261. 31 Days of Halloween '25: THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER (2023) dir. Jay Burleson

The second half of Jay Burleson's THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER duology is here! It's also the first movie in the franchise! Let's hear it for out-of-order storytelling!This movie's better than PART V. Where the latter specializes in Troma-style camp and gore effects, this movie's got a stronger sense of atmosphere and foreboding, as it borrows more from '70s horror flicks like THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. The death-row-inmate Jakkariah Harding is freshly barbecued via electric chair and pissed the fuck off, hunting the parents of his latest victims. But as slashers do, he'll just nab any-and-everybody he finds cause I guess he's going for a killstreak, 30 years before CALL OF DUTY went modern.I've yet to mention Kelvin Wooten's (also known as Wu10) score. It's one of my all-time favorite horror scores, resemblent of the haunting, ominous sounds of Halloween, perfect for driving slowly down a sleepy hometown road. In the dark, with this music on, you'll swear you can spot any creep behind a cloud of fog. Its blend of synths, jazz, funk and orchestral tinges give this a flavor that you can simultaneously vibe, dance and recoil to. Put this on at your next Halloween party; it's just gonna slap.And then "Meow Meow Meow Meow" will kick on. Hehehehehe. I love a franchise that loves cats.SURPRISE! I'm not quite done with THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER movies because on the next episode of The Movies, Jay Burleson comes onto the show to talk about his slasher combo masterpiece, as well as his new film, KENNELED, which is now available to stream on Screambox. Stick around, friends; we got a special interview coming!---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!