AT LAST
Ridley's 7th Annual Halloween Horror Movie Marathon
THE THEME
Near the completion of last year's marathon, I made a very firm decision that numero 7 had to follow just one simple guideline: the core block of films had to be comprised of releases from the 70s. With how varied the decade was, trying to put it all down to theme weeks was too unwieldy and frankly not in the spirit of just how much of a cornucopia this ever-so important decade for the genre was.
THE FORMAT
For the past couple of years, I gave myself a little bit of stretching room by starting a few days earlier. With October have such four even weeks this year, I decided to just stick to being contained by that month. Each day will see at least one film being watched, with most days being confined to that. However, Saturdays will be designated double features, which will find a pair of films that are united in some way, whether they're sibling films directly, or part of a particular sub-genre. Of the 36 films comprising the core block, 35 will be first time views and/or completions, as there are a couple that have yet to be seen all the way through on my behalf. The sole rewatch is being paired with its sequel on Halloween itself, representing both a long, long overdue rewatch of its original theatrical cut, as well as ensuring that I watch a good film that day if even half the terrible things said about its sequel are true.
THE FILMS
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
And Soon the Darkness
Blue Sunshine
The Cars that Ate Paris
The Crazies
Daughters of Darkness
Deathdream
Deliverance
Demon Seed
Demons of the Mind
Dr. Phibes Rises Again
The Exorcist
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Ganja & Hess
The Ghost Galleon
Hands of the Ripper
The Hills Have Eyes
Horror Express
JD's Revenge
Kingdom of the Spiders
Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
Lisa and the Devil
Night of the Seagulls
Nosferatu the Vampyre
The Omen
Piranha
Return of the Evil Dead
She Killed in Ecstasy
Sisters
Straw Dogs
Tombs of the Blind Dead
Tourist Trap
Vampyros Lesbos
Who Can Kill a Child?
The Wicker Man
THE EXTRA CREDIT
Normally, I like doing my own thing that just so happens to coincide with the thread on this forum, but I'm making a special exception this year because I feel up to it and I will be watching The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Creep within the confines of the prescribed viewing periods of both films. It's also the month of a brand goddamned new horror film from Guillermo del Toro with Crimson Peak, which I shall also try to catch in the theater. Finally, Fathom Events is doing a few engagements for a double feature of the original Dracula films, both the Tod Browning version everyone knows and its Spanish-language counterpart shot at the same time, which I am also dying to catch. If I play all of my cards right, this would put this year's total at 41. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As always, print remains a trust ally in finding new films to watch, so I have to give it up to my two principle sources this year:
Horror Films of the 1970s, vols. 1 & 2 by John Kenneth Muir
Rue Morgue Magazine's 200 Alternative Horror Film's You Need to See, edited by Rodrigo Gudiño & Dave Alexander
Also, some may recognize some of the films on my list as ones they've seen in the past. You know exactly who you are, and I'm eternally grateful for the things you've written about the likes of the Blind Dead series and whatnot to help make this possible. You guys and gals are fucking awesome.
