If you watched TNT on Saturday nights in the 90’s, you knew about Joe Bob Briggs. Of course, this makes it sound like spending your Saturday nights watching TNT was a thing to be proud of, but the point is, there was someone there that made it worth it.
The stage persona of writer/comedian John Irving Bloom, Joe Bob Briggs dominated late-night weekend programming as the host of Monster Vision: a weekly serving of classic horror, action, and sci-fi films. But the real fun of Monster Vision was Joe Bob himself, who would segue to and from commercial breaks with acerbic, morbid, and often extremely inappropriate commentary about the film itself and all matters pertaining to it. Although clearly a lover of the films at hand, his observations were rarely kind, often shocking, and always hilarious. If Mystery Science Theatre 3000 had its finger on the pulse about what geeks loved about bad movies, then Joe Bob Briggs had the car running outside with a tarp, rope, and shovel in the trunk.
If you’ve missed Joe Bob and Monster Vision since their last sign-off in July of 2000, then quit your aardvarking and pay attention. Via his Twitter, Briggs has been teasing a Shudder-backed reboot of Monster Vision for a while now. And when a user named Garth Landers probed for information recently, the erstwhile horror host had this to say…
All I can say, Garth, is that we're getting really really close. https://t.co/a42rNUvPhA
— Joe Bob Briggs (@therealjoebob) March 13, 2018
Horror fans are more appreciative of a good ribbing and great commentary than ever. If ever there were a landscape made for Briggs and his brand of humor, it’s this one. Here’s hoping that his return is as close as he says.
