31 Day Horror Challenge

While thinking about this list, I kept adding new categories and removing others because there are so many horror related things that I love and want to talk about. 31 days just can't cover it all. To be completely honest, some of these categories exist only because I wanted to discuss specific things, I already had my answers to them. Others, as I was going through and considering my options, I had a definite answer, but I also had other things in those categories that I really enjoyed. While my original plan was to give one answer to each category, I realized I didn't want to leave anything out, so some days there will be "honorable mentions" as well.

Here is the list, in full, for the entire month of October:

1. All Time Favorite Scary Movie
2. Favorite Horror Movie Theme Song
3. Favorite Black and White Horror Film
4. Favorite Universal Monster Film
5. Favorite Silent Horror Film
6. Favorite Vincent Price Film
7. Favorite Foreign Horror Film (That Isn't Train to Busan)
8. Favorite Holiday Horror Film
9. Favorite Stephen King Film Adaptation
10. Favorite Hitchcock Film
11. Favorite Zombie Film
12. Favorite Horror Comedy
13. Favorite "Kid Friendly" Horror Film
14. Favorite Horror Movie Remake
15. Worst Horror Movie Remake
16. Favorite "Bad" Horror Film
17. Horror Film That Was Surprisingly Good
18. Favorite Movie Based on a Horror Game
19. Favorite Survival Horror Video Game
20. Favorite Survival Horror Series
21. Scariest Horror Video Game Ever Played
22. Favorite Song from a Horror Game
23. Favorite Horror Themed Board Game
24. Favorite Horror TV Show
25. Best Horror/Halloween Special from A Show That Isn't in the Horror Genre
26. Favorite Horror Themed Cartoon
27. Favorite Horror Anime
28. Favorite Horror Anthology Show
29. Favorite Horror Music Video
30. Favorite Horror Novel/Novella
31. Favorite Book to Read for Halloween

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a 2018 Korean horror film, inspired by the rumors surrounding the real (now demolished) Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. It was once named one of CNN's 7 freakiest places on the planet. In the movie, the hospital was closed down in October 1979 after the mass suicide of the patients residing there and the disappearance of the director, though there were rumors that the director murdered everyone and then killed herself. In reality, the hospital closed in the 1990's, and I'll talk some more about that later.

The film is about a group of six investigators and their "captain" (who directs the others from a tent outside the asylum) who plan on doing a livestream for an internet show called Horror Times, allowing everyone to watch them explore the abandoned asylum. Two of the investigators already work for Horror Times, making the others four complete strangers. Their plan is to navigate through the rundown hospital while performing various rituals, and end the livestream by opening the door to room 402, where rumor has it you'll be cursed to death. All of this is intended to get Horror Times one million views.

Slight SPOILERS: Things start out lighthearted enough, with everyone drinking, getting to know each other and discussing the rumors surrounding the asylum. They even to to the blob jump together on their way to Gonjiam. (If you don't know what a blob jump is, google "Running Man blob jump." You won't regret it.) Once they reach the hospital and begin exploring, doors slam shut on their own, candles blow out and bells begin ringing during a ritual the group performs. Unsurprisingly, these initial experiences are completely fabricated by the members of Horror Times, unbeknownst to the other four investigators. But then things that even the two crew members can't explain begin happening, and that's when the movie becomes truly terrifying. [End of SPOILERS.]

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is an incredibly stressful movie to sit through. It features two of the settings that scare me the most: The woods and a rundown asylum. The over the shoulder camera, aimed behind the characters, had me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the movie because it always makes you believe something horrible is about to happen. The use of shadow is extremely effective. Most of the movie has no score, and it's not needed, you probably won't even notice that there's no music playing to clue you in that something awful is about to occur. The film is so incredibly tense because nothing ever happens at the moment you expect it to, it's really unpredictable. You know something is coming, but you don't know when, and right at the moment when you think to yourself, "I guess I was wrong," that's when the movie attacks. I actually had to look away at one point towards the end because I knew it was only a matter of time before the worst happened, but each time, it never did and the buildup to it stressed me out so much that I couldn't watch anymore. (It was no less stressful during the second viewing.) I never get like that with horror movies. It's almost impossible to unsettle me to the point where I'm actually afraid to look at the screen.

The film feels more realistic because the actors are relative unknowns, and they used their real names, with the exception of Moon Ye Won (who plays Charlotte, but I think I read that she does actually go by that name as well). Since you've probably never seen the cast in anything before, it seems more believable, like they really could be any random group of people exploring a haunted location. If they had cast someone like Gong Yoo, it wouldn't have the same feeling because he's very famous, you've likely seen him in things like Coffee Prince, Goblin and Train to Busan, and it would break the immersion that allows you to feel like this is all actually happening to these characters.

If it isn't already clear, I loved the movie. My boyfriend said it would have been better with a bigger budget (I strongly disagree, it's a found footage movie and it comes across exactly as it's meant to) and that some of the acting wasn't great (again, I disagree, Moon Ye Won was especially great as Charlotte). I decided to recommend the film to a few friends because I was curious to see how other people felt about it. I don't normally enjoy movies about ghosts, but I really loved this one and I would even say it's probably in my top five horror films of all time, I was very surprised that I liked it so much. And considering my boyfriend didn't care for it, I wanted to see if I was in the minority before posting and saying it's a must-see horror film. Just because I love it, that doesn't mean everyone else will. (Full disclosure: My boyfriend prefers sci-fi and the friends I recommended Gonjiam to are all fans of scary movies.) Here's what everyone had to say: The first friend watched it twice and said she was really creeped out and disturbed by the movie. The second friend said she liked it and it freaked her out. And the third friend said it was slow, but worth it and legitimately creepy.

Watch Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum if: You like found footage horror films, Grave Encounters, House on Haunted Hill (1999).

What you should know before watching the film: There's some buffering, film distortion and black screens. This is intentional, to make it feel as if you're actually watching the livestream.

The Real Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital

According to this article, the hospital closed down due to economic downturns and maintenance issues, not nearly as interesting as the rumors surrounding the building. The article says the hospital was demolished in May 2018, but in a blog post from another website, someone visited as late as May 29, 2018 and a comment left in August 2018 claimed that the building was torn down "about a month" prior.

Still, even though Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital wasn't closed down in the 90's because of mass suicides/murders or hauntings, that doesn't stop people from spreading similar rumors. The Paranormal Guide states that one story claims patients and staff suddenly began dying without cause. They also talk about rumors of a mad doctor and their experimentation on patients and even staff members. Inside the hospital remained furniture, lab coats and paperwork scattered about, making it appear as if everyone left in a hurry.

It's interesting that the building was demolished not long after the movie was released. In all the articles I've read, I never found a reason why they decided to knock it down. The locals were apparently very secretive about the hospital's location when visitors would ask for directions, so it seems to be a sensitive subject. There was also a lawsuit from the owner of the building that attempted to prevent the movie's release because they believed it would make it difficult to sell the hospital. Just based on speculation, I wonder if it was torn down because they knew even more people would attempt to break into the building once the movie came out.

Regardless of what really happened at Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, the rumors told about it are unsettling. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum did a great job bringing the rumors to life in the film. Even though you can no longer travel to the real hospital yourself, you can always experience it through this terrifying movie.

Slow Burn vs. Action Horror

This post will seem like a direct comparison between Hereditary and Truth or Dare, but I swear it isn't meant to be. The comparison here is between horror that starts out very slow, with a lot of buildup and horror that is almost nonstop action, which works better (for me) and why. I also want to talk a bit about Truth or Dare without giving it its own post, because it doesn't deserve one. I would love to talk about Hereditary as well, but there is no possible way for me to talk about that film without giving away major spoilers and for that movie, you really need to experience it for yourself.

Let's start with Hereditary. This movie...There's so much I want to say, but I can't. The only things I can really say, that are still sort of SPOILER-ISH are that I was amazed when I went back and rewatched the movie, that there were so many hints that tell you exactly what is going on. If you go back and watch even the first 30 minutes again, you'll wonder how you ever missed that ending. The other slight spoiler I want to mention is that the ending really reminded me of the original Suspiria, but I wasn't mad about it. Suspiria is a movie that I love, up until the point where you find out what's really going on. I didn't feel like it worked in that film. In Hereditary, however, it was so perfect.

The only reason I watched Truth or Dare is because an episode of Running Man was inspired by it. It's very Final Destination-esque. A group of friends repeatedly have to escape death (by choosing truth or dare and completing their mission), in the order in which they played the game the first round. So here come the SPOILERS because this isn't really a movie I mind ruining for anyone. The ending isn't particularly clever or innovative (I could swear I've read stories with similar endings on r/nosleep), but I didn't hate it. Throughout the entire movie, Olivia and Markie talk about how they'll always choose each other above everyone and everything else, with the exception of Olivia's first truth (before the game went off the rails), which was would she choose to save her group of friends or the entire population of Mexico during an alien attack? She chose the population of Mexico, because her character is supposed to be "too nice" and that's the correct choice to make, right? Saving many over a few. However, at the end of the movie, Olivia once again tells Markie she chooses her, takes out her phone and records a video detailing the ordeal they've just been through, uploads it to Youtube and asks her viewers, "Truth or dare?" Because at this point, the girls have exhausted all their options and the only way to save each other is to get more people into the rotation so it takes longer for their turns to come around again. I guess Olivia is no longer saving the population of Mexico.

Now that we've talked a bit about both films, here's how I felt about each of them. I thought Hereditary was very slow, but had a satisfying conclusion. I kept checking my phone throughout the movie because not much happened, until the last 20 minutes or so. I was very creeped out and disturbed by the movie's conclusion and it's something that stayed with me for days after watching it. Truth or Dare had a lot of action and it did hold my attention, but it was a pretty ridiculous movie overall, it never actually scared me and it's something I'll never think about again once I'm done writing this post.

So which is better? There honestly isn't a definitive answer because it depends entirely on if it's done right. It Comes at Night and The Blair Witch Project are both examples of films that, in my opinion, had a lot of buildup with very unsatisfying endings. Hereditary worked so well because you can clearly see, once everything is revealed, that the film was always headed towards that conclusion. And once it reached it, it was horrifying. It was worth every second I sat there thinking, "I hope this is going somewhere amazing and I didn't waste my time watching it." Because that's usually what ends up happening for me with these types of movies. They're slow and the ending never makes up for it.

The same goes for more action oriented horror films. If you want to get into a really specific sub-genre, action oriented horror films about a group of college friends going on vacation together, who end up playing truth or dare and screwing over the entire world. Let's talk about Cabin in the Woods, a beautiful loveletter to the horror genre. It is extremely heavy on the action for a good portion of the film and it never lets up. It completely goes off the deep end later on in the movie, in the best possible way. It's a thoroughly enjoyable horror film and it worked very well. These types of movies can be extremely clever when done correctly.

As usual, I don't have an answer to the question posed. Everything is on a case by case basis, you can't judge one movie based on another. They're all unique, some work and more often than not, some don't, but it's extremely satisfying when you find one that hits all the right marks and manages to surprise you.

Favorite Fall Candles to Light on a Crisp, Dark Fall Night

I know this is a horror blog, but there are certain things that I associate with horror. If I'm sitting home reading a scary story, my ideal atmosphere for it would be a dark, rainy night, with just the fairy lights on to read by, and a fall scented candle burning.

I've been a loyal customer of Candles By Victoria for years now. I won't buy candles anywhere else. Their candles are really good quality with a strong scent throw and you can see how much loves goes into them. They have all different jars to house the candles in, you can choose whichever you'd like in any of their available scents, and on top of that, they also make decorative candles in specific scents and they are beautiful. (I actually had to stop buying the decorative candles because I felt so bad burning them.) In addition to candles, they also offer room sprays, as well as scent shots if you prefer using a tart warmer rather than burning candles.

I'm terrible at describing scents myself, so below I'll list my favorites with the descriptions from the CBV website, as well as link to some of their decorative fall candles.

These first three are combos that I get in Victoria's Create a Scent candles. You get to choose two scents you think might work well together and she'll mix them for you. You also get to name the candle. And if you choose one of the glitter tureen CAS candles (my personal favorite), you can choose which color glitter you'd like.

Granny's Pie Crust + Caramel Apple - I don't really need to add the descriptions for each scent here, they're exactly what they sound like. I love both of these scents on their own, but they're even better together and this is a CAS that I'll continue to order in the future.

Apple Cider + Cinnamon Donuts - Again, no description necessary. I ordered this CAS because I was thinking about things that remind me of Halloween, and the first thing I thought of was the haunted hayride I used to go to with my cousins when I was younger. At the end of the hayride, they would always hand out apple cider and cinnamon donuts, so those are the two scents I chose and of course, I named this candle Haunted Hayride.

Bonfire Bliss + Country Bumpkin - "Gentle, dusky breezes and bonfires, with notes of dried wind-blown leaves, heliotrope, charred woods of pine and cedar, amber, smoky sandalwood, on a musky background containing hints of roasted marshmallows, brown sugar, coconut and soft vanillas" mixed with "Apples, candied yams, marshmallows, sweet cream butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, crushed cinnamon, bark and fresh cloves." This is an extremely strong scent, and I've ordered this CAS at least three times now, possibly four. It's my favorite scent, you can smell the fire and spices, perfect to burn on a cold, rainy fall night.

The next three scents can be bought in candles or scent shots, in many different designs.

Apples & Oaks - "It's fall all year round as you sit on the porch with a barrel of granny smith apples. You catch the breeze as it picks up not only the smell of the apples, but of the aged oak barrel housing them." This smells exactly like what you would expect.

Autumn Leaves - "Green and musky with heavy notes of bergamot." Literally smells like wet leaves.

Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon Bread - "Sweet creamy pumpkin, rich cinnamon apple with a crunchy strudel base note." This one has all three of the main fall scents and it's amazing.

The rest of these candles are some of Victoria's decorative candles. I have owned all o them in the past and I highly recommend them, if you won't feel guilty burning them like I did. I'll include links and pictures from the CBV website below.

Bake Shoppe Donut Shop Candle - This candle comes in Victoria's Cinnamon Donuts scent. The design isn't reminiscent of fall (it's still adorable though), but the scent definitely is.

Coffee Cup Cutie Leaves Type Candle - This candle is housed in a coffee cup, topped with glitter and tiny wax leaves. It's in the scent Leaves Type, which is described as "Rich Autumn notes of fresh ground cinnamon generously sprinkled over tasty dried apple peel. Allspice, fresh clove bud, and drips of Vermont maple complete this festive aroma." This one almost reminds me of the way a craft store smells if you walk in during the fall season, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Comfort Caramel Gingered Apple Crisp - The description for this candle states that it includes maple, caramel, ginger and apple cinnamon. Wax apple slices are embedded into the top of the candle.

Comfort Pumpkin Gingerbread Splash - A mix of maple, gingerbread and spiced pumpkin chutney, this candle features a gingerbread man who looks like he's bathing in the wax.

Maple Butter Pumpkin Frap - If you're one of those people who runs to Starbucks as soon as they start selling their pumpkin spice latte, this is the candle for you. It's a huge candle, 24 ounces, and features maple crumbs, wax pumpkins and real cinnamon sprinkled on top.

If you enjoy candles as much as I do, I definitely recommend checking out Candles By Victoria. I've purchased more candles and scent shots from them than I want to admit and I have been happy with every order. They're a great company and you'll be glad you ordered from them.