Did the ruling come down for the day before start time... I know a few people where against it... but what ever majority picks, I would support. A poll perhaps?

As much as I like checklists (I was the only one to complete the Checklist in this Year's History Challenge), I found myself abandoning it in last year's Horror Challenge because I felt like it was directing me to things I didn't feel like watching. When it comes to the Holiday and Horror Challenges, which I associate with seasonal holidays, there are just some things I like to either watch every year (or every 2 years), so it was either them or the checklist. I will always want to watch Price, Karloff, Cushing, Lee during October and replacing them with more obscure actors doesn't cut it for me. I felt like I was watching somebody else's choices and not my own.

Funny, but I usually feel the exact opposite. I look forward to the Horror Challenge because I know that it will force me to watch some films that I ordinarily wouldn't watch. Because of that, I've found several films each year that have become favorites. For every film that I hated (that I wouldn't have chosen for myself) that I had to watch (Poultrygeist, Smash Cut), I've found two or three (again, that I wouldn't have chosen for myself) that I've loved (Splinter, Sheitan, Salvage, Dead Snow, Home Movie, Sauna). It's all about broadening horizons. And there's still PLENTY of room for watching old favorites.

Regarding "optional" checklist items, I find it taunting that an "optional" checklist would contain "optional" items. The completist in me feels like I need to complete all those items. Last year the only "optional" item was to read a book and that seemed to detract from the movie emphasis of the challenge. Just say no to "optional" checklist items. +1 I like the checklist, subset, and theme nights too. These help facilitate cohesive discussion and prompt competition plus have become part of the feastivities.

Back again. Sorry for the constant 2 to 3 day hiatuses.

Currently I'm contacting potential sponsors so any ideas for new ones are welcome.

Thank you! Just had a brain fart, despite having done it in the past.

Well, I'm still taking feedback and so far it's in favor of the extra day. And I mentioned something earlier about starting a poll, but I'd prefer to keep everything feedback-related contained in here and not dedicate an entire separate thread over it unless absolutely necessary.

Wow, talk about extremely bad timing, I was literally just about to mention this checklist addition:

Attend a live event (convention, play, haunted house, ghost tour, etc.):
--- (insert event). OPTIONAL

But look at it this way, the 'optional' items are, well, optional. Simply don't include them on your personal checklist.

Of course that's probably a very stupid response considering a completest will obviously acknowledge their presence regardless and that desire for completion will constantly be gnawing at the back of your brain until they are checked off the list. And I'm one to talk being my OCD ways are very likely the reason I go completely overboard with the formatting of this challenge. But hey, duly noted.

I just feel like October is the Halloween challenge... i mean I give my wife a countdown to Oct. 1st... " You know whats in 46 days?" And she'll say.. " The Horror Challenge". I just feel like October is the start of the Halloween Season. Just starting it a day earlier to get the extra weekend day shouldn't matter... whats gonna happen in 5years when another weekend day is the day before we start? Move it ahead another day? I don't like the additional day in the other ones either, but the horror challenge to me is October.

second that

Maybe as a compromise for the Sept 30 vs. Oct 1 start date, you could allow only Criterion horror titles as a wildcard and carryover from the previous challenge?

Thats actually not a terrible compromise

I couldn't think of any instances off hand, so I checked Google and came up with bupkes. If there are any horror films in which a person is killed with a fish, they must be exceedingly rare.

I have also searched Google on this, and also having no luck, I want to find one even more.

The Serpent and the Rainbow. Man poisons someone with the poison of a puffer fish.

Ah, but they don't actually die.

Also is Blow Out a horror movie (never seen)? Seems like most of my Criterions are drama/foreign movies, not much in the way of horror.

The more I think about it the more I think it should start on October 1st. Or at the very earliest 9 or 10 pm the night before so that its basically October. The full day before, while I love more time for the challenge kind of does take away from the purity of the challenge. As someone said it would be weird to say the October and day before that Horror Challenge.

Anyways, I just want to get down to some movie watching!

I haven't seen the film in forever so I don't remember, but even if he did die, it still wouldn't count unless the puffer fish itself was used to physically dispatch of him, by pressing the poisoned puffers (?) directly into his skin. That sounds like something out of a James Bond film though. Just serving him the poisoned fish as a meal isn't using the actual fish as the instrument of death.

If the ruling does come down that only Criterions are eligible on the extra day, I have a few movies that would qualify. While they are not the official criterion releases, I own Halloween, the original Cat People, and the Classic Media release of Gojira/Godzilla King of the Monsters.

going through the thread its 10-7 in favor of starting early

I'm fine with doing the extra day but keeping it strictly Criterions.

A great new set for the Criterion/Horror overlap:

http://www.criterion.com/boxsets/928...me-to-shochiku

Wow. I didn't realize there was all this discussion going on here about the horror challenge!

I don't like the "killed by ..." checklist item that's being suggested. First off, it would contain some potentially major spoilers. Also, while I don't mind pursuing things from various genres, I don't want to get to a point where someone trying to complete the checklist, especially if there is a focus on unwatched films, will have to do Google searches to find a film where someone is killed by a chainsaw or various other methods. Plus, again, that gets into spoiler territory. Also, while I think it's cute how some people keep stats on number of people killed, boobies and things like that, I don't think those should be included on any checklist. SterlingBen mentioned how cheap a tally clicker is, but I personally think sitting there watching a movie with a clicker and trying to count certain things would take some of the fun out of actually watching the movie and would just be adding more work.

As for the extra day, I'm mixed about it. The traditionalist in me wants to say too bad and that we should just start Oct. 1. The horror hound in me would gladly start an extra day; however, I don't think it should be limited to Criterion titles. Many of us don't participate in any other challenges - or maybe just not the Criterion one. Why should everyone be restricted to certain titles for a whole day just because some people do the Criterion challenge as well? If it's an optional bonus day, then that's what it should be, not an optional bonus day but only if you watch movies that appear on a certain list.

Too bad it doesn't come out until November.

I wouldn't consider Blow Out a horror movie. I would put it more in the thriller category.

Oops, I missed the small print. Sorry, save it for next year.

Here are a few ideas, but I'd say The Vanishing is borderline (but worth seeing - wild card perhaps?) and obviously White Dog isn't horror.

As far as the extra day goes I'd be for making it Criterion-centric, but not Criterion only. If you make it a Criterion only day, that's the equivalent of taking a theme nights entry and forcing people to view only those select films. That's ridiculous because not only does it defy the point of a "theme" being optional, it severely limits what you can watch and not everyone has access to Criterion titles. And there's always those who may not want to.

Again, I was planning on making the theme nights entry a "Criterion Crossover" followed by picking a Criterion film for the subset list, both being bonus entries. I personally think that would suffice.

Just my two cents.

But we need to decide fairly soon, so I'm enacting a deadline:



When the countdown ends on Sunday (roughly 2½ days), whatever the majority vote decides goes.

I vote Extra Day