By Audrey Elwood, Campus News Editor

The Starlite Drive-in is one of the Cincinnati area’s last drive-in movie theaters. Founded in 1947, it still has old charms that make it timeless. 

Tucked behind miles of backroads in Amelia, Ohio is a quaint, family-owned drive-in movie theater that plays new movies and classics, all from your car radio. 

This past weekend, they played a smattering of horror movies, such as “Halloween” from 1978 and “The Nightmare on Elm Street” from 1984. Since I have never seen either of these, it was exciting to experience them the way most people probably saw them when they came out. 

Before I arrived at the venue, it was easy to buy my tickets online. We were going to pick up snacks on the way at Jungle Jim’s, however they charge $10 for outside food and drinks, so we decided to just eat at the venue. 

Upon arriving, we were given a list of rules, a trash bag for our car and a string to tie down our hatch. To make sure the views are not obstructed, movie-goers are expected to tie down their trunk if they open it. 

As you turn the radio on in your car to listen to the movies, you feel like you are in your own little bubble. As a talker during movies, I never was impeding on someone else’s experience in my car. It was the best of both worlds: going out to the movies with the comforts of binge watching. 

We pulled to the first open spot we saw, and elected to sit in the front of our car. Many people were sitting outside with lawn chairs. 

The tickets were surprisingly economical, with the whole car costing $22 at Starlite, which with a full car, the price comes out to $4.40 per person.

“I really like the atmosphere Starlite Drive-In provides,” junior math and economics major Andrew Schmidt said. “The old time snack bar and intermission really makes you feel transported back in time.” 

At concessions, they had the standard fair popcorn, candy and slushies. Everything was adequately priced for a mom-and-pop drive in. 

We got the popcorn, which was a little overcooked. When I went to slather it in the movie theater “butter,” it was cold, which then made my hot popcorn cold. The saltiness of the popcorn was just right, but it still made for an unsatisfactory bite. 

The mac and cheese bites used provel cheese, which was an interesting choice. Provel is usually only found in St. Louis, and for good reason, since it made the bites feel more like goop than food. Definitely my least favorite food item there. 

The movies did not start until 7:45 p.m. I understand there needs to be darkness for the movie, but since it was a double feature, the movie did not get out until around 11:20 p.m. Maybe my age is showing, but this felt so late. 

I was checking my phone to see the time near the end of “The Nightmare on Elm Street.” The sun sets at 7:00 p.m., so the movie should start then to prevent a bunch of groggy drivers on the road. 

Overall, the Starlite Drive-In is a cheap way to get your movie fix in. The atmosphere is great for hanging out with your friends without being a hindrance to other movie-goers.