I'll Swallow Your Shoal

For those of us lucky enough to reside in Fairfield County, CT, it was a thrill to discover that Stamford's Avon Theatre was bringing back its long-missed "Cult Classics" summer series this season. Naturally, one of the anticipated highlights for me was tonight's screening of The Evil Dead (1981). Although a fan of the film for years, I--and I'm willing to bet most of its fans--have never seen it on the big screen, so this was going to be a major treat.

But alas, dear readers, I neglected to account for "The Daddy Factor". You see, I had forgotten that tonight was also the night that the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk was celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special members-only event that included dinner, family activities and a sneak preview showing of the IMAX documentary Wild Oceans. Specifically, I had forgotten that we had purchased tickets for the event, and the kids were rarin' to go. Thankfully, Mrs. B-Sol was kind enough to remind me.

And so tonight, instead of witnessing Ash in mortal combat against the Deadites, I witnessed the delicate food chain of South Africa's coastal waters (in all fairness, it was quite the breathtaking film in its own right). But the little ones had a great time, and watching them scarfing down cake and petting cow-nosed rays was certainly a worthy consolation prize.

Hey, nobody said being a dedicated parent and horror fan simultaneously was easy...