101 SHMOAT follows the well-worn VH1 formula of a whole lot of clips and a few talking heads. Occasionally, we're treated to people involved in making the films being showcased, and they always have something interesting to say. More often, we get to listen to people without much in the way of qualification, who want to tell us that Last House on the Left is somehow a moving work of art rather than classic exploitation, or that "it was all a dream" is something to love rather than lazy writing. But hey, Joe Bob Briggs is always awesome.
Films showcased are well curated. There don't seem to be any paid promotions here, and we're talking about a time period spanning Nostradamus to, I dunno, Autopsy of Jane Doe. While I wasn't a fan of every film featured, I know that tastes vary greatly *especially* within this genre, and films typically deserved their place on this list.
While we listen to the talking heads, we get to see good clips of good films, and there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, I was reminded of the greatness of a film I loved long ago, to which I hadn't devoted enough recent thought. A few times, I was introduced to a film I hadn't even heard of, and took a mental note to give it a watch.
If your well of horror is running dry, you'd probably get more out of this than on taking a chance on some cast-review-bombed Amazon Prime crapola. And, who knows, you might even discover a few gems.
There is one warning which may be very important to some people: the films are *thoroughly* spoiled in discussion. Personally, especially having seen most of these films, I think that's a wise choice; you really can't say much about a film without accepting spoilage, and I don't find that being spoiled makes me enjoy great films any less. But for those who care about spoilers, and haven't seen many of these films, you might want to take a pass on this series.
