*six people
10. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999, Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez) -- 52
9. SCREAM (1996, Wes Craven) -- 57
8. BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974, Bob Clark) -- 62
7. THE DESCENT (2005, Neil Marshall) -- 62
6. ALIEN (1979, Ridley Scott) -- 63
5. THE SHINING (1980, Stanley Kubrick) -- 64
4. HALLOWEEN (1978, John Carpenter) -- 72
3. THE WITCH (2015, Robert Eggers) -- 76
2. THE THING (1982, John Carpenter) -- 78
1. SUSPIRIA (208, Luca Guadagnino) -- 85
- I AM AS SHOCKED AS YOU ARE. When I announced SHOCKtober 2020, I wondered if The Thing, the perennial #2 film, would finally supplant Halloween in the hallowed top spot. The votes for Suspiria '18 started coming in and I thought hooray, it's getting a lot of votes! I had a nice chuckle--sometimes, even, a chortle--whenever some variation of "the 1977 one, sorry, don't hate me" was added to a vote for Dario Argento's Suspiria. And finally, when all was tallied up, my eyes fell out of my head. I am equally surprised that The Witch copped the #3 spot and Halloween dropped all the way to #4. As for The Thing...hey, maybe 2025 will be its year!
- "Someday," says a reader about The Shining, "I will knit myself an Apollo 11 sweater and it will be perfect. Or one for my cat, because cat sweaters are smaller, and I have a short attention span."
- On The Descent, a reader shared: "It generated so much debate with my friends « was she right to strike her friend with the climbing axe ?? ». (I think she was and my friends think I’m a bit spiteful and shady since.)"
- Well, that's that. SHOCKtober is officially SHOCKtover! On Monday I'll be back with a wee wrap-up / reckoning, including, I hope, a downloadable mega-list for your reference, scrapbook, archive, family history, time capsule, etc. etc. This list wouldn't be nuthin' without your votes, so thanks to all who voted! And it wouldn't be as much fun without all the comments and discussion, so thanks for all that too.
SHE IS THE MOTHER
ReplyDeleteI usually raise my eyebrow at "recency bias" but if I'd made a top 20 list in 1985 it probably would have included RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and RE-ANIMATOR -- both released in 1985 and both on the list I submitted this year -- so, who knows?
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. I know it's a lot of work - and it honestly made all this that much less sucky for a little while.
ReplyDeleteIt's just so beautiful. All hail SHOCKtobra!
ReplyDelete(Oh, ha - before "all this" I typed "waves hands" in angle brackets, which of course, isn't valid HTML. Anyhow, that's the context of "all this".)
ReplyDeleteWe knew what you meant even without the "waves hands" which just illustrates how doggone kooky pants pervasive the full on yuck is this year! But we have the list, a hardy life raft on a sea of...strangling hands in angle brackets(?)
DeleteBrilliant! Every month should be SHOCKtober!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Wow, i figured Suspiria (2018) was gonna be in the top 10, but i wasn't expecting it to win O.O I see it tho
ReplyDeleteI'm so fucking glad I got to see Suspiria in a theater.
ReplyDeleteCoooool!
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled for Suspiria 2018! I am grateful for List. I am oh so happy I found this blog and that Stacie's words coming out of my mouth convinced 5(!) least likely co-workers to watch and really enjoy Suspiria 2018..Phew! ( I also adore the Thing but think two is a lovely place to nook up and be for a few decades, reading spy novels and focussing on moisturizing.)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wild ride this SCHOCKtober has been. There was no doubt in my mind that Suspiria 2018 would easily make it into the Top 20, but reaching the number one spot, beating out horror staples like The Shining, Halloween and The Thing? That I would have never seen coming.
ReplyDeleteHappy Halloween, everybody. Stay safe and enjoy yourselves, whatever your plans are for tonight.
This has been fantastic. I'm gonna rewatch THE THING right now. Also Stacie, every still you've chosen for these movies has been perfect all the way through. Love Wendy and her cigarette here.
ReplyDeleteIn your face to all the haters of Suspiria '18! (From someone who loves loves loves Suspiria '77 also).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the diversion from all the real life horrors of the world, Stacie. This has been so fun, I've looked forward to reading the updates all month long.
***sings all of Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” replacing all the “Glorias” with “Suspirias”***
ReplyDeleteThanks for providing such a fun distraction this year, Stacie!
This has been a huge amount of fun, in a year that really needed it. Thanks so much for all of your hard work!
ReplyDeleteSuspira 2018 pulling the upset victory for the top spot.....well.....briefcase woman is raising her valise in celebration LOL
Thanks so much for all of your time and hard work making this list (not just this 10, the whole 900+)! I'll be revisiting these posts to find movies to watch for a long time!
ReplyDeleteMany, many thanks for all the work that went into this list. It was a much welcome bright daily bright spot in a very hard month in a very garbage year. All hail Suspiria, perhaps the only movie/experience/lifestyle I'm happy to have render my darling The Thing a perhaps perennial bridesmaid.
ReplyDeleteAnd everyone will be thrilled to learn I've cobbled together a knitting pattern, so by next Shocktober, I'll be dressing my cat in a beautiful Apollo 11 sweater! Or I'll be clawed to ribbons, because she's given no indication of enjoying sweaters.
ReplyDeleteSaying it was "right" for Juno to hit Beth with the ice axe is a strange way to put it. It was an accident, no right or wrong in that moment. You can interpret her actions after as right or wrong for sure though. That said, Suspiria deserves the win, it is transcendent and perfect.
ReplyDeleteAlso I am a recent listener of Gaylords of Darkness, have been binging it, and decided I needed to check out Final Girl, so pardon the comments on older posts!