|
Darkness falls across the land , The midnight hour is close at hand Creatures crawl in search of blood, To terrorize y'all's neighbourhood, And whosoever shall be found, Without the soul for getting down Must stand and face the hounds of hell, And rot inside a corpse's shell The foulest stench is in the air, The funk of 40,000 years And grizzy ghouls from every tomb, Are closing in to seal your doom And though you fight to stay alive, Your body starts to shiver For no mere mortal can resist, The evil of the thriller.   WELCOME TO THE 2023 OCTOBER CHALLENGE!First, I’d like to convey to everyone that they should probably bookmark this thread, because this is the season where spooky and unexpected things can and will happen. I’m unable to say any more, but again, it’s a good idea to bookmark the thread. Secondly, I want to thank Franchescanado for running this thread for so many years. I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t still be doing this if Fran hadn’t put in all the time that he did to keep it going even though I’m sure there were times where he would’ve loved to take a year off. Fran is a spookadoodle Legend! We've also got a really good seasonal MoTM thread, featuring The Exorcist and Noroi: The Curse. Both of these movies will count for completion of challenges here too! October MoTM: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=4043109 With that said, let’s get the party started!  THE CHALLENGE The “traditional” October Challenge is to watch 31 movies in 31 days and post short(or as long as you want) write-ups about the movies you watch. 31 movies is what’s required to qualify for some pretty weak prizes, but it’s by no means required to participate in this thread! Watch as many or as few horror flicks as you want to, post about them here, and have fun reading the thoughts of other posters. That’s what the thread is all about, so don’t get too caught up in completing challenges or making it to a specific number if it’s going to ruin your spooky season fun. This is a thread for celebrating the Halloween season with some great horror films, not just completing challenges! BONUS CHALLENGES We will have some optional bonus challenges posted below. These are also meant to be a fun extra challenge but again, feel free to ignore them if you prefer to set your own personal goals/challenges or if you just want to have a laid-back month where you watch whatever the hell you want. Completing the challenges will however get you an extra entry when it comes time to do a drawing for the fabulous prizes we have in store. But seriously, I wouldn’t get overly excited about the prizes. If you want to know what they are, it’s horror movie digital codes. I will post a list of the codes that are available, and each winner(drawn randomly at the end of the month)gets to decide their movie of choice until the codes are gone. The bottom line to all of this is that it’s a fun way to share our love of horror, not a competition. Let’s make sure we keep that in mind!  WHAT COUNTS FOR THE CHALLENGE?? -Horror Movies(this includes all flavors of horror including horror/comedy, family friendly films, musicals, etc.) -Thrillers -Documentaries related to horror and/or Halloween WHAT DOESN’T COUNT?? We’re going to take our cue from Franchescanado on this one, and the rules for what doesn’t qualify for the challenge are the same as previous years. -No T.V. Shows or Mini-Series(unless they’re for a specific bonus challenge, i.e. the Samhain Challenge) -No Horror Anthology Series episodes(Masters of Horror, Tales From the Crypt, etc) -No MST3k episodes because they don’t show the complete film -No pornography The last thing I’d like to note is a change from previous years, which is that rewatches are allowed when completing the bonus challenges. Unless otherwise noted(there are a few challenges that don’t allow rewatches), if you want to rewatch one of your favorites in order to complete a challenge, have at it. On the other hand, if you want to stick to only new-to-you films, more power to you. The challenge officially begins now and will continue until noon on November 1st. Let the games begin! Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Oct 1, 2023 |
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 15:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 05:40 |
|
|
INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) For these individual challenges each film can only be counted for completion of one individual challenge. No killing two birds with one stone for the individual challenges. CineD HORROR THREAD POLL CHALLENGEWatch a movie that appears on either of these two lists: https://letterboxd.com/goatgonzo/list/i-have-to-return-some-videotapes-sa-horror/ https://letterboxd.com/goatgonzo/list/you-will-not-leave-this-house-alive-sa-horror/ A while back the CineD horror thread did a big poll of everyone’s favorite horror movies of the late 20th and 21st century. The results are a great reference guide to some of the best horror of all time and a perfect way to start spooky season. Hard to go wrong with these lists(thank you to STAC Goat for compiling the lists). In bingo terms this is almost like the Free Space, it shouldn't be hard to find something you want to watch on these lists. STAC Goat also puts a lot of time and effort into a tournament style thread where we watch horror movies and vote on them. You can complete this challenge by watching one of the movies featured in that thread as well(list below). https://letterboxd.com/goatgonzo/list/spook-a-doodle-bracketology-tournament-movie-4/page/2/ FREDDY VS. JASON 20TH ANNIVERSERY CHALLENGE Watch a movie from the Nightmare on Elm Street/Friday the 13th series OR watch another “Monster Mash” movie(A Monster Mash is when two or more famous/iconic monsters appear in the same movie). A legendary battle of the titans took place 20 years ago with the massively anticipated Freddy vs. Jason. 20 years go by in the blink of an eye don’t they?!? PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK…..IN SPACE!!!Watch a period piece OR watch a movie that takes place in the future(as of when the movie was made). The present day is boring. The past and the future is where the good stuff is. Feel free to ask for an official ruling if you’re not sure whether a particular movie qualifies or not. BIRTH OF HORRORWatch a movie that was shot in and/or set in your place of birth OR watch a movie that was made the year you were born FYI, for this challenge the definition of “place of birth” will be very loose so if you want to use your birth city, state, or even a general region nobody’s gonna bother you about it. ROB ZOMBIE 20TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGEWatch a Rob Zombie movie OR watch a zombie movie. 20 years ago the horror landscape was forever changed with the release of Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses. Are you someone who has bad taste and as a result hates Rob Zombie? Fine, go ahead and watch any zombie movie of your choosing. ”THAT GUY” CHALLENGE FEATURING DICK MILLER AND KEITH DAVID  Watch a movie in which “that guy” character actor Dick Miller OR Keith David appear. Partially inspired by the documentary That Guy Dick Miller(https://letterboxd.com/film/that-guy-dick-miller/), which of course would count for this challenge as well. Reminder that thrillers DO qualify. Character actors are always underrated and often completely forgotten. As horror fans we appreciate the characters these blue collar actors create, so let’s celebrate two of them this year. Suggested by horror thread poster Crescent Wrench! THE EXORCIST 50TH ANNIVERSERY CHALLENGEWatch The Exorcist OR watch a movie that involves The Devil, demons, or demonic possession. We’ve certainly done a “demonic possession” challenge in years past but hey, 50 years is a momentous anniversary. The Exorcist was a game-changer so let’s make a special point of recognizing it. HORROR ADJACENTWatch a thriller OR a horror/comedy OR a horror/musical OR a horror/action movie OR a horror/scifi movie. The horror genre is a pretty big umbrella. Take a step outside of traditional horror and watch one of those horror hybrids that mixes horror with elements from other genres. WHEN ANIMALS OF UNUSUAL SIZE ATTACK!Watch a movie featuring deadly, oversized animals OR watch a movie featuring deadly(they have to be deadly!) swarms of very small, tiny animals Who cares about normal, average sized animals? We want giant animals or deadly swarms, nothing in between! This challenge was suggested by horror thread poster Baron von Eevl! BACK OF THE VIDEO STORE CHALLENGEWatch a movie that you choose based only on it’s rad looking video/DVD box art, OR watch a movie that has less than 10 reviews on Letterboxd This challenge is about those times when we wandered around the video store and ended up choosing something completely random just because it looked cool, from some out of the way corner shelf that’s collecting dust. Let’s roll the dice! No rewatches allowed for this challenge. This challenge was jointly suggested by horror thread posters Xiahou Dun and feedmyleg! CHILDHOOD TRAUMA Rewatch a movie that scared you as a kid but that you haven’t seen in at least 10 years(the longer the better). If you didn’t watch any horror movies as a kid, rewatch one of the first movies that hooked you on the horror genre. This is only challenge that actually requires a rewatch. The best horror movie experiences often come from childhood or our teenage years. For me, revisiting one of those formative horror films from my past is always a great time. Suggested by horror thread poster Gripweed! BITE-SIZED HORRORWatch a horror anthology film OR watch 60+ minutes of horror shorts. Horror anthologies and shorts can be a lot of fun because the format forces them to keep things simple and if you’re not feeling it with the current story then you’re probably about 10 minutes away from a brand new one anyway! THE SAMHAIN CHALLENGEWatch a movie set(or partially set) on Halloween OR watch 60+ minutes of Halloween Specials or Halloween themed T.V. episodes. Halloween is the best time of year and the a lot of the best horror movies are set on Halloween. This one's a no-brainer!  GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) Credit goes to gey muckle mowser, these overarching challenges were a fun addition to the May Challenge this year so we’re adding them to October. 18 may sound like a lot at first, but unlike the individual challenges, these meta challenges CAN overlap with any other challenge(including other meta challenges). For example, if you watch a Japanese movie that you’ve never seen before from the 1980s that has demons in it, bam you’ve just completed 4 different challenges! These are more general challenges intended to maybe push you a little bit outside your comfort zone but keep in mind with a little strategizing you can knock these out pretty quickly. NEW-TO-YOUWatch 6 movies that you have never seen before. This is the only challenge where rewatches are NOT allowed. HISTORY LESSONWatch a movie from 5 different decades. AROUND THE WORLDWatch a movie from 4 different continents, excluding North America. HORROR IS FOR EVERYONEWatch one movie for each of the following 3 categories: - A film by an LGBTQ+ director, or a film that deals with LGBTQ+ themes - A film by a black director, or a film that deals with themes related to POC. - A film directed by a woman, or a film with feminist themes SPOOKY BINGO CARDSShrecknet was nice enough to whip up some randomly generated bingo cards based on the challenges. If you want to, feel free to use one of these. We'll give anyone who completes a line and gets a bingo an entry into the prize drawing, even if they didn't necessarily complete every challenge or watch 31 movies. https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/2 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/3 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/4 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/5 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/7 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/8 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/10 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/11 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/14 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/15 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/16 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/17 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/18 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/19 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/20 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/21 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/22 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/23 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/25 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/26 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/27 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/28 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/29 https://mfbc.us/m/rsgk447/30 Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Oct 3, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 15:53
|
|
|
In for 31!
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 15:57
|
|
|
in for 19 with the 12 movies I watched in, September it will add up to 31  I am bad at math Ambitious Spider fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Sep 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:05
|
|
|
I'm gonna do my standard 31 plus a few more depending on what the challenges are.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:09
|
|
|
It's the most wonderful time of the year! In for 31 again! Managed 51 last year, probably won't get that high this year but who knows. Definitely shoot for 31 though, and have enough of a competitive streak in me to aim for knocking out all the challenges too. Gyro Zeppeli fucked around with this message at 17:37 on Sep 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:18
|
|
|
In for 31. Now that the thread is up, I'm putting my first horror movie on. Good poo poo. Thanks for running this Basebf555
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:26
|
|
|
After being a hermit all year I was eagerly anticipating this most spooky of events! I'm in for 31 and hope to hit as many bonus challenges as I can!
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:26
|
|
|
I'm ready to roll! Put me down for a minimum 31 films this go, with doing at least two films a day. I'm going to be continuing my progress on watching/rewatching anything that I've not reviewed in past October/May Ironmans. This time I'm not going to actively pursue the movie challenges, instead if I happen to hit one, that's just gravy.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:43
|
|
|
I've never participated in one of these challenges because I haven't poked around the forums nearly enough but I watch so many movies in October that I might as well get in it to win it  Excited to be part of it and post some thoughts! I'm sure I can make 31...
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:44
|
|
|
Aiming for 31 + tentative commitment to the challenges (but let's see em!). EDIT: In for the challenges. I rolled Bingo Card 8. Crescent Wrench fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Sep 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:45
|
|
|
Erin M. Fiasco posted:I've never participated in one of these challenges because I haven't poked around the forums nearly enough but I watch so many movies in October that I might as well get in it to win it Key thing to remember: Don't get intimidated by how gonzo some of us get with watching stuff. Just watch movies and share your thoughts.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:47
|
|
|
IT HAS BEGUN! I'm sticking with my standard rules: 31 movies, one a day, and they must be new to me. Any bonus films might be rewatches. I thought about doing something wacky like getting one of those Mill Creak DVD sets with all the garbage they could get their hands on, but I thought that would make me too grumpy from watching boring movies where nothing happens. So I'll just be scrounging for whatever streaming fare I can find, which is it's own risk. A few years ago I made a point of only watching movies that other people had posted about in the thread and that was fun but kind of limiting. I might try to use other people's picks as a launching point, though I have a few picked out already...
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:48
|
|
|
Excited to start this tonight! Probably going to watch one of the Corman/Price Poe movies I haven't seen yet to get things started. I'll be shooting for 20 this year.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:49
|
|
|
M_Sinistrari posted:Key thing to remember: Don't get intimidated by how gonzo some of us get with watching stuff. Just watch movies and share your thoughts. I'll second this. Everyone's interest and schedule is so different. Some diehards get to triple digit movies in October, but that's by no means expected or required. If you have a competitive streak and it motivates you, go for the challenges. If you want to chill out, the challenges can be a fun excuse to try some new movies. If you just want to rewatch old favorites and browse the thread for recommendations and get some conversations going, do it. Get your spook on!
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 16:52
|
|
|
In for 31, which will include the challenges.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:05
|
|
|
I’m going to go for 20 spookums I’ve never seen, starting today as my call schedule changes in three weeks and its unlikely ill get to have much of a Halloween this year, though maybe the weekends if I need to pad the stats. Its the most wonderful time of the year.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:07
|
|
|
Count me in for 31!
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:12
|
|
|
I’m gonna edit in a number when the actual challenges get posted but let’s call it 31 for now. Spoops! SPOOPS! Edit : confirming 31 total and doing all the challenges as my goal. But probably not a whole bingo card this time. Just actual bingo rules. Xiahou Dun fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Sep 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:15
|
|
|
I appreciate the concern With my setup, I'll have a Halloween channel running 24/7, plus some dedicated planned double features, so I'll be pretty gonzo myself! If only I had waited a day; I watched The Mummy's Hand last night because I'm so excited to get rolling on Saturday, but now it won't count! Saturday evening will be wonderful. Part of the fun is seeing what the first movie of the season will be. In 2020 it was The Wolf Man, in 2021 it was Repo, and last year was Hereditary. This year, who knows! It's just nice knowing there's a thread out here that shares the excitement me and my partner have for the annual binge and this time of year.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:20
|
|
|
I'm in for 31, this is my first challenge and I'm pumped. I've been putting off watching a ton of movies so I can save them for this
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:25
|
|
|
In for 31 + bonuses. Will I continue to watch weird garbage or watch some quality films this year? (haha I'm going to continue watching the weird garbage)
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:28
|
|
|
Browse the news lately, no doubt you've noticed many headlines about UFOs. This year seems especially heavy with UFOmania! In honor of this wacky year - whether it's sky trash floating around and being shot down by jets, creative interpretations of clouds, or hidden technology from Earth and beyond - I am going watch at least six alien films out of my grand total. I am going to choose carefully and make sure it is within the horror genre. For example - Arrival, NO; Body Snatchers, YES. Feel free to challenge my genre categorizations. True to UFOlogy, I am also selecting a Fortean number - the number 23 - as my total count of films overall, which will be diverse. In sum - six alien films, twenty-three or more total films from a wide selection, and 70% that are NEW TO ME. 
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:51
|
|
|
Gonna shoot for 31 with the understanding that that's a lofty number when I have a 1 year old.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 17:51
|
|
|
In for 31, gonna take today and tomorrow to shotgun as many Corman Poes as I can before they leave Criterion Channel on the 1st.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:09
|
|
|
The challenges have been posted. If you hate them then keep it to yourself, I'm sensitive
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:12
|
|
|
First time doing this, gonna shoot for 31 and hopefully pile on the challenges.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:16
|
|
|
Hell yeah, 31 new to me films again this year. Edit: My Letterboxd Horrorthon is 31 new-to-me films from 34 different subgenres. There's also a general theme, this year it's psychological horror. I've figured out most of the extras I'll need to watch in order to complete the Spook-a-doodle challenges, I love this time of the year. The Hausu Usher fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Sep 30, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:21
|
|
|
just finished film number 1 1) My Little Eye (2002) internet archive  Five strangers are on an online reality show. They have to live in a remote house for six months together, and at the end they all get one million dollars, Only rule is if someone leaves, nobody gets any money. As the clock winds down, creepy and intense things start occuring. Is it the producers trying to scare them out? Or something more sinister? In someways this is a very nostalgic watch. Early mostly found footage, flick. Kind of hard to tell if it's all supposed to be found footage as sometimes there are ominous shots of the cameras, which seems a bit silly if it's supposed to be diagetic. It's also a bit ahead of its time. Kind of. The dark web wasn't a term in 2002, so it's referred to as a "beta website" And the ending/explanation feels a bit generic, but might have felt fresher at the time: it's a dark web red room. Er red house maybe? and rich clientelle watch and bet on who will make it the longest. It also devolves into a bit of a half assed slasher It could have used some more creativity towards the end, but again, it's from 2002, so it might have felt more original then. Also early appearance by Bradley Cooper .5/5
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:21
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:
Nailed the Dick Miller picture.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:26
|
|
|
in for 31, and as a personal side challenge, 31 movies from 31 different years. Also, grabbing horror bingo card #24 Shrecknet fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Oct 1, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:27
|
|
|
1. Saw X Challenges: History Lesson (2020s), New To You What a loving way to kick off the challenge. We're so loving back, this genuinely might be the new high point of the whole franchise. Well-paced, well-acted (Tobin Bell being back does a world of good for these movies, he's perfect as John Kramer) and some real loving gnarly kills. Whatever you think goes into those eye tubes on the poster is so much more tame than what it actually is. I really can't undersell that this is the Saw sequel everybody wanted. Even if you didn't keep up with the franchise, this is set between 1 and 2, so you can go into it only having seen the first one and miss absolutely nothing. 5 out of 5! Watched so far: Saw X. Gyro Zeppeli fucked around with this message at 21:46 on Sep 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:31
|
|
|
Crescent Wrench posted:Nailed the Dick Miller picture. Amityville: It's About Time has an out-of-nowhere Dick Miller cameo as a concerned neighbor, it was so weird to see him there.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:32
|
|
|
First off, let me know if I'm doing the new challenge format correctly. 1) Ringu - 1998 - Shudder This one had been recommended to me at length during the big J-Horror trend back in the day. Everyone I knew was hailing this as the most revolutionary thing they'd seen. Of course, I sit through it and it's okay enough. I think the main reason is that I'd sat through a fair amount of Japanese cinema by that point so I wasn't having the cultural fresh feel others were having. It wasn't particularly scary to me, but equally I was familiar enough with Japanese folklore that I understood where they were going with this. It's a decent enough film, and I recommend it in a comparison watch with the American remake. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) quote:
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:53
|
|
|
M_Sinistrari posted:First off, let me know if I'm doing the new challenge format correctly. Yup, all good. I have a little checklist for each poster so I'm marking this stuff down.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:55
|
|
|
I have kids and a day job and a wife that's not interested in watching most horror movies so a movie a day isn't really feasible anymore but I'm gonna aim for 13 movies this year, and I'm going to aim for better than half of those being first watches.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:56
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:Yup, all good. I have a little checklist for each poster so I'm marking this stuff down. Thanks. And so much for my 'I'm not actively going for the challenges' stance. LOL
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 18:58
|
|
|
M_Sinistrari posted:Thanks. And so much for my 'I'm not actively going for the challenges' stance. LOL Well some of the challenges are definitely designed so that you can kinda just accidentally hit them without having to think about it too much. Anyone who watches a bunch of movies is gonna complete a decent amount of the challenges without having to do a lot of specific planning.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 19:00
|
|
|
Ooh, these challenges suit me well with the focus on foreign and obscure horror we're aiming for this year. This will be fun. Can I drop a few suggestions for the challenge categories for readers of the thread or should that be in the main horror thread?
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 19:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 05:40 |
|
|
By all means post suggestions and have free flowing discussion here. It adds to the thread I think, sometimes things can get a bit monotonous when it's just write-up after write-up without any comments or discussion.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2023 19:07
|
|