There’s a ton of creativity and fun to be had behind writer and director Jay Burleson’s pair of slasher films. With the pair of movies you have what is an admirably constructed mythology, along with a cast of performers that are the absolute highlight of the movie. Even the more irritating characters eventually won me over, and that’s saying a lot. In spite of the warts and all, Burleson gets creative from the outset with a pair of films that have to be appreciated and experienced backward.
So, you have to watch “Part V” before you can even watch “Part I.”
It’s Part V. Unstoppable killer Jakkariah “Jack” Harding is back in town after seven years, as he stalks and kills at random before chancing upon a football watch party. The game is, of course, between longstanding rivals the Alabama-Mobile Seahawks and Tennessee A&M Commonwealth. Chaos ensues, in increasingly ridiculous fashion, with inventive murders and multiple love triangles. Hearts are broken and appendages are torn.
For all intents and purposes, at least you can say writer and director Jay Burleson is ambitious. That’s not to imply that “The Third Saturday in October: Part V” is a bad movie, it just isn’t one that necessarily re-invents the wheel. There are a lot of callbacks to the classic slasher sequels, with even a recap of the previous films setting the stage for the aesthetic and tone of his horror comedy. I also loved the fake television commercials. Burleson composes a solid cast with Kansas Bowling, who is very good as babysitter Maggie, successfully giving off major Laurie Strode vibes. Respectively, folks like Autumnn Jaide, Bart Hyatt, and Puppy Cunningham are also big highlights. The idea behind Burleson’s horror comedy is that there is no Parts II, III, or IV.
So a lot of “The Third Saturday in October” movies rely on the audience pretty much filling in the gaps for themselves. “The Third Saturday in October: Part V” is meant to invoke the feeling of the classic horror movie rental days and Burleson’s film is enthusiastic in its embracing of slasher tropes. There are the people in the house getting picked off one by one, the obnoxious jock, and yes, even the small child that’s always at risk of being snatched. There’s also “Jack” Harding who eventually evolves in to a menacing and sadistic masked killer. He takes no prisoners when it comes to these characters, and he’s as mysterious leaving as he is entering.
I just wish we had a lot more even pacing, as the film tends to slow down in certain parts. Also the first ten minutes or so are rough around the edges with Burleson fumbling in some aspects of exposition and dialogue. In either case, I was never really bored, as Burleson is great in setting up some searing tension that’s complimented by the fun performances by the collective cast. While “The Third Saturday in October: Part V” is no masterpiece, I appreciated the inherent effort and love behind Burleson’s throwback to slasher movies–even if I was left wanting a bit more substance. It’ll assuredly win over slasher movie fanatics looking for a good time.
On Digital and VOD May 5th from Dark Sky Films.