FILMS
WRITING

31 Days of Horror, 2020

With 2020 being a demented shitshow, I did fleetingly wonder if I wanted to do #31DaysOfHorror again this year, but then I remembered why I love horror films — they are an escape from reality; they are an outlet for the darkness in me; and they are smart, subversive and funny, as well as gnarly, gruesome and grim. I find them endlessly fascinating, invigorating and fun.

Now #31DaysOfHorror might seem extreme (the original idea was you watch a horror film every day in October, culminating in Halloween, and post your pick each day with the hashtag), and in my first attempt, in 2018, I was such a purist about it, it really did feel extreme. It was actually bad for my mental health. I watched a horror film every day, apart from, ironically, the very last day, Halloween, when I was so emotionally exhausted I completely forgot to do it. My unconscious mind just said no.

But I did watch a lot of films I’d meant to watch for years. There was a lot of fun to be had if I could better pace myself. In 2019, I did it again, this time remembering that horror films vary enormously, and seasoning the stronger fayre with a dash of comedy or sci-fi, which improved the whole experience. I also added the ‘five picks from September’ rule, for days when watching a horror film was a bad idea. That was a good compromise between making it a challenge and looking after myself.

For 2020, I want to go a step further. My plan is to write a short blog post about each film, just a couple of paragraphs to help me process my thoughts, that I can link to instead of the Letterboxd page. Perhaps it will send a few more people to my website and raise awareness of The Complex.

Sadly, I deleted my 2018 Twitter list, but thanks to the magic of Letterboxd, here are both lists for the record.

2019 — 31 Days of Horror

  1. The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
  2. Ringu (1998)
  3. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
  4. Don’t Look Now (1973)
  5. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
  6. Possession (1981)
  7. Troll Hunter (2010)
  8. Rabid (1977)
  9. Jurassic Park (1993)
  10. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
  11. Sunshine (2007)
  12. Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)
  13. Friday the 13th (1980)
  14. Carrie (1976)
  15. A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
  16. It Chapter Two (2019)
  17. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
  18. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
  19. The Day of the Triffids (1962)
  20. Anaconda (1997)
  21. Black Sunday (1960)
  22. Dead of Night (1945)
  23. Rec (2007)
  24. From Beyond (1986)
  25. The Final Girls (2015)
  26. Se7en (1995)
  27. Alien (1979)
  28. Prometheus (2012)
  29. Alien: Covenant (2017)
  30. Trick ’r Treat (2007)
  31. Joker (2019)

2018 — 31 (cough, 30) Days of Horror

  1. Predator (1987)
  2. Hellraiser (1987)
  3. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
  4. Scream 2 (1997)
  5. Scream 3 (2000)
  6. Night of the Demon (1957)
  7. Cat People (1982)
  8. Pontypool (2008)
  9. The Borderlands (2013)
  10. The Birds (1963)
  11. Deep Red (1975)
  12. Season of the Witch (1972)
  13. A Dark Song (2016)
  14. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
  15. Under the Skin (2013)
  16. American Psycho (2000)
  17. Repulsion (1965)
  18. The Company of Wolves (1984)
  19. It (2017)
  20. Venom (2018)
  21. The Evil Dead (1981)
  22. Suspiria (1977)
  23. mother! (2017)
  24. The Fly (1986)
  25. Poltergeist (1982)
  26. Jennifer’s Body (2009)
  27. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  28. The Lost Boys (1987)
  29. Cat People (1942)
  30. Urban Legend (1998)
  31. Damn you, unconscious mind! shakes fist