HODS memories?

October 1970.  Fairborn, Ohio: The Fairborn Theatre.  I had the pleasure of seeing HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS in its first run at this single screen theatre when I was 13 years old.  Among my very vivid and most thrilling memories is hearing the DS theme music over the opening titles.  What about the rest of y’all of my generation?  What are your memories of seeing HODS in a movie theatre in 1970?

I got to our theater (one of those huge, original, turn-of-the-century "opera houses" festooned with balconies, box seats, massive stage [with an equally massive movie screen added later in life], orchestra pit, etc.), two hours before the doors for the Saturday matinee even opened, and had the dubious honor of being second in line.  By the time the shows (double-feature) began, the theater was packed with kids waiting with baited breath.  The first feature was a western in which few were interested, so most of the gazillions of kids burned out their energy talking, running up and down the aisles, getting more popcorn, etc.  Then came the intermission, followed by previews and a cartoon (I think it was a Baby Huey one).  And then the screen went momentarily dark and so did the entire audience.  MGM's Leo the Lion appeared and roared, followed by "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents" with the first strains of Bob Cobert's music.  Everyone went wild and started to applaud and scream in joy.  From that moment on, all attention was fixated to the screen.

Gerard

I've shared this memory a couple of other times here in the forum, so I won't go into detail again.  However, I believe I was one of the lucky few who actually saw an early cut of the film.  Barnabas's attack on Carolyn was much more graphic and violent than I have heard others describe, and certainly more so than any viewing of the film I have seen since that first time.  It was probably the most violent vampire attack I have ever seen in any movie, and it certainly left an impression.  There were probably others differences in editing, but that is the only one I clearly remember.

This wasn't a special showing of the movie, or a preview or anything.  It was just a regular showing of the film at a movie theater in a small town in Ohio.

The first feature was a western in which few were interested

I later saw HODS again as a second feature at a drive-in [the "Melody 49"] in Ohio (probably in Nov. or Dec, because it was COLD and we had those drive-in warmers that we brought into the car back in the day--LOL--and the first movie was a western starring Frank Sinatra titled "Dirty Dingus Magee." 

Brian

There's a wonderful picture that KLS took of a French movie theater marquee showing LA FIANCEE DU VAMPIRE.  I'd love to see photos of theater marquees showing HODS or NODS back in the 70s.  Does anyone have them?

There's no denying the fact that I was obsessed with DS back when the original films were released. But I suppose I wasn't as obsessed as some might have thought because it never even occurred to me to take photos of the theater marquee and/or the posters/lobby cards.