Happy October, everyone!

It’s the return of our annual #31DaysOfHorror challenge at Sketching Details. Every day of October, I will be posting at least one new horror article or review. The new twist this year is that all of the films share the same genre. We’re spending a month celebrating deadly games.

There are little thematic units that will define much of what is covered. Up first is one of my favorite horror series: Hellraiser. Clive Barker’s twisted series of pleasure and pain is in that sweet spot of cursed object/deadly game with the LeMarchand Configuration, aka the puzzle box, opening a portal to the sensation-driven Cenobites to enter our mortal plane.

Next up is a week of everyday people trapped in deadly games. From the office horror of The Belko Experiment to the ever-expanding universe of Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler, the social commentary of everyday people forced to fight for their lives by the elite is always a poignant and terrifying message.

After that is The Purge. The only thing more terrifying than people in power forcing average citizens into deadly games just because is the government sanctioning it.

Last up is the deadly game series that is synonymous with genre: Saw. We’ll be covering all the Saw features, from the original pop culture sensation to the first official spin off in Spiral: Book of Saw. I can talk your ears off about this series. I’m always looking for an excuse to dive back in.

These are not the only projects that will be covered during #31DaysOfHorror 2022. For example, I already have my tickets booked for Smile on Sunday morning. I’ll roll the dice and see Halloween Ends, too. I have some books I’ve almost finished that fit in the horror celebration and at least one horror game that will make the cut, too. Plus there’s the return of Dragula in Dragula Titans and the Chucky TV series that will continue to be covered here.

It’s going to be a great October.