—  Is it him? Has he come back?

—  Am I still dreaming, or...

—  It’s…

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­ㅤTHE 12th EDITION OF HOOPTOBER! 🎃

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*Challenge created by Cinemonster (Original list HERE, make your own too!)

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It’s my second year, and I’m really glad to feel October’s spooky winds crawling back in (cold as hell here in Brasília, Brasil). So… has the time already come around?

Honestly, one of my favorite things about this app is sitting down on a late September weekend night, after another hectic month, and putting together my Hooptober list with all the excitement for a whole month dedicated to my favorite genre. I’ll never get tired of saying it: horror is, and always will be, an art form intrinsically tied to society, endowed with a visual and imaginative force capable of mirroring the deepest tensions, contradictions, and obsessions of the world we inhabit, in ways that no other art form can achieve. And this is one of the reasons I enjoy making this list so much.

| Dramatic pause |

Yeah… I know… I flopped last year. My very first Hooptober, and I blew it! Fuck, what a letdown. In fact, I actually watched a lot of horror movies last October, but most of them weren’t even on my Hooptober 11 list…
BUT… this year’s gonna be different, I swear! I’ll watch and review every single movie on this list (…🤞).

Before everything else, here are a few personal notes I kept in mind while building MY list:

1. All first-time watches.
2. No movies from any of my past Hooptober lists (in my case, there’s only Hooptober 11, from last year). Even if I didn’t watch it then, if it was on the list, it’s out for any future year.
3. For my Hooptober lists, I always pick one unique film per rule. No doubling up. That includes the general rules like decades and countries. I do this partly to make the challenge more dynamic and get the most out of each rule, and partly because I don’t really like when people stack a bunch of categories on one movie, stay comfy, and leave extra room to fill with more of their “safe picks.” (The only exception this year is my Opening Night pick, which also fits the ‘Horror Film Releases (or Still in Theaters) from October 2025’ rule.)
4. I did add three little personal rules of my own, but they don’t really change the original dynamic of the challenge. One of them is simply watching some horror films in theaters (no set number, just however many I feel like, including re-releases). The other two are simply picking one film for "Opening Night" on September 30th (to set the mood and be watching as the month rolls into October 1st), and one film for the "Closing Night" on October 31st, Halloween itself.

Blah blah blah, enough rambling. Let’s get to the good stuff:

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Hooptober XII,

These past nights, I swear I could hear growls in the dark. I just couldn’t quite tell if it was some kind of beast, like a teenage werewolf, maybe a panther, even a white dog, or something bigger, like an army of men who once had lives full of dreams but now just wander around as if already dead, the so-called “eyes without a face,” but also without life, without soul… The question is: have I actually been hearing this, or was I just dreaming?

So I went to talk to my neighbor. He’s Polish, an ex-priest with plenty of bizarre stories from his career, including the supposed possession of a Mother Superior by eight demons, which explains the “ex.” The conversation flowed, I told HIM what I’d been hearing, and he started asking me about vengeful spirits and shamanism before diving into all sorts of creepy stuff… Like, bro, I’m not a witch, not a sorcerer, not part of any murderous cult, bizarre conspiracy, cannibal club, demonic adoration, or pagan ritual! So I just said: “Yeah, I’m Catholic too, Father!” That’s when the topic shifted, and suddenly he couldn’t stop talking about the final judgment and the post-apocalypse.

Alright, folks, we’re running out of time, so I gotta hit you with some survival tips, LISTEN UP (!): don't take a selfie with a spirit, stay away from death notes, never buy black phones and German chainsaws, never hire paranormal investigators, whether they’re a team or a couple, watch out for Macedonian forests where you plan to bury your clients, study up on vampire folklore, keep an eye on the tarantulas and your dog’s strange behavior, learn to control your obsessions, and live in a way where you’ll never have to ask yourself, “What ever happened to me?” Oh, and before I forget… remember this: morto não fala!

Enough talk, time to embark on this long walk! Hop on your phantom carriage and welcome to Derry! The Hunter’s coming, and his night is on its way, bringing Hooptober’s chilling tales with it. I can feel all the answers blowing in the wind! Bava, Carpenter, and so many others already lined up in my dream rotation for one hell of a marathon. And don’t forget to check out October’s horror releases at the best place in the world: the movie theater!

Finally, hats off to The Wizard of Ozzy and The WaiLynch. In their honor, survive until the first sunrise of November. May the sweet blood of Jesus be with us all…

— Straight from Elm Street,
Trick or Treat!

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<— Hooptober XI  ||  Hooptober XIII —>

MY LOVE, MY FINAL GIRL, AND MY
PARTNER IN HOOPTOBERS 🧡 

“The world is very, very strange.” 
                               — David Lynch

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◧  PROGRESS: 19/52 watched
(Even though I selected 52 films for my list, the challenge rule is a minimum of 31 horror films).

◧  HOOPTOBER OUTSIDERS: 0
(Horror films watched during October that weren’t originally on my Hooptober list).

尺ㄩㄥ乇丂  𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

*𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 (𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴) 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘹𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴. 

*𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘴 (𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯), 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴.

KEY: 
[✅] Watched    [❌] Not watched

— MY RULE —
• HOOPTOBER XII — PREMIERE: A FILM FOR THE OPENING NIGHT (from September 30th):
1 • [✅]  HIM (2025). 🇺🇸

• 5 ZOMBIE FILMS:
2 • [✅]  I Walked with a Zombie (1943). 🇺🇸 [+ 🇫🇷]
3 • [❌]  Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979). 🇮🇹
4 • [✅]  Pontypool (2008). 🇨🇦
5 • [✅]  The Night Eats the World (2018). 🇫🇷
6 • [✅]  28 Years Later (2025). 🇬🇧 [+ 🇺🇸]

• 3 CULT OR CONSPIRACY HORROR FILMS:
7 • [❌]  Society (1989). 🇺🇸
8 • [✅]  The Cannibal Club (2018). 🇧🇷
9 • [✅]  Fréwaka (2024). 🇮🇪 [+ 🇬🇧]

• 1 FILM FROM A BLACK DIRECTOR WITH A BLACK LEAD:
10 • [✅]  Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014). 🇺🇸

• 1 FILM FROM A MEXICAN OR CENTRAL AMERICAN DIRECTOR:
11 • [❌]  Alucarda (1977). 🇲🇽

• 1 CANADIAN FILM:
12 • [❌]  Ginger Snaps (2000). 🇨🇦

• 1 FORMER SOVIET STATE FILM (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan):
13 • [✅]  Viy (1967). 🇷🇺 [*USSR]

• THE MOST POPULAR FILM FROM THE 1940s THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN:
14 • [✅]  Cat People (1942). 🇺🇸 [+ 🇫🇷]

• 2 POST APOCALYPTIC HORROR FILMS:
15 • [✅]  The Battery (2012). 🇺🇸
16 • [✅]  Azrael (2024). 🇺🇸

• 1 FILM WITH DREAMS OR A DREAM AS PART OF THE PLOT:
17 • [❌]  Inland Empire (2006). 🇺🇸 [+ 🇵🇱🇫🇷]

• 1 FILM WHERE THE ANIMALS ARE PISSED AT US:
18 • [✅]  White Dog (1982). 🇺🇸

• 1 SILENT FILM:
19 • [❌]  Häxan (1922). 🇸🇪 [+ 🇩🇰]

• 4 BASED ON NOVELS:
20 • [❌]  Eyes Without a Face (1960). 🇫🇷 [+ 🇮🇹]
21 • [❌]  It (1990). 🇺🇸
22 • [✅]  Misery (1990). 🇺🇸
23 • [✅]  Death Note (2017). 🇺🇸

• ANY FILM FROM THIS LIST THAT I HAVEN’T SEEN:
24 • [✅]  The Wailing (2016). 🇰🇷

• 1 ERNESTO GASTALDI WRITTEN FILM:
25 • [❌]  The Whip and the Body (1963). 🇮🇹 [+ 🇫🇷]

• 1 FILM FROM 1932:
26 • [❌]  Vampyr (1932). 🇩🇪🇫🇷 [+ 🇩🇰]

• THE WIZARD OF OZ (’39):
27 • [❌]  The Wizard of Oz (1939). 🇺🇸

• 1 TOBE HOOPER FILM:
28 • [❌]  Lifeforce (1985). 🇬🇧 [+ 🇺🇸]

• EXTRA WORK:
29 • [❌]  Night of the Eagle (1962). 🇬🇧
30 • [❌]  The German Chainsaw Massacre (1990). 🇩🇪
31 • [❌]  Trick or Treat (1986). 🇺🇸

• 9 DECADES:
32 • [❌]  The Phantom Carriage (1921). 🇸🇪
33 • [❌]  The Night of the Hunter (1955). 🇺🇸
34 • [❌]  What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). 🇺🇸
35 • [❌]  The Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971). 🇮🇹 [+ 🇫🇷]
36 • [❌]  Cannibal Holocaust (1980). 🇮🇹 [+ 🇨🇴]
37 • [❌]  In the Mouth of Madness (1994). 🇺🇸
38 • [✅]  Shutter (2004). 🇹🇭
39 • [❌]  November (2017). 🇪🇪 [+ 🇳🇱🇵🇱]
40 • [❌]  Exhuma (2024). 🇰🇷

• 6 COUNTRIES (OTHER THAN ITALY OR USA):
41 • [❌]  Mother Joan of the Angels (1961). 🇵🇱
42 • [❌]  The Bloodettes (2005). 🇨🇲 [+🇫🇷]
43 • [✅]  Juan of the Dead (2011). 🇨🇺 [+ 🇪🇸]
44 • [❌]  The Nightshifter (2018). 🇧🇷
45 • [❌]  The Medium (2021). 🇹🇭 [+ 🇰🇷]
46 • [❌]  You Won't Be Alone (2022). 🇦🇺🇷🇸🇲🇰 [+ 🇬🇧]

— MY RULE —
• HORROR FILM RELEASES (OR STILL IN THEATERS) FROM OCTOBER 2025 (the ones I’m actually planning to watch):
1 • [✅]  HIM (2025). 🇺🇸
47 • [❌]  Shelby Oaks (2024). 🇺🇸
48 • [❌]  The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025). 🇺🇸
49 • [✅]  The Long Walk (2025). 🇺🇸
50 • [❌]  Black Phone 2 (2025). 🇺🇸
51 • [❌]  Good Boy (2025).  🇺🇸

— MY RULE —
• HOOPTOBER XII — FINALE: A FILM FOR THE CLOSING NIGHT (October 31st):
52 • [❌]  A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). 🇺🇸 [+ 🇬🇧]

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