Joe Bob Briggs Gets Brainy
Legendary drive-in host Joe Bob Briggs came to Brookline on Tuesday, 28 June for a double feature at the Coolidge Corner Theater. Joe Bob’s Indoor Drive-In Geek Out was dubbed “Cerebellum Night” in honor of two films about the organ: The Brain (1988) and Brain Damage (1989). The bill was co-curated with the American Genre Film Archive. Co-host Darcy the Mail Girl was in the house.
“Cerebellum Night” will visit four towns across America: along with the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Joe Bob and Darcy will travel to the Texas Theatre in Dallas, the historic Hollywood Theatre in Portland, and finally Chicago’s Music Box.
Joe Bob Briggs (offstage name John Irving Bloom) has been a writer, film critic, and actor since the 1980s or thereabouts. Author of multiple books under his stage name and real name, Joe Bob Briggs is probably most widely known for his work as a host of exploitation and horror-themed programming: “Drive-In Theater” (AMC), “MonsterVision” (TNT), and his current show on Shudder “The Last Drive-In.” A steady fanbase built over the years, self-dubbed the “Mutant Fam,” eagerly anticipate the “Drive-In Totals” that accompany his reviews of exploitation fare, calculating the number of breasts, kills, and gore events in the upcoming flick.
The Mutant Fam lining up for autographs, selfies, and merch.
Shudder recently announced that it will be picking up “The Last Drive-In” for a fifth season.
“Cerebellum Night” included an insightful and well-researched exegesis on the history of the brain sub-genre in horror and exploitation film. A timely tweet by Darcy the Mail Girl revealed that Joe Bob Briggs has been ruminating on Noggin Noir for decades.
Photos from the night capture the crowds and a few screenshots of Joe Bob’s powerpoint on braaaaaaaaains. Sort through the gallery for some deep cuts into a beautiful and bizarre genre.
