This is where I will post my official list for the inaugural Cinefessions Summer Screams Challenge, which kicks off June 1 at midnight. The response has been better than expected, and I can’t wait to get things going!

Read and join up by clicking here!

The List (mini-reviews found by clicking on title of film, when applicable):

June 1
1. Chronicle (2012)
2. Alien (1979) 
3. Cube (1997)
4. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
5. The Evil Dead (1981) 

June 2
6. The Omega Man (1971)
7. Final Destination 5 (2011) 

June 3
8. The Last Man on Earth (1964)
9. Aliens (1986) 

The Checklist:

Watch a sci-fi or horror film from each specific sub-genre:
-X- Comedic Horror (Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, 2006)
—- Comedic Sci-Fi (Film, Year)
—- Cyberpunk Film (Film, Year)
-X- Dystopian Film (The Omega Man, 1971)
—- Giallo Film (Film, Year)
—- Psychological Horror (Film, Year)
—- Space Opera (Film, Year)
—- Splatter Film/Gore Film/Torture Porn (Film, Year)
—- Supernatural Horror/Ghost Film (Film, Year)
—- Time Travel Film (Film, Year)

Watch a sci-fi or horror film that falls into each of the following years:
—- 1900 – 1939 (Film, Year)
—- 1940 – 1959 (Film, Year)
—- 1960 – 1979 (Film, Year)
-X- 1980 – 1999 (Cube, 1997)
-X- 2000 – 2012 (Chronicle, 2012)

Watch a sci-fi or horror film that fits into the following categories:
—- Watch a Documentary (Film, Year)
-X- Watch a Film Based on a Novel (The Last Man on Earth, 1964)
—- Watch a Film Based on a Video Game (Film, Year)
-X- Watch a Film that Appears on the Video Nasties List (The Evil Dead, 1981)
—- Watch a Film that Contains an Evil Animal (Film, Year)
—- Watch a Film that Contains an Evil Child (Film, Year)
—- Watch a Film that Contains an Evil Doll/Puppet (Film, Year)
—- Watch a Film that is Currently in the Criterion Collection (Film, Year)
—- Watch a Film that is “Not Rated” or “Unrated” (Film, Year)
—- Watch a Film that is Rated “X” or “NC-17” (Film, Year)
-X- Watch a Film that was Nominated for an Academy Award (Alien, 1979)
—- Watch a Foreign Film with Subtitles (Film, Year)
—- Watch an Animated Film (Film, Year)
—-Watch an Anthology Film (Film, Year)
—- Watch a Remake or a Reboot (Film, Year)

Bob Morton: What are your Prime Directives? 
RoboCop: Serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law.

—-

Movie Number: 8
Title: Robocop(1987)
Running Time: 102 minutes (“R”)
Director: Paul Verhoeven

It’s tough to admit to watching classics for the first time, but better late than never, right? That said, Robocop was a first-time viewing for me (in fact, all the movies I’ve watched this year have been first-time viewings, which is great). This is one I should have watched years ago, though. The Detroit backdrop is only the candy coating on the incredible action flick that is Robocop. This has some of the greatest gore special effects I have seen in any 80s movie, and through the violence, still manages to have a heart at its core, driving the story forward. Peter Weller and Kurtwood Smith (whom I adore from That 70s Show) are wonderful as protagonist and antagonist, and I can’t stress enough just how incredible the special effects are. It blows most CGI effects out of the water. Robocop is an awesome staple to the action genre.

Movie Number: 7
Title: Capturing the Friedmans(2003)
Running Time: 107 minutes (“NR”)
Director: Andrew Jarecki

Much like The Thin Blue Line, Capturing the Friedmans is an important documentary that terrifyingly showcases how inept the law system in the United States can be. The major players in this film are not as cut and dry innocent, and the film purposefully keeps it that way for drama’s sake (though new evidence released on the DVD points the case in one strong direction; read about that here). Capturing the Friedmans tells the story of the Friedman family. The father and one (of three) brother was convicted of running a child molestation ring out of their basement that was guised as computer classes. The movie is difficult because the father admits to being guilty of pedophilia and molestation, but his guilt is not so clear when it comes to this specific case the film highlights.  Though Jarecki presents enough evidence to allow the viewer to question their guilt, it never delivers a knockout blow, which is a shame because it turns out that Jarecki had that blow in his arsenal of footage, which ultimately keeps it from reaching the same level as The Thin Blue Line. The home video of the family is haunting and fascinating to watch, even if the film refused to take the big chance it should have.

Randall Adams: If there was ever a hell on earth, it’s Dallas County.

—-

Movie Number: 6
Title: The Thin Blue Line(1988)
Running Time: 103 minutes (“NR”)
Director: Errol Morris

This documentary is so important because of the real-world impact it had: this film was successfully used to help a free man get out of the prison he was sentenced to die in. The use of re-enactments was new for its time, and anyone can appreciate the fact that the filmmaker almost never butts in, instead allowing the people he interviewed do all the talking. The Thin Blue Line is rightfully considered a top-tier documentary, and one that everyone needs to see at least once.

Kid: Yeah, well, I guess they had it coming. 
Will: We all got it coming, kid. 

—-

Movie Number: 5
Title: Unforgiven(1992)
Running Time: 131 minutes (“R”)
Director: Clint Eastwood

Unforgiven delivers much more than I could have expected. Not only is it the story of the old west, filled with gunfights and wonderfully manly dialogue that only the western genre can house, but it also makes the viewer think. Unforgiven brings up questions of humanity, morality, and about what it means to be a true friend. The taking of another’s life is something important in Unforgiven, the way it is in reality. That humanistic quality is what makes Eastwood’s Unforgiven so damn powerful. It is a thinking person’s film, not without violence and bloodshed, but every drop of blood spilled has meaning, exactly as it should. This meaning sets up the final act of the film beautifully, and puts Unforgiven atop my list of Westerns.