The Thrill is launching this feature to highlight Ohio places and things that can be reached in roughly an hour drive. This week we are featuring the Gateway Film Center in Columbus, Ohio.

The Mount Vernon movie theater is fine, y’know. It’s nearby, it’s not that expensive, and it played The Meg long enough that I could go see it three times. We’re close and I could never hold ill will to a building that lets me eat popcorn and watch a movie about Jason Statham fist-fighting a prehistoric 70ft long shark. But it’s not perfect! Its selection is limited and some of us apparently like movies that aren’t about giant hungry sharks. If that’s the case, then I’d recommend making the trek out to the Gateway Film Center.

I went to this theater a couple of weeks ago to go see Mandy because I am a ride or die Nicolas Cage stan. It didn’t come to the Mount Vernon movie theater because I guess not everyone is into seeing Nic Cage going on a brutal psychedelic metal revenge spree against evil hippies, but I can’t speak for them. Anyway: I love this place. 

Pros:

• has all the normie stuff that you could find in Mount Vernon with slightly larger facilities
• also has a bunch of indie stuff that’s harder to find
• also has a bunch of repertory screenings! A cursory glance at their website shows some nice October-themed offerings (the original Halloween, Halloweentown, The Fog, a bunch of Hitchcocks, and 4k restorations of Phantasm and Lucio Fulci’s Zombie) as well as 21 & over alcohol-included screenings of Mel Brooks comedies
• and the best part: if you go before noon or after 11 PM, tickets are only five bucks (general student tickets are 7.50, so either way, it’s not too bad)

Cons:

• to get the pre-noon discount, you’re gonna have to wake up at, like, 9 AM
• an hour’s a long time to drive for moving pictures I guess