How I Met Your Monster

Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island is one of the most rewatchable psychological thrillers of the 2000s, and on this episode of How I Met Your Monster, we break down exactly why. Set in 1954 at Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Shutter Island follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he investigates the disappearance of a patient from a remote island asylum and slowly loses his grip on what's real. It's a film built on clues hidden in plain sight, unreliable narration, and one of the most satisfying twist endings in modern horror and thriller cinema. We cover the film's five monster reveals, the symbolism of fire and water throughout the story, Scorsese's visual references to Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss," and the real history of trans-orbital lobotomies that gives the film's ending its gut-punch weight. We also dig into the film's place in the Scorsese/DiCaprio collaboration, how it compares to Inception (also released in 2010), and why Shutter Island deserves more awards recognition than it ever received. Other topics include the psychology of trauma and repressed memory, the history of mental health treatment in mid-century America, the true crime case of Andrea Yates, the literary legacy of Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), and how Scorsese uses classic filmmaking techniques — from Hitchcock-inspired direction to old-school rear projection — to build dread. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

The DEVILS & DICKS triple feature wraps up with Jean-Jacques Annaud’s medieval monk murder mystery. The friars are repressed, but their hairdos are blessed, and God help us, James Bond is giving Sherlock Holmes as we sin our way through a secret library labyrinth to meet a joy-hating holy man in THE NAME OF THE ROSE. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

THE BRIDE! hits theaters this week, so we wanted to enjoy the original 1935 film THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN in anticipation of the upcoming adaptation. Zach and Danny sit down to watch and yap (it's meaningful yapping, so it's ok) over James Whale's classic story of outsiders looking for acceptance in a cruel, cruel world. Enjoy this intro to our PATREON EXCLUSIVE commentary on THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and join for only $3/month at patreon.com/howimetyourmonster for the full episode! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

The DEVILS & DICKS triple feature continues with David Fincher’s rain-soaked race against a one-man judge, jury, and executioner. Sinners are being hunted, a perfect crime’s constructed, and we can’t help but ask “WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!” as we count down a septet of deadly sins to meet the serial killer, John Doe, in SE7EN. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

The Exorcist III (1990) kicks off our Devils & Dicks triple feature! We dive into William Peter Blatty's underrated horror sequel that trades demonic possession for police procedural tension - well, mostly. Lieutenant Kinderman (George C. Scott) investigates a series of brutal murders that match the M.O. of the Gemini Killer, who died in the electric chair 15 years ago. His investigation leads him to a psychiatric ward and a mysterious patient who claims to be both the Gemini Killer and Father Damien Karras. What We Cover:Director's Cut vs. Theatrical Cut: The battle between Blatty's vision and studio interference.Brad Dourif's bone-chilling performance and how he almost lost the role to Jason Miller.THAT jump scare—the famous Nurse Keating hallway scene that's considered one of horror's best.Why the forced exorcism ending works (or doesn't).The confusing K-name pattern and what it means.George C. Scott's intensity and whether he should've been kinder, man.Celebrity cameos you probably missed (Samuel L. Jackson! Patrick Ewing! Larry King!).The dream sequence with Fabio and whether it's too much.The Debate:Is The Exorcist III better than the original? We discuss why this film's dreadful tone and procedural approach might actually make it superior, even if it doesn't have the cultural impact of Friedkin's classic. Behind the Scenes Drama:We unpack the production chaos—how Jason Miller's health issues led to Brad Dourif's casting (then recasting), why Father Morning was added for the theatrical cut, and whether the director's cut ending would've been more powerful. Eight Official Reveals:From Father Kanavan's confessional booth murder to Mrs. Clelia crawling on the ceiling, we rank all eight monster introductions and pick our favorites.Next Time:We continue Devils & Dicks with Se7en (1995) - David Fincher's masterpiece of detective horror! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

In anticipation for SCREAM 7, Zach sits down with two SCREAM super fans (co-host Danny and special guest Laron Chapman) to discuss the original film and it's upcoming sequel. To hear new commentary episodes each month, check out Patreon and become a How I Met Your Monster MENACE for only $3! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

We wrap up our SCARYTALES triple feature with Guillermo Del Toro’s war-torn journey through the horrors of fascism. The Pale Man sees you, but fantasy frees you, and it turns out that the real monsters are the fascist fuck-heads we met along the way as we travel back to Francoist Spain in 1944 to meet Captain Vidal and a fairy-filled forest in PAN’S LABYRINTH. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

Return to Oz might be marketed as a fantasy sequel—but rewatching it as adults reveals something far darker. From electroshock therapy and abandoned children to the Wheelers, Princess Mombi’s Hall of Heads, and the terrifying Nome King, this Disney film feels more like a full-blown horror movie than a family classic.In this episode of How I Met Your Monster, we continue our Scarytales triple feature by breaking down Return to Oz through the lens of monster introductions, childhood trauma, and nightmare fuel imagery. We explore why this movie terrified so many of us as kids, how it stays unsettling as adults, and why it might be Disney’s most disturbing film.We also dive into behind-the-scenes facts, Walter Murch’s direction, the film’s connection to the original Oz books, and how Return to Oz embraces darker fantasy in the tradition of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

In this episode of How I Met Your Monster, we kick off our Scary Tales triple feature by diving into Neil Jordan’s 1984 horror film The Company of Wolves. Inspired by Angela Carter’s reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood, this surreal fairy-tale nightmare blends werewolves, dream logic, and body-horror transformations into one of the strangest films of the decade.We break down the film’s seven monster reveals, unsettling werewolf transformation effects, and its controversial themes around puberty, repression, folklore, and gender roles. From wolves peeling out of human skin to dream-within-a-dream storytelling, The Company of Wolves challenges traditional fairy tales and refuses simple interpretations.Along the way, we connect the film to classic werewolf lore, fairy-tale history (Charles Perrault), and other surreal horror films that prioritize vibes over clarity. Is The Company of Wolves a feminist fairy tale? A disturbing coming-of-age story? Or just an aggressively weird werewolf movie? We don’t fully agree—and that’s the point. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

In this holiday-themed episode of How I Met Your Monster, Zach, Danny, and Casey unwrap Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3, a Christmas-set descent into extreme horror led once again by Art the Clown. What begins as festive fun quickly turns into a debate about gore limits, audience intent, and what horror is supposed to make us feel.The hosts explore whether Terrifier 3 is simply a showcase for increasingly elaborate kills or a continuation of the franchise’s growing mythos. While Casey celebrates the film as peak fan service and Art’s strongest performance yet, Zach and Danny wrestle with visceral reactions, lingering violence, and the physical toll of watching the movie. Along the way, the conversation touches on Christmas horror traditions, MPAA censorship history, Freddy Krueger comparisons, and why Art the Clown has become one of modern horror’s most recognizable icons.Love it or hate it, Terrifier 3 sparks exactly the kind of reaction it sets out to provoke—and this episode captures that tension in real time. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

Wrapping up our IN DA KLERB WE ALL MONSTERS triple feature, we’re admitting ourselves to Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital to meet the bastard son of 100 maniacs, better known as Freddy Krueger, in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS, starring Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Craig Wasson, Rodney Eastman, Ken Sagoes, Jennifer Rubin, Penelope Sudrow, Bradley Gregg, Ira Heiden, Priscilla Pointer, Laurence Fishburne, and John Saxon. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

An episode 50 years in the making has us shivering with antici… pation. In this month’s Patreon Exclusive commentary episode, we’re meeting Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his horny chorus of Transylvanians in Jim Sharman’s THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. This episode is available to our Maniac Patrons. Subscribe now for monthly commentary episodes, plus additional bonus content and perks. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

As we continue our IN DA KLERB WE ALL MONSTERS triple feature, we’re stocking up on silver bullets and garlic pizza to meet an ‘80s take on the Universal Monsters in THE MONSTER SQUAD, starring Andre Gower, Tom Noonan, Duncan Regehr, Ryan Lambert, Jon Gries, Ashley Bank, Leonardo Cimino, Brent Chalem, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Mary Ellen Trainor, Stan Shaw, Lisa Fuller, and Jack Gwillim. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

We kick off our IN DA KLERB WE ALL MONSTERS triple feature with Peter Jackson’s con job comedy from beyond the grave. The reaper is reaping, the grievers are weeping, and it turns out the portal to Hell is a giant butthole with the head of a demonic snake as we stage our next haunted house to make some quick cash, only to end up meeting the supernatural serial killer Johnny Bartlett — and his secret partner in crime — in… THE FRIGHTENERS. Starring Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey, Chi McBride, Jim Fyfe, Troy Evans, and R. Lee Ermey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

It's time for the 3rd annual How I Met Your Monster Halloween Monster Ranking! We've each ranked the 25 movie monsters that we've met since last Halloween, and compiled them into one definitive list for one hell of an episode. Who will come out on top? The Terminator? Jason Voorhees? Dr. Caligari? Tune in to find out which movie monsters take home the top spots in the 2025 How I Met Your Monster Halloween Monster Ranking! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

Wrapping up our INTERNATIONAL EEKS triple feature, we’re checking in at the Seven Doors Hotel with screenwriter Eric Miller to meet the very essence of Hell itself in THE BEYOND, starring Catriona MacColl, Cinzia Monreale, David Warbeck, Veronica Lazar, Giovanni De Nava, Laura De Marchi, Maria Pia Marsala, and Antoine Saint-John as Schweik.Pick up Eric Miller's new book Whatever Happened to Uncle Ed? on AmazonVisit Big Time Books for more horror literature from Eric MillerFollow Eric Miller on Instagram Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]

Continuing our INTERNATIONAL EEKS triple feature, we’re meeting the soulless serial killer, Kyung-chul, in I SAW THE DEVIL, starring Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Oh San-ha, Jeon Gook-hwan, Choi Moo-sung, Kim In-seo, Cheon Ho-jin, and Kim Yoon-seo. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTubeFor bonus content and commentaries, check out our PatreonFollow the show on Instagram, TikTok, and FacebookWant to support the show and save 20% on Fangoria? Visit Fangoria and enter PROMO CODE: HOWIMETYOURMONSTER at checkout!Looking for How I Met Your Monster merch? Check out TeePublic for shirts, stickers, mugs, and more!Questions and comments: [email protected]