We chatted with Joe Bob Briggs recently about that reindeer antler impalement, researching the films he shows and the resurgence of the drive-in.
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs returned to Shudder recently for its second season, and the first two episodes surprised and delighted fans. Episode one included Chopping Mall and Bloodsucking Freaks and episode two featured Maniac and Heathers.
Joe Bob also brought us some special guests, including wrestler Chris Jericho, drive-in movie queen Kelli Maroney and make up effects legend Tom Savini. With the rest of the season to go, let’s hear what Joe Bob had to say about The Last Drive-In and social isolation.
1428 Elm: I think everyone believed the first marathon was going to be your swan song, but it was so popular that it famously “broke the internet.” The marathon led to mini-holiday marathons, then The Last Drive-In, and now you are starting up your second season. Why do you think you resonate so much with viewers?
Joe Bob Briggs: Nobody wants to watch a movie alone, and the whole cultural zeitgeist is moving toward each piece of “content” being viewed by a single person, at a single time and place, watching on his “device”—in other words, pretty much the opposite of what made the film industry great. Films are designed for group viewing. I’m the person watching the movie with you. Hopefully I have something to say about the movie, the world, and us—you and I, the viewers—that makes the experience better. But the short answer to your question is that it’s a revolt against social isolation.
1428 Elm: If licensing agreements were not an issue, what movies would you love to show on The Last Drive-In?
Joe Bob Briggs: Halloween 3, because Darcy won’t leave me alone until we show it. The Howling 7, because it’s the worst movie ever made. I’m not real picky about what we show, though, I can appreciate all the various subgenres of horror.
1428 Elm: We know that you love classic horror films of all kinds, but what are some of your favorite newer horror movies, and why?
Joe Bob Briggs: The Invisible Man, because of the brilliant way it creates the fear of being stalked, terrorized and not believed—an example of a movie that’s better than its source material. VFW—geezers versus drug dealers—who wouldn’t love that?
Reindeer Games
1428 Elm: Fans loved Darcy’s reindeer antler impalement during Red Christmas, how did you come up with the idea, and did Shudder really say no to the idea of Darcy doing the scene topless (as it was in Silent Night, Deadly Night 2)?
Joe Bob Briggs: Yes, Shudder is comfortable with nudity in the movies but not nudity in the material Shudder is responsible for. One of Darcy’s First Amendment causes is “Free the Nipple,” so she prefers to be topless whenever possible. I came up with the idea of the reindeer antler impalement as a way to tease Darcy, but it backfired because she was so into it we couldn’t NOT do it.
1428 Elm: There have been a number of surprisingly touching moments during your time on Shudder, most notably the prom held at the end of Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II and the sad stories you and Darcy exchanged during Red Christmas. Who comes up with those ideas, and do you expect them to be so emotional when they are happening?
Joe Bob Briggs: Well, yes and no. We have a special relationship with our fans, they expect us to be a little bit more personal than normal. It actually started with my last rant on the July 2018 marathon, about the great John Zacherle—I thought it was my farewell to hosting and I sort of became emotional in the middle of it, and people remembered that and commented on it.
1428 Elm: Do you have an end date in sight for the series, or will you continue on as long as Shudder lets you?
Joe Bob Briggs: I’m very happy to be doing the show but don’t want to wear out my welcome with the fans. I think people will tell me when they tire of the format. I want to help Shudder become an ongoing positive force for the celebration of horror, so my main mission is to grow their audience.
1428 Elm: Do you ever let fans give you ideas for movies they would like you to show, and if so, what are some examples? (I would personally love to see Herschell Gordon Lewis’s The Gruesome Twosome, which my Uncle took me to see when I was a kid).
Joe Bob Briggs: You might want to watch The Gruesome Twosome again before advocating for it—not one of Herschell’s best, and even Herschell’s best can be suspect—but yes, fans send in movie requests all the time, and Darcy organizes them into a list that can be upvoted or downvoted so that we always know what the most requested and desired titles are. Having said that, some of our most successful episodes have featured movies that nobody ever requested—like Demon Wind.
The Return of the Drive-In
1428 Elm: You have had many great guests on your series, most recently makeup effects master Tom Savini, have any of your prior guests made you feel star-struck? Who are your wish list guests?
Joe Bob Briggs: Roger Corman is the only guy I’m a little in awe of. Everyone else just seems part of the family.
1428 Elm: You are a fount of knowledge when it comes to the movies you screen on the series. How much research do you do on a film before you show it, and how do you go about your research?
Joe Bob Briggs: Well, I usually re-watch the movie, often more than once if there’s something I don’t understand. I read the biographies of the actors, director, writer, even if I’ve featured them before. Sometimes I read the novel the movie is based on.
Sometimes I read academic studies of the director. I make sure I’m aware of any interviews the creators have given. HOWEVER, I don’t subscribe to the theory that what the director or writer says about the movie is actually what the movie is about. That’s what is called the “intentional fallacy.”
The final version of a movie is a combination of many inputs, some of them unconscious, some of them accidental, and it never has an exact correspondence to what the director thinks it is. I also read some of the “user reviews” on IMDB, not so much for critical insight as to see what the general public thinks about the film.
The hardest movies to research are the most famous ones—because there’s not that much that hasn’t already been said about them. The fun ones are movies that were “lost” and so everything you find out has to be reported from scratch.
1428 Elm: Given the current situation with COVID-19, do you think it’s possible that the lowly drive-in could make a comeback, and how do you see that happening?
Joe Bob Briggs: The drive-in was already making a comeback and then several states shut ‘em down as “non-essential businesses.” Leave it to government entities to ALWAYS regard the arts as “non-essential.” The drive-ins will definitely thrive this year, but the big theater chains are already figuring out ways to social-distance indoors as well. By the time the new Wonder Woman movie premieres in August, you’ll have people separated by two or three seats watching on 14 screens in the same multiplex.
1428 Elm: Thank you so much for your time, we look forward to seeing the surprises you have in store for your second season on Shudder!
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