The 2011 Midnight Movie of the Week Recap!

With 2011 behind us, FMWL began its third year in existence last Thursday.  That first year was a bit of a wash, but I'm super proud that I've managed to keep up consistently over the past two years.  I owe most of that success to my Midnight Movie of the Week series of posts, which has always kept me driven to stay active and keep up to date with my favorite genre flicks.

The first year of the MMOTW was chronicled in a wrap-up style, and I couldn't resist doing the same thing again today.  Mostly because I want to share my favorite screengrabs of 2011. Seriously, a great screengrab is about my favorite thing in the world.  (Next to grilled cheese and the Packers, of course.)  I'mma fit as many of them as I can into this post!  Starting now!

So come on in and look around, because here are Midnight Movies of the Week #53-#104 one last time!

53. Burning Bright (2010, Horror, Dir. by Carlos Brooks.)

54. The 'Burbs (1989, Comedy, Dir. by Joe Dante.)

55. The Illustrated Man (1969, Horror, Dir. by Jack Smight.)

56. Phantom of the Paradise (1974, Horror/Musical, Dir. by Brian De Palma.)

57. Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958, Sci-Fi, Dir. by Nathan Juran.)

58. Carnival of Souls (1962, Horror, Dir. by Herk Harvey.)

59. Sisters (1973, Horror, Dir. by Brian De Palma.)

60. The Stepford Wives (1975, Horror, Dir. by Bryan Forbes.)

61. Big Trouble in Little China (1986, Sci-Fi, Dir. by John Carpenter.)

62. Danger: Diabolik (1968, Action/Sci-Fi, Dir. by Mario Bava.)

63. Of Unknown Origin (1983, Horror, Dir. by George P. Cosmatos.)

64. Evil Dead II (1987, Horror, Dir. by Sam Raimi.)

65. Westworld (1973, Sci-Fi, Dir. by Michael Crichton.)

66. The Wicker Man (2006, Comedy, Dir. by Neil Labute.)

67. Scream (1996, Horror, Dir. by Wes Craven.)

68. Red Eye (2005, Thriller, Dir. by Wes Craven.)

69. Blow Out (1981, Thriller, Dir. by Brian De Palma.)

70. Abominable (2006, Horror, Dir. by Ryan Schifrin.)

71. I, Madman (1989, Horror, Dir. by Tibor Takacs.)

72. Escape 2000 (1982, Action/Sci-Fi, Dir. by Brian Trenchard-Smith.)

73. Duel (1971, Thriller, Dir. by Steven Spielberg.)

74. Dead Calm (1989, Thriller, Dir. by Phillip Noyce.)

75. Bloody Birthday (1981, Horror, Dir. by Ed Hunt.)

76. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986, Horror, Dir. by Tom McLoughlin.)

77. The Hidden (1987, Sci-Fi/Action, Dir. by Jack Sholder.)

78. Dawning (2009, Horror, Dir. by Gregg Holtgrewe.)

79. The Fly (1958, Sci-Fi/Horror, Dir. by Kurt Neumann.)

80. Deranged (1974, Horror, Dir. by Jeff Gillen.)

81. Panic in Year Zero! (1962, Sci-Fi, Dir. by Ray Milland.)

82. Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971, Horror, Dir. by John D. Hancock.)

83. The People Under the Stairs (1991, Horror, Dir. by Wes Craven.)

84. The Toxic Avenger (1984, Action/Horror/Comedy, Dir. by Lloyd Kaufman & Michael Herz.)

85. Night of the Living Dead (1968, Horror, Dir. by George A. Romero.)

86. The Sentinel (1977, Horror, Dir. by Michael Winner.)

87. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992, Thriller, Dir. by Curtis Hanson.)

88. Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972, Horror, Dir. by Alan Gibson.)

89. The Last Winter (2006, Horror, Dir. by Larry Fessenden.)

90. Doctor X (1932, Horror, Dir. by Michael Curtiz.)

91. Dark and Stormy Night (2009, Comedy, Dir by Larry Blamire.)

92. Carrie (1976, Horror, Dir. by Brian De Palma.)

93. The Thing From Another World (1951, Horror/Sci-Fi, Dir. by Christian Nyby.)

94. Malevolence (2004, Horror, Dir. by Stevan Mena.)

95. The Exorcist (1973, Horror, Dir. by William Friedkin.)

96. Fathom (1967, Comedy/Action, Dir. by Leslie H. Martinson.)

97. Escape From New York (1981, Sci-Fi/Action, Dir. by John Carpenter.)

98. Son of Godzilla (1967, Sci-Fi, Dir. by Jun Fukuda.)

99. The Fog (1980, Horror, Dir. by John Carpenter.)

100. Bonnie's Kids (1973, Thriller, Dir. by Arthur Marks.)

101. The Centerfold Girls (1974, Horror/Thriller, Dir. by John Peyser.)

102. Soylent Green (1973, Sci-Fi, Dir. by Richard Fleischer.)

103. Die Hard 2 (1990, Action, Dir. by Renny Harlin.)

104. The Gate (1986, Horror, Dir. by Tibor Takacs.)

Here's some random stats/observations. Because stats and observations make Dennis Franz happy.

• Only 29 of the 52 are films I'd first identify as horror films, down from 39 in 2010.  I've always wanted to cover all kinds of genre flicks here, and I think this year has been a better variance of film types.  After horror, we have 11 movies I identify as Sci-Fi, and 6 I'd give the ambiguous thriller label.  There were also a couple films I struggled to fit in a specific genre - stuff like The Toxic Avenger and Bonnie's Kids - but I think that's a testament to how varied movies can be.  And I dig that.
• Three directors - Brian De Palma, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven - directed 10 of this year's 52.  De Palma's 4 topped the year (representing a conscious effort I made to cover him more this year), while Carpenter remains my standby for MMOTW goodness - his three movies this year give him 6 MMOTW picks in two years.  Other folks who now have more than one film on the MMOTW include Tibor Takacs, Richard Fleischer, George A. Romero, Joe Dante, and Mario Bava.
• Actors and actresses who have multiple films on the list are slightly skewed by De Palma, who put Nancy Allen, John Travolta, and William Finley in two MMOTWs this year.  Franz also appeared in two - partially thanks to De Palma and Blow Out.  Ellen Burstyn is in two MMOTWS from '11, from two different ends of the quality spectrum - The Exorcist and The Wicker Man remake.  
• Returning actors in MMOTWs include plenty of my long-time favorites. Christopher Lee adds a 4th MMOTW to his resume this year, as does Caroline Munro.  Jamie Lee Curtis, Kurt Russell, and Tom Atkins add two more, thanks to Carpenter. 
• The battle between the decades produced the same two top eras as 2010 - the 1980s and the 1970s - but the gap closed this year.  The '80s still had the most MMOTW picks with 15, but the '70s was 1 behind at 14.  Next closest decades were the 2000s and 1960s with 7 each.  Through two years, the '80s still tops the MMOTW charts with 32 of 104 picks, followed by 25 from the '70s and 15 from the '60s.

Just like last year, I don't think those stats mean much - besides pointing out my tendencies for loving films of directors and actors and times - but it fascinates me nonetheless.  Now, let's take a look at some more of my favorite screen shots from this year's MMOTW picks! As always, you can click these caps (and any other caps in the post) to make the images really friggin' bigger.

With that, the sun has set on 2011.  The MMOTW's of 2012 are on their way!