The 4:30 Movie is the sixteenth feature film from director Kevin Smith – and as reported on Deadline (plus Smith’s own social media accounts), this film has officially secured a distribution deal that will see it reaching theatres sometime this summer! Saban Films has picked up the worldwide rights to The 4:30 Movie, which Smith will be taking on a multi-city national tour that will be followed by a nationwide theatrical rollout. Specific dates have not yet been revealed.
Set in the summer of 1986, this one is a coming-of-age comedy that follows three sixteen-year-old friends who spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local multiplex. But when one of the guys also invites the girl of his dreams to see the latest comedy, each of the teens will learn something serious about life and love before the credits roll.
Austin Zajur (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), Nicholas Cirillo (Outer Banks), and Reed Northrup (High Maintenance) play the sixteen year old friends, with Siena Agudong (Resident Evil) as the dream girl. Ken Jeong (The Hangover), Sam Richardson (Veep), Genesis Rodriguez (Tusk), Justin Long (Barbarian), Jason Lee (Almost Famous), Rachel Dratch (I Love My Dad), Kate Micucci (The Big Bang Theory), Adam Pally (Sonic the Hedgehog), Harley Quinn Smith (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood), and Method Man (Power Book II: Ghost) are also in the cast.
The 4:30 Movie was filmed at Smodcastle Cinemas in New Jersey, a theatre Smith now co-owns and used to hang out in every weekend when he was a teenager. Liz Destro, Josh Bachove, and Jordan Monsanto produced, with Bill Bromiley, Shanan Becker, and Jonathan Saba executive producing.
Smith provided the following statement: “The day we bought Smodcastle Cinemas, I not only reclaimed an integral piece of my childhood, I also suddenly had access to a visually interesting and cost-free movie location! So I started writing a personal paean to the past for us 70s and 80s kids – the pre-information generation who grew up without the Internet, when romance and relationships required much more than a swipe to get started, and the idea of asking out someone you had a crush on was as terrifying as the looming threat of nuclear war.“
Saba, the Chief Content Officer at Saban Films, added: “Kevin has been one of the defining voices in American Independent Cinema for 30 years now, and The 4:30 Movie is like a Valentine to moviegoers from a lifelong film fan that also acts as his most personal production yet. This is our second of hopefully many movies together.” Smith and Saban Films previously collaborated on the release of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
Smith is currently developing another Jay and Silent Bob movie (other plates he currently has spinning include Mallrats 2, Moose Jaws, and Tusk$), so it might not be long before he and Saban Films get a chance to work on another movie together. In the meantime, we can look forward to seeing The 4:30 Movie sometime in the next few months.
Are you looking forward to The 4:30 Movie, and are you glad to hear it’s coming soon to theatres? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Who are we to disagree Danielle Harris? When looking for a Best Horror Movie You Never Saw, nothing in our completely mad up rules that say a movie can’t be well received at the time of release. It can win awards including one from the audiences that saw it at TIFF and the kind of go away. There are a ton of movies that are great and original films in a genre that is nearly as obsessed with sequels and movie universes as DC and Marvel are today. Stake Land (watch it HERE) is an original piece of media that is one part Walking Dead, one part The Road, and all together one of the Best Horror Movies you Never Saw.
Stake Land was destined to be a movie that few had seen as its theatrical run produced about 33 thousand in theaters but in an era of physical media and streaming services, even as early as 2010-2011. The movie, which was written by both star Nick Damici and director Jim Mickle was designed as a short web series that they could produce on weekends and release it on their own terms. They presented over 3 dozen 8-minute scripts to indie horror mega producer Larry Fessenden and his Glass Eye Pix who suggested it be turned into a feature. As a mentor to Mickle, he was able to help produce and give them notes as production went along. To that end, they did end up producing 7 prequel webisodes that would be released leading up to and alongside the movie to build both hype and a nice little world that feels very lived in.
Mickle got noticed for Mulberry Street, his entry in the “8 Films to Die for” series that was released in 2007 for the After Dark Horror Fest. These were also released at Blockbuster, and I remember running through them all. His flick, which he wrote with Damici and who stars in it again, is probably the best of that batch that came out. He also directed Cold in July, We Are What We Are, and episodes of Hap and Leonard as well as Sweet Tooth, mostly with Damici writing and or making an appearance on screen. The movie opens with one of our leads, Martin, telling us in flashback form about the end of both the world at large and his world on a micro level. I would love confirmation if this character is named after Romero’s underseen vampire movie of the same name. Somebody hit up Damici or Mickle for me, will ya?
Martin is played by Conor Paolo who first showed up as a young Sean in Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River. He has also showed up heavily in shows like Gossip Girl and Revenge as well as more than a few movies including Stake Land 2 which we will touch on a little later. We see why he is with Damici’s character Mister as both his parents and even baby sibling is murdered by what we learn is the reason for the apocalypse, Vampires. This movie is uncompromising in its violence and who it decides to kill. When a horror movie decides to kill a baby in the first seven minutes, you know they aren’t messing around. This world is also effectively over, and we are told of the busier cities being ravaged, cults taking shape across the country and the U.S. falling hard and fast.
The first 10 minutes of the movie tells you everything you need to know about the story. We see different kinds of vampires, how you need to protect yourself, and a warning about society as a whole, or, ya know, what’s left of it. Damici plays Mister with the attitude and hardened charisma that I have come to expect and love from him. I spoke about him in my most recent video about other underseen movie Late Phases and I am a fan of this guy. He takes Martin under his wing here and teaches him how to survive but also how to take out vampires which greatly outnumber humans. We watch them go through settlements and barter while Mister takes care of some of his base urges and watch them save stragglers. See, Mister doesn’t care if you are a vamp or a crazy cult human, he kills with the same efficiency and lack of remorse.
The first one of these people they save is played by Kelly McGillis. Yeah, that one. From Top Gun, The Witness, and a whole heap of other memorable roles. Like many of the apocalyptic movies of the time, including the aforementioned The Road, the movie focuses more heavily on how bad the survivors can be rather than the threat. The nice thing is, it still feels fresh here as it did when the movie came out. This was before EVERY SINGLE MOVIE of this type fell into that specific trope. Even The Walking Dead just had to keep coming back to it. Here, it works because of budgetary constraints where you can have battles with culty Dbags rather than have to show off special effects and make up laden vampires throughout. Again, this gives the movie a nice world building feel.
By the time we get to the damn near required Larry Fessenden cameo, here as the bartender who gives Martin his first drink, we have seen how life is. We have also seen some great scenes of tension like when Martin and Mister are stuck in their own car after escaping the Brotherhood cult. It has good direction and story telling and allows for a near budget less set piece that also gives us a fun action scene. Also, in the bar we get the appearance of the movie’s biggest fan. Danielle Harris plays Belle, a younger pregnant woman who wants to get somewhere safe to have her baby. She’s great here as we have come to expect her in everything that she shows up in. Her and her podcast partner and close friend Scout Taylor Compton are the best parts of the Rob Zombie Halloween remake duology. I also have a personal horror love for her as Halloween 5 was one of the first VHS tapes I bought with my own money from Blockbuster Music of all places. I fully forgive her for getting Corey to cheat on Topanga with her. If you know, you know.
The trio work their way towards the haven of New Eden, and we get introduced to things called scamps which are younger kid vampires because this movie has already set the precedent that age won’t protect you. This is an excellent example of just how they use their budget and keep things interesting while doing many of the things that movies of this type do. They pick up our final main character, a military man named Willie, who was also left as bait for vampires by the brotherhood. He gives us some more exposition and story building about the brotherhood using the vampires as weapons and expediting the process of ending the world. The group works its way to New Eden, and I’m amazed at how this movie was made for just over 600k. It isn’t acted that way, directed that way, shot that way, or even with special effects and make-up that would suggest that budget.
At just over an hour and a half, the movie moves at a brisk pace. The score which echoes The Road and is more contemplative than exciting by Jeff Grace is done wonderfully and fits the film to a T. It keeps surprises coming and even though you know not everyone is going to make it out alive, it’s still surprising how and when. While it may not have been a blockbuster like movies from the Saw or Final Destination franchises, it would be popular enough to warrant a sequel in Stake Land 2: The Stakelander, which, yeah, I know, that title, but its fun. While director and cowriter Jim Mickle didn’t want to or wasn’t able to come back, Syfy had the good sense to get Nick Damici back to write and show up again in some capacity. Between the prequel web series and the two movies, this property got life to it that few would have expected from a little indie movie that could.
Danielle said it was a tough shoot in the cold of upstate new york with very few lines but there was something that drew her to it and it was a very rewarding experience. Plus, who could resist zombie like vampire creatures and a title like Stake Land. That’s exactly what this movie does to you upon watching it. It has a very personal feel with all the characters involved and gets your buy in on them in very little time. A movie like this is special because of the people who worked on it fully buying in and believing in what it could be and that translates into how we as the audience view it. Stake Land takes classic ideas such as vampires or the inherited evil of humanity and packages it into a very consumable 98 minutes.
What I truly love about the movie is that it truly is a Best Horror Movie You Never Saw. It gets to be handed down from those lucky enough to watch it and then those new viewers get to do the same. It’s like I tell my kids as each one finds out that Santa isn’t real. It’s their job now to become the jolly gift giver to their younger siblings. It’s shocking with how much legs the series had that it’s still not as widely talked about and even Damici, who apparently is a walking Best Horror You Never Saw factory, has other things that people recognize him for. If Danielle Harris, who isn’t even the star here and has a litany of other movies to think of and talk about with people, feels this is one of her least discussed but best films she has made, do yourself a favor and seek it out. You can find it often on Tubi or pick yourself up a copy on physical media. We here at JoBlo Horror completely agree that you should cross this off your list of Best Horror that you never saw and then hand it down to the next person.
A couple previous episodes of the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw series can be seen below. To see more, and to check out some of our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
I hope you’ve saved a few coins for the jukebox because the first Joker: Folie à Deux poster is here to get your toes tapping and your mind spinning in circles on the dancefloor. Warner Bros. Discovery debuted a new poster for Joker: Folie à Deux, featuring Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck and Lady Gaga’s Harley cutting a rug while entangled in a firm embrace. The new promo gives Gone With the Wind and Fred Astaire vibes, with a touch of madness for good measure.
George A. Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain, so a lot of people have made their own sequels and remakes to the film over the decades, put out their own releases of it, colorized it, animated it, etc. It’s a property that has never been dormant… but these days it seems like its undead ghouls are livelier than ever. The George A. Romero Foundation and the Cinedigm-backed Bloody Disgusting are making a podcast sequel called The Dead. Nikyatu Jusu is directing a film sequel that will be released by MGM. Greg Nicotero is planning to make a movie about the making ofNight of the Living Dead. Last week, we shared the news that a Night of the Living Dead follow-up called Festival of the Dead – which is coming our way from twin directors Jen and Sylvia Soska – is set to be released through the Tubi streaming service on April 5th. A trailer for that movie has now made its way online, and you can check it out in the embed above.
cripted by Helen Marsh and Miriam Lyapin, Festival of the Dead has the following synopsis: It has been over 50 years since Night of the Living Dead’s original zombie attack and the horrific event has become the subject of morbid nostalgia. Looking for fun, Ash and her friends attend the Festival of the Living Dead, but it is disrupted when a blast of radioactive space dust hits the festival and they must defend themselves or be devoured by the living dead. So it sounds like this movie will be fully buying into the idea that the original zombie outbreak was caused by the crashing of a Venus probe, something that was mentioned as a potential cause in Night of the Living Dead but never confirmed and never given any credence in Romero’s own follow-ups.
The cast includes Ashley Moore (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Camren Bicondova (Gotham), Andre Anthony (The Night Agent), Christian Rose (Holiday Baggage), Shiloh O’Reilly (The Haunted Museum), Gage Marsh (You Me Her), Keana Lyn Bastidas (The Hardy Boys), and Maia Jae Bastidas (Rabbit Hole).
According to Deadline, Moore is playing Ash, who has been accepted to college and is getting ready to reluctantly leave her old life behind as she is torn between her boyfriend and his friends, and her old friends. When her boyfriend gets her tickets to the Festival, she jumps at the opportunity to see her favorite band. Bicondova’s character is Iris, who has been Ash’s closest friend for years, though they are starting to drift apart — especially because Iris knows Ash is leaving to go to college. She agrees to watch Ash’s brother, Luke, so Ash can go to the festival. The Soskas have revealed that Ash is meant to be the granddaughter of the Ben character from Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.
From Enlighten Content, Festival of the Living Dead is being produced by Jacob Nasser.
What did you think of the Festival of the Living Dead trailer? Will you be watching the movie on Tubi this weekend? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
One day after Prime Video announced a record-breaking milestone for Doug Liman’s Road House reboot, saying the film amassed 50 million viewers in two weeks, the film’s star, Jake Gyllenhaal, has inked a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios for future film projects. The pact is between Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories production studio and Amazon MGM Studios, with the latter getting first dibs on narrative features. The agreement extends to film projects produced by Nine Stories for theatrical and streaming release. Could this contract lead to Gyllenhaal making Road House 2? Will Doug Liman return to direct after inking an iron-clad contract to release the would-be sequel in theaters? Your guess is as good as mine. I can’t imagine Liman and Amazon MGM Studios are the best of friends after the streaming-only release of Road House, but stranger things have happened.
“Jake is a one-of-a-kind talent whose passion and eye for filmmaking makes him a powerful storyteller both in front of the camera and behind the scenes,” said Julie Rapaport, head of film production and development at Amazon MGM Studios. “Following the record-breaking success of Road House, we could not imagine a better time to officially cement our relationship. Jake has been an incredible partner, and we look forward to collaborating with him and the Nine Stories team to create needle-moving and compelling films from visionary filmmakers.”
“I’ve worked with Amazon MGM on two films this past year, and they’ve been a wonderful partner both times,” said Gyllenhaal. “Their dedication to filmmaking is contagious, and I so admire their commitment to fans all over the world. I am thrilled to formalize what is an already fruitful collaboration—especially on the heels of Road House’s outstanding debut.”
Here’s the official synopsis for Road House: “In this adrenaline-fueled reimagining of the ’80s cult classic, ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.” In addition to Gyllenhaal, Road House stars Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim De Almeida, and Conor McGregor. The film aims to pay homage to the original while providing its own unique and exhilarating spin to introduce Dalton, the roadhouse, and all its chaos to a new generation.
Are you excited to hear Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories intends to make more movies with Amazon MGM Studios? Do you think an official Road House 2 announcement is around the corner? Let us know in the comments section below.
Before we see It star Bill Skarsgard get revenge in The Crow remake this June, we’re going to have the chance to see him get revenge in another action thriller, Boy Kills World, which is set to reach theatres on April 26th. With that date just a few weeks away, a red band trailer for the film has arrived online – and this one is packed with positive review quotes, including a nod to the 8/10 review written by JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray! (You can read it HERE.) Check it out in the embed above.
Produced by the legendary Sam Raimi, the film marks the feature directorial debut of Moritz Mohr. It was scripted by Arend Remmers (Sløborn) and Tyler Burton Smith (Kung Fury: The Movie). The story takes place in a bizarre, dark dystopian universe and centers on a deaf and mute character, Boy (Skarsgård), who navigates this depressing world with his otherworldly imagination. Tragedy strikes when Boy’s family is brutally murdered. When his fight or flight instincts kick in, Boy finds himself on a life-threatening trek into the darkly forested jungle. There, he meets a shaman (Ruhian) who takes Boy under his wing and launches him into a cutthroat coming of age journey where he encourages his new pupil to leave his youth behind and pick up the baton as a highly trained assassin.
Skarsgard is joined in the cast by Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day), Yayan Ruhian (The Raid: Redemption), Andrew Koji (Warrior), Isaiah Mustafa (It: Chapter Two), Famke Janssen (TheFaculty), Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Sharlto Copley (District 9), Quinn Copeland (Punky Brewster), twin brothers Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti (Big Little Lies), and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey). Dockery plays Melanie, “the sister of the film’s Van der Koy family. Melanie is a satirical powerhouse and sociopath who tries to project a powerful cohesive family image to hide the desperation behind their decaying dynasty.” Janssen, Gelman, and Copley are also members of the antagonistic Van Der Koy family, with Janssen as matriarch Hilda, and Gelman and Copley as Gideon and Glen, respectively.
Sam Raimi and Zainab Azizi are producing Boy Kills World through Raimi Productions, Roy Lee is producing for Vertigo Entertainment, Simon Swart and Wayne Fitzjohn are producing through Nthibah Pictures, and Alex Lebovici is producing through Hammerstone Studios. Stuart Manashil and Dan Kagan are also producers. Reza Brojerdi of Ventaro Film and Andrew Childs are executive producers.
Boy Kills World has been rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use and sexual references.
What did you think of the red band trailer? Will you be watching Boy Kills World when it’s released later this month? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The Fraggles are back! This past weekend, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock returned to Apple TV+ for its second season. Red, Mokey, Gobo, Wembley, Boober, and all the wonderful little – and not-so-little – creatures have returned to entertain the young and old. Fraggles have long since been a part of many a fan’s lives. And with the new series, delightfully cheery creatures are brought back for some music and magic. As an old-school fan, seeing that the Fraggles have returned to bring joy to a new generation’s hearts is fantastic.
For this fan, I had the privilege of speaking to “Mokey” and “Red” and meeting a few of these adorable creatures in person. First, I had a fun little conversation with Mokey (puppeteered by Donna Kimbal) and Red (puppeteered by Karen Prell). Sometimes, an “interview” can be a lot of fun. And chatting with Fraggles is about as enjoyable as you can get. And while it brought a massive smile to my face chatting with Fraggles, there was much more in store. We also enjoyed speaking with actual humans, including Executive producers John Tartaglia, Halle Stanford, and Matt Fusfeld.
However, with the interviews on Zoom, we were still working on discovering more about the Fraggles. The following week, I joined other fellow Fraggle lovers for a journey to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in Burbank, California (where we’ve been before). While the magic wasn’t evident from outside the building, the second you walked in, all the Fraggle love was on full display.
During our visit, live displays of how the talented performers create the magic. When we arrived, EP John Tartaglia led us humans through the adventure. The afternoon began with the “Fabrication Room,” where we looked at the creation of Fraggles. Scott Johnson and Alex “Jurgen” Ferguson gave us insight into how complex of a job it was to bring the Fraggles to life. And yes, we could see these beautiful creatures up close and personal. As a long-time muppet fan, it makes me happy to see the imaginative world from its early stages.
Fraggle Rock also gives us the tiny and adorable “Doozers.” And yes, Bobby Bennett gave us a look at these cute and cuddly little fellas. And we even had the chance to do a little puppeteering ourselves. It takes serious talent to do what these incredible individuals do every week. And to see the craft firsthand, the painstaking work that goes into every element of this creation is truly awe-inspiring.
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock continues to bring these incredible creatures to life. I fell in love with these characters in my youth. And now, it’s fantastic to see new fans embracing the lovable Fraggles. Thank you to everyone at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and, of course, everyone who took the time to re-introduce us to the delightful Fraggle Rock. Check out Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Season 2, which is currently on Apple TV+. Check out more pics from our visit:
A decade ago, director David Bruckner made a valiant attempt to get a new Friday the 13th film into production… it just didn’t happen. Years later, he did manage to reboot the Hellraiser franchise, with his version of Hellraiser getting released through the Hulu streaming service back in October of 2022. Surprisingly, a year and a half has gone by since that release and we haven’t heard anything about the possibility of a follow-up – until now. During a chat with ComicBook.com, producer Keith Levine (who is currently doing the press rounds for The First Omen, a prequel to the 1976 classic The Omen) confirmed that they are having conversations about making a Hellraiser sequel.
Levine said, “We are trying to do a follow-up and there have been conversations. I can’t exactly say where we’re at in those conversations, but Bruckner is involved in those conversations and we spent a lot of time and energy, I think relaunching that world. A lot of brainpower going into crafting the Cenobite design, figuring out how we’re going to pull them off, and we learned so much. And I think moving forward, we love that all that knowledge is sort of banked and that time has been spent. So we think that moving forward and going into another movie is just going to be even crazier and even more awesome. So yeah, that’s something we’re definitely hard at work on, and hope we will have more news soon.“
Levine’s fellow producer David S. Goyer came up with the story for the Hellraiser reboot, and the screenplay was written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (Super Dark Times). Inspired by Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, the film has the following synopsis: A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.
The film starred Odessa A’zion, Goran Visnjic, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Hiam Abbass, and Vukašin Jovanović, with Jamie Clayton as Pinhead.
A Hulu Original, in association with Spyglass Media Group, the Hellraiser reboot was produced by Goyer, Barker, Levine, and Marc Toberoff. Gary Barber, Peter Oillataguerre, and Todd Williams serve as executive producers, with Chris Stone and Gracie Wheelan co-producing.
While we wait to see if and when a sequel to the Hellraiser reboot is going to be made, Bruckner is working on a new remake of The Blob.
Would you like to see a sequel to the Hellraiser reboot? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Recently, we had the chance to sit down with Michael Keaton and chat about his new movie, Knox Goes Away, which he also directs. Keaton is still out there promoting the film and recently ran down some of his best roles with GQ, including Batman. In the interview, which is really fascinating, Keaton remembers the controversy that surrounded his casting initially by director Tim Burton, which he calls a “ballsy move.”
For those who may not have been around in 1988, when Keaton’s casting was first announced, may fans hated him getting the role as his career up to that point had largely been focused on comedy roles. Indeed, he had many comedy hits in the 80s, including Night Shift,Johnny Dangerously, Gung Ho, The Dream Team, and Beetlejuice. In fact, it was his work on that last movie that directly led to his casting, as him and Burton had a great working relationship on it. In 1988, he had started to dip his toe into more dramatic fare, with him earning raves for his portrayal of a drug addict in the drama Clean and Sober. In fact, it was an early screening of that film that sold the producer, Jon Peters, on him playing the Caped Crusader.
However, once he was finally cast, there were many other challenges ahead of him. If you think about it, the only big superhero in movies at the time was Christopher Reeve in the Superman films, and he wasn’t saddled with as cumbersome an outfit. Keaton really had no idea how to even move as Batman, with him calling the suit a “deep lonely thing.” But, in the end, Keaton said the key was just to “work the suit baby; that thing will get you three-quarters of the way there.”
One notable thing he mentioned, as far as his approach went was that he never thought about Batman. “It was ALWAYS Bruce Wayne,” he says, “you start with that.” He adds, “he witnessed the murder of his parents; that’s a lot to start with, especially if you take the Frank Miller approach, which was what we took.” Indeed, Keaton would notoriously play the screen’s deadliest Batman.
One thing he also notes is how physically challenging it was. He remembers working out to try and be fit to play the role, which he says was exactly the wrong approach. He remembers Jack Nicholson, who was playing Joker walking up to him and simply asking, “What are you doing that for?” “I didn’t have an answer for him; he just walked off,” he remembers, laughing. “I approached it totally wrong. It’s better to be real, small, little and thin inside, so there’s room to breathe.
He also looks back at the movie fondly, remembering how much of a phenomenon it was. “I was part of something that was a friggin game changer in terms of how they make those movies. That changed everything.”
The comedy realm is dealt another big blow as the world says goodbye to Joe Flaherty. According to Exclaim, the SCTV legend had been dealing with a sickness and was said to be “very ill.” In late February, Flaherty’s Second City brother, Martin Short, sent a message to their SCTV peers to fundraise for his home care in his last days, which amounted to $20K a month. Short had said that they had been made aware of the gravity of his condition and Flaherty chose to spend the rest of his life at home with his daughter rather than at a facility. The message would hit social media.
In Short’s fundraising message, he says, “We are writing to our friends because we believe SCTV meant something to you, and that would not be the case if it were not for Joe Flaherty. He was a mentor, a director, and an inspiring improviser who gave us many of the tools we are still using in the careers he helped kickstart. And he made us all laugh!”
Flaherty is a veteran of Canada’s answer to Saturday Night Live, the sketch comedy show SCTV, which also gave us stars like John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin and Rick Moranis. His notable sketch characters included Big Jim McBob, Guy Cabellero, Vic Arpeggio, and Count Floyd/Floyd Robertson. While Flaherty never quite reached the stardom of his cast mates, he was a successful character actor and had appeared in some of the most beloved projects in the comedy community. Flaherty would be best known for his turn as Harold Weir, the father of the two main characters in Freaks and Geeks. He would also appear in a famous turning point in Back to the Future Part II. As well as the scene-stealing heckler to Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore.
According to TV Insider, Joel Murray of Mad Men, and brother to the comedy world’s Bill Murray and Brian-Doyle Murray, took to social media to tweet, “We’ve lost another of my idols. RIP Joe Flaherty 1941-2024.” Actress Jennifer Tilly would respond with her own message as she tweets, “Joe Flaherty played my dad in ‘The Wrong Guy.’ I was so thrilled to be able to work with him. His performance was pitch perfect. A great comedian. Gone too soon.” And an account based on Christopher McDonald’s villainous character from Happy Gilmore, Shooter McGavin, would post, “No one could have played the role of Donald like Joe Flaherty did. His comedic delivery was perfect and his role alone made Happy Gilmore the classic it is today. He will be missed. Rest easy Joe.”
