Around this time of year, everyone is making their Best Of lists for the last year, myself included. But here’s an idea . . . how about you make a list of films that you will watch next year. There are more than a few books (some pictured below) that give you a list of films you must see before you die or the Top 100 in whatever genre out there, plus there are plenty of those lists online if you just google it. Or, since everyone will be posting their lists within the next month, you could even go through those and see which ones you haven’t seen. For me, usually when I go through there, I’ve seen quite a few, but there is usually a title or two that I’ve never gotten around to. So, while I’m working on my Best Viewings for this year, I am also compiling a list of films that I plan to knock out in 2023.

There’s a couple of different reasons for this. First and the most common one is that if we make a list, it becomes an easy task to keep checking them off as you go. You know those times that you might have trouble deciding on a certain movie you want to see? Just go to your list then and knock one out. The second reason is, and this is especially true for me, there are some titles, many considered classics or must-see titles from the genre, that for whatever reason, you just never got to them. It might be something like the subject matter is a little out of your comfort zone, or one that you know what it is about and heard about it so often that you just don’t feel like you need to see it, or just that you simply haven’t gotten around to it. A nice little To-See List can help fix all of that.

Also, it doesn’t have to be films that are “Must See”, “Classics” or “Top Films” either. Maybe you’ve never gotten around to seeing all the Dracula or Frankenstein films from Hammer Studios. Or maybe even all of the titles from the classic Universal series. Maybe even all the Corman / Poe films he made for AIP. Make a list of them that you want to make sure you check off next year and then slowly work your way through.

Remember that the important part of this list isn’t simply to check them off. Don’t make it a task that you ‘have to get to’ but one that you want to. No matter what you might think of the film, it is all part of your horror education. Plus, I’m sure with a lot of these titles, you’re going to wonder why it took you so long to get to them! Maybe even give you more ideas or titles you want to seek out next.

Get those notepads ready and make a list! Or two! Then enjoy the challenge!