Darcy the Mail Girl is partly responsible for Joe Bob’s return to the airwaves. Now, we get to hear her stories behind The Last Drive-In.
If you have ever watched Joe Bob’s Drive In Theater or MonsterVision, you know that there have been many Mail Girls during his career. But, Diana Prince (AKA Darcy the Mail Girl), currently featured on The Last Drive-In, is different somehow. Fans respond to her as more than just another beautiful woman, they see her as a fellow fan (or “Mutant”).
I had the chance to catch up with Diana Prince/Darcy, who turned out to be just as sweet and approachable as she seems to be on The Last Drive-In and at fan conventions. She gave me the dish on how she ended up as a Mail Girl, those awesome costumes and the surprising story behind that emotional Red Christmas exchange.
1428 Elm: Full disclosure: as a fan of The Last Drive-In, I belong to a social media group called The Drive-In Mutant Collective. Although I know you have talked in the past about how you met Joe Bob and encouraged him to step back into the spotlight, that seems to be the main story super-fans want to know about. Can you tell the story one more time for the uninitiated?
Darcy the Mail Girl: Sure! And thanks so much for watching the show! Long story short(ish), JB was making the rounds promoting a book about literal rocket science called Eccentric Orbits as his alter-ego John Bloom. I found out one of those signings was gonna be close(ish) to me (San Francisco…I’m in LA) and had always dreamed of meeting him and telling him how awesome he is.
I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass, so I hopped on a plane and flew to San Francisco for the signing. I dressed up as a Mail Girl, and documented the process of going to meet him on Snapchat and IG because I was hella nervous, and knew I’d chicken out of talking to him unless my online friends were holding me accountable. When I got there, I was apparently the only one there for Joe Bob, not John Bloom…something I was NOT expecting. It seemed like everyone but me was a super smart scientist or something, and there for the actual book he was promoting.
I felt like I stood out like a busted thumb in my goofy Mail Girl ensemble and wanted to run away immediately, but stayed for the lecture part because I’d come that far, so what the heck? I did actually try to sneak out immediately after his talk was over, but some kind folks there could tell I was clearly a big fan and basically forced me to stay and go meet him and get a pic with him, and I’m so very glad they did! He was so sweet to me, making me feel less dumb for showing up in low-key cosplay, and we became friends right then and there.
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We talked a lot from then on, and I kept telling him that there are a HUGE number of Mutants out there like me who missed the s*** out of him and wanted him back in the worst way. He didn’t believe me and thought his method of hosting was irrelevant in the internet age because “people can just Google what I’d tell them, so there’s no point now”. I told him every single day for a couple of years that there was much more to Joe Bob than just his movie knowledge, and that he gave us information in an entertaining/interesting way that a Google search can’t match. I posted about him in various places online and showed him the loving responses I got back, proving I wasn’t the only one out there longing for Joe Bob’s return.
At the same time, Austin Jennings and Matt Manjourides (now our director and producer) were also trying to convince him to come back, but they took it a step further and found a place for him to do the show again (Shudder, of corpse). When it turned out that JB really was FINALLY coming back for (what we thought was) the proper goodbye he never got during the TNT days, he asked me to be part of it as the Mail Girl. He said I’d made him feel like there might actually be a point to all this, plus I’d work for free, so it was a no-brainer!
1428 Elm: Joe Bob has had several “Mail Girls,” but you in particular really seem to resonate with the fans. Why do you think that is?
Darcy the Mail Girl: Thank you! That means a lot to me! I think it’s because we live in a social media age. I’m able to actually reach out and interact with viewers now, where previous Mail Girls didn’t. It also might have to do with me pretty much just getting to be myself on the show, and I am an honest-to-goodness Mutant. The other Mail Girls were hired through modeling agencies based on their headshots; JB brought me on because of my passion for the genre, which I think a lot of folks watching can relate to.
1428 Elm: You have said in the past that you were initially very nervous about appearing on camera during The Last Drive-In (especially during the first marathon). Has that gotten easier for you, and how did you combat your fear?
Darcy the Mail Girl: Easier? I think so, but still not easy. It’s hard to put yourself out there knowing folks all over the interwebs are just waiting to tell you (and your boss) how much you suck. Every time we have to shoot (or even make an in-person appearance where I’m expected to talk to so many people), I get major anxiety and usually go to JB crying, “I seriously can’t do this. You have to find someone else.” He then, in his very JB way, reminds me that I’ve “already done it 10,000 times at this point so one more isn’t going to hurt.”
That doesn’t usually make me feel a whole lot better, honestly, but what it does is reminds me I’m there to help him, and he feels like he sincerely needs me. I can’t say no to that…So, I guess I get past my stage fright/anxiety for Joe Bob, and for the countless other Mutants who write me saying they know what I’m going through. I tell them to be brave and face their fears. It’d be hypocritical if I didn’t do the same.
1428 Elm: You have exhibited some really clever cosplay on the show, do you make your own costumes, or are they made for you? What are your favorite costumes from The Last Drive-In?
Darcy the Mail Girl: Thank you! I do all my own costumes, which I think is kind of apparent to be honest. I really just throw stuff together that represents the films we show which is the best I’m able to on a shoestring budget. So, I’m super happy when folks like them! My fave so far is Mary Lou. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to cosplay as her, so that was an amazing opportunity that I think turned out pretty well!
I found that dress on Ebay for $10! Tom Atkins was also super fun just because it was so goofy…and honestly, the Reggie Bannister one from Phantasm was fun, too, even though my makeshift bald cap wasn’t completely successful. He was happy and flattered that I dressed as him, and getting a pic of us being twinsies was awesome and something I will always treasure!
1428 Elm: December’s Red Christmas marathon was one of my personal favorites, because it was really well-rounded where you and Joe Bob were concerned. We laughed at your antler impalement, and teared up at the sad personal stories each of you told at the end. Was this something that the two of you talked about in advance, or was it ad-libbed? Either way, it was captivating.
Darcy the Mail Girl: Thank you! The antler impalement was something he wanted to do before we even knew for sure we were doing a Christmas show. I think it was brought up during the Halloween Hootenanny that if we did come back for a Christmas special I was getting impaled! I think he thought that would scare me somehow, but are you kidding me? That was a dream come true! The “sad” theme came about because he really did think we had a Horror Host Christmas Party thing happening, but it all came apart kind of last minute.
He was legit depressed, and not feeling festive, but I was trying to pep him up and help him find his “Horrorday” Spirit. We talked a bit off camera about what would cheer him up, and since he knows a lot about me, he asked me to tell that story. I really didn’t want to, but he said he’d share one of his sad stories if I did, and refused to drop it. He’d get a little smiley when I entertained the idea, but bummed all over again if I said no.
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I really just wanted him to be happy and realize how amazing it was that we got to have our little Mutant Party, even without guests, so eventually JB won out. It was scary to be that open, but I’ve gotten a lot of messages from folks who went through similar experiences, so now I’m glad we did end up getting so personal. I just hope if we do another one next year we get to keep it peppy!
1428 Elm: We know you are a genuine horror fan, what is your favorite “current” horror film, and why?
Darcy the Mail Girl: Hmmm…If Terrifier counts, put me down for that one! I LOVE that movie and am counting down the seconds til’ Terrifier 2 comes out! There’s also a little movie called Scarehouse from 2014 that I LOVED, and think deserves a lot more attention. If you want even newer than that, though, I love Ready or Not with all my soul, and The Banana Splits Movie from last year was surprisingly a lot of fun!
1428 Elm: You tweeted a photo of yourself recently standing next to a stack of boxes, and announced that “every single episode of #Monstervision and #DriveInTheater” were in your hot little hands. That’s exciting news, what is your dream for digitizing the episodes? Do you have a plan for making them available for the fans?
Darcy the Mail Girl: I’m just starting to figure all that out right now. All I know is that JB did nothing with these for so long, and that’s a travesty! I want to get these out to the people who loved these shows (including myself) ASAP, and maybe introduce some new fans to an amazing era of TV history they missed out on. There’s a reason why Joe Bob is a living legend to so many of us, and a big part of that is evident in this footage that is super hard (and in many cases literally impossible) to come by anywhere else.
1428 Elm: The Last Drive-In has been a huge success for Shudder, and although an announcement was made that the series was being renewed, nothing has been said yet about a premier date. When can we expect that announcement? I mean, I NEED TO KNOW!
Darcy the Mail Girl: VERY SOON! I promise!
Are you a fan of Shudder’s The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs? Do you think Darcy is his most compelling Mail Girl? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.