So I wanted to give a shout-out (I feel so 1994!) to one of my favorite websites: The Horror Drive-In. It’s run by a guy named Mark Sieber and occasionally experiences drop-ins from great writers like Brian Keene and Gene O’Neill.

I lurk at other forums and occasionally post in them, but there’s something very special about The Drive-In that makes it a great place to stop by.

For one thing, the snark is kept to a minimum. Secondly, the traffic moves at a nice pace. No, the board doesn’t have the exposure that some do, but it never stays dormant for more than an hour. Even better, the discussions are stimulating, respectful, and fun. You can call someone a four-letter word and know he’ll know you’re kidding.

For me, the coolest accomplishment the HD-I boasts is its re-creation of the drive-in movie atmosphere in cyberspace. I don’t know if Mark shoots for that, but regardless, that’s how it feels to me. I, like many of you, have amazing memories of the drive-in (Get your minds out of the backse—er, gutter!). I still make sure to take my kids (and my wife, when she can stay up that late) at least once a summer. We sit on lawn chairs and glut ourselves on disgustingly over-buttered popcorn (they let you apply the viscous amber mixture of toxic chemicals yourself, which is dangerous for an excitable guy like me), Twizzlers, pop, and whatever else my kids guilt me into buying.

The old hanging speakers are gone at our drive-in (we tune into a radio frequency now), but it’s still a magical place. It’s like some beautiful conjuration when the first feature begins. Fireflies perform their arrhythmic lightshow. We slather up with industrial strength Cutter to keep the mosquitoes away. Adults stand around open van trunks and the beat-up beds of pick-up trucks sipping mixed drinks in Styrofoam cups while their kids, unwatched, play hide-and-seek directly under the great godlike screen. And in the middle of all this, my family and I sit back and drink in the magic and the warm summer air. The commingling scents of candy, gravel, bug repellant, and Toxic Butter Product coalesce into a lovely fragrance. Things are always good and happy at the drive-in.

Somehow, Mark has managed to create a similar vibe at HD-I.

That’s all. Go there, see if you like it. Buy a tub of popcorn, a huge cup of watery Coke, and a couple boxes of candy. Then attach the speakers to your window (or tune into the designated frequency) and enjoy the night breeze.