McHenry Outdoor Theater — Local services in McHenry

EDITED: Went back to the drive in a few nights ago and this time brought a radio along. Made all the difference in the world. Couldn't hear the audio last time but this time it was okay. The atmosphere here is great, the staff is very friendly, and the screen projects a sharp, clear picture. None of the car speakers work, but if you bring a radio along (they simulcast the movie audio on a lower FM channel) then it's fine. We have had great experiences here in years past, but I wish they'd invest in fixing the old car speakers (or updating them). Went to see Deadpool 3 and Twisters on a Tuesday night (July 30). Extremely disappointing. Big fans of the outdoor movie experience but none of the speakers-on-poles were working near where we parked (and I don't think at all, anywhere). I asked one of the concession workers and she told me that they were very old and expensive to repair. She said it's best to bring a radio and tune in to the FM frequency to get the movie audio. Didn't have a radio and didn't want to sit in the car on such a beautiful night and wear down the car battery listening to the radio simulcast. I asked if we could get the audio via my phone (which has good speaker volume) but it's not possible. So we sat in our lawn chairs in front of our car (as did most people) and got the audio from nearby radios, which were pretty faint and inaudible. Didn't stick around for Twisters and feel like we need to see Deadpool again as we have no idea what the plot was due to only being able to make out every fifth word. Again, love the drive in and love the fact that the McHenry Outdoor Theater exists, but this was a really bad experience only because of the terrible audio. Picture was great, though (looked hi def) and the staff...

Last night, I had the opportunity to share my childhood with my darling wife. I grew up in IL, went to high school in McHenry County, but I’ve been gone for quite a while. One thing I remember from the summer is the McHenry Outdoor Theater.

When I saw that they were playing Twisters, I knew that was the perfect opportunity for my wife’s first foray into a drive-in movie and, let me tell you, it was perfect.

We hopped in the car around 1630 and headed South from Milwaukee, pulling up around 1745 - the line already stretched out to Chapel Hill. We made it inside and parked one row in front of the concession stand. It took about an hour of thinking we were having a stroke - hearing thunder and tornado sirens before we realized they were playing it through their sound system (lol).

And before we knew it, we were snuggled up, in the back of my GMC, with a rental radio and a bucket of popcorn, watching the previews.

Twisters was great - awesome remake, and the perfect drive-in flick. Added bonus - saw a shooting star too!

After the first movie, we decided to head out (mostly because a scary movie means she wouldn’t sleep for a week). I stopped back in the concessions stand to retrieve my ID and had an opportunity to chat with the owner, Scott.

Scott told me that this is his family’s 24th year owning Golden Age Cinemas. With a firm handshake, I explained that I spent my high school summers, in the back of my pickup, hanging at the drive-in, and had the opportunity to bring my wife for her first time.

It’s definitely not close by, but we will certainly be back, with our 4-year old, to bring the experience full circle. Whether you’re close or far, please stop by. This place will take you back in time, and it’s a terrific experience. Come support a local business in the process.

Thanks...

I don’t want to completely dog on this place because it’s pretty awesome to still have a drive in movie theatre so close to home. However, I am disappointed with my experience tonight.

I have been dying to see twisters. I thought it would be fun to do family night in the back of the truck at the drive in like I did when I was a kid. Bonus was $14 car loads on Tuesday nights, we paid an extra $5 for “premium parking”.

We got there super early, like 6:15, which on their website it basically says to arrive much earlier than this, I think this is a good rule of thumb more so on the weekend. I think the Twisters movie started at 9:15 or so. Initially I was not upset about this because I wanted to get there early for a good spot. However, during this time I did not realize that the speakers you hook to your car no longer work and you have to either rent a radio (side note, I did try to rent a radio but they were sold out) or listen from your car speakers on fm radio and hope your car doesn’t die (side note, we did have it in our radio but it was still hard to hear in the back. Also, our truck is loud and although we did start it twice throughout our time there I was trying to be respectful of other patrons). They do have speakers it seems from the projection room and the screen, but they aren’t in sync or there is an echo which made it harder for me to hear with my hearing impairment.

If I would have visited on a night where it’s $14 per adult and $8 per child I would have been extremely irritated and would have complained and demanded a full refund.

Next time (if there is one) we will bring a portable fm work radio and be...