After a busy day of running around Erie, Pennsylvania us Terror Daves had one more stop to make before settling in at the Tinseltown Movie Theater to catch a screening of Skull Island. Obviously we don’t need any warm-ups when it comes to seeing giant monsters but, thanks to one of Erie’s creative locals, that’s exactly what we got! Dick Schaefer managed to turn trash into treasure by converting old broken vehicles into giant bugs and there was no way Dave wasn’t going to figure out a way to add that to my already busy pre-birthday weekend itinerary. 

We drove up Hershey Road before spotting the monsters on our left. With little time to waste before the movie started we hopped out of Dave’s car and starting snapping photos. Our main focus was an amazing Volkswagen bug suspended by spider legs. I have kept tarantulas for over 40 years and I must say that I was very impressed by the size of this arachnid!

Another interesting piece was a giant bee! Schaefer stated in an interview that he was inspired to create this piece after visiting relatives in Michigan and finding a dead bee. He said he placed it on the dashboard of his car and just stared at it before being inspired to make this piece. Can anyone say FOOD OF THE GODS?

 Despite the freezing cold temperatures, this stop was a nice break in the day for us. Since Dave gave me no heads up as to any aspect of the trip, this came as a total surprise and prior to seeing it in person, I had never even heard of this place. I enjoyed this place immensely not only because it reminded me so much of the classic giant bug movies of the 50’s but because I am actually a bug guy (see my website HERE).

So far, even this early into the trip, things were shaping up to be one of the most-fun get-togethers we have had, despite the short time together. We are both huge movie fans and since we live so far apart, we usually find ourselves e-mailing about the latest films we’ve seen. On most of our trips the genre offerings are lacking so it was a great thrill that during my pre-birthday weekend, both Skull Island and Logan were playing! We saw Skull Island first and it did not disappoint in the very least. They learned from the biggest mistake of Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla and not only showed Kong a lot but featured him in the opening sequence! Next up what the latest entry in Marvel’s X-Men series and though both Daves are not fans of any of the solo Wolverine films, this movie did not disappoint. Wolverine was always a character that warranted an R-rating and it was nice to see that thanks to Deadpool’s success, Wolverine was finally able to be seen in an un-neutered form!

The next day Dave brought me to yet another cemetery. One that I’d never been to but had seen many times before…

Coming Up…Night of the Living Daves!

~David Albaugh