Joe Bob Briggs is leaving Shudder. After eight seasons, "The Last Drive-In" is coming to an end on the popular streaming service. Joe Bob and Darcy, the mail carrier, will air a few more specials before it's over, but that's it. The good news? As longtime Briggs fans know, drive-ins never die. So he and Darcy are already gearing up to launch a brand new show next year. While many details remain under wraps, we've learned a little bit about what they're up to.
See also: Exploring the Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Joe Bob and Darcy perform live in Austin, Texas, as part of a double bill called "Satan's Workshop." What are they "crafting" there? The aforementioned new show. "Starting January 1st, we'll be showing a new show called 'The Last Drive-In: The Final Chapter – Joe Bob in Space,'" joked Briggs.
Whether this ultimately becomes the actual title (most likely not) doesn't really matter. What really interests fans of "The Last Drive-In" is what the next chapter in Briggs's story will look like. Will it simply be the same show with a different name on a new streaming service? Judging by what Briggs told the audience at the first of two evenings dedicated to testing potential films for this new show, it seems unlikely.
«"We want your opinion," Briggs said during his introduction before the films began. "We'll be studying your faces, your bodies, and your involuntary speech to see if these films have any effect on you.".
«"We don't care whether you like the film or not. We care whether you find it boring," he added.
The first film of the evening was Raphael Nussbaum's "Pets," followed by "Tough Guys Don't Dance." Neither is an outright horror film, but they are certainly obscure genre classics of varying genres. The former is a hippie-era road trip with plenty of nudity, sex, and a wild, damn-cool ending. The latter is a bizarre crime thriller written and directed by the legendary Norman Mailer, which was critically panned in its time but, in the right company, becomes a wildly entertaining disaster. And it was the right company.
In most cases, these films wouldn't be popular entertainment today. However, Joe Bob Briggs has always been able to resist cynicism and, instead, find the good in films that most ignore. This will undoubtedly continue in the new series, as evidenced by the films we've seen. But Briggs intends to focus even more specifically on something.
«"For Satan's Workshop, we're looking for films that we can use in our new show that aren't overused," Briggs said. "I mean, Plan 9 from Outer Space is a really funny movie, but it's been through the roof. But Kid… one of my favorite films we've shown on Shudder, it's not overused. It's just as shocking today as it was in 1973.".
Briggs noted that they chose Osin because the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) is located there. "Give them money. Give this theater money, and give them money," Briggs said earnestly. "They preserve and restore films that no one else cares about, and my goal is to show all 6,000 of their genre films, preferably to an audience like this one. People with extremely poor taste.".
The beloved horror show host then noted that "the golden age for forgotten cult films was between 1969 and 1977." After that, he gave perhaps the biggest hint yet about what we can expect from the new show. It will focus on forgotten things, not beloved classic horror films. As Briggs explained:
«"The most interesting thing for us was working with forgotten films, or films that no one knew, or films that people saw many years ago but their popularity has changed dramatically.".
Briggs then cited the film "Showgirls" as an example. Judging by what the future holds, several things can be said about this new show. First, the films were very well received by audiences, so it's entirely possible they'll be shown. Furthermore, this new show may be less horror-focused, at least explicitly. In the world of forgotten films that haven't been "played around," there are other genre works that don't fit neatly into the horror framework Briggs apparently wants to explore.
Whether the Last Drive-In audience will be pleased or repelled by this will depend on each individual. I can confidently say that the films were a joy for this audience, and Joe Bob did a great job teaching us how to watch them for maximum enjoyment. The spirit of what he's always done will remain unchanged, even if the format and programming change slightly. The new show, whatever its name, will, at its core, be Joe Bob Briggs doing what he's been doing, broadly speaking, for decades.
Drive-in theaters seem to be thriving.
The release date and location of Joe Bob's new show have not yet been announced, but stay tuned for more details as they become available.
Satan's Workshop (Photo: Joe Bob Briggs).