Drive-in theaters were first introduced to the moviegoing audience in 1934. Audience members could drive up and enjoy a film without leaving their car, which made drive-ins a more popular alternative to the hardtop theater. But the combination of Technicolor and better sound drove the drive-in out of the mainstream public eye around the 1960s. Only about a hundred drive-ins remain in the US.
However, Indiana has more than 20 drive-in locations, which puts it top 5 in the country. Shelbyville, Indiana is home to the Skyline Drive-in, which has been open since 1954 and is still a popular location.
In 2009, Matt Masters and his friend Joe Gauden reopened the Skyline and revitalized it.
“It was just something that I grew up doing and grew up going to,” said Masters. “I was just beginning to take my young son here and he was very, very young and it was easier to take a young son to the drive-in than a normal theater.”
The Skyline is a 15 acre stretch of land that houses a screen, a 400 square foot arcade, a concessions building, and 500 parking spaces. People come from all over the Midwest for events like the annual Super Monster Movie Fest, a two days of all-night horror movies. Indiana’s preeminent horror host Sammy Terry has been hosting the event for the past ten years.
“What you have in a generic multiplex theater they put in seats that are heated, they recline, and they tried to have alcohol (for sale),” said Masters. “But if you notice, it’s a pretty clinical experience because it’s pretty isolative to you. A drive-in seems to be very different, very much the sense of a community. And I think that’s the very big difference here. There’s a little more freedom.”
Jon Kitley is an author and podcaster who has written for Horrorhound magazine, as well as a prominent drive-in moviegoer.
““Going to the drive-in is like going back in time,” said Kitley. “It brings me back to my teenage years … It is an experience and more than just seeing a movie.”
Local drive-in theaters will close following October. The closest one to Ben Davis is Tibbs drive-in, located at 480 S. Tibbs.
Cheryl • Sep 1, 2023 at 7:37 PM
I remember going to the skyline drive in when I was just a kid. They had swings up under the screen that the kids could play on before or during the movies. I particularly remember seeing the movie “Frogs” when I was very young. I took my children there and now I enjoy going with just my hubby.