JACKSONVILLE, FL — Fans of classic porn have a special place in their hearts (and trousers) for titles shot on film and shown in movie theaters. Although today’s shot-on-digital releases are glossier, technically superior, packed with men and women sporting fantasy bodies, and go places earlier directors never considered possible, fans of fare from the 70s and even 80s think they’re hotter. That was certainly the case this past Sunday, when one church set fire to a recently discovered treasure trove of them.According to the Boston Herald, at least 100 reels of classic era pornography was burned by a Jacksonville, FL church after being discovered in an old drive-in theater that it had recently purchased.
A special service was held for the 300-member Christ Church Anglican congregation in order for Rev. Mark Eldredge to ceremonially burn, with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue providing a follow-up “holy hose-down,” complete with priestly blessing.
After closing the deal on its recent 13-acre drive-in purchase, which ran the church a tidy $1.4 million, staff members and crew began cleaning out the building. Among the discoveries awaiting those pawing through the debris from the 60-year-old church, which closed in May, was a copious porn stash. Given the hardships endured by many large screen theaters during the early VHS porn era, the reels may very well have been responsible for the cinemas continued existence.
No more, however, since Eldredge has both assured the tapes’ destruction and vowed that the church will only show family-friendly movies once sufficient repairs have been completed to re-open to customers.
