Aero Theatre Explained

Aero Theatre
Fullname:	Max Palevsky Aero Theatre
Address:	1328 Montana Avenue
Location:	Santa Monica, California, United States
Type:	Movie theater
Genre:	Film
Built:	June 19, 1939
Opened:	May 15, 1940
Owner:	J.S. Rosenfield & Co.
Operator:	American Cinematheque
Capacity:	425^[1]

The Aero Theatre is a single-screen movie theater in Santa Monica, California, built in 1939 and opened in 1940.^{[2] [3] [4]}

History

Named in tribute to the aerospace industry,^[3] the Aero Theatre was built by aviation pioneer Donald W. Douglas of the Douglas Aircraft Company, serving as a 24-hour movie house for his employees that worked at a nearby plant.^[5] The French Normandy-style theater, designed by P.M. Woolpert, cost $45,000 to build, and originally seated 678 people.^[6]

By the late 1980s, the Aero was one of Los Angeles' last repertory theaters, regularly programming double features.^{[7] [8]} However, by the end of the 1990s, the theater, then owned by Chris Allen, had fallen on hard times and decreased attendance.^[9] Robert Redford, who spent time at the Aero growing up, had attempted to buy the theater for Sundance Cinemas in 2001, but the deal never came to fruition^[10] and the theater closed in April 2003.^[9]

In January 2005, the theater reopened (now technically named the Max Palevsky Aero Theatre), after renovations were made by the nonprofit organization American Cinematheque.^[9] The $1 million renovation of the Aero included the installation of a new screen (44 feet wide by 17 feet high), larger and more comfortable seats (reducing the theater's capacity to 427) and a new concession stand.^[5] The Cinematheque had previously overseen a $12.8 million renovation of Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood in 1998, and the organization schedules programming for both theaters.^[11]

The Aero underwent renovation again in 2019 and 2021, including improvements for projection, sound and general facility upgrades.^[1]

In popular culture

The Aero Theatre has made appearances in a variety of feature films throughout the years, including 10 to Midnight (1983),^{[12] [13]} Masquerade (1988),^[14] Sleepwalkers (1992),^[15] Get Shorty (1995)^[16] and Donnie Darko (2001).^[17]

Alternative rock band Weezer referenced the Aero in their song "Aloo Gobi", the second track on their 2021 album OK Human. Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo resides in Santa Monica and wrote the song in 2017 about a typical date he would go on with his wife Kyoko.^[18]

Horrorthon

Since 2006, the Aero Theatre has been home to the annual "Dusk-to-Dawn Horrorthon", a popular event held every October, featuring an all-night marathon of six to seven horror films (usually projected in 35 mm), as well as free food, candy and giveaways for patrons.^[2] Grant Moninger, the festival's organizer, describes the Horrorthon as "going into some kind of absurd church of horror films."^[19] The event has spawned a number of original characters, including Corn Gorn (a variation of the Gorn creature from Star Trek), the unofficial mascot of the festival, as well as his family, friends and nemeses. Some patrons have gone so far as to vote for Corn Gorn in national elections.^[20]

In 2020, in light of the temporary closure of movie theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a "home edition" of Horrorthon was offered, where patrons chose their own six-film lineups and were provided with a personalized video introduction, as well as interstitial intro videos for each film and an official Horrorthon t-shirt.^[21]

In 2023, for the first time ever, the lineup of films was not announced ahead of time and was revealed throughout the course of the event.^[22]

Films screened

2006^[23]
Title	Director	Release Year
Night of the Living Dead	George Romero	1968
Re-Animator	Stuart Gordon	1985
House by the Cemetery	Lucio Fulci	1981
Castle of Blood	Antonio Margheriti	1964
Pumpkinhead	Stan Winston	1988
Burial Ground	Andrea Bianchi	1981
2007^[24]
Title	Director	Release Year
Return of the Living Dead	Dan O'Bannon	1985
Freaks	Tod Browning	1932
From Beyond	Stuart Gordon	1986
The Beyond	Lucio Fulci	1981
The Last House on the Left	Wes Craven	1972
The Children	Carlton J. Albright	1980
City of the Living Dead	Lucio Fulci	1980
2008^[25]
Title	Director	Release Year
Night of the Creeps	Fred Dekker	1986
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2	Tobe Hooper	1986
Braindead	Peter Jackson	1992
Let's Scare Jessica to Death	John D. Hancock	1971
Demons	Lamberto Bava	1985
Deathdream	Bob Clark	1974
2009^[26]
Title	Director	Release Year
The People Under the Stairs	Wes Craven	1991
Day of the Dead	George A. Romero	1985
Society	Brian Yuzna	1989/1992
The Brood	David Cronenberg	1979
Maniac	William Lustig	1980
Terror	Norman J. Warren	1978
2010^[27]
Title	Director	Release Year
Fright Night	Tom Holland	1985
Don't Look in the Basement	S.F. Brownrigg	1973
Candyman	Bernard Rose	1992
Bloody Birthday	Ed Hunt	1981
Phantasm	Don Coscarelli	1979
Cemetery Man	Michele Soavi	1994
2011^[28]
Title	Director	Release Year
Pet Sematary	Mary Lambert	1989
Tourist Trap	David Schmoeller	1979
The Pit	Lew Lehman	1981
Videodrome	David Cronenberg	1983
Alice Sweet Alice	Alfred Sole	1976
Just Before Dawn	Jeff Lieberman	1981
2012^[29]
Title	Director	Release Year
Hellraiser	Clive Barker	1987
Motel Hell	Kevin Connor	1980
The Devil's Rain	Robert Fuest	1975
Christine	John Carpenter	1983
The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue	Jorge Grau	1974
The Manitou	William Girdler	1978
2013^[30]
Title	Director	Release Year
	Damiano Damiani	1982
Kingdom of the Spiders	John Cardos	1977
The Fly	David Cronenberg	1986
Hell High	Douglas Grossman	1989
The Car	Elliot Silverstein	1977
The Sentinel	Michael Winner	1977
2014^[31]
Title	Director	Release Year
Creepshow	George A. Romero	1982
Gargoyles	Bill L. Norton	1972
The Thing	John Carpenter	1982
Night of 1,000 Cats	René Cardona Jr.	1972
The Deadly Spawn	Douglas McKeown	1983
Basket Case	Frank Henenlotter	1982
Zombie Holocaust	Marino Girolami	1980
2015^[32]
Title	Director	Release Year
Halloween III	Tommy Lee Wallace	1982
Death Spa	Michael Fischa	1989
Anguish	Bigas Luna	1987
Spookies	Brendan Faulkner / Thomas Doran / Eugenie Joseph	1986
Dead & Buried	Gary Sherman	1981
Pieces	Juan Piquer Simón	1982
The Nest	Terence H. Winkless	1988
2016^[33]
Title	Director	Release Year
The Blob	Chuck Russell	1988
Devil Fetus	Lau Hung-chuen	1983
The Entity	Sidney J. Furie	1982
Phantasm II	Don Coscarelli	1988
Hell Night	Tom DeSimone	1981
Brain Damage	Frank Henenlotter	1988
Humanoids From the Deep	Barbara Peeters	1980
2017^[34]
Title	Director	Release Year
An American Werewolf in London	John Landis	1981
Popcorn	Mark Herrier	1991
The Tingler	William Castle	1959
Hack-o-Lantern	Jag Mundhra	1988
Shocker	Wes Craven	1989
Brainscan	John Flynn	1994
	George Barry	1977/2003
2018^[35]
Title	Director	Release Year
Jason X	Jim Isaac	2001
Body Melt	Philip Brophy	1993
Link	Richard Franklin	1986
Maximum Overdrive	Stephen King	1986
Zombie 3	Lucio Fulci / Bruno Mattei	1988
Curtains	Richard Ciupka	1983
Antropophagus	Joe D'Amato	1980
2019^[36]
Title	Director	Release Year
Critters	Stephen Herek	1986
Halloween II	Rick Rosenthal	1981
Ruby	Curtis Harrington	1977
Lisa and the Devil	Mario Bava	1972
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker	William Asher	1981
Demonoid	Alfredo Zacarías	1980
The Crazies	George A. Romero	1973
2021^[37]
Title	Director	Release Year
In the Mouth of Madness	John Carpenter	1994
It's Alive	Larry Cohen	1974
Nightbeast	Don Dohler	1982
House of Wax	Jaume Collet-Serra	2005
Horror Express	Eugenio Martín	1972
The Brain	Ed Hunt	1988
2022^[38]
Title	Director	Release Year
Lord of Illusions	Clive Barker	1995
Horror of Dracula	Terence Fisher	1958
The Hidden	Jack Sholder	1987
Mortuary	Howard Avedis	1983
Zombie	Lucio Fulci	1979
Slaughterhouse Rock	Dimitri Logothetis	1987
2023^[39]
Title	Director	Release Year
Dolls	Stuart Gordon	1987
Frankenhooker	Frank Henenlotter	1990
Psycho II	Richard Franklin	1983
Faceless	Jesús Franco	1988
Prince of Darkness	John Carpenter	1987
Primal Rage	Vittorio Rambaldi	1988

Notes and References

1. Web site: Aero Theatre - American Cinematheque . . September 24, 2021.
2. Web site: Classic Hollywood: Santa Monica's Aero Theatre regulars believe in the joy of movies . King . Susan . January 17, 2015 . Los Angeles Times . September 24, 2021.
3. Web site: Aero Theater (sic) 75th Anniversary Exhibit 2015 . Santa Monica History Museum . 8 September 2011 . September 24, 2021.
4. Web site: Aero Theatre . Axe . Jason . Martinez . Ray . Cinema Treasures . September 24, 2021.
5. Web site: After waiting game, Aero takes flight . LaPorte . Nicole . January 5, 2015 . Variety . September 24, 2021.
6. News: 26 Mar 2003, Page 37 . Newspapers.com . Los Angeles Times . 2018-10-14. en.
7. News: 23 Feb 1987, 22 . Newspapers.com . Los Angeles Times . 2018-10-14. en.
8. News: 6 May 1990, Page 613 . Newspapers.com . Los Angeles Times . 2018-10-14. en.
9. Web site: Aero Theatre . Los Angeles Conservancy . September 24, 2021.
10. News: 26 Mar 2003, Page 37 . Newspapers.com . Los Angeles Times . 2018-10-14. en.
11. Web site: Netflix in Talks to Buy Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre From American Cinematheque . McNary . Dave . April 9, 2019 . Variety . September 24, 2021.
12. Web site: 10 to Midnight . Blankenship . Phil . August 6, 2016 . . September 24, 2021.
13. Web site: 10 to Midnight (1983) . Patterson . Robert . March 11, 2019 . Set-Jetter . September 24, 2021.
14. 1301576594545209344 . PeterAPeel . Just to point out that MASQUERADE is mostly set in the Hamptons, looks to have been shot there but at one point a few characters go see a movie at the Aero in Santa Monica. . September 3, 2020 . . September 28, 2021.
15. Web site: Sleepwalkers (1992) Film Locations . Global Film Locations . July 16, 2018 . September 28, 2021.
16. Web site: Get Shorty 1995 . The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations . September 28, 2021.
17. Web site: DONNIE DARKO / THE EVIL DEAD | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210417020301/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/donnie-darko-the-evil-dead . April 17, 2021 . April 27, 2023.
18. Web site: Weezer: 'This album is about feeling isolated, alienated and secluded – it's perfect for now' . Perry . Kevin EG . . 26 January 2021 . September 28, 2021.
19. Web site: Beebe . Lisa . The Aero's All Night Horrorthon Is as Weird as It Is Scary . LA Mag . 26 October 2017 . 14 June 2019.
20. Web site: Bowman . Parker . Don't Blame Me I Voted For Corn Gorn . Visalia Times Delta . 14 June 2019.
21. Web site: AERO HORRORTHON 2020 HOME EDITION! . 2020 . Eventbrite . October 19, 2021.
22. Web site: 18th Annual Horrorthon . . October 30, 2023.
23. Web site: The Blood Is The Life - Vampires On Film And Dusk-To-Dawn Horrorthon! . 2006 . . September 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190606084153/http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2006/Aero/DraculaHorrorthon.htm . June 6, 2019.
24. Web site: Halloween Horror & the Annual Halloween Horror-thon . 2007 . . September 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190606084133/http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2007/Aero/Halloween_Horror_Aero_2007.htm . June 6, 2019.
25. Web site: Halloween Horrorthon & Horror-Comedy . 2008 . . September 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190606084133/http://egyptiantheatre.com/archive1999/2008/Aero/Halloween_Aero_2008.htm . June 6, 2019.
26. Web site: Halloween Week Events . 2009 . . September 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190606084135/http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2009/Aero/HalloweenHorror_2009.htm . June 6, 2019.
27. Web site: Halloween Horror . 2010 . . September 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170928082231/http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2010/Aero/Halloween_Horror_Aero_2010.htm . September 28, 2017.
28. Web site: 6th Annual Dusk-To-Dawn Horrorthon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210119052613/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/6th-annual-dusk-to-dawn-horrorthon . January 19, 2021 . April 27, 2023.
29. Web site: 7th Annual Dusk-To-Dawn Horrorthon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919014647/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/7th-annual-dusk-to-dawn-horrorthon . September 19, 2020 . April 27, 2023.
30. Web site: 8th Annual Dusk-To-Dawn Horrothon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20201020002512/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/8th-annual-dusk-to-dawn-horrothon . October 20, 2020 . April 27, 2023.
31. Web site: 9th Annual Dusk-To-Dawn Horrorthon! | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210305124854/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/9th-annual-dusk-to-dawn-horrorthon . March 5, 2021 . April 27, 2023.
32. Web site: 10th Annual Dusk-To-Dawn Horrothon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210423100141/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/10th-annual-dusk-to-dawn-horrothon . April 23, 2021 . April 27, 2023.
33. Web site: All Night Horrorthon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190606084143/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/all-night-horrorthon . June 6, 2019 . April 27, 2023.
34. Web site: All Night Horrorthon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210303155033/https://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/all-night-horrorthon-0 . March 3, 2021 . April 27, 2023.
35. Web site: All Night Horrorthon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200223032812/https://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/all-night-horrorthon-1 . February 23, 2020 . April 27, 2023.
36. Web site: All Night Horrorthon | American Cinematheque . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919013703/http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/all-night-horrorthon-2 . September 19, 2020 . April 27, 2023.
37. Web site: 16TH ANNUAL AERO HORRORTHON . 2021 . . October 19, 2021.
38. Web site: 17TH ANNUAL HORRORTHON . 2022 . . October 21, 2022.
39. Web site: 18th Annual Horrorthon (2023) . . . October 30, 2023 . October 30, 2023.