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Double-dip: which 1980s movies would you pair together?

Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 4:47 PM Central

by John Couture

So, there I was this morning surfing Facebook (and they say that it's not work related, ha!) and I came across this message from the owner of our local drive-in theater. He's having an '80s flashback weekend coming up and he was soliciting movies to pair together.

Now, what initially seemed like an easy task took on a new life when I started to ponder this query. I mean, surely this isn't on par with anything that Descartes would sit around and ponder, but yet, it's not simply as easy as taking the top two box office earners of the '80s (E.T. and Return of the Jedi) and showing them back-to-back.

No, you have to factor in your audience and the ambiance. You have to put yourself in the drive-in mentality and think of what two movies perfectly complement each other. There's really no set guidelines or schematic here, it truly is a skill honed over the years.

After thinking about it for way too many hours, I came up with my top five drive-in pairs from the 1980s. I would totally lay down my hard-earned cash to see these double bills, what about you?

Better yet, play drive-in owner yourself and come up with your favorite 1980s pair of movies.

  1. Scarface & The Shining - While drive-in movies tend to be geared towards families, or at least one family film (early) and an older audience film (late), we couldn't resist an adults only double bill. Not traditional horror, but they will creep you out.
  2. Platoon & Full Metal Jacket - Keeping with the adult theme, there's just something about war violence that seems more real on the outdoor screens. Almost like putting you in the movie.
  3. Beetlejuice & Ghostbusters - Both of these movies show an irreverent look at the afterlife. They also both pack a bunch of laughs and will benefit from the big screen treatment.
  4. Caddyshack & National Lampoon's Vacation - While not intended to be a Chevy Chase double bill, these two movies speak with almost the same comic tone and voice. They complement each other like a fine wine and rich steak.
  5. The Goonies & Raiders of the Lost Ark - I'm surprised that drive-ins don't play this double bill at least once a year. Both of these movies are classic treasure hunting adventures that are big hits with the whole family. I believe I actually saw both of these at the drive-in (not together, sadly) and let me say that as far as drive-in movies go, it doesn't get better than these two.

Naturally, I just touched the tip of the iceberg here. There are so many great movies that I didn't even get to, but I have a feeling that I'll get plenty of suggestions from you!