John Irving Bloom aka Joe Bob Briggs has become today’s answer to Elvira. The film critic and actor, who hosts The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder TV, has built a loyal following for his unique deep-dive research into the horror and exploitation films he presents and his comical commentary, all with a “redneck” twist. He may not have Elvira’s cleavage, but he does have a sexy sidekick, Darcy the Mail Girl, and their banter, themes and guests make for a party-like experience.
From The Movie Channel to TNT ‘s MonsterVision to his current gig at Shudder, Briggs’ funny and factual way of celebrating film has made him beloved by movie fans. The fandom –called “The Mutant Fam” is so fierce in fact, that he’s been trending on Twitter since the new season debuted a couple weeks ago. The show runs live on Fridays, screening a double feature of horror that is then available for streaming on Sundays. All five seasons are available to watch on Shudder now.
We spoke with the menacing movie buff just as the season kicked off with two creepers from Italian Horror master Lucio Fulci. A celebration of Walpurgisnacht (the halfway to Halloween holiday) with witch movies followed and most recently, he presented a “Cinco de F*cking Mayo” show with scary Mexican movies. Season 5 is split into two blocks with the first five episodes debuting on Fridays through May 19th. After a brief hiatus the show will return in mid-June for five more double features. Coming up: Mama’s Day movies on May 12 and a Dysfunctional Family Jubilee on May 19.
LA WEEKLY: After four successful seasons and now, a season five of The Last Drive-in, how do you feel about the show?
JOE BOB BRIGGS: I’m feeling great about it because Shudder leaves me alone and let’s me do what I do. I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had three shows and at all three networks there’s been no format or rules. When I was at the movie channel 1700 years ago, it was of the first premium…
Read the full article here
