All Saints Day: A Look Back at Project Horror

11/01/2010

I made it!  One month and 34 movies later, I feel like I actually accomplished something.  I mean, I didn't cure cancer or anything, but I set a goal for myself and I stuck to it.  Here, for the interested, is a final scorecard of the month's movies (all ratings are on a 5-point scale):
Date
Block
Title
Rating
10/1ClassicDracula
3
10/2ClassicThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
5
10/3ClassicThe Fly
4
10/4ClassicWerewolf of London
3
10/5ClassicVampyr
1
10/6ZombieDead Snow
5
10/7ZombieThe Burrowers
3
10/8ZombieCity of the Living Dead
4
10/9ZombiePhantasm
0
10/10ZombieZombie
4
10/11ForeignA Tale of Two Sisters
2
10/12ForeignVisions of Suffering
1
10/13ForeignCannibal Holocaust
4
10/14ForeignMondo Cane
3
10/15ForeignLet Me In/Let the Right One In
5/5
10/16Occult & SupernaturalThe House of the Devil
3
10/17Occult & SupernaturalBubba Ho-Tep
5
10/18Occult & SupernaturalThe Dunwich Horror
2
10/19Occult & SupernaturalParanormal Activity
4
10/20Occult & SupernaturalThe Amityville Horror
4
10/21Creepy CreaturesThe Thing
5
10/22Creepy CreaturesAn American Werewolf in London
5
10/23Creepy CreaturesIt's Alive
2
10/24Creepy CreaturesMonkey Shines
4
10/25Creepy CreaturesThe Host
3
10/26The Evil Men DoBorderland
3
10/27The Evil Men DoCrawlspace
2
10/28The Evil Men DoDread
4
10/29The Evil Men DoThe Virgin Spring/
The Last House on the Left
 (1972 & 2009)
5/1/3
10/30The Evil Men DoThe Human Centipede
3
10/31Danny's ChoiceTrick 'r Treat
5

Because this is a Danny Production, now you get some statistical analysis.  Sometimes during this month, it felt like I was giving out way more negative reviews than positive ones, so I was surprised to see that the mean score is 3.4, and the mode is 5!  That seems about right, if you take 3 as a middle of the road score, and I did see several movies that I really liked.  The block with the highest average score was Creepy Creatures, with a 3.8; The Evil Men Do was lowest, with a 3.00.

If you are looking for a horror recommendation, and want to take one from my list this month, I cannot say enough good things about Bubba Ho-Tep.  Even the non-horror fans in your house will like it.  It is so good that if you watch it and don't like it, I will write a blog entry right here on Look What Danny Made! and apologize to you by name.  After that, I would heartily recommend either Let the Right One In or Let Me In, or both.

Watching this many movies in a row makes it impossible not to draw comparisons and find trends.  One thing I especially noticed is how horror reflects the fears of the time in which it was made.  It seems that whatever we used to be scared of, these days we're mostly scared of each other.  There's still stuff about the supernatural coming out, but it's not a ghost coming for you, it's your possessed wife.  A lab accident isn't going to transform you into a horrible creature, but a crazed kidnapper might.  Even the monsters that emerge from the sewers are ultimately monsters of our own making.

One of the questions I heard most often this month is, "Are you having crazy dreams from watching all of these?"  I really didn't.  There was one night about two-thirds of the way through the month where I had a pretty intense nightmare; in the light of day, I could see that it was very clearly inspired by a certain scene in Paranormal Activity.  Congratulations to PA, for being the one movie to truly invade my subconscious this month!

I'd like to bring Project Horror to a close with a huge thanks to everybody who took part in this with me.  To everybody who recommended movies when I announced the project, thank you so much!  I wouldn't have made some of these selections unless they'd been suggested to me.  For those of you who commented either on the blog or on Facebook, I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts and making this an interactive experience.  And for everybody who talked to me in person, via e-mail, or on the phone and let me know that you were enjoying what I wrote, thank you most of all.  It has been incredibly rewarding and fun getting to have these conversations with all of you.  (Hi, Marcy's mom!  I see now why Marcy is such a cutie!)

I'm kicking around a few ideas for future viewing projects, but I'd be interested to get input from all of you, too.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a month's worth of DVR to catch up on.  I just reread that last sentence and realized how completely lucky I am that Courtney has not divorced me yet.

6 comments:

Andrea G. said...

OMG, you and my husband have entirely too much time on your hands. If this were on FB, I'd like your last sentence! Kudos on getting through a goal!

Misty said...

Honestly, I saw "Bubba Ho-Tep" when it first came out on DVD and I had high expectations. Apparently they were too high. I expected the humor of it to be a little more high-brow but the whole thing seemed goofy and all too forgettable for me. Of course, I don't have mainstream taste in movies. Then again, this wasn't a mainstream type of movie. I will admit that everyone I know that saw it enjoyed it, just not me. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I watched it again at some point. When I 1st saw "Edward Scissorhands" and "Nightmare Before Christmas," I didn't like them either, although everyone else did. Those two did grow on me some over time, though.

Danny said...

@Andrea - Of course you had no way of knowing this, but people saying that I have too much time on my hands is a peeve of mine. That was part of the challenge of this month, prying the time to do this out of my day! I had to run home during lunch to watch a few minutes here and there so that I wouldn't have to stay up so late at night, pause DVDs a dozen times to put kids back to bed, etc.

@Misty - I'm afraid my apology offer does not apply retroactively, but I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy it!

Misty said...

Haha...such is life. :) I may be a part time contrarian.

Marcy and Clay said...

My mom called me last night and said, "I got a shout out on Danny's blog!" You definately made her night and looks like you have yourself another loyal follower!

See you and Courtney Sunday!

Danny said...

I've always longed for the opportunity to do the whole Spinal Tap "Hello, Cleveland!" moment, and my blog has finally given it to me, in the form of shout outs to Janet!

Just Courtney this Sunday, since I'll be out of town. If she's got a twitching eyelid, it's because she'll have been with all three kids all weekend long.

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