The Obsessive Viewer

Welcome to The Obsessive Viewer’s first Shocktober. This month on the blog, I (with some help from my friends) will put a large emphasis on the horror genre. This is a tradition that has been a big part of my life since 2006, when I started dedicating the month to horror.

Since then, each year the month has grown to a 31-day event where my friends and I dive into a genre that is near and dear to our hearts. Now, for the first time ever, I have a platform to share this sacred tradition with the world. As such, this month you will see an influx in horror-related reviews and posts written by yours truly as well as my podcast co-hosts and blog contributors Mike and Tiny.

The horror genre was integral to my relationship with movies in general. I simply wouldn’t be The Obsessive Viewer if it weren’t for horror movies capturing my attention and reeling me in. Oddly enough, I credit the Scream franchise (and the resulting avalanche of 90s slasher movies) with igniting my love of movies.

When I first saw Scream, I was in 5th grade and far too young to watch it. I was instantly in awe of the characters’ knowledge and appreciation for movies. I knew while watching it that this was the kind of person I would become. The love of movies on the screen rubbed off on me.

It wasn’t until Scream 2 was in production that I truly began to realize how much I would be consumed by a love of movies. With the emergence of the internet, I had a front row seat to the production of the sequel to the all-time greatest movie that had ever been created or ever will be (come on, I was in elementary school).

It seemed like every day after school I would ride my bike to the library and use their internet since we didn’t have it yet at home. I would go to the Dimension Films website and check the latest news on Scream 2 and browse message boards all around the web. I became obsessed over a movie for the first time while looking up Scream 2.

The fire was ignited inside me and even now, as an adult, it has never flickered out. Every movie I watch, every review I write, every discussion I have, they all help fuel the undying flame that is my love of movies. And it all started with a horror movie.

Shocktober is a sacred month-long holiday for me. I’m extremely excited to share every aspect of it with any and every person who visits the site or listens to the podcast. What I hope to accomplish this month is to inspire feedback and discussion of the horror genre. So I encourage everyone reading to help me and my friends celebrate all things horror!

Comment with your thoughts, fears and recommendations. Join the discussion on Twitter (@ObsessiveViewer, @IAmMikeWhite, @ObsessiveTIny), subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and listen to us discuss horror this month!

That’s it for now. I thought a simple introduction was due. Stay tuned for much more! Tiny will be bunching together some reviews and releasing them in groups here and there while Mike will be keeping a Journal throughout the month.

As for me, I’ll keep bringing you all the Trailer Tuesdays, Podcast releases, Streaming Saturday recommendations and Weekly TV roundups as well as plenty of great Shocktober content of my own.