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SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #18: MARAMA I like that this is described as a tale of retribution rather than revenge which is an important distinction. Also when he was like “do you like my Maori house? I had it shipped here from New Zealand” I was like “oh yeah did it have to walk up the mountain too?”

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #19: HOUSE OF WAX I wouldn’t have even considered this was a 3D movie if not for the 10 minute paddleball guy break in the middle. It’s not Shocktober without Vincent Price and he’s so fun in this one. Extremely young Charles Bronson as a heavy too!

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #20: ANNABELLE COMES HOME Perfectly effective Sleepover Horror which is an important part of our ecosystem but still too loud and Christian. At the end an anchorman on tv says “Hartford, the land of steady habits” which is not a thing anyone says but maybe he was a demon too.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #21: HISTORY OF THE OCCULT This is best political thriller I’ve ever seen about taking down a corrupt president using the power of shoe-leather reporting (also the president is a warlock)

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #22: THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE A modern classic in every sense of the word. Efficient, terrifying, and the part where they peel back the skin and see everything is a top 5 moment for horror in the 2010s. I love this film.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #23: WALLACE & GROMIT THE CURSE OF THE WERE RABBIT Just a constant delight and absolutely gorgeous to look at. A full length feature that feels like a Halloween special is a hard balance to achieve and they do it so well.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #24: HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION I would have hated this as yet another jokey post-SCREAM ironic slasher at the time but given how grim and dreary post-9/11 horror became it’s a lot more fun in hindsight.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #25: TORSO A giallo that plays like a slasher and mostly serves as a delivery vehicle to look at bodacious boobs and dope 1970s Italian trucks and scooters. Interesting non-US take on a hippiesploitation movie.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #26: SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE The Dafoe Faces on display in this movie are out of control. It doesn’t really answer any of the questions it raises about who is sacrificed in the name of art but good gosh that man is in full goblin mode.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #27: MAN FINDS TAPE There are a lot of good ideas here and a couple pretty spooky moments but ultimately I found this kind of a mess. At one point the narrator stops to recap the plot and provide additional information we didn’t recieve yet which tells me the filmmakers know it too.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #28: THE WOODS I consider myself a bit of a Lucky McKee head but I hadn’t seen this since it was new and I’m really glad I revisited it. I’m a sucker for anything set at a 60s boarding school in the creepy woods whether not Patricia Clarkson is there but she’s also a strong plus.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #29: ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES I mean what can I say that isn’t addressed by the Tag Team theme song over the credits? Joan Cusack is so funny in this movie.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #30: PERFECT BLUE Incredible that in 1997 Satoshi Kon had the internet and fan culture dead to rights and we’ve been catching up ever since.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #31: DREAM HOME Had to bust out a heavy hitter for no. 31. What really elevates the nastiness is how long everyone takes to die, the human body is tough and you really gotta work at it once you get choppin. I love both the Hong Kong location shooting and the sick joke it ends on.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #32: THE MUMMY Helen girl you don’t owe Imhotep anything because he suffered millennia for you. Protect your peace. That was his decision and he made it without consulting you. That said you can absolutely do better than this stuffed shirt. The most friendzoneable romantic lead.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #33: MY BLOODY VALENTINE A slasher that plays like a giallo from the Maritime provinces. This is an all time cozy slasher for me. The second movie of this Shocktober with a credits song that recaps the plot!

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #34: THE LORDS OF SALEM This movie absolutely whips ass and delivers on the feeling of the film itself being evil. I maintain that if this had come out a few years later from a different director and a cool distributor like A24 or NEON it would be beloved.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #35: COLD PREY II The killer from the first movie’s body arrives at a Norwegian hospital where they do universal healthcare on it until he comes back to life. Going from an abandoned ski lodge in a snow storm to a dingy hospital is a significant reduction in cool/scary though.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #36: BEETLEJUICE The definitive Oh No Jeffrey Jones of the season. This is also my first viewing where I’m noticing the myopic selfcenteredness of Adam and Barbara and how the film is about them learning to care about something more than their furniture.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #37: THE SIXTH SENSE There’s kind of nothing to talk about with this movie except for the twist which is a real shame because everyone is really good in it but again, every performance is ultimately in the service of a twist.

SHOCKTOBER ‘26 #39: THE CYCLE I’ve been seeing horror people lose their minds over this one and they’re right: it’s the surprise of the season. Go in blind and have a great time.

Ahahahaha! Yes! YES! ...how'd ya like them aesthtics for that finale, eh?