Ben McBride
@monsterpopcorn.com
Co-host of the Dead Ringers podcast. Horror enthusiast and all-around movie nerd.
Letterboxd: @monsterpopcorn
Letterboxd: @monsterpopcorn
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 31 - FRANKENSTEIN. @realgdt.bsky.social ’s take on the classic Mary Shelley story is faithful to the spirit of the original story and its thoughtful contemplation on reckless ambition, creation, humanity, and more. Jacob Elordi as the Creature is a standout here..
October 31, 2025 at 4:30 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 31 - FRANKENSTEIN. @realgdt.bsky.social ’s take on the classic Mary Shelley story is faithful to the spirit of the original story and its thoughtful contemplation on reckless ambition, creation, humanity, and more. Jacob Elordi as the Creature is a standout here..
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 30 - TALK TO ME. After watching BRING HER BACK earlier this month, I wanted to revisit Danny and Michael Philippou’s first feature film. It’s an affecting and disturbing metaphor on youthful carelessness with drug use.
October 30, 2025 at 6:26 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 30 - TALK TO ME. After watching BRING HER BACK earlier this month, I wanted to revisit Danny and Michael Philippou’s first feature film. It’s an affecting and disturbing metaphor on youthful carelessness with drug use.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 29 - CUCKOO. For horror fans wanting to find more niche horror sub-genres, let me present to you this tale of brood parasitism. On this rewatch, I found a better appreciation for Tillman Singer’s brand of weirdness this time around. It’s atmospheric and at times unnerving.
October 29, 2025 at 4:56 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 29 - CUCKOO. For horror fans wanting to find more niche horror sub-genres, let me present to you this tale of brood parasitism. On this rewatch, I found a better appreciation for Tillman Singer’s brand of weirdness this time around. It’s atmospheric and at times unnerving.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 28 - IT. With IT: WELCOME TO DERRY having just premiered its first episode this week, it felt like the appropriate time to revisit Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. Following the Losers Club around 1980s Derry is often entertaining, and often creepy.
October 28, 2025 at 9:34 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 28 - IT. With IT: WELCOME TO DERRY having just premiered its first episode this week, it felt like the appropriate time to revisit Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. Following the Losers Club around 1980s Derry is often entertaining, and often creepy.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 27 - JENNIFER’S BODY. Diablo Cody’s quirky dialogue & fun characters make for an entertaining romp in this high school horror comedy. Central characters, Needy and Jennifer, find themselves at a relationship crossroads as their friendship deteriorates when Needy realizes..
October 28, 2025 at 4:28 AM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 27 - JENNIFER’S BODY. Diablo Cody’s quirky dialogue & fun characters make for an entertaining romp in this high school horror comedy. Central characters, Needy and Jennifer, find themselves at a relationship crossroads as their friendship deteriorates when Needy realizes..
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 26 - THE MANITOU. This 1978 supernatural horror is entirely a product of its time & is delightfully bizarre. The story kicks off with a woman who has a growing lump on the base of her neck because a 400-year old Native American demon wants to be reincarnated through her.
October 26, 2025 at 9:05 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 26 - THE MANITOU. This 1978 supernatural horror is entirely a product of its time & is delightfully bizarre. The story kicks off with a woman who has a growing lump on the base of her neck because a 400-year old Native American demon wants to be reincarnated through her.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 25 - GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN. Like many a child of the 90s, GOOSEBUMPS was highly influential in my burgeoning horror taste. I’ve been and still am drawn to the property and was rather happy when they started making films based on the books.
October 25, 2025 at 3:40 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 25 - GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN. Like many a child of the 90s, GOOSEBUMPS was highly influential in my burgeoning horror taste. I’ve been and still am drawn to the property and was rather happy when they started making films based on the books.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 24 - THE UGLY STEPSISTER. I went into this knowing next to nothing and walked out of it having likely found my favorite horror film of 2025. Director Emilie Kristine Blichfeldt’s feature film debut shows such a strong vision, it’s borderline masterful.
October 24, 2025 at 3:58 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 24 - THE UGLY STEPSISTER. I went into this knowing next to nothing and walked out of it having likely found my favorite horror film of 2025. Director Emilie Kristine Blichfeldt’s feature film debut shows such a strong vision, it’s borderline masterful.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 23 - THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. This brand new horror thriller seems to be a bit divisive but I’m in the “it’s good” camp here. Maika Monroe & Mary Elizabeth Winstead both do a fantastic job with their textured characters. It’s fun seeing Maika in a more villainous role.
October 23, 2025 at 10:38 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 23 - THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. This brand new horror thriller seems to be a bit divisive but I’m in the “it’s good” camp here. Maika Monroe & Mary Elizabeth Winstead both do a fantastic job with their textured characters. It’s fun seeing Maika in a more villainous role.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 22 - THE LOVE WITCH. This campy throwback to 60s/70s erotic horror manages to nail its aesthetic thanks to the singular vision of writer/director Anna Biller, who wore A LOT of hats on this production.
October 22, 2025 at 5:39 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 22 - THE LOVE WITCH. This campy throwback to 60s/70s erotic horror manages to nail its aesthetic thanks to the singular vision of writer/director Anna Biller, who wore A LOT of hats on this production.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 21 - NIGHT OF THE REAPER. This movie feels like a run of the mill slasher, until it’s not. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It can be a little rough around the edges but a twisty reveal actually got me on board with it.
October 21, 2025 at 11:39 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 21 - NIGHT OF THE REAPER. This movie feels like a run of the mill slasher, until it’s not. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It can be a little rough around the edges but a twisty reveal actually got me on board with it.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 20 - THE VISIT. While this doesn’t reach the heights of some of M. Night Shyamalan’s more successful films, it is a solid horror thriller. The grandparents are unnerving, with Deanna Dunagan as Nana giving a downright creepy performance.
October 20, 2025 at 4:29 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 20 - THE VISIT. While this doesn’t reach the heights of some of M. Night Shyamalan’s more successful films, it is a solid horror thriller. The grandparents are unnerving, with Deanna Dunagan as Nana giving a downright creepy performance.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 19 - THE DEADLY SPAWN. I adore this under-seen gem of a cult movie. It’s an ultra low-budget flick that manages to exceed its budgetary limitations to bring a fun energy and a hint of a larger scope to its proceedings. The special fx are so cool & I love the creature design!
October 19, 2025 at 6:10 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 19 - THE DEADLY SPAWN. I adore this under-seen gem of a cult movie. It’s an ultra low-budget flick that manages to exceed its budgetary limitations to bring a fun energy and a hint of a larger scope to its proceedings. The special fx are so cool & I love the creature design!
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 18 - CRONOS. Guillermo del Toro’s take on vampirism is a melding of vampire lore & the fountain of youth. It’s not a spreadable affliction, via a vampire bite, but instead it’s a supernatural mechanism that extends the life of the person using it, with monstrous side effects.
October 18, 2025 at 7:12 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 18 - CRONOS. Guillermo del Toro’s take on vampirism is a melding of vampire lore & the fountain of youth. It’s not a spreadable affliction, via a vampire bite, but instead it’s a supernatural mechanism that extends the life of the person using it, with monstrous side effects.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 17 - WISHMASTER. With Robert Kurtzman, one of the co-founders of KNB EFX, at the helm, you’d be sure to expect this movie to have fun practical effects, and on that, it definitely delivers! The whole film is a blast of B-movie goodness and is 100% my kind of movie!
October 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 17 - WISHMASTER. With Robert Kurtzman, one of the co-founders of KNB EFX, at the helm, you’d be sure to expect this movie to have fun practical effects, and on that, it definitely delivers! The whole film is a blast of B-movie goodness and is 100% my kind of movie!
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 16 - OCULUS. This reality-distorting supernatural horror movie about a haunted mirror will make you question what you are seeing. The film does a good job of introducing the mirror’s distortion prowess before it unleashes it in a manner that will make your head spin a bit.
October 16, 2025 at 3:08 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 16 - OCULUS. This reality-distorting supernatural horror movie about a haunted mirror will make you question what you are seeing. The film does a good job of introducing the mirror’s distortion prowess before it unleashes it in a manner that will make your head spin a bit.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 15 - INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978). “Paranoia! Paranoia! Everbody’s coming to get me!” This lyric from a Harvey Danger song popped into my head after watching this film. It encapsulates one of the more pervasive elements of this remake from Philip Kaufman.
October 15, 2025 at 7:11 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 15 - INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978). “Paranoia! Paranoia! Everbody’s coming to get me!” This lyric from a Harvey Danger song popped into my head after watching this film. It encapsulates one of the more pervasive elements of this remake from Philip Kaufman.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 14 - CASPER. For some family-friendly Halloweeny fun this year, I’ve chosen this supernatural fantasy. Sporting some really great production values and a touching score, this 1995 film utilizes CGI that surprisingly holds up well (in 4K) with its ghostly cartoon aesthetic.
October 14, 2025 at 7:50 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 14 - CASPER. For some family-friendly Halloweeny fun this year, I’ve chosen this supernatural fantasy. Sporting some really great production values and a touching score, this 1995 film utilizes CGI that surprisingly holds up well (in 4K) with its ghostly cartoon aesthetic.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 13 - VAMPIRES. While this may generally be one of John Carpenter’s lesser-talked-about films, I find this pulpy western/horror hybrid to be a pretty fun watch. The film rides a line between being badass and campy with characters that feel dialed up to 11 at times.
October 13, 2025 at 8:02 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 13 - VAMPIRES. While this may generally be one of John Carpenter’s lesser-talked-about films, I find this pulpy western/horror hybrid to be a pretty fun watch. The film rides a line between being badass and campy with characters that feel dialed up to 11 at times.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 12 - NEW NIGHTMARE. This month we are featuring two A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films because, well, they both are awesome! Wes Craven goes full meta here and creates something that is so ingenious in how it approaches the power of stories.
October 12, 2025 at 4:26 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 12 - NEW NIGHTMARE. This month we are featuring two A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films because, well, they both are awesome! Wes Craven goes full meta here and creates something that is so ingenious in how it approaches the power of stories.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 11 - CREEP 2. I’ve been watching THE CREEP TAPES lately, and wanted to revisit this one as I couldn’t remember too much about it. Coming off the first CREEP, this sequel subverts your expectations and plays a different angle.
October 11, 2025 at 4:19 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 11 - CREEP 2. I’ve been watching THE CREEP TAPES lately, and wanted to revisit this one as I couldn’t remember too much about it. Coming off the first CREEP, this sequel subverts your expectations and plays a different angle.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 10 - A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS. This 3rd film is amongst my favorite of the series. In a way this one is kind of like Freddy vs the X-men, and I’m totally here for that. The FX are pretty gnarly (love the stop motion skeleton fight & the marionette kill).
October 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 10 - A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS. This 3rd film is amongst my favorite of the series. In a way this one is kind of like Freddy vs the X-men, and I’m totally here for that. The FX are pretty gnarly (love the stop motion skeleton fight & the marionette kill).
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 9 - BRING HER BACK. I went into this knowing nothing about it other than it was from the filmmakers of TALK TO ME. As a result, I was very engrossed & surprised by this really f$cked up tale of grief. It had me squirming in my seat a number of times & consistently on edge.
October 9, 2025 at 1:37 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 9 - BRING HER BACK. I went into this knowing nothing about it other than it was from the filmmakers of TALK TO ME. As a result, I was very engrossed & surprised by this really f$cked up tale of grief. It had me squirming in my seat a number of times & consistently on edge.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 8 - EVIL DEAD RISE. Director Lee Cronin stated that they used over 1,700 gallons of fake blood on this film, which makes sense for how goopy this movie is! RISE is more of a spiritual successor to Sam Raimi’s originals but it makes good use of the EVIL DEAD series trademarks.
October 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 8 - EVIL DEAD RISE. Director Lee Cronin stated that they used over 1,700 gallons of fake blood on this film, which makes sense for how goopy this movie is! RISE is more of a spiritual successor to Sam Raimi’s originals but it makes good use of the EVIL DEAD series trademarks.
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 7 - THE MONKEY. Osgood Perkins’ take on a Steven King short story is pretty entertaining and feels tonally different than his previous films. It’s got a wicked sense of humor and grisly effects as it tells an absurd tale of family drama and chaotic supernatural violence.
October 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
[31 DAYS OF HORROR] DAY 7 - THE MONKEY. Osgood Perkins’ take on a Steven King short story is pretty entertaining and feels tonally different than his previous films. It’s got a wicked sense of humor and grisly effects as it tells an absurd tale of family drama and chaotic supernatural violence.