Tom Savini to join Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder’s The Last Drive-In

Shudder subscribers were thrilled when Chris Jericho visited The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs. Now the horror host welcomes genre icon, Tom Savini.

So far, Joe Bob has remained tight-lipped about which films he will be showing on the May 1 double feature of his Shudder series, but he did announce a guest star on Twitter today. Make-up effects master/stuntman/actor/director Tom Savini will be assisting Joe Bob and Darcy during the showing of at least one of the featured films.

It stands to reason that the movie Savini will co-host will likely be one of his own. But, there are a lot to choose from, so it’s not so easy to narrow it down. Even paring the list down to movies currently streaming on Shudder doesn’t give us a clear answer, since there are several available. Friday the 13th, Maniac and Creepshow 2 are all being offered at this time, and subscribers can stream Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini, which is a great documentary about the horror legend.

If you aren’t familiar with the FX guru, here’s a quick primer to get you up to speed before Friday night. He first rose to fame due to his ground-breaking make-up effects in movies such as Martin, Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th.

From childhood, he was fascinated with makeup effects, and used his skills to scare his friends. He joined the Army, and after a harrowing tour in Vietnam as a combat photographer, he became the first undergrad to receive a full fellowship to Carnegie-Mellon’s acting and directing program. He also became a master at the art of fencing.

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He put those skills to work in later years, often acting and/or performing stunt work in the very movies for which he was designing make up effects. You can see Savini on screen in Martin, Dawn of the Dead (original and remake), Maniac, Creepshow , From Dusk ‘Til Dawn (he played the whip-wielding Sex Machine), Planet Terror and Machete.

As if all of those accomplishments are not enough, he also directs, working on the likes of Tales from the Darkside, the Night of the Living Dead remake and Shudder’s Creepshow series, in which he directed By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain. All in all, Tom Savini is what you might call the horror version of a Renaissance Man!

Whether you are currently a Savini fan or not, you most likely will be after you catch his appearance on The Last Drive-In. After that, I highly recommend a viewing of Smoke and Mirrors, it will prove to you what a fascinating life he has led, and what kind of man he really is behind all of the blood and gore.

The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs airs a new episode each Friday night at 9:00 pm Eastern time.  A free 30-day trial subscription to Shudder is available if you use the promo code SAVINI at checkout.

Are you a fan of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs? Tell us what you like about the series in the comments section.