Entry No. 19 — the Philadelphia file — filed under: drive-in
Mahoning Drive-In Theater
Opened in 1949 and down to as few as 10 cars a night by 2014, this drive-in survived by going the opposite direction of everyone else: it's now the only drive-in left in the country that screens every single weekend on 35mm film, with no digital projector on site, running horror marathons and cult double bills under a giant Cinemascope screen with help from Philly's own Exhumed Films crew.
The story
In 1949, when the screen went up along Seneca Road in Lehighton, drive-ins were ordinary suburban hardware. By 2014, digital projection had converted or killed nearly every screen in the country, and the Mahoning was running on fumes, drawing as few as ten cars a night. The standard playbook called for selling the lot to developers or dropping six figures on a digital box. Instead, the crew did something far stranger: they went completely backwards.
They rejected digital setups entirely, making the Mahoning the only drive-in left in the United States that projects exclusively on 35mm film reels every single weekend. Partnering with Philadelphia’s cult-cinema archivists Exhumed Films, they converted the quiet Poconos lot into a national mecca for physical film projection. On any given weekend, the giant CinemaScope screen runs retro horror marathons, obscure genre double bills, and vintage movie trailers pulled straight from physical archives.
What it's like
You'll roll up Seneca Road as dusk settles over the Pocono foothills, pulling into a field facing a massive screen frame. As darkness hits, you can hear the faint, steady mechanical clatter of the 35mm projector running from the booth. The tailgate crowd is a mix of genre die-hards, local regulars, and Philly film nerds who made the drive north. Bring lawn chairs, layers for when the mountain air drops late at night, and a portable FM radio if you don't want to drain your car battery. The screen grain is visible, the reel change gaps are deliberate, and watching physical film flicker under an open night sky makes modern multiplexes look utterly soulless.
The move: Load the car with lawn chairs, drive up for a 35mm double feature, and stay through the reel change on the second film — the projector clatter and the actual night sky overhead are the whole point.
- 📍 Lehighton, Carbon County (Poconos foothills)
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 635 Seneca Road, Lehighton, PA 18235
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Colonial Theatre — Blobfest — Match your 35mm outdoor screen marathon with the historic Phoenixville theater famous for its role in 1958's classic creature feature The Blob.
- Mercer Museum — If you respect the Mahoning's refusal to modernize, explore Henry Mercer's six-story poured-concrete tower built to preserve pre-industrial American relics.
- Fonthill Castle — Pair one stubborn, analog preservation effort in the Poconos foothills with another wildly idiosyncratic handmade concrete castle in Bucks County.
Good to know
Is there any digital projection at the Mahoning?
No. They run strictly 35mm film prints every weekend, with no digital projectors on site.
What kind of movies do they show?
They specialize in retro programming, including cult classics, 35mm horror marathons, obscure genre double bills, and vintage film trailers.
Where is the theater located?
At 635 Seneca Road in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, nestled in Carbon County near the foothills of the Pocono Mountains.
How does audio work for the films?
You tune in via your vehicle's FM radio or bring a portable FM receiver to listen from lawn chairs outside your car.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-07-19