It’s that time of the year again. Halloween is looming and I’ve got the ultimate 31 movie countdown for you to watch this October.

So grab some beers, popcorn and a comfortable seat because we’re putting in some serious work this Halloween.

This is my list of movies to watch this Halloween. What would you recommend?

And number 31… HALLOWEEN!

These days, we’re always hearing about how to survive the impending zombie apocalypse. It seems that everyone has an opinion on what you should do, but what about the things you should not do? I’ve got the answers. Here are the Top 5 zombie apocalypse don’ts.

5. Crossbows.

You are not Daryl Dixon — just knock it off.

4. Never add a new member to the group if their name is a major city.

Tallahassee, Chicago, Memphis, Austin etc. — contrary to what Zombieland said, that’s Woody Harrelson. If you see Woody Harrelson, DO NOT pick him up. At least tell him you enjoyed White Men Can’t Jump, and respectfully decline. Use the excuse “We got too many people already” or “I ate the last Twinkie!” I’m sure he’ll move on.

3. If you have a kid in the group, he will not grow up to be a badass like Carl Grimes.

He will probably wander off and die in the woods or end up getting most of the group killed. He’ll more than likely end up looking like that special guy from Something About Mary — grown up, neglected, with PTSD, not being able to speak right, still wearing his kid’s Elmo shirt that has now become a midriff-bearing belly shirt. Watch out though. Trying to take his shirt off will only enrage him, allowing him to show you first hand why they call it “retarded strong,” or he’ll end up in a masturbatory rage. Regardless, he’s your damn kid. You deal with him.

2. Don’t knock Spam.

It has its own key. You should be buying that now!

1. The number one thing to NOT do in a zombie apocalypse…

We here at 40oz. Of Horror enjoy adult beverages, and we say this with the utmost importance… the Winchester does not exist. So do not seek it out to wait out the apocalypse. Bottom line is: Big Al doesn’t exist, and dogs can’t look up.

What are some other things you should never do in the zombie apocalypse?

Hear more about my Top 5 Zombie Apocalypse Don’ts on Episode 39 of the 40oz. Of Horror Podcast

All gifs via Giphy

I hate writing.  Seriously.  It’s like pulling fucking teeth with me.  Although, I thought if I was going to write something, this seemed like the best fit.  As many of you surely know by now, I was a child of the 80’s.  Absorbing all I could through late night creature features and trashy 80’s (some 70’s, see our top 10) cinema.  I also grew up in the good ol’ heyday of Fangoria magazine.  Watching this mag bleed from the shelves, I poured myself over every issue.  From Videodrome to The Video Dead I was enthralled, obsessed and mostly found comfort in its black and white pages. This is where I found out about the straight up gore flick and the man known as Chas Balun.

His articles spoke to me more than any other.  I think mostly because it was stuff I didn’t know existed and totally and ABSOLUTELY shouldn’t have been watching as a pre-teen.  It made me feel really dirty.  Kinda like that basement scene in 8mm.  You know the one.  It was underground, nasty and everyone discarded it as trash.  Although, in my eyes, I saw something different.

Even as they told the history of the gore flick, I really didn’t understand it as a kid.  Discussions about The Grand Guignol Theater and some of the early expressionist films like Un Chien Andalou (The famous eye slitting film) completely flew over my head.  What Chas did was drive me to find harder stuff.  Sounds wrong I know, but I sought out not magazines, but ‘zines that talked about and shared the tougher, hard to find movies that quenched the thirst of gore hounds.  ‘Zines that I actually had to order to my local comic shop (Comic Carnival) and hide from my parents or they probably would have sent me to counciling of some sort, which now go for a chunk of coin if collectors are willing to part with them on ebay.  On top of ‘zines, there were magazines like DEEP RED,  GOREZONE, EYEBALL and ULTRA VIOLENT that went balls deep into the genre and were considered the bibles of gore by many fans.

A decade and change later, I still find myself going through my well worn out Gore Score review guide, actually highlighted with pages dog eared and torn. If Chas taught me any two things it was this:  Herschel Gordon Lewis was GOD to gore fans and a very close second was that Italians could do anything better than Americans.  We here at 40oz of Horror! salute you Charlie “Chas” Bauln!  Drink Up!

The Initiation

1984 R 96 minutes

Friday the 13th: Part 2

1981 R 86 minutes

The counselors at a new camp near the site of the horrible bloodbath at Camp Crystal Lake fear Jason might come back to avenge his mother’s death.

Cast: Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King

Friday the 13th: Part 7: The New Blood

1988 R 88 minutes

Jason is released from his watery grave at the bottom of Crystal Lake by a telekinetic teen who returned to the site where her dad supposedly drowned.

Cast: Jennifer Banko, John Otrin, Susan Blu

Working midnight shifts while friends and the rest of the world sleeps normal hours is kinda tough. You always seem to have a lot of time on your hands at weird hours. For someone without cable you are either left to watching movies on Netflix  or catching up on books. Most of the time Netflix wins the battle. Its easier to open a cold one and throw on a flick. Helps me wind down and catch up on this elusive sleep that people talk about. I sleep all the time on my days off, although when I work a stretch of nights my eyes don’t seem to close.

Anyways, in this ongoing series I want to shine a light on movies that I get the pleasure of viewing in the hours between 12am-5am. So here is to those fellow sleepless cinaphiles! You are not alone.

The Masque of Red Death (1964)

The GREAT Vincent Price stars as a devil worshiping prince. Hosting a ball to entice his guests into horrific acts of a gruesome nature. Vincent is insanely vile in this role. Aside from the Witchfinder General, I think this is his most sadistic role. A required viewing around the devils hour. Midnight.

Deathdream (1974)

When a couple learns that their son has died over seas in battle they are grief stricken. They soon learn that there was a mistake (thats a big oops) and that he is alive. Shortly after coming home they learn that their son isn’t quite the same person he use to be. I read great things about this flick so when it popped up I decided to give it a go. Wow. A very unique zombie story that has some great effects done by Savini and a story thats haunting as well. Recommended viewing between the hours of 2am-3am.

Supernatural (2005)

I am always late to the party for some reason. Probably because I don’t watch TV, but for the record Supernatural is kick ass! I just finished the first season and I’m really enjoying it. Two brothers trained by their dad to hunt and kill devils and demons. I’m sold. Throw in a kick ass car and a trunk filled with more weapons than Danny Glover had in Predator 2 and I’m a fan. I really hope this show keeps up the story and pace of the first season. Best viewed anytime you got 40min to spare. Doesn’t really need to be at night. Although it works better.

I Saw the Devil (2011)

You know what. Don’t watch this movie late at night. Even after viewing it again it still made me uneasy. The premise is a secret agents fiancee is brutally murdered by an insanely violent serial killer. Who in turns tracks him down in a brutal act of revenge. This movie doesn’t stray from the gore or any violent acts the killers enjoys. So be warned, its a very graphic movie with an amazing story if you can stomach it. Best viewed between the hours of 3am and 4am. When you know in your mind that no regular person would be walking the streets right now. Let alone in your back yard.