Make Believe 2023 Film Festival – Set in 1979, The Third Saturday in October Part V is very much a tribute to 70s slashers like Halloween and Black Christmas. Despite its title, The Third Saturday in October Part V is the only “sequel.” Also written and directed by Jay Burleson and set in a football-obsessed Alabama town, this one has a cold open that resembles Scream, fitting for its mid-90s timeline. It’s also heavy on the meta aspects, making it slightly different from the other film, while still maintaining similar offbeat qualities.

Like its companion film, this one has Halloween decorations in every frame and nails the time period’s aesthetic. The “sequel” follows pink-haired final girl Maggie (Kansas Bowling) who babysits the adorable PJ (Poppy Cunningham). Meanwhile, a killer is on the loose again while the town is distracted by football. The masked boogeyman kills one person after the other along countryside roads. Often, he lingers in the background, watching, waiting, and stalking, a la Michael Meyers. Because this is meant to be a later sequel in a series lost to time, it eventually veers into some strange and bizarre territory like Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, you know, the one that doesn’t feature Jason. There are some other cool slasher nods here, including a dance scene that resembles Crispin Glover’s moves in Friday the 13th Part IV. Meanwhile, the killer’s weapon of choice is garden shears, like the killer in The Burning.

This feature has more uncomfortable moments compared to the other film. For instance, there’s a disabled character in a wheelchair named Lester (Bart Hyatt) who’s frequently bullied by jock Peter (Taylor Smith). Lester is definitely a callback to Franklin in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but some of Tyler’s comments are groan-worthy. Perhaps Peter’s comments are meant to show how awful he is, especially since it’s followed by a scene where he talks about the list of women he plans to bed, but it’s still a lot by today’s standards. Things get weirder when Peter’s physical therapist, Neil (Tom Hagale), shows up dressed in a referee costume. It’s an indication of the many oddball directions the film will take.

Like its sister film, this feature’s setting is strong and well-drawn, a small southern town obsessed with football to the point that it barely remembers the killings that happened 15 years earlier. Meanwhile, Maggie makes for a fine final girl, just like her counterpart Heather in the other film. Here, however, Maggie has much more screentime and fully assumes the babysitter role so familiar to the slasher genre. Like Nancy, Laurie, Ginny (personally one of my favorite final girls) before her, Maggie is strong, plucky, and resourceful. As for the gore, slasher fans will be happy to know this has a few brutal kills.

Technically, The Third Saturday in October Part V is meant to be viewed before The Last Saturday in October. I admit I didn’t follow that order, but both films really go hand in hand. The “sequel” is even more off-kilter than the other film with an abundance of nods to other slasher films and a kick-butt final girl. Both films make for fine Halloween season viewing. There’s simply something oddly affecting and engaging about Burleson’s work.

7 Out of 10