Joe Neff Interview
What’s up, Bordello kids?! This week I got to interview a long time family friend, and honestly my first big inspiration of “horror host”, Joe Neff. Joe(featured below, on the right), has been part of Columbus’ best horror/sci-fi marathons for years, and was half of the reason I saw Black Christmas and Meet the Feebles as early as I did. Every time my therapist asks me why I am the way I am, I just sob and blame it on him and my dad. This was a fun history trip, and honestly a tear jerker for me.
Growing up, I knew who Elvira was, and I knew about the Ghoulardies and the Joe Bob Briggs. But they weren’t exactly popular in my formative years. In 2007, I saw Joe (and Bruce) do it all. They cracked jokes, introduced movies, curated trailers and commercials in between, and they even hosted costume contests (peep that photo of my dad as Master Shake down below). If you’ve watched any BUTCHER BORDELLOS, you might think, “Zach is taking it from this person or that person”, you’re fucking wrong. I’m stealing it all from Joe (and Bruce). Joe Bob Briggs didn’t rule my world ’til later. Elvira didn’t become my ideal woman ’til later. Before them it was all about Joe Neff (and Bruce).
Who are you and what is your relationship with horror?
Aside from being an inveterate shyster and likely a carny in a previous life, I’ve been many things in this version of existence: a High School English Teacher, a movie theater manager and projectionist, a legal assistant, a bank vault teller. But for the purposes of this conversation, I’m the Director of both the Ohio 24-Hour Science Fiction Marathon and the Ohio 24-Hour Horror Marathon.
And my relationship with horror? It’s been a lifelong love affair with a genre that is a rehearsal for and reckoning with death, a progressive milieu that often deals with social issues before straight society is willing to tackle them, and a celebration of the dark, twisted side of life.
What is your earliest memory of something horror related?
This is always such a hard question to answer! I envy all of those famous people who have vivid memories of the first film they saw, as to me, several of those earliest memories tend to blur together. But if I had to hazard a guess, it would be seeing the classic Universal Studios horror films in syndication on weekend afternoons, likely on the old WUAB feed out of Cleveland (which made it to Columbus back in the day). My late father was a movie fanatic, so a lot of his interests were transferred to me via cultural osmosis.
How does horror tie into the art that you make?
In my case, horror IS the art that I make…although I hesitate to call myself an artist. On an obvious level, I create the fliers, programs, and other graphic ephemera for the 24-Hour Science Fiction and Horror Marathons, so I get to flex my creative muscles a bit in that regard. And my approach to graphic design has definitely evolved over the years. It started out as a continuation of my partner in crime (and founder of the Ohio 24-Hour Marathons) Bruce Bartoo’s collage approach to the promotional materials. Over time, I’ve expanded out a bit to making more conceptual pieces, while still maintaining the nostalgic self-reflexivity in which the graphic ephemera of decades past was based.
I guess in a larger sense, the true work of art is the show itself, everything that happens the day of the show. From emceeing the event with Bruce (we introduce every film, run contests, banter with the audience, etc.) to creating the pre-show and intermission music for the Horror Marathons (our pal and tech head honcho Dave Zecchini handles the music for the Science Fiction Marathons), the in-person experience of those 24 hours ends up being a massive effort to create an atmospheric environment that supplements the films themselves. And another massive part of that whole endeavor has always been the amazing local artists who have worked on the lobby decorations and props which make the event so memorable. Without the tireless efforts of Mike Henning, Matt Harris, Rose MacDonald, Todd Babbert, Shawna Fahey, and many others, the Marathons would have been a much lesser endeavor.
What are the Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons? How did you get involved? How long have you been involved?
My aforementioned partner in crime, Bruce Bartoo, founded the Ohio Science Fiction and Horror Marathons in 1987, shortly after becoming the manager of the late, great Drexel North Theater. He had previously helmed the long-running 24-Hour Science Fiction Marathon in Boston, and upon moving to Columbus in 1986, he found a willing and enthusiastic collaborator in then-Drexel Theaters owner Jeff Frank. He essentially brought the basic concept from Boston: a 24-hour celebration of cinematic excess running from Noon Saturday until Noon Sunday, 11–13 feature films, short subjects, vintage trailers, etc. They were a wild success during the Drexel North years, providing a meeting place for all sorts of interesting subcultures from Columbus and around the tri-state area (long before the internet made such gatherings increasingly virtual), while also capturing a zeitgeist that really valued the theatrical experience. In the pre-DVD days, when the best home theater setup for an average person was a decent sized television with a VCR (likely with their film of choice pan-scanned), the thrill of seeing not one, but multiple films in their original screening formats with a crowd of 700 other fans was an amazing treat.
I first discovered the 24-Hour Marathons via the front cover of the Feb. 10th 1988 issue of HOOT, a wonderful, local, bi-weekly cartoon and humor publication of yore which was the brainchild of local gadfly (and future Ashland county journalist) Irv Oslin. Seeing Marvin the Martian with the headline “Insomniacs Attack the Drexel North” really lit up my 11-year old brain (and made me wonder “What’s an insomniac”?). Later that year, my fertile little mind’s circuit board positively exploded when I saw the full page ad in HOOT for the 1st Annual NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREXEL 24-Hour Horror Marathon. It read like a cross-pollination of everything I’d known up to that a point (a great selection of classic films like FRANKENSTEIN, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, THE HAUNTING, and HORROR OF DRACULA) and everything I hadn’t been allowed to watch (an equally great slate of R-rated gems like THE HOWLING, SUSPIRIA, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, and EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN.) To say I was hooked would be an understatement. And yet, it would be five more years before I attended my first Marathon. At the time, I figured I was too young to go, and that my somewhat protective parents would balk at me soaking in a bunch of graphic horrors films (years later, my mother would tell me that one of my sisters could have taken me…GAH!). And so, I would pick up an occasional flier for both Marathons, but they just seemed like a quirky local event I knew about.
Then, in the Spring of 1993, my best friend in high school mentioned that he was going to that year’s Science Fiction Marathon, and asked if I wanted to join him. And so it was there, in our Sophomore year Religion class (and aren’t so many notorious moments like these born in a Catholic school?), that I said “sure”, not knowing that once we stepped into the Drexel North on that Saturday April 3rd, I would find the home away from home that I never knew I was missing out on. The hook was set deep in me, and I immediately became a die-hard regular, so much so that when it was announced that the Drexel North was closing in late May of 1995, I was heartbroken. But being the obsessive fool that I tend to be, I went to work for the Drexel in Bexley that Fall, and soon thereafter became friends with Bruce and slowly worked my way behind the scenes of the Marathons.
Even though they had continued the 24-Hour Science Fiction Marathons at the Vern RIffe Center in downtown Columbus (which is a whole ‘nother story in and of itself), the Drexel had chosen to stop the 24-Hour Horror Marathons before the closing of the Drexel North, so I naturally jumped at the chance to co-organize my first Drexel horrorthon event with then-Drexel Grandview manager Tim Martin and longtime Drexel employee (and future star of Comedy Central’s BEAT THE GEEKS) Marc Edward Heuck. 1997’s SHOCKTOBERFEST was a four film mini-Marathon on Halloween night, but we still went all out with all the decorations, showmanship, etc. which we could muster, anything to re-invoke the spirit of the old Drexel North horrorthons. I took over both management of the theater and organizing of the event the following year, but my long-time dream was finally realized when I resurrected the 24-Hour Horror Marathon at Studio 35 Cinema, while working for then-owner John Conti (who is one of the great unsung heroes of Marathon history.) We put on five great 24-Hour Horrorthons there before Bruce and I finally teamed up officially back at the Drexel with 2004’s INCREDIBLE 2-HEADED MARATHON all-nighter. Which eventually led to us resurrecting the 24-Hour Horror Marathon (again!) with former Drexel North manager David Nedrow and his wife Jennifer when they assumed operations of the former Drexel Grandview in 2009. Which eventually led to Bruce and I bringing everything back under the same roof again at the original Drexel Theatre in 2013, at which point I also stepped behind the scenes as Co-Director (and eventually Director) of the 24-Hour Science Fiction Marathons as well. Whew! What an epic story! Are you still here?
Are Shock Around the Clock/Shock-O-Rama separate things? Did you start those up too?
Yeah, as mentioned in the previous question, Bruce and I resurrected the 24-Hour Horror Marathon as SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK in 2009. We conceived SHOCK-O-RAMA in 2015 as a sort of kickoff to Halloween and Horror Marathon season, a mid-August mini-event which could serve as a preview of that Fall’s SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK, while also being a possible entry to anyone who might be unsure about committing to the full-strength 24-hour version. So while they’re separate events, they’re also essentially both part of the same continuum.
What’s your history with curating events, is it only horror/sci-fi? Have you done other, non horror/sci-fi ones?
Aside from advising on a few midnight movie programs when I was managing the Drexel Grandview in 1998, the only other Marathon-type event I’ve ever organized was a cult movie all-nighter called THE PSYCHORAMA FILM FESTIVAL at Studio 35 CInema in August 2000. It was meant to be a slight return to the 12-hour B-movie events that once ran at the Drexel North, albeit with a broader focus on cult, rock and roll, and oddball films. It was a lot of fun, but also somewhat of a financial bath for the theatre. So aside from that, my only experience with curating events has been with the 24-Hour Science Fiction and Horror Marathons. Which is interesting, as I love movies of all sorts, and would really dig curating some non-genre programming. But hey, my heart will always be with Science Fiction and Horror.
Who has been your favorite guest at one of these marathons? Why?
I can’t say enough good things about the late Stuart Gordon (who was a guest at the 1992 and 2009 Horror Marathons), who was such a gentleman and intellectually fascinating person. And 2019 was a real landmark year for great guests. Joe Bob Briggs was just as kind, funny, and entertaining at that year’s Science Fiction Marathon as he had been at his 2001 Horror Marathon appearance. And longtime Romero DP Michael Gornick is quite possibly one of the nicest, most intelligent film people I’ve met, with an amazing, razor-sharp memory, all of which made his appearance at that year’s 24-Hour Horror Marathon a dream. But I should also mention George Romero’s appearance at the 2003 24-Hour Horror Marathon, which had been a dream of mine since I started the events. He was every bit the wonderful person you’d expect, and that year’s Marathon is still one of my favorites.
Having done these curations as long as you have, what is advice for younger people? What works? What doesn’t? I don’t know many movie marathons that make coffee mugs, and I really wish more did. Basically, how much brown nosing do I have to do to get free marathon mugs?
HA! The mugs actually started as an occasional feature of the old Drexel North Marathons, and it was only when we started SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK that we decided to make them a staple of both events. Now, we probably have more extra coffee mugs than we know what to do with. Hmmmm….might have to unload some of those in the future…
As far as my advice to younger people goes, I always say that even though there are several 24-Hour Science Fiction and Horror Marathons in the U.S., all of them have their own distinct personalities. Exhumed Films’ 24-Hour Horrorthon in Philadelphia has a pretty strict no talking policy, while also featuring a lineup of films that is a total surprise until each of them hits the screen. The Science Fiction Marathon at Case Western Reserve University starts at 8pm Friday night and runs until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Our standard formula in Columbus has always been to have a little something for everyone, which makes our crowd a great cross-section of hardcore and casual fans, and everything in-between. And aside from the films, the thing that has been keeping so many people dedicated to the events for all of these years is our personal touch, be it the programs and fliers, or our banter with the crowd during intermissions. We’ve said it a lot, but the Marathons always feel like a twisted family reunion.
What’s a dream collaboration for you? Anyone, any particular movies, etc?
That’s a tough one! There are guests we’d love to bring out, but the cost for many of them has grown prohibitive. We’ve always striven to keep the Marathons affordable for anyone, so charging $100 per ticket for a possible big name would sort of defeat much of the event’s purpose. And with the advent of high quality digital prints of movies, we’ve had a much broader range of films from which to select, which has made many of our previous dream movies a reality.
How are you dealing with COVID restrictions, and marathons? Streamable marathons with a pre-recorded intro/outro, and fans buy a digital ticket? Picking easily found free streamable options for people?
COVID has essentially stopped us in our tracks, and I’m sadly not sure what the future holds for the Marathons. We’ve thought about possibly doing some virtual events, but so much of the appeal of the Marathons is rooted in the in-person experience. Joe Bob Briggs gained national fame as a television personality, so his shows on Shudder can still generate great enthusiasm and engagement because that’s been his native format. But so much of our event has been built around in-person interaction (both with Bruce and I, and with our nutty crowd), that going digital for an event or two seems like it would be a hollow shell of the full-strength Marathons. In the meantime, I’ve held periodic Facebook Live chats to discuss moments in Marathon history and other relevant topics, so there are probably more of those coming soon. And we might try to sneak in something special here and there in 2021.
If you could replace any Hitchcock actor with a more modern actor, like Rope but instead of Jimmy Stewart, Bruce Campbell, who would you swap and why? I think my made up example is who I’d go with.
Wow, that’s a tough one. So many of the classic Hitchcock actors are perfect for their roles. I’ll go off the beaten path and say I’d love to swap in Willem Dafoe for Robert Walker as the psychotic Bruno in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. I love Walker, but seeing Dafoe’s take on such a charming sociopath would be great fun.
Most memorable Butcher stories? You’ve known my family for 20 odd years
I’m not sure how many Butcher stories I have! Most of my interaction with your clan happened before or after the Marathons. I do remember first meeting your uncle Mike and aunt Dawn at the 2001 Horror Marathon when they dressed as the OG Sandman and Sally from NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. I have a pic of them in costume, but it’s sadly on a slide that’s stored in Columbus. You dad, of course, made his mark of infamy when he dressed up as Frank Booth (I think it was 2002) and gave me a big smooch during the costume contest. I’ve never been the same.
What do you want to plug? Where can we find you in the scary world of social media?
To everyone who makes up the demented Marathoid Nation, I can only say keep the faith. We’re going to do everything in our powers to bring the Marathons back in one way or another. You can always find out the most up-to-date information on Facebook (@ohio24hourmarathons), Twitter (@ohiomarathons), and via www.scifimarathon.com and www.horrormarathon.com.