An outing that might haunt you for a while

THE film “Carrie,” Brian De Palma’s cult-classic horror masterpiece about the perils of being a telekinetic high-school girl living with her fundamentalist mother, may not scream “date movie.” But don’t tell that to the hundreds of people packed into the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood tonight.

The huge field that sits kittycorner from Johnny Ramone’s memorial statue is packed -- people, picnic baskets, blankets, chairs and the occasional beanbag chair sprawl across what may or may not be a gravesite, watching Carrie get doused with pig’s blood. And laughing.

It’s another Saturday night on the graveyard shift, and the fare is an installment in the series of screenings mounted by the group Cinespia.

And as scenes go, it’s very, well, undead.

To the right, a group of gay men in their 30s enjoys homemade pasta salad; to the left, a family with small children consumes Domino’s pizza. In front, a deli platter from Greenblatt’s; behind, Trader Joe’s sushi.

A DJ spins lounge-techno. It is 7:45 p.m. and still abrasively light. The bottle openers are broken out -- drinking is allowed and encouraged, especially later, when a character in the movie says, “These are godless times,” and gets the response, “I’ll drink to that.” Throughout the expanse of moviegoers, glasses are raised and laughs are shared. Everyone wants a drink in these godless times. Even at a graveyard.

But that’s later. Now they file in, the couples and friends and families who were waiting in line, snaked around the mini-park on Santa Monica in front of the cemetery, or in the long, straight line of cars that blocks one lane of street traffic for a full hour before the gates open. This is not a show-up-on-time kind of event, but a full night out. Cards are played, board games busted out, stories told, pranks pulled. There is cuddling and handholding, and even numbers exchanged.

But it’s not a hook-up scene. Rather than being a part of the new Hollywood -- the get-dolled-up-and-strut-your-stuff scene -- the Cinespia screenings seem rooted in the past.

As I hear, those were times you could roll into the drive-in, peeking at other couples in their cars, seeing if you were getting as lucky as they were. At Hollywood Forever, there are no tinted windows to keep out looky-loos, but the actual PDA factor is low, anyway: It’s as if all of the people watching were once outcasts like Carrie. But, finally, they’ve also been invited to the prom.

Jeff Miller can be reached at [email protected].

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The tab

Food $27.37

What: A variety of wine, sandwiches and salads from Greenblatt’s, 8017 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 656-0606

Movies $20.00

What: Two tickets at $10 each for Cinespia’s Saturday screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.

Info: This week: “Strangers on a Train”; gates open at 7:30 p.m. Series ends Sept. 3. www.cemeteryscreenings.com

Total $47.37