Hey even if you don’t like the experiment that Jay Burleson has concocted, you have to give “The Third Saturday in October” its credit for being so ambitious. The movies seem to have been made on a very modest budget, but director Burleson has an obvious adoration for slasher movies of all kinds. “Part I” of the series is a love letter to John Carpenter’s “Halloween” and seventies slasher films in general, and while embracing slasher tropes, he does a rare thing and gives us an African American movie maniac. Not just that, but a horrifying African American movie maniac.
Set in October 1979. Ricky Dean is a man on a mission. Years ago, he lost a child at the hands of a psychopathic killer named Jakkariah Harding. When Harding escapes Death Row, Ricky Dean throws himself into the line of fire to stop him from killing again as Harding preys upon a group of friends gathered to watch a college football game.
One of the things I enjoyed about “Part I” is that Jay Burleson connects “Part V” in subtle ways. The movie is set in a town still very obsessed with local football, and there are a lot of references to cats, for some reason. I’m not too sure what the references to kittens and or cats are about, but it’s a fun wink, wink, nod all the same. The performances by the collective cast are very good, especially from folks like Lew Temple, Kate Edmonds, and Darius Willis who is fun as Ricky Dean Logan, the resident “Loomis,” whose entire mission is to stop Jakkariah Harding. Antonio Woodruff is especially good as the resident movie maniac Jakkariah Harding.
Although he has little to no dialogue, his presence is immense, and he manages to turn his character in to a terrifying slasher. Burleson has a good time setting the stage for his killer, establishing a lot of the elements of his universe, and lore, and lends Jakkariah an interesting mystique. There’s especially a very good scene in a graveyard that injected a real shot of adrenaline to Jakkariah’s reign of terror. Ultimately “Part I” is a very good throwback to “Halloween,” and it clicks in to “Part V” comfortably. I appreciate what Jay Burleson pulls off here, and the double feature are worth seeking out.
On Digital and VOD May 5th from Dark Sky Films.