Saturday, October 25th at 7:00 PM:
Lair of the White Worm (1983)
on Skytop
An insane story by an insane author, filmed by an insane director... with Hugh Grant!
Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, published his last book in 1911, the year before his death of syphilis. Entitled "The Lair of the White Worm", it's about an eccentric English peer, hypnosis, sex, giant snakes, dynamite, and sex. Naturally, it stars Hugh Grant, in his first major film role. And Amanda Donohoe, often naked and/or painted blue.
"Lair of the White Worm" is an awesome example of what tongue-in-cheek comedy was like before Creeping Irony Disease poisoned everything. The movie is earnest, funny as hell, and crams more symbolism in every frame than you can shake a garden hose at. Literally, in Ken Russell's case, since a garden hose is used for foreshadowing in, like, the
first frame of the movie.
Parts of "Lair of the White Worm" are filmed in Thor's Cave, in Staffordshire, England. It's a natural limestone cave, much like the caves you can find throughout the limestone-rich areas of the Brandywine Valley.
What better place to watch a movie about a cave-dwelling pagan snake god deep inside a limestone cavern, than atop a hill
riddled with limestone caverns that have never been fully explored? Yeah, you heard me. They say that when the air cools below fifty-five degrees and the sun falls, that's when the Things that dwell in the deep places come to the surface... oh wait, where were we? Yes, the Brandywine Valley Association!
The
Brandywine Valley Association is one of Chester County's best-kept secrets, which is a damn shame.
The BVA is
awesome in every way — hundreds of acres of beautiful land for walking around, lots of naturalists and education programs, and all sorts of "green" educational activities that are actually fun and are not calculated to make you feel apologetic for breathing.
Depending on the temperature, we'll either watch the movie
on Skytop (where we watched "Local Hero" last year, with a warm fire), or we'll be in the Browning Barn, inside, at the bottom of the hill, with propane space-heaters. I'll make the decision on Saturday, based on what the temperature and the weather is doing, and I'll update this page.
What to Bring
- WARM clothes. Layer up! Remember, thick warm clothes also keep blind, cave-dwelling monstrosities living under the limestone hill from being able to smell you.
- A blanket or chairs, to keep you off the dewy grass.
- A flashlight and/or camp lantern. The path up to the hill will be as dark as the inside of an ancient leviathan.
If you are available to show up early (around six?) to start the fire, and/or available to stay afterwards to make sure the fire is cold-ashes out, please let me know over email at . Thank you!
Rain: if it rains, we'll be in the barn for sure, but we will show the movie.
Wheelchair access: Yes!
Dogs: Sorry, the BVA says "no dogs." Also, dogs attract snakes.
Map and Directions
Follow the directions below to the BVA, and park your car on the north side parking lot (next to the barn.)
Walk
behind the barn up the hill. There's a footpath on the left, and a grass road suitable for wheelchairs on the right.
It's a steep couple-of-hundred yards to the top of the hill, and you'll see the fire at the top.
The movie starts at 7:00, but you're welcome to arrive as early as you like; you can stop by
Northbrook Country Market just around the corner — they're open until 9:00.
Google Maps thinks that the BVA's address — 1760 Unionville Wawaset Road — is a few hundred feet away from the real entrance, so the directions below will all take you to the correct latitude and longitude, not the street address. Using the GPS coordinates will get you there, but you should definitely have the "human directions" as a backup.
Please let me know what I left off this page by commenting this page!! See you then!
