Jack-O (1995)

This very special Halloween episode of Video Vestige is about the classic 1995 B-horror film Jack-O. This film has some unusual stories behind it, starting with a scream queen contest on the Phil Donahue Show where the winner would be in a real movie! Except they didn’t have a movie planned. So director Steven Latshaw and producer Fred Olen Ray scrambled to make our beloved Jack-O in three months. Hosts Diana and Audrey talk about all the behind the scenes antics, including how Joe Bob Briggs was supposed to be involved in the contest, exploding pumpkins in the Florida winter, and shit pickle gate. Jack-O centers around a pumpkin creature created by a wizard being released Halloween night. The Pumpkin Man is set on killing the Kelly family and anyone who gets in the way. The youngest Kelly, 10 year old Sean, is the only one who can stop Mr. Pumpkin from killing them all. The movie is disjointed and chock full of odd cameos from horror icons. Cameron Mitchell and John Carradine have posthumous roles as a TV show host and a wizard, Brinke Stevens and Dawn Wildsmith play sorceresses, and Linea Quiggly is the sympathetic babysitter. Fred Olen Ray was worried about having so many clips in the film, saying they’re touching on Plan 9 From Outer Space fame, but Jack-O sits in a different category of cheesy old films. It's rough around the edges, but there's something about the film's earnest approach to Halloween, bizarre performances, and homemade atmosphere that has kept people coming back to it. These days, Jack-O is remembered as one of those strange little horror films that found its audience long after its original release. From weird toaster deaths to terrible haunted houses, Jack-O is a perfect Halloween treat. Follow Video Vestige 🦋 https://linktr.ee/videovestigepodcast?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio Support us on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/videovestigepodcast?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio If you like this episode please rate us and leave a comment of your thoughts! It really helps us out and we love hearing from y’all 💕 Happy Halloween! 🎃