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)
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)
