COLUMN: I worked the Late Shift at the Grindhouse, here is what you need to know

I love going to the cinema. The thing I love the most about the moviegoing experience isn't the popcorn or making memories ? it's the preshow rituals, including the trailers.

What most people see as glorified advertisements, I see as my next adventure.

FilmScene does movie trailers better than others. Of course, you'll see upcoming and current screenings at both the PedMall and Chauncey locations, but you also can catch the animation camp's creations and maybe even your neighbors on the silver screen.

Since moving to Iowa and, more importantly, becoming a FilmScene member, I've always been curious about one of the trailers that rolls before the movie starts: "Late Shift at the Grindhouse."

I picked up a shift recently, and here is what you need to know:

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Working nights at the Grindhouse

"Late Shift at the Grindhouse" started 10 years ago as a one-off engagement to raise funds for the theatre, a collaboration between the founders of FilmScene, Andrew Sherburne and Andy Brody, and movie-lover Ross Meyer. Meyer was once a volunteer who ran a video store in Iowa City before joining forces with the founders, to offer a weekend of B-film horror films.

The FilmScene's PedMall location was secured shortly after and the event never took off.

But Meyer remained invested in the project. He kept pushing to put the unique movie genre on display.

"I think they had this idea that maybe we could do something like once a month, and I said, 'Oh, no, let's do it once a week,' I don't think they believe me," Meyer said. "I told them, 'Just give me six weeks to prove myself that we could draw a crowd and won't lose money.' I wasn't promising they would make much money, but I was sure we could get a good crowd."

That initial weekend was in May of 2014. "Late Shift at the Grindhouse" still runs every Wednesday and is hosted by Meyer, now head projectionist and facilities director at FilmScene.

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Finding inspiration in cinema

"Late Shift at the Grindhouse" is inspired by grindhouse cinema, a type of filmmaking that emerged in the United States in the 1960s and peaked in the 1970s. The films were typically low-budget, independently produced, and often characterized by explicit content such as violence, gore, nudity, and exploitation themes.

"Grindhouse" originally referred to theaters that would screen these types of movies, often as part of a double or triple feature, in typically run-down, urban areas.

Grindhouse cinema generated a cult following. Meyer believes these films are often overlooked and sometimes forgotten.

FilmScene's "Late Shift at the Grindhouse" ensures that people who love or are interested in these films can see them in the best quality.

"I want these films to have the same level of quality, care, and showmanship as other films," Meyer said. "I want those little movies that often get swept under the rug to be put on the pedestal next to the grandest of all time, the classics, or the most introspective arthouse films. And I think that's one of the things we do here."

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Clocking in at the "Grindhouse"

The advertised screening starts at 10 p.m. every Wednesday at FilmScene's Chauncey location.

Tickets can be bought online or at the box office. Before you make your way to concessions, you clock in with a card to track your "shifts," think of this as a certified fan club card or rewards card. The "timecards" enter guests into prize drawings held before each screening.

The FilmScene staff give out obscure DVDs and movie posters. Most of the audience in the theatre seemed familiar with these prizes; I, however, was not and was thankfully not a winner.

The movie usually begins around 10:30 p.m., so if you are running late, don't worry.

A preshow of similar B-film trailers awaits movie-goers once they take their seats, snippets of films that demonstrate what Grindhouse cinema is and can be, from erotic slashers to off-the-wall flicks.

Think the opposite of family-friendly.

The energy for my "late shift" was high, and the audience members were in good spirits, lightly chatting during the preshow. If you expect an experience similar to a Halloween screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” I’m sorry to crush your dreams, but it is nothing like that.

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A late-night hankering for ice cream

I 'worked' a showing of "Ice Cream Man," a film released in 1995 starring Clint Howard, the brother of famed director Ron Howard.

The horror-comedy film follows a disturbed ice cream man who serves up frozen treats laced with deadly ingredients, wreaking havoc on unsuspecting customers. A group of neighborhood kids embark on a mission to stop this suspicious man with sinister motives.

This was the perfect movie for my first 'night shift,' having worked at an ice cream shop before, and because it is a lighter horror movie. While I disagree with the ethics of this ice cream man, I respect him.

I, too, hate when customers don't say 'thank you," but I never became a murderous villain. The movie was ambitious at points and somewhat confusing at others, but I ultimately enjoyed it.

The film begins like an episode of Goosebumps ? it feels a bit dreamy and surreal before springing into over-the-top gore. Think 1990s-style gore, with massive waffle cones, and instead of being topped with ice cream and sprinkles, a human head of a cheating corporate maniac.

"Ice Cream Man" tries to surpass conventional themes but ultimately fails. It made me laugh, and that is a winner in my book.

Finishing up a unique first shift

As I was putting my coat on, still laughing at the absurdity of the movie during the credits, someone said loudly enough for the whole theatre to hear, "That was the worst movie I've ever seen.

I overheard another person say, "It is like they took a middle schooler's short story and turned it into a movie."

I am not often well-regarded as a film critic, but two of my friends added it to their watch list after I told them about it. On a night when you don't know what to watch or need a palate cleanser, "Ice Cream Man" is a great place to start.

But nothing will beat "working a late shift" at a movie theatre, movie in theatres, whether it's a new release or a rescreening.

Meyer said it best: "There is this sort of visceral excitement when something funny or scary happens, and 60 or 80 or 100 people all laugh at the same time. I think there's some power in that."

When you pick up a shift at the grindhouse, you'll understand why people have been coming every Wednesday for the past 10 years.

Whether you are looking for something new or fun to do during the week or your favorite made-for-tv movie happens to be screening, "Late Shift at the Grindhouse," is a can't-miss event.

"Late Shift at the Grindhouse" is held every Wednesday at 10 p.m. at FilmScene's Chauncey location.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: What you need to know about filmscene's Late Shift at the Grindhouse