The Folk Horror Compendium. This one's a no-brainer. The release of the gorgeous Severin box set "All the Haunts be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror", which includes the phenomenal Kier-La Janisse documentary "Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched" inspired this one. Shudder also has a lot of these films, including a "Folk Horror" live channel.
House of Psychotic Women. Speaking of Kier-La Janisse, her 2012 book "House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films" has been rereleased for a newly expanded anniversary edition with more than 100 new film reviews, so why not do a theme to coincide with the 10th anniversary.
Cosmic Horror. This is another one we surprisingly haven't used as a theme, and, like folk horror, has only been a checklist entry.
Random Maniacal Mashup of Insane Indecisiveness: Chapter 3. This is one that just missed making the cut by a vote in the past. Also with
Evil Dead Rise on the way it's a good time to celebrate horror films with skyscrapers, high rise tower blocks, etc.
The Synth of Fear. This has only been used once in 2017 and now's a better time than ever to revisit it with the passing of Massimo Morante.
The Frightfest Guide. As I've said in the past, I'm a fan of themes based on books because it encourages you to seek out and buy said book, and I have on a few occasions. This one's three books that are part of a series that go together very well.
Regional Horror Films from Hell. Another based on a book. We've never covered regional horror in a theme (or checklist entry) and now's a great time to do so with the recent releases of box sets such as "He Came from the Swamp: The William Grefé Collection" plus "Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection" (both from Arrow), and "Home Grown Horrors: Volume 1" (Volume 2 coming in October) from Vinegar Syndrome. A few of these are on Shudder, too.
The Found Footage Phenomenon. This was surprisingly only used once all the way back in 2011. With the release of the new documentary of the same name on Shudder, it's a great excuse to bring it back 11 years later. Also there's plenty to choose from with 1,195 titles and counting.
The OHMC Passport to Terror: Global Edition. - Honestly, I just wanted to see the Asian, South American, Canadian, Australian, etc. themes get some love since they rarely make the list, so I paired them up with the more popular Euro Passport. Add a random button for the indecisive among us and there you go. It's gimmicky in a William Castle kind of way but does the job. And no, we won't have to pick 51 subsets, just the usual one.
The OHMC Guide to Holiday Horrors. This was semi-motivated by the anthology film "Holidays", Joe Bob Briggs and
this Wikipedia page (also linkified on the theme). Quite a few of these don't have enough titles for their own separate themes, and it gives us OCD types another reason to watch a Halloween-themed film on a day that isn't Halloween. Also, if you're a Last Drive-In fan, you know that Joe Bob is trying to make Walpurgis a national holiday in the US. And yes, Friday the 13th IS a holiday.
The Sleazoid Express: Volume 3 - "X" Edition. The release of Ti West's "X" marked the triumphant return of sex and nudity in mainstream horror, which has been sorely lacking in recent years. This celebrates the sleaze.
Body Horror. With Mr. Cronenberg returning to his roots with "Crimes of the Future" the resurrection of a long dormant theme that was only used once back in the year 2013 was inevitable.
Telephone Terrors. I'm admittedly not much of a Blumhouse fan, but "The Black Phone" has me intrigued and is total inspiration for yet another one-timer from 2013 coming back.
Writers. This held the record for highest vote count for a theme that narrowly missed the list twice. Also in the elimination round twice.
With two spots left for both a new and returning theme, I let fate (my Google Nest) decide the outcome:
Flashback Horror. This also just happened to be the second highest vote-getter to not make the actual list after "Writers" with two appearances in the elimination round.
Psychological Horror. This was used between 2009 - 2011, so another theme absent for 11 years due for a comeback. Thank you, Google.
.If you cannot watch your assigned film for financial reasons (some are rental only) or just really don't want to spend $3 for a shot at winning some Blu-rays, let me know and I'll assign you another film (likely not from the previously-posted list). I cannot legally obligate you to spend money on this and I also ethically won't do it.
