Well, it took me long enough to finally post this year's list, but I was waiting till I was caught up with a different challenge before taking the plunge into another. Soooo... I haven't had the best luck with completing my Hooptober lists. To be completely accurate, I've had absolutely zero luck, especially not during last year's challenge. In 2024, I barely finished 1/3 of my list, not even approaching some of the films I was the most excited for. I'm not letting myself fail for a third year in a row, so this time I'm gonna be a bit less strict on myself. While I like the idea of watching one film every day in October, I think that's exactly what's been preventing me from finishing a Hooptober thus far, there's no chance to take a break and catch up after. So I'm gonna start earlier this year: get through a good chunk of my list before October 1st. I think that'll be the key to finally beating this challenge(EDIT: Also allowing myself to get through a few movies and then reviewing them instead of letting myself get stuck on reviewing one film for days on end with no progress). But to make sure this will be the year I finally overcome my Hooptober list, I'm giving myself an ultimatum: if I still can't finish my list for a third year in a row, then that'll be my proof that I'm not cut out for this challenge, and I will ban myself from participating... forever. Now that's some stakes.

From stylized gory mayhem(Def by Temptation, Dawn of the Dead), to spooky seasonal spectacle(Messiah of Evil, Bride of Frankenstein), to bleak "realism"(The Vanishing, Atrapados), to totally surreal nightmares(Beyond the Black Rainbow, We Are the Strange), to horror rooted in historical trauma and atrocity(The Third Part of the Night, Beloved). This has to be my most unique and dynamic selection of films to date, and more than anything, that's what's gonna push me to make this my first complete Hooptober!