Yay, HoopTober Season is finally upon us!! I've been looking forward to HoopTober 12 since I completed my first HoopTober list last year. Thanks to Cinemonster for doing this for 12 years now! Below are the movies which fall into each category. As per the rules, some naturally overlap while others are standalone. I am also in the process of completing another list, The Criterion Challenge 2025, and was able to incorporate the six or so horror films I saved for HoopTober in order to double dip a bit. Don't be mad at me if you're a "list purist." We all have lives and there's only so much time I can, unfortunately, devote to feeding my film viewing habit. :-)

The films in parentheses show up in multiple categories and, therefore, are only counted once. The five at the end could fit other categories but are really just necessary to make it to 31. I don't think I'm going to be able to do the three extra credit films, but will edit the list should I be able to squeeze them in. Some of these films have been on my watchlist forever, some are long overdue rewatches, and some I discovered as I was compiling the list and thought I'd roll the dice on.

So, without further adieu...

There must be 31 horror films
6 countries (other than Italy or US) – Bad Taste NZ, (The Lure Pol, Ziam Thai, Santa Sangre Mex, Dead Ring Can, Viy Ukraine, BoSC UK)
9 decades – The Lure 15, (Haxan 1922, WoOz 39, Cat ppl 40s, Carnival of Souls 60s, Sisters 73, Santa Sangre 89, DotD 04, The Long Walk 25)
5 Zombie Films – Ziam, The Evil Dead (DotD, DotD, White Zombie, The Evil Dead)
3 cult or conspiracy horror films – Sisters, Get Out, The Blood on Satan’s Claw
1 film from a Black director with a Black lead -- Blacula
1 film from a Mexican or Central American director – Santa Sangre
1 Canadian film – Dead Ringers
1 former Soviet state film (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan) – Viy
The most popular film from the 1940s that you haven't seen and can access.. – Cat People
2 Post Apocalyptic horror films – Dawn of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead
1 Film with dreams or a dream as part of the plot – Eraserhead
1 The animals are pissed at us film – Ben
1 Silent film – Haxan
4 based on Novels – The Long Walk, Don’t Look Now, Color Out of Space, Willard
Any film from THIS list that you haven't seen. – Carnival of Souls
1 Ernesto Gastaldi written film – Torso
1 film from 1932 – White Zombie
I have never made a specific film a part of this before, but WIZARD of OZ ('39)

And 1 Tobe Hooper Film (There must ALWAYS be a Hooper film) – Lifeforce

Final Destination, The Babysitter 2, The Good Son, House that Jack Built, The Descent.

Thanks all for taking the time to peruse my list. Happy viewing and Happy HoopTober!!!