MonsterVision


MonsterVision was an American variety series which aired on TNT from June 29, 1991 to September 17, 2000.
The show underwent multiple changes throughout its over nine-year run. Initially, the program revolved around a claymation-style moon character who narrated the often themed-nights, and served as the de facto host. Additionally, the show was regularly paired alongside the series 100% Weird, which brought viewers even more bizarre films. Later, in June 1993, entertainment duo Penn and Teller guest-hosted MonsterVision marathons featuring mainly old B-Movies from the 1950s and 1960s. Then, by July 31, 1993, the narrator of the series became solely a voice-over announcer.
From 1996 until around the show's cancellation in 2000, the series was hosted by Joe Bob Briggs, and featured mainly classic horror and schlock films from the 1970s to the 1990s. Here, much of the original formatting under Briggs was derived from his earlier work on The Movie Channel program, Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater. Yet, this series would also incorporate Joe Bob's Last Call, a segment that presented that night's final film. Then, in 1999, the overall program became styled as Joe Bob's Hollywood Saturday Night and MonsterVision, before ultimately returning to its non-host format in mid-2000.

Format

Pre-Joe Bob Briggs (1991–1996)

When MonsterVision premiered on June 29, 1991, it was little more than a marathon of older horror, science fiction, or fantasy films beginning at 8:00 PM ET and ending well into the early morning. With a claymation-style moon character serving as the original narrator and 'host', broadcasts tended to air monthly, as well as certain holidays. Films often fit a general theme, such as "TNT Salutes The Outer Limits", "Halloween Night", "Attack of the Sea Monsters", "A Christmas Nightmare", "Harryhausen Havoc", or recurring "Godzilla Marathons", although other occasions had somewhat unrelated choices. Additionally, MonsterVision sometimes had special events, such as their "Dracula Weekend", which had a mini-interview with Christopher Lee in honor of the release of Bram Stoker's Dracula. A number of later marathons, beginning on June 5, 1993, were presented by the well-known entertainment duo Penn and Teller, before the show then transitioned to voice-over narration for the remaining duration of this period.

Joe Bob Briggs era (1996–2000)

Beginning on June 28, 1996, Joe Bob Briggs, the drive-in movie critic, became the official host of MonsterVision, with the series transitioning into a regularly scheduled Friday time slot, every week at 11:00 PM ET. MonsterVision would typically show no more than two films per night, though several episodes were much longer, such as the 1997 "Super Bowl Sunday Special", which consisted of sixteen continuous hours of horror movies. Nonetheless, on usual double-feature nights, Joe Bob Briggs would appear anywhere between sixteen and twenty-four times throughout the movies, significantly more than he did on his previous program. In these sections, Briggs would discuss the films, and more, from the inside and outside of a staged trailer home with a green neon TNT sign in the background. Briggs was also frequently visited by one of a succession of 'mail girls', including Honey, Reno, Summer, and Rusty, who not only served as attractive, comedic 'sidekicks,' but also brought Briggs fan letters, sometimes from actual prisoners. TNT also added the segment Joe Bob's Last Call, which was used to showcase the final movie of the night. Similarly, the program was occasionally able to feature guests such as rapper and actor Ice-T, and directors Wes Craven and John Waters.
When it came to the movies, MonsterVision, under Briggs, would sometimes stray away from the typical horror and science fiction films, showing westerns, blaxploitation, kung-fu, dramas, comedies and other film genres, specifically in the later years. Additionally, as a way to connect fans further to the movies being presented during episodes, MonsterVision was known for its early use of the internet at . Here, fans were able to chat in , participate in weekly caption contests to win T-shirts, take part in contests to win obscure films, send fan mail, see images from the set, get free postcards, learn more about Briggs and find out about upcoming films. Nevertheless, before each film, Briggs would often give the audience his formal on-air "Drive-In Totals", a list of what he considered to be the most notable, gory, or humorous points in the film, followed by a rating of up to four stars, usually all delivered in a deadpan style. He frequently played on the term "kung fu" to describe action sequences with a particular theme, such as 'Quicksand Fu' in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Briggs' introduction to Phantasm II, for example, comprised:
After each commercial break, Briggs would deliver a diverting short or long monologue concerning general observations about the film, as well as popular culture, society and his thoughts about life in general. These could be more serious discussions, for example, of trivia about obscure film actors, or controversies such as the race debates around films such as Big Trouble in Little China. Conversely, Briggs' pieces could be more lighthearted, with deliberately outrageous political statements and occasional banter with his film crew. He frequently described his notional day-to-day activities, including supposed problems with his girlfriends and his four ex-wives. Lastly, Briggs usually signed off each episode of MonsterVision with a casual debriefing on the movie just-ended, along with a series of deliberately bad jokes, and a reminder that "the Drive-In will never die!"
Furthermore, during these sections, Briggs routinely criticized and lampooned TNT's censorship of the films, with frequent reference to the channel's owner, Ted Turner. This running gag culminated with a Halloween marathon of Friday the 13th movies, which portrayed strange occurrences throughout the night, leading to Joe Bob realizing that Turner was trying to 'kill' him. The final scene saw Joe Bob give an impassioned apology to Turner, claiming he was an amazing person, before the video feed cut off eerily. A similar stunt was staged in Blair Witch Project-themed scenes for a later horror marathon, with the host mysteriously missing.
Beginning on June 7, 1997, the series moved to Saturday nights in order to avoid further conflicts with TNT sports broadcasts. Then, on September 11, 1999, the program was almost completely revamped in order to attract a wider audience, particular more women, resulting in the creation of Joe Bob's Hollywood Saturday Night and MonsterVision. Moving from Dallas to Los Angeles, not only was the general aesthetic of the show changed to feel more 'Hollywood', but the first film of each episode going forward tended to be more 'mainstream', while the second was usually in accordance with traditional MonsterVision. Subsequently, this meant that the Joe Bob’s Last Call segment would be dropped altogether. Although the original formula of the program was now changed, this transition allowed for more guests, such as Rhonda Shear, and horror movie specials still remained a staple of the show. Nevertheless, possibly due to a decline in ratings, TNT was unable to fully justify the increased budget after the move to Los Angeles, thus shifting to a one-movie-a-night format starting on January 15, 2000.

Cancellation and Shudder revival

Briggs hosted MonsterVision for a little over four years, and his presence was the main reason many fans tuned-in. However, the show's format change hinted at the eventual breakdown of the MonsterVision series. Briggs himself has stated that he believes TNT's scheduling of fewer horror and drive-in movies may have led to the program's fall. Thus, on July 8, 2000, Briggs unknowingly hosted MonsterVision for the last time, airing '. Days later, Briggs received a letter from TNT management, stating that "his services were no longer needed." Afterwards, the show returned to its original non-host format, the program's final transition. Yet, fans never received any sort of on-air closure, only officially learning about Joe Bob's departure through the main website. MonsterVision was then eventually removed from TNT's lineup after September 17, 2000.
Briggs has since remained an active speaker and writer, and has contributed commentary tracks to several DVDs.
However, almost over 17 years since its cancellation, Briggs stated that Shudder had shown some interest in reviving MonsterVision. This ultimately resulted in Joe Bob's return to television in a marathon for the Shudder TV live feed. On Friday, July 13, 2018, at 9 PM EDT / 6 PM PDT, Shudder aired The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs, a roughly 26-hour and 35-minute block featuring 13 of the greatest horror movies of all time as chosen by Briggs himself. Despite some technical difficulties, these films included: Tourist Trap, Sleepaway Camp, Rabid, The Prowler, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Daughters of Darkness, Blood Feast, Basket Case, Re-Animator, Demons, The Legend of Boggy Creek, Hellraiser, and Pieces. Then, although there were no commercials, these movies contained several interruptions for Joe Bob's legendary "Drive-in Totals", insider stories, and amusing tangential rants. Additionally, these segments also included Darcy the Mail Girl, who not only showed up in movie-themed outfits to banter with Joe Bob and bring him messages from fans, but also spent the entire time live-tweeting with viewers. Lastly, as with MonsterVision, the show had guests, including Felissa Rose and Lyle Blackburn.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Joe Bob Briggs hosted the "Dinners of Death" on November 22, 2018 at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT using a similar format as the previous marathon, but with sets more akin to those seen on MonsterVision and a runtime of about nine hours and 45 minutes. Featured movies included The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Dead or Alive, and Blood Rage, with special guest Michael Berryman and a brief phone call with "mangled dick expert" Felissa Rose. Next, Joe Bob Briggs hosted "A Very Joe Bob Christmas" on December 21, 2018 at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT, the first of its nature to stream simultaneously across the US, Canada, and the UK. In a surprise twist, the entire marathon was centered around the Phantasm film series, specifically: Phantasm, ', ', and '. Overall, the marathon ran for a total of eight hours and 48 minutes, with guest appearances by franchise ice cream man turned hero Reggie Bannister and Phantasm: Ravager special effects makeup coordinator. Interestingly, Joe Bob supposedly decided against showing Phantasm II due to its depicted destruction of an original 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, although it was most likely a rights issue with Universal Pictures that prevented the movie's broadcast. Additionally, since Shudder did not have the rights to use any of Don Coscarelli's music, Joe Bob closed off the show by leading everyone in a song he called the "12 Days of Phantasm."
All three sets of films are currently on demand, by individual movie segment, with Briggs now hosting weekly double features on Friday nights at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT as a seasonal show. Premiering on March 29, 2019 with C.H.U.D. and Castle Freak, Joe Bob began the first of nine Season 1 episodes by reciting his drive-in oath. Then, appearing during the second film of the night, the guests included Barbara Crampton, who played Susan Reilly in Castle Freak, and Felissa Rose, who reprised her role as the show's "mangled dick expert." Additionally, Shudder partnered with Rated R: A Horror Speakeasy to host a watch party in Glendale, California. Later, on April 16, 2019, beginning with "Week 4," Darcy began holding official weekly contests to see who could guess both films being hosted by Joe Bob. Potential titles had to be submitted by each respective Friday at 8:00 PM, with winners placed into a drawing for a prize pack. Overall, guessing the films of a specific week has now become a tradition in the community, with clues coming via Brigg's Twitter account and his weekly email newsletter.
On May 22, 2019, due to the continued support of, and admiration for, The Last Drive-In, Shudder announced their decision to renew the program for a second season. This was shortly followed by an official announcement video from Joe Bob Briggs himself, which was tweeted out by Darcy the Mail Girl. Then, on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET, Shudder reran ten of the films from the original marathon, not including The Prowler, Daughters of Darkness, and The Legend of Boggy Creek. Although hinted at by Briggs earlier, on October 7, 2019 it was officially announced that he would be returning to Shudder for "Joe Bob's Halloween Hootenanny," where he will be hosting a triple feature on Friday, October 25, 2019 at 9:00 PM ET. The same day of this Halloween special, Briggs announced that on Friday, December 13, 2019 he would be hosting his next Shudder special, "Joe Bob's Red Christmas." The night of "Joe Bob's Halloween Hootenanny," Briggs hosted a marathon of films from the Halloween franchise, which included Halloween, ', and ', as well as a surprise phone call from Tom Atkins, who was described as a "Teen Heartthrob." Then, during his next marathon, "Joe Bob's Red Christmas," Briggs hosted the movies Black Christmas, Jack Frost, and Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2. Additionally, during this marathon, Darcy and Briggs honored with the first ever Silver Bolo Award for his contributions to the horror-fan community.
On March 24, 2020, Joe Bob Briggs announced that the second season of The Last Drive-In would premiere on Friday, April 24, 2020, just in time to honor the halfway to Halloween season. Kelli Maroney and Chris Jericho served as guests during the Season 2 premiere, which aired Chopping Mall and Bloodsucking Freaks. Then, later on in the second season, in anticipation of Week 6, Darcy the Mail Girl reinstated the MonsterVision weekly caption contest for The Last Drive-In, using an archived contest image from the film Arena. This week also became relevant due to its airing of Cannibal Holocaust, which prompted Joe Bob Briggs to warn the mutant family about its graphic content and led to Shudder posting solely the commentary segments without the film for the first time ever.
On July 14, 2020, Shudder announced that the series would return for a third season in 2021, along with other specials in the meantime, including a “summer sleepover” double feature with horror filmmaker Adam Green, and other surprise guests, on Friday, August 14, 2020 at 9:00 PM ET.

Films shown by Penn and Teller on ''MonsterVision''

Season 1 (2019)

Following the success of the "July 2018 Marathon," "Joe Bob's Dinners of Death," and "A Very Joe Bob Christmas," Shudder made the decision to greenlight nine weekly double features beginning on March 29, 2019, and finishing over Memorial Day weekend on May 24, 2019. Directed by Austin Jennings, and produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell, the series aired every Friday at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT in a similar style to the previous marathons. The films ranged over five decades and included everything from classics to obscurities to foreign cult offerings, with a handful of guests in between.

Season 2 (2020)

After the continued support for The Last Drive-In during its first season, the show was renewed by Shudder for a second season on May 22, 2019. Then, following the premiere of "Joe Bob's Halloween Hootenanny" and "Joe Bob's Red Christmas," Season 2 of The Last Drive-In began airing on April 24, 2020 for nine consecutive episodes on Fridays at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT. The films ranged over four decades, with a greater variety of non-horror films and two world streaming premieres, alongside the usual guests and horror offerings.