31 Days Of Horror Movies

It just screams quality doesn't it

I love horror movies. Love em. Over the past few years my tastes have migrated away from the bloody stuff to the spookier stuff. I blame this partly on the influx of torture horror about 10 years ago. Pointlessly nasty shite. That and I'm nearing my 40s and turning a bit wimpy.

Anyway the #31DaysOfHorror challenge. October starts tomorrow and the challenge is to make up a list of 31 horror films and watch one a day and finish (usually with a classic) on Halloween night.

I usually watch a movie every night so this is no great hardship! I love it though. Gives me an excuse to revisit some old faves and catch up on newer films I've heard about and older films I've missed.

This year's list is a real mixed bag. Some new, some old, a couple of video nasties, some spooky, some splattery, some genre classics, some English, American, a load of Italian ones, couple of Frenchies and a Japanese sci-fi zombie/kung fu flick to top it all off.

One great thing about the hashtag on Twitter is seeing other people's lists. It's a lethal way to get inspired and to hear of underground or foreign stuff that has passed you by.

Here's my list for this year. I plan to get through as many of them as possible providing life doesn't throw me any awkwardness.

1. Crimson Peak - Beautiful looking Gothic horror with a super cast.

2. Night Of Terror - an Italian horror that has to be seen to be believed. Hilarious. Google Peter Bark.

3. The Wolfman - The original version. Short, sweet and atmospheric as hell.

4. The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue. Night of The Living Dead meets Emmerdale and just as good as that sounds.

5. What Have They Done To Solange. Gloriously atmospheric giallo loveliness.

6. Twins Of Evil. Hammer horror. Peter Cushing. What more do you need.

7. Dracula ( 79 ) The best take on the tale (imo). Creepy, romantic and shorn of stupidity.

8. Freddy V Jason. 2 horror icons bate the shit out of each other for 100 minutes. Lethal.

9. The Monster Squad. Ain't seen this in 25 years and i can't wait. 

10. The Man From Deep River. Haven't seen this. I fully expect to be brilliantly disgusted though.

11. Friday The 13th Part 4. The best of the lot if only for Crispin Glover's dancing  

12. Four Flies On Grey Velvet. More giallo. Creepy, adult, disturbing, lovely looking. Every #31daysofhorror list needs a Dario Argento film.

13. The Crazies. The original version. Relentless and terrifying iirc. Another I haven't seen in a long time. I hope it's aged well. 

14. Don't Go In The Basement. No idea. None. Fuck it. 

15. Anthropophagus. Cannibal grimness on a Greek Island and contains a piece of horror that nearly broke the BBC.

16. The Beast Within. No idea. Never seen it. Looking forward to it though.

17. Gerald's Game. New Stephen King adaption of a very dark book of his. I've heard good things about this one.

18. The Church. More 80's Italian horror. The vast majority of Italian horror is nonsensical but it's fun and looks nice and this is no exception.

19. The Video Dead. Just look at the poster below. That's all the explanation you need.

20. Visiting Hours. Michael Ironside stalking people in a hospital. How could it not be good?

21. Isle Of The Dead. Not seen this. But it stars Boris Karloff and regularly turns up on scariest movie lists so I can't wait.

22. Versus. The Matrix meets Dawn Of The Dead. Except Japanese and set in a forest. Great craic altogether.

23. The Uninvited. A goosebump inducing ghostly love story. Well acted. Lovely looking. Atmosphere by the bucket load. The second best film on this list.

24. Contamination. Scientists and mafia blokes discover alien eggs that cause them to explode. In slow motion. And that's the story. And it's hilarious.

25. La Morte Vivante. Haven't seen this but it's French and from the 80's so will no doubt be good looking at the very least.

26. Zombie Lake. From Jean Rollin. Director of the previous film. Zombie nazis. ZOMBIE NAZI'S!!

27. The Blob. A remake that for once far surpasses the original. Brilliant 80's fun.

28. Rabid. David Cronenberg. Body Horror. Squirmy. Uncomfortable. Nauseating. Lovely.

29. Basket Case. A sweet and charming tale of a boy and his twin. Haha.

Nom

30. Maniac. A truly unnerving stalk and slash horror that is turned into a very uncomfortable watch by its star Joe Spinnell.

31. Night Of The Living Dead. A true classic. I'll raise a glass to George A. Romero during this. The master. 

So? What's on yer lists?