Notes from the Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout
Grab your bags of candy corn boys and ghouls, for it is time for The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout. Shudder’s horror host unveils two cult films this Halloween: Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001) and Popcorn (1991). Even better, he invited special guests Cassandra Peterson and Jill Schoelen to enjoy all the fun. How does this special stack up to previous engagements?
Let’s find out what Shudder had on offer on October 21, 2022.
Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001)
The first film of the Haunted Halloween Hangout was the highly campy 2001 pseudo-sequel to Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) that takes the favorite horror hostess and puts her in a classic horror story set in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania in 1851. The film plays fast and loose with Elvira’s modern, bawdy affect contrasting with the relatively-straight players around her involved in a family conspiracy in a decrepit estate. The film stars Cassandra Peterson as Elvira and a secondary role as a departed Lady of the House. She is joined by Richard O’Brien, Mary Scheer, Scott Atkison, Mary Jo Smith, and an uncredited cameo from voice actor Rob Paulson.
Peterson co-wrote the script with recently-departed Groundlings alumnus John Paragon, whom she would often work with. Most of the cast is pulled from the Groundlings as well. Director Sam Irvin took to the Roger Corman pastiche nature of the film and did a fine job playing the narrative straight and allowing Peterson’s Elvira to disrupt what is a pretty solid Gothic horror story. For a budget film entirely self-funded by Peterson and her then-husband Mark Pierson, the film also looks great when it needs to and noticeably cheap when it is most funny. Thankfully, Cinematographer Viorel Sergovici, a native Romanian, knew precisely how to utilize the on-location landscapes.
Chewing the Cardboard
Comedy-wise, this sort of film appeals to me. Some horror-hardcores may grumble about an Elvira comedy taking up a “Halloween Special Slot,” as though such a thing even exists. The jokes are widely inspired by bawdy, campy stage shows and are nothing many have not heard before. The real joke is how we buy into the film. Such as Peterson’s iconic character hanging the lampshade on and chewing the scenery of the kind of technicolor late-night horror many of us grew up with. It’s why Mystery Science Theater 3000 refuses to die. The old stuff is beloved, whether it is a gothic murder house or a burlesque joke.
I need to mention the role of Adrian, the Stable Stud, an unintentionally collaborative performance that earns the biggest laughs in the film. The seriousness of Romanian actor Gabi Andronache playing a character utterly straight with Rob Paulson’s hilariously dubbed voice is some of the funniest stuff I have ever experienced on The Last Drive-In.
With that said, the satiric edge of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is missing here. Elvira’s Haunted Hills trades essentially in farce and, while fun, is ultimately not as great as the first film. The first film has a little more heart. This one is more of a parody but doesn’t offer much more than some teasing of a genre and style. That being said, they tease it nearly as much as Elvira’s hair.
Joe Bob-servations on Elvira’s Haunted Hills
This year’s Halloween theme was the same as the past two Drive-In Halloween specials: namely, making up for the perceived lack of Halloween in previous specials. I think this has been mined a little much, but it still leads to some fun. I think the show is beginning to grow slightly referential instead of finding new angles. So much conversation between Joe Bob and Darcy was filled with things we’ve heard on the show a few times before. While I won’t say lazy, I would say undercooked. Ironically, spending a year in a cabin for “social distancing” produced some exciting material compared to recent forays back to the trailer set.
I also felt that the “airplane light” bit was slightly overlong. As fun as it was, the conversation could have been a bit tighter, and the director could have exercised more control in moving things forward. The breaks featuring Halloween trick-or-treat tips were neat and provided plenty of fun little Halloween references. Of course, the conversation with Cassandra Peterson was excellent, but I’ll discuss that further in the review.
Final Thoughts on Elvira’s Haunted Hills
Elvira’s Haunted Hills is an enjoyable farce of a film. The pastiche of the Roger Corman 1960s Poe adaptations creates an inherently limited audience, but this movie will land for them. The film skirts the line between gorgeous and budget where it needs to as well. Meanwhile, Cassandra Peterson’s Elvira does what is expected and decimates the fourth wall with jokes older than the castle where the film takes place. The film may lack the bite of her first film, but it is still an excellent watch for a Halloween party before you dig into the creepy stuff.
Joe Bob Briggs gave Elvira’s Haunted Hills three stars. I feel the film is a strong one, but it may have a more limited appeal and lacks a little edge, so I am giving it four Cthulhus. A fun opener for the Haunted Halloween Hangout.
(4 / 5)
Best Line: “Honey, when I spend the night in a man’s room, he’d better pay me.” – Elvira
Popcorn (1991)
The second film of the night, 1991’s Popcorn, is a somewhat debated cult classic with complex production history. The film follows a ragtag group of kids who put on a film festival full of William Castle gimmicks. Only to seal their doom as someone starts killing them off. It’s a fun set-up overshadowed by the short films seen in the theater with a raucous audience. It is this which the film is most memorable, which is a shame. Outside of the short movies and aside from some strange moments, there is a golden kernel worth acknowledging.
The film’s production history is incredibly troubled. You might best understand it by watching Joe Bob discuss it with lead actress Hill Schoelen. Yet there are still many questions surrounding it. While Bob Clark produced the film, he didn’t want to direct it and pitched longtime friend Alan Ormsby. However, Ormsby would be fired as he bogged down filming the short films. Porky‘s actor Mark Harrier replaced him. Around this time, the initial lead of the film was played by Amy O’Neill (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) but would be replaced by Jill Schoelen for unknown reasons. All of this occurred as the film was shot in a dilapidated theater in Kingston, Jamaica.
With that said, the “final” credits of the film include Mark Harrier as director, with uncredited sequences from Alan Ormsby and even Bob Clark, funny enough. The story was written by Mitchell Smith and adapted to a screenplay by Ormsby. The film would star Jill Schoelen, Tom Villard, and Dee Wallace. Ronnie Taylor would handle cinematography in one of the strangest gets for the film. The same Ronnie Taylor handled cinematography on Gandhi (1982) and A Chorus Line (1985).
“Who are we looking for?”
Popcorn is a mess; the issues in production would bleed into the film and confuse what is a decent enough premise. The three short films are excellent; the raucous reaction of the audience is a highlight. Yet, the connective tissue is lacking. The film does several odd things, and some are fun, such as a spontaneous reggae show. I have the impression that Bob Clark desperately tried to save the film, given the mess in production. However, he was also displaced enough from it to let Harrier take the credit. The film does try to course-correct a bit, but it is ham-handed. The hilarious scene depicting convenient newspaper clippings in chronological order comes to mind.
The performances are where the film shines. Jill Schoelen and Dee Wallace are great, though Wallace’s role is somewhat familiar and limited, given the movie. Schoelen was admirable as a lead, working with an already uncomfortable and awkward shoot. The actual performance that saves the film is Tom Villard as Toby. Villard’s work in the movie is excellent – his presence, when unleashed fully, is magnetic, and he takes to the prosthetic makeup incredibly well. Popcorn shows him as a talent taken far too soon by complications due to AIDs. He died just three years after the release of Popcorn at the age of 40.
The film has an offbeat quality to it that I feel would have paired better with The Monster Club, but it works for a more hammy, winking sort of Halloween special. I think the time is right for a Popcorn remake. The prop-skeleton is there; rebuild the tissue.
Joe Bob-servations on Popcorn
For the back half of the evening, Joe Bob switched from traditional trick-or-treating pranks to Samhain festivities (appropriately mispronounced, of course). These bits were fun, and the budget druid costume was a clever nod. The Samhain jokes were a nice addition and a fun way to get into the history of the spooky season.
With that said, the real highlight was the interview with Jill Schoelen, who had a lot of fun insights into Popcorn. There were also other important topics, but perhaps the best moment was when Darcy and Jill did their own smaller interview in the middle of one of the breaks. It very much felt like two friends talking. Joe Bob’s interviews can be hit or miss; he tends to do well when talking to longtime friends and old hands in the industry. He was good with both of tonight’s guests, but the ease at which Darcy and Jill spoke was quite illuminating.
Final Thoughts on Popcorn
I love Popcorn. It’s not a great film, but it is pretty fun. It is a little toothless, though. For being a 1991 film, it feels rather trapped in the 1980s. It is interesting to see this gasp of a dying genre before a reinvigoration by Scream. In many ways, it reminds me of Uncle Sam – a film out of time.
The film is fun to watch, don’t get me wrong. I prefer it to Uncle Sam. Still, it carries a lot of baggage that is never conducive to a strong film. I would give Popcorn three and a half Cthulhus.
(3.5 / 5)
Best Line: “Without memory, there can be no retribution.” – Toby
Haunted MTL Drive-In Totals
As always, here are the official totals direct from Shudder’s Twitter account.
And we have our Drive-In totals revolving around the show itself. This week we have…
- 1 Yuki Sighting
- 2 Guests
- 5 Rounds of “Applause”
- 7 Utterances of “Penis”
- 8 Presentation Boards
- 13 Instances of “Thee-ate-er”
- Gratuitous Candy Corn Slander
- Gratuitous Mispronunciation of Samhein
- Gratuitous Airplane Light Bit
- Gratuitous Halloween Decorations
- Budget Costuming
- Checklisting
- Vampire Joking
- Halloween Joking
- Eyes Roll
- Plot Recap Fu
- Production Recap Fu
Episode Score for The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout
Overall, the evening was fun, and the two guests did a lot for the experience. Cassandra Peterson and Jill Schoelen were absolute delights. Darcy has an opportunity to take a more active role in the episodes, at least when it comes to specific guests. her friendliness and charm proved quite the asset tonight.
As for the Halloween trappings, they felt decidedly more low-key than usual, but I think it worked. The “Trick-Or-Treat” and “Samhain” tips were a fun, punchy little gag. I’m not going to be one to complain about the movies not being Halloween-appropriate. That doesn’t bother me. The most important thing is that they’re fun; Elvira’s Haunted Hills and Popcorn are just that.
We have been spoiled as of late, especially in season four, with some creative gags and musical numbers on the show. I can’t justify them being able to deliver that every time, but I think this is the first time y felt that an aspect of the show was dialed in. There were a lot of recurring references in place of jokes. After years of doing this sort of thing, it makes sense, but I also hope that tonight was a one-off.
For this special, I have to admit the guests drew me in more than Joe Bob and Darcy – but that was bound to happen at some point. You can’t crank out hit after hit forever.
I give the Haunted Halloween Hangout three and a half Cthulhus.
(3.5 / 5)
That is it for us here at Haunted MTL regarding Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout. We’re looking forward to season five of The Last Drive-In and will continue to review, recap, and live-tweet the show. If you want to stick around for more coverage, look at our extensive coverage of Shudder, our favorite streaming service.
Please weigh in if you have some thoughts on the Haunted Halloween Hangout special. We’d love to hear them.
Episode four of Amazon Prime’s Fallout was a great one for character development. It was also great because one of my personal favorite actors was involved.
Let’s discuss.
The story
This episode’s story revolved largely around Lucy and The Ghoul. He’s still dragging her about on a rope, but we aren’t sure why. While she can track the Head, she certainly hasn’t shared that information with the Ghoul.
What he wants her for soon becomes clear, when he barters her for vials of the medication that keeps him from losing himself to the ghoul illness.
At first, Lucy thinks this is a step up. She’s taken by a robot surgeon named Snip Snip to get a new thumb. Since, you know, The Ghoul shot her thumb off.
However, after stitching a new thumb on, Snip Snip takes her to his masters. Who then say they want him to cut her up for her organs.
Lucy manages to escape and even frees the other people trapped by these organ brokers. In doing so, she comes into the possession of many, many of those vials that The Ghoul needs so desperately.
Meanwhile, Norm is starting to suspect that all is not what it should be in Vault 33. While the rest of the vault is preparing to elect a new overseer, he takes Chet and sneaks off to Vault 32. There, they find some horrific sights. Long dead bodies, next to messages scrawled in blood. There are especially bodies around the door that leads to Vault 31, where someone has written We Know What’s in There on the wall.
Of course, we don’t know what’s in there. But I’m sure we’re going to find out.
Norm continues to dig, checking for information on the old Overseer’s computer. And he finds that the door to Vault 32 was opened by a Pip-Boy. To be specific, it was a Pip-Boy owned by Norm and Lucy’s mother.
I’m sure that won’t be relevant later.
What worked
The more I see of this season, the more I like Lucy. She is growing and evolving as a person, just like Wilzig told her she would have to do. She is becoming harder. But her kindness and values haven’t changed yet. She is still a good person. I love that.
I also love the dark, creepy storyline with Norm. I love how serious he is, especially when compared to the rest of his community. I especially love that, even as emotionally disturbed he is by what he’s learning, he seems passionate. And from what we’ve seen of this character, this is possibly the first thing he’s felt passionate about his entire life. I am impressed with the writing and acting that have allowed us to see his lack of passion with minimal focus. He is a fun, well-written character.
Finally, I’d like to shine the spotlight on Matt Berry. He is a delightful actor known for What We Do in the Shadows and IT Crowd. And he is playing the remarkably funny role of Snip Snip, the robot surgeon. His voice lends an extra level of humor to an already funny premise. This was another example of the great casting we’ve seen so far on Fallout.
In the end, this was a great episode from all points. It was fun, heartfelt, and dark. In short, I have no notes. I’m only excited to see what happens in the next episode.
(4 / 5)
The finale of American Horror Story Delicate aired last night. And if you were watching along with us on Threads, then you already know that it didn’t live up to any of my expectations.
Let’s discuss.
The story
We begin with Anna being ushered off stage and into an ambulance. Dex is there because Siobhan called him.
Once in the ambulance, though, the blood starts to spill. And it’s not just Anna’s. She soon finds herself in the clutches of the coven, giving birth in the most anxiety-inducing place possible. And when the baby is born, he’s taken away at once.
Because that’s the agreement that Anna made, without fully realizing what she was agreeing to.
If Anna’s going to get her baby back, she’s going to have to make another sacrifice. She is going to have to join the coven herself. Is she strong enough to do it? Is she strong enough to raise a monster?
What worked
This episode did have some fun elements. As a practicing witch myself, I appreciate the addition of Hestia in a positive light. Especially when this season was so focused on motherhood, womanhood, and sisterhood, Hestia was a lovely goddess to include.
For those who don’t know, Hestia is a goddess of the home and hearth, but not a maternal goddess. She was, in fact, a virgin goddess. So Adeline’s devotion to her made sense in a real-world witchcraft way. Adeline was supposed to be a symbol of female love and support. Including Hestia in this made that crystal clear.
This was made most clear with the behavior of Siobhan. She was a perfect example of a toxic person who uses sisterhood to use and manipulate others. This can be seen clearly in the flashback that begins this episode. We see Siobhan show kindness to Anna, who she wants to use while being cruel to the woman who shared her story at the start of the meeting. For Siobhan, kindness is a currency she spends to get something. And that is clear.
What didn’t work
Sadly, those two elements weren’t enough to save this episode. My first concern is that this ending had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
This wasn’t just a matter of having questions left after the ending. These were elements that we should have seen and just didn’t. Why were the witches diluting and working with blood near the end of the episode? Why didn’t Dex Senior get what was coming to him? What the hell was with those pointed green heels? My largest question, however, is this.
Did Anna imagine all of this? Did any of it happen? We don’t know. Consider the ending. I don’t want to spoil too much of this, so I’ll only point out Anna’s gown. It’s bloody in one scene and newly clean the next. This is only the example I can share without spoiling the ending. But we have no proof that any of these things happened to her.
While it’s fine to leave some questions up to the viewer, there were too many here. Rather than feeling mysterious, it just felt incomplete. And seeing as how this episode was much shorter than a standard one, this could have easily been corrected.
I would also like to hold some space for how this season ruined the good message of the book Delicate Condition. This novel was bloody, gory, and disturbing. But it also had a beautiful message about sisterhood, and women supporting women through motherhood, career choices, and life in general. There is so much pure, sisterly love in that book.
This is entirely missing from this season. It’s often turned on its head, with women betraying each other for their own selfish desires. And honestly, I hated that.
Finally, this season finale is another example of an ending ruining a good season. AHS Delicate wasn’t without its charm. Some episodes were great fun. There were elements that I truly enjoyed as a horror fan, a witch and a woman. But this ending just soured everything good about the season. It spoiled all of the enjoyment I had. Much like Sabrina, Dexter, and the podcast Dolores Roach, the ending ruined everything that came before it.
In the end, this finale was disappointing. It didn’t deliver on its promises, it did a disservice to the source material, and it was poorly executed. This series is more than capable of better. Delicate Condition, the novel, deserved a better interpretation.
However, as a long-time fan, I can honestly say that in twelve years of content, I have genuinely disliked a season and a half of American Horror Story. This one, and the second half of Double Feature. So while AHS Delicate was a disappointment, I am looking forward to season thirteen. In the meantime, I’m going to rewatch Coven and look forward to better stories to come.
(2 / 5)
Episode three of Amazon Prime’s Fallout continued the themes we’ve seen so far, with an added twist. With comedy and gore already blending, the story has added an air of tragic history for one of its least cuddly characters.
Let’s discuss.
The story
Our story starts with a flashback to before the bombs dropped. We see Coop, filming a movie. His wife is on set as well, and their adorable daughter. Coop has a comfortable life with a family he loves.
Isn’t that just a knife in the heart?
Back in the present, Lucy is traveling through the wastelands with the head of Wilzig. And she’s doing so with the same fear and joy that we’ve seen from her so far. Until that is, she runs into a Gulper. And after eating a defenseless deer, it swallowed up the head.
Eventually, The Ghoul catches up with Lucy and decides to capture her. After using her as bait, he decides to drag her along with him.
Meanwhile, Maximus gets a message from the Brotherhood of Steel. Rather than coming clean, he claims to be Knight Titus and is accidentally sent a new Squire. That squire is Thaddeus, one of Maximus’s bullies from the base. And Maximus wastes no time in taking some sweet, sweet revenge.
Finally, we return to Vault 33. The vault is healing from the Raider attack and the loss of Lucy. Norm and Chet are being punished for letting Lucy leave, by being fired from their jobs. This throws Chet because he had a cool job.
Norm, on the other hand, didn’t like his job. He didn’t like any job. So, since this is the only way anyone gets punishments in the vault, he’s given the task of feeding the Raiders.
And talking to the Raiders was maybe not a healthy thing for Norm to be doing. He might learn something he didn’t want to know.
What worked
The first thing I have to talk about is the massive creature called The Gulper.
This thing was fascinating. It was voracious, fast, and horrifying to look like. It was like a giant axolotl from Hell, with human fingers lining its whole mouth and throat. Why did it need fingers lining its mouth and throat? The better to drag someone down its throat and into its stomach. And the better to drag itself into my nightmares. This creature was well done.
On the flip side of this, I love the fact that the people of Vault 33 are so kind. They’re so willing to forgive, willing to care for their fellow man even when their fellow man is trying to kill them.
I don’t trust it, to be clear. But the perceived kindness from these people is uplifting. And I’m sure it will make whatever is going to eventually happen to them all the worse.
Of course, I can’t talk about the goodness of the vault dwellers without talking about the absolute horribleness of The Ghoul. The Ghoul is not a good person. He is cruel, and selfish, and clearly dislikes Lucy for some reason we do not yet know, and is probably not her fault.
But we kind of understand how he got that way, don’t we? During the flashbacks, we see that he’s lost his wife and daughter. We also see that he was used as a mascot for the very company that created the vaults. And, while we don’t have any concrete proof yet, we can probably guess that these are not the good guys. Even if we haven’t played the games, anyone who’s even slightly genre-savvy can already guess that.
Which is the last thing I want to bring up here.
We know something stinks with the vaults. Something beyond the obvious issues of wealth disparities and the people left outside to die while those who could afford a Vault spot were saved. Something is rotten with the vaults, we all know this. What we don’t know is what form this rot will take.
Not yet.
What didn’t work
Now, I wish I could say this was a perfect episode. But sadly, it wasn’t. And my biggest issue with the episode is with the character Maximus.
Now, I love Maximus. He wants to do good things in the world. He’s the underdog, and who doesn’t love that? He’s honorable and believes in the organization he belongs to.
I don’t love that he cannot do anything right. It feels like he wins fights by falling over and tripping into succeeding. And this character deserves so much more than that. Can we please, just once, see him be good at something or make a sound decision?
All that being said, this was still a fun episode. It was funny and bright, with an ominous feel and a horrific finger-ridden monster. I had a great time with it.
(4 / 5)
