Jonny Numb

As we approach the halfway mark of 2026, it has been a year marked/marred by scheduling conflicts and squeezing 10 pounds of effort into a 2-pound pouch.

Not sure how much more effort I can fit into that pouch before it bursts like a defective colostomy bag.

Have I mentioned elsewhere how much of a fluffing botch this year has been?

Yeah?

Okay, then.

Memorial Day weekend proved no exception to this pattern.

On Saturday, the plan was to spend time with my stepmother’s family in Carlisle (late morning into early afternoon).

On Sunday, the plan was to get up early, head to Lancaster, and spend time with my S.O.’s family.

Sandwiched between these activities (somehow) – a Saturday-evening trip to Lehighton (a 90-minute drive, one way) for the second night of the Mahoning Drive-In’s annual Zombiefest event.

Anticipating being tired after our time in Carlisle, and dreading an early wake-up call on Sunday morning, I spent most of Saturday morning and afternoon flip-flopping between yes, I’m going to Zombiefest – I bought a ticket, and I am going; and no, it’s going to rain all day, you’ll only (reasonably) be able to stay for one movie, and that’s not worth the 3-hour round trip – think about your wellbeing and get a good night’s sleep!

But I kept circling back to one of the incentivizing factors: the legendary Lynn Lowry was going to be at the drive-in, taking pictures and signing autographs before the night’s Lowry-centric triple feature (The Crazies; Shivers; and I Drink Your Blood) commenced.

So…despite how much the dreary, rainy day had me yawning during the trip home from Carlisle, I told my S.O. of my intention to go, and – after a near-disaster with finding a portable radio – hit the road.

As someone who burns, melts, and sweats in the sun, I will almost always take a rainy day over weather the masses consider “pleasant.” I listened to albums by Dr. Octagon and Master Boot Record during my now-familiar drive to the Mahoning, and pulled into the half-full parking lot around 7:15.

Not sure if it was the weather or holiday scheduling conflicts that kept the patrons away.

While the rain had mostly subsided, I snagged a small reusable bag to take into the snack bar, where Ms. Lowry was set up with a massive selection of 8x10s, posters, and movies available for signature. She was very unassuming and quiet at her seat behind the table, and I approached with slight hesitation, selecting the iconic image of her in the purple top during the climactic “swimming pool” scene in Shivers.

While she was signing, I told her how great she was in Model Hunger, to which she responded: “I was channeling my inner Blanche DuBois with that one.”

“With a bit of Norma Desmond,” I added.

When she handed back the 8×10, I asked if I could get a photo.

Now: horror-convention geeks are well-versed in the protocol for selfies and the expected end result – 3 or 4 snaps of the celebrity giving devil-horns or pointing at said geek, as if to say, I’m not the guy/gal – this is the guy/gal!

Such was my expectation with Ms. Lowry. So, assuming we were done after a standard-issue “girlfriend pose” shot, I was surprised when she asked: “so…what next?”

She proceeded to cycle through a bunch of suggested poses, even incorporating my notion of doing the “parasite gargle” from Shivers.

I ended up with upwards of 30 photos of me and Lynn Lowry on my phone, and told her after:

“I was debating not coming out today, but I’m so glad I did.”

After this, I picked up two movies from the Diabolik/Garagehouse table, before taking my newfound acquisitions back to the dry confines of my vehicle.

I then returned to the snack bar for my drive-in standard dinner of chicken fingers and fries, with a bottle of water and a hot mocha for a much-needed caffeine boost (I’d been working on a headache over the course of the day).

The rain began to pick up as I headed back to my car, so I got inside and tuned the radio to 89.3 FM to listen to the DJ preshow.

Shortly before 9pm, Ms. Lowry was given the mic to say a few words about the evening’s entertainment. The funniest moment:

“How many of you have seen Shivers?”

[car horns honking]

“Oh, so you’ve seen my tits! How many of you haven’t seen Shivers?”

[car horns honking]

“So you get to see my tits!”

It bears noting that one of the 8x10s on her table was from her topless moment in Shivers. At 78, she’s clearly not bashful or embarrassed toward the uninhibited performances that drove her to cult fame.

This was my third time watching The Crazies (first time on 35mm), and the film gets a little better – and certainly more prescient – each time I see it. While the bread and butter is the omnipresent menace of anonymous, machine-gun toting figures in gasmasks and hazmat suits, writer-director George Romero gets just as much impact from moments of civil servants and the military dicking around and arguing amongst themselves over an outbreak that may already be beyond the possibility of containment. SPOILER, but Lowry gets an iconic death scene. Though the MVP of the film may be Richard France – who later appeared in a similar role in Romero’s Dawn of the Dead – as a cynical scientist rushed in to try to develop a cure. The ending is a close cousin to the tragic irony of Night of the Living Dead.

Against my better judgment, I decided to stay for Shivers (another movie I’ve seen many times, but never on actual film), David Cronenberg’s iconic feature debut. The print was interesting, as it began with a note from the British Board of Film Censors, indicating it had “passed” with an X rating. Additionally, for one sequence – where Rollo (Joe Silver) is attacked by Mr. Tudor (Alan Magicovsky) – the soundtrack had French dialog that reverted back to English for the remainder of the film. It had been years since I’d last watched Shivers, but seeing it in such a nice print – on such a huge screen – through the occasional blur of my windshield wipers – was certainly an event worth sticking around for.

After that, I made my departure for home, stopping at the Wawa next to the Cabela’s Survival Compound for a snack (soft pretzel!) and beverage on the way.

Bonus Lynn/Jonny pics: