Movie marathon related links
The folks at the B-horror blog can proudly state that they have engaged in five horror ultimate movie marathons and lived to blog about them. They have Final Destination, Friday the 13th, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street, and…Twilight? Wait, say what? Well, at least they admit that was a bad idea.
Sadly, according to the blog’s latest post, working for a living has claimed another victim. We’ll just have to revel in the blog’s past glory I suppose.
Mohammed, from Moe at the Movies, has amassed an impressive collection of movie marathons (about 50!). He has lots of great ideas, organized by actor/actress, time period, director, and more. I haven’t gone through them all, but I admire his organization and tenacious love of cinema. Check it out if you need some quick ideas!
I wonder if he’s ever done a 24 hour movie marathon 😉
Guinness World records states that the longest movie marathon was 121 hours and 18 minutes, and took place in 2015 in South Africa. That is an amazing achievement. But if you look around the Internet, others have claimed longer movie marathons. The biggest claim I’ve found on the internet is a 200 hour movie marathon! Are all of these “Guinness World Records”? What does it take to have a “Guinness World Record” anyway?
I decided to get to the bottom of the issue and contact Guinness World Records on Facebook. They responded to me and said that their record still stands. The longer movie marathons, such as the 200 hour marathon, may not have made qualified for a Guinness world record for a variety of reasons. The participants may not have submitted evidence substantiating their claim to Guinness, or the movie marathon may not have followed the movie marathon record guidelines.
In order to beat the Guinness World Record for movie marathons, you need to follow specific rules. These are hardcore rules. I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t followed. This article on SlashFilm describes what you need to do:
Guinness World Records rules require the contestants to watch films non-stop without averting their eyes from the screen. Competitors will be given 10 minutes between each movie, or approximately every two hours, to refresh themselves. Eating, drinking, standing and stretching are allowed as long as eyes are on the screen.
Those are some brutal rules. I get up and avert my eyes from the screen all the time. Usually it is so I can talk to my fellow movie goers, or just to take a lap around the room to stay awake. I think I’ll stay an amateur!
A 200-hour movie marathon may have taken place in Bolivia, as claimed. But, for one reason or another, it was never verified by Guinness. However, the door is always open to submitting new evidence to the Guinness World Records! If you are going to be the next one to try, I wish you good luck!
UPDATED: Updated in 2017 for the new world record.
Ryan Chattaway laid down a 24 hour movie marathon challenge on YouTube: do a 24 hour movie marathon, follow his rules, and record your experience on YouTube! I think that’s a pretty interesting twist to the normal 24 hour movie marathon experience.
Below is his 2013 (second annual) call-to-action (and here is the original 2012 announcement in case you are interested).
His rules are:
Below is his recording of his own 2012 marathon.
I like Ryan’s idea. Even though he did his marathon alone, he gets to share his experience virtually via YouTube, and so does everyone else performing his challenge. Having a social experience was always the most fun part of a movie marathon to me.
I don’t think anything can replace the in-person party aspect I love so much. However, extending the experience virtually is an excellent idea. I think I’ll give vlogging a try during my 2014 movie marathon.
If you liked Ryan’s rules, check out the 24-hour movie marathon rules I live by!
Like movies, but tired of interacting with humans before and after the movie? If so, perhaps a solo movie marathon is for you! This article is full of helpful, anti-social advice like “turn off your phone”, and “stay away from e-mail”. I think the author forgot “dump your significant other…if you have one” and “don’t forget your anti-depressants”.
Oh, I kid the author of this article. Seriously, I don’t think I’d be able to do this. Watching one movie alone is one thing, watching a whole series of movies alone seems like it crosses some kind of socially acceptable line.
Weird, eh? I like sitting for hours on end watching movies (obviously), but I won’t cross this line drawn by society. Sociology in action!
