Though it seemed a foregone conclusion, ardent followers of Joe Bob Briggs, otherwise and affectionately known as the Mutant Family anxiously sat on the edge of its collective seat with just one week remaining of the Friday night double features that began on March 29.
Today, Shudder put those fears to rest with the announcement that The Last Drive-In had been renewed for a second season.
“From our first marathon and subsequent specials in 2018, through this year’s series, Shudder members have been loud and clear: we can never have too much Joe Bob,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler. “We have read every tweet, every email, and every Facebook comment crying out for more. Message received. Joe Bob will be back.”
The Drive-In Jedi himself weighed in on the outpouring of support and love received from that #MutantFam.
“It hasn’t even been a full year since the 24-hour Last Drive-In marathon, but since then I’ve made thousands of new friends and reconnected with thousands of old ones,” said Briggs. “The main reason I’m coming back to do another season is that this community of horror fans is greater than the sum of its parts, and it’s about something larger than horror. Don’t ask me what that thing is, but it’s a source of great joy to me.”
The initial Last Drive-In marathon streamed on Friday, July 13 of last year, and was followed by a pair of holiday events–“Dinners of Death” on Thanksgiving, and “A Very Joe Bob Christmas”–and the weekly program began a little more than three months later.
From cult films like C.H.U.D., WOLF COP and THE STUFF to classics like THE CHANGELING and HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER and eclectic titles like A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, The Last Drive-In double features have dominated social media, with the likes of Larry Cohen and CASTLE FREAK trending on Twitter.
A date for The Last Drive-In’s second season is yet to be determined, but will continue its double feature live stream format when the series returns.
More information to follow as it becomes available.
