Horror/Thriller/Halloween films – 2021

1 November 2021 - Alexander Wiley

This October, in conjunction with my goal of seeing at least one film a day in 2021, I aimed to see a new (to me) horror/thriller/Halloween film a day. Through recommendations from family and friends, and the support of my favorite movie buddy, Amy, I reached my goal. Although horror/thriller films are not Amy’s cup of tea, I confided in her along the way even though she did not watch any with me.

Throughout October, I think I told Amy about the largest benefit of watching various horror/thriller films from various decades was the enjoyment of sound editing. Sound is important to any film, but it is paramount for horror/thriller films. The mind, eyes, and ears must be immersed into the film at all times. As a new filmmaker, my appreciation of sound jumped up 1000%.

I struggled to achieve this goal because there are hundreds of horror/thriller/Halloween films I already viewed. The staples of horror/thriller films are gallons of fake blood, jump scares, ominous music, cutting-edge sound editing, screams, questionable decisions by characters, and frights. In conversations with Amy, I expressed my displeasure in seeing so much violence and gore in one month because I feared I’d become numb to it. Gratuitous, disgusting, frightful, and cringe-worthy violence should not become synonymous with regular life.

During the latter third of October, I started to become numb the on-screen violence, frights, scares, and spooks. Sayings like, “oh, saw that coming, “that was supposed to be scary?”, “wow, that should’ve been way worse if I hadn’t just seen that twenty times yesterday”, “there isn’t any tension or conflict here; I’m not feeling anything for this character,” and “jeez, this isn’t as compelling as it’s supposed to be” came to mind while watching movies.

This is not to say I’m becoming bored with watching films. Far from it. I will take a break from horror/thriller films for a while and enjoy them later.

These are the horror/thriller films I saw, in order, throughout October 2021:

· Malignant (2021) Dir: James Wan, Str: Annabelle Wallis

· I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Dir: Stephen R. Monroe, Str: Sarah Butler

· The Haunted Mansion (2003) Dir: Rob Minkoff, Str: Eddie Murphy

· The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) Dir: Scott Derrickson, Str: Laura Linney

· Final Destination (2001) Dir: James Wong, Str: Devon Sawa

· Till Death (2021) Dir: S.K. Dale, Str: Megan Fox

· The Village (2004) Dir: M. Night Shyamalan, Str: Bryce Dallas Howard

· The Stanford Murders: Arlis Perry, Leslie Perlov (2021) Dir: David Muir

· I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) Dir: Danny Cannon, Str: Jennifer Love Hewitt

· Mindhunters (2004) Dir: Renny Harlin, Str: Val Kilmer

· The Amityville Horror (1979) Dir: Stuart Rosenberg, Str: James Brolin

· The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967) Dir: Harald Reinl, Str: Lex Barker

· The Guilty (2021) Dir: Antonie Fuqua, Str: Jake Gyllenhaal

· Wishmaster (1997) Dir: Robert Kurtzman, Str: Tammy Lauren

· Nine Lives (2002) Dir: Andrew Green. Str: Rosie Fellner

· Parents (1989) Dir: Bob Balaban, Str: Randy Quaid

· Halloween Kills (2021) Dir: David Gordon Green, Str: Jamie Lee Curtis

· The Watcher (2000) Dir: Joe Charbanic, Str: James Spader

· The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) Dir: Irvin Kershner, Str: Faye Dunaway

· Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) Dir: Martin Campbell, Str: Fred Ward

· Antebellum (2020) Dir: Gerard Bush, Str: Janelle Monae

· The House That Jack Built (2018) Dir: Lars Von Trier, Str: Matt Dillon

· Unsane (2018) Dir: Steven Soderbergh, Str: Claire Foy

· Books of Blood (2020) Dir: Brannon Braga, Str: Britt Roberston

· The Strangers (2008) Dir: Bryan Bertino, Str: Scott Speedman

· The Platform "El Hoyo" (2019) Dir: Galder Gattelu-Urrutia, Str: Ivan Massague

· The Loved Ones (2009) Dir: Sean Byrne, Str: Xavier Samuel

· April Fool's Day (1986) Dir: Fred Walton. Str: Deborah Foreman

· Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) Dir: Mike Flanagan, Str: Elizabeth Reaser

· The Trip "I onde dager" (2021) Dir: Tommy Wirkola, Str: Noomi Rapace

· Unfriended (2014) Dir: Levan Gabriadze, Str: Shelley Henning

· Motel Hell (1980) Dir: Kevin Connor, Str: Rory Calhoun

· Last Night in Soho (2021) Dir: Edgar Wright, Str: Thomasin Mackenzie

· Trick 'r Treat (2007) Dir: Michael Doughtery, Str: Anna Paquin

· The Final Girls (2015) Dir: Todd Strauss-Schulson, Str: Taissa Farmiga

· When a Strangers Calls (1979) Dir: Fred Walton, Str: Carol Kane

· Blacula (1972) Dir: William Crain, Str: William Marshall