31 Days of Halloween Horror Movies: Week One Recap

Every month of October for a few years now I have committed myself to watching at least one horror movie every day in preparation for Halloween. This year has been a little more difficult than the past because I now have school and work to contend with but I’m on track so far.

I should preface this piece by saying this is by no means a list of “The best horror films to watch during October“. A lot of these movies I have had sitting around for a while or I had them qued up on Netflix but never had the time to watch. With all the disclaimers out of the way lets jump right in.

October 1st: Would You Rather

The title for this film pretty much sums up the plot. Brittany Snow plays the lead whose brother is dying and in need of a transplant. Jeffrey Combs plays a millionaire who devises a way to figure how to give out his grant. All you have to do is survive a deadly game of “Would You Rather” which consists of tying a lit M-80 to your hand and trying to hold your breath for 4 minutes under water.. No sweat right?

This was one of those films where you just hope certain people get knocked off.. Overall pretty solid with a really gut wrenching ending that left me a little unsure about how I felt about the movie.

October 2nd: The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh

This little film was directed by Rue Morgue founder Rodrigo Gudiño. Leon has resented his mother for years for trying to make him into a “good little christian”. When she dies he inherits her home and comes back to house full of Angelic iconography and a rush of bad memories. His mother is still determined to make him believe even from beyond the grave that someone is looking after him.

This is a really slow burn and it will definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for me it kind of hit a cord when dealing with his mother. I won’t get any more personal than that but lets just say it hit pretty close to home and made it that much more creepy for me personally. Definitely solid and on Netflix right now if you want to check it out.

October 3rd: The Collection

Arkin is back and so is the Collector. This time Arkin is on his turf and it gets much more bloody than last time. Elena decides to go out to party with her friends and ends up getting kidnapped by the Collector. Her father hires a small group of mercenaries who convince Arkin to help them find her. A few go in and only a couple make it out alive.

If you like insane, over the top kills with lots of gore this will definitely be up your alley. Honestly this type of movie is my favorite to watch around Halloween. Saw II and this film have a lot in common so if you liked that film you should definitely check out The Collection. This is also on Netflix right now so be sure to add it to your que.

October 4th: Curse of Chucky

Nica is wheelchair bound woman who is sent a mysterious Chucky doll in the mail. A couple of days later her mother dies mysteriously and her sister’s family comes to “comfort” her. The sister brought her daughter along and she takes a liking to Chucky. Soon Chucky is taking people out one by one in an effort to play “hide the soul” one more time.

I wasn’t sure what I would think of this straight to DVD entry into the franchise but I was pleasantly surprised. Although I did have a couple of quibbles. One being the redesign they gave Chucky. Something was just off. Second is that they did quite a bit of origin storytelling with Charles Lee Ray (Chucky) which I thought was unneeded. However I will say it has a bad ass ending after the credits and some really cool cameos to look out for.

October 5th: The Bay

The Bay takes place in a small Maryland town that has been taken over by a mysterious plague. Part of the fun of the film is following along with CDC in discovering what is happening. It’s mostly found footage which I know is becoming a little played out but it works in the context of this movie. The government is trying to suppress any information about what happened there but one reporter is determined to get the word out there with this film.

What is put forward in the film is a pretty scary proposition that I’m honestly not sure if it could happen or not. I think that is what makes this film so good. It shows you something that is close enough to reality that you could buy into the concept. The gore and special effects are pretty solid for being a low-budget film. I’d definitely recommend this one.

October 6th: Sinister

Ethan Hawke plays a crime author who is looking for his next big novel after a couple of flops. Desperate to write another best seller he moves his family into the home of a family that was murdered. In the attic he finds a box full of 8mm films depicting the murders of several other families. What he doesn’t expect is that the supernatural force behind the killings has its eye on him next.

This was a film that I really wanted to catch in the theater but just never had the time to. It has garnered a lot of praise but for some reason I just felt that it was OK. I think it would have been much better if they used the title character Bugul much more than they did. Not bad and probably one of the better mainstream films to come out this year.

October 7th: House at the End of the Street

A teenager and her mother move into a home together that is right next door to where a young girl murdered her mother and father. The son has moved back into the home and the entire town is trying to get rid of him except of course Jennifer Lawrence’s character who falls in “love” with him. From there things get predictable.

Remember when I prefaced this by saying this is not any kind of “best list”? Yea well this is one of those films that made me write that. Boring, predictable and formulaic. Although I think I have to say it’s not entirely worthless. I mean Jennifer Lawrence was running around half of the film with a white wife beater on. That counts for something right?

That will conclude the first week recap for now. Seven films down and twenty-four more to go. Anything you guys would recommend I watch? Just don’t say Halloween or any of the obvious movies to watch during this time of year. Thanks guys and pay attention to this spot next week for recap number two.