The Third Saturday in October

"The Third Saturday in October" is one of those movies that just doesn't work. It has far too many characters, too many locations, too much dialogue. Too little focus. You forget what kind of movie it is supposed to be. It's like it remembers it's a slasher every half-an-hour or so and we get some pretty lame, unconvincing violence. Then it goes back to following its uninteresting, undifferentiated characters around and showing whatever it is they're doing, without ever giving us a reason to care.

The movie is an attempt to make a slasher that actually could have been made the year it's set, in the late '70s somehow. Therefore the footage looks washed out, like they left it in the sun too long. Everything looks yellow.

And of course the characters all wear '70s fashions, drive old cars, have oldschool hairdos, whatever.

I can imagine the conversation that ensued when this movie was pitched to the producers:

"We want to make an oldschool slasher flick that looks like it was actually made in the heyday of the slasher craze, like a lost movie from 1978."

"That's a great idea! Here's a bag of money."

"But.. don't you want to know about the ideas we have for a story?"

"No. You don't need a story, nor ideas. Just the concept of a lost movie from '78 will get slasher fans lining up to see it. In fact, I don't want you to use a story nor a screenplay. Just wing it with a lot of tedious scenes of characters the audience doesn't care about doing nothing of interest. We don't even really need violence so I'm not going to provide special effects guys. You'll have to just make that up on the spot."

"But... but..."

"Forget your buts. Here's some money. Shooting starts immediately. Now get out of my sight."

I gave this movie two stars for trying. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to try. The movie does not deliver and scares.

The entire movie has a retro look -- like those grindhouse films from the 70's. In fact everything from the sets to the clothing, the cars...everything is 70's.

Additionally, they put some sort of grainy overlay on this to make it appear as if it was shot on film.

So they put effort in the movie, which has one huge fatal flaw -- the killer.

The guy can't act to save his life and isnt meanacing at all.

All of the death scenes fall flat because of him.

What a disappointment. After all that work, they couldnt have gotten a better killer?

So straight Joe Fryer, a sad Sheri Moon Zombie wannabe, discount Tituss Burgess, Jennifer Hud-clone, Astronaut Alan Hale Jr, someone who might actually have Chris Elliot and others make a silly horror movie set during a semi-fictional (but equally silly) college rivalry game.

Surprisingly it captures the 70s grindy-housy exploitation feel quite competently.

It's intentionally campy with groovy, jive-talking characters. There is a green shag carpet at one point.

Well, if you like Dr. Pepper knock-offs with a side of free kittens, you'll get what I am trying to say here by saying what I am saying.

This is too laughable for a pure horror movie, and too unfunny for a horror-comedy. I think that it's intentionally weird, plus don't take itself too serious, and that's not a bad thing. There is some entertainment value here. However, it didn't need to be so amateurish. I can't believe that the actors here are so bad at acting. They look like caricatures, they don't speak or behave like normal human beings. As it looks, that was deliberate, director wanted this to be a fun ride, a tribute to the 70's horror movies. However, it failed. Because, as i said, it's not scary neither funny or interesting.

If you want to watch a movie that nothing makes sense and people talk like they are aliens from outer space learning for the first time the human language, you might enjoy it. Maybe it is some kind of satire, but if you want to mock a genre, at least do it correctly.

This movie was exactly what I had hoped for. In the spirit of the old 70-80s horror films, it is clear that the intent was to amuse; not to scare. A true throwback to this era in every scene, including the diner which was a clever place to connect the characters. The acting and scenes were on point, even the grainy look to the film made it feel as if it's been sitting on the shelf in the Movie rental store for the past 25 years. You'll notice some of the classic additions of the old school horrors: group of friends, sheriff who does nothing, nudity, drugs, ie This movie delivered on the quirky films we all loved to laugh through.