Exclusive: THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER CLIPS Revive A (Fake) Lost Slasher Icon

A sneak peek at director Jay Burleson’s love letter to the video store days of the slasher craze.

By Ryan Scott · @RyanScottWrites · May 3, 2023, 1:14 PM EDT
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Image courtesy of Dark Sky Films

During the peak of the slasher craze in the '80s, so many would-be genre icons arrived on video store shelves it would be impossible to imagine that all of them could achieve the level of immortality achieved by the likes of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. But many of them didn't even make the jump from VHS to DVD, and some were certainly lost to time. Director Jay Burleson is here to deliver a love letter to these by-gone slashers of the video store era with his new films (yes, films!) The Third Saturday in October: Part V and The Third Saturday in October: Part I. We have an exclusive look at those films in the form of a couple of brand new clips.

Burleson hand-picked these clips from the movies, which arrive later this week, "as a look into the world building of the small town atmosphere featured in both films." It's also worth pointing out before diving in that the idea is for viewers to watch Part V first, then circle back to Part I, harkening back to the old days when viewers may well have had to watch these franchises out of order. Now, let's roll the footage.

Catfish Cabin

The Bronco Burger

So, what happened to parts II through IV? The idea is that these films were unearthed and restored, but only these two were salvageable. It’s frankly a pretty unique concept, particularly for a lower-budget endeavor such as this. The synopsis for the double feature reads as follows:

“A double feature of terror, The Third Saturday In October: Part V sees unstoppable killer Jakkariah Harding once again stalking and butchering the football-loving residents of a small Alabama town, this time finding a treasure trove of victims after he chances upon a football watch party. And then get ready to see how the horror began in The Third Saturday In October: Part I, which tells the story of Harding's death row escape and ensuing slaughter as two survivors of his initial attack hunt him down.”

The cast for Part V includes Kansas Bowling (Christmas Bloody Christmas), Poppy Cunningham (The Death of Dick Long), Taylor Smith (Angels on Earth the Light of Faith), Bart Hyatt (The Nobodies), Autumnn Jaide (Deathless), Tom Hagale (Dormant) and Parker Love Bowling (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). Meanwhile, the ensemble for Part I includes Darius Willis (The Dead Center), K.J. Baker (The Starling Girl), Allison Shrum (Ozark), Lew Temple (The Devil's Rejects), Antonio Woodruff (He Got Away), Casey Aud (Love Incidental), Kate Edmonds (Root Letter) and Veanna Black (Echoes).

The Third Saturday in October: Part V and The Third Saturday in October: Part I arrive on VOD and Digital on May 5 from Dark Sky Films.

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