Director – Jay Burleson (The Nobodies, Feast of the Vampires)
Starring – Darius Willis (The Dead Center, Music City Paranormal), K.J. Baker (The Reaper Man, Queen Rising), and Allison Shrum (Painted in Blood, American Hunt)
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 2.5/5
Several years ago I was attending my favorite convention, Cinema Wasteland in Ohio. I was doing my usual rounds around the convention floor talking with familiar faces and meeting new friends when I made a stop at the Troma table. It was here that I met filmmaker Jay Burleson and actor Bart Hyatt. They were at the con working with Troma for the release of their film The Nobodies. I talked with them for awhile and took a copy of it home to review. The film seriously impressed me and I’ve recommended it in several groups when discussion of Troma pops up.
Fast forward a few years and Jay announces on social media that he is working on a new film with Bart appearing in it alongside Kansas Bowling. It seems like the posts from Jay started to become less and less until I stopped seeing them. That’s when he hit us with the news that not only did he finish one feature film but he was able to make two. Both films are tied together with one being a classic slasher and the other being the 3rd sequel released sometime later.
I loved the idea and wanted to check them out but my day job and reviewing for the site got the best of my time. However, with October in full swing I decided to work both films into my October horror binge since they were streaming on Tubi. I, obviously, started with the first film, The Third Saturday in October.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows the botched execution of a convicted serial killer who escapes his burial. He makes his way to a nearby home who is preparing for the annual Third Saturday in October rivalry game. As the group party and watch the game, their eventual killer makes his way through the home killing one by one. **Spoiler Alert**
I was really looking forward to checking this one out. The Nobodies is a very solid and well put together film so I didn’t expect anything less with this one. While it is genuinely one of the most authentic looking throwback films I have ever seen, it is slow to gain traction until the last leg of the film. I wanted to love it but the first 45 minutes to an hour was very dull in my opinion.
The acting in this one is great. We have a lot of genuine interactions between the cast that fit the scene very well. The cast does a wonderful job working together and do a fantastic job at bringing the characters to life. I would have liked to see more characters with the slasher clichés but I’m a huge fan of late 70s and early 80s slashers.
The story for this one has so much potential but doesn’t fully commit to it. I loved the idea of a slasher being set during the Third Saturday in October. It doesn’t fit the Halloween vibes that a lot of horror movies try to replicate. It works for October with the fall colors and cooler weather while giving the crew a break from worrying about Halloween decorations. With that being said, the movie moves at a snails pace with the first portion of the film being extremely dull. It does give us some characters backstories but this could have been done in half the time before moving on to the meat and potatoes of the story so to speak. I liked the last leg of the film but getting there was a difficult chore.
Finally, the film has a bunch of great practical and make up effects that really solidifies that slasher vibe. While the kills were impressive, they are not as impressive as the 70s look and style of the film. It’s difficult for an indie production to capture that look and feel but this one fucking nails it. That is a feat in itself. Overall, The Third Saturday in October is a bold film that looks amazing but the story is lacking. I seriously wanted to love it but found myself underwhelmed. It deserves at least one viewing but don’t expect something to add to your annual October watch.
