Joe Bob Briggs’ book Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In is getting an updated and expanded release from Dark Horse Books

Back in 1987, legendary drive-in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs gathered a bunch of his reviews and newspaper columns and released them in a book called Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In. That book has long been out of print, but now, Joe Bob has teamed up with Dark Horse Books to bring an updated and expanded edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In to store shelves on October 14th! Copies are already available for pre-order on Amazon.

The artbook-sized new edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In features cover art by Wallace McBride, new interior artwork illustrated by Mike Norton and colored by Bill Crabtree, and an introduction by Stephen King. Joe Bob told our friends at Bloody Disgusting, “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. 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.“

In this book, you’ll find “Joe Bob’s 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 his adventures as the world’s foremost expert on drive-ins.“Joe Bob said it’s “an expanded book that includes the original reviews, plus columns not seen in 40 years, plus new writing!“

Bloody Disgusting was also provided with quotes from several filmmakers, singing the praises of Joe Bob and the book. Late Night with the Devil star David Dastmalchian said, “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.” David Gordon Green, director of the recent trilogy of Halloween sequels, said, “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.” Suitable Flesh director Joe Lynch had this to say: “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.” And another legend, John Waters, added: “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.“

Are you a fan of Joe Bob Briggs, and will you be picking up a copy of the new edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In from Dark Horse Books? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and if you have read the original edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In, tell us what you thought of it!