CONTEST CLOSED! Thanks to all who entered.
It’s been a while, but 366 Weird Movies brings you a new DVD giveaway contest! Since we’ve been asked this question a lot lately, and are probably going to be asked it a lot more in the future, what we’d like you to do is to give us suggestions in the comments about what you think we should do with this website after we reach our target of 366 Certified Weird Movies. We have some ideas, which we won’t be publicly divulging in full just yet, but maybe you guys will come up with some great ideas we hadn’t thought of.
To enter, simply post your thoughts in the comments to this post. We are going to select the winner randomly using random.org, so you don’t have to provide the best suggestion to enter. In fact, although we want to hear your thoughts, you don’t even have to have a suggestion to enter: you can simply mention in the comments that you love the site and you’d like to enter the contest.
The usual eligibility rules apply: to receive the DVDs, you must supply us with a mailing address in the United States. (Don’t publish your address in your comment! We’ll contact you through email). If you don’t meet those qualifications you can still comment for fun, but let us know you’re not in it for the prize. We’ll stop accepting entries Thursday, October 12, at midnight. (The winner will be mailed on October 17, the official release date).
Our prize is once again provided by Artsploitation Films (distributors of the Certified Weird Der Samurai): a factory-sealed Blu-ray of Red Christmas, a 2017 holiday-themed horror/comedy, starring 80s genre icon Dee Wallace. From the box cover:
“Horror legend Dee Wallace (The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, E.T., Cujo) stars as the mother of a family, gathered together in a remote house on Christmas night. When a mysterious, deformed young man appears at their door, holiday cheer quickly turns to bloody, imaginatively orchestrated violence as the family members fight off the vengeful intruder. The film infuses comedy, dark family secrets with outlandish gore and adds the controversial subjects of religion and abortion into its blood-stained mix.”
Red Christmas – Trailer from artsploitation on Vimeo.
You have your instructions, now get to it!
777weirdmovies
Hi guys!
Firstly, I just want to say I adore your work here, and have been visiting the site regularly since I discovered it about 4 years ago. All the essays are always insightful and entertaining, and you’ve exposed me to a wealth of new films I now have a deep appreciation for.
As for where to go after hitting 366, I’ve actually thought about this myself quite a bit as it inches closer. The first thing that occurred to me was to continue reviewing films from the reader suggested queue and whatever other sources you have, and as better choices for the list are reviewed, edge out the least deserving films that are on the list and replace them with the more deserving ones. Films that are pushed off can have their own category, “Former List Inductees” or something of the sort. This may require a lot of thought in advance on the part of site editors, ordering all 366 in order from “least” to “most” deserving. This could even be voted on by readers, if you feel so inclined.
An alternate idea is to start a new list, something like the “366 Equally Weird Movies” List. That way the site could carry on more or less the same, just with two separate lists, one complete, and one in flux.
Or go real crazy, start covering non-weird films. “365 Normal, yet Great, Films”. But the appeal of that may go against the purview or your or your readers’ interests.
Lastly, and perhaps least interestingly, you could either abandon the numerical limitation altogether and just be a weird movie reviewing site, or expand the number to something bigger to prolong the inevitable moment when you will arrive at the same conundrum. (The first number that springs to mind is 666…)
There you go, those are my ideas. Take them or leave them as you will.
Thanks again for what you guys do!
This my favorite site on the internet. I visit this site at least once a day. You have brought countless interesting movies to my attention.
Personally, I hope you guys continue to write synopsis on the movies in the queue. Many movies that are certified weird have only come out in the last 10 or so years, so I’m sure many more weird movies will come in years to come, and I’m sure there are many weird movies from the past that would be certified too.
As a somewhat recent follower of the site (think I officially began regularly keeping up daily at around Wax’s inauguration), wondering about what will happen at the 366 mark is something I have thought about, though a concrete solution is something that still eludes me. My best suggestion would be to continue in the format as it stands, with regular capsule reviews of films that people have suggested (it’ll make those who suggested the films late in the reader-suggested queue happy, at least), alongside the more expansive write-ups on films that deserve further attention. These more infrequent essays could be labeled “Honorary List Members”, films that could’ve been on the list if it had been suggested, reviewed, or simply came out earlier. This could also allow people to add to the list as they wish or unofficially replace more rarer items on the list (the unavailability of I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK comes to mind), acknowledging that while the list is complete, people are still free to venture through it as they wish, even if it’s not officially recognized.
To be fair, though, I am totally open to whatever options the 366 team have come up with and look forward to how the site may evolve because of that. I only thank you for broadening my taste and I shouldn’t ask for more than that.
How about just never reach the magic number but continually tease it.
My vote would be to just change the number to a higher one. Maybe 513?
I have TWO suggestions –
My first, is that I feel the year 2000 is a pivotal point as a demarcation for almost all art. Think of all those lists you see all the time: “The most important music artists of the 20th century.” “The most important people of the 20th century” “The Most Influential Painters of the 20th Century.”
The year 2000 not only marks the beginning of a new year, a new decade, a new century, but a NEW millennium! When I think of how DIFFERENT movies have become today not only in technology, effects, editing style and size, I think of also the vast change in streaming and distribution, how we SEE movies today and the democratic nature of film giving way to digital movie making – something that almost everyone has access to.
So much time has elapsed from the oldest movie on 366 to now, it’s not surprising that many of the newer entries on your list are actually inspired by these new directors having absorbed many of the older movies from the past that you’ve selected for your awesome 366! We are already in re-contextualized noir. Third wave Giallo. Inverted Hitchcock homages.
I REALLY, wholeheartedly believe 366 should divide its list:
366 Weird Movies of the 20th Century and 366 Weird Movies for the 21st century. Not only will this create more space for the 20th century – close calls, contentious entries, lack of slots – but it will allow 366 to continue in the 21st century – solving also 366’s umbrage against “recent bias.” Truthfully, there is more than enough good 20th century movies that haven’t been reviewed or could make the list, and in this new century, at least 2 or 3 truly bizarre movies get made every year that are list worthy.
In my heart of hearts I KNOW you guys would love to put almost every David Lynch and Jodorowsky movie on your list. That one Doris Wishman that you feel you must include for the sake of representation and variety will no longer take up the space of a probably better, yet slightly more accessible weird movie. It would open up spaces for some of the more crazy, cult-y weird movies that might not be that great, yet somehow seem deserving. (just look at people championing The Beyond in your penultimate reader’s choice). Some fantastic weird directors who have been reduced to just ONE entry because of competition could now get bumped up to two; And I don’t think it would dilute the power of your list at all!
By creating a double list that separates a more analog, intimate, non CGI, non MTV movie making past from today’s current future that embodies a completely different set of societal issues, production values and internet heavy 21st century mise-en-scène, I think you would really be creating a definitive guide to not just the weirdest movies in history, but the actual rough guide to the BEST movies from the past until now.
If that’s too daunting, I feel an uncelebrated aspect of 366, is it’s regular Saturday Short feature. I was amazed a few years back when I saw Maya Deren’s “Meshes of the Afternoon.” At home I really love my Kenneth Anger collection. I feel 366 should have a supplemental list: A certified 52 Weird Shorts – that just like your Saturday short, could represent one short a week for a year.
Love this site.
I think once you reach 366 weird movies you should extend the list to 1001 weird movies. Almost like a 1001 weird movies to see before you die type thing. Only put the absolute most weirdest films on here.
Thank you for the great work you do.
This is my number one website I visit everyday.
I think you should continue the list forever.
Like in a Bunuel movie. You can never reach the 366 spot. All the movies after 365 are given some random number but never 366.
I outside US so not in the contest.
Hi! I’m a devoted follower of 366 Weird Movies, and can’t wait to see what happens after 366!
My suggestion would be to move into other weird media, kind of like the shorts. Maybe TV?
I think a 366weirdmovies staff’s each favorite pick from the list of 366 would be neat, or maybe a live stream Q&A hangout session would be pretty cool.
I suggest to print a book
Dario — I’ve long thought that a nice, leather-bound, gilt-leaf-edged, silk-ribbon book mark volume (or volumes) à la Easton Press Leather Classics would be a nice wrap-up.
Jone — I dig it.
I agree! Plenty of less deserving cinema projects have their own books. This might bring more attention to this site, and would be a wonderfully demented gift for cult fans.
I think that after all the slots are filled, new reviews that would be certified weird would via for slots on the list vs older entries. You could let the readers vote which canidates they feel is more deserving. You could make vs pairings of films with similar themes or from the same directors. For instance, if Guy Maddin comes out with a newer and weider film, you could let the readers decide if the new film is more worthy of a place on the list than one of his films that’s already represented.
366 and Beyond the Infinite. I think that’s all I need to say to sum it up for you.
Five Year Plan
I only discovered the site a couple weeks ago, but already the thought it was ending soon saddened me. I’m glad you are making plans to continue in some form.
I’m not sure what to suggest other to continue at least making note of new, or newly suggested, films that fit. The reviews are too useful!
Thanks for having the RED CHRISTMAS Blu-ray giveaway! I’m new to 366weirdmovies.com, and I really like what I see on your website! Please enter me into your RED CHRISTMAS Blu-ray giveaway!
Ive never seen this movie before but have heard good things. Thanks for the opportunity to enter. I hope that I win so I can finally see this movie.
I think this is one of the very best sites for movies. The reviews are great and contests are pretty sweet as well. I’m entering the contest too. I think any film with the great Dee Wallace is worth watching!
Thanks all! The winner has been randomly selected and notified. (If you don’t get an email in the next few minutes, it wasn’t you!)
I enjoyed all the suggestions, serious and humorous. I particularly like the idea that, like in a Bunuel film, we keep approaching 366 but inexplicably somehow never reach it…
The contest is over, but you can still make suggestions about what a post-366 world should look like here, if you so choose.