October is tomorrow! Since 2012, I have watched one scary movie every day during the month of October. This year will be no different. Starting tomorrow, I will be watching a horror movie everyday culminating on October 31st All Hallows Eve!
The origins of this tradition date back to my film school days. I used to hate horror movies. I hated being scared. I hated the idea of cheap jump scares. I hated how low rent and poorly executed most scary movies were. Walking back from class, a friend of mine mentioned that he would watch a scary movie a day during October. I scoffed, and he explained. It is a genre study. It is an opportunity to learn the craft of scary movies and how to use film to create atmosphere, audience engagement, and powerful emotion. I gave it a try and eight years later I’m still enjoying it, still excited about it, and still learning from it.
I’ve never had a theme or a set plan when I start the month. I usually just follow my gut and watch whatever movie catches my fancy in the moment. This year will be the same. I will be mixing in some classics and some new films. I will be watching some schlocky low brow movies along with some high brow intellectual cinema. I want to do a couple of original vs remakes. I want to watch some of the modern classics that people are clamoring for. I will definitely be watching Midsommar again for anyone interested. I’ll hit up some Friday the 13th even though they’re never very good. I’ll check out some ghost stories and a couple of zombie films. I will take a look at a few classics and see if they deserve that title. I will be focusing on movies that are easily accessible this year, movies streaming on popular services, Netflix, Amazon, etc. I want to make sure the movies I review are readily available for people.
I hope people will join me on this spooky endeavor. Horror movies aren’t for everyone. I understand that, but hopefully we can find a movie or two that does appeal to even the most ardent haters of horror. If there’s anything I need to be watching, please comment and let me know.
Cup of Tea Reviews 
Have you ever considered studying a different genre during a different month? Why the same study every year?
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I have done other genre studies. Ive done a month of musicals, a month of westerns, and a month of rom coms in the past. I just love the tradition of Scary movies in October. It’s an annual I get excited about as soon as I feel the air start to cool. I’ve thought about doing a different genre month soon. Maybe period pieces in January or romance in February or family films in November.
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