The Conner & Smith Show

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 l...

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...

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...

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 m...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. Some...

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 Be...

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 poe...

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. St...

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 bet...

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 spir...

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 th...

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...

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 masterclas...

On Day 11 of our 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). This is the only one in the whole series that I find even halfway scary—until the infamous ending, when the inflatable mom gets yanked through the front door window and all the terror goes right out with her. Still, there’s no denying that Freddy Krueger’s debut remains one of horror’s most i...

On Day 10 of our 31 Days of Halloween, episode 160, I’m flying solo with Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (1987). This one is pure nightmare fuel, yet I can’t help but admire the gorgeous grotesque artistry of it all. From the unforgettable Cenobites to the exquisite gore, Barker creates a world that’s both bleak and strangely beautiful. This is horror that doesn’t just scare—it mesmerizes, leaving you c...

On Day 9 of our 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo again with Adam Wingard’s Blair Witch (2016). I know it’s considered blasphemous in the horror community, but honestly—I kind of like this one. There’s something strangely satisfying about finally seeing something in the woods, and seeing it in full color. While it doesn’t capture the raw, groundbreaking energy of the 1999 original, it expands...

On Day 8 of our 31 Days of Halloween, I go solo again to cover David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows (2014). I think this one is brilliant—an eerie, slow-burn horror that redefines the rules of dread with its simple but terrifying premise. I’ll explore its haunting atmosphere, striking visual style, and the ways it taps into universal fears about mortality and intimacy. This modern classic proves tha...

On Day 7 of our 31 Days of Halloween, I go solo with Jennifer Kent’s modern horror classic The Babadook (2014). While the film is often praised for its psychological depth and chilling metaphor for grief, I’ll be honest—it isn’t one of my favorites, largely because of the upsetting dog violence. Still, I explore its lasting cultural impact, unforgettable performances, and why it continues to spark...

On Day 6 of our 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan, Matt, and I dive into Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic Poltergeist. This suburban nightmare about a family haunted by restless spirits is one of our all-time favorite horror films, blending heart, humor, and hair-raising terror. We share our love for its unforgettable characters, groundbreaking special effects, and eerie moments that still...

On Day 5 of our 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I discuss M. Night Shyamalan’s haunting classic The Sixth Sense (1999). This supernatural thriller became a cultural phenomenon, blending chilling atmosphere with one of cinema’s most unforgettable twist endings. We explore Haley Joel Osment’s powerful performance as a boy who “sees dead people,” Bruce Willis’s understated turn, and how the film redef...