October score

I thought about just ignoring my tally of horror film watching for this past October's DVD Talk contest. I really didn't feel like typing it up and the more I looked over what I managed to fit into those 31 days the less impressed with my score I was. I didn't watch a single film in a language other than English. I didn't watch a single film starring Vincent Price. Not a single giallo? How did I watch nothing with Jamie Lee Curtis in a month I almost always check out either HALLOWEEN or its first two sequels? All my plans to rewatch RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD came to naught. Even my listing of two of the Universal Mummy movies from the 1940s as sequels to Karloff's THE MUMMY are a dubious choice since they aren't really sequels even though they do use footage from the 1932 classic. I didn't even rewatch one of my favorite modern horror sequels JASON X to tick off the 'takes place in space' slot on the list.

Did the vacation to Disney World really cut so much of my October horror movie watching time? No. That's not what happened. I just followed my ongoing trend of trying to see lots of movies I've never seen before rather than actually planning my viewing. And that lends itself to the 'what's exciting me right now' type of movie watching that I find so much fun. Why else would I have wasted my time watching RAIDERS OF ATLANTIS in October? Or, really, ever?

Oh, well. I think I'll try it again next year. It's a fun game- especially if you don't take it too seriously.

The DVDTalk October Horror Challenge Expanded Checklist/Bingo Card

Watch one film from every decade of film history.
--- 1890 -
--- 1900 -
--- 1910 -
--- 1920 -
--- 1930 – THE RAVEN
--- 1940 – THE MUMMY’S GHOST
--- 1950 - ?
--- 1960 - ?
--- 1970 – THE BAT PEOPLE
--- 1980 – WAXWORKS
--- 1990 - ?
--- 2000 – SPLINTER

Watch a film for each rating:
--- Pre MPAA-THE MUMMY
--- G - DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE
--- PG – SHOCK WAVES
--- PG-13 -
--- R – TRICK ‘R TREAT
--- NC-17 -
--- X (not porn; several horror films were rated X) -
--- Unrated (post-MPAA) -

Watch films in at least three formats (DVD, BD, HD DVD, Laserdisc, TV, online, UMD, theater, iPod, etc).
--- First format, (theater), (THE FINAL DESTINATION).
--- Second format, (DVD), (THE HANGING WOMAN).
--- Third format, (BD), (TRICK ‘R TREAT).

Watch a film starring:
--- Bela Lugosi – THE RAVEN
--- Lon Chaney Sr. -
--- Boris Karloff – THE MUMMY
--- Lon Chaney Jr. – THE MUMMY’S GHOST
--- Vincent Price -
--- Peter Cushing – SHOCK WAVES
--- Christopher Lee - DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE
--- Robert Englund -
--- Bruce Campbell -
--- Jamie Lee Curtis -

Watch films in at least two languages other than English.
--- First language, (insert language), (insert title).
--- Second language, (insert language), (insert title).

Watch a film in each of the following subgenres/types:
--- Vampire - (insert film title here)
--- Frankenstein -
--- Werewolf - TRICK ‘R TREAT
--- Mummy – THE MUMMY
--- Invisible Man -
--- Ghost/haunting – DEATH SHIP
--- Witchcraft/satanic/religious -
--- Zombie - ZOMBIELAND
--- Slasher/psycho/homicidal maniac - BODYCOUNT
--- Monster/creature feature/Godzilla – THE BAT PEOPLE
--- Documentary -
--- Musical -
--- Spoof/comedy -
--- Revenge – SUGAR HILL
--- Killer/evil doll -
--- Killer/evil animal -
--- Killer/evil child -
--- Giallo -
--- J horror -
--- MST3K/rifftrax/CT -
--- film and its remake -
--- based on a video game -
--- based on a novel – THE KEEP
--- directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis or Uwe Boll or Ulli Lommel -
--- won an Academy Award -- any category -
--- silent film -
--- Criterion version film -
--- with commentary -
--- film and at least two of its sequels – THE MUMMY, THE MUMMY’S CURSE, & GHOST
--- anthology film - TRICK ‘R TREAT
--- takes place on a holiday – TRICK ‘R TREAT
--- takes place in space -
--- takes place on or under the sea – DEATH SHIP
--- animated film -
--- called "Night of ..." -
--- called "Return of ..." -
--- called "Revenge of ..." -
--- called "Attack of ..." -
--- with the words "Living Dead" in the title -

(One film could fill multiple items. Example: Dracula would fill one for decade, rating, actor, vampire, based on novel, and maybe others as well.)