Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: I see (nearly) dead people

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Ground Level » I see (nearly) dead people

Author

Topic: I see (nearly) dead people

Thomas Hauerslev
Master Film Handler

Posts: 451
From: Copenhagen, Denmark
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 11-30-2001 02:20 AM

Cinema business is not all glamour and stars, it's also a place where I've experienced the darker, and sometimes very sad side of human nature.

One particular history comes to my mind. It was a few minutes before the 11 PM o´clock performance at the now-closed "Cinema 1-8" near Town hall square in Copenhagen. I had lazed up the machines, was ready to go and was in the box office chatting, when I noticed a costumer who looked very much like a junkie. He approached the box office while I was starting the machines by remote control.

After starting the films, I did my round checking the machines and cinemas. That did not take more than 5-7 minutes and I think I probably was back in the box office around 7-10 minutes past 11 PM. The next thing that happened was quite surprising to me. The junkie had taken an overdose in one of our restrooms AND died AND had already been removed! All in less than 10 minutes.

Poor bastard. I think it's a sad story to end your days in an overdose in a public lavatory in a cinema.

Anyone else got similar stories?

Best wishes for the weekend
Thomas
..in70mm - The 70mm Newsletter
www.in70mm.com www.dp70.com www.70mm.dk www.hauerslev.com http://hjem.get2net.dk/in70mm

| IP: Logged

Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-30-2001 02:31 AM

Thomas, I never had the misfortune of experiencing anything like that. But when you mention "Junkies", it does touch me just a little. While I was in the United States Navy, I saw some of my close friends turn into Junkies when they got out of the navy during the Viet Nam War. Enough said.

Paul

| IP: Logged

Christopher Duvall
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 500
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-30-2001 03:01 AM

While I was running a 13-plex just outside Wasington DC, we had a report of a gang member with a gun in the building. We called the police and they arrived with about 30-40 officers with riot gear. AS the suspect came up the escalator, the police jumped him and pointed shotguns against his skull. By this time, he was pissing all over himself. Scary stuff.

| IP: Logged

Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 11-30-2001 03:45 AM

Well this didn't happen here at my theater, but it did happen across the street at the local high school, the same high school I went too. This happened to a friend of one of my employees, and also was a cousin to another.

A few weeks ago all of the high schools across the country were reciting god bless america all at the same time to show teenage unity or some thing like that. Just after this was complete, this student asked to be excused to go the bathroom. He left the classroom, and just about thirty seconds later a loud bang was heard. Students went rushing out to see what happened. This student had a gun and blew his head nearly completely off.

This was very tragic for us here at the theater as many of my employees are students there, and it is my alma matter. The whole community was rather distraught for some time. As they should be.

Dave

| IP: Logged

Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-30-2001 04:44 AM

A place I worked at seemed to attract winos, junkies and bums for some reason. Usually the staff wouldn't let them in, but sometimes they sneaked in past them. In five years we had a guy OD in the toilets and two went of heart failure in the theatre. We used to find needles and works all over the place.
One christmas eve my neighbour was out clearing his driveway of snow, from the window I saw him fall and I went out to help him up, by the time I got across the street he had died, turned out he hadn't fallen as such but had suffered a massive heart attack. One hell of a Christmas for his wife and family.

It's thing like that which make one thankfull for each and every day, make you question your own mortality.

| IP: Logged

Brad Haven
Master Film Handler

Posts: 300
From: fremantle, West Australia
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 11-30-2001 06:04 AM

A few years ago we had an overdose death in our cinema toilets, it was a very busy night, a female usher found him and tried to revive him untill the ambulance came ,he died soon after!. He was a young guy, about 20 i believe. Around that year i found lots of syringes around the building, almost pricking myself once!. things calmed down for some reason and have found no more since!(bodies or syringes).

| IP: Logged

John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 11-30-2001 10:22 AM

Very sad to have some die from drugs; I mean it's sad anyone has to die, but it's sadder to throw your life away.

We never had any directly-related deaths from overdose, suicide, etc. but have had about 3-4 people pass away quietly in the 25 years I've been working at theaters. They all just seem to be sleeping in their seats at the end of the night.

We had a guy who had a heart attack during the needle-piercing scene in "Pulp Fiction." The poor guy was in the center of a row of seats, and the paramedics couldn't get him out to a stretcher. They were zapping him with the defibrillator while he was sitting up in the seat. Was dead by the time he got to the hospital.

| IP: Logged

Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-30-2001 10:53 AM

Several years ago, one of my sister theaters (at the time) had a gentleman pass away during a show. He had brought his grandson to the movies for New Years Eve and "fell asleep". I hope I never have to directly deal with a situation like that myself.

| IP: Logged

Colin Wiseley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 123
From: Blacksburg, VA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-30-2001 01:46 PM

We once had a guy (dressed as a woman) pass out in the Women's Room after drinking any entire Scope bottle full of Moonshine during a showing of RHPS two years ago. The paramedics came in and took him/her away to the hospital where they probably pumped his/her stomach.

------------------
Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com

| IP: Logged

Paul Turner
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 115
From: Corvallis, OR, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 11-30-2001 10:27 PM

Years ago I ran a single screen in a small OR town. We were wedged between two bars and the cops were notorious for not bothering with our neck of the woods. After the second attempted mugging as i left the theater, I had really gotten really militant about who gets past the door. One night, the show was out, one of the workers was on her way to lock the front door and this elderly gentleman walked right in. The worker told him we were closed, and he just kept walking. Watching this, I waved her away since I didn't want her to try to physically stop him. I followed him into the auditorium. He walked about two-thirds of the way to the screen, looked at the seats, then sat. I watched him for a few minutes and he didn't move. I walked down the other aisle so I could approach him from the front. I asked him if he was aware that we had no more shows that evening. He said he didn't care, tho he was polite about it. He didn't seem "confused" or drunk, so I told him we couldn't go home until he left and we'd like to go home. He told me that 25 years ago on this date his wife died next to him, about where he sat, while they were watching the show. I asked him if he would tell me what the date was today. He hit it right on. I went up and sent the help home. I did paperwork behind the snack bar for about half an hour before he came out. He stopped, shook my hand without a word, then left. Never saw him again. Never could find an newspaper article or anyone who had heard of the death. It's interesting as I have more people in my life pass on, his actions seem less odd.

| IP: Logged

Daniel Boisson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 157
From: Buffalo, NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2001

posted 12-06-2001 01:34 PM

the night fast and the furious came,we had the obvious crowd of people. after the last showing got out, two groups of people started messing with each other, about to start a fight. as they were walking towards each other, about 20 feet away from each other, i walked out almost between them. suddenly, one person pulled out a gun. My stomach dropped to my feet when i looked over and saw a gun pointed in my direction...scared me straight, since i'm only 18.

------------------
...My brain's always wrapped...

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.