Joe Bob's Halloween House Party: The Last Drive-In’s final Halloween special, and a look back at the last 7
Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party debuts on Shudder tonight, and I am feeling emotional about it. It was his 24-hour marathon back in 2018 that convinced me to get a trial subscription to Shudder, and I have been consistently subscribed since that time. I was thrilled when The Last Drive-In became a series, and always looked forward to the holiday specials.
Now Joe Bob, Darcy, and The Last Drive-In are nearing the end of their time at Shudder (who made the bad decision to cancel the series). After this, there is only one more special on the horizon, and it will air in December…and I’m not OK. I know it’s not really the end for JB and Darcy, they have hinted that there is something else coming up in the future, they just can’t talk about it until their contract with Shudder officially ends.
But, damn, those specials have really been something else! We don’t yet know which two films will be featured in Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party, but there is, as always, plenty of speculation. Will Darcy finally get her wish and get to dish about Halloween III: Season of the Witch? Will the films even have anything to do with Halloween? Who knows?
But for the sake of nostalgia, let’s look back on the prior Halloween specials, which we have known and loved. Since licensing rights come and go, many are no longer available to stream on Shudder, so I have indicated which of them you can still watch.
2019 Joe Bob’s Halloween Hootenanny – For the first special, we were treated to the original Halloween, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. I am personally not a big fan of H4 and I honestly hate H5, but if I have to watch them, I would rather do it in the company of Joe Bob and Darcy. Plus, Tom Atkins was a special guest on the special, so I call that a win. The Halloween Hootenanny is still available on Shudder.
2020 Joe Bob’s Halloween Hideaway – Haunt and Hack-O-Lantern were the two featured films. This being during the time of COVID, there were no special guests, and the set was an isolated cabin in the woods. Hack-O-Lantern isn’t a great movie, but the snappy patter and fun facts make it watchable, and Haunt is a great Halloween watch in any case. While the special is no longer available on Shudder, Haunt is, and you can catch both films on Tubi.
2021 Joe Bob’s Halloween Hoedown – This was a good double feature including Angel and Terror Train. I had never seen Angel – and while it’s not really a true horror movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had been years since I had seen Terror Train, so it was fun to see that one again. The special guests David Gordon Green (the newest Halloween trilogy) and Jason Blum of Blumhouse – Atomic Monster. The special is not currently on Shudder, but you can watch Angel on Tubi.
2022 Joe Bob’s Halloween Hangout – Maybe the best of the Halloween specials, this one featured Elvira’s Haunted Hills and Popcorn. Best of all, Cassandra Peterson herself was present to dish about Elvira’s Haunted Hills, and Jill Schoelen popped in to talk about her role in Popcorn. While the special is no longer on Shudder, Elvira’s Haunted Hills is available on Tubi.
2023 Joe Bob’s Hell-o-ween – The double feature included Demons 2 and All Hallows’ Eve. Dario Argento is iconic, so it was good to see giallo represented, and All Hallows’ Eve features the first appearance of another horror iconic, Art the Clown. Danhausen showed up as the special guest (and was fun to watch). Joe Bob’s Hell-o-ween is still available to watch on Shudder.
2024 Joe Bob’s Beelzebub Bash – Satan’s Little Helper and Late Night with the Devil were the featured films. Satan’s Little Helper was a first-time watch for me (and I don’t regret it), and even though I saw Late Night with the Devil during its theatrical run, I was happy to see it again. The writer-director of SLH, Jeff Lieberman was a guest, and David Dastmalchian showed up for LNwtD. The Beelzebub Bash special can still be watched on Shudder.
2025 Joe Bob’s Splatterween – Last year’s special was a good one! Shudder original Clown in a Cornfield is a fun, splattery watch, and the low budget Jack-O greatly benefitted from the Joe Bob treatment. The special guests were the author of Clown in a Cornfield, Adam Cesare, and the film’s director Eli Craig. Heavy metal/horror band Gwar put in a surprise appearance as well. Splatterween is still available on Shudder.
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