Musings in the Dark: 2023

10/30/2023

Horror 202: Best Years In Horror: 2023

Nope

Director: Jordan Peele

Budget: $68M

Box Office: $172.3M 

Date of Release: July 22


Barbarian

Director: Zach Cregger

Budget: $4.5M

Box Office: $45.4M 

Date of Release: September 9


Smile

Director: Parker Finn

Budget: $17M

Box Office: $217.4M 

Date of Release: September 30


Bodies Bodies Bodies

Director: Halina Reijn

Budget: $

Box Office: $14M 

Date of Release: August 5


And thus ends my Spooky Season Celebration, Dilettantes! Until next year!


10/29/2023

Horror 202: Best Years In Horror: 2002

 

28 Days Later

Director: Danny Boyle

Budget: $8M

Box Office: $84.6M 

Date of Release: November 1


The Ring

Director: Gore Verbinski

Budget: $48M

Box Office: $249M

Date of Release: October 18


Resident Evil

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Budget: $40M

Box Office: $1B 

Date of Release: March 15


Dog Soldiers

Director: Neil Marshall

Budget: $2.3M

Box Office: $5M 

Date of Release: March 22


10/24/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1999

 


The Blair Witch Project

Director: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez

Budget: $200-700K

Box Office: $248.6M 

Date of Release: July 14


Stir of Echoes

Director: David Koepp

Budget: $12M

Box Office: $21.1M 

Date of Release: September 10


Sleepy Hollow

Director: Tim Burton

Budget: $70-100M

Box Office: $207.1M 

Date of Release: November 19


Audition

Director: Takashi Miike

Budget: $$$

Box Office: $119K 

Date of Release: March 3*


*in Japan

10/22/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1996



Scream

Director: Wes Craven

Budget: $14-15M

Box Office: $173M 

Date of Release: December 20


From Dusk Til Dawn

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Budget: $19M

Box Office: $59.3M 

Date of Release: January 19


The Frighteners

Director: Peter Jackson

Budget: $26M

Box Office: $29M 

Date of Release: July 19


10/18/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1984

 


A Nightmare on Elm Street

Director: Wes Craven

Budget: $1.1M

Box Office: $57M 

Date of Release: November 9


The Terminator

Director: James Cameron

Budget: $6.4M

Box Office: $78.3M 

Date of Release: October 26


Children of the Corn

Director: Fritz Kiersch

Budget: $$$

Box Office: $14.6M 

Date of Release: March 9



10/15/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1982

 

Poltergeist

Director: Tobe Hooper

Budget: $10.7M

Box Office: $121.7M 

Date of Release: June 4


Creepshow

Director: George A. Romero

Budget: $8M

Box Office: $21M 

Date of Release: November 10


Basket Case

Director: Frank Henenlotter

Budget: $35K

Box Office: $_____ 

Date of Release: April 7

The Thing

Director: John Carpenter

Budget: $15M

Box Office: $19.6M 

Date of Release: June 25


10/13/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1980

 


Friday the 13th

Director: Sean S. Cunningham

Budget: $550K

Box Office: $59.8M 

Date of Release: May 9


The Fog

Director: John Carpenter

Budget: $1.1M

Box Office: $21.3M 

Date of Release: February 1


The Shining

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Budget: $19M

Box Office: $47.3M 

Date of Release: May 23


Dressed to Kill

Director: Brian De Palma

Budget: $6.5M

Box Office: $15M or $31M 

Date of Release: July 25


10/09/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1978

 


Halloween

Director: John Carpenter

Budget: $325K

Box Office: $70M 

Date of Release: October 25


Dawn of the Dead

Director: George A. Romero

Budget: $640K

Box Office: $66M 

Date of Release: September 1*


Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Director: Philip Kaufman

Budget: $$$

Box Office: $24.9M 

Date of Release: December 22


*Italian release date. U.S. release date was in April of 1979

10/07/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1973



Black Christmas

Director: Bob Clark

Budget: $686K

Box Office: $1.3M 

Date of Release: October 11


The Exorcist

Director: William Friedkin

Budget: $12M

Box Office: $428M 

Date of Release: December 26


The Wicker Man

Director: Robin Hardy

Budget: $593K

Box Office: $373K

Date of Release: December 6


10/04/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror: 1960

Psycho

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Budget: $807K

Box Office: $50M 

Date of Release: June 16


Peeping Tom

Director: Michael Powell

Budget: $166K 

Box Office: $$$ 

Date of Release: April 7


Village of the Damned

Director: Wolf Rilla

Budget: $320K 

Box Office: $2.175M 

Date of Release: December 7


Black Sunday

Director: Mario Bava

Budget: $$$

Box Office: $149M* 

Date of Release: August 11


*in Italian lira


9/30/2023

Horror 202: Best Years in Horror

So for this year’s Halloween celebration, I will highlight what I consider to be the best years for horror movies. I did some research and found several websites that had their own lists. I compiled their lists and cross-referenced the overlaps, and when I settled on my particular collection, I went and found the best three or four movies for each of the years I chose. I talked this over with Noob, and she was able to point out another way to look at the data I collected. So what I will post here are my overall findings. I will include additional information such as the director, date of release and the film’s overall box office.

It was so much fun to do the research required for this task. Just looking up the years and the movies was so enjoyable. I’ve been suffering from writer’s block for three years and it was nice to find something I could do while the Muse is asleep.  


We will begin with two Honorable Mentions.

6/03/2023

Update

Hey Dilettantes!

Yeah, it's been six months since I last posted. It's been a combination of work busyness, work travel, writer's block and mental distractions. I'm going to be traveling back home to the US in a couple of weeks and it will be nice to be home again. I have no plans to travel anywhere this summer; there's too many things I need to take care of before returning to Senegal in August and I prefer to take care of them stateside.

My writer's block has lasted 3 years. The Muse is not completely asleep; I've been outlining chapters and developing characters and plot details with Noob. Whatever the key is that fits in the ignition and starts the engine...I don't have it yet. I am thankful that I'm using the "down time" wisely; Entropy marks a drastic change in the way I write my novels. I didn't realize it until I started outlining chapters and saw problematic gaps in the timelines and the plot. 

Everything happens for a reason, I guess.

As far as everything else, life is good. I have no complaints. I'm healthy, happy and looking forward to seeing my family. I live a boring, pleasant life and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Until next time!

1/03/2023

2022 Year End Wrap Up

 HAPPY NEW YEAR DARK DILETTANTES!

I welcome you to 2023 with open arms and a big smile! I expect good things to happen this year.