Exhale, for Hooptober is upon us! Thrilled to be back for my fourth year of this challenge. My picks are all first-time watches. Horror has become favorite genre thanks to this annual tradition and community. 

Watching with Emily, Dyl, Jon, and a bunch of strangers on this app. Looking forward to seeing your lists and discovering new hidden gems for the watchlist.

Powered by Bebop Forever, MovieAss™, AMC A-List, The Independent Picture House in Charlotte NC, day-old iced coffee, the spirit of Tom Savini, and peanut M&Ms.

Special thanks to Cinemonster for putting this together. Here’s how it all began. Wanna join? Pick and watch 31 horror movies based on the below criteria between 9/15 and 10/31. There must be 31 horror films.

My previous Hooptobers: 2023 • 2022 • 2021

Though viewing *officially* starts on 9/15, I’m starting early to make sure I finish on-time + sneak in a few extra.

Challenge Status: 31/31 watched
Bonus Status: 10 watched
* = watched
^ = rewatch

2024 RULES
6 countries
The Hands of Orlac (1924, Austria)*
Eyes Without A Face (1960, France)*
The Beyond (1981, Italy)*
Braindead (1992, New Zealand)*
Pizza (2012, India)*
The Wailing (2016, South Korea)*

8 decades
The Hands of Orloc (1924)*
Black Sabbath (1963)*
Ganja and Hess (1973)*
Lifeforce (1985)*
From Dusk Til Dawn (1996)*
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)*
First Reformed (2017)*
Terrifier 3 (2024)*

ALL of the films from a horror franchise with at least 4 entries (if there is a hard reboot, you can choose whichever has 4+ that you prefer)
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)*
The Hills Have Eyes 2 (1984)*
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)*
The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)*

1 film by Wes Craven
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)*

1 film caused by/worsened by weather
The Fog (1980)*

1 film starring a Black woman
Ganja & Hess (1973)*

1 Donald Sutherland film
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)*

3 films from New World Pictures
The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)*
The Stuff (1985)*
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)*

2 Indian films
Pizza (2012)*
Bulbbul (2020)*

4 Italian films 
Black Sabbath (1963)*
Bay of Blood (1971)*
The Beyond (1981)*
Tenebre (1982)*

2 Horror Comedies 
Braindead (1992)*
The Love Witch (2016)*

2 films made primarily or entirely in Texas
The Faculty (1998)*
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)*

1 film that exists in at least 2 available cuts (you just have to watch one. Bonus if you watch them all)
Nightbreed (1990) - Director’s Cut*

1 Robert Wiene film
The Hands of Orloc (1924)*

1 Michael Soavi film
Aquarius (1987)*

1 film from 2011
Absentia (2011)*

1 film from 1984
Children of the Corn (1984)*

And 1 Tobe Hooper Film (There must ALWAYS be a Hooper film)
Lifeforce (1985)*

BONUS WATCHES
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)*
Friday the 13th Pt. V: A New Beginning (1985)*
The Substance (2024)*
Your Monster (2024)*
Frankie Freako (2024)*
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)^
Carnival of Souls (1962)*
Child’s Play 3 (1991)*
Oddity (2024)*
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces^