Special Edition: 2009 October Horror Movie Challenge

Tonight at midnight will mark the fifth straight year of me partaking in DVDTalk's October Horror Movie Challenge. It's a casual event, mostly for fun. Just tally up all the horror films you watch in October. I've never watched more than 39 before, but I really want to try and break my own personal record by at least a couple. Here's a recap of what I watched the last four years.

2005
In 2005, I watched a measly 15 titles. Wimpy status.

1. House by the Cemetery
2. Dead Heat
3. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie
4. Hell of the Living Dead
5. City of the Living Dead
6. Nightmare City
7. House
8. House II
9. Hellraiser
10. Suspiria: LE
11. Zombi 3
12. Zombie 4: After Death
13. Zombie 5: Killing Birds
14. Evil Dead
15. Evil Dead II
16. Dawn of the Dead (remake)
17. Night of the Living Dead

2006
2006 saw me watching 25 titles, as my taste for horror had only grown from the previous year.

October 1st
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) 5:45 PM 10/10
2. The Evil Dead (1981) 9:45 PM 10/10
October 2nd
3. The Last House on the Left (1972) 12:15 AM 9/10
4. Horror Hotel (1960) 10:30 PM 8.5/10
October 4th
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968) 11:10 AM 10/10
6. Drive-In Massacre (1976) 1:10 PM 5/10
October 5th
7. Dawn of the Dead (1978 - U.S. Theatrical) 10:25 PM 10/10
October 6th
8. Day of the Dead (1985) 1:00 PM 9.5/10
October 7th
9. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) 12:00 AM 8.5/10
October 8th
10. Night of the Demons (1988) 9:30 PM 7/10
October 9th
11. The Undead (1957) 7:30 PM 4/10
October 10th
12. Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) 8:00 PM 9/10
13. Texas Chain Saw Massacre Shocking Truth Documentary 11:45 PM 8.5/10
October 11th
14. Tenebrae (1982) 9:00 PM 10/10
October 13th
15. Neon Maniacs (1986) 8:00 PM 8.5/10
October 15th
16. Noche del terror ciego, La (1971) 7:30 PM 8.75/10
October 16th
17. Pet Sematary (1989) 7:15 PM 9/10
October 19th
18. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) 7:00 PM 9/10
October 22nd
19. Rabid (1977) 7:30 PM 9.5/10
October 23rd
20. Tremors (1990) 7:30 PM 9/10
October 24th
21. Feast (2005) 7:15 PM 8.5/10
October 25th
22. I Drink Your Blood (1970) 7:45 PM 7.5/10
October 26th
23. Slither (2006) 7:45 PM 9/10
October 31st
24. Rosemary's Baby
25. Dead Alive

2007
In 2007 I raised the bar to 35. More than one a day, an admirable effort I must say.

1. Evil (Kako, To)
2. Hellraiser
3. Demons
4. Demons II
5. Equinox
6. Flesh Eater
7. Zombie Honeymoon
8. Peeping Tom
9. Bug
10. Les Diaboliques
11. Severance
12. 28 Weeks Later
13. Dagon
14. A Nightmare On Elm Street
15. Twilight Zone: The Movie
16. Deathdream
17. The Haunting
18. Planet Terror
19. Death Proof
20. Black Sabbath (The Three Faces of Terror )
21. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
22. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
23. Day of the Dead
24. Dracula (1931)
25. The Haunted Strangler
26. Zombie Holocaust
27. Club Dread
28. The Pit and The Pendulum
29. House
30. Hour of the Wolf
31. Frankenstein (Karloff)
32. The Toxic Avenger
33. Videodrome
34. Rabid
35. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

2008
My best total yet came last year as I watched 39 films. For the first time I attempted the check off list. You can find both lists below.

October 1st
1. Suspiria (1977) -- 10/10
2. Cannibal Ferox (1981) -- 7.5/10*
3. The Howling (1981) -- 8/10*
October 2nd
4. 28 Days Later (2002) -- 9.5/10
5. MST3K: Boggy Creek II (1985) -- 9/10 -- 2/10*
October 3rd
6. 28 Weeks Later (2007) -- 8.5/10
7. Horror of Dracula (1958) -- 8/10 *
October 5th
8. Seven Blood Stained Orchids (1972) -- 8/10*
October 6th
9. Midnight Meat Train (2008) -- 8/10*
10. Black Sheep (2006) -- 9.5/10
11. Dead Silence (2007) -- 6.5/10*
October 7th
12. The Descent (2005) -- 9/10*
October 8th
13. Wolf Creek (2005) -- 8/10*
14. Your Vice Is A Locked Room and Only I Have The Key (1972) -- 7.5/10*
October 9th
15. [REC] (2007) -- 9.5/10
October 10th
16. Quarantine (2008) -- 7/10*
17. Neon Maniacs (1986) -- 5.5/10
October 12th
18. The Cottage (2008) -- 7/10*
October 14th
19. Habitat (1997) -- 6.5/10*
20. Bride of Re-Animator (1990) -- 7.5/10*
October 17th
21. Halloween (1978) -- 9.5/10
22. Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005) -- 3/10
23. Halloween II (1981) -- 7.5/10*
October 18th
24. Ringu (1998) -- 9/10*
October 20th
25. Saw II (2005) -- 5.5/10*
26. Saw III (2006) -- 4.5/10*
27. Saw IV (2007) -- 3/10*
October 21st
28. Bay of Blood (1971) -- 10/10
29. 5 Dolls For An August Moon (1970) -- 8/10*
October 22nd
30. Baron Blood (1972) -- 8/10*
October 23rd
31. The Last Broadcast (1998) -- 7.5/10*
32. To Let (2006) -- 9/10*
October 24th
33. Saw V (2008) -- 2/10*
October 27th
34. Sleepaway Camp (1983) -- 8/10*
October 29th
35. Opera (1987) -- 9/10*
October 30th
36. Night of the Living Dead (1968) -- 10/10
October 31st
37. Dawn of the Dead (1978) -- 10/10
38. Poultry in Motion: Truth Is Stranger Than Chicken (2008) -- 9.5/10*
39. The Shining (1980) -- 10/10

* = First Time Viewing

Checklist:
Watch one film from every decade of film history.
--- 1890 -
--- 1900 -
--- 1910 -
--- 1920 -
--- 1930 -
--- 1940 -
-X- 1950 - Horror of Dracula
-X- 1960 - Night of the Living Dead
-X- 1970 - Suspiria
-X- 1980 - Cannibal Ferox
-X- 1990 - Bride of Re-Animator
-X- 2000 - 28 Days Later

Watch a film for each rating:
-X- Unrated (pre-MPAA) - Horror of Dracula
--- G -
-X- PG - Boggy Creek II
--- PG-13 -
-X- R - The Howling
--- NC-17 -
--- X -
-X- Unrated (post-MPAA) - Cannibal Ferox

Watch a film starring:
--- Bela Lugosi -
--- Lon Chaney Sr. -
--- Boris Karloff -
--- Lon Chaney Jr. -
--- Vincent Price -
-X- Peter Cushing - Horror of Dracula
-X- Christopher Lee - Horror of Dracula
--- Robert Englund -
--- Bruce Campbell -
--- Jamie Lee Curtis -

Watch films in at least two languages other than English.
-X- First language, (Italian), (Your Vice Is A Locked Room and Only I Have The Key).
-X- Second language, (Spanish), ([REC]).


Watch a film in each of the following subgenres/types:
-X- Vampire -Horror of Dracula
--- Frankenstein -
-X- Werewolf - The Howling
--- Mummy -
--- Invisible Man -
--- Ghost/haunting -
-X- Witchcraft/satanic/religious - Suspiria
-X- Zombie - Bride of Re-Animator
-X- Slasher/psycho/homicidal maniac - Wolf Creek
-X- Monster/creature feature/Godzilla - The Descent
-X- Documentary - Poultry in Motion: Truth Is Stranger Than Chicken
--- Musical -
-X- Spoof/comedy - Black Sheep
-X- Revenge - Dead Silence
-X- Killer/evil doll - Dead Silence
-X- Killer/evil animal - Black Sheep
--- Killer/evil child -
-X- Giallo - Seven Blood Stained Orchids
-X- J horror - Ringu
-X- MST3K/rifftrax/CT - Boggy Creek II
-X- film and its remake - [REC], Quarantine
--- based on a video game -
-X- based on a novel - Horror of Dracula
--- directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis or Uwe Boll or Ulli Lommel -
--- won an Academy Award -- any category -
--- silent film -
--- Criterion version film -
--- with commentary -
--- film and at least two of its sequels -
--- anthology film -
--- takes place on a holiday -
--- takes place in space -
--- takes place on or under the sea -
--- animated film -
-X- called "Night of the ..." - Night of the Living Dead (1968)
-X- called "Return of the ..." - Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis
--- called "Revenge of the ..." -
--- called "Attack of the ..." -
-X- with the words "Living Dead" in the title -Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis

So what will this October bring? I'm not really sure. I do know a few things that will get in the way though. One, a hopefully lengthy Yankee playoff run. Two, the Hartford Wolf Pack and New York Rangers. And three, a trip to Austin, Texas for a journalism conference at the end of the month. Hopefully the theaters there are playing some horror films to help fill in the holes. Until then, I'll happily grind through multiple horror films. Oh and in case you were wondering, I dedicate my eyes to all horror all the time in October. That means Ingmar Bergman and company will just have to wait a month. Check back to the blog for updates, recaps and reviews on what I've been watching and what I thought of. And if you have any horror films I should check out, please send the titles this way, I love new things.