FINAL GIRL explores the slasher flicks of the '70s and '80s...and all the other horror movies I feel like talking about, too. This is life on the EDGE, so beware yon spoilers!

Sep 29, 2007

like, lists are hard.

Now, I know that Final Girl is the only blog you read, and I really, truly appreciate that. I'm touched, honest I am. But the truth is, I'm a magnanimous soul and as such, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that there are, in fact, other blogs out there to read. In fact, I'm going to go so far as to say that there are other blogs out there you should read...go ahead! They're on my sidebar. Read them! Don't worry, I know you still like me best.

One blog I recommend is Ed Hardy Jr's Shoot the Projectionist. Seeing as how you only read Final Girl, I'm sure you weren't aware of Ed's ambitious 31 Horror Films LISTRAVAGANZA, wherein you're welcome to submit a list of 31 horror flicks that give you the willies by Saturday, October 13. He's going to compile qualifying films (those on 3 or more lists) into a master list, then we'll all vote for something or other and flip off all the losers. Or something.

Anyway, for days now I've been racking my brain, pulling my hair, and punching my couch over this list. I've even been griping to people about it, in email and in real life, ruminating on parameters and rules and what to include and what not to include and how can I tie it all into my SHOCKtober EXTRAVATONYDANZAGANZA that's starting in like two days and how did it get to be October already and do I want to do the same thing I've done during October for the last two years with the whole a review per day of a film I've never seen before maybe I should change it this year but October starts in, like, 20 minutes and I don't know what else to do and ohhhhh life is so hard sometimes I just want to punch my couch and I swear that's not a euphemism for anything at all.

See? Like, lists are hard.

But! Fret not, dear reader. I think I've got it under control. I think I narrowed it down. I think I even managed to meld it with my October shenanigans.

I submitted My Willies List to Ed...and no, it didn't include Willie Tyler and Lester, although in hindsight, perhaps it should have.

Please...please please please click that Willie Tyler and Lester link and let the music play for a few minutes- it just gets better and better and better. That music will make your day, if not your next 12 days or so.

Anyway, my list. I gave Ed the required 31 titles, including some of which I've reviewed here at Final Girl already, and some I have not. Here are the films I've already reviewed (you can look up the reviews yourself over on the sidebar there, because I'm way too lazy to do it for you right now):

The Brood
The Changeling

Don't Look Now

The Haunting ('63)
Friday the 13th Part 2
The Blair Witch Project

My Bloody Valentine

The Ring

Candyman
The Shining

The Descent

Session 9
Ju-on

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
('74)
Night of the Living Dead ('68)

The remainder of the films on the list I submitted will be reviewed, one per day, here during October. However, that's only 16 films. Soooo...for the remaining days of October I'll still review a film per day, the catch being that they're the "runners-up" to the list, if you will- some of them will be films I've mentioned around here a zillion times but I've never formally reviewed. The excitement, she grows!

Basically, at the month's end, I'll have given you a list of 46 films that would make up, in my humble opinion, one wicked kick-ass horror library.

But wait! There's more!

2 films I've reviewed but didn't include on my list: Halloween and The Exorcist. I love them dearly and yes, they give me the willies big time, but they've been included on practically every horror list ever and I wanted to make some unusual choices. Yes, you could point out the fact that I included The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on my list and it's not unusual at all, but then, I'm...I don't know, a hypocrite or something. But I couldn't not include it- it rocks way too fucking hard.

3 films I've never reviewed but I left off the list for the same reasons described above: Psycho, Alien, and Jaws.

However, if you add those five titles to my list, you get 51 extremely fantastafuckingmazing horror films. Maybe I should just come up with 49 more movies and create a supergigantor list of 100 horror films....yeah...

See? Like, lists are hard. But October SHOCKtober rules!

7 comments:

M said...

"EXTRAVATONYDANZAGANZA"

Stuff like that is the reason why my blogroll is now nothing but a series of links to Final Girl, repeated over and over again like Jack in The Shining.

Anonymous said...

All Stacie and no work makes Mariana a cool girl. All Stacie and no work makes Mariana a cool girl. All Stacie and no work makes Mariana a cool girl. All Stacie and no work makes Mariana a cool girl.

Wait, what was I going to post about? Oh yeah, Willie Tyler & Lester! They're awesome (though they don't give me anywhere near as many willies as Waylon Flowers & Madame). Just don't forget their successor, G.O.B. Bluth & Franklin.

Other awesome willies: Willie & the Poor Boys, Boxcar Willie, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Blind Willie McTell, Fast Willie Parker, Chilly Willy, Willie Nelson, Willy Messerschmidt, Groundskeeper Willie

Not-a-awesome willies: Willy Brandt, Wet Willie, Free Willy, Willie Horton, Willy Loman.

Willies-inducing willies: Willy Wonka, Steamboat Willie, British wangs.

Neil Sarver said...

Making lists is hard!

I'm working on mine. I hope to post it on October 1. We'll see.

I mean, I have a list of 31 movies right now, but how happy am I with it? Well... depends on which time I look at it.

Your choices were great and did remind me of at least one that I would have abolutely kicked myself for forgetting.

I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your choices.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget "Little Willie" (...Willie won't...go home...). Sweet!

Arbogast said...

I met Willie Tyler but he wouldn't introduce me to Lester. And he was, like, sitting right there!

Anonymous said...

I'm currently at 41 and trying to decide which 10 to leave off...I'm starting to punch the couch now too!

Anonymous said...

Hey, longtime fan here. I've been following your blog for quite a while and only now have decided to stop being lazy and post.
I found it surprisingly challenging to compile a list of 31 flicks that give me the willies... for instance, do I include films that scared me so terribly as a kid that they ruined my childhood (The Twilight Zone Movie) but no longer affect me? No. Do I include horror staples out of respect (Aliens; Jaws) even though they don't give me the creeps? Well, no. Must I whittle Just Before Dawn, Maniac and The Fly off my list to make 31? Well, yes. Is this post too self-indulgently long? Yes.
Anyway, great blog-- been keeping me entertained for over a year now! Cheers!