Day 31 – Episode 181: Clown in a Cornfield (2025)
Happy Halloween!
On Day 31 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Matt and Ryan take over the podcast to discuss Clown in a Cornfield — a movie Matt has never seen! While I was busy entertaining friends, the boys decided to close out our spooky season with chaos, laughter, and some truly wild takes. The results are absolutely hilarious. (P.S. — not that anyone asked me, but I love this movie.)
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Day 30 – Episode 180: Together (2025)
On Day 30 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo to talk about Together (2025) — starring real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. I really wanted to like this one, especially with its promising setup and the duo’s natural chemistry, but what starts as a tense psychological thriller quickly veers into something closer to a satire on codependency. The film toys with horror aesthetics — eerie silences, blurred identities, emotional gaslighting — but ultimately lands more as a dark relationship dramedy than a true horror entry. It’s an interesting experiment, but one that left me wishing for a bit more bite beneath the meta commentary.
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Day 29 – Episode 179: Weapons (2025)
On Day 29 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I are joined by Matt to discuss Weapons (2025) — and we all absolutely loved it. Zack Cregger delivers a bold, haunting, and masterfully constructed film that blurs the lines between nightmare and social commentary. With layered performances, an intricate structure, and imagery that lingers long after the credits, Weapons cements Cregger as one of the most daring voices in modern horror. We dig into the film’s cryptic themes, the meaning of the recurring “1948” motif, and why this movie hit all of us so hard.
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Day 28 – Episode 178: Smile 2 (2024)
On Day 28 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into Smile 2 — and we love every second of it. This sequel amps up everything we enjoyed about the first film: the dread, the tension, and the twisted psychological horror. Naomi Scott delivers a powerhouse performance as a pop star haunted by an unstoppable curse, and director Parker Finn once again proves he knows exactly how to weaponize sound, silence, and the uncanny smile. It’s creepy, clever, and full of unnerving surprises that kept us grinning (and squirming) the whole time.
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Day 27 – Episode 177: Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
On Day 27 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo to discuss Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) — Takashi Shimizu’s chilling tale of a curse born from rage that infects anyone who enters its haunted Tokyo home. While I respect the film’s legacy as one of the defining J-horror classics, I can’t help but feel a bit of déjà vu this week — so many titles on my list explore similar territory of ghosts, curses, and eerie VHS-era hauntings. Still, Ju-On remains a masterclass in atmosphere, with its disjointed storytelling, pale-faced specters, and bone-cracking sound design that creeps under your skin long after it’s over.
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Day 26 – Episode 176: The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
On Day 26 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into The Cabin in the Woods (2012) — Drew Goddard’s genre-bending twist on the classic horror setup. We debate whether the film truly qualifies as a horror movie or if it’s more of a sharp, self-aware satire of horror tropes. With its blend of meta-humor, monsters, and mayhem, this film deconstructs everything from the “final girl” to the ritual of audience expectation itself. Is it scary, funny, or both? We try to pin down exactly what makes this movie such a unique entry in our 31 Days of Halloween. .
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Day 25 – Episode 175: Insidious (2010)
On Day 25 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with Insidious (2010) — a film I like and respect well enough, even if I sometimes mix it up with The Conjuring. And honestly, who could blame me? With James Wan directing, Leigh Whannell writing, and Patrick Wilson starring, the overlap is real. Still, Insidious stands on its own as a stylish, eerie descent into the world of astral projection and haunted dreams. The film’s use of sound, pacing, and surreal visuals make it a standout in modern horror — even if the infamous red-faced demon will forever remind me a little too much of Darth Maul.
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Day 24 – Episode 174: The Ring (2002)
On Day 24 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I revisit Gore Verbinski’s The Ring (2002) — the film that defined early 2000s horror and made us all afraid of our TVs. We dive into how influential this American remake of Ringu truly was, from its haunting aesthetic to its eerie use of analog technology. Naomi Watts delivers a powerhouse performance as Rachel Keller, grounding the supernatural mystery in raw emotion and fear. We also try to wrap our heads around how exactly Samara manages to cross over through VHS tapes and landlines — a mystery that still chills us decades later.
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Day 23 – Episode 173: Mandy (2018)
On Day 23 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into Mandy (2018) — a strange and surreal operatic fantasia descending into the madness of revenge. Nicolas Cage delivers one of his most unhinged and haunting performances in this neon-soaked fever dream by director Panos Cosmatos. It’s a heavy-metal horror symphony of grief, rage, and hallucinatory visuals — a movie that feels less watched than experienced. Equal parts hypnotic and horrifying, Mandy takes the revenge genre to mythic extremes, forging something uniquely feral and transcendent.
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Day 22 – Episode 172: Grave Encounters (2011)
On Day 22 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with Grave Encounters (2011) — and honestly, at this point, I think we’ve officially hit found-footage fatigue. This movie feels like Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum all over again, just with a different group of ghost-hunting YouTubers trapped in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. It’s got the same eerie setup, flickering lights, and night-vision screams, but after so many of these, the scares feel a little recycled. Still, credit where it’s due — Grave Encounters helped shape the modern haunted-asylum subgenre and delivers a few solid chills along the way.
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Day 21 – Episode 171: Us (2019)
On Day 21 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) — a chilling and complex exploration of duality, privilege, and identity. This isn’t just a home-invasion thriller; it’s a layered allegory packed with symbolism, social commentary, and unforgettable performances. From the haunting use of “I Got 5 on It” to the eerie concept of the Tethered, Peele crafts a film that rewards multiple viewings and endless interpretation. It’s both terrifying and thought-provoking — the kind of horror that lingers long after the credits roll.
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Day 20 – Episode 170: Bring Her Back (2025)
On Day 20 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I discuss Bring Her Back (2025) — a film that left us both cold. Despite its stylish look and ambitious setup, we found it to be a mean-spirited movie with little emotional payoff. What could have been a dark, thoughtful supernatural thriller instead felt cruel for cruelty’s sake. Sometimes horror can be cathartic, but this one just felt punishing — and not in a good way.
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Day 19 – Episode 169: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
On Day 19 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I head across the pond to revisit An American Werewolf in London (1981) — John Landis’s genre-blending masterpiece that’s equal parts horror, comedy, and tragedy. This film not only redefined transformation effects (earning Rick Baker the very first Academy Award for Best Makeup), but it also became a personal “gay gateway” for me — with its dark humor, male vulnerability, and the unforgettable charm and body of David Naughton. We talk about how Landis’s tonal tightrope still works today, why the movie’s blend of wit and carnage feels so unique, and how that haunting ending still hits like a punch to the gut.
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Day 18 – Episode 168: 28 Years Later (2025)
On Day 18 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into 28 Years Later — the long-awaited and utterly breathtaking continuation of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s apocalyptic saga. What we expected to be another grim survival horror instead left us both deeply moved, even brought to tears by its haunting beauty, humanity, and poetic sense of closure. The film honors the legacy of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later while evolving into something profoundly emotional — a meditation on time, trauma, and the cost of rebuilding. This isn’t just another sequel; it’s a requiem for the world we once knew.
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Day 17 – Episode 167: Paranormal Activity (2007)
On Day 17 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with Paranormal Activity (2007) — the little indie that launched a massive horror franchise. Maybe we should’ve started our found-footage week with this one, because after the relentless terror of [REC] and Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, this one feels like… a bit of a snooze. Still, it’s impossible to deny how groundbreaking this film was in 2007 — proving that a few cameras, a creaky floorboard, and a whole lot of suggestion could terrify audiences (and make millions). It’s horror by minimalism — even if, by now, we’ve seen it all before.
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Day 16 – Episode 166: Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
On Day 16 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I confront one of the most terrifying found-footage films ever made — Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018). This South Korean nightmare follows a group of online ghost hunters who livestream their exploration of a real abandoned asylum… and quickly discover that some legends are better left alone. The movie’s slow build, eerie realism, and escalating terror make it almost too effective — I’ll be honest, it scared me very much. Too much.
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Day 15 – Episode 165: [REC] (2007)
On Day 15 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into the terrifying chaos of [REC] (2007) — one of the most intense and genuinely frightening found-footage films ever made. This Spanish horror masterpiece traps viewers inside a quarantined apartment building as a news reporter and her cameraman document a mysterious outbreak that spirals into pure nightmare fuel. With its relentless pacing, claustrophobic setting, and shocking realism, [REC] remains one of the genre’s most effective examples of fear caught on tape.
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Day 14 – Episode 164: The Innkeepers (2011)
On Day 14 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I check into Ti West’s The Innkeepers (2011) — a modern ghost story that proves atmosphere and slow-burn tension can be just as scary as jump scares. Set in the real-life Yankee Pedlar Inn, the film follows two quirky hotel employees during the inn’s final weekend before closing, as they attempt to document its haunted history. What starts as harmless ghost-hunting turns into something genuinely chilling, thanks to West’s mastery of mood, character, and creeping dread.
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Day 13 – Episode 163: Session 9 (2001)
On Day 13 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with one of the creepiest psychological horror films of the early 2000s - Session 9 (2001). This slow-burn nightmare follows an asbestos cleanup crew working in an abandoned mental hospital, where paranoia and dread begin to consume them all. What makes it even more chilling? It was actually filmed inside the real Danvers State Mental Hospital in Massachusetts - one of the most infamous asylums in American history and the rumored inspiration for H.P. Lovecraft’s “Arkham.”
I talk about how Session 9 builds its terror through atmosphere, sound, and suggestion - and why its decaying setting might be the scariest character of all.
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On Day 12 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m joined by Ryan Dean Halbrook as we dive into Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976). Nearly fifty years later, this chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel still holds up as one of the greatest horror films ever made. From Sissy Spacek’s haunting performance to Piper Laurie’s unhinged turn as her mother, Carrie remains a masterclass in tension, tragedy, and teenage terror. We talk about why it still works so well today—and how much we absolutely love it.
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