A Wee SHOCKtober Wrap Up!

Well, here we are in lame November. Stores are putting away the fake eyeballs and putting up the fake trees. While it's safe to say that most–if not all–of us will continue to indulge in all things horror no matter what the stupid calendar says, it's a sad fact that another SHOCKtober has come to an end. There's only one thing left to do, and that's some good old-fashioned number crunchin' and comparin'.

Let's face it, when it comes to clicking, the world of "2017" is a much lazier place than the "2010" world gone by. People simply do not want to click more than once! We've grown so accustomed to sites like hell Facebook, hubs that allow you to scroll and watch videos and message people and comment and read articles on other sites without ever really leaving the confines of Facebook itself. Had I allowed folks to leave their lists as comments over there, I assure you there would have been a higher turnout. People "liked" my posts but never sent emails–emails are a lot of work! I get it. The Internet and the way we interact with it has changed a shit ton over the last seven years, so I was not expecting 2010 numbers. And I didn't get them! But the turnout was terrific anyway, and I thank everyone who sent in a list of their 20 favorite horror movies. We got another great master list with more variety and--aw heck, let's just get to the numbers.

Total movies on the list: 632 (2017) / 732 (2010)

I didn't keep track of the number of people who submitted lists, but it was far, far fewer this time around. You can't really tell by the total number of films on the list–only 100 fewer!–but the number of votes really gives it away. Still, dang, 632 movies ain't nothin' to sneeze at. SO DON'T SNEEZE AT THEM.

Number of movies released since 2010: 78

A kind reader tallied up that a total of 258 movies appear on the 2017 list that did not appear on the 2010 list. That's nuts! According to my science calculator, 78 films on the 2017 list were released after 2010. That's nuts-ier! Heck, one of those films, It Follows, made the Top 20. I'd say horror is doing just fine, thank you.

Number of women directors: 9 (2010) / 26 (2017)

This is the most telling number of all (and my favorite)–there are more and more women making movies out there! And wow, some of the movies are great! How nice that future lists of " the best horror movies directed by women" won't simply include Near Dark and American Psycho. Gee golly, maybe one day there will be so many women directors out there that they won't be segregated. A Final Girl can dream!

The Top 10s

Now here is where we see how much of a drop off in participants there was from 2010 to 2017: the #10 movie in 2010 received more votes than the #1 movie in 2017! And the #1 movie in 2010 received more than twice the votes than the #1 movie in 2017. But it's quite interesting to compare the Top 10s, no?

10. 2017: Carrie // 2010: The Descent
  9. 2017: Black Christmas // 2010: A Nightmare on Elm Street
  8. 2017: Night of the Living Dead // 2010: Suspiria
  7. 2017: Dawn of the Dead // 2010: Dawn of the Dead
  6. 2017: Alien // 2010: Night of the Living Dead
  5. 2017: The Shining // 2010: The Shining
  4. 2017: The Exorcist // 2010: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
  3. 2017: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre // 2010: The Exorcist
  2. 2017: The Thing // 2010: The Thing
  1. 2017: Halloween (52 votes) // 2010: Halloween (123 votes)

Weird, right? Some flip-floppin', some samey-samin'. In, say, 40 years when my ghost is running SHOCKtober 2057, what will the Top 10 look like? Where will these movies place? I think some recent films are absolutely classics already (hello, The VVitch) and down the line they'll be as revered as the "canon" is. Right? Maybe? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

A fun little question posted in the comments recently: starting at #1, how far down the list do you have to go before you get to a movie you haven't seen yet? I made it to 109–I haven't seen The Final Girls yet. (I know, right? That's some Alanis Morrisette-level irony right there!)

Again, thank you to everyone who participated. Although, again: I am disappointed in every single one of you! Nary a vote for Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes. That's fine, I'll be over here in the corner all by myself talking to the possessed floor lamp.

SHOCKtober: 10-1

Here we are, the Top 10, the Final Countdown, the winner's circle, the crème de la crème, the head honchos, the big cheeses, your favorite horror movies of ALL TIME! Bold numbers indicate number of votes received.

10. Carrie (1976, Brian De Palma) -- 26

9. Black Christmas (1974, Bob Clark) -- 27

8. Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero) -- 27

7. Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero) -- 33

6. Alien (1979, Ridley Scott) -- 34

5. The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick) -- 34

4. The Exorcist (1973, William Friedkin) -- 36

3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, Tobe Hooper) -- 39

2. The Thing (1982, John Carpenter) -- 48

1. Halloween (1978, John Carpenter) -- 52

I have to admit, I was kind of rooting for The Thing to take the #1 spot just so there'd be an upset, but there's no toppling the tale of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. They were close right until the end (heck, the whole Top 10 was pretty close), though, and ultimately they're not separated by that many votes. Maybe when I do this again in like ten years...? Eh, who am I kidding, Halloween is just way too beloved. But congrats to John Carpenter on taking the #1 and #2 spots, I'm sure he finds this to be the highest honor he's ever received!

YES I know there are some ties in there–Black Christmas and Night of the Living Dead, Alien and The Shining–but as I said way back when, this ain't yer mama's countdown! I play by my own rules, and my own rules say the rankings are sometimes arbitrary!

And just like that, it's over.

OR IS IT? I'll be back tomorrow with some kind of a post-game show... much like evil, SHOCKtober never dies! Thanks to everyone who cast a vote! Thanks to everyone who's just reading along! Happy Halloween! Exclamation point!

SHOCKtober: 20-11

Today we enter the Top 20! Amazing, isn't it. As always, the bold number is the number of votes each movie received.

20. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman) -- 17

19. Scream (1996, Wes Craven) -- 17

18. The Fog (1980, John Carpenter) -- 17

17. The Blair Witch Project (1999, Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez) -- 18

16. Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock) -- 19

15. It Follows (2014, David Robert Mitchell) -- 20

14. Rosemary's Baby (1968, Roman Polanski) -- 23

13. Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg) -- 24

12. Suspiria (1977, Dario Argento) -- 24

11. The Descent (2005, Neil Marshall) -- 25

And there you have it. Tomorrow–your Top 10 favorites! Well, it's the Top 10 favorites of some of you. In a way. You know what I mean.

SHOCKtober: 41-21

I can't believe SHOCKtober is winding down! Time flies when you're...doing this stuff.

The bold number is the number of votes each film received:

41. Don't Look Now -- 1973, Nicolas Roeg -- 11
40. Friday the 13th -- 1980, Sean S. Cunningham -- 11
39. Let the Right One In -- 2008, Tomas Alfredson -- 11
38. The House of the Devil -- 2009, Ti West -- 11
37. Hellraiser -- 1987, Clive Barker -- 12
36. Phantasm -- 1979, Don Coscarelli -- 12
35. The Changeling -- 1980, Peter Medak -- 12
34. Creepshow -- 1982, George A. Romero -- 13
33. Evil Dead II -- 1987, Sam Raimi -- 13
32. Poltergeist -- 1982, Tobe Hooper -- 13
31. Prince of Darkness -- 1987, John Carpenter -- 13
30. Re-Animator -- 1985, Stuart Gordon -- 13
29. The Return of the Living Dead -- 1985, Dan O'Bannon -- 13
28. Session 9 -- 2001, Brad Anderson -- 13
27. The Silence of the Lambs -- 1991, Jonathan Demme -- 13
26. An American Werewolf in London -- 1981, John Landis -- 15
25. Candyman -- 1992, Bernard Rose -- 15
24. The Evil Dead -- 1981, Sam Raimi -- 15
23. The Haunting -- 1963, Robert Wise -- 16
22. The VVitch -- 2015, Robert Eggers -- 16
21. A Nightmare on Elm Street -- 1984, Wes Craven-- 17

I introduced some pals to Creepshow recently and they really dug it (thank goodness, otherwise we'd have to stop being pals). I was especially pleased that they each made an astute observation: "Are we supposed to hate Billie? I don't, she's fun."

SHOCKtober: 82-62

The following movies each received SIX VOTES:

82. From Beyond -- 1986, Stuart Gordon
81. Happy Birthday to Me -- 1981, J. Lee Thompson
80. Inside -- 2007, Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
79. Messiah of Evil -- 1973, Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz
78. Near Dark -- 1987, Kathryn Bigelow
77. [REC] -- 2007, Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza
76. Ringu -- 1998, Hideo Nakata
75. The Omen -- 1976, Richard Donner
74. The Others -- 2001, Alejandro Amenábar
73. Tourist Trap -- 1979, David Schmoeller

These films got SEVEN VOTES each:

72. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors -- 1987, Chuck Russell
71. April Fool's Day -- 1986, Fred Walton
70. Cat People -- 1942, Jacques Tourneur
69. Drag Me to Hell -- 2009, Sam Raimi
68. The Exorcist III -- 1990, William Peter Blatty
67. Get Out -- 2017, Jordan Peele
66. Let's Scare Jessica to Death -- 1971, John D. Hancock
65. Martin -- 1978, George A. Romero
64. Night of the Creeps -- 1986, Fred Dekker
63. Shaun of the Dead -- 2004, Edgar Wright
62. The Fly -- 1986, David Cronenberg

I checked out Messiah of Evil after reading its praises in the comment section on this very blog and I fell in love with it, ain't that somethin'. So if you haven't seen it yet, consider this my recommendation that you get it in your face anon.

Doesn't Tourist Trap seem more like a 1982 film than a 1979 film? It does to me. And now you know how I feel about that, so have a great weekend!

SHOCKtober: 104-83

Aww yeah, into the top 100! We're getting to the nitty and the gritty, children. Each of these movies received FOUR VOTES!

104. The Stepford Wives -- 1975, Bryan Forbes
103. The Void -- 2016, Jeremy Gillespie & Steven Kostanski
102. Wolfen -- 1981, Michael Wadleigh, John D. Hancock, Rupert Hitzig
101. Zombie -- 1979, Lucio Fulci

Each of the following movies got FIVE VOTES:

100. Audition -- 1999, Takashi Miike
99. Brain Damage -- 1988, Frank Henenlotter
98. Dawn of the Dead -- 2004, Zack Snyder
97. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI -- 1986, Tom McLoughlin
96. Ginger Snaps -- 2000, John Fawcett
95. Hausu -- 1977, Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
94. High Tension -- 2003, Alexandre Aja
93. Inferno -- 1980, Dario Argento
92. Pieces -- 1982, Juan Piquer Simón
91. Shivers -- 1975, David Cronenberg
90. The Blob -- 1988, Chuck Russell
89. The Conjuring -- 2013, James Wan
88. The Legend of Hell House -- 1973, John Hough
87. The Lost Boys -- 1987, Joel Schumacher
86. The Slumber Party Massacre -- 1982, Amy Holden Jones
85. The Vanishing -- 1988, George Sluizer

These movies received SIX VOTES each:

84. Dead Alive -- 1992, Peter Jackson
83. Event Horizon -- 1997, Paul W.S. Anderson

Look, I don't want to be a pill or a sore sport here, but I checked out The Void because it's like the hottest thing and man, I just couldn't really get into it. The special effects were cool and I'm into the old school approach to gore and the such, but things were kept so dark it was hard to really appreciate them. The story felt like a rehash of several better movies, and I'm tired of useless women in horror movies. Well, everywhere and all movies, really, but horror especially. That doesn't mean they all have to be the Final Girl or lawd forbid "strong female characters" (I'd love to see that term go into fucking retirement), but...well, the breakdown of characters in the little ensemble of The Void just got me all riled up. Ah well, I don't want to spoil things for those who haven't seen it (or go on a forever tirade), so I guess I'll just go burn my bra.

But not before posting this absolutely obligatory scene from you-know-what:

SHOCKtober: 125-105

Ooh we're almost in the home stretch...but today we're still listing movies that each received FOUR VOTES!

125. Fright Night -- 1985, Tom Holland
124. Ghost Story -- 1981, John Irvin
123. Hellbound: Hellraiser II -- 1988, Tony Randel
122. The House on Sorority Row -- 1983, Mark Rosman
121. In the Mouth of Madness -- 1994, John Carpenter
120. Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- 1956, Don Siegel
119. Pulse -- 2001, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
118. Maniac -- 1980, William Lustig
117. Misery -- 1990, Rob Reiner
116. Paranormal Activity -- 2007, Oren Peli
115. Pet Sematary -- 1989, Mary Lambert
114. Phenomena -- 1985, Dario Argento
113. Possession -- 1981, Andrzej Zulawski
112. Prom Night -- 1980, Paul Lynch
111. Pumpkinhead -- 1988, Stan Winston
110. Slaughter High -- 1986, George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, Peter Mackenzie Litten
109. The Final Girls -- 2015, Todd Strauss-Schulson
108. House on Haunted Hill -- 1959, William Castle
107. The Innkeepers -- 2011, Ti West
106. The Sentinel -- 1977, Michael Winner
105. The Seventh Victim -- 1943, Mark Robson

I tells ya, this tiny clip from House on Sorority Row never fails to brighten my day:


I could watch that on a loop forever!

SHOCKtober: 147-126

It's time for the last of the movies with THREE VOTES EACH!

147. The Amityville Horror -- 1979, Stuart Rosenberg
146. The Bad Seed -- 1956, Mervyn LeRoy
145. The Black Cat -- 1934, Edgar G. Ulmer
144. The Burning -- 1981, Tony Maylam
143. The Devil's Rejects -- 2005, Rob Zombie
142. The Hitcher -- 1986, Robert Harmon
141. The Howling -- 1981, Joe Dante
140. The Invitation -- 2015, Karyn Kusama
139. The Manitou -- 1977, William Girdler
138. The Mist -- 2007, Frank Darabont
137. The Old Dark House -- 1932, James Whale
136. The Orphanage -- 2007, J.A. Bayona
135. The Uninvited -- 1944, Lewis Allen
134. Tombs of the Blind Dead -- 1972, Armando de Ossorio
133. Tremors -- 1990, Ron Underwood
132. Tucker and Dale vs Evil -- 2010, Eli Craig
131. Vampyr -- 1932, Carl Theodor Dreyer
130. Wes Craven's New Nightmare -- 1994, Wes Craven

Well lookie here, each of these movies got FOUR VOTES!

129. Black Sabbath -- 1963, Mario Bava
128. Chopping Mall -- 1986, Jim Wynorski
127. Creature from the Black Lagoon -- 1954, Jack Arnold
126. Frankenstein -- 1931, James Whale

Sure, sure, everyone is always going on about The Bad Seed. But what about the sequel The Rad Seed?

The Invitation is great and if you haven't seen it yet you should definitely check it out!

I love living in a world where The Manitou got three votes.

Also, is this a good time for me to admit that I've never actually seen Chopping Mall? I know. I know!

SHOCKtober: 169-148

Aww yeah, more movies that each received THREE VOTES today! Read 'em and weep rejoice!

169. Demons -- 1985, Lamberto Bava
168. Dressed to Kill -- 1980, Brian De Palma
167. Eyes Without a Face -- 1960, Georges Franju
166. Halloween II -- 1981, Rick Rosenthal
165. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II -- 1987, Bruce Pittman
164. Hostel -- 2005, Eli Roth
163. The House by the Cemetery -- 1981, Lucio Fulci
162. Ju-on: The Grudge -- 2002, Takashi Shimizu
161. Kill, Baby...Kill! -- 1966, Mario Bava
160. Kwaidan -- 1964, Masaki Kobayashi
159. The Last House on the Left -- 1972, Wes Craven
158. Lifeforce -- 1985, Tobe Hooper
157. Lisa and the Devil  -- 1973, Mario Bava
156. The Masque of the Red Death -- 1964, Roger Corman
155. My Bloody Valentine -- 1981, George Mihalka
154. Night of the Demon -- 1957, Jacques Tourneur
153. Nosferatu -- 1922, F.W. Murnau
152. Parents -- 1989, Bob Balaban
151. Raw -- 2016, Julia Ducournau
150. Repulsion -- 1965, Roman Polanski
149. Slither -- 2006, James Gunn
148. Suicide Club -- 2001, Sion Sono

HELL YEAH HELLO MARY LOU! So underrated, so fun. And My Bloody Valentine! Two from my I Heart series represented. Y'all make me so proud! *sniff*

SHOCKtober: 191-170

Each of these movies received TWO VOTES!

191. The Legend of Boggy Creek -- 1972, Charles B. Pierce
190. The Loved Ones -- 2009, Sean Byrne
189. The Mad Magician -- 1954, John Brahm
188. The Midnight Hour -- 1985, Jack Bender
187. The Other -- 1972, Robert Mulligan
186. The Stepfather -- 1987, Joseph Ruben
185. The Strangers -- 2008, Bryan Bertino
184. The Wolf Man -- 1941, George Waggner
183. Train to Busan -- 2016, Sang-ho Yeon
182. Triangle -- 2009, Christopher Smith
181. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me -- 1992, David Lynch
180. Under the Skin -- 2013, Jonathan Glazer
179. Vamp -- 1986, Richard Wenk
178. We Are What We Are -- 2013, Jim Mickle
177. What We Do in the Shadows -- 2014, Jermaine Clement & Taika Waititi

What's this? A separate chunk o' list? Yes, because each of these movies got THREE VOTES!

176. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night -- 2014, Ana Lily Amirpour
175. Alice Sweet Alice -- 1976, Alfred Sole
174. Aliens -- 1986, James Cameron
173. Basket Case -- 1982, Frank Henenlotter
172. Black Sunday -- 1960, Mario Bava
171. Cold Prey -- 2006, Roar Uthaug
170. Curtains -- 1983, Richard Ciupka

Lawd amighty do I love We Are What We Are so much! And honestly, if I didn't force myself to watch it as part of the SHOCKtober 2015 Netflix-only movies I might have continued to avoid it because "cannibal family" makes it sound like a tired Texas Chain Saw Massacre rip-off and I avoid those as much as possible. But if my votes counted for this list, well, We Are What We Are would have had three votes. SHOCKtober: bringing people together since whenever the first time I did it was!

SHOCKtober: 212-192

Ooh la la, today we break the 200 barrier with these films that received TWO VOTES EACH!

212. Race with the Devil -- 1975, Jack Starrett
211. Ravenous -- 1999, Antonia Bird
210. Revenge of the Creature -- 1955, Jack Arnold
209. Salem's Lot -- 1979, Tobe Hooper
208. Saw -- 2004, James Wan
207. Scream 2 -- 1997, Wes Craven
206. Shutter -- 2004, Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom
205. Sole Survivor -- 1983, Thom Eberhardt
204. Son of Frankenstein -- 1939, Rowland V. Lee
203. Spider Baby -- 1967, Jack Hill
202. Splinter -- 2008, Toby Wilkins
201. Street Trash -- 1987, James M. Muro
200. The Blob -- 1958, Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. & Russell S. Doughten Jr.
199. The Car -- 1977, Elliot Silverstein
198. The Children -- 1980, Max Kalmanowicz
197. The Collector -- 2009, Marcus Dunstan
196. The Devils -- 1971, Ken Russell
195. Eyes of Laura Mars -- 1978, Irvin Kershner
194. The Grudge -- 2004, Takashi Shimizu
193. The Initiation -- 1984, Larry Stewart & Peter Crane
192. The Lady in White -- 1988, Frank LaLoggia

I'm surprised to see Salem's Lot only got two votes! I watched it again after Tobe Hooper died in August and it's still so great. It's interesting that Mr. Barlow appears for only a few moments and doesn't actually do very much, yet he's still so imposing and terrifying. It's a testament not only to the way he's built up through the narrative, but also the way his brief appearances are shot by Hooper. That grotesque face in shocking closeup, the way he rises from the floor and takes up nearly the entirety of the Petrie kitchen...so, so good. I've never found vampires to be particularly frightening, but every one of 'em in Salem's Lot does it for me.

Glad to see The Initiation up there, and I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that HEIDI HERSELF commented on my review back in the day. Read it again and bask...Heidi rules! Hopefully now that the film is out on Blu-ray her residual checks have increased.

Look, I haven't seen Stranger Things yet but I've seen plenty of pictures from it. If the world/internet gave Heidi even half the love it gives to ST's Barb, we'd all be better off.

SHOCKtober: Final Mom's Top 20

I know that sometimes you must read this site and wonder at my taste in horror movies. How did it get to be so good? Was I simply born this way, with perfect and impeccable opinions on what is good and what is not?

Of course I was! But while I would like to give myself sole credit for this, I must in fact give a shout-out to my mom, who obviously also has superior taste in horror movies. Just look at this list! It speaks for itself, so I'll shut up now.

Dracula (1958, Terence Fisher)

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966, Terence Fisher)

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968, Freddie Francis)

Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero)

Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero)

The Descent (2005, Neil Marshall)

Dog Soldiers (2002, Neil Marshall)

Candyman (1992, Bernard Rose)

Halloween (1978, John Carpenter)

Ju-on: The Grudge (2002, Takashi Shimizu)

Ringu (1998, Hideo Nakata)

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003, Jee-woon Kim)

Alien (1979, Ridley Scott)

Pitch Black (2000, David Twohy)

The Blair Witch Project (1999, Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez

Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg)

Suspiria (1977, Dario Argento)

Demons (1985, Lamberto Bava)

Cold Prey (2006, Roar Uthaug)

Dark Water (2001, Hideo Nakata)