About Channeling Marilyn: Seventeen-year-old Lexa Donovan’s timid, plus-size life goes sideways when the spirit of Marilyn Monroe takes up residence in her body in this laugh-out-loud funny paranormal YA tale perfect for fans of Lisa Schroeder and Ashley Poston. Out June 2nd 2026.

One of the most fun parts of doing research for my YA paranormal fantasy Channeling Marilyn was watching and rewatching a lot of Marilyn Monroe’s films. I enjoyed them when I saw them as a child, and none of them felt tired for me on what had to be a second or even third viewing. Part of why I rewatched a lot of films and added others to my film roster is that I was determined to figure out what it was and is about Marilyn that captured and continues to capture the universe’s attention. There were plenty of gorgeous blondes back in the day, but none of them have even come close to the stature and mystery and obsession as Marilyn Monroe. Why is that? First off, I think it is her beauty for sure, but there’s more. She seems to represent an ideal of what our western culture has deemed perfect female beauty, and has for well over 70 years (not saying this is true, but it comes up again and again, and so many pop culture icons and stars copycat her look). Secondly, beneath that beauty is a sweetness and vulnerability that appeals to men and women alike. Sure, men want to “have” her and take care of her, but women want to take care of her as well. That one-two-punch is the kind of genuine star quality that cannot be manufactured. Maybe it’s as simple as the Norma Jeane under the Marilyn that makes Marilyn Monroe universally loved.

The following three of her films rise to the top for me:

Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)

This is a great film all around, with one of the best final lines in film history. If you don’t know it, I won’t spoil it for you. I feel like this is one of the funniest films ever made, and it just doesn’t get old for me. In brief, it follows two male musicians who witness a mob hit, flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, only to face further complications. I love the performances and the comedic interplay. All of the characters are just so well-developed and rich. I like the premise and the cross-dressing angle. I feel like Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis do a really good and fun job of hiding out as women. I liked how their feminine alter-ego mentalities crept into their typical (of that time) male sensibilities. I liked the friendship they made with the women, particularly Marilyn’s Sugar Kane, and how their relationship as men changed when they were in their female roles. It was like they got a little taste of what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world, good and bad. A great premise for fiction. As for Marilyn, I loved how her character knew herself and knew what she wanted. Ultimately, Sugar wants to be loved. She thinks she wants security, because what could be less secure than being in an all-lady band during prohibition. I also liked how fast she made friends with the two new women, and how fast she came to count on them as buddies. She is so vulnerable and lovely; the two male leads couldn’t help but love her and, ultimately, want to protect her. A fantastic kind of love triangle where one side is romantic and the other is pure buddy film.

Bus Stop (Joshua Logan, 1956)

This is one of those films that just always called to me. In brief, it tells the story of a naive but stubborn cowboy who falls in love with a saloon singer and tries to take her away against her will to get married and live on his ranch in Montana. When I first saw “Bus Stop”, I had no idea it was based on a play, so I didn’t know how the play had been opened up to include more of a back story to saloon singer Cherie’s and cowboy Bo’s story. And with the inclusion of Eileen Heckart as Cherie’s friend Vera there was a lot more going on here than in the play. I think what I love about this film is how Marilyn’s performance captures perfectly the concept of the “tainted angel.” I don’t think any other actress has ever captured that concept as effectively and as engagingly as Marilyn Monroe. She is lovely and vital and sweet, but that vulnerability, well, that is what tugs at the audience in her portrayal of Cherie’s story. Yes, Cherie has made a lot of poor choices, and has had some knocks, but she gets up and gets on that stage anyway. She sings her song. That’s how this character ultimately speaks to Lexa in my novel Channeling Marilyn. Being beautiful or damaged or any of that doesn’t really define Cherie. It’s her desire and her hope. Her willingness to get out there again and again. That’s what captures the audience. Also, that neither she nor Bo are good guys or bad guys. He’s immature in his thinking that he is able to “herd” her into a relationship like one of his cows, but deep down he’s willing to grow and change. He is willing to “see” Cherie as she is. Cherie, too, is willing to look beyond his immaturity and forgive him. Ultimately, she is forgiving herself, and taking the chance at happiness he offers her. It is her choice.

Niagara (Henry Hathaway, 1953)

It took me a long time to watch this film as it was not one I saw as a kid. I don’t know if it was rules and permissions that kept it from being part of my movie-watching youth, but I think I was more drawn to Marilyn’s comedies than to her dramas. So, on a solo movie watching evening during my novel research phase, I cued up this film and gave it a watch. In brief, the film follows two couples visiting Niagara Falls, where tensions between one wife and her husband reach the level of murder. I really liked it! Marilyn is one of the main players, but she is not the star of this story. She plays bad girl Rose Loomis, who is setting up her husband George, played by Joseph Cotton, to be killed so she can escape their loveless marriage. It’s really important for this story that the Rose character is drop dead gorgeous and alluring; that she is appealing not only to men but to women. Both of the other two main characters—the young couple who serve as “witnesses” to the events unfolding—are attracted to Rose. The film and all the characters seem to understand that a woman like Rose is as much of a force as the film’s titular falls. **Spoiler alert**: It’s no surprise that after George’s character kills Rose, he is then sucked under the weight of the falls. There is no escaping a woman like Rose, even in death. I think only an actress with Marilyn Monroe’s power, allure and vulnerability could pull off this role. Any other actress would just seem hard and manipulative, but somehow we feel for Rose. We want her to escape volatile, depressed George. She makes a bad choice, but do we really hold it against her? Is there not some part of us that wishes she could move on? That is the essence that elevates this film, to my mind. There’s only one Niagara Falls and only one Marilyn Monroe.

The post Let’s Go To the Movies: How Researching Marilyn Monroe’s Films Helped Me Write ‘Channeling Marilyn’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

About Most Likely To Murder: Yearbook superlatives turn deadly in this darkly funny young adult thriller from the award-winning author of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Released March 24th 2026.

Two things got me through my teen years—horror and comedy. Comedy, of course, is a well-known coping mechanism, but you might be surprised that watching and reading horror can help people cope, too.  And teens have a lot to cope with. I mean, what are the teen years if not horror? The body horror that is puberty, the nightmares of dating, the dread of social interaction, and don’t get me started on general high school life.  Add in the fact that you’re at the whim of every adult in your life, for better or for worse? That’s a lot to cope with. To help process all of this, a lot of teens turn to horror. They can’t look at their own lives head on, because that would be overwhelming, so they must look at it from a remove. (In literary circles, this is called “cognitive estrangement” a term coined by Canadian writer and professor, Darko Suvin, and a concept I’m a bit enthralled with.)

In high school, my brain needed that remove to process what I was going through at the time, but what I really loved was combining that remove with my favorite coping mechanism: humor. Horror comedy has been—and always will be—my favorite. After all, what better way to take the power back from what scares you than to laugh at it? Part of the reason I wrote my new book, Most Likely to Murder, was because of those films, those books. I wanted to give a little back to the blood-soaked genre of my teen years, and I wanted it to be funny.

On that note, here are five of my favorite horror comedy films. I’m incapable of picking my favorite—even my top ten—films or books, so this list is hardly definitive. What I’ve done instead is choose five films I love a whole lot, in no particular order, as well as two honorable mentions, with characters in high school or in college, that I think give off similar vibes to my book. If you find yourself nodding along to this list, then Most Likely to Murder might be for you.

Happy Death Day

If you’ve never seen this film, it’s the teen slasher take on the movie Groundhog Day. Tree is a self-centered sorority girl, which could easily be played as a stereotype, but instead we’re given a layered character acting out because she’s dealt with trauma and hasn’t figured out how to get past it. It’s a hilariously fun take on the teen slasher trope and one we rewatch in my house. The sequel was also very fun, and we were bummed to find out there is currently no third film planned.

Final Girls

Because I’ve watched so much horror, I love a good meta take. Final Girls takes you inside the genre of teen horror and looks at it from a new angle, playing on the slasher tropes we all know and love. Max’s mom was an actress whose biggest hit was a B-movie slasher film. Max’s mom suddenly dies, leaving Max grief stricken and unsure how to go on. But when Max attends a screening of her mom’s film, she somehow gets sucked into it, giving her a chance to see her mom again. Only there’s still a killer, and Max has to try to keep her new friends, and her mom, alive to the end. While this film had a scene so funny I had to pause the movie because I was laughing too hard, it also has a lot to say about grief and loss.

Lost Boys

Lost Boys isn’t a slasher film—it’s a vampire film—but it’s one that I imprinted on hard as a kid. The cast is great (I adore Dianne Wiest as the mom) and the characters well developed and a little bit quirky. The family dynamic is one that I find echoes of in my own work—a parent doing their best, a family that screws up, but would do anything for each other. It’s also an extremely quotable film, still showing up in memes and even as band names—the hardcore punk band Death By Stereo gets its name from Lost Boys. My whole family watches this film every year, and it’s fun to explain some of the 80’s stuff to my kids. Like, “Why is there a shirtless man covered in oil playing a saxophone?” for example, which I honestly have no good explanation for. It just is and the film is better for it.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil

Okay, this is technically not a teen film as the cast is mostly college kids, but I wanted to include it. Mostly because, as I think this list has made clear, I love it when films take on tropes from a different angle. This film takes the “evil hillbilly” trope and flips it. The “hillbillies” are Tucker and Dale (played delightfully by Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, respectively) who are in the woods to work on Tucker’s new vacation home—which is objectively a very creepy and dilapidated cabin. They’re just two best friends trying to fish, drink beer, and enjoy their new cabin. Unfortunately, they’re mistaken as murderers by some preppy college kids and the result is an incredibly bloody farce of a film. This film pairs nicely with my next choice, which is…

Cabin in the Woods

A group of college kids head to a cabin in the woods for a fun weekend that goes horribly, terribly wrong. This film takes on every horror trope at the same time with characters that encompass the kind of stock archetypes you’d expect in teen horror films. (I know, I know, they’re in college. I’m counting it.) While they may be stock types (the jock, the stoner, the virgin, etc.) the characters themselves are wonderfully portrayed by an excellent cast. Even the minor characters—especially Sitterson and Hadley (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford)—are a delight. On top of all of that, there’s an absolute smorgasbord of horror creatures throughout, including a vicious merman.

Honorable mentions:

These two aren’t quite horror, but they’re not not horror either, and I wanted to at least give them a mention. The first is Attack the Block, which is about a teen gang in South London defending their block from an alien invasion. It’s a solid film with a great cast and I love the way they portrayed the aliens. Recommend watching this one with subtitles if you’re not conversant in British accents and slang.

The second film is Heathers. Heathers is a dark comedy/satire about high school, popular kids, and revenge. It’s a funny film with a high body count. Stranger Things fans might enjoy seeing Winona Ryder in one of her earlier roles alongside Christian Slater.

The post Lish McBride’s Favorite Horror Comedy Films appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

About Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies: Hobnobbing with Seattle’s elite on a super-yacht, Juliette Winters is about to land the deal of the century – if she doesn’t get arrested first. She Doesn’t Have A Clue author Jenny Elder Moke returns with another riotous mystery rom-com that delights in rich people behaving badly.

It’s been a season of blockbuster sequels and a welcome return to romance, and we are here for it all! If you’re looking to cure that movie hangover with a delicious, engrossing book (because the book is ALWAYS better), check out this list of six books that deliver on all those favorite movie vibes.

Liked WAKE UP, DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY? Try CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE HE DIES by Jenny Elder Moke

If you loved the locked room mystery and internet ‘soft boy’ sidekick of the new Knives Out movie, you’ve got to try CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE HE DIES. When book marketer Juliette Winters loses out on the biggest deal of her career after the author drops dead at his own announcement party on a luxury yacht, she suspects that his heart attack was anything but natural. She’ll need all the help she can get as she dives into the world of ultra-exclusive country clubs – including the expertise of heart surgeon Charlie Hawkins, the unnervingly earnest Australian who saves lives by day and bakes sourdough by night. Filled with humor, twists, hijinks, and at least one high-speed boat chase, CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE HE DIES will scratch that Clue-loving itch.

Liked SINNERS? Try THE MONSTERS WE DEFY by Leslye Penelope

Loved the historical setting of SINNERS with the twist of African American folk magic and climactic mayhem? Then you’ve got to pick up a copy of THE MONSTERS WE DEFY. The novel follows Clara Johnson, a medium in 1920s Washington DC who is cursed with the actual ability to talk to spirits, trapped by her debt to them. When the opportunity to escape comes in the form of stealing a magical ring, Clara assembles a crack team of heisters with very special abilities to secure her freedom. But magic can’t be so easily contained, and as the struggles in the spirit world begin to affect the living, Clara finds herself embroiled in a battle for her very soul.

Liked NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T? Try A MILLION TO ONE by Adiba Jaigirdar

If you can’t get enough of heists with an Ocean’s Eleven-style cast of characters, then check out A MILLION TO ONE. Set aboard the Titanic (yeah, that Titanic), the book brings together four girls from diverse backgrounds to steal a jewel-encrusted book that will buy their way to freedom. A crack team consisting of a thief, an artist, an acrobat, and an actress, the girls put together the perfect plan to steal the book and make their escape from their disappointing lives. Of course, the greatest heists in history never go to plan, and this one will be no different. And no matter how badly they want to escape their fates, no one can escape the iceberg in their futures.

Loved THE ROSES? Try YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER by Sarah Hogle

If the idea of a picture-perfect couple unraveling behind the scenes with hilarious results is absolutely your bag, then you need YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER in your life. Naomi Westfield and Nicholas Rose might look like the perfect couple to be, but Naomi is sick to death of Nicholas’s boring, society pleasing ways. The only problem? If she ends the engagement first, she foots the bill for their massive wedding. Naomi has plans to force Nicholas’s hand and end the wedding, but when she discovers that Mr. Perfect is only so perfect because he’s been faking it too, they start an absolute all-out war to drive each other to breaking off their engagement first. What transpires is a hilarious, no-holds-barred sabotage fest that will have you in stitches (seriously, the shoveling scene with Naomi and Nicholas’s mom will become an all-time fave). But the harder Naomi and Nicholas try to get rid of each other, the more they start to realize they might actually deserve each other.

Loved WICKED: FOR GOOD? Try HENCH by Natalie Zina Walschots

If the idea of the “villain” of a famous story getting a turn to tell THEIR side of the story really does it for you, then you’ll love HENCH. When Anna Tromedlov is fired from her role as assistant to a superhero, she takes her righteous anger and impressive internet research skills to the dark side. As an assistant (or henchwoman, if you prefer the correct lingo) to a villain, Anna finds her true calling – to truly appalling results. HENCH explores the ways in which anyone can so easily slide into the role of villainy, driven there by the expectations of society and the pressure of those around us. It teaches us that the only distinction between heroes and villains are the ones we draw within our own minds. And with a sequel planned for May 2026 (because we love a two-parter!), this is the perfect time to get caught up on Anna’s story.

Loved ETERNITY? Try THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE by Kirsty Greenwood

If the pitch of a woman reaching the afterlife and getting a second chance at love tickled your fancy, then check out THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE. Delphie has been sent to the hereafter after choking to death on a microwaveable burger, but it’s not all bad – she meets the absolute ‘one’ while hanging out in the waiting room. Delphie dreams of them spending their rest of their afterlives together, until he gets popped back down to earth due to a clerical error. Delphie gets the chance to return to earth herself and find her other half, but locating ‘the one’ in a city full of other ones is a lot more than she bargained for. She’s got ten days to find the love of her afterlife and wrangle a Little Mermaid-style kiss out of him, or else return to the afterlife alone forever.

The post Six Books To Read After The Movies You Loved appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

About K-Jane: A funny, moving YA novel following a third-generation Korean American teen who goes to extreme and hilarious lengths to connect more with her Korean heritage, perfect for fans of Maurene Goo and Rachel Lynn Solomon.

My youngest kid has a penchant for thrifting and transforming old clothes with needle and thread. A musty vest turns into a corset; a gauzy beach cover transforms into a witchy bat-winged dress à la Stevie Nicks; a fragment of lace becomes a choker.

They remind me of someone I used to obsess about all the time. Someone I wanted to be: Andie Walsh, from the 1986 movie, Pretty in Pink, written by John Hughes. Unlike Andie, however, in the 1980s I was scrawny, short and Asian. But what we did have in common was that we were decidedly not cool. I had wanted to double down on that left-of-center uncoolness.  I longed for thrift store finds and combat boots and hacked my hair into a half-punk hairdo when my parents went away for a weekend. My Korean immigrant mom told me my style looked “poor” and preferred that I wore my sister’s soul-killing, uncool hand-me-downs.

Andie was also romantically pursued by (multiple!) guys, fiercely herself in the face of “richies” who flaunted their money and their designer clothes, and hung out with the actual cool kids. You know. The ones wearing black. The ones who hung onto the remnants of punk rock. The ones listening to The Cure and Siouxie and the Banshees and Echo and Bunnymen.

You’d think I’d be happy to watch Pretty in Pink with my own teenager, so I could show them Andie’s style and why I saw similar genius in the two of them. But I was nervous. John Hughes left an indelible mark in the lives of teens in the 1980s. His movies had shown a whole generation that not all teens existed in the realm of Porky’s and Animal House. Hughes’s movies focused on the minutiae of teen life: Who will invite me to the prom? Who will remember it’s my birthday? He tackled classism in high school, the stress of academia, and the emotional and sometimes physical brutality of being an outsider. Crushes were center stage in the stories, and they were just that–they fueled roller coaster emotions and wreaked havoc.

But.

My god, Sixteen Candles was a nasty, awful mess. It possessed one of the most egregious, racist portrayals of an Asian character that I have ever seen on film. It handles rape with such casualness that “nauseating” hardly describes it. Jake’s girlfriend is literally handed over to the Geek’s character to do with what he wants while she is fully incapacitated and inebriated, and she actually smiles the next morning and when asked if she enjoyed the experience says hesitantly, “I have this weird feeling I did” because, you know, she wasn’t thinking at the time, since she was unconscious.

Pretty in Pink isn’t anywhere near as awful as Sixteen Candles, but I had to interrupt the movie  repeatedly while we watched because I couldn’t not talk about it. How the teen boys around her acted as if Andie owed them her attention. Her love. Her body. I used to think Duckie was cute. I dreamed of telling Andie, hey, let me have him, he’s so devoted! He’s so quirky and cute! But watching this time around, he sickened me. The nonstop romantic harassment of Andie was too much. My kid agreed and found Duckie to be gross, too. Even if he did have awesome style. My kid and I were so irritated that Iona, Annie Potts’s character, changed her singular style to fit a new love interest.

And though The Breakfast Club had the ability to give teens of different backgrounds a voice they’d never had in cinema, Claire was still verbally attacked far more than her male school detention detainees. And the “freak” Allison Reynolds? That makeover is seen so differently today. Her transformation to the center of normal was the only way she could be bequeathed a romantic relationship and a happily ever after. Allison had to (at least visually) leave her lower class status to be considered dateable.

On rewatching it, I muttered, “She looked better before.”

So yes, I did refer to Andie Walsh’s style throughout my book, as it was an inspiration for Jane. But Jane wisely comments, “Yes, I know John Hughes made major problematic movies, with some awful character and script choices. And yes, I have never forgiven him for the whole Long Duck Dong and rapey fiasco that was Sixteen Candles. But I can’t help myself.”

Because I can’t help but love parts–but far from all–of John Hughes’s stories. Molly Ringwald herself wrote an essay in The New Yorker, wrestling with the complicated feelings she had working with John Hughes. She’d been his muse and perhaps a teen muse for a generation. But in the end, it’s not that complicated. John Hughes did some things well, many things horribly, and yes, his work is a part of cinematic history, but a part that I am more than okay with leaving behind.

I am proud of Jane–even if she is only fictional–for cherry-picking what she liked out of John Hughes’s oeuvre and rejecting what she despises about it. After all, the world is now filled with plenty of coming-of-age stories that are complex and nuanced, without needing to normalize or perpetuate the horrible yuck within the John Hughes era.

The post Gen-X and John Hughes: A Tale of Love and Hate appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Here are four books you’ll want to pick up before their movie adaptations hit the screen!

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was merely 18 years old when she wrote Frankenstein, the gothic novel first published in 1818. However, the edition most widely read today is the 1832 version, which she revised in her 30s, much later in life. Her novel, a cornerstone of science fiction, follows Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist whose attempt to create life sets off tragic consequences that endanger everything he holds dear. A profound philosophical tale that explores ambition, isolation, and a deep and relatable yearning for belonging. Arguably one of the English Romanticism’s greatest works of prose fiction, inspiring numerous movie adaptations, the latest released in theatres on October 30th this year.

If any director was going to take on this project, Mexican filmmaker and author Guillermo del Toro is the right man for the job. He is well known for his works in horror and fiction. Some of his notable displays of creativity include “The Shape of Water”, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, and “Crimson Peak”, to name a few. The casting of this movie has the pop-culture world in an excited frenzy due to the talented actors and actresses who will bring life to our Netflix screens with this upcoming release. Jacob Elordi, a rising actor in the industry, best known for his intense portrayals of morally complex characters such as Nate Jacobs in Euphoria and Elvis Presley in Priscilla. Mia Goth notably known for her roles as Maxine Minx and Pearl, and Oscar Issac, playing Victor Frankenstein, coming off the Dune Series, are all starring in this movie, and the range of raw talent and skill of this cast should be enough to move this book up on anyone’s TBR (to be read) list.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel Hamnet reimagines the life of William Shakespeare’s family in 16th-century Stratford, as they grapple with the loss of their son, brother, and friend. Shifting perspectives reveal how grief, identity, and mourning shape each family member in profoundly different ways, creating a layered portrait of loss. O’Farrell’s lyrical prose and purposeful use of repetition suspend time for the reader, making the story feel both intimate and timeless—a quality that makes it an ideal candidate for the big screen.

The historical drama adaptation is directed by Chloé Zhao, the Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer best known for Nomadland. That film, which follows Fern (Frances McDormand) as she embarks on a road-bound life after an economic collapse in rural Nevada, earned Zhao critical acclaim and made her one of only three women ever to win Best Director at the Golden Globes. For this project, Zhao is joined by author Maggie O’Farrell, who co-wrote the screenplay, blending her lyrical storytelling with Zhao’s cinematic vision. The film stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his wife, Agnes—two talents well-suited to carry the emotional weight of this intimate story. Inspired by the real-life death of Shakespeare’s young son, Hamnet is set to release on November 27, with a runtime of 2 hours and 5 minutes.

The Odyssey by Homer

The Odyssey is one of the oldest surviving works of Western literature and remains a cornerstone of higher education curricula. The epic follows Odysseus on his 10-year journey home after the Trojan War, while also weaving in the struggles of his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. Penelope, a grieving wife, faces relentless pressure from suitors to remarry and accept that her husband is gone. Meanwhile, Telemachus is forced to step into his father’s role too soon, confronting both literal and metaphorical monsters in his quest to protect his mother and search for Odysseus. At its heart, the story is about grief: Odysseus loses his men, Penelope loses her husband, and Telemachus loses his father. With such an ancient text, much of today’s discourse centers on which translation best captures its essence, with a few modern contenders leading the debate: Robert Fitzgerald, Robert Fagles, Simon Armitage, and the first female translator of the Greek works, Emily Wilson.

British filmmaker Christopher Nolan seems to be the only director that avid movie-watchers trust with this massive project. A story this old and beloved by the masses needs precision, and a cinematic effect that takes its sweet time with this classic and perfects each character. Nolan is known for performing well with massive films like Interstellar, Oppenheimer, Insomnia, and Tenet. The movie adaptation‘s stacked cast is full of fan favourites like Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Zendaya, and Robert Pattinson, to name a few. It is not crazy to believe this move might break the movie theatres, but hopefully, readers are breaking the spine of their copy of Homer’s epic before the July 17th, 2026, release date. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights is a famous twisted revenge tale written by English author Emily Brontë in 1847 under the pen name “Ellis Bell”. Brontë is argued to be the strongest writer out of her two similarly well-regarded sisters, Charlotte and Anne, and Wuthering Heights is her best work. The story follows Catherine and Heathcliffe, who examine a toxic, destructive kind of love between these two characters from different social classes, through the perspective of a housemaid, Nelly Dean.

Set against the cold, desolate backdrop of northern England, the novel unfolds with a stark portrayal of human nature, its haunting prose steeped in dark desires and tortured emotions. The characters’ unlikability, coupled with the gothic melancholy that permeates every page, has cemented the book as a favourite winter read for many. Long debated as either a romance or a tragedy, this latest film adaptation—directed by Emerald Fennell—chooses its stance on the question by premiering on Valentine’s Day.   

The film adaptation of Wuthering Heights has yet to have a true-text movie adaptation. Emerald Fenell is a writer, director, and producer who has worked on period dramas: Anna Karenina (2012), The Danish Girl (2015), and Vita and Virginia (2018). So, taking on the dull colours of Yorkshire Moor and the antiquated language of the 1800’s won’t be out of the ordinary for this established director.

The casting choice of this film sparked online discourse given that Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) is canonically described as a person of colour, a detail that deeply shapes his perspective and social position within the novel. Starring opposite the Australian native of Basque descent is Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw. These two high profile leads in addition to BRAT summer artist, Charli XCX haunting the trailer with her vocals has created an atmospheric edge that has generated widespread buzz, sparking conversations not only about the film’s interpretation but also inspiring many to finally dust off the classic from their shelves or borrow it from local libraries in anticipation.

The post Four Books To Read Before The Movie Adaptation appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

About  The Ivory City: The Devil in the White City meets Pride and Prejudice in this romantic historical murder mystery set at the 1904 World’s Fair.

Rumor has it that the long-awaited Devil in the White City film adaptation is finally in the works. The infamous, real-life story follows two very different men—the architect behind the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the serial killer who terrorized it. The book captivated readers, spending over 370 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and helping to solidify Erik Larson’s name at the top of the list of historical nonfiction authors. Now the film is purported to star Leonardo DiCaprio as he re-teams with director Martin Scorsese to show the progress, imagination, and horror that took place at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

In the meantime, here are a few books and movies to binge while we wait for it to hit the big screen.

BOOKS

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

This historical nonfiction story has to be read to be believed. Larson details the intricate planning, vision, and setbacks of architect Daniel Burnham to create the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair—and the horrific schemes of H. H. Holmes, largely assumed to be the first serial killer in the United States. Read the book before the movie—it’s a case study of truth that is stranger than fiction.

City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago by Gary Krist

In a similar vein, City of Scoundrels looks at 12 volatile days that happened in 1919 Chicago and changed the city’s trajectory. It covers a young child’s murder, the fiery crash of an airship dirigible, a race riot, and a transit strike—all events that fell like dominos and ignited a city over the course of two momentous weeks.

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum

A fascinating look at how the development of forensic medicine impacted the roaring 20’s, where the formerly untraceable use of poison was a popular choice for murder.

The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth

Though H. H. Holmes is largely credited as the United States’ first serial killer, Hollandsworth argues that the horrific title actually belongs to the unidentified murderer who terrorized Austin, Texas for a year in 1884. Known as the “Midnight Assassin” and the “Servant Girl Annihilator,” the killings abruptly stopped in 1885, and led to speculation that the killer might have crossed the ocean to become Jack the Ripper.

MOVIES

The World’s Greatest Fair

This documentary features early film footage, interviews, and an inside look at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The film looks at the Fair’s greatest triumphs in celebrating humanity’s progress, imagination, and inspiration, while also acknowledging its faults, ranging from the disturbing to the downright bizarre. A great behind-the-scenes look at another famous American World’s Fair.

Expo: Magic of the White City

This documentary about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair features the voice of Gene Wilder as narrator. It was his last project before his death and shows the innovations, ranging from the Ferris Wheel to Cracker Jack, that inspired people like Walt Disney and Henry Ford.

Killers of the Flower Moon

DiCaprio and Scorsese have made six feature films together and Killers is their most recent endeavor. Based on the historical nonfiction book by journalist David Grann, the film covers the real-life horrific Osage murders and the events that led to the birth of the FBI.

Meet Me in St. Louis

This musical starring Judy Garland is a quieter drama about the Smith family. Set in St. Louis in the lead-up to the 1904 World’s Fair, it re-popularized its titular song, as well as introducing the original song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Meet Me in St. Louis was MGM’s most successful musical of the 1940’s. It’s a classic choice for World’s Fair-related films—and perhaps a bit of a palate cleanser from the more sordid tales on the list.

The post Books and Movies to Binge While Waiting for the ‘Devil in the White City’ Adaptation appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

About Final Cut: The set of a low-budget slasher film turns into a real-life horror movie in this twisty, wicked blend of Scream meets The Reappearance of Rachel Price from Olivia Worley. Out October 28th 2025.

It always opens with a dead girl. That’s the first line of my new YA slasher book, Final Cut, which launches us instantly into the POV of a deranged killer—who also happens to be incredibly well-versed in slasher movie conventions. Which, by now, is something we have in common.

When I first set out to write Final Cut, I was actually pretty new to the slasher genre: aside from Scream, I hadn’t really seen any of the classics. So, when I got the idea for the book—the set of a low-budget slasher movie becomes a real-life slasher as a killer hunts down the cast and crew—I knew I needed to do some serious research.

What followed was the most fun I’ve ever had while prepping to write a book. Over the course of a few months, I watched through all of the biggest blockbusters and even some weirder, deeper cuts. By the time Final Cut was finished, I was as much of a slasher buff as my main character, Haze—and even, perhaps, the book’s masked killer. While I’m definitely more partial to the final girls than the monsters, Final Cut is my love letter to slasher movies, and I can’t wait for y’all to read it! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite films that inspired the book.

Black Christmas (1974)

While many people think of Halloween and Friday the 13th as some of the earliest slashers, Black Christmas actually has them beat by a few years. Partly inspired by the urban legend of “the babysitter and the man upstairs,” Black Christmas stars Olivia Hussey as Jess, a college student whose sorority house is plagued by obscene phone calls…and eventually a killer. I love this movie because while it has plenty of slasher standards—a cast of teens hunted one by one, a final girl, and killer POV shots—it also turns some of those conventions on their head before the genre even really existed. For that reason, Haze cites it as her favorite slasher movie in Final Cut.

Profondo Rosso (1975) 

Profondo Rosso (or Deep Red, as it’s known in English) was my first introduction to the Italian giallo genre—a name derived from the yellow covers of a series of crime novels published starting in 1929—and boy, did it deliver. As Haze says in Final Cut, “This movie’s got all the hallmarks of the Italian slasher genre: weird dubbing, a killer in fabulous black leather gloves, and plenty of gratuitous violence. Also, most importantly, a soundtrack of absolute bangers by a band called Goblin.” She’s not wrong—look up the title track, “Profondo Rosso,” and thank me later. You’ll even hear notes of the Halloween theme, which came out just a few years later.

Halloween (1978)

Speaking of Halloween, of course I had to include one of the most enduring classics of all time! Everything about this film is iconic: Jamie Lee Curtis’s performance as final girl Laurie Strode, the hauntingly invincible Michael Myers, and a killer soundtrack (look out for the Final Cut scene where Haze and her co-star Cameron jam out to “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” on their way to confront a suspect—air cowbell included, naturally.)

Friday the 13th (1980)

Another all-timer, Friday the 13th is the quintessential summer camp slasher. It also has several elements that inspired both Final Cut and countless movies that followed: an isolated setting, a mysterious killer hunting down a group one by one, and a story haunted by the sins of the past. Also, not for nothing, Mrs. Voorhees might be one of my favorite slasher villains ever—who else can rock a chunky knit sweater while brandishing a knife?

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

While not as massive a hit as the previous two on this list, The Slumber Party Massacre is one of my personal favorites—partly because of its unusual tone. As the story goes, author and feminist activist Rita Mae Brown wrote the screenplay as a parody of the slasher genre; however, when it was picked up by producers, they wanted to play it as more of a “straight” slasher. As a result, this movie has a lot more humor than some of the other classics. My particular favorite moment is when, after the titular slumber party has found the pizza delivery boy brutally murdered, one of the girls eats a slice anyway, insisting, “Well, life goes on, after all.”

Scream (1996)

Not only did Scream revitalize the slasher genre in the 90s, but it’s also earned its place as one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time. Like I mentioned before, Scream was the only slasher classic I’d seen when I got the idea for Final Cut—a book which, like Scream, is full of meta moments and characters who love and respect the genre. Scream also popularized the convention where the masked killer will be unveiled as one (or more!) of the characters we’ve already met—aka my favorite type of slasher, since the viewer gets to play detective. If you also love trying to guess the killer’s identity, then I won’t give any spoilers away…but you’ll probably have a lot of fun with Final Cut

The post The Slasher Movies That Inspired ‘Final Cut’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

About The Sound of the Dark: Fans of Catriona Ward and Stephen King will find plenty to enjoy in this biting horror novel where not all is what you see… or hear. Out October 28th.

Spooky season is at last upon us! I don’t know about you, but it’s my favourite time of year. The falling leaves, that slight chill in the air, the nights drawing in. It’s a time for hearty home cooking and pumpkin spice lattes… and, of course, a good horror film.

Sometimes, though, you feel as if you’ve watched all your favourite films too many times and you want something… new. But what? There’s so much out there, and it can be hard to tell the good from the bad.

Well, fret no more! Here’s a list of excellent horror movies – ghostly and psychological, gory and blackly comic – that are criminally underappreciated. All but one are from the past couple of decades. Maybe you’ve seen some of these, but with any luck there’ll be at least a couple of unfamiliar titles here to darken up your evenings in the countdown to Halloween…

The Awakening (dir. Nick Murphy, 2011)

What would spooky season be without a few ghosts? With a screenplay by Stephen Volk (creator of Ghostwatch and Afterlife,) and set in in the aftermath of World War One, The Awakening follows ghost-hunter Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall,) as she investigates a haunting at a boys’ school in the North of England. At first all goes smoothly, and the ghost is exposed as a fake – but as the pupils abandon the school for the holidays, it becomes clear that the haunting isn’t over – but is the school haunted, or Florence? And is the danger supernatural, all too human, or in the secrets of her own past?

The Harbinger (dir. Andy Mitton, 2022)

Andy Mitton’s made some of the best and most original horror films of the 2010s and 2020s – The Witch in the Window, We Go On, YellowBrickRoad – and his most recent, set during the COVID pandemic, is a real chiller. Monique (Gabby Beans,) keeping a long-ago promise, breaks quarantine to visit her college friend Mavis (Emily Davis,) who is living alone and plagued with horrific nightmares about a creature dressed as a mediaeval plague doctor– nightmares which Monique begins to share. They’re dreaming of The Harbinger, a monster that threatens its victims with a particularly terrible fate. What fate is that? You’ll have to watch the film to find out…

The Droving (dir. George Popov, 2020)

It wouldn’t be much of a spooky season without folk horror, either, and this taut, intense offering delivers beautifully. A year ago, a young woman disappeared during the Winter Droving (a real-life festival that takes place in Penrith, Cumbria.) Now her brother, ex-soldier Martin (Daniel Oldroyd) is out to discover what happened to her.

I will admit I put off watching The Droving for a while because I thought I could predict exactly where the story was going to go. I was wrong: it goes somewhere very different, and much darker. The supernatural elements are very low-key – some have called it as much folk thriller as folk horror. Oldroyd, who’s on-screen in virtually every shot, owns the film with a performance of ever-growing intensity (there’s a scene in a bothy which still haunts me) and the film reaches a chilling climax during the Droving itself.

Ils (Them) (dir. David Moreau and Xavier Pelaud, 2006)

As Joseph Conrad wrote, the Devil is unnecessary because humankind on its own is capable of every kind of wickedness, and Ils – the only foreign-language film on this list – demonstrates that to perfection. Set in Romania, it revolves around a French couple (Olivia Bonamy and Michael Cohen) who are in the middle of renovating their newly-bought house when unseen intruders steal their car, stranding them in the middle of the unfamiliar countryside in the dead of night. They’re all alone in their big, isolated house – and then the intruders break in.

Ils isn’t a long film – barely an hour and ten minutes – but it gets to work very quickly, with an opening scene that ratchets up the tension without showing a drop of blood – and remains one of the most edge-of-the-seat psychological thrillers I’ve ever seen. Just make sure all the doors and windows are securely locked before watching, and you may want to stay up a while afterwards with all the lights on…

The Ghoul (1975, dir. Freddie Francis)

Sometimes you want a classic, something from the days of Hammer and Amicus. If so, seek out this lesser-known gem starring the one and only Peter Cushing and a terrific supporting cast: Alexandra Bastedo, Veronica Carlson, Ian McCulloch, and – in one of his first film roles – an excellently creepy John Hurt. In 1920s England, four young flappers (the film was shot on sets left over from a production of The Great Gatsby) attempt to race to the coast, but one of the cars gets lost and runs out of petrol on a mist-ershrouded moor. Going for help, the young woman finds an old house, occupied by Dr Laurence (Cushing,) a man with a haunted past and a dark secret lurking in an upstairs room. What could easily have been a run-of-the-mill B-movie is elevated by the atmosphere and the performances. Cushing had recently lost his wife, making the grief that haunts his character so real it reduced members of the film crew to tears.

The post 5 Great Horror Films For Spooky Season (That You Probably Haven’t Seen) appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

To celebrate the release of my upcoming monster loving book, Dealing With A Desperate Demon, I thought I’d do a list of my all-time favourite and hottest monsters, for all the lovely readers of the wonderful The Nerd Daily! And so here they are, in no particular order:

Beast, from Beauty And The Beast

No monster loving list would be complete without the undisputed King of them all. Beast is the gateway, the one who came first and allowed all of us to say: you know what, I think he was hotter when he was hairy. And of course, we were all completely correct!

The hairy wolf thing Gary Oldman turns into that ravishes Lucy in the maze, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Now bear with me here. I know you only see this thing for five seconds. I get that it looks a bit weird. But it has haunted my dreams for thirty years, so I’ve got to put it in here.

Hellboy, from Hellboy

This one is easy. He’s played by Ron Perlman, which is already a win. He’s surly, and wears an amazing coat, and his horns are cool as all get out. Plus, he is my favourite kind of demon. The type that inspired Jack from my latest book. One who battles his Satanic nature and fights for truth and justice and a better tomorrow. He’s Superman, but behorned!

Frankenstein’s monster, Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein

A controversial move I know, choosing a creature we’ve barely seen from a film that isn’t out yet. But I feel very confident in this pick, knowing that a) he’s being played by Jacob Elordi, b) he wears a very hot cloak, and finally and most importantly c) there is that image of Mia Goth staring up at him with what can only be described as thinly concealed lust. Mia, we get it, hon.

The monster, from Your Monster

Really, I’m including this guy for two reasons. The first is that he’s sardonic and sexy and weird, on top of all the growly hairiness. And the second is simply that Your Monster is a wonderful movie, and everybody should watch it immediately! If you would like a delightful entry into the world of getting romantic with a monster, this is definitely the one for you.

And that’s it, my non-exhaustive list of sexy monsters. If you’re new to this game, I hope you enjoyed reading it, and should you be intrigued, will pick up my book. But if you’re not new, spread the love around. Share your fave sexy monster with the rest of us! Happy spooky season reading,

Charlotte x

The post Author Charlotte Stein’s Top Hot Movie Monsters appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

As the latest in a long line of musical demon hunters, Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoe (Ji-Young Yoo) balance stardom and heroics as they work to create the “Golden Honmoon,” a magical barrier that will protect the world from the threat of soul-devouring demons that live in an alternate dimension. The three young women form Huntrix, a renowned K-pop girl group on the brink of a much deserved vacation.

When Rumi enthusiastically pushes up the release of their newest song, she finds herself forced to confront the parts of herself she desperately tries to hide. That effort becomes much more difficult when she and her best friends and fellow hunters have to face off against an unusual threat: a demon boy band. The Saja Boys, the demon boy band led by the charismatic demon Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), quickly rushes to stardom, presenting a challenge for Huntrix as the two groups battle for the affection of fans and the fate of the world.

KPop Demon Hunters has been described as a love letter to K-pop, and it lives up to that description. Its catchy music, fashion, and fan culture echo current K-pop trends, and the power of music and fan affection amplify the stakes of the conflict between Huntrix and the Saja Boys. In addition to the K-pop appreciation, there are also nods to Korean history and mythology, from Rumi’s throne in the “Golden” MV to Jinu’s demon cat affectionately dubbed “Derpy.”

There is action and humour blended with touching moments of friendship. Themes of hope, companionship, trust, and self acceptance are woven throughout the narrative, in addition to messages about forgiveness and releasing harmful beliefs about yourself. The primary antagonist, and patron of the Saja Boys, is an entity known as Gwi-ma. He feeds off of human souls and uses negative messages to draw people to him. He will identify his victims’ flaws, fears, and shortcomings and bring them to the forefront of their minds before proposing that he offers an “alternative,” a way from them to escape the messages they believe about themselves. But if people let themselves fall for his wiles, they will find themselves turned into demons plagued by guilt and shame.

An opposing, but still harmful, coping mechanism is represented by Celine. Her mantra, which she passes on to Huntrix (it is implied to have been passed on to her as well from previous generations of hunters) is that in order to be an effective hunter and protect the Honmoon, “Your faults and fears must never be seen.” The effort to live by this idea leads to conflict between the members of Huntrix as Rumi attempts to rid herself of her own perceived faults before anyone can find out about them. The conflict has cascading effects as it leads to the Honmoon weakening–allowing more demons into the human realm as fans are won over by the Saja Boys–and it gives Jinu an opening and allows him to ingratiate himself to Rumi.

The character of Jinu is a complicated one. He’s well portrayed by voice actor Ahn Hyo-seop, and his guilt and path to redemption make sense, though his character arc would have been served by more time for exploration, as would everyone else’s. The movie is short, and while it managed to fit a lot in, some aspects are skimmed over.

Viewers are left to wonder about the nature of Rumi’s parentage. We’re told her father was a demon, and both of her parents have passed, but we don’t know what happened or how. In the same way, the movie does little to explain Rumi’s rapid attitude shift at the end, how society adjusted to the mass disappearances (it doesn’t seem like Gwi-ma’s victims returned at the end), or the complexity of demons and demonhood. There are several unanswered questions, leaving things open for a much-requested and now promised sequel, but the story would have benefitted from a deeper exploration of harmful generational messaging and dealing with past sins and shortcomings.

From an artistic perspective, KPop Demon Hunters is immensely enjoyable. Sony Animation utilised vibrant stop-motion-like animation, similar to that used in their Spiderman series, and there are some cute references to romance K-drama, for those who are fans of the genre. The music could have an article of its own. Huntrix’s singing voices are provided by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami as Rumi, Mira, and Zoe, respectively. Andrew Choi provides Jinu’s singing voice as a member of the Saja Boys, and the vocals for the other Saja Boys are provided by Kevin Woo, Neckwav, SamUIL Lee, and Danny Chung. The songs are catchy and well suited for their scenes in the movie, and you may find yourself singing them long after the movie is over. In particular, the message of the final song, “What It Sounds Like,” provides an uplifting finale after the Saja Boy’s enticing invitation to darkness in “Your Idol.”

Ultimately, KPop Demon Hunters is a fun movie with a positive message that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

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