My Hanging Head of Shame

I have never been guilty of being the brightest bulb on the strand. In fact some might say I am one or two pork chops shy of a mixed grill.

In response to our illustrious leader's call for our personal top & bottom 5 of the horror-ish films released in 2008, I have 'discovered' that I am a total slacker. Clearly some of this slack is the reason I am here in the first place, but of the 37 films Eric listed, I have seen a grand total of...eight. Math was never my favorite subject but I can tell that is just plain SAD!

On one hand, the right, this means there are hundreds, if not thousands of films that I can potentially put on my radar; enough to make every day for the next 20 years feel like Christmas. Shit, there are 20-25 (mostly domestic) films from 2008 alone that I want/need to see, and I can only assume there are another dozen (or three) not released in the U.S. that go on the list as well. To compound that, the way I figure it, there are a good 25 years worth of releases I want to dig through, so clearly this task I have set before myself may need to be 'tweaked' as I work my way through the various catalogues.

On the other hand, the other right, the reality is I am not going to be able to dive as far into all of the various sub-genres as I had hoped. Fortunately, I have all of you - fellow travelers - to help me make the most of the precious time I have to give. I will have to find the willingness to follow your guidance as I carve out my own personal path through the films we love so dearly.

On that note, here is the 'short' list of 2008 films from Eric's initial list, that I intend to make good on.

"Gutterballs" - looking forward to checking out all of Plotdigger Films' offerings - LOVE the revenge stuff, and can handle the rape element though the mutilation stuff is a bit unnerving. That's kinda the point though, huh?
"Diary of the Dead" - This is going to be a supplement to my Zombie marathon this winter. I have heard nothing but bad things, but since it is a Romero film I am inclined to subject myself.
"Doomsday"
"Wrestlemaniac" - how could I pass this up? An insane wrestler and a low budget porn shoot!
"Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer"
"April Fool's Day" - the original is particularly nostalgic so we'll see how this one fares.
"Sick Nurses" - blood, gore, and hot women...SOLD!
"Poultrygeist: Return of the Chicken Dead" - been needing a Troma fix.
"Zombie Strippers" - this will close out my zombie fest and may be the last zombie film I watch for some time...
"[Rec]" - unless this counts as a 'zombie' flick...
"Quarantine" - oh, and this one...
"The Cottage"
"The Strangers" - mixed feelings about this and have heard both great things and terrible things.
"Midnight Meat Train" - very excited(!) though Mahogany is a crappy name for a killer.
"Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" - previous films were entertaining enough though this title is stupid.
"Mirrors"
"Hellboy II" - I am embarrassed to admit I have not seen either of these films. Nor have I seen "Pan's Labyrinth" (Was that out loud?)
"Saw V"
"Return to Sleepaway Camp" - I will make it a marathon (I, II, IIl, IV) - is that how it goes?
"Punisher: War Zone" - after Casey's review how could I not?! The whole revenge thing again.

Films I am considering:

"The Eye" - don't know much about it really (haven't read the synopsis). Have considered watching the original so the remake would likely follow.
"The Lost" - not familiar with this film and cannot find any synopsis information (IMDB has it referenced as in production??), so we'll see.
"Prom Night" - we'll see if I get to it. Have heard it cannot hold a candle to the original, so not sure there's a point.
"Shutter" - Not sure we needed yet another j-horror remake, but it sounds slightly interesting.
"Pulse II: Afterlife" - we'll see if I like "Pulse" first. It sounds a bit like an introverted version of "The Signal" so I may bundle these all together.

As I hang my head in shame, I am compelled to ask for a bit of 'peace, love, and understanding', and I offer a promise to carry my own weight going forward. As always I welcome your feedback, both for and against any of the films on my radar.