Well y'alls, the time is nigh and we are holding on. Thanks to those of you who submitted lists of your Top 20 favorite horror films, this promises to be a SHOCKtober to end all SHOCKtobers for this year we're counting down a total of...
951 films.
NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE.
That is so many! In 2017 the list was 630 movies long. In 2010, which I thought would never be surpassed, we counted down 732 movies. This year we left those sucker SHOCKtobers in the dust, so thank you--although I do admit, compiling all of this has left me feeling like Sam Neill towards the end of Event Horizon, you know, where he's like "Where we're going we don't need eyes to see!" or whatever and lo, as if to prove his point he no longer has eyes and his face is all cut up and stuff. Also SPOILER Event Horizon is on the list! Somewhere! *evil laugh*
As always, though I hate to admit it, there is the chance of a mistake somewhere in this madness. Like maybe I didn't catch the fact that, I don't know, Face of the Werewolf is an alternate title for Breath of the Beast or something. Know what I mean? SPOILER those movies are not on the list because as far as I know they are not real movies. I wish they were! The point is, please forgive any errors you may find over the course of the month. And be sure to keep your eyes peeled, as some days I'll be posting more than once--I've got some special guest lists lined up, which should be fun...or at least something to read, which we could all use.
Also, big thanks to folks who included notes and the such with their lists! I love a good anecdote or a kind word. Some of you mentioned submitting a list the first time I did this back in 2010 and ya done blown my mind. I am shocked and flattered and very very thankful that you've stuck around these parts for so long. Truly.
You may notice that the spirit of this thing plays fast and loose with the notion of what constitutes a "horror movie," so some of these films might not fit within your definition of one. Some of these films do not fit within mine! But to the people who sent in lists they qualify as horror, so here they are. I'm not gatekeeping this shit.
Everything will be ranked according to the number of votes received, but when multiple movies earned an equal number, the ranking is mostly just alphabetical. So if they each got one vote, there's no difference, really, between film #857 and film #100. I am sure you could have figured that out, but I am just saying.
I guess that's it, so let's start the countdown! Will John Carpenter's Halloween hold onto the top spot it earned in 2010 and 2017? We'll find out soon enough. But for now...
Each of the following films received one vote.
- ATTACK OF THE BEST CREATURES!! That film is truly a beautiful thing, as evidenced by the gif. I really need to give it a rewatch ASAP. See? SHOCKtober already proves worth it!
- I put on Await Further Instructions randomly late one night and I really enjoyed it; it hasn't gotten much attention (not that I'd really know, I guess?) but it's a nice little paranoia horror/thriller, so check it out if you're into that sort of thing!
OMG!!! OMG!!! I am ATTACK OF THE BEAST CREATURES! And though I suspected it would be a single-voter thing, this has already made my SHOCKtober!!!
ReplyDelete(It's on YouTube, for those so inclined...)
I am sad that I am the only vote for Alligator, but at the same time, I didn't vote for 28 Weeks Later, A Quiet Place, or Attack the Block, which I would also have expected to get more than 1.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE for Shocktober!
SHOCKtober is already a roller coaster as I whiplash from "Aw yay, someone voted for this great movie!" to "Ha wow, A Quiet Place only got one vote, sick burn!" So much to think and feel. Also I finally just saw Attack the Block and it is SO GOOD.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Attack of the Beast Creatures is on YouTube! I am torn between wanting it to get a sweet BR release (if only so more people can see it) and wanting it to stay on cruddy bootlegs (like I have) because the sort of 'shot on VHS' aesthetic really serves it.
ReplyDeleteI think A Quiet Place only getting one vote is one of the biggest bombshells of this SHOCKtober!
Thank you for doing this!
ReplyDeleteI was unsure as to what my Shocktober weekly themes would be this year, but just choosing a film each day from your list will more than suffice.
It appears Attack of the Beast Creatures is it for today!
Phillip
Wow, Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes only gets one vote? Evil Lamp deserves much better. Not that I voted for it.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a mistake. I voted for it but I can’t be the only one.
DeleteI'm feeling so smart for alphabetizing my list so I can easily see what I was the only vote for.
ReplyDeleteI’m so dang excited! Great start. So confused by 3 o’clock high...which I love, but horror...?
ReplyDeleteSOOOO HAPPY ABOUT THIS, STACIE!!
ReplyDeleteWeirdly this makes it look like Amityville the Evil Escapes only got one vote. Otherwise great list and I can’t wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised so many of these only got 1 vote! Especially “A Bay of Blood.” Are we sure it’s not somewhere else on the list under one of its many other names like Twitch of the Death Nerve or New House on the Left? I wish I had voted by the deadline. It would have had two votes.
ReplyDeleteAnd so happy you are doing this again, Stacie! We really need something this fun during these crazy times! Thank you so much!!!
ReplyDelete@ Pat Hingle -- we are sure :) In 2017 it only received two votes, and in 2010 it received four, so while it is a lauded, formative film and this seems shocking, it is not entirely outside the realm of possibility
ReplyDeleteHurray, SHOCKtober is here!
ReplyDeleteKudos to whoever picked Antichrist and saved it a spot in the SHOCKtober 2020 countdown. While I love that film, I didn't include it in my list this time around.
I'd also like to acknowledge the vote for Apocalypse Now, which almost made my list too. I don't consider it to be a horror film, per se, but it definitely has a nightmarish and disturbing quality to it.
Lastly, I would have thought Angel Heart might get more than one vote this year, but I guess I was wrong. Day one of SHOCKtober 2020 and it's already full of surprises.
Definitely some surprises already! I would have thought Bay of Blood, Abbott and Costello and Amityville II would be higher up. I've never heard of Attack of the Beast Creatures or Await Further Instructions. Sounds like I'm starting a Shocktober watchlist!
ReplyDeleteHey, it was my vote that got A Bay of Blood on this year's list! Yay! My work here is done.
ReplyDeleteI did not include Event Horizon and immediately regretted it after I sent my list. Certainly a rewatchable for me :(
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the rest of the countdown!