Season 6 of the Shudder series The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs wrapped up with a six film marathon called the Nightmareathon at the end of August – but before that marathon even aired, Joe Bob had already announced that Shudder had renewed The Last Drive-In for season 7! That season will likely premiere sometime next spring, but one of the many great things about The Last Drive-In is that we always get a good number of specials between the seasons. In fact, we’re going to get two specials just this month, including a Friday the 13th double feature with special guest Adrienne King!

The first special will be airing not on Shudder but on AMC (Shudder is owned and operated by AMC Networks). Here’s the information:

Wednesday, October 9th – Joe Bob brings Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th Part 2 to AMC’s Fearfest. Part 1 airs at 8pm ET and Part 2 begins at 10:40pm ET on AMC. The Just Joe Bob segments of the special will go on demand on Shudder/AMC+ on 10/13. As mentioned, Adrienne King – who played heroine Alice in the original Friday the 13th and returned to be killed off in the opening sequence of Friday the 13th Part 2, will be a special guest during this double feature.

Coming along on Friday, October 25th is a special called Joe Bob’s Beezlebub Bash, which will air at 9pm ET on Shudder and AMC+ in the US & Canada. We don’t have any information on this one beyond the title, but we can probably count on Joe Bob to at least show a double feature (the title of the movies will likely be kept secret until the special airs).

On The Last Drive-In, the world’s foremost drive-in movie critic hosts eclectic horror movies, talking about their merits, histories and significance to genre cinema.

The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs is produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell and directed by Austin Jennings. Joe Bob is joined on every episode by Diana Prince as Darcy the Mail Girl.

Are you a fan of Joe Bob Briggs, and will you be tuning in for these specials? Let us know by leaving a comment below. I watch every episode of The Last Drive-In and every special, so of course I’ll be watching these specials. As a huge Friday the 13th fan, I’m especially excited to watch that double feature with Adrienne King, even though I’ve already seen Joe Bob host both movies more than once. Joe Bob Briggs and the Friday the 13th franchise are two things I can never get tired of.

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When the Todd Phillips-directed crime drama Joker opened in theaters in 2019, the War Dogs and The Hangover helmer surprised cinephiles with something different from the DC Universe. Joker’s dark and exploratory take on the classic Batman villain immediately became a cinematic sensation, with scores of moviegoers divided about the film’s unique vision of the Jester of Genocide and the beginnings of his hold over Gotham’s less fortunate and frustrated. Fans demanded a sequel after the gripping film banked over a billion dollars at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film before Deadpool & Wolverine ate Arthur’s lunch. Well, Todd Phillips answered the call, but Joker: Folie à Deux is one of 2024’s most divisive features, with fans and critics feeling confused about its bizarre direction.

Fans entered Panic Mode when Todd Phillips revealed the sequel’s musical roots. How many songs are we talking about here? How do they fit into the overall narrative? Does Phoenix’s tap dancing and Lady Gaga’s crooning get in the way of a satisfying story? Only you can decide how you feel about these elements. While some critics and fans praise Joker: Folie à Deux for taking a wild swing in an era of paint-by-numbers superhero sequels, others feel it’s a toothless courtroom drama lacking the original’s appeal and love affair with anarchy.

For context, PostTrak published a 1/2 star score with a 40% positive rating, similar to Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded disasterpiece Megalopolis (45%). Meanwhile, 24% of viewers say they’ll recommend Joker: Folie à Deux to their friends. The movie performs poorly on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 37% Critic Score, nose-diving from an initial 62% Fresh posting.

While these numbers paint a grim picture, the only way to know if Joker: Folie à Deux is any good is to see the movie yourself. I’ve lost count of how many times someone (even my co-workers) suggested I wouldn’t like something, and then I came back to them with a list of reasons why the movie hit hard for me. Take this with a grain of salt from a guy whose favorite movie (not the best movie, mind you) is Death to Smoochy, an all-but-forgotten dark comedy panned by critics.

So, what did you think about Joker: Folie à Deux? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below, and please give folks a heads-up if you’re going to post spoilers. Conversations around Joker: Folie à Deux will surely be hot, so don’t hold back.

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Last month, JoBlo Media and Octane Multimedia teamed up to launch a new YouTube channel named JoBlo TV, which hosts multiple feature films to watch for free throughout the week. The genres we’ll be focusing on at JoBlo TV are Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Thrillers, and since we have now in spooky season of October, with some of us celebrating Halloween all month long, we’ve been leaning into the horror and thriller genres this week.

The movies that have been released on JoBlo TV over the last week are the home invasion thriller Safe House 1618, the human prey horror film American Hunt, the bizarre supernatural horror film It Hatched, the sci-fi movie No Tomorrow, the supernatural slasher Curse of the Scarecrow, and the supernatural horror film Ouija Craft.

Calvin T. Shepherd wrote and directed Safe House 1618, which shows what happens when a revenge plot traps three sisters and their getaway driver in a safe house until they can escape the country, but they may be running from so much more than just the police. Jasmine Day, Matison Card, Brittney Carpenter, Jesse Davis, Ryan Fredericks, Cody Alban, Andrew Hook, Michael Puchino, Wyatt Jordan, Randy Rochford, Maddie Steele, Emma Gollob, and Byron Thompson star.

Written and directed by Aaron Mirtes, American Hunt has the following synopsis: A group of friends is torn apart when they become part of two human hunter’s sick game. The men give them ten minutes to hide, and then the real hunt begins. The film stars Brad Belemjian, David Ditmore, Lacy Hartselle, Taylor Novak, Cris Ruiz, and Allison Shrum.

It Hatched was directed by Elvar Gunnarsson, who crafted the screenplay with Ingimar Sveinsson and Magnús Ómarsson… and there’s really no way a synopsis can do this one justice. It’s so wild, weird, and unique, you really have to see it to believe it. This won’t be for everyone, but it’s sure to get people talking because it’s so strange, switching back and forth between funny and disturbing. The IMDb synopsis goes like this: A young couple set out to open a guesthouse in a remote place in Iceland. They come for peace but soon find out that something evil is lurking beneath their basement and hunting them in their dreams while they sleep. Here’s another attempt to explain it: Pétur and Mira move from Nashville, Tennessee to a remote fjord in Iceland in search of peace and serenity. Their plans are horrifically altered when an ancient demon escapes from under their basement floor and Mira gives birth to an egg. Gunnar Kristinsson and Vivian Ólafsdóttir took on the lead roles.

No Tomorrow was written and directed by Ben Tedesco, who also stars in the film alongside Joseph H. Tedesco, Jeremy Cohen, Sarah Schachte, and Billie Tedesco. Here’s the synopsis: Ben is attempting to prove that he has found himself stuck in a time-loop amid the global pandemic. He begins by documenting the banality of this recurring day on his iPhone until one morning he steps into the kitchen and finds his dad, still living the same day, but is in a different colored shirt – and realizes his hypothesis isn’t asking the right question. With the unwitting help of his friend, Jeremy, Ben discovers that he is in fact shifting through the multiverse and sets out to discover if a return to his previous existence is possible before his alternate realities run out and existence as we know it comes to an end.

Kacey Moore and Louisa Warren directed Curse of the Scarecrow, working from a script by Shannon Holiday. The synopsis: After witnessing their parents murder as infants, June and Carl have held a deadly secret throughout their entire lives, a secret that none will believe. Years later, June is back to investigate the family home after her estranged brother Carl’s mysterious suicide. As she walks the grounds, and inhabits the house, June learns that the Scarecrow who came to take her family is walking once again and is seeking revenge on the town. Kate Lister, Cassandra French, Tommy Vilés, Tiffany-Ellen Robinson, Darrell Griggs, and Tim West star, and Louisa Warren also has an acting role.

American Hunt writer/director Aaron Mirtes also wrote and directed Ouija Craft, which tells the following story: After a member of their coven dies in a tragic accident, two witches use an ancient Ouija board to cast a spell that resurrects their friend from the grave, only to find that she is extremely powerful and not herself. Ivy Rhodes, Allison Shrum, Lacy Hartselle, Brad Belemjian, Alice Raver, David Ditmore, and Bella Martin star.

To follow our JoBlo TV releases, click over to the YouTube channel and subscribe! We also recently launched a new page at JoBloYouTubeNetwork.com, where you can access all of our YouTube channels from one place. 

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Take the fancy place settings out of the cabinet and pop the bubbly because Disney’s The Princess Diaries 3 is courting Joy Ride director Adele Lim to helm the next film in its long-standing Princess Diaries franchise. Lim and Disney already share a past, as she co-wrote the studio’s 2021 animated film Raya and the Dragon, starring Kelly Marie Chan, Awkwafina, and Gemma Chan.

“As a diehard fan of the original Princess Diaries, I’m beyond excited to be a part of bringing the third iteration of this beloved franchise to life.  We look forward to celebrating its core tenants of female power, joy, and mentorship with audiences worldwide,” Adele Lim told Deadline about seizing her chance to helm The Princess Diaries 3.

Lim’s writing credits extend beyond Raya and the Dragon. She was a writer and producer on One Tree Hill and Lethal Weapon and then became the showrunner for the CW series Star-Crossed. She wrote the Jon M. Chu-directed romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, which became a critical darling, Golden Globe-nominated film, and Critics Choice Award winner. Lim’s 100 Tigers studio specializes in female-focused entertainment to “foster and empower artists and projects that share our passion for female-forward, cross-cultural stories with global appeal and a glossy edge.”

Disney’s The Princess Diaries franchise stars Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis, the heir apparent to Genovia’s throne. She navigates through the rest of her sixteenth year with her friends Lilly and Michael Moscovitz in tow. The film made Anne Hathaway a household name, paving the way for starring roles in blockbuster films. 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement found Princess Mia priming for an arranged marriage to an English suitor. It’s been 20 years since Disney rolled out the royal carpet for another entry in the Princess Diaries franchise, though Lim sounds ready to plan on a hell of a soirée.

Anne Hathway and Julie Andrews’s involvement in the sequel remains unclear. The threequel could focus on a new royal, though I’m sure Disney will try their damndest to get the band back together for The Princess Diaries 3. Do you know anyone who’s a Princess Diaries fan? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Claire Danes (Homeland) may have turned down the role of Pamela Voorhees in Peacock’s upcoming Friday the 13th streaming series Crystal Lake, but back in March she did sign on to star in the mystery thriller limited series The Beast in Me for Netflix. Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason) joined Danes in the cast back in August, and now Deadline has revealed the names of four more cast members. They are: Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect), Natalie Morales (No Hard Feelings), David Lyons (Truth Be Told), and Tim Guinee (Horizon: An American Saga).

Created, written, and executive produced by Gabe Rotter, who previously worked on The X-Files, The Beast in Me has the following synopsis: Since the tragic death of her young son, acclaimed author Aggie Wiggs (Danes) has receded from public life, unable to write, a ghost of her former self. But she finds an unlikely subject for a new book when the house next door is bought by Nile Jarvis (Rhys), a famed and formidable real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. At once horrified and fascinated by this man, Aggie finds herself compulsively hunting for the truth – chasing his demons while fleeing her own – in a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly.

Snow will be playing Nina, Nile’s spouse; Morales is Shelley, Aggie’s ex-wife; Lyons’ character is FBI agent Brian Abbot; and Guinee will play Wrecking Ball, an intimidating presence in Nile’s life. It’s not surprising to hear that the guy is intimidating, given that he’s called Wrecking Ball.

Rotter and Danes serve as executive producers on the show alongside Conaco’s Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross, and David Kissinger, director Antonio Campos, writer Daniel Pearle (American Crime Story), Jodie Foster and Caroline Baron, and showrunner Howard Gordon, whose previous credits include Homeland, 24, and The X-Files. Gordon is executive producing through his company Teakwood Lane Productions. 20th Television is the studio behind the project.

The set-up sounds interesting and a solid cast has been assembled for the show, so I’m looking forward to seeing how The Beast in Me is going to turn out.

Does The Beast in Me sound interesting to you? What do you think of the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Who’s ready to cut a rug with Arthur Fleck and Lee Quinzel? Joker: Folie à Deux, Todd Phillips’s highly anticipated sequel to his 2019 billion-dollar barnburner, Joker, is finally tap-dancing for fans in theaters with a $7M take in Thursday preview screenings. On Thursday, showings began at 3 p.m., with analysts saying the film could earn $50M over the weekend. Phillips’s divisive sequel cost a reported $190M+, so WB hopes the experimental DC film has legs.

While looking at the numbers, we see that Joker: Folie à Deux previews are down 47% from the original, which garnered $13.3M in early screenings and earned $96.2M during its weekend debut.

Todd Phillips recently said he’s no longer making DC movies, which could be in the filmmaker’s best interest. Joker fanboys have been nervous about the sequel’s musical elements for months, and initial reactions to the film from many people who loved the first one are grim. PostTrak published a 1/2 star score with a 40% positive rating, similar to Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded disasterpiece Megalopolis (45%). Meanwhile, 24% of viewers say they’ll recommend Joker: Folie à Deux to their friends. The movie performs poorly on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 37% Critic Score, nose-diving from an initial 62% Fresh posting.

While poking around on social media, I’ve seen some scathing fan reviews for Joker: Folie à Deux, with many saying the sequel is a disappointing “courtroom drama” that doesn’t offer any of the messaging or cerebral thrills of the original. However, outliers say some people are being too harsh on the film and “don’t get it.” WB should hope audiences decide to show up this weekend to decide for themselves about the film’s quality instead of taking online outrage as gospel.

JoBlo’s Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, reviewed Joker: Folie à Deux, saying it “feels like an anticlimax,” but suspects something more masterful awaits after multiple viewings. You can read Chris’s full review here.

Will you see Joker: Folie à Deux this weekend? Is the negative word-of-mouth killing tarnishing your excitement? Let us know if you plan to see the movie regardless of the online noise in the comments below.

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In the four decades he has released films, director Kevin Smith has done everything from romantic comedies to epic fantasy comedies to animated comedies and even horror comedies. While Smith certainly has a niche audience that has stuck with him since the 1990s, the director has never shied away from making movies he would have loved to have watched and movies he feels personally connected with. Smith has continued producing and fostering other projects while making his own films, and his latest project may be one of his best.

The 4:30 Movie is a coming-of-age tale set in the 1980s when hanging out with your friends at the local multiplex was the height of entertainment. Inspired by the director’s own youth in suburban New Jersey, The 4:30 Movie is distinct from Smith’s other movies in many ways. While it does not feature Jay or Silent Bob, the movie does connect nicely back to elements from the ViewAskewniverse without being beholden to the films that came before it. With solid supporting turns from Jason Lee, Ken Jeong, Genesis Rodriguez, Jason Mewes, Sam Richardson, and many more stalwarts from Smith’s repertory players, the real stars are the young lead actors played by Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo, Reed Northrup, and Siena Agudong.

I chatted with writer/director Kevin Smith about the movie, which was, surprisingly, one he was not fully confident in. Smith shared how my review and others helped him regain faith in The 4:30 Movie after the Sundance Film Festival rejected it. We also talked about whether Smith would ever make a Grindhouse-style film full of nothing but fake trailers and the mid-credit scene that connects The 4:30 Movie back to the start of Smith’s career. Check out the full interview in the embed above.

The 4:30 Movie is available on demand starting October 1.

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Back in July, it was announced that Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur (CODA) had signed on to star in the horror film Primate. Since then, Johnny Sequoyah (pictured above) of Dexter: New Blood has signed on to star in the film with Kostur – and now, as the project draws closer to production, Deadline has revealed that ten more actors have joined the cast. Here’s the line-up: Jessica Alexander (Amadeus), Victoria Wyant (My Fault: London), Benjamin Cheng (d’ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical), Gia Hunter (Sherlock and Daughter), Miguel Torres Umba (National Theatre co-production Kin), Kae Alexander (Ready Player One), Tienne Simon (Grime Kids), Charlie Mann (Lazarus), newcomer Amina Abdi, and Albert Magashi (National Theatre Live: Dear England).

Unfortunately, we’re not able to tell you anything about the roles these actors will be playing, because all plot and character details are currently being kept under wraps.

At the helm of Primate is genre regular Johannes Roberts, who has previously directed Hellbreeder, Darkhunters, Forest of the Damned, F, Roadkill, Storage 24, The Other Side of the Door, 47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. He also contributed a segment to the horror anthology V/H/S/99. Roberts has written the Primate screenplay with his frequent collaborator Ernest Riera.

It was recently announced that a third movie in the 47 Meters Down franchise, 47 Meters Down: The Wreck, is coming our way. Roberts and Riera wrote the screenplay, but Roberts has passed directing duties on that one over to My Bloody Valentine 3D director Patrick Lussier.

At the start of last year, former DC Films boss Walter Hamada signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures, the idea being that he would become, as Deadline put it, “the architect of Paramount’s mainstream horror genre pod, with the mission to release several low- to mid-budget films per year across theatrical and streaming.” Primate is part of Hamada’s horror-minded efforts at Paramount, and he is producing the film through his 18hz production company alongside John Hodges and Bradley Pilz.

Does Primate sound interesting to you? What do you think of the cast that has been assembled for this Johannes Roberts horror film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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The famous double homicide case involving the Menendez brothers is weaving a tangled web with Ryan Murphy’s show Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story bringing dialogue and debate into the circumstances surrounding the case. Murphy was quoted as saying, “I know for a fact that many people have offered to help them because of the interest of my show and what we did.” And it was recently announced that the brothers, who were first tried in the 90s, will be given another court hearing in light of new evidence. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón made the announcement, “We are not at this point ready to say that we either believe or do not believe that information, but we’re here to tell you is that we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us and make a determination based on a resentencing side, whether they deserve to be resentenced.“

Variety now reports that Murphy, while isn’t interested in making a second season of Monsters, is willing to extend the series by an episode or two. He explains, “I think what I would be interested in doing, if Nicholas [Alexander Chavez] and Cooper [Koch] would agree to do it, is maybe one or two episodes that continue the story.” Now that a re-trial is being set, Murphy thinks the Menendez brothers may see the outside world again in 2025. He stated, “We gave them their moment in the court of public opinion. Basically, we did give them a platform. I think they can be out of prison by Christmas. I really believe that.”

Ironically, even with the kind of support that Murphy has generated with his show, Erik Menendez was critical of him and his brother’s portrayal and came out against the series. Murphy’s response to that was a somber one, “The thing that’s kind of painful is that the family was so outrageously against the show and spoke out so vociferously against it. But then the thing that they thought would hurt them is actually helping them. That doesn’t feel so great.” Erik Menendez responded to the show by saying,  “I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant likes rampant in the show. I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.”

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Director John Crowley’s romantic drama We Live in Time, which has a poster that has inspired many memes and stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, is said to be “breaking hearts on the fall film festival circuit” and will be receiving a limited theatrical release in the US on October 11th, with a UK release to follow on January 1st and a Spanish release set for January 3rd. While we wait for these We Live in Time release dates to come around, Crowley has already signed on to direct his next film. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Crowley will be directing a psychological thriller called Five, which is being produced by the team behind The Menu (you can read our 9/10 review of that thriller at THIS LINK).

That team is Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, and Betsy Koch, who are producing Five through Hyperobject Industries. The screenplay was written by Seth Reiss, who co-wrote The Menu with Will Tracy. Reiss, who is a writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers, will be executive producing this film, which is set up at TriStar Pictures. TriStar president Nicole Brown and Shary Shirazi are shepherding the project for the studio.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter was able to dig up the information that the script is a two-hander and is said to center on a recent widow who becomes obsessed with the actress of a one-woman show.

In addition to We Live in Time, Crowley has previously directed the dark comedy Intermission, the drama Boy A, the drama Is Anybody There?, the legal thriller Closed Circuit, the romantic drama Brooklyn, and the mystery The Goldfinch, as well as episodes of True Detective, Modern Love, Life After Life, and Black Mirror. I can’t say I’m up-to-date on the works of John Crowley, but I really enjoyed The Menu, so I’m looking forward to seeing another thriller from the same team (but with a different director).

Does Five sound interesting to you? Are you a fan of John Crowley and/or The Menu? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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