‘The Third Saturday in October’: Retro Slasher Double Feature Now Streaming
Imagine it’s the late 1990s, you’re in a video store, and only parts one and five of a popular slasher franchise are in stock. Welcome to The Third Saturday in October.
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If you grew up during the Golden Age of slasher movies (roughly the late 1970s through the mid 1980s), then there’s a good chance you didn’t always see the popular slasher franchises in their proper order. In a time before streaming granted us instant access to countless movies, you either had to go to a movie theater or video store, or you just settled for whatever was airing on television. With limited options, many young horror fans saw slasher sequels before going back and watching the movies that came before. Recreating that kind of out-of-order nostalgia is the idea behind The Third Saturday in October.
On May 5, 2023, two entries in a “lost” slasher franchise were released on video-on-demand sites. The movies The Third Saturday in October and The Third Saturday in October Part V aren’t actually from 1979 and 1994 respectively. Rather, they are brand-new movies written and directed by Jay Burleson, and they are meant to playfully evoke the styles of their respective slasher eras. They are also meant to be watched in reverse order, starting with Part V before moving on to the original, just like if you stumbled upon a sequel as your gateway into the series.
The movies look fun, and the story created around them makes the experience infinitely more enjoyable. The idea is that the Third Saturday in October franchise was lost, and parts one and five are the only movies that were salvaged for re-release.
A fake The Third Saturday in October fan site stated as being from the early 2000s (created on Angelfire for added authenticity) outlines all the movie from the series, including the still “lost” entries. The summaries contain tons of sly references to slasher franchises like Friday the 13th and Halloween. Also, anyone familiar with the basic history of slashers will recognize the changes described in The Third Saturday in October movies as being more or less in line with the changes in the slasher subgenre during this time. The whole fan site is a brilliant touch.
The Third Saturday in October Part V and The Third Saturday in October are both available to rent and purchase on Amazon. And remember, watch part five first!
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