Salutations fellow #Mutantfam!

     In light of the recent fifth anniversary of Joe Bob's show on Shudder, The Last Drive-In, and some of the feelings it made me feel, I wanted to share my thoughts on what it means to me being a part of the Mutant Family.

     Perusing Twitter on that distinguished day, I was greeted with a myriad of people sharing their love of the movies, our hosts Joe Bob and Darcy the Mail Girl, and our community of like-minded eccentrics. While the themes presented were universal to us, I found myself struck in awe by the camaraderie we shared and reflecting upon that common thread that connects us. Here we are, a group of people who feel separate from what most would consider ‘normal society’. We are different and unique in our own ways but bonded through our fondness and endearment to a divergent type of cinema – Drive-In entertainment. Though our differences as individuals are nuanced and countless, we recognize that within ourselves and others, therefore accepting one another as a result. Our predilection for things that make us revel in the sick and the disgusting set us apart from the many, literally making us Mutants. Society at large generally eschews such interests, and we see their judgment daily. The weird looks and odd stares because of how we dress or act, the baffled expressions when we talk about how giallo is its own distinct art form, the constant questioning of how people can enjoy things like titillating sex and gore or mayhem and murder in cinema – the stuff we find passion and catharticism in tend to, in our sense, liberate us from the traditional commonality, and we relish that individuality. Further, accepting the same from others like ourselves brings us closer together, bonding in a sort of familial unit.

     This brings us to the Fam, or family, part of our self-accepted moniker. There's a social construct, known as fictive kin, that can be used when discussing family dynamics. Usually, a family is defined as a group of two or more people related through blood or marriage, or adoption. Fictive kin, however, becomes a family unit comprised of friends who have built an emotionally significant relationship. While avoiding exact social constructs, this term fits us splendidly. People have grown together over the years in their adoration of the Three B's and bonded emotionally in a compelling fashion, as evidenced by the reverence shown to Joe Bob on that day and the gushing endorsements of what he and his show mean to us. It means so much to as we declare as much by taking the Drive-In oath, our solemn appeal to bear witness to one another in speaking our truth – that as long as One Last Drive In remains we’re going to party together like jungle animals. Its our pledge to be free from the constraints of the society that does not have the same zest nor appreciation of the macabre, lurid, spooky and downright weird.

     The amount of comfort and grace that can be found here is a delight to behold. How many times have we seen Ernie warming himself under his heat lamp and subconsciously realized its an allegory to how Joe Bob and Darcy’s show can warm our spirits, illustrated by all the messages of us collectively counting down until it starts. The minutes dwindling on-screen begin to make us feel lighter, we grow more excited with each passing second. We’ll share the things that nourish us that evening; whether it be food and drink for our bodies or our versions of Chicken Goop for the Soul. We laugh together at the eye rolls both during the movies and the cut aways (thank you Darcy for those), we wince together, we cheer together (how about those JBB charts?!), we recoil together and in the end we share our experience en masse, in our Family of Mutants.

     Its an exquisite distraction from life’s malaise and banality that we reap in tandem. There’s nothing quite like it (unless you have the opportunity to attend the Jamboree, an utterly magical and enchanting affair, which I implore you to experience).

     Though the show may take breaks, the Mutant Fam never does. We are always there to support each other, uplift one another, and share our peculiar proclivities and passions. Social media can be a trying ordeal as it displays the highs and lows of humanity but the Mutant Fam experience is one that elicits a charming joy, warming our hearts like Ernie’s heat lamps, being a balm for our brains, and bringing us together in appreciation of each other.

I love you all.

#MutantFam forever

#TheDriveInWillNeverDie