Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In, an updated and expanded hardcover edition of the long out-of-print collection written by cult film host and author Joe Bob Briggs, will be published on October 15 via Dark Horse Books.
The newly designed edition includes fresh cover art by Wallace McBride — which can be seen exclusively below — and new interior artwork illustrated by Mike Norton and colored by Bill Crabtree, plus an introduction by Stephen King.
Originally published in 1987, Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In features Briggs’ first columns for The Dallas Times Herald, essays on beloved horror classics like Basket Case, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Evil Dead, his famous B-movie reviews, fan letters and replies, and Briggs’ adventures as the world’s foremost expert on drive-ins.
“I’m thrilled that someone still cares about these little pieces dashed off for a daily newspaper four decades ago and was amazed that they were reprinted in book form the first time. To have them now memorialized and illustrated by a prestige outfit like Dark Horse is mind-boggling,” said Briggs.
“They come from a time when the mainstream media hated what I was doing and many organizations actively tried to cancel me, but today they seem so tame that nobody will believe that. I hope all the genre experts of the current day will regard them as the primitive pre-history of pop-culture film criticism.”
Several horror luminaries have joined in on the excitement:
“Joe Bob’s MonsterVision was the gateway for so many of us horror hounds and monster kids, cinephiles and schlock junkies. Once fans peeled back the full-tilt fun of his presentation style and humor, there was an aptitude of film appreciation and philosophy that clobbered us all over the head with astonishment and awe. Having his words and history lovingly curated into this collection is a marvelous gift for movie lovers. Pairing it with Dark Horse is the icing on the bloody cake,” praised Late Night with the Devil star David Dastmalchian.
“I’ve been inspired by Joe Bob since subscribing to We Are the Weird back in the ’90s. He’s always pointing toward insightful tentacles (or testicles) of entertainment and opening minds to an appreciation of unusual films. If you look closely, you can see the academic within his absurdity,” said Halloween 2018 filmmaker David Gordon Green.
“Joe Bob has been a hero of mine since his MonsterVision days. As someone who was practically raised at the drive-in myself, I speak in the same celluloid-soaked language as this book. I am very happy to say it is the ultimate guide to the world of cult film and the people who love it. It’s hilarious, intelligent, exhaustive and always eloquent in expositing the three B’s: blood, breasts, and beasts! It is a must-read for anyone in the Mutant Family and for all the film freaks like me who have an undying love for pure Sinema. All Hail The Book of Briggs,” gushed Wrong Turn 2 director Joe Lynch.
“Joe Bob is the Henri Langlois of exploitation films. He’s already a cinema saint, and if I were you, I’d pray for his guidance,” mused Pink Flamingos filmmaker John Waters.
The 9×12, 200-page hardcover book is presented in a prose format with illustrations interspersed throughout. Pre-orders are live for $54.99.
Brigg will return for the seventh season of “The Last Drive-In” on Shudder with a new monthly format beginning March 7.
