100 Horror Movies in October 2021: Final Update!

Apologies for the delay with this final update, labyrinthitis reared its ugly head so it was a slow start to November for me!

October 21st:

56) Phobias (2021, US, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller, Director: Camilla Belle/ Maritte Lee Go/ Joe Sill/ Jess Varley/ Chris von Hoffmann) Watched on NOW. First watch.

57-59) Time to cheat again! I kept seeing minor spoilers for Squid Game so before it was ruined for me I decided I had to watch it. Technically it doesn't count at all because it's listed on IMDb as Action/Drama/Mystery/Thriller but it's incredibly dark and bloody so I'm counting it. I watched the first five episodes which are 280 minutes, divided by 90 (average movie length) is 3.1 so 3 movies.

October 22nd:

60-61) The final four episodes of Squid Game (2021, South Korea, IMDb genre: Action/Drama/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk). Watched on Netflix. First watch. 205 minutes, divided by 90 is 2.27 so 2 movies.

October 23rd:

62) The Babysitter (2017, US, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror, Director: McG) Watched on Netflix. Rewatch.

63-64) In a surprise to no-one reading this I'm sure, I'm cheating! Scream Queens is on Disney+ now and I've never seen the second series so I watched the first five episodes today. 216 minutes divided by 90 is 2.4 so 2 movies.

October 24th:

65-66) The other half of Scream Queens series two (2016, US, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror/Mystery, Director: Brad Falchuck/Bradley Buecker/Barbara Brown/Loni Peristere/Mary Wigmore/Jamie Lee Curtis/Maggie Kiley/Ian Brennan) Watched on Disney+. First watch. 218 minutes divided by 90 is 2.42 so 2 movies.

67) Truth or Dare (2018, US, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller, Director: Jeff Wadlow) Watched on NOW, but it's only available for a few more days. Rewatch.

October 25th:

68) Happy Death Day 2U (2019, US/Japan, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller, Director: Christopher Landon) Watched on NOW but it's only available for a few more days. Rewatch.

69) Killer Instinct (Also known as Tone Deaf, 2019, US, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror/Thriller, Director: Richard Bates Jr.) Watched on NOW. First watch.

October 26th:

70-72) I'm cheating again but it's not my fault streaming services keep putting out good horror series! Locke & Key series two is on Netflix now so I started by rewatching series one. Five episodes, 245 minutes divided by 90 is 2.72, as I've rounded down on a lot I'm rounding up here so 3 movies.

October 27th:

73-74) The other five episodes of Locke & Key series one (2020, Canada/US, IMDb genre: Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Michael Morris/Tim Southam/Mark Tonderai/Dawn Wilkinson/Vincenzo Natali) Watched on Netflix. Rewatch. 227 minutes divided by 90 is 2.52 so 2 movies.

October 28th:

75-76) Four episodes of Locke & Key series two (2021, Canada/US, IMDb genre: Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Mairzee Almas/Carlton Cuse/Millicent Shelton/) Watched on Netflix. First watch. 202 minutes divided by 90 is 2.24 so 2 movies.

77) Halloween Kills (2021, US/UK, IMDb genre: Horror/Thriller, Director: David Gordon Green) Watched in the cinema. First watch.

October 29th:

78-79) Four more episodes of Locke & Key series two (2021, Canada/US, IMDb genre: Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Mairzee Almas/Carlton Cuse/Millicent Shelton/) Watched on Netflix. First watch. 190 minutes divided by 90 is 2.11 so 2 movies.

80) The Cabin in the Woods (2011, US, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Drew Goddard) Watched on Netflix. Rewatch.

81) Hypnotic (2021, US, IMDb genre: Drama/Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Matt Angel/Suzanne Coote) Watched on Netflix. First watch.

October 30th:

82) Final two episodes of Locke & Key series two (2021, Canada/US, IMDb genre: Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Mairzee Almas/Carlton Cuse/Millicent Shelton/) Watched on Netflix. First watch. 95 minutes divided by 90 is 1.05 so 1 movie.

83) Last Night in Soho (2021, UK, IMDb genre: Drama/Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Edgar Wright) Watched in the cinema. First watch.

84) The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021, US/UK, IMDb genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller, Director: Michael Chaves) Watched on NOW. Rewatch.

85) An American Werewolf in London (1981, UK/US, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror, Director: John Landis) Watched on NOW. First watch.

October 31st:

86) The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020, US, IMDb genre: Comedy/Horror, Director: McG) Watched on Netflix. Rewatch.

So there we have it! 86 movies in 31 days, all wild cards used and some hefty cheating took place. Last year's total was 85 so I've just about managed to top that so I can retire this insane challenge on a high. Next year I will try the far more rational 31 days of horror instead.

The Best: Last Night in Soho (2021):

Edgar Wright's first foray into making a serious horror film is an absolute triumph. A love letter to London and the power of dreams, wondering how they managed some shots from a technical standpoint will melt your brain. Combining a story that takes you on a wild ride and leaves you guessing, outstanding acting, and a healthy dose of neon, the two hour runtime flies by. I don't want to say too much about it as the less you know the better, so go and see it on the big screen right now!

10 stars out of 10.

The Worst: Halloween Kills (2021):

Spoilers ahead!

I really wanted to enjoy this one as I'm a fan of the franchise as a whole and that blank white mask is synonymous with Halloween by now but the charm was just missing for me. I think announcing it as a trilogy from the offset was one of the mistakes because you know there's no real threat to Michael or Laurie until at least film three. The filmmakers obviously love the franchise too, this film is filled with little Easter eggs from the others and the inclusion of Dr. Loomis through realistic special effects was a great touch. The town do finally gang up on Michael as a whole instead of attacking him one by one computer game style but the film seems more desperate to make a comment on mob mentality than dispatch Michael, who of course survives another movie. There's some interesting secondary characters who I think would have made good additions to the dynamic but of course they were killed off quickly. Despite being his highest body count so far, even the deaths don't quite hit the mark this time as for some reason the decision has been made to make it look like Michael has never killed before and is trying things out. For example we see him sticking knife after knife into a man long after he's died seemingly to just see what happens? Maybe this will be explained in the final instalment, which let's be honest we're all still going to see! The acting is good and there's some decent LGBT representation but they're really the only positives.

3 stars out of 10.

The Weirdest: An American Werewolf in London (1981):

Terrible horror fan confession time! Until now, I'd never seen this film in its entirety I'd only seen the excellent transformation scene. I thought it was a serious one going in so I was thrown off quite early. The practical effects are great though and I think they hold up well even after forty years which is impressive. Really I'm including this on the weirdest section because of the scenes where his victims, in various states of decay, come and talk to him and repeatedly tell him to kill himself. The way it was presented it was meant to be funny but I found it bizarre and quite horrible. It does set it apart from other werewolf movies though.

7 stars out of 10.