChadTower]

E.T.

Has a Trick or Treating scene anyway.

Hrm.  Not only have my kids seen it, we spent 90 minutes at Universal riding the E.T. ride over and over again because there was no line.  Good suggestion, though.  It does take place on Halloween.

[shardian]

There was a really good Goosebumps Halloween movie/multi part episode in which some kids became their costumes.

And I would also recommend the episode of Buffy where the people became what their costumes were. Never know, we might convert a few more kids to buffy fans!

[shardian]

My wife really liked Wallace and Grommet: Were-rabbit movie, but I don't know how halloweeny it really is.

2 other recommendations that are true halloween movies are Casper and Hocus Pocus.

In the end though, I really think you should go with Ernest. I actually saw that at the theater...as with most of his movies back then. 

[ChadTower]

Would the Goosebumps eps be something the adults would want to watch?

Can't say I've ever watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Maybe I should just put up Super Mario World.  That show was so crappy it's scary.


EDIT:  ooh just found this site.  Pretty much echoes shardian's suggestions... and The Corpse Bride is another really good suggestion.

[Dartful Dodger]

Laurel & Hardy's: The Live Ghost

It's a comedy, but it's in black and white, so that might be scary enough for the kids.

[Ginsu Victim]

Monster Squad
Goonies (not a Halloween movie, but it plays well on the night)
The Worst Witch (good luck finding it, though. I can hook you up...)
more as I think of them...

[ChadTower]

Good stuff.  My brother suggested ripping a bunch of Simpsons Halloween eps.

[Ginsu Victim]

Child's Play
Night of the Comet
Night of the Creeps (not on DVD, but again, I could hook you up)

Oh, wait.....
Invaders from Mars (Tobe Hooper remake FTW!!!!!)

[SavannahLion]

Yeah, I was going to suggest W&G Were-Rabbit as well. The eight year old tolerates it well enough.

I seem to be tougher when it comes to horror flicks (not slashers though).

I saw it when I was six, but the eight year old can't handle it is, Gremlins. I think that takes place on Christmas though?
Little Monsters is good, but not very Halloweeny.
Nightmare before Christmas is high on my list, I'm just never sure when I should show it.
E.T. was already recommended, but I'll include it here.

Not really Halloween films, but I've always had a fondness for
Night of the Comet
House
Maximum Overdrive
all of which I've seen before the third grade.

[Ginsu Victim]

Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

[Ginsu Victim]

all of which I've seen before the third grade

There wasn't a horror movie I wasn't allowed to watch, and none of them ever really affected me. The only things I didn't like were:

The scene in Halloween III where the snakes pour out of that kids head
and
The clown in Poltergeist

Oooooo, Poltergeist! There's a good one!

[shardian]

Nightmare before Christmas is definitely a Christmas movie. I have tried it on both holidays, and it just doesn't do it for me on Halloween. One of my favorite Christmas ones though.

[ChadTower]

Nightmare before Christmas is definitely a Christmas movie. I have tried it on both holidays, and it just doesn't do it for me on Halloween. One of my favorite Christmas ones though.

My wife wanted to show that and I told her the same thing.  It's an Xmas movie.

One of the reasons I am so conservative with the movies my kids watch is because my father used premium cable as a babysitter for my stepbrother and I from the first days of cable.  We saw so much crap we never should have seen.  The scariest of horror movies, any violence you could think of, pr0n, it was all there and we stayed up all night every weekend taking it all in.  That's an entirely different conversation, though.

There's no way I would show Poltergeist to kids.  It would be a great pick for adults, though.  Love that movie.

[Ginsu Victim]

Look for my other suggestion Invaders from Mars (the Tobe Hooper remake). Kids love that (as do adults).

Also, Monster Squad is like $7.50 at Walmart, and that's written by Shane Black! Great movie.

[SithMaster]

How about The Gate?

What about Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, Nightmare before christmas, the Dark Crystal, Evil Dead 2, Shaun of the Dead (though this one might lead to misinformation concerning zombie outbreaks), or Beetlejuice.

Wait a movie about Halloween town taking Christmas from santa is not related to Halloween how exactly?

[shardian]

Beetlejuice is not a kids movie...unless you have an edited for tv version.

[SithMaster]

Seriously out of all my suggestions you pick beetlejuice as the least kid friendly?   

[ChadTower]

We didn't say it's not Halloween related - we just said it is more Xmas related.

Evil Dead 2?  

Beetlejuice is another decent one.  I love that movie.

The Gate is PG13.

Invaders From Mars... haven't seen it.  Intriguing but I'd have to prescreen.

What was too much in Beetlejuice?  I'm not coming up with anything from memory that would be a problem.  Maybe the whore house, I suppose.

[Ginsu Victim]

Beetlejuice is not a kids movie...unless you have an edited for tv version.

Bah! I saw it when I was a kid and watched it plenty growing up. Nothing wrong with it (and it just came out today on blu-ray and special edition DVD)

[Ginsu Victim]

Invaders From Mars... haven't seen it.  Intriguing but I'd have to prescreen.

Rated PG. Available on DVD. Nevermind the ranking on IMDb. It's good, cheesy 80s fun:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091276/

[ark_ader]

Halloween 3 is a good one.

[SithMaster]

We didn't say it's not Halloween related - we just said it is more Xmas related.

But it takes place in Halloween town for more than half the movie.  I'll second Invaders from Mars since it is good (I saw the 86 one only).

Chad are going to be using the Infocus for this?

[shardian]

But it takes place in Halloween town for more than half the movie.  I'll second Invaders from Mars since it is good (I saw the 86 one only).

I don't care if it was filmed in the streets of Compton - it is a film about the spirit of Christmas...minus that little part about Christ. 

[ChadTower]

Chad are going to be using the Infocus for this?

Yep.  Going tonight to Joanne's fabric to buy 4.5' by 8' piece of drapery blackout cloth I can hang on the side of the house.  

Maybe an old old school horror movie?  Frankenstein?  Dracula?  Those wouldn't hold their attention, I guess.

[Ginsu Victim]

Halloween 3 is a good one.

No, not for kids it isn't. That crap freaked me out!

do-DO-do-DO-do-DO-do-DO-do-DO-do-DO

Three more days till Halloween, Halloween, Halloween...

Three more days till Halloween, Silver Shamrock!

Then bugs, snakes, you name it, come pouring out of the masks.

Seeing the pumpkin mask rot away as the snakes slithered out of that kid's head.....still freaky.

[ChadTower]

The Halloween movies are way off the list.

Little Shop of Horrors?  Maybe not quite Halloween but Rick Moranis is a huge favorite in our house.

[protokatie]

Monster House +1

Also, anyone remember "Who's afraid of the dark" on Nickelodeon (1990's). It wasnt a movie, but a TV series, but great for kids and watchable (even entertaining) for adults.

[Ginsu Victim]

Little Shop of Horrors?  Maybe not quite Halloween but Rick Moranis is a huge favorite in our house.

The Bill Murray / Steve Martin dentist sequence is a classic. Jack Nicholson was good in the Murray role in the original, but when Bill Murray starts yelling CANDY BAR....oh man.

[shardian]

Also, anyone remember "Who's afraid of the dark" on Nickelodeon (1990's). It wasnt a movie, but a TV series, but great for kids and watchable (even entertaining) for adults.

Are You Afraid of the Dark.

I have all 7 seasons, which me and the wife marathoned over the summer. I don't remember any 'Halloween' Episodes, but there are a ton of pretty good ghost eps.

[protokatie]

Also, anyone remember "Who's afraid of the dark" on Nickelodeon (1990's). It wasnt a movie, but a TV series, but great for kids and watchable (even entertaining) for adults.

Are You Afraid of the Dark.

I have all 7 seasons, which me and the wife marathoned over the summer. I don't remember any 'Halloween' Episodes, but there are a ton of pretty good ghost eps.

Ahh right, got the title off. I haven't seen it since it was new. I realized that there were no (or few) Halloween eps, but I figured I would throw it in there since it kinda works for the holiday without being too "Halloween-y". Nothing worse during a holiday season than having EVERYTHING be directly about that holiday...

[ChadTower]

Would Attack of the Killer Tomatoes hold the attention of kids?   

Wait, Monster Squad is PG-13?  WTF for?  I saw that last year and it was a kid movie just about.  How the hell is Monster Squad PG-13 but Poltergeist is PG?

[hatrick]

"Hocus Pocus"  (however you spell that)
Not my favorite, but kids seem to enjoy it.  Halloween witch movie from '93 or so.

[shardian]

Would Attack of the Killer Tomatoes hold the attention of kids?   

Wait, Monster Squad is PG-13?  WTF for?  I saw that last year and it was a kid movie just about.  How the hell is Monster Squad PG-13 but Poltergeist is PG?

The Monster Squad kids cuss quite a bit. And Dracula calls a helpless 4 year old girl a '---smurfette---'. Oh he's bad...reeeaaallll baaaadddd.

[ChadTower]

Maybe I should 80s them and show Thriller? 

[Ginsu Victim]

How the hell is Monster Squad PG-13 but Poltergeist is PG?

Check out Sixteen Candles. It was original rated R, they appealed, and somehow they lowered it to a PG!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088128/parentalguide

[Ginsu Victim]

Maybe I should 80s them and show Thriller? 

Thriller actually scared me when I was little. I still love it, though. You can get it from www.vh1classic.com (the shortened version)

[ChadTower]

Yeah, but even today closeup boobs will get you a PG13.

[shardian]

Thriller is an excellent idea!

[Cakemeister]

Hocus Pocus +1. Bette Midler, a talking cat, what's not to like? I've probably seen that movie 10 times.

[Ginsu Victim]

Hocus Pocus +1. Bette Midler, a talking cat, what's not to like?

Bette Midler, for one.

[protokatie]

Hocus Pocus +1. Bette Midler, a talking cat, what's not to like? I've probably seen that movie 10 times.

Throw in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and you got yourself a candy filled old-school disney night!

[Ginsu Victim]

Though I've never seen it, how about Casper?

Or how about Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton)? Tad too dark?

[SavannahLion]

Beetlejuice is not a kids movie...unless you have an edited for tv version.

What are you talking about? They made a cartoon out of it. How could I forget that and Little Shop of Horrors?! Oh right, because my ---smurfette--- of an ex stole them from me.

[SithMaster]

Chad I've figured out the perfect movie for you to watch.  Seriously this is quite possibly the bestest movie ever.  Little Nemo

It doesn't matter what the rating is because its too awesome not to see.  It has everything; toys, demons, a smoking clown, a fat guy that rides a small train, and things.

Though I've never seen it, how about Casper?

Or how about Sleepy Hollow (Tim Burton)? Tad too dark?

Just a little.  The ending might ruin the happiness of the iron maiden scene.

[Xiaou2]

 Hmm,  I think Goonies is a great flick to play.   Its set in the fall,  and has that
Halloween feel to it.



 Not sure how old the kids are and what you feel is over the top.

 
 How about  "Fright Night"      That was a great movie 


 The Lost Boys was great too.

 
 Possibly one of the Harry Potter films?

 
 The Iron Maiden comment reminded me about Bill and Teds bogus Journey.  Well, they
do Hang out with the Reaper in it...     hehe.

[Franco B]

Hocus Pocus gets my vote too. I watched it just the other night actually

[shardian]

Beetlejuice is not a kids movie...unless you have an edited for tv version.

What are you talking about? They made a cartoon out of it. How could I forget that and Little Shop of Horrors?! Oh right, because my ---smurf--- of an ex stole them from me.

Michael Keaton says some very vulgar things. He drops the F bomb once or twice IIRC. Of course, when I saw it as a kid most of what he said never registered. Watching it as an adult (as with most 80's movies), I couldn't believe I saw these movies as a very young child.

[Ginsu Victim]

I don't recall the F word in Beetlejuice at all.

[shardian]

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/Beetlejuice.html

F**k is said by Beetlejuice.

If you are having a public showing of a film for kids, you best play it safe and avoid that.

[ChadTower]

Hocus Pocus +1. Bette Midler, a talking cat, what's not to like?

Bette Midler, for one.

He's gotta point.

[Ginsu Victim]

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/Beetlejuice.html

F**k is said by Beetlejuice.

If you are having a public showing of a film for kids, you best play it safe and avoid that.

Avoid it....because of one F word?

That site annoyed me. "Talk to your kids afterword. Ask them why they think Lydia was sad"

My parents never discussed any of that crap with me. I was smart enough to understand it's just entertainment.

BTW, don't bypass the auto-censor. Either say it and let it get censored, or just say "F bomb" or "F word".

[ChadTower]

An F bomb wouldn't bother me with my kids - I'd have to tape my own mouth shut if it did.  I wouldn't show someone else's kid a movie full of them but one or two wouldn't deter me.  I'm a lot more concerned about overt violence than language.  I'll use Transformers as an example.  Lots of people didn't seem to see that movie as an issue but I didn't like the opening sequence as far as my kids are concerned. 

[walls83]

MONSTER SQUAD

[Ginsu Victim]

Good to see more Monster Squad love

[SavannahLion]

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/Beetlejuice.html

F**k is said by Beetlejuice.

If you are having a public showing of a film for kids, you best play it safe and avoid that.

Avoid it....because of one F word?

Seems kind of silly to do so. Isn't there mild cussing in Goonies as well?

[shardian]

Yeah there is mild cussing in the Goonies. No F bombs though.

The point I am trying to make is this: The movie is going to be an outdoors viewing for young kids to see. It is best to stick with a squeaky clean, but scary movie. Monster House is perfect.

[Ginsu Victim]

Very mild. Mostly from Corey Feldman, I believe.

[Ginsu Victim]

The point I am trying to make is this: The movie is going to be an outdoors viewing for young kids to see. It is best to stick with a squeaky clean because all the houses in the neighborhood will burst into flames if the F word is played too loud.

Fixed.

[shardian]

Ginsu is totally right Chad. Just go ahead and pop in a Halloween themed porn vid. It's not like the kids haven't already seen it.

[HaRuMaN]

Don't forget to obtain licensing for public exhibition as well...   

(j/k)

[Ginsu Victim]

Ginsu is totally right Chad. Just go ahead and pop in a Halloween themed porn vid. It's not like the kids haven't already seen it.

Did you just compare Beetlejuice to pr0n?

[SavannahLion]

The point I am trying to make is this: The movie is going to be an outdoors viewing for young kids to see. It is best to stick with a squeaky clean because all the houses in the neighborhood will burst into flames if the F word is played too loud.

That's actually a good idea. Of course, I'm not particularly fond of my neighbors.

I haven't liked them since the day I brought my first cab home.
"What's that?"
"It's an arcade cabinet."
"Why would you want that?"
"Uh... for starters, why not?"
"What good is it for?"

Obviously not a gamer, he's been a loser delivering beer for the same company for twenty five years. Always complains to me his back hurts and he wants a cushy government job.  Dissing on games isn't going to make me want to help him.

[Steve B.]

I'm not sure if you're a fan of the Rankin/Bass claymation specials but I always loved "Mad Monster Party". They used to show it on TV when I was a kid and they released it on DVD a few years back.

Gotta love the skeleton band with the Beatles hair!

[ChadTower]

Yeah there is mild cussing in the Goonies. No F bombs though.

The point I am trying to make is this: The movie is going to be an outdoors viewing for young kids to see. It is best to stick with a squeaky clean, but scary movie. Monster House is perfect.

Monster House is perfect except that we've seen it enough that I don't want to see it again.  I think in the end, though, it will come down to Monster House, The Corpse Bride, and The Ghost and Mr Chicken.  Might depend on which I can get on DVD by then.

BTW, the Infocus arrived today, Angry_Radish is the man, awesome deal.  Watched The Day After Tomorrow on my tan semigloss wall and it still looked great.  Was very clear at a good 4' across.  I imagine with a real blackout cloth screen I could get it at least a couple feet bigger before it degrades too much.

[walls83]

      


DAMMIT MONSTER SQUAD

[shardian]

How can anyone like that sucky Goonie's rip-off called Monster Squad? I only mildly liked it as a kid, and thought it was ridiculously stupid when I watched it a few months ago.

[Ken Layton]

I prefer Don Knotts in "The Ghost & Mr. Chicken". Absolutely G rated stuff and good for kids AND adults.

[shardian]

I prefer Don Knotts in "The Ghost & Mr. Chicken". Absolutely G rated stuff and good for kids AND adults.

My wife loves that one too. I'll have to find a copy.

[ChadTower]

I prefer Don Knotts in "The Ghost & Mr. Chicken". Absolutely G rated stuff and good for kids AND adults.

Yeah, I love Don Knotts.  I may have to find The Incredible Mr Limpett and The Shakiest Gun in the West for other nights too.

[shardian]

The wife got to see Don Knotts and Tim Conway do a live standup act before he died at the Keith Albee. Before the show started, they had this PA announcement:

"Ladies and gentleman, if you have still or video cameras, we politely request that you...use them as much as you want. Seriously, we like having our pictures taken!"

They both still had 'it' for sure.

[ChadTower]

The wife got to see Don Knotts and Tim Conway do a live standup act before he died at the Keith Albee. Before the show started, they had this PA announcement:

"Ladies and gentleman, if you have still or video cameras, we politely request that you...use them as much as you want. Seriously, we like having our pictures taken!"

They both still had 'it' for sure.

Awesome.  I would have loved to see that.

[Ginsu Victim]

How can anyone like that sucky Goonie's rip-off called Monster Squad? I only mildly liked it as a kid, and thought it was ridiculously stupid when I watched it a few months ago.

It was a group of kids, and Frankenstein's monster (sort of Sloth-ish).

That aside, there's nothing Goonies-like about it.

[walls83]

what about those Goosebump movies?

[gnateye]

I'm not sure if you're a fan of the Rankin/Bass claymation specials but I always loved "Mad Monster Party". They used to show it on TV when I was a kid and they released it on DVD a few years back.

Gotta love the skeleton band with the Beatles hair!

+1 for the mad monster party love, or something good and oldscholol universal like frankenstien or dracula or abbot abd costello meet the wolfman..... or disneys sleepy hallow

[ChadTower]

I thought about the old school Universal flicks.  Love them myself but I just don't see a group of 7-10 year olds being gripped by them.  I do plan on busting some out over next summer, though, since I want to watch them on the screen myself.

[ChadTower]

Couldn't get a pic with anything for scale because of lighting conditions... but that's about eight feet across, projected onto offwhite vinyl siding.  I didn't even put the projection screen up because the siding looked so much better than expected during testing.  The lower right lit rectangle is a basement window.  You can see the siding in the image but it wasn't nearly that obvious IRL.

[SithMaster]

I noticed you turned scan lines on.  Going retro are you?   

So which movie suggestions are on the maybe list?

[RTSDaddy2]

I know they'd all be black and white, but have you considered things like the original Frankenstein, Wolfman, etc?  Somebody has to keep the classics alive!

[Ginsu Victim]

I know they'd all be black and white, but have you considered things like the original Frankenstein, Wolfman, etc?  Somebody has to keep the classics alive!

Referred to previously in this thread as the Universal films.

[ChadTower]

I noticed you turned scan lines on.  Going retro are you?   

So which movie suggestions are on the maybe list?

Try as I might I can't picture my house as authentic without those lines.  I can't believe how good it looked on just the vinyl siding - big too.

It's very likely going to be The Ghost and Mr Chicken... if I can't get that, then The Corpse Bride.

[ChadTower]

Did it again last night with Temple of Doom... this is a lot of fun, though the family is starting to complain that it's too cold.  Wimps.   

Of course, just after it gets dark I'm in the house getting some food and there is a knock on the door.  It's Animal Control looking for a "pit/bulldog mix" that is loose in the neighborhood and has attacked one dog already.  So now I can't leave the kids alone out there and we spend the night wondering if an attack dog is going to jump on one of us from the bushes.    

If it's not drunk drivers ending up in my yard (happened twice) or motorcycles cutting through my driveway because I'm on the corner (several times) it's a freakin' loose pit bull.  There seems to be some widespread conspiracy to stop us from using our yard.

[Necro]

Would Attack of the Killer Tomatoes hold the attention of kids?   

Wait, Monster Squad is PG-13?  WTF for?  I saw that last year and it was a kid movie just about.  How the hell is Monster Squad PG-13 but Poltergeist is PG?

We watched AotKT last night (bunch of around 30 year olds)...

It didn't hold OUR attention....the pacing is horrendous in that movie.  I would go with Return of the Killer Tomatoes if anything .

[SithMaster]

Chad are you lumping the snow plow guy in under drunk?

How high are your fences?  Depending on the mix it might be safe if you fortify your yard.

[ChadTower]

Chad are you lumping the snow plow guy in under drunk?

That's my assumption, given the angle he came into my yard and how far he came in.  He came in at a 90 degree angle to the street, through 3' deep bushes, and was only stopped by a 5 story maple that is behind them.  There was no logical reason for him to be driving in that direction.  Thankfully he didn't damage the maple because the snow on his plow is what stopped him and not the plow itself.  The highway dept guy who came to look at it said it's very possible but since we had no way of knowing if it was one of his guys or not there wasn't much he could do.  It was surprising that he didn't just flatly say "no, my guys would never be drunk". 

How high are your fences?  Depending on the mix it might be safe if you fortify your yard.

Only fence is on one side of the lot and there are actually two of them.  They are parallel between us and the retail lot next door.  One is the original fence which predates the retail building - standard 6' close pickets.  That is mine.  A foot or two from that is the fence the retail lot owner put in.  That one is much heavier and is maybe 8' high.  The side of the lot facing the street is lined with contiguous bushes 12' high.  The rest of the perimeter is lined with various other plantings or driveways.

[Darkmend]

This was a favorite of mine when I was a kid
Monster Squad
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093560/

[Ginsu Victim]

This was a favorite of mine when I was a kid
Monster Squad
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093560/

Did you even look through this thread first?

[ChadTower]

You could show them Cool as Ice.  That movie scared the hell out of me last night.

You will never get those 90 minutes back.

[ChadTower]

Halloween outdoor showing is probably off... weather has turned too soon.  Had to scrape my car windows this morning.  I can still show it indoors, though, so it's not a total writeoff.  The living room has one big offwhite clear wall that worked pretty well in tests.  The surround sound system is in there, too, though that may be odd since the channels would all be reversed using that side of the room for viewing.   

So I look towards next year.  The main goal is to make it easy to set up and take down.  Right now I'm using an improvised setup of sawhorses/ply table, an old receiver and speakers, and a plastic lawn table for the projector.  It's okay but I want something small I can just roll out but still has enough power to work outside.  I'm thinking of building a wagon for this.  Take a car stereo and power it off a PC power supply... I have an old amp and a couple boxed car speakers that were good when in use.  Shouldn't be hard to build a wagon that mounts all the hardware, stores the speaker boxes, and has a little place on top for the projector to sit.  Then I can just wheel it out, put the projector on top, pull the speakers and place them, and fire it all up.  At the moment I'm thinking a modded Xbox running XBMC would be great pending a little research into exactly how XBMC displays over VGA.


EDIT:  or I could just buy this.   

[koz319]

If the side of the house doesn't work out well, or you need a more portable screen:

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=0&ic=48_0&search_query=inflatable+screen


I have the Gemmy (blue) one, and it's been a blast. 

[ChadTower]

I've heard those are cool but they cost too much for how often we'd use it.  I picked up a whole bunch of drapery blackout cloth, which comes highly recommended at the AVS forums, for $10 with a coupon.  My son and I will probably make a frame out of PVC that we can knock down into 3-4 pieces for storage.   There is no hurry on that since the siding works better than expected.

[Nannuu]

Saturday the 14th

[Ginsu Victim]

Saturday the 14th

Man, there's one I loved as a kid, but haven't seen in so long, I remember nothing about it.

[Nannuu]

Saturday the 14th

Man, there's one I loved as a kid, but haven't seen in so long, I remember nothing about it.

Me too, I only remember bits here and there.  Now I have to find it, I have a 5 year old that might really enjoy that.

[Nannuu]

Does The Private Eyes count as a Halloween movie?

[ChadTower]

Time to resurrect this... anyone else planning on doing some outdoor showings now that the weather is warming up?

[ClubNinja]

After looking at this thread for the first time, yes. 

[shardian]

I showed Monster House last Halloween. I of course also did Hallowindow - which is officially a yearly tradition! The Hallowindow setup is perfect for outdoor movies. I was never comfortable with bringing expensive equipment outside.

This summer? Yeah I might do a movie here and there. Since I got the arcade set up, the neighborhood kids keep bugging us to throw parties. With the double door opening and/or the new large shed, I have a few more very good places to project an image. I would use the face of the building for violent PG-13/R rated stuff, since it would be contained to only my backyard.

I'm glad you brought this up so I could brainstorm about it a bit more.

[ChadTower]

Don't brainstorm too long - check these speakers out!  I just picked up a pair to use on the "rollout movie cart" I'm planning.

[shardian]

What's the point of all-weather speakers on a cart, if none of the electronics ALSO on the cart are all-weather?

[ChadTower]

Not a ton... but 80% off is its own point.     See if you can find better fully housed speakers for $50/pair.

The main advantage here is that these come with nice mounting hardware from what I can tell.  I use Cambridge Soundworks speakers for the home theater in the house - so I know I like the sound. 

[ChadTower]

Today's annoying Freecycle post:

We are hoping to have outside movie night with the kids this summer to keep costs down. Does anyone have projection equipment we could use for this purpose? Also a projection screen would be great too.. 

It's not like I've put in dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars to get to where we can do this easily...     Why didn't I think of just asking Freecycle for an expensive projector, a laptop, a screen, and a sound system?   

BTW, the movie projection cart I mentioned before is finished now.  Picked up a small a/v rack at a yard sale, modded it with wheels, added some side supports for extra stability and a place to hang the speakers, mounted the speakers, attached an outlet strip.  On it is a 5.1 receiver, a modded Xbox, the projector, and one empty shelf for a second video source we we want to use the Tivo or another console instead.  I can put up a pic if anyone is interested.  I haven't tried these speakers outdoors yet but they sound really good at high volumes inside.

[Ginsu Victim]

I can put up a pic if anyone is interested.

Please do so.

[ChadTower]

Please do so.

Sorry it took so long... btw, picked up a 96" projector screen off CL today for $65.   

[Ginsu Victim]

Nice setup (and nice find on that screen). I just spent the last four hours in my backyard, which is the longest I've spent out there aside from doing work. Wife and I went and bought water guns and water balloons and had a full-on war. It was fun.

Edit: Backyard....not "backward"

[ChadTower]

Heh.  That sounds like fun.   

I'm already finding the limitation of this setup.  The cart isn't very strong so next time I find a better one or build it myself.  I need a sub since those speakers are great for outdoor volume but aren't really bringing the explosions home.  Plus the way I have it set up, you have to sit to the side of them or you're in the way of the projector, so you're really only ever hearing one of them fully.  And the next one needs to have much bigger wheels.  These 2" rubber ones aren't doing it on this grass.  This cart is good for now but I'm already planning a better one for next year.

Next step now is to decide the best way to rapidly deploy that projector screen.

[shardian]

I'm starting on my outdoor screen tonight. Hopefully it will be ready by Saturday for the first showing.

I'm going 16x9 ratio, and it will be about 12' diagonal. Bought 8 yards of blackout cloth, along with other misc materials.

[ChadTower]

I bought a bunch of that cloth last year too.  Never did get around to coming up with a decent way to mount it outside without tons of effort.  I'm tempted now to just put up a couple of pressure treated 4x4 posts with maybe a 2x4 crossbar.  Then I can mount it on hooks next to the house but not have to drill any holes in the siding.  IIRC the biggest issue with the cloth was getting a 16x9 screen that was tall enough to be wide.  They just weren't selling it in the shape necessary to do that without a seam.

Saturday night I just leaned a couple 2x4s up against the house with drywall screws near the top to hang the screen housing on.  Worked for tonight but wouldn't have stood up to any wind.

And  another drunk driver crashed in front of our house during the movie saturday.  Thank god this one was across the street since we were actually sitting there this time.  Dude crashed into a tree 50ft from us, pulled away, tried to turn around and hit a pole, then took off and eventually flipped his car half a mile away nearly killing the guy in a second car.   

[shardian]

Yep, you have to make a seam. I've seen more than a few diy people hire out the sewing work. Many folks got the fabric sewed, and a bunch of large grommets installed along with black strapping along the edges for $70 or so labor.

[ChadTower]

Yep... make sure you can clean it once that's done, though.  That's one of the scary parts about using it outside after all that work.  All I need is for the thing to fall in the grass and get a big brown spot in the middle.

[shardian]

blackout cloth is machine washable. Though with that size I think I will be relegated to hand washing. 

[ChadTower]

blackout cloth is machine washable. Though with that size I think I will be relegated to hand washing. 

Hrm... the stuff I saw on this stuff all said dry clean only and the fabric roll at the store said the same thing on the care tag.  If you really can machine wash it then a hose and some soap would do the job just fine.

[shardian]

Well now I am confused. The internet is telling me dry clean too. I read the machine wash and "iron on cloth side only" remarks right on the bolt of cloth. Now I need to go look again I guess.

[ChadTower]

Maybe you bought a different cloth?  It took me a half hour in the store to find the exact right cloth.