31 Horror Movie Challenge

Happy Halloween everyone!

This is easily my favorite holiday and instead of sacrificing a goat, I thought I’d just sacrifice a great deal of time by watching 31 horror movies (one for every day in October).

I managed to get through some of these with the help of a few friends. I think my girlfriend watched some of the worst ones with me back to back. In short, I want to thank them for not making me go at it alone. Also thanks to those who had recommendations, some of them were pretty good.

One of my earliest passions was film and although that relationship has waxed and waned over the years in terms of priority I feel like this experience has reignited a lot of what I love about film and ultimately that was my only goal in all of this. That being said, the horror genre is a tough one to judge as a whole. Horror movies rarely make me feel scared or uneasy and frankly I’ve seen a lot more bad horror movies than I have good ones. But I honestly do like this genre and this was a great way to discover some gems. I did a small write up on each film in case you want to know why I hated it or loved it or was indifferent to it. I will try to avoid any spoilers in my review but no promises, thank you for reading and please recommend any you think I should watch this year.

Parameters:

All of the movies listed were created between the year 2000 and now.

I only watched movies that I hadn’t already seen.

I watched at least 5 foreign horror films.

I watched all 31 horror films within the month of October.

1. Hereditary (2018)

It could be argued that it is not the scariest film on the list but I think that it is easily the best film as a whole. The direction is sharp, the effects are near perfect, the actors are believable and the payoff left me with a firm sense of hopelessness and dread. Almost every shot seems thoughtful as well as unique and the tight pacing kept me actively engaged in the events as they unfolded. The quality is there and it is the only film on the list I have seen twice. I really enjoyed it.

2. Creep (2014)

Found footage can be a great device to tell a horror story and I think this was a good example of how it can be executed effectively. It’s a simple, believable premise and while it may not have been amazing at every beat of the story, it did stick the landing with its ending. I think if the desired intent was to make this creepy and unsettling then the creator’s accomplished what they set out to do.

3. Baskin [Turkish] (2015)

I’m not speaking facetiously when I say that this is the only film that actually gave me nightmares. Part of me wanted to rank it number 1 for that reason alone. It may not be much in the way of storytelling but the effects and visuals are a fair mixture of interesting and depraved. I would consider myself mostly desensitized but at times while I was watching this I genuinely felt like looking away from the screen. Credit where credits due this one out-disturbed every other entry.

4. Train to Busan [Korean] (2016)

This is the only zombie entry on my list and it came highly recommended. It was fun and kept a fast entertaining pace. I have seen a lot of zombie movies and although some of them are great and iconic most are lackluster and forgettable to me. This one didn’t disappoint though, it was a fresh take on the genre.

5. Don’t Breathe (2016)

I’ve talked to a few people about this movie and it seems the only real criticism I hear is that the ending was a little far-fetched, which I think is a fair point. But it was still a solid cat and mouse thriller that used it’s environment to build backstory as well as tension successfully.

6. Shutter [Thai] (2004)

From a cinematography standpoint it is excellent, which is pretty cool considering thematically the camera is one of the focal points of the story.

7. Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Good road trip horror flick with actors that have good chemistry. The monster design and practical effects work look great nearly always and although the story starts to peter out in the third act it is still a fun ride to take.

8. Raw [French] (2016)

This one is a slow burn but it’s never really uninteresting. I wanted to know more about the events that were unfolding even if the events don’t really lead anywhere that incredible. It’s worth seeing for the unsettling nature of the story, unique aesthetic, and use of color.

9. Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

This is a fair sequel that shares the good practical effects from the first entry. I would recommend watching them in tandem, they work well together.

10. The Collector (2009)

As goofy as this film gets with it’s killer antagonist and all the booby traps he goes around setting it is still a fun popcorn horror movie.

11. The Collection (2012)

Just like Jeepers Creepers this sequel works well in tandem with the original, in fact this feels like it picks up soon after The Collector ends. Make it a double feature.

12. The Witch (2015)

The production value of this had to have been huge. The setting is 1600’s New England and they did a fine job of convincing me of that through the meticulousness of their set and character design. It also has interesting effects and visuals throughout. It may not be scary consistently but it did have it’s moments.

13. Apostle (2018)

It’s rarely scary but it does make for a good adventure-mystery-horror flick. The main character is easy to root for and the mystery he is solving is engaging but at times seems like an afterthought.

14. Hush (2016)

This is a somewhat straightforward slasher flick. I think the first two acts are significantly more interesting than the third and it would have been better overall if there seemed to be any real motivation to the killer. But it did keep a strong pace and the characters were compelling enough so if your in the mood for a newer slasher flick you could do worse.

15. The Conjuring (2013)

This one was recommended to me more than any other film on the list. It’s not a bad movie either but it was far longer than it needed to be. It beats you over the head with so much backstory but starts picking up near the midway point. From there it does a decent job of keeping up the scares.

16. Afflicted (2013)

This is another found footage horror flick that at times becomes pretty action heavy. It’s never really all that scary but the action sequences look good for the most part. I think the way they chose to approach a story involving vampires was also unique.

17. Mother! (2017)

I found out much later that this movie is supposed to be a representation of “Mother” Earth being destroyed by humanity. I guess it’s good to know that going in but it doesn’t sideline the fact that near the end of this movie I was looking at my watch. It was way too long and only interesting because of the chaotic nature of the story and the effect work. The production budget was there but it could only polish so much of a story that ultimately felt like it went nowhere as quickly as it could.

18. Southbound (2015)

The concept of this was strong. Having multiple story lines intertwining with characters that don’t know they are in hell is a fantastic idea. The problem is that most of the stories aren’t that strong independently and it feels a little like you are just waiting to see the next story line when one of them starts to drag.

19. The Babadook (2014)

Strong acting by the leads makes it easy to care about what’s happening to them the only problem is that when the Babadook monster shows up it always looks non-threatening and cartoonish and it is difficult for me to get past that.

20. It Comes at Night (2017)

This is more of a psychological thriller than a horror and it did an alright job of building suspense. The acting is good but I really had a hard time ever caring about what was happening. There are moments where it can capture tension but not enough for me to sustain interest throughout.

21. Halloween (2018)

This is the only film on my list that I saw in the theaters. I wanted it to be better than it was but it was just boring. There were a lot of characters that didn’t matter and so much incompetence from nearly every one of them that I struggled to suspend disbelief.

22. Jigsaw (2017)

I had seen all of the Saw franchise leading up to this one before I started my list and aside from the first one I can hardly remember what happens in any of the other ones. They are just one big blur. And this one is the most mediocre blur of them all.

23. Teeth (2007)

I had heard so much about this movie but never thought the premise sounded scary. The whole idea of a woman with teeth in her vagina to fit the format of an entire film seemed kind of silly to me. Then I watched and realized I was right.

24. A Quiet Place (2018)

The hype surrounding this movie was way to strong. The monsters in this don’t look real, the CGI just doesn’t hold up for me. Aside from that, the idea that they have super sensitive hearing only serves the story when it is convenient. It’s pretty gimmicky and never really does anything that impressive.

25. Truth or Dare (2017)

Considering there were a bunch of horror movies with this same name made around the same time it may be difficult for people to know which film I’m talking about. This one has a scene where one of the characters is eaten by a swarm of cockroaches. It’s not the best.

26. The Ritual (2017)

This starts with a thought provoking beginning where a friend fails to step in to help another friend in a fatal confrontation. It sucks that the rest of the movie is just not that interesting. Despite there being a village of people being controlled by a giant monster this flick is relatively forgettable.

27. The Boy (2016)

Strangely, this one was recommended a lot. I think people really liked the ending. I did not like the ending. Also I did not like any of the other parts of this movie.

28. Creep 2 (2017)

I really hated this sequel. It just felt unnecessary. It kind of retreads the same formula but never creates the same spark. And unlike the original, the ending falls flat and just doesn’t feel as believable.

29. Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017)

Speaking of sequels. Bad everything. Just see the 1st and the 2nd installments.

30. 31 (2016)

I’ll explain the best I can, this is a movie where people bet on serial killers to either kill or get killed by a group of carnival workers that they have abducted. There is an opening sequence that is interesting; it’s probably like 8 minutes long. You should consider watching that part but only if you really need to kill 8 minutes. I watched it last as the title was 31 to correspond with the 31st of October and I really wish I would have picked something else.

31. The Open House (2018)

It is hard to describe why this one is so bad. It clearly had a budget and some decent actors but ultimately it left no impression on me at all. This was the second film I watched which was nice because it meant nothing else could feel like more of a waste of time. Not even 31.