Butch Remembers Those Scary Movies From The 50’s

By: John “Butch” Dale

A few years ago, I wrote a column about the fun times I had as a child at the Sunshine theater in Darlington. The theater was located on Main street, and the seating capacity was 100-120. It was open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Tickets at that time were 25 cents, and popcorn was 10 cents…pretty cheap entertainment!

Most of the movies were considered “B-movies.” No great classics, but we didn’t care. There were lots of westerns and a few comedies, but I also remember many of the science fiction and horror movies which were shown on a regular basis. The first time I watched a scary movie was in 1954. I was 6 years old when Dad dropped me off to see “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” It really didn’t scare me that much, as I knew the creature was just an actor wearing a costume.

However, the next year I saw the movie “Tarantula,” a giant 100-foot tall spider. At my age I thought that perhaps such mutated insects existed. A few days later, while mushroom hunting, I was certain that giant tarantula was in our woods. I ran all the way back to our house as fast as I could! I then decided it might be a good idea to skip horror movies…until I watched “Godzilla, King of the Monsters.” But that movie seemed more funny than scary. The movies “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” and “Attack of the Crab Monsters” were hilarious!

But then in 1957, I watched “The Incredible Shrinking Man.” Scott Carey had been exposed to an unknown chemical mist, and started shrinking…until he was so small that he lived in a matchbox. When a spider attacked him, he killed it with a straight pin. I had my Dad measure my height the next morning. He informed me that I had shrunk a half inch! Oh my God! Thanks, Dad.

In 1958, I watched “The Blob.” However, I knew if I ever saw the real “blob,” I could easily outrun it…so no worries there. Unfortunately, the next movie I watched was “The Fly,” where a scientist’s genes became mixed up with those of a fly. The scientist ends up with the head and arm of a fly. Great scientist that

I was, I thought this could be possible. At the very end, it shows the fly caught in a spider web, and as the spider approaches, the fly yells, “Help me, help me!” I was shocked when I saw the fly with the man’s head! I didn’t sleep very well that night. Also in 1958, I went with one of my older cousins to see a vampire movie. My folks were playing cards with another couple in town. My cousin sat in the front row with his friend, and I sat directly behind him in the second row. It wasn’t too bad until the evil man opened a casket with a woman vampire inside. She opened her eyes. He plunged a wooden stake through her heart. Blood gushed from her mouth. That did it…I took off down the aisle and ran five blocks as fast as I could to where my folks were…scared to death!

I swore I would never watch a scary movie again. I lied. The next year I couldn’t resist. I watched “The Mummy.” Not too bad. But then the next scary movie was “House on Haunted Hill” with Vincent Price. That’s it. I’m done forever!

The Sunshine theater closed for good in 1959 when I was 11 years old. My folks took me to the Strand theater in Crawfordsville a few times, but I never watched any more horror movies. Actually, the last horror movie I watched was “The Exorcist” in 1973. When the possessed girl Regan spoke in tongues, projectile vomited into Father Karras’s face, and turned her head all the way around, that was it for me! I have not watched any horror movies since then. Many people love horror movies. These are the same people that read Stephen King books. Count me out.

If I ever attempt to swat a fly, and it yells “Help me, help me,” you can visit me in the hospital section for patients who have suffered heart attacks.

– John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.