100 Horror Movies in October: Update Two

Here's my second update on my crazy attempt to watch 100 horror films in spooky month. I forgot to tell you last time that my previous best was 56 and that you should feel sorry for my Mum as she's being forced to watch most of them with me!

In my previous update I had watched 28 in 13 days so it was not going brilliantly. Since then however I've had a flare-up of my health conditions and haven't done much except watch horror movies, so yay for chronic pain I guess! I'm also attending Abertoir Film Festival online at the end of the month which is largely horror so I'm feeling quite good about this attempt now.

14th October:

• Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2017, IMDb genre: Action/Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller) Watched on Netflix.
• House of the Witch (2017, IMDb genre: Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller) Watched on Netflix.
• Case 39 (2009, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller) Watched on Netflix.
• Inheritance (2020, IMDb genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller) Wild Card 3, I've cheated before on the horror/thriller crossover argument but this is definitely a thriller. Watched on Netflix.
• Current total: 32

15th October:

• Malevolent (2018, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller) Watched on Netflix.
• The Babysitter (2017, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror) Watched on Netflix.
• The Babysitter (2020, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror) Watched on Netflix.
• Killing Ground (2016, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Current total: 36

16th October:

• Christian Mingle (2014, IMDb genre: Comedy/Romance) It's 2020 so we needed a cute Christmas film in October & for some reason this was listed as 'Christmas' Mingle! It wasn't too preachy though & Lacey Chabert is a delight so it's fine. Wildcard 4. Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Ghost Team (2016, IMDb genre: Comedy/Thriller). I'm cheating again and counting this because they're ghost hunting for most of it, and honestly who's ever heard of a comedy/thriller? Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Current total: 38

17th October:

• Urban Legend (1998, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller) Watched low-fi on DVD.
• The Crazies (2010, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller) Watched low-fi on DVD.
• Current total: 40

18th October:

• Black Box (2020, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Nocturne (2020, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• The Lie (2018, IMDb genre: Crime/Drama/Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Current total: 43

19th October:

• Evil Eye (2020, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• The Village in the Woods (2019, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery Thriller) Watched on Amazon Prime, but you have to rent or buy.
• Tales of Halloween (2015, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Mara (2018, IMDb genre: Crime/Horror/Thriller) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Shut In (2016, IMDb genre: Drama/Horror/Mystery) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Current total: 48

20th October:

• Little Evil (2017, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror) Watched on Netflix.
• The Unspoken (2015, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Current total: 50! I've hit the halfway point four days late, this is good progress.

21st October:

• Possession (2009, IMDb genre: Drama/Horror/Mystery) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Demons (2017, IMDb genre: Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Pet Graveyard (2019, IMDb genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Holiday Hell (2019, IMDb genre: Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Current total: 54

22nd October:

• Vampire vs the Bronx (2020, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror) Watched on Netflix.
• The Selling (2011, IMDb genre: Comedy) In my biggest cheat yet I'm counting this one! Before you judge me, you should know it's about an estate agent trying to sell a genuinely haunted house and it feature ghosts, possession, and a serial killer. I don't know how IMDb doesn't class it as a comedy horror so I will. Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Haunt (2019, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• The Babadook (2014, IMDb genre: Drama/Horror) Watched on BBC iPlayer, I'm not sure how long it's available for but it will presumably at least be up until Halloween.
• Current total: 58! Officially my most successful attempt ever!

23rd October:

• Would You Rather (2012, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller) Watched on Netflix.
• Satanic Panic (2019, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime, but you have to rent or buy.
• The Jack in the Box (2019, IMDb genre: Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime. Fun fact: this one was filmed in my little town, I recognised the museum which was cool.
• Current total: 61

24th October:

• Swarmed (2005, IMDb genre: Action/Drama/Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Deep Dark (2015, IMDb genre: Fantasy/Horror/Mystery) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Cropsey (2009, IMDb genre: Documentary/Crime/Horror) Watched on Amazon Prime.
• Current total: 64

So with one week to go I have 64 films under my belt, and one remaining wildcard, I'm not sure I can watch 36 in a week but I'll do my best. There was quite a few that needed reviews for various reasons so mild spoiler alerts for Black Box, Satanic Panic, Deep Dark, Pet Graveyard, and Shut In after this photo of the undisputed king/queen of film snacks.

The Best: Black Box (2020):

This is part of the 'Welcome to the Blumhouse' series on Amazon Prime, there's four movies altogether but this is definitely the best of them. It's reminiscent of a 'Black Mirror' episode, not that that's ever a bad comparison. All of the acting is high quality but it really is a phenomenal performance from Mamoudou Athie as Nolan, a man recovering from a traumatic accident and suffering profound memory loss. Amanda Christine as his daughter Ava is all kinds of precociously charming. I don't want to give away the clever ending but it ties up a few moments that seem odd throughout. It's not terrifying but when the scares come they're executed through truly horrible body horror and faultless sound design. 9/10.

Also The Best: Satanic Panic (2019):

I'm a sucker for a comedy horror, many horrors utilise a few moments of black comedy anyway so the genre lends itself well to full comedy. What makes this one stand out is that it accomplishes that difficult feat of being very funny while also having a legitimately dangerous threat. Although there's some incompetence for laughs, by and large the Satanic cult have the means to accomplish their evil plot. In fact, without ex-member Judi helping her out I don't think Sam would have lasted five minutes. Judi is key to the whole film I think, as the intense bond that Sam & Judi form in a short space of time is one of the best things about the film. The script probably needed more polishing because the comedy elements were nailed but the ending feels like a bit of a cheat, and there's a couple of minor plot points that are just abandoned (seriously what the Hell happened to the baked heart monster thing??). It's still a very entertaining 1.5 hours though, 8/10.

The Middle: Pet Graveyard (2019):

The general plot of this one is good, and the acting is not bad. It would be improved however if it didn't piggy-back off 'Pet Semetary' because it seems worse in comparison (the interesting looking cat in the poster is the Grim Reaper's companion but I wouldn't say it appears in the film enough to warrant calling it 'Pet Graveyard'). The way the place in between life & death is portrayed is scary, and I can forgive the bad makeup because it's obviously very low budget. What I can't forgive however are the plot holes when they do the ritual. First of all, if you're going to kill yourselves and need reviving by one person maybe don't all do it at the same time? Also, she sets the timers so each person is only dead for three minutes but manages to revive each of them just before the next timer goes off. So I guess suffocating and reviving a person each take the same set amount of time! I know it might seem minor but it really annoyed me. It does have a few good scary moments though, 6.5/10.

The Worst: Shut In (2016):

This really should have been good with the acting talents of Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay. You really feel the pain of Naomi Watts' character trapped alone in an isolated house caring for a stepson who is basically just a body. She has decided to send him to a home and you see the guilt of that decision weighing on her. The scares come from her nightmares and a threat it's hard to place, but then unfortunately it all comes to a finish that's so absurd it ruins the whole thing. I won't spoil it for you in case you want to experience it for yourself. 3/10 just for the acting.

The Weirdest: Deep Dark (2015):

A film about a hole in a wall talking to someone was always going to be strange but it was so much weirder than I expected! Hermann, played with enthusiasm by Sean McGrath, is a failed sculptor. He's not overly likeable but he's dedicated enough that you want to see his story through. When he rents an apartment to shut himself away and create his masterpiece, a hole in the wall says it can help and births, I'm sorry but it's the only word that fits, a mysterious stone that once placed upon his average sculpture makes everyone crazy for it. They continue to work together but the hole in the wall with a disturbingly sultry female voice becomes possessive of Hermann. The gross thing that you think is going to happen happens but you just can't look away; it's weird but it holds your attention. 7/10.