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."

Death Count Giveaway!

Man I tells ya, the warm reception that Death Count has gotten so far really warms me in my heart place.

The limited sketch edition has sold out, so thanks to everyone who picked one up! If you missed out, though, I've got good news: I'm doing a sketch edition giveaway! The winner will receive a copy of the book along with the Crystal Lake Kick Line sketch you see below! All you have to do is follow me on Instagram @finalgrrl and hashtag something or other with #f13DeathCount. I'll be drawing a winner on November 1st from everyone who hashtags and follows, so give it a go! A moment of social media pain is worth a lifetime of having this book and original art.

As you know, reader pics are my everything so keep 'em coming, I'll never get enough. And for real, the enthusiasm and all of it means the world.

SHOCKtober: 61-42

Can you feel the excitement in the air? We're breaking into the Top 50, aww yeah!

The following films received EIGHT VOTES each!

61. 28 Days Later -- 2002, Danny Boyle
60. The Cabin in the Woods -- 2012, Drew Goddard
59. Deep Red -- 1975, Dario Argento
58. Friday the 13th Part 2 -- 1981, Steve Miner
57. Martyrs -- 2008, Pascal Laugier
56. Tenebre -- 1982, Dario Argento
55. The Babadook -- 2014, Jennifer Kent
54. The Birds -- 1963, Alfred Hitchcock
53. The Innocents -- 1961, Jack Clayton
52. Videodrome -- 1983, David Cronenberg

The following films received NINE VOTES each:

51. Bride of Frankenstein -- 1935, James Whale
50. Carnival of Souls -- 1962, Herk Harvey
49. Halloween III: Season of the Witch -- 1982, Tommy Lee Wallace
48. Sleepaway Camp -- 1983, Robert Hiltzik
47. The Beyond -- 1981, Lucio Fulci
46. The Ring -- 2002, Gore Verbinski
45. The Wicker Man -- 1973, Robin Hardy
44. You're Next -- 2011, Adam Wingard

The following films received TEN VOTES each:

43. The Brood -- 1979, David Cronenberg
42. Trick 'r Treat -- 2007, Michael Dougherty

How crazy is Halloween III? It's crazy! Not every day that you see a horror movie whose villain wants the wholesale slaughter of children, never mind that the plan involves masks that, when triggered, make snakes come out of kids' faces. I don't understand the science behind it, but I sure do love it. (That gif, by the way, is courtesy of our pal Jason over at My New Plaid Pants, who featured Season of the Witch in his excellent, long-running "Ways Not to Die" series.)

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!

Princesses from Another Castle

I you do not follow me at Kotaku, well, I figured I would let you know about some of my recent posts over there as I've been busy. Perhaps something will be of interest to you! Or not, who can say. It's your life, man, be interested in whatever you want.

Today I've got a piece called Video Games, According to Horror Movies, a look at some of the ridiculous (and often hilarious) ways games and game developers are portrayed in horror movies. Films like Brainscan, Stay Alive, Nightmares, and Hellraiser: Hellworld all get it delightfully wrong and I couldn't be more pleased.

Also, Hellworld is the EIGHTH Hellraiser movie and it is not the last. It's shocking just how massive some of these franchises are–like, everyone knows there are more Friday the 13th movies than you could count on all of your fingers (I assume). But there are almost 20 Amityville movies! How can that be? And don't get me started–don't even get me started–on Witchcraft. Last I knew they were up to Witchcraft MCMXVIII.

I also wrote a piece about the current state of horror games (spoiler alert: it's pretty dang great!). Basically there's a shit ton of good stuff out there in every imaginable subgenre. It parallels the ebbs and flows of the horror film industry, to an extent: when "corporate"/big budget stuff gets too bland and fans get tired, the indies experiment with new ideas and make it all feel fresh again.

I done did my first review of a AAA, The Evil Within 2, huzzah and hooray! (spoiler alert: it's pretty dang great!) I loved it. Fantastic open world-ish survival horror. If that's your bag at all, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

It's all fulla nope.

I wrote a bit about a recent Friday the 13th: The Game update, although since then there's been another update that adds Fox as a playable character and I don't even know why I'm still writing here when I could be playing as Fox?

Finally, I wrote a list of horror movie recommendations for horror game fans. You know, if you like this game, watch this movie kind of stuff. Of course, the inverse also applies–if you're a fan of one of these movies, maybe you'll enjoy the game. It's not 1:1 stuff, like "If you enjoy playing Resident Evil, watch Resident Evil!" because man, what a boring list that would be. It's more moods and vibes and maybe some lesser known films, so maybe someone somewhere got introduced to something great and then my life will feel complete.

It's been a great SHOCKtober all around, and it ain't over yet!

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!

The Death Count Continues...

Hey gang, just an update for those of you who have ordered Death Count directly from me: I had to wait until enough orders were in to buy copies in bulk. They've been ordered and they're on their way to me now. Signed copies will go out first as they're quicker! Sketch editions will go out in waves most likely (I walk to the post office and I can only carry so many), but I'm already working on sketches as they're on bookplates. Thanks to everyone who's picked up a copy, whether through me or through Amazon! I'm so happy you guys are digging it.

(Side note! Only seven sketch editions remain, grab one if you want one! For details on how to order a signed copy–check out this post.) [SKETCH EDITION IS SOLD OUT! SIGNED COPIES STILL AVAILABLE]

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*