Mansfield Drive-In Double Feature: Scary Movie and Michael in Connecticut

Mansfield Drive-In sits at 228 Stafford Rd in Mansfield, Connecticut, a working relic that turns warm evenings into a parked cinema experience. On select nights the lot runs a double feature—this showing pairs Scary Movie and Michael—so you settle into the driver's seat or pull lawn chairs out behind your hood and watch a pair of very different films projected large under open sky. The main features of the venue are the giant outdoor screen, the FM transmitter-based sound system that plays through car radios, a concession stand, restrooms and a small playground that families use before the first frame. Arrive early: box office staff check tickets at the gate and guide you to a parking spot. Note the rules: headlights must be off during projection and vehicles taller than five feet must park at the yellow poles. Each paid ticket admits one person except for Carload Wednesdays when a single ticket covers the whole vehicle. Concessions take both cash and card; restrooms are available on site. The setting is straightforward but atmospheric—flat gravel and grass parking, a white screen panel, a concession hut with string lights, and the low hum of radios tuning in. The urgency of a late-summer breeze, the smell of buttered popcorn, and the scattered playground swings make the place feel like a neighborhood ritual. You'll likely catch local songbirds or an evening owl in the trees that border the lot; the lack of city lights also makes stars visible behind the screen on clear nights. For families, the playground and restroom access are practical bonuses; for cinephiles, there's the novelty of hearing sound only through your car speaker and watching two films back-to-back without leaving your seat. The drive-in format is a piece of mid-20th-century Americana that keeps adapting: it pairs digital projection with old-school etiquette (no headlights, low noise, radios tuned). Practical tips: download or print tickets before arrival, bring blankets and low chairs for tailgate seating, and carry an FM-capable radio or ensure your car stereo receives local transmission. Whether you come for a horror-comedy, a musical biopic, or the simple pleasure of a film under stars, the Mansfield Drive-In at 228 Stafford Rd offers a straightforward, low-pressure way to make an evening feel different—communal without being crowded, cinematic without velvet ropes. Plan on arriving at least 30-45 minutes before showtime on weekends to secure an angle to the screen and let kids burn energy at the playground. If you need assistance, staff at the box office will point you to recommended parking and will scan tickets at the entrance. Remember to silence phones, follow staff directions for headlights, and leave the lot as you found it to keep this local venue thriving.