Sub Rosa brings back drive-in theater

Audience members may have felt much like the fugitive teenagers they were watching on the makeshift screen. More than a dozen vehicles congregated under the shroud of darkness at a secret location to view a guerilla screening of the classic 1984 action flick “Red Dawn.” As Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen and the rest of the “Wolverines” hid out in the hills of Colorado to resist a dreaded communist takeover, a covert group of moviegoers hid out behind the Bed, Bath and Beyond building to enjoy an old-fashioned drive-in movie.

Yes, it is now safe to reveal the secret location of the second installment of the Sub Rosa Drive-In. That’s because the guerilla theater group will not be returning to that spot for its next clandestine operation. The viewing of “Red Dawn” was cut short by a combination of technical difficulties and an unexpected visit from the Rollinsford Police Department. Still, the film zealots behind Sub Rosa plan to forge ahead with a screening of “The Warriors” at a new secret location on Friday, July 17.

The term “sub rosa” literally translates to “under the rose” and is used to denote something underground or secret. Dover residents Bryan White and Larry Clow applied the term to their drive-in theater group, which has now shown two movies, beginning with “Pump Up the Volume” on June 26 and continuing with “Red Dawn” on July 3.

It did not take long for the project to run into the type of trouble inherent to law-bending endeavors. The group was not licensed to offer a public screening of “Pump Up the Volume,” nor did it have permission to use the private property where the movie was shown. When a local daily newspaper ran a front-page story about the debut event, a local spoilsport reported the illicit activity to industry watchdogs at Swank Motion Pictures (the informant is a Somersworth business owner known to White). A Swank representative contacted White and strongly cautioned him to play by the rules.

White launched a last-minute campaign to collect donations so that Sub Rosa could purchase licensing rights and keep the drive-in going. Within 12 hours, he had raked up nearly $250, and Sub Rosa worked out a deal with Swank to become officially licensed. And so, White and Clow set to work on plans for “Red Dawn.”

Around 15 cars showed up behind the Bed, Bath and Beyond on Central Avenue in Dover around 9 p.m. on July 3. Using a projector powered by a generator in the back of a minivan, White cast an image on the back wall of the large building. Clow instructed each guest to tune into a particular radio station for the audio, and before long the vintage drive-in experience began.

Viewers were swiftly wisped back to the 1980s, watching Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Norris kick immeasurable quantities of ass during a sequence of previews for cheesy action movies. After no fewer than seven previews, “Red Dawn” got underway, and the audience found itself besieged by Cuban and Soviet commies parachuting down upon a quiet Colorado town. It was up to Jed (Swayze) and his younger brother Matt (Sheen) to rescue their high school friends and establish a rebel camp in the mountains as World War III loomed.

It was a foggy night on the Seacoast, making some of the movie’s darker scenes a bit difficult to see, and a steady drone on the airwaves muddled the sound quality. But when White attempted to correct these issues, he accidentally stopped the movie, and many guests exited their vehicles to see what was going on.

Minutes earlier, a patrol car from Rollinsford had swung through the lot, briefly shining its spotlight on the group of parked cars. But the cruiser continued on, apparently unconcerned about the gathering. As it turns out, however, the officer was just going for backup. While White addressed the film’s technical issues, the cruiser returned with another in tow, and two Rollinsford police officers climbed out (oddly enough, the rear part of the plaza is across the town line in Rollinsford).

The officers were exceedingly friendly and had no intention of making arrests or issuing fines. They simply informed White and Clow that they were trespassing on private property and would have to vacate the area. “That’s it,” White announced. “Show’s over.” The crowd dispersed in a relatively orderly fashion.

But White and Clow are not about to give up on Sub Rosa. The next secret location will just have to be a little more secret. Encouraged by attendance levels at the first two films, they vow to make the next installment go more smoothly.

Anyone interested in seeing a drive-in version of the 1979 cult classic “The Warriors” should visit www.subrosadrivein.com and sign up for the newsletter. Your secret instructions will follow.