Meaghan and Shirin close spooky season by unpacking how Universal Studios turned Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and more into pop-culture icons—mixing juicy film history (Nosferatu! Laemmle! Lon Chaney’s DIY makeup!) with why these monsters still feel painfully human today.

We rewatch It Chapters 1 & 2 to dig into why Pennywise endures: coming-of-age grief, Derry’s complicity, flawless casting, Richie–Eddie subtext, Beverly’s survival, and the scenes that still wreck us. Plus, timely hype for It: Welcome to Derry on HBO/Max.

Folk horror isn’t just creaky floors and creepy forests—it’s slow dread, strange rituals, and outsiders trapped in tight-knit communities. Shereen (skeptic turned convert) and Meaghan (genre guide) break down what defines folk horror, why it scares so well, and the books/films that do it right—from Slewfoot and The Only Good Indians to The Wicker Man, The Village, and The Watchers.

YA horror is thriving — slashers, haunted houses, dark academia, and queer coming-of-age stories are giving readers real chills and real catharsis. Megan and Shereen unpack why “for the teens” horror works for all ages, swap nightstand picks, and rec a stack of gateway reads and adaptations.

The best horror adaptations of the last decade—Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, Interview with the Vampire, The Invisible Man, Fear Street, Fall of the House of Usher, and BBC’s Dracula. We break down what makes modern page-to-screen horror work: fidelity to the source, bold updates, and the streaming era’s bigger swings.

Dark academia fans: we built Hollywood’s slate for you. From Yale secret societies to culty MFA programs, here are the campus thrillers we think should be adapted next—plus reader confessions (DNFs! trophy shelves!) you’ll feel in your bones.

Why are dark-academia books so hard to adapt? We dig into the vibe vs. story problem, elitist settings and unlikable casts, streamer cancel culture, and why animation could rescue the genre—using “Wednesday,” “The Order,” and classic Poe vibes as case studies.

We kick off our September theme with a big-picture chat on dark academia—specifically, why so many campus-set stories lean on secret societies, initiations, and underground clubs, plus current reads and a fantasy ARC you’ll want on your TBR.

We unpack Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty — the frustrating choices, messy love triangle, and why the side characters are the only ones keeping us watching.

This week, we’re sweating through August and diving headfirst into romance month — starting with Netflix’s My Oxford Year. It had promise: Oxford setting, a dreamy British lead, and all the cozy vibes we love. But things went off the rails fast.

Colleen Hoover writes about love, but do her books still count as romance? Meaghan and Shereen break down the emotional weight of Hoover’s stories, question what defines the genre, and share some laughs (and confusion) along the way.

Thriller, fantasy, YA, sci-fi, some book genres adapt better than others. Here's what works, what doesn’t, and why we still fall for the messy ones.

Get the scoop on book-to-screen adaptations releasing in 2025 through 2026, including thrillers, fantasy epics, and romance hits, plus the ones worth reading first.

Amazon’s We Were Liars adaptation uncovers hidden trauma, privilege, and family secrets in a gripping YA mystery that may outshine the bestselling novel.

Discover why today’s book-to-screen adaptations shine with faithful storytelling, author involvement, and the rise of streaming series.

We revisit The Da Vinci Code movie, explore why it failed as an adaptation, and unpack its banned book status with humor and sharp insights.

Explore the top 10 most banned books and uncover the real reasons behind rising censorship in the U.S. and Canada, from LGBTQ+ themes to racial identity.

Utah banned Water for Elephants in schools under a new law. We reviewed the film, the book, and the ban—and we’re still wondering what the issue was.

Exploring banned books, censorship, and why banned titles like 1984, The Housemaid, and more still matter in today's political and cultural climate.

HBO’s IT Welcome to Derry trailer sparks debate on IT prequel, Pennywise’s return, and whether the story can offer something new beyond familiar scares.