***Official 6th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the message boards ...it's back: The 6th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge. Now, now...I know it's a couple of days early, but it's never too early to start discussing this year's crop of horror films. Those of you who have participated before know the rules, and for those of you who haven't, it ain't that complicated. These are the rules that Mitty first posted with small revisions from myself.

1. Watch 13 Scary/Horror/Halloween-Themed films before midnight on October 31, 2005 (use your own timezone to set the ending time).

2. Two of the above must be new discoveries, movies you've never seen before. The point of this is to see those few movies you've always meant to see, but never got around to. I recommend more than 2, but 2 is the minimum to pat yourself on the head and say you completed the challenge. Please specify new discoveries in your film list by making them bold, adding asterisks, different colors, etc.

3. If you were part of the challenge last year, no more than two of the same films can be RE-watched. I'll grant a couple since some movies (ie. Halloween, Rocky Horror) are simply tradition and I'm willing to give credit for these. (Revision: This only applies to those going for the 13 movie challenge)

4. Come here and talk about 'em.

5. There is an uber-category, the Ultimate Splatter Challenge for those who wish to put all of the rest of us to shame. This is the heavyweight division. These people, if they choose to accept the challenge, must view 31 horror/scary/Halloween themed movies before dawn on Nov. 1st. The rest of us will bow down in awed reverence to these truly "Splatterific" HTF members. The bragging rights will be awesome and long lived.

6. There has been discussion over the past two years as to what movies qualify. Is Silence of the Lambs a horror movie? Does The Nightmare Before Christmas count? From now on, if you wanna include it, go for it. There will be no hairsplitting. If The Wizard of Oz send you to the dresser for a fresh pair of boxer shorts, all the power.

We had an AMAZING turnout last year. In 2003, we only had 4 participants who watched over 31 films. Last year there were 4 people who watched over 100 (yes, two zeros) flicks and a total of 13 who watched 31 films. To get a better idea of what went on last year, here is a list of the Splatterific HTFers:

ULTIMATE SPLATTER-HEADS
Jim K (174)
Michael Elliot (166)
Matt Stone (120)
Justin S (118)
Scott Weinberg (90)
Joe Karlosi (59)
Rick Spruill (56)
Bill McA (45)
Brook K (36)
Angel Pagan (35)
Chucky P (35)
Bob Turnbull (34)
DanielM (31)
Greg Black (31)

Last October we had a hell of a race between Jim K and Michael Elliot. I didn't have a job at the time, and I had just graduated college, so I had copious amounts of free time. Unfortunately (for me) I'm strapped down with a busy job and won't have nearly as much time to watch horror films. Hopefully we can improve on last years great numbers with this challenge. As always, please stop buy and discuss your favorite (and least favorite) horror films as fervently as you did last year. Like last October, the ultimate respect is paid to those members who are willing to suffer through a few bed sores in order to clock in over 100 movies. There's no way I'm topping that number this year, but that doesn't mean I won't be busting my ass trying. Good luck!

I expect to be really busy this month as well but hopefully I can retain my splatter status and see around the same number of films as last year. I have lots of new discoveries lined up at Netflix and am ready to go. I will get off to a slow start since I'm going out of town this weekend and won't be able to see anything until I get back Monday night.

Hey Matt,

Thanks for starting this year's thread. Like Brook, it seems I've found myself in an overwhelming work situation this time around and feel like there is little hope I'll complete even the requisite 13 this year.

That being said, I'm going try like hell to make it. I'll be getting off to a great start this weekend as my wife and I have designated Saturday evening as Horror Movie Night! Hell, I might get 2 or 3 in. I've also been held up from seeing Corpse Bride so far, so I'll be trying to squeeze that in some time next week.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great challenge this year. I really enjoyed myself last time and am sure to do so again. Looking forward to hearing everyone's recommendations.

Cheers,

Jason

I'm in the same work situation as both of you. We have a new patient accounting system going live on the 29th, and we're in a mad scramble to get the hospital ready in time. It's going to be an interesting month.

Well last year was easy pickin's since I was off work with an injury.

It'll be more of a challenge for me this year but I'll go for the 31 films anyway. With the Val Lewton set, some horror flics from Netflix lined up, my recorder set to pick a few off TCM and a few traditional viewings from my collection I should be able to scrounge up enough to get by.

Who's the vendor Matt?

I work for Misys Healthcare Systems, answering RFP's for our enterprise HIS, Lab, and Rad products. We don't have a patient accounting app.

I have Ring 2 from Netflix. They shipped some of my movies out of order so I got it early this week, but I haven't had time to watch it anyway. So now it will probably kick off the challenge for me.

I quit my job last Friday just for this event.

Here's a list of horror (or horror related) titles this month on TCM. All times are Eastern.


10/1 (Sat)

10am Death Takes a Holiday (1934)

10/2 (Sun)

12am Nosferatu (1922)
1:30am Doctor X (1932)
3:00am The Return Of Doctor X (1939)
4:30am Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1932)

10/3 (Mon)

8pm The Night Of The Hunter (1955)
10pm Cape Fear (1962)

10/9 (Sun)

12am The Unknown (1927)
1am Wolf (1994)
3am Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1941)
5am The Mysterious Doctor (1943)

10/12 (Wed)

8pm Jaws (1975)

10/14 (Fri)

11:15a The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
1:15p The Wild, Wild Planet (1965)
2a Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey (1932)
3:15a The Vampire Bat (1933)
4:30a Mark Of The Vampire (1935)

10/15 (Sat)

3:30a The Snow Devils (1965)

10/16 (Sun)

12a The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
1:45a Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (2000)
3:15a The Unholy Three (1930)
4:30a Unholy Three (1925)

10/18 (Tue)

6a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
8p The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
9:30p The Devil Doll (1936)
11:00p The Wild, Wild Planet (1965)

10/19 (Wed) Val Lewton Night

8p Cat People (1942) A
9:15p The Seventh Victim (1943)
10:30p I Walked With A Zombie (1943)
11:45p The Leopard Man (1943)
1:00a The Ghost Ship (1943)
2:15a The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
3:30a The Body Snatcher (1945)
5:00a Bedlam (1946)

10/21 (Fri)

2a M (1931)
4a The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

10/23 (Sun)

8p Abbott And Costello Meet The Invisible Man (1951)
9:30p Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
11p Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy (1955)
12:30a The Eyes of the Mummy (1918)
1:45a Mummy's Boys (1936)
3:00a The Ghost Breakers (1940)
4:30a Zombies On Broadway (1945)

10/24 (Mon)

9p Vertigo (1958)
11:30p Psycho (1960)

10/25-30 Dozens of Alfred Hitchcock titles

10/29 (Sat)

8a The Mask Of Dimitrios (1944)

10/30 (Sun)

1p The Ghost Breakers (1940)
2:30p It Came From Outer Space (1953)
12a The Lodger (1926)

10/31 (Mon)

6:00 AM Nosferatu (1922)
7:30 AM The Vampire Bat (1933)
8:45 AM White Zombie (1932)
10:15 AM Mad Love (1935)
11:30 AM Cat People (1942)
1:00 PM Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
2:30 PM Village Of The Damned (1960)
4:00 PM The Birds (1963)
6:00 PM Psycho (1960)
8:00 PM Poltergeist (1982)
10:00 PM The Uninvited (1944)
12:00 AM The Haunting (1963)
2:00 AM Horror Castle (1963)
3:30 AM The Castle of the Living Dead (1964)


HALLOWEEN WEEKEND ON "FMC"

I too am extremely busy right now plus there's so many shows I'm watching on TV right now that I'm really not sure that I'll be able to make it... Never the less, I'll try for 13 and do more if I am able.

I'm in. I had 59 titles last year but I don't expect to approach that amount this year.

Wow, it's a small world. The system we're implementing is Affinity from Quadramed, it's replacing an old mainframe based Siemens app. We do, however, use Misys at our Women's Health Clinic.

In years past I've watched this thread and participated without participating. So this year I'm going to try and contribute to this thread. I'm a big horror fan and I have a couple friends who get way into them this time of year so 13 movies should be doable.

I also participated without participating last year. My wife and I actually started about half way through the month but still managed to get 31 movies in. Who knows how many we can get in in a whole month. I will try and post here through the challenge. I am a big horror fan, so through the past year I have added a number of titles to my collection. Of course there is always room for more! Some friends and I will be participating in our own challenge, although we are "borrowing" the HTF's rules.

You know, I've been looking forward to the Scary Movie Challenge all year! I can (and do) watch horror films all year 'round, but there's something extra special about them when you do it in October. And the HTF OSMC is the perfect venue to do so.

I just barely made in thirty-one films last year, which I was proud of, considering I only watched about six or seven in 2003's challenge. This year, I intend to break my personal record. By how much, I don't know; obligations will restrict my viewing somewhat. But I really look forward to reading this thread in the coming month. It's by far my favorite time of the year.

Seeing as I planned to watch only horror/suspense flicks this month anyways, I guess I'm in. I just hope that I get the Val Lewton set in time to squeeze it in.
Planned viewings so far:
Lugosi Set
Hammer Horror set (universal)
Creature From The Black Lagoon Legacy Set
Invisable Man Legacy Set
Mummy Legacy Set
Evil Dead 2
Goku
Dark Water (Japanese Version)
Ring
Ring 2

Should be fun!

I'm in as well. I managed 35 last year after only getting around 13 the year before. It'll be tough for me to beat my mark from a year ago as I have tons of shows on my tivo.

Well it's 12:51 over here on the East Coast. Who is going to post first with their first review, I wonder? Should be anytime soon. I have to get up early, so unfortunately it won't be me. But I'll get at least two screenings in tomorrow! I'm so excited. Besides the challenge, this is simply my favorite month of the year.

Everyone enjoy your films and the beginning of this amazing season. Let the games begin...

Cheers,

Jason

Well, I watched 1910's FRANKENSTEIN as soon as the clock hit 12 but I guess I'll post the "reviews" after each day's viewings. I took a quick nap after the Red Sox/Yanks game so I'm going to try and knock a few more out tonight before bed (and before I watch the game tomorrow).

Yesterday I got my Netflix list in order and noticed that many of the horror titles now have "a very long wait" so I guess everyone's in the Halloween spirit.

Keep watching those 10 minute films and you'll be up to 500 titles before you know it!

Come on, Joe - 1910 Frankenstein? Well, it's at least 12 minutes long - you have to count the credits in the run time.

Cheers,

Jason

Like last year, I'll participate in "Ultimate Splatter-Head Emeritus" capacity.

[the three-time undefeated champion and former "Golden God", wearing his skull-emblazened fez cap, politely waves to the crowd from his touring car]