SCARE-A-THON 2025 FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, my Autumnal Aficionados and Allies, brings us to the end of Scare-A-Thon 2025 and yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE!

In its humble origins, the Challenge itself has always been to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which being first time viewings. In 2010, I launched the annual Scare-a-Thon to coincide, raising funds and awareness for various charities and organizations along the way. 

With this being the 15th installment, I wanted to try something a little different: Rather than simply watching movies and reviewing them as in years past, I held interviews with a wide assortment of fellow fright fans, highlighting the community itself alongside these movies we hold so dear. It turned out to be a marvelous experiment!

Thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $8,000 has been raised for the INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE, with additional funds still coming in, making this the most successful Scare-A-Thon EVERRRRRRRR! (The fundraiser link will remain open for another week, so if you would like to make a donation, there is still time!)

**CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!!**

Thanks to all my guests who showed up at all hours from across the globe to chat on the HORROR 101 with Dr. AC YouTube channel, as well as everyone who participated in some way, whether it be making a contribution, liking a Facebook/Instagram post, watching or listening to a partner podcast, leaving a comment, suggesting a movie, attending our Terror Tuesdays lectures at the Chicago Public Library, or even just sharing what YOU were watching this month.

Below are the 18 "official" Scare-a-Thon events (with links to the episodes), as well as a list of the various horror titles viewed for the October season. Before we get to that, however, there is the usual assemblage of useless factoids to ponder while you're thinking ahead to next year's costume.

Have fun!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 33
First Time Views: 16
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $8,057

SCARE-A-THON 2024 FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, my mutual minions of mischief and mayhem, brings us to the end of Scare-A-Thon 2024 and yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time viewings. I am happy to report that goal has been handily accomplished, banging out 31 different physical media releases, including five different box sets/movie collections!

Along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, nearly $5,000 has been raised for the WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ASSISTANCE PROJECT, with additional funds still coming in, making this the third most successful Scare-A-Thon EVERRRRRRRR! (The fundraiser link will remain open for another few months, so if you would like to make a donation, there is still time!)

**CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!!**

Thanks to the Box Set Thursdays guests who showed up at all hours from across the globe to chat on the HORROR 101 with Dr. AC YouTube channel, as well as everyone who participated in some way, whether it be making a contribution, liking a Facebook/Instagram post, watching or listening to a partner podcast, leaving a comment, suggesting a movie, or just chatting about what we were respectively watching this month.

Below are the 31 "official" features viewed (with links to the episodes), as well as additional horror titles viewed in October. Before we get to that, however, there is the usual assemblage of useless factoids to ponder while you're thinking ahead to next year's costume.

Have fun!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 60
First Time Views: 32
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $4,845

SCARE-A-THON 2023 FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, my mutual minions of mischief and mayhem, brings us to the end of Scare-A-Thon 2023 and yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time viewings. I am happy to report that goal has been handily accomplished, with all of the official Scare-A-Thon titles being FTVs. (Thanks, Shudder!)

Along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $7,571 has been raised for the WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ASSISTANCE PROJECT, with additional funds still coming in, making this the most successful Scare-A-Thon EVERRRRRRRR! (The fundraiser link will remain open for another two months, so if you would like to make a donation, there is still time!)

SCARE-A-THON 2023 FUNDRAISER LINK

Thanks to the 40 (!!) guests who showed up at all hours from across the globe to chat on the HORROR 101 with Dr. AC YouTube channel, as well as everyone who participated in some way, whether it be making a contribution, liking a Facebook post, watching or listening to a partner podcast, leaving a comment, suggesting a movie, or just chatting about what we were respectively watching this month.

Extra Special Thanks to Gert Verbeeck for his tireless efforts in creating all the fantastic YouTube thumbnails, as he has all year long for the H101 channel. Thanks for making us all look so good.

Below are the 33 "official" features viewed (with links to the online panels), as well as 14 additional horror titles viewed in October. Before we get to that, however, there is the usual assemblage of useless factoids to ponder while you're thinking ahead to next year's costume.

Have fun!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 47
First Time Views: 36
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $7,571

SCARE-A-THON 2022 FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, legions of licorice-loving loonies, brings us to the end of Scare-A-Thon 2022 and yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time viewings. I am happy to report that goal has been handily accomplished, with all of the 31 official Scare-A-Thon movies being FTVs as well as being released (wide) between 2020 and 2022. (Call it the year of "catching up." Thanks, Chicago Public Library!!) 

Along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $6,000 has been raised for the WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ASSISTANCE PROJECT, with additional funds still coming in, making this the most successful Scare-A-Thon EVERRRRRRRR!

Thanks to the 17 (!) guests who showed up at all hours from across the globe to chat on the HORROR 101 with Dr. AC YouTube channel, as well as everyone who participated in some way, whether it be making a contribution, liking a Facebook post, watching or listening to a partner podcast, leaving a comment, suggesting a movie, or just chatting about what we were respectively watching this month. 

The October Challenge can actually be pretty lonely work at times, but such was not the case this year and I'm deeply grateful for all the connections made and shared. Extra Special Thanks to Gert Verbeeck for his tireless efforts in creating video thumbnails, testing out AV equipment, and countless other favors. I owe you one, amigo!

Below are the 31 "official" features viewed (with links to full-length reviews), as well as 15 additional horror and horror-adjacent titles "just for fun". Before we get to that, however, there is the usual assemblage of useless factoids to ponder while you're thinking ahead to next year's costume.

Have fun!

CHALLENGE STATS: 

Total Movies Watched: 46
First Time Views: 37
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $6,120

2021 SCARE-A-THON FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, my candy corn comrades, brings us to the end of Scare-A-Thon 2021 and yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time viewings. I am happy to report that goal has been accomplished, along with this year's added BONUS CHALLENGE of watching 31 movies from 31 different countries. Along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $2,900 has been raised for ALBANY PARK THEATER PROJECT, with additional funds still coming in, making this one of the most successful Scare-A-Thons to date! (Yes, you can still drop a line at drach101@gmail.com if you wish to donate!)

My thanks to everyone who participated in some way, whether it be reading the reviews, making a contribution, watching the Kicking the Seat podcasts, sharing a YouTube link, or just stopping by to chat. During these isolated times, it's nice to connect with each other in any way possible, Sharing the Scare across the ether as best we can.

Below are the 31 "official" international features viewed (with links to full-length reviews), as well as 8 additional horror and horror-adjacent titles "just for fun". Beyond that, there is the usual assemblage of useless factoids you might enjoy, like reaching around in the bottom of your popcorn bag to see if you missed anything. You just never know.

Have fun!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 40
First Time Views: 19
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $2,902.85

2020 SCARE-A-THON FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, friends and fiends, brings us to the end of yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE and Scare-A-Thon 2020!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time views. I am happy to report that we have accomplished that lofty goal and that along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $3,300 has been raised for BOXVILLE, with additional funds still coming in, making this the most successful Scare-A-Thon to date! (Yes, you can still drop a line at drach101@gmail.com if you wish to donate!)

My thanks to everyone who participated in some way, whether it be reading the reviews, making a contribution, watching alongside, or just stopping by to chat. It makes the long nights go by much easier knowing that one’s efforts are noticed and appreciated. Hope you found a few new suggestions for future movie nights along the way!

Below are the 31 “official” features viewed (with links to the full-length reviews), as well as 7 additional horror titles “just for fun” along with five additional civilian views just to break up the bloodletting. Beyond that, there are a bevy of additional OCD factoids you might get a kick out of… or you can just run for the exits like any sensible human being. The choice is yours.

Enjoy!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 38
First Time Views: 16
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $3,329.71

2019 SCARE-A-THON FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, friends and fiends, brings us to the end of yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE and Scare-A-Thon 2019!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time views. I am happy to report that we have accomplished that lofty goal and that along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $2,500 has been raised for Amazon Watch, with additional funds still coming in. (Yes, you can still drop a line at drach101@gmail.com if you wish to donate!)

My thanks to everyone who participated in some way, whether it be reading the reviews, making a contribution, watching alongside, or just stopping by to chat here or on the HORROR 101 with Dr. AC Facebook page. It makes the long nights go by much easier knowing that one’s efforts are noticed and appreciated. Hope you found a few new suggestions for future movie nights along the way!

Below are the 31 “official” features viewed (with links to the full-length reviews), as well as 16 additional titles "just for fun." Beyond that, there are a bevy of additional OCD factoids you might get a kick out of… or you can just run for the exits like any sensible human being. The choice is yours.

Enjoy!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 47
First Time Views: 16
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $2,565.56

2018 SCARE-A-THON FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, friends and fiends, brings us to the end of yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE and Scare-A-Thon 2018!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) 31 fright flicks over the course of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time views. I am happy to report that we have accomplished that lofty goal and that along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $2000 has been raised for Resilience (formerly Rape Victim Advocates) with additional funds still coming in. (The Scare-A-Thon 2018 fundraising site will remain open for another week, so if you are so inclined…)

https://resilience.salsalabs.org/supportresilience/p/scareathon/index.html

My thanks to everyone who participated in some way, whether it be reading the reviews, making a contribution, watching alongside, or just stopping by to chat here or on Facebook. It makes the long nights go by so much easier knowing that one’s efforts are noticed and appreciated. Hope you have found a few new suggestions for future movie nights along the way.

Below are the 31 “official” features viewed (with links to the full-length reviews), as well as 14 additional titles receiving the capsule treatment. (Only so many hours in the day!) Beyond that, there are a bevy of additional factoids you might get a kick out of… or at least feel better about your own OCD tendencies.

Enjoy!

Challenge Stats:
Total Movies Watched: 45
First Time Views: 17
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $2,213.68

2017 SCARE-A-THON FINAL RESULTS!!!

It is accomplished!!!

For those not in the know, The October Horror Movie Challenge, at least as I have come to know and honor it, was born on the IMDb Horror message boards over a decade ago. The original rules were relatively simple: Watch 31 horror films over the course of the month, 16 of which have to be first-time viewings. Of course, for those with a combination of spare time and an enthusiastic spirit of adventure, it also could be used as an excuse to bury oneself in the genre for 31 days, rediscovering old favorites and delving into the "why have I never watched that?" pile.

With my October plates filled to overflowing with onstage performances (one week left to First Folio's The Man-Beast), teaching self-defense workshops, and a full slate of personal training clients, I elected to return to the basics. 31 flickers were viddied from Oct 1 through 31, 16 of which had never passed before these wondering, wandering eyes before. As always, there were highs and lows (more of the former than the latter), and all in the service of our ultimate goal, to raise funds and awareness for a charitable organization. This year's recipients are the AMERICAN WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENSE ASSOCIATION and IMPACT CHICAGO, for whom we were able to raise a combined total of nearly $1800!

Thanks to everyone who participated, whether it be reading the reviews, pledging, watching alongside, or just stopping by to chat. Your support makes the long days and nights go by so much easier. I’ll be contacting donors directly via email, but if you are still interested in contributing, contact me at drach101@gmail.com and we’ll get you to the right place.

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 31
Total First Time Views: 16
Scare-A-Thon Pledges/Donations: $1799.24


BONUS STATS:

SCARE-A-THON 2016 FINAL RESULTS!!!

Nobody goes hungry on my watch....

It is accomplished!!!

For those not in the know, The October Horror Movie Challenge, at least as I have come to know and honor it, was born on the IMDb Horror message boards over a decade ago. The original rules were relatively simple: Watch 31 horror films over the course of the month, 16 of which have to be first-time viewings. Of course, for those with a combination of spare time and an enthusiastic spirit of adventure, it also could be used as an excuse to bury oneself in the genre for 31 days, rediscovering old favorites and delving into the "why have I never watched that?" pile.

This year, due to a variety of distractions (including an unexpected trip to Brazil), I elected to return to the basics. 31 flickers were viddied from Oct 1 through 31, 16 of which had never passed before these wondering, wandering eyes before. As always, there were highs and lows (more of the former than the latter), and all in the service of our ultimate goal, to raise funds and awareness for a charitable organization. This year's recipient is the GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY, for whom we were able to raise a combined total of over $1400!

Thanks to everyone who participated, whether it be reading the reviews, pledging, watching alongside, or just stopping by to chat. Your support makes the long days and nights go by so much easier. I’ll be contacting donors directly via email, but if you are still interested in contributing, contact me at drach101@gmail.com and we’ll get you to the right place.

CHALLENGE STATS:

Total Movies Watched: 31
Total First Time Views: 16
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $1431.63


BONUS STATS:

SCARE-A-THON 2015 FINAL RESULTS!!

EAT. YOUR. VEGETABLES.

And so, friends and fiends, we arrive on the other side of another glorious OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE. I won’t lie, this year lived up to its name, and will probably mark the last time I reach for the triple digits. As enjoyable as the binging can be, both in terms of revisiting old favorites and exploring new terrain, the task at hand often means that other tasks at hand get shorter shrift. There was a moment about a week in where I considered revising my stated goal of 100 films, but ultimately decided that it was worth pushing on through, because this year’s causes were worthy of the strain (on mind as well as eyes).

I’m thrilled to report that through our combined efforts, we managed to raise nearly $3000 for PLANNED PARENTHOOD and CHICAGO’S GREENHOUSE SHELTER. Thanks to everyone who participated, whether it be reading the reviews, pledging, watching alongside, or just stopping by to chat. Your support makes the long days and nights go by so much easier. I’ll be contacting donors directly via email, but if you are still interested in contributing, contact me at drach101@gmail.com and we’ll get you to the right place.

Below are the final statistics, as well as links to each day’s respective reviews. Hope you enjoy the walk down memory lane, dark and dangerous as it might be. As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!


CHALLENGE STATS:

Total Movies Watched: 100
Total First Time Views: 34
Scare-A-Thon Donations: $2930.00

SCARE-A-THON 2014 (FINAL RESULTS!!!)

Total Movies Watched: 81
Total First Time Views: 18
Amount Raised: $846.45

And that, my friends, brings us to the end of another glorious Scare-A-Thon and October Horror Movie Challenge. My thanks to everyone who participated in some way, whether it be reading the reviews, pledging, sponsoring a charity, watching alongside, or just stopping by to chat. It makes the long nights go by so much easier knowing that one’s efforts are noticed and appreciated.


BONUS CHALLENGE STATS:

Total Time: 7615 min

Average Length: 94 min
Longest Movies: ALIENS (137 min), WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (134 min)
Shortest Movie: THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG (64 min)
Longest "Day" (24-hour Music Box Massacre 10/11-12): 12 movies, 1125 min.
No-Movie Days: 3 (10/6, 10/7, 10/13)
Oldest Movie: THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE (1921)
Newest Movie: EXISTS, THE BABADOOK (2014)

October Horror Challenge 2013 FINAL RESULTS!!

Howdy folks,

Due to a variety of distractions (starting rehearsals for NOISES OFF at Milwaukee Rep, putting the finishing touches on HIDDEN HORROR), the Doc knew he wasn't going to be able to dedicate himself fully to the task at hand during this most sacred of months. As a result, I opted not to do the full-on Scare-A-Thon treatment this year, but simply to fulfill the basic requirements of the October Horror Challenge as it was writ long ago on the IMDb Horror Message Boards, i.e. "View at least 31 horror movies during the month of October, 16 of which must be first time views." So, that's where we set the bar.

As you can see, I managed to stretch a little further than that (mostly due to the fact that I miscounted my FTVs heading into the final lap and had to knock out two more at the last second), and for the first time in many years, I actually watched a few non-horror efforts during the course of the month.

But the focus was on the fright, so here's the final stats. I'm a little behind on the reviews, but rest assured, they'll be there before long.

33 films / 16 FTVs

SCARE-A-THON 2012 (FINAL RESULTS!)

Hello Boils and Ghouls,

With that, we come to the end of another October Challenge. This year lived up to its name as I was endeavoring to watch only fright films I had never seen before, which proved both exciting and frustrating as every view that I shared with someone else had to be prefaced by, "Now, this might completely suck..." I sincerely thank everyone out there for their support, encouragement and feedback throughout the past 31 days of blood, babes and beasts. Hope you dug it as well.

A special word of thanks to those of you who came on board as donors to the Friends of Children fundraising drive - you are the ones who kept my eyes open into the wee hours at night…after night after night. Bless you. Please contact me at drach101@gmail.com to send in your corresponding pledge amount and let’s get some much needed help to these kids.

Below are the final statistics, as well as links to each day’s respective reviews. Hope you enjoy the walk back down memory lane, dark and dangerous as it might be. As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Total Movies: 101
First Time Views: 101
Money Raised for Friends of Children: $1213.01

SCARE-A-THON 2011 -- FINAL RESULTS

Hello Boils and Ghouls,

With that, we come to the end of another October Challenge. I gotta say, this was by far the deepest dive I’ve taken into the abyss (115 films!!!) and I sincerely thank everyone out there for their support, encouragement and feedback throughout the past 31 days of blood, babes and beasts. I was particularly proud of the myriad of mini film-fests and double features I was able to conjure, living out my programming director fantasy for Channel AC. Hope you dug it as well.

For those of you who came on board as donors to the AmeriCares fundraising drive to aid the unfortunate victims of Hurricane Irene, you are the ones who kept my eyes open into the wee hours at night…after night after night. Bless you. Please contact me at drach101@gmail.com to send in your corresponding pledge amount and let’s get these people some much-needed help. (A special word of thanks to Gavin Schmitt, whose own diligent fundraising efforts kept a persistent spur in my side – congrats to you, good sir.)

Below are the final statistics, as well as links to each day’s respective reviews. Hope you enjoy the walk back down memory lane, dark and dangerous as it might be. As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

FINAL TOTAL:
First Time Views: 56
Repeats: 59
Total Films: 115

Total Amount raised for Americares: $1480

SCARE-A-THON 2010 Final Results!

Here's the entire list, fellow fiends. Thanks so much for all your support throughout the Challenge - it made it easier to keep showing up. I've included some sorta kinda interesting recap data at the bottom (well, interesting to OCD folks like myself)


1st Time Views: 33
Repeat views: 49
Total Films: 82

Total Money raised for Season of Concern: $1550

Shortest Movie: THE MUMMY’S GHOST (61 min)
Longest Movie: THE EXORCIST (122 min)
Average Length: 86.9 min
Total Length: 7129 min (118.82 hours / 4.95 days)

Oldest Movie: DRACULA (1931)
Most Recent Movie: THE WOLFMAN (2010)

October Horror Movie Challenge Results 2009

It's time again for an annual tradition - The October Horror Movie Challenge!

Simply stated, the challenge is: Watch 31 films in October, 16 of which must be 1st time views. Of course, the secondary challenge is simply to watch as many movies as possible during those 31 days.

Last year, as I was out of town (Lewisburg, WV) doing a play (Macbeth), with fewer distractions around than usual, I was shooting for around 60 flickers, with planned stops at Hammer Horror, William Castle, the Classic FLY trilogy, Tod Browning, Val Lewton, the AZTEC MUMMY trilogy, some unviddied kaiju and a few surprises along the way. (A lot of those were films that I'd only seen once and had been wanting to revisit, so while I knew I'd get in my required 16 FTV's, for the most part I planned to wallow in repeats...)

As you can see, that's just what happened:

1st Time Views: 19
Repeat views: 59
Total Films: 78