October is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “31 days of horror.” Don’t bother looking it up; it’s true. Most people take that to mean highlighting one horror movie a day, but here at FSR, we’ve taken that up a spooky notch or nine by celebrating each day with a top ten list. This article about the best movie theater horror is part of our ongoing series, 31 Days of Horror Lists.
Lately, I’ve felt really jealous of characters in movies and their whole “I can be in crowded places safely” attitudes. Who would have thought I’d actually miss sandwiching myself into a packed train, commiserating with my fellow New Yorkers in the slog of the morning commute? If 2020 has proven anything, it’s how much we’ve really taken for granted, especially in the everyday things we thought would be around forever. We couldn’t fathom that cinemas worldwide would be temporarily shut down, but because they were, it gave us a moment to realize how much being part of an audience really meant to us. Those small moments of human interaction are why we go to the movies.
During a pandemic though, it’s just not safe to be indoors in a crowded room where you never know if one joker will refuse to wear a mask. I clearly love movies, but I’m not getting sick and dying for them, and neither should you! It patently isn’t worth it. Yet some folks – and movie studios – just don’t seem to understand that just yet. It’s almost like they need some physical monster sitting in the front row for them to finally think, “You know, maybe we shouldn’t reopen.”
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather take my chances with a bloody-thirsty boogeyman than an airborne virus any day, and my fellow Boo Crewers are wont to agree. The following films — chosen by Anna Swanson, Brad Gullickson, Chris Coffel, Kieran Fisher, Meg Shields, Rob Hunter, Valerie Ettenhofer, and me — may feature demons, blobs, and a ton of bloody deaths, but they’re still way less risky than going out to the movies in 2020.