The end of an era is upon us, as Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl return to Shudder tonight for Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party, the final Halloween special of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs to air on the streaming service. The special premieres live at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, October 23, with an on-demand release scheduled for Sunday, October 25.
Briggs has made it clear that this isn’t a night for mourning, though. In a message to fans, he encouraged everyone to gather on their favorite social media platforms and watch together, adding, “It’s not a wake, it’s a launch into 2027.” He also emphasized the significance of tonight’s event, declaring, “It’s the last Halloween special we’ll ever do on Shudder.”
That’s a sad milestone for fans who have spent the last eight years celebrating Halloween with the world’s foremost drive-in movie critic. But while The Last Drive-In is coming to an end on Shudder, Briggs has no intention of hanging up his cowboy hat. In fact, he has a growing list of projects that will keep him busy well beyond tonight’s festivities.
Joe Bob Briggs Says Goodbye to Halloween on Shudder
It was announced earlier this year that Shudder was ending The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs as a regular series. The show’s series finale aired in March, bringing an end to its run after seven seasons, although Shudder commissioned four additional specials to give Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl a chance to return throughout the remainder of the year.
Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party is one of those final specials, and the second-to-last chapter of Briggs’ Shudder era. Only the Christmas special remains.
When The Last Drive-In debuted on July 13, 2018, with a 13-movie marathon, Briggs thought the event might be his last opportunity to host a movie marathon. Instead, the overwhelming response from viewers crashed Shudder’s servers and helped convince the streaming service to give him an ongoing series. Across seven seasons and numerous specials, Briggs and Darcy, played by Diana Prince, hosted more than 200 movies, sharing their knowledge of horror history, exploitation cinema, cult favorites, and the many strange stories behind the movies they presented. The show was directed by Austin Jennings and produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell of Not the Funeral Home.
Joe Bob Conquers Christmas Will Be the Final Shudder Special
The final special in Briggs’ Shudder run will be Joe Bob Conquers Christmas, a Shudder Original that promises to send the show out with two holiday horror classics. The official description reads: “Deck the halls with bones and bodies for Joe Bob Conquers Christmas! Horror legends Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl ring in the festive season with two Christmas classics that ‘ruined’ the holiday upon release – all while raising money through their annual charity fundraiser.” The special will air live on Shudder TV on Friday, December 4, at 9 p.m. ET, followed by an on-demand release on Sunday, December 6.
The annual Christmas charity fundraiser has been a meaningful part of The Last Drive-In, with auctions held during previous holiday specials helping the show raise $1 million for charity over the years. It’s fitting that Briggs and Darcy will have one final opportunity to bring their devoted audience together for a good cause before their Shudder obligations are complete.
Joe Bob Briggs Has a New Television Show in the Works
Although the end of The Last Drive-In initially left fans wondering where they would see Briggs next, the host has already been exploring his options for a new television series. After the cancellation was announced, Briggs told Variety that offers for another show had started coming in. He was interested in hearing what fans wanted from his next project, whether that meant continuing his familiar movie-hosting format or trying something different. He also revealed that his next series could focus on forgotten films from decades past rather than the horror classics that frequently appeared on The Last Drive-In.
Briggs described his interest in overlooked movies as a desire to find films that haven’t been worn out through repeated screenings and familiar discussion. As he explained to Fangoria, the sweet spot for forgotten cult movies is 1969 to 1977, and he wants the new series to be “all about forgotten stuff, rather than beloved horror classics.”
That could mean a wider variety of genres than viewers have come to expect from The Last Drive-In. Briggs previously hosted Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater on The Movie Channel from 1986 to 1996 and TNT’s MonsterVision from 1996 to 2000, presenting an assortment of movies before disappearing from television for 18 years. His return with The Last Drive-In introduced a new generation to his approach to movie hosting.
Briggs has also discussed plans to launch a genre-film production company with his longtime friend Bob Bernie of Picturehouse. The project was already moving forward when he spoke to Variety earlier this year, with a production slate and projects in development.
A MonsterVision Comic, an Audiobook, and a GWAR Album
Briggs’ post-Shudder plans extend beyond television. He and Darcy are also returning to MonsterVision in comic book form. Dynamite Entertainment is publishing MonsterVision Featuring Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy #1, written by David Avallone and illustrated by Edu Menna. The comic finds the familiar duo embarking on a monster-hunting adventure, bringing their television partnership into a new medium. The first issue is scheduled to arrive in comic shops on December 23.
Briggs is also preparing an audiobook edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In. Narrated by Briggs himself, the expanded collection features his original drive-in columns, movie reviews, fan letters, and famously unfiltered responses. The DRM-free digital audiobook is scheduled for release on December 15, with pre-orders available through his official website.
And then there is the matter of GWAR. The shock-rock legends have teamed up with Briggs for GWAR and the Last Drive-In-Stein, an album celebrating GWAR’s more than four decades of musical mayhem and Briggs’ 40 years of television history. The vinyl release is scheduled for November 13 through Pit Records.
Briggs has another screen appearance on the way, too. He has an acting role in the creature feature The Eye from Beyond, which stars Fright Night‘s William Ragsdale and Sleepaway Camp‘s Felissa Rose.
Taken together, these projects show that Briggs has plenty to occupy his time after Shudder. Between a possible new television series, a production company, a comic book, an audiobook, a feature-film role, and a record with GWAR, the drive-in spirit is hardly disappearing.
The Drive-In Lives On
Tonight’s Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party marks the end of a particular tradition, but it doesn’t mark the end of Briggs’ career as a movie host or his relationship with the fans who have followed him for decades. The final Christmas special will bring his Shudder era to a close in December. After that, the big question is where Briggs will take his movie-hosting talents next, and what form his planned series about forgotten films will ultimately take.
For now, horror fans can gather for one last Halloween celebration on Shudder, with Briggs and Darcy leading the festivities as they have for the past eight years.
Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party premieres live tonight, Friday, October 23, at 9 p.m. ET on Shudder, with an on-demand release on Sunday, October 25. The final Shudder special, Joe Bob Conquers Christmas, follows on December 4, with streaming on demand beginning December 6. Will you be watching? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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