Joe Bob Briggs (John Bloom) and Darcy the Mail Girl (Diana Prince), America’s “first and foremost Drive-In Movie Critic,” television personality, writer, and horror fan had just completed their second official annual Joe Bob’s Jamboree celebration in Memphis, Tennessee. The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs ended its fourth season with a three-day fan convention, meet-and-greets, and a tour of Graceland, sponsored by the duo to celebrate their fans.
A fifth season of The Last Drive-In was announced by CBR, although the debut date has not yet been announced, as well as more holiday-themed episodes. You can never go wrong with a trip to the drive-in! The harmonica music begins. A year after the inaugural successful Joe Bob’s Jamboree took place at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, Pennsylvania in 2021, Briggs and his team decided to bring the horror festival back to Memphis, Tennessee for the following year.
Briggs asked his adoring followers, known as the “Mutant Fam,” to join him at the Malco Summer Drive-In for a live and in-person celebration of the conclusion of his fourth season on Shudder’s The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, which began on July 8 and ran through July 10. Commercial Appeal reports that Briggs described the event as “three days of ridiculous orgasms of nerdy fun,” which included a fan convention at the Hilton Memphis that featured celebrities such as Kelli Maroney from Chopping Mall, Sleepaway Camp actress Felisa Rose, and Dave Sheridan from the Scary Movie franchise.
After the conventions had ended, Briggs would take over the Malco Drive-four In’s screens and throw a movie night. This year’s Halloween III was shown on the first night, and the cast and crew were on hand to address any questions fans had about the picture, something they had requested for a long time. During the second night, Rock ‘n’ High School and Bubba Ho-Tep, starring Bruce Campbell as an ageing Elvis Presley, were shown in traditional Last Drive-In style, while Sunday was dedicated to indie filmmakers and featured two submissions screened by Briggs, with each night featuring a specially chosen live musical performance. Enigmatically dressed in pearl-snap blouses and bolo ties, Joe It’s Bob Briggs’ job to celebrate horror’s most repulsive elements, whether they’re from the past, present, or yet to come.
On Friday nights, Briggs is always holding a can of beer in his hand as he launches into unexpectedly insightful tandems on everything from social commentary to the minutia of forgotten horror films. At The Last Drive-In, self-proclaimed weirdos may enjoy films like 2021’s Hellbender and classics like Tenebrae by Dario Argento. Guests like director Eli Roth and Blumhouse producer Jason Blum occasionally appear. Briggs and Darcy are a Shudder mainstay because of their dedication to serving the niche horror fan community by introducing them to films they may not have otherwise seen and by sharing their depth of grindhouse and mainstream horror expertise.
One of The Last Drive-central In’s themes is its Mutant Family oath. “Drive-in mutants are our kind. We aren’t like the rest of the populace, unfortunately. We’re ill! We’re a filthy bunch. A vomit meter would put us over the top. The blood, breasts, and animals of the animal kingdom are all sacred to us. Kung-Fu City has our full support. We’ll boogie ’til we puke as long as there’s a drive-in theatre left on this globe. There will be a lot of bloodsheds. The drive-in is here to stay. Amen.”
No release date has been given for the next season of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, although previous seasons are already available on Shudder. In the words of ‘Joe Bob: “Check it out.” My drive-in buddies were saying their goodbyes as the last car pulled out of the Malco Summer Drive-In and Joe Bob’s Drive-In Jamboree ended. There is no one better than our supporters in the entire universe. Shudder has also renewed ‘The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs’ for a fifth season.