The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Folk Horror 4th of July
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs continues with its diverse movie selections as well as the informative, and sometimes on-topic, rants Joe Bob is prone to deliver during breaks in the films on Folk Horror Night. His co-host, the intelligent and beautiful Darcy the Mailgirl, does her best to keep him under control but he is one hard to wrangle cowboy. It can be watched on AMC+ and Shudder.
Folk Horror Night
As Joe Bob Briggs himself says in the most recent episode of The Last Drive-In, “we are in a folk horror era.” The subgenre has enjoyed a resurgence, and viewers are taken back to its past with Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) and Beyond The Door III (1989) during Folk Horror Night.
The Hiding Game
Before viewers wander the fields in Dark Night of the Scarecrow, Joe Bob doles out seasonally-appropriate, though not medically sound, information on tick removal. I cheer for the return of Joe Bob’s ridiculous visual aids, although the content leaves me squirming in my chair. Darcy thankfully guides the conversation back to film and I no longer smell the sulfur of matches past.
Made for the Drive In
Made-for-TV movies are not common on The Drive-In, but the last two weeks have both featured one. Dark Night of the Scarecrow, directed by Frank De Felitta and released on CBS, ranks perhaps the highest among made-for-TV horror films. Without the hosts interjecting and reminding you of the network limitations, it is hard to differentiate this movie from a cinematic release.
The overall plot is a familiar tale of an ill-gotten execution and supernatural revenge, wrapped in burlap. Joe Bob warns viewers before watching that the character of Otis Hazelrigg, played by Charles Durning, is “one of the most hated characters in horror history.” By the end of the movie, it is very hard to disagree with him. He also credits the role of Bubba Ritter, played by Larry Drake, in defining Drake’s career.
The Drive-In Totals include but are not limited to: 1 vigilante round up, a killpit of the corn, a pitchfork through the gizzards, and brush machine fu. This movie earns another coveted four stars from Joe Bob, and Darcy describes herself as a superfan.
The First Scarecrow
According to Joe Bob, this is the first scarecrow movie. There are some things you trust him on enough that you don’t bother fact-checking. This is one of those times.
While the folk horror plays out, Joe Bob breaks in to break down the movie. An important story includes the editing Ray Bradbury did to help J.D Feigelson, the writer, with the script.
In the Dirt
As he breaks down casting information and the history of production, Joe Bob is intentional with the stories he chooses to highlight.
It’s often hard to catch the threads of Joe Bob’s rambles and weave them together. However, a simmering discomfort runs throughout the presentation of Dark Night of the Scarecrow. He highlights the tragic story of civil rights icon Booker Wright following his involvement in De Felitta’s Mississippi: a Self Portrait. He’s also certain to mention Durning’s history as a veteran of Normandy in WWII. “All his heroes were in those graves in Normandy.” My great-uncle is included in those numbers. He died while killing Nazis.
Mail Call!
The fan mail segment gives Joe Bob a chance to talk about working in movies as an actor. I find comfort in knowing that even the all-mighty Joe Bob gets nervous during auditions and cringes at past experiences. When he reveals he once learned a Cockney accent for a Mel Brooks role (he didn’t end up landing), Darcy enthusiastically asks to hear it. He sadly refuses, but this is the 4th of July / Folk Horror Night, so I forgive him.
Darcy believes this movie proves that a made-for-TV movie can be just as frightening as a theatrical release, and I wholeheartedly agree. This presentation is a treasure-trove of trivia and proves to any newcomers that Joe Bob certainly knows film.
My rating for Dark Night of the Scarecrow:
(4.5 / 5)
It’s the Folking Fourth!
Despite declining to do his 4th of July speech at the start of the episode, Joe Bob is unable to hold back in the second half of the night. He quickly introduces Beyond the Door III, and Darcy reveals she is over the current folk horror era.
I cannot do the speech justice in summation, so I very much recommend you watch it for yourself. The most important piece is his belief we should be able to debate with those we disagree with the most and still be able to say, “I sincerely wish for you to have a long life, to be happy, and to live the way you want to live without government interference.”
This is an idealistic notion, and requires good faith on both sides. Just take a look at Shiny Happy People, and tell me if you think everyone should be able to live without government interference. I understand his meaning though, as even those trapped in the IBLP cult are victims themselves.
Watching Joe Bob get choked up as he recommends “moving on without” those who can’t accurately define what being an American means triggers my own emotional response. Living in this country is difficult right now, for a multitude of reasons. But I believe, like Joe Bob, we have to keep working towards something better.
Trope City Central Station
Moving back to the Jeff Kwitney directed Beyond the Door III, Joe Bob describes it as: “The old story of the high school field trip to a dark forest in Serbia where inbred Satanists live.” The film is full of tropes and is also known as Train Amok.
The Drive-In Totals include but are not limited to: 1 ghost woman with bad teeth giving birth to a jackal, high-school-student-crispy-critter immolation, 1 ancient tattered warlock book, the devil as a rail-travel tourism enthusiast, and folk horror fu. “Three and a half stars. Joe Bob says check it out.”
Can You Show Me the Door?
As the American students die their way through Yugoslavia on a train, Joe Bob manages to stay mostly on track as he drops off information about the movie. Beyond the Door III is part of a wholly-unrelated trilogy produced by Ovidio Assonitis, and a possible prequel is currently in pre-production. The series of films are popular in international markets, and the use of the name is intended as a marketing draw.
While discussing the film Joe Bob asks, “Haven’t there been several opportunities to simply jump off of the fucking train?” When I recommend the characters do just that on Twitter during my account takeover, I promptly get our account suspended for encouraging self-harm. Sorry boss!
Sex-Appeal for Satan
Another criticism includes the main character Beverly not passing Joe Bob’s vibe check to fuck Satan. “I would expect Beelzebub, he’s got to be a freak, right?” Darcy enthusiastically agrees. She would know after her Walpurgisnacht dance with the devil.
Viewers are also treated with Darcy’s very simple principles of screenwriting: “It must be fun. Heads must roll.” Oh, and there must be breasts and “byu-tocks.” I think the movie meets these standards even if Darcy believes parts of it are too slow.
My rating for Beyond the Door III:
(3.5 / 5)
Home Is Where The Haunt Is
The final mail reading from author Kris Rose delivers a copy of her book, How Horror Movies Made Me a Better Feminist as well as a plea for a hagsploitation centered episode.
Joe Bob talks about Bette Davis and I almost wish instead that we’d get a conversation about the inclusive nature of horror to those who are othered by society. It’s not needed though, as Joe Bob has made it clear The Drive In is home to whatever mutant claims it. We’re all at Camp Joe Bob and can laugh together around the fire at the end of the night.
My rating for the episode:
(4.5 / 5)
Oh, the 90s, the renaissance of the slasher genre after it crashed and burned in the mid-80s. Halloween H20 is the seventh installment in the Halloween franchise. It hits a reset button on the canon, which utilizes the strong points of the decade. Without any further ado, let’s dive in!
Plot
We start with seemingly random characters as they die at the hands of Michael Myers, who is back for vengeance. He wants to find Laurie and is not willing to let anyone else stand in his way. Here is where the franchise diverges into a different canon that ignores all the movies after the second one.
After a wonderful tribute to the late Donald Pleasance we see Laurie. She is now a headmistress at a boarding school in California, with a new name and a son. Laurie appears functioning on the outside, but she is still traumatized by the past events, medicating both with prescription meds and alcohol. Not even her love interest (a fellow teacher) knows anything about her past.
Her son John doesn’t understand the severity of what his mother has been through. He repeatedly tells her to get over it (not the brightest moment despite him being a teenage boy). More teenage characters are introduced in the form of his girlfriend played by Michelle Williams in her Dawson’s Creek prime, and two friends.
John and the group want to stay at the empty boarding school while everyone else goes on a camping trip. What they think will be a romantic couples’ weekend turns into anything but. Michael catches up to Laurie and finds his way into the premises. What ensues is a blood-shed with some creative kills and full-on suspense.
Laurie takes a stand against Michael as she chases him down axe in hand, ready to finish this once and for all. This leads to a showdown with a glorious finale as Laurie decapitates Michael, seemingly ending his reign for good (or so we think).
Overall thoughts
Halloween H20 is a great overhaul of a franchise that was running out of steam. It encapsulates everything about the 90s, from the camera work to the soundtrack to the cheesy one-liners. It has a star-studded cast of the sweethearts of the decade and who could be mad at Jamie Lee Curtis’s comeback?
This movie takes an interesting approach to Laurie’s character. She spends the second movie kind of helpless waiting for someone to save her, however this time she takes the lead and faces her trauma head-on. Other characters have just enough development to make you care for their survival. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of the first one as well, with a bit of a slow burn before the big finish.
Ultimately, this is the most entertaining instalment of the franchise and has a lot of rewatchability for those movie nights. Slasher 2.0 at its best.
- Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin (Actors)
- Steve Miner (Director) – Debra Hill (Writer) – Bob Weinstein (Producer)
- English (Subtitle)
Last update on 2025-01-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Movies n TV
Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut, or The New Daughter
The New Daughter (2009) is a PG-13 horror film & Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut based on John Connolly’s short story of the same name.
The New Daughter (2009) is a PG-13 horror film and Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut. The film is based on John Connolly’s short story of the same name. The New Daughter stars Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis, and Gattlin Griffith. As of this review, the film is available on VUDU Free, The CW, Hoopla, Tubi TV, Freevee, and Plex, with additional purchase options.
John James (Kevin Costner) moves his children to a rural South Carolina town to start anew after his wife leaves him. Louisa James (Ivana Baquero) can’t stand this change, and Sam James (Gattlin Griffith) doesn’t understand why his mother isn’t with them. But after finding a burial mound, their attitudes suddenly switch. As John uncovers more of their new home’s history, he realizes there’s much to fear.
What I Like About Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut
Despite its 2009 release date, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films nominated it for the Saturn Awards’ Best DVD Release in 2011. As Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut, the film manages to hold an audience with a tight script and direction.
The acting sells this ominous mystery, which might otherwise become obscure amongst others in the genre. In particular, Kevin Costner’s John James and Ivana Baquero’s Louisa James center The New Daughter around their characters’ strained father-daughter relationship.
Ultimately, The New Daughter thrives in its atmosphere and execution. If we take the film plot point by plot point, The New Daughter doesn’t break the mold. Between Luiso Berdejo’s direction and the writing of John Travis and John Connolly, however, the film executes this uncomfortable tension that invests viewers.
Last update on 2025-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
It’s in The New Daughter‘s execution where it haunts its audience. There’s this uncomfortable powerlessness as John attempts to protect his family against the horrors in the mound and its corrupting influence.
The ending might seem uncommitted, but I would disagree. The film executes a balance between hope and horror that leads to ambiguity but doesn’t leave the audience dissatisfied. A bolder film might conclude with an unhappy ending, but The New Daughter gives a sliver of hope in its dark ending.
Tired Tropes and Triggers
A cat dies in the film. The act isn’t shown, but I understand this can be a dealbreaker. In loose connection, there are also animal carcasses.
There’s a loose and underdeveloped connection to Native American mythology, following along the idea of “Indian (Native Americans) burial grounds.” While this initial thought proves inaccurate, it still holds familiar plot points that might irk some.
There are some strange decisions revolving around Louisa. Needless to say, a part of the plot revolves around her beginning puberty. While nothing is explicit, the creatures require a mate, which suggests sexual assault.
What I Dislike about Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut
The aesthetic of the burial mound doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy. This becomes a problem when it looks like any hill in a forest. I don’t particularly see how the James family recognizes this as something strange and worth fixating on. As the film progresses, there are obvious reasons, but the aesthetic doesn’t execute this strangeness.
As addressed above, the premise remains familiar and safe, perhaps too safe. A family moves into a rural home, escaping a past withheld from the audience. The mother is out of the picture, and the father struggles to connect with his young daughter. I don’t subscribe to the idea that these are lazy points, but it might seem formulaic with how thick it dominates the film’s beginning.
Final Thoughts
The New Daughter is an impressive feature-length debut but one with notable flaws. There’s a familiarity and safety in the plot that hinders what could have been. However, the ominous mystery and acting provide the needed execution to create a haunting experience. If you’re looking for a horror following a terrified family against supernatural creatures, The New Daughter delivers.
(3.5 / 5)
After taking a week off, Dexter Original Sin is back. And while no piece of art can ever be entirely perfect, this was as close to perfect as I think we can expect.
The story
We start this episode right where the last one left off. Dexter, with a body in his trunk, finds his dumping grounds swarming with cops. So, keeping his head as cool as ever, he pulls out his forensic badge and pretends he’s supposed to be there. Then, he feeds the remaining arm from his second kill to the alligators before anyone can print it. But, not before Angel recognizes a distinct ring on the hand’s finger.
Jewelry really will be the death of Dexter.
While he might have gotten himself out of that mess, he still has a body to deal with. He decides to take it to a dump in broad daylight. Sometimes he acts like he wants to get caught. But then, maybe he does.
Meanwhile, the police are still looking for whoever kidnapped Nicky. There’s a horrific scene in this episode in which the poor kid has his finger chopped off. But this finger might well be the evidence that Miami Metro needs to catch the kidnapper because Dexter notices a sense of hesitation before the cut on Nicky that wasn’t present on the first little boy.
He also finds a drop of blood that doesn’t belong to Nicky.
Once again, it all comes back to blood.
What worked
As I’ve watched this series, and after consuming all of the rest of the work this franchise has offered us, one thing has become more and more clear.
Harry Morgan is a terrible human being.
Let’s just take this episode as an example. We see him strongarming a CI that he had an affair with, threatening to stick her in jail and drop her kids into foster care if she doesn’t keep risking her life for him. We then see him go home and lecture his wife, who he cheated on, for not forgiving him fast enough. And we know how this all ends for the Mosers. We know that Laura ends up dead and Harry takes the baby he liked, leaving Brian to the horrors of the foster care system.
- Michael C. Hall (Actor)
- Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Last update on 2025-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The thing is, we were never supposed to like Harry. More and more I realize that Harry is the bad guy. He’s the antagonist of Dexter. And as I’m rewatching the original series, I see clearly that he’s been the bad guy from the start. And I think that’s such a brilliant idea.
Not quite as cool, but still impressive was the serial killer advice scene in this episode. Dexter, struggling with where to hide his dead bodies, researches how other serial killers have done so. We see him talk to Ed Gein, David Berkowitz and John Wayne Gacy. This scene brought the absurdity of the series to the forefront. Our main character admires these men. These monsters did horrific things. And we still, somehow, against all decency, like him.
Let me also just say that Scott Reynolds who played Gacy did a fantastic job. The body language and line delivery were just so creepy. For someone who wasn’t on screen for more than a few minutes, he knew how to make a killer impression.
Finally, I want to applaud the twist in this episode. But, as always, I want to do so without giving it away! I will only say that there is a large reveal regarding the person who killed the judge’s son and abducted Nicky. And, I have to say, I didn’t see it coming. It was amazing and raised so many questions. Questions I cannot wait to have answers for.
Honestly, everything in this episode worked. It was well-written, well-acted, and well worth my time. My only complaint right now is that there are only three episodes left.
Of course, it’s usually the last episode of a Dexter show that ruins the whole thing. Let’s see if they can avoid that this time.
(4 / 5)
-
Movies n TV5 days agoGoosebumps The Vanishing, Back on Track With The Haunted Car
-
Book Reviews3 days ago
The Midnight Feast: Come for a romp in the Woods.
-
Original Creations7 days ago
Alice – A Haunting Tale of Isolation and Betrayal by Baylee Marion
-
Original Series4 days ago
Nightmarish Nature: Invisibles Among Us
