1175 S. Sangamon Avenue, Gibson City, IL

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year: 2014
tourers: bryan, Laura
costs:  $8
Chainsaws: 5/5

A Harvest Moon is a full moon that occurs close to the Autumnal Equinox (late September). In other words, it not something that happens every day, which makes it a bit of an event. Thus, the Harvest Moon Drive In is appropriately named, as a visit there is indeed an event, and something special that shouldn't be missed.

2014 was our first visit to the Harvest Moon, on the occasion of their 3rd annual FrightFest, which combined a double feature of horror movies (Nightmare on Elm Street and As Above, So Below for the adults) or children's Halloween themed movies (Monster House and Paranorman), along with a costume contest, trick or treating (or "Trunk or Treating" in this case), roaming zombies, and even a haunted trail featuring several famous movie monsters. WE didn't know what to expect, but we figured that at the very least we'd get to see a classic horror movie at a drive-in. However, we're happy to report that the entire experience was excellent, and well worth the drive from Chicagoland.

Harvest Moon is located in Gibson City, nestled right in the heart of central Illinois. Waiting to get into the drive-in, we could palpably feel that small town atmosphere, where a Saturday night at the drive-in is a big event - the feeling continued on the inside, as the vintage nature of the drive in (it's been around since 1954) was readily apparent. From the old neon signs to the remnants of speaker poles in the ground, to the quaint concession stands, it all had a retro feel, but not a manufactured one.

On the contrary, this was true retro goodness, and not some modern day attempt at recreating it. We truly felt as though we had not only stepped back in time to a previous era, but also to an era where time moved more slowly - we found ourselves simply relaxing and saoking up the atmosphere, marvelling at the laid back unpretentionousness of it all.

Everything about our visit was fun, from getting popcorn with real butter(!) to having a Green River from the tap to looking up at the crystal clear skies whilst watching some great movies, we had a blast, and that was without any extra added Haloween goodness.

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Thus, we'd say that a visit to Harvest Moon is well worth it, even under normal circumstances. However, we were also there for the Halloween festivities, and seeing all of the kids (and some adults) in their costumes, watching zombies roam around amongst the cars, and even viewing the Halloween themed intermission videos (like exceprts from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video and the shower scen from Psycho) just added to the fun.

And of course we wouldn't be true to the Horror Tourers name if we didn't review the haunt that was on premises. There was a haunted trail that featured seval movie monsters, including Michael Myers, two Jason Voorhees, and even Leatherface with a chainsaw. Additionally there were clowns, zombies, and a large accident scene at the end, with zombified doctors and patients, a couple of real ambulances and a wrecked car, too.

While the haunted trail was very short (under three minutes), it was simply a part of the larger FrightFest, plus it was free, so it reminded us of a yard display with a home haunt attached. On the plus side, it did have plenty of actors and actresses in it, with figures coming at visitors from all sides during the entire walkthrough. Our favorite bit was a little girl zombie who came at us after we had left the trail - she seemed to be a part of the haunt but came along after a delay. Although she was pretty small, she was really into her role, and kept coming after us to scare us - it was cute and funny at the same time, and reflective of the "fun for the whole family" atmosphere present at Frightfest.

Overall, we'd recommend Harvest Moon Drive In to everyone, regardless of the season. In these days where the pursuit of the latest craze often makes it seem like time is flying by, it's nice and refreshing to take a step back to a simpler time, where families enjoyed evenings out just watching some good movies. Drive Ins are a dying breed, with some being mere shells of their former selves. Harvest Moon is not of of those, though. It's truly an establishment where the proprietors care about giving their visitors a unique and enjoyable experience, and here's hoping it continues long into the future.

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