Saturday, September 28, 2013

31 Days of Halloween...

Something I've always wanted to do was the whole horror-movie-a-day thing through the entire month of October.  It's no secret that I'm a die-hard horror fan, and like the rest of my kind, October is my favorite month out of the year. 
Great weather. Scary movies take over the television networks. Candy everywhere. And it's socially acceptable to hang mutilated body parts in your lawn, and for women to walk around looking like prostitutes. Themed prostitutes (the best kind!)

I look forward to this every year, and this time, it's even bookended with two more extra helpings of awesome.  For one, the Breaking Bad finale airs two days before October first.  And two, my birthday is two days after Halloween.  So, yes, I will have an extra bite of that awesome sandwich, thank you.  In fact, I think I have enough to share.  Oh, and throw in a side of Skull and Bones Sweet-Tarts (the best kind!)

What am I doing to enjoy the shit out of October this year?  Well, for starters, I want to do that whole horror marathon. Last year, I ambitiously picked 31 movies and planned to watch one a night leading up to Halloween.  Here's a link if you fact-checkers need verification.  All the ducks should be in a row.  Go ahead and give it a read too, while you're there.  I thought it was kinda funny. 

Unfortunately, I my eyes were bigger than my... well, I guess eyes would be the best analogy in this case, because I didn't get a chance to watch them all.  Between working my ass off with my cohort, Paul Kurutsides on getting our movie finished in time for our Halloween premiere, and managing work and family, I just didn't have time to enjoy all 31 of them.  I think I got through 12 of them.  Not a great ratio, I know.

This year, I feel like my odds are a little better.  I'm not guaranteeing I'll make it through 31 movies, because let's face it, things come up. However, I really want to try to post a blog update every day, on something Halloween or horror movie related.  Whether it's my thoughts on a particular movie I just watched or re-watched, or a favorite book or short story, or even a TV series.  There's lots I can talk about. 

I was originally toying with the idea of doing a video blog for each movie review- but quickly side-tabled that for a possible future project.  I'd love to do it, but I don't have the time or the resources at the moment, and frankly, there's already so many of those out on the net already, I don't know if I really need to re-invent the wheel.  Speaking of which, I figured I'd keep this short, and end it with one of my favorite Horror-retrospectives.  Every year, Cinemassacre does something similar to this- where James Rolfe tells a little about the most influential horror films of the genre.  He's an incredibly knowledgeable dude on the subject- and I can't recommend his videos enough.  If you're looking for a fantastic timeline through the most genre-defining films from the silent era up to now, I'd give this a watch; The History of Horror. Other years cover Godzilla, Sequels, Cult films, and 80's trash.  Like I said, he does such a good job with these, I don't know if I could really bring anything new to the table.  So, if you were into the idea I teased earlier of me doing a video blog over important horror films, just watch this instead- it's essentially the same thing.  If you didn't give a shit, you should be fine.

-Oh, and one more thing-  the flicks I have in mind for this marathon- they're not all Oscar-caliber material.  Some of them are brilliant, others are a little wonky, but they've all got their charm.  I selected the upcoming films based purely on the idea that these are movies I think of when I think of "Halloween."  There's plenty of great horror films I'm not including (in fact, if you want a list of great horror to watch, again, check out Cinemassacre's site- they go right down the list, and in my opinion, they get it right-)  I'm just picking out movies that give me that good old fashioned fun, Halloween atmosphere.  Bats, cemeteries, castles, witches.  That type of thing*  We've got all year for chainsaw wielding psychopaths-  these films should really encompass the holiday.  Yay paganism! 

See you in a couple days! 

*No, I'm not going to be watching Hocus Pocus. (even if it is the most attractive Sarah Jessica Parker has looked.)

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