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I started Off Book so that I could speak to some of the brightest dark stars in the wider universe of horror.
This week that plan comes to absolute fruition â âcos Kate Siegel is Talking Scared!
Yes, Kate Siegel, scream-queen of our generation, horror maven, acting superstar and now director of extraterrestrial found-footage nightmare (!!) âStowaway.â (a segment from the new V/H/S Beyond)
Kate talks to me about the steep learning curve of making that short, the camera techniques she uses to disorientate, bewilder and horrify. She talks about her approach to finding character, especially in her collaborations with her husband, Mike Flanagan â and she talks about the horror stories she loves most in the world.
She also calls me out very early on. How the hell did I recover??
Enjoy!
V/H/S Beyond is streaming now on Shudder
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Release your inner child!
âŠI mean through reading, not by letting it burst out of your stomach like some horrible sugar-coated xenomorph.
Lora Senf can help. Her Blight Harbor Trilogy is a piece of magic, an umbilicus of imagination between the tired old grump that youâre halfway to becoming, and the wide-eyed wonder you once were.
Lora and I talk about the challenge and reward of writing horror for kids, we talk about the influence of M.C Escher and his mad architecture, we talk about Bradbury and King and other inspirations (including the tiny role that I played in this story). And we also talk about the profound heartsick sorrow of loneliness.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
The Hike (2016), by Drew MagaryThe Library at Mount Char (2015), by Scott HawkinsâKaleidoscope,â (1949), by Ray Bradbury All Summer in a Day (1954), by Ray BradburyâThere Will Come Soft Rainsâ (1950), by Ray Bradbury The Foghorn (1950), by Ray Bradbury Pet Semetary (1983), by Stephen KingMisery (1987) by Stephen KingSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1962), by Ray BradburyCoraline (2002), by Neil GaimanThe House With a Clock in its Walls (1973), by John BellairsSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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More devilish fun on Talking Scared this week when an old friend returns to talk about god, angels, demons and other things out there in the cold reaches of the universe.
Johnny Compton is the author of The Spite House, one of my most admired books from 2022. In his newest, Devils Kill Devils, he starts with a compelling question â âwhat if your Guardian Angel was a murderous threatâ â and then heads off in grander directions.
We talk about how Johnnyâs childhood religious confusion played a role in this book, what we both love about world-building and fan-theories, and our shared enthusiasm for the Alien universe. And Johnny gives my current favourite answer to the questions âwhat really freaked him out recently?â
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
The Spite House (2022), by Johnny Compton
Carrion Comfort (1989), by Dan Simmons
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Keith Rosson is our first guest to be personally recommended by Stephen King!
And the praise doesnât stop there. Keithâs Fever House was one of the biggest hits of 2023, and now heâs back with the sequel, The Devil By Name, which takes the contained punk-rock fury of the first book in a whole different, nation-spanning direction.
This is an epic tale of occult magic, diabolical messages, punk rock, political machinations and, eventually, apocalypse. So thereâs a lot to talk about. And I hope you enjoy the following. Especially the part where I crowbar Stevie Nicks into the conversation, because Iâve developed the worldâs most belated obsession with her.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
Mercy of the Tide (2017), by Keith RossonSpiral (1995), by Koji SuzukiThe Stand (1990), by Stephen KingKnockemstiff (2008), by Donald Ray PollockThe Low Desert: Gangster Stories (2021), by Tod GoldbergControlled Burn: Stories of Prison, Crime, and Men (2005), by Scott WolvenSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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Laird Barron is on the podcast. This feels like cause for celebration.
Not only is Laird Barron a phenomenal writer. Not only is it wonderful that heâs back to writing and talking about writing. Not only am I lucky to be able to speak to himâŠ
We also talked about DOGS!
Granted, a cybernetic, immortal monster hound called Rex â but a dog nonetheless. Thatâs just one of the crazy concepts that make up the stories in Lairdâs new collection, Not a Speck of Light⊠and I mean crazy. These stories involve evil fathers, strange invasions, billionaire bird-women and a disaster-addicted monster â and we talk about how Laird balances the bizarre and brutal, the cosmic and the cynical, the horrific and the hardboiled.
Plus a lot of info on a very exciting project heâs currently working hard on.
Letâs all just be happy, Laird Barron is back. Heâs writing. And heâs Talking Scared.
Enjoy.
Join the Laird Barron Reddit Read-along
Other books mentioned:
When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021), edited by Ellen DatlowThe Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013), by Laird BarronBlood Standard (2018), by Laird BarronThe Fisherman (2016), by John LanganâOn Skua Islandâ â in Mr Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (2009), by John LanganThe Children of Old Leech: A Tribute to the Carnivorous Cosmos of Laird Barron (2014), edited by Ross E. Lockhart and Jason SteeleThe Delicate Prey, and Other Stories (1950), by Paul BowlesThe Sheltering Sky (1949), by Paul BowlesSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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Are you a Weenie? Donât be offended. I am.
Weenies are the curious-but-nervous. Those of us who love horror, but who never feel safe from its power to ruin our sleep (and a week of our life). If thatâs you, or if you know someone who suffers from Weenie-ism, then Emily Hughes is here!
Emilyâs new book, Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films Youâre Too Scared to Watch is a public service for the scared. It will save relationships, help ease you into horror and hopefully teach you a thing or two about fear along the way.
In this conversation, we talk about how Emily came to write this most particular of books, and how she chose which films made the grade. We also hear about her own relationship with horror, from the film that haunted her as a child all the way to her grown-up reintroduction to scary movies.
And I finally try to back up my dislike for Hereditary.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
Birdbox (2014), by Josh MalermanNightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films (2022), by Nina NessethTampa (2013), by Alissa NuttingCome Closer (2003), by Sara GranThe Family Plot (2016) by Cherie PriestCamp Damascus (2023), by Chuck TingleCuckoo (2024), by Gretchen Felker-MartinManhunt (2022), by Gretchen Felker-MartinSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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Anna Bogutskaya is one of the UKâs most prominent film critics, with a penchant for horror. She knows her scary onions. And in her new book, Feeding the Monster, she asks an important question (well, important to the likes of you and me) â Why does horror have a hold on us?
In concise but free-ranging essays, she looks at the prominent themes that sets the horror oft the last decade apart, peeling back the skin of the genre to see how itâs muscle flex and grip, and also give you tons of films to watch in the process.
We have a similarly freewheeling conversation in this episode, talking about everything from our primal horror movie experiences, to the meme-ification of monsters and why Mike Flanagan is both outlier and heart of the genre.
Also⊠Anna introduces me to the concept of Vecnussy, which may ruin Stranger Things for you, like it has for me.
Enjoy
Other books mentioned:
Death of a Bookseller (2023), by Alice SlaterPenance (2023), by Eliza ClarkDanse Macabre (1981), by Stephen KingRed Dragon (1981), by Thomas HarrisCoup de Grace (2024), by Sofia AjramSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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Send in the clowns. Tell them not to forget their crossbows and chainsaws.
This week our guest is Adam Cesare, whoâs Clown in a Cornfield trilogy reaches a climax (I wonât say end) in Book 3: The Church of Frendo. I read all three books in one mad rush and they confounded all of my horror-savvy, slasher-weary expectations. These books are a State of the Nation story for the ages â think George Orwellâs Animal Farm, but with fascist clowns rather than Bolshevik swine.
Adam and I have one of those very Talking Scared conversations. We get into the political and the personal, touching on his time as a teacher, the challenge of empathy, the role of guns in fiction and the rural/urban divide in America.
But also⊠clowns! Horrible face-painted bastards that they are.
Enjoy.
The Indian Lake Trilogy (2021-2024), by Stephen Graham JonesâThe Lotteryâ (1948), by Shirley JacksonInfluencer (2024), by Adam CesareRest Stop (2024), by Nat CassidySupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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Literary or genre fiction? Dumb question.
This weekâs guest showcases just how dumb! With her debut collection of stories, Mystery Lights showing that horror is literary and literary is horror. These tales of the American desert are full of hauntings, monsters, killers, and other oddities, yet they take a non-typical approach to the strangeness. They care more about the human in the mix than the weird thing in the corner.
I loved them â and they proved that every time I think I know my own reading tastes, I find an exception to the rule.
Lena and I talk about her literary allegiance to the desert, about the literary establishmentâs appetite for strange things, about women treating women poorly, and about how she writes stories that donât need to âclick.â
Enjoy.
The Shining (1977), by Stephen KingâLamb to the Slaughter,â (1953), by Roald DahlThe Garden (2024), by Claire BeamsSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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This weekâs guest on Talking Scared: Off Book scares children.
I mean⊠thatâs not his main job or intent (I donât think) but he does it anyway. Trevor Henderson is the internetâs favourite horror artist. He creates digital nightmares that have become the fuel for a new generation of nightmares. Trust me, in the few moments that Gen Z arenât being terrified by climate change or the slide into global racism⊠itâs Trevorâs âCartoon Dogâ or âLong Horseâ â or his iconic Sirenhead â who are capering through their minds.
But his pictures are just the start of it. He works in movies, in video games, in podcasting and heâs even written a book. Heâs horrorâs renaissance man, and he joins me to talk about it â from how he started, to the secrets of great monster design.
And then we spend the end of the show just talking about some awesome movies you may not have seen or heard of.
This is a fun episode. Trevor is at the beating heart of horror.
Enjoy!
Movies mentioned:
The Ritual (2017)Arcadian (2024)Horror in the High Desert (2021)Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva (2023)Late Night With the Devil (2024)History of the Occult (2020)Fake Documentary Q (YouTube Channel)StopMotion (2024)The Cat With Hands (2001)Infested (2024)Loop Track (2023)Savageland (2015)The Tunnel (2011)Support Talking Scared on Patreon
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Finally, Gabino Iglesias is on the show.
I tried, and failed, to get him for his break-out Stoker-winning smash, The Devil Takes You Home. Now heâs here to talk about his brand new barrio-noir, House of Bone and Rain. Itâs an amalgamation of brutal street violence and Lovecraftian otherness â all taking place in the sweltering eye of a Puerto Rican hurricane.
Gabino and I talk about the parts of the book that reflect his own life and youth. We talk about his rapid rise, and follow-up nerves. We talk about reclaiming Lovecraft. But mostly, we talk about violence â the horror of it, the reality, the sheer awful immediacy, and how the real thing is nothing like the stuff on a movie screen.
Itâs a good chat, about the right kind of manhood.
Enjoy.
The Devil Takes You Home (2022) by Gabino Iglesias
Hungry Darkness (2015) by Gabino Iglesias
Zero Saints (2015), by Gabino Iglesias
The Ballad of Black Tom (2016), by Victor LaValle
Woodworm (2021), by Layla Martinez
Lost Manâs Lane (2024), by Scott Carson
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Remember those books you read in the summer when you were young? Kids fighting evil in their small town? Bikes, and blood brothers and promises to keep?
If you love those kinda stories then youâre in good company. This week Jonathan Janz joins me to talk about the coming-of-age horror in his ongoing epic, Children of the Dark. Book One was rereleased earlier this year, just in time for the sequel The Nightflyerâs to continue the story of Will Burgess and the monstrous secrets in his backyard.
As well as a whole lot of chat about favourite movies, a million book recommendations and Jonathanâs beautifully wholesome horror movie bond with his daughter â we also discuss the canon of coming of age horror, how to write honestly about childhood, the role of theme in a story, and where Jonathanâs monsters originated.
Climb up to our treehouse. Bring snacks.
Enjoy.
Savage Species (2013), by Jonathan JanzSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1962), by Ray BradburyDandelion Wine (1957), by Ray BradburyThe Body (1982), by Stephen KingThe Wind Through the Keyhole (2012), by Stephen KingBoyâs Life (1991), by Robert R. McCammonThe Dark Valley (1998), by Joe DonnellyThe Deer Kings (2021), by Wendy WagnerThe Reformatory (2023), by Tananarive DueSummer of Night (1991), by Dan SimmonsGhoul (2007), by Brian KeeneThe Beast House (1986), by Richard LaymonThe Girl Next Door (1989), by Jack KetchumIncidents Around the House (2024), by Josh MalermanSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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Why is Adam Nevill so scary?
I donât know. Do you? Heâs a nice guy â as youâll hear in this episode. Yet he tells stories that crawl under your skin and stay there. Stories that squat in your subconscious.
His latest novel, All the Fiends of Hell is no exception. Same elusive nightmare mystery, but expanded to a whole epic end-of-the-world canvas. And when Adam says end of the world, he means it.
In this conversation we talk about apocalyptic fantasy, about angels and demons, about the sea and its endless hope, and about his own unique style when it comes to fear and monsters.
Oh⊠and about a certain prog-rock masterpiece that plays a big part in this story and in each of our childhoods.
Enjoy.
The War of the Worlds (1898), by H.G. WellsThe Road (2006), by Cormac McCarthyNuclear War: A Scenario (2024), by Annie JacobsenApartment 16 (2010), by Adam NevillLast Days (2012), by Adam NevillBanquet for the Damned (2004), by Adam NevillInvasion: The Inside Story of Russiaâs Bloody War and Ukraineâs Fight for Survival (2022), by Luke HardingThe Turn of The Screw (1898), by Henry JamesThe Exorcist (1971), by William Peter BlattyHere is the link for Adamâs story - âWhere Angels Come Inâ at Nightmare Magazine
And the link to the Shadows at the Door Kickstarter for EARWORM
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Part One was epic. Part Two is just as good. In that way, itâs much better than the adaptation of IT!
In the second part of this celebration of King short stories, a whole other roster of Constant Readers come along to talk about their favourites. We have writers for all ages, a fellow podcaster and a filmmaker with important updates.
All of them united by one thing â their love of these little twisted word-worlds that Stephen King has given us over the years.
This was a blast, but god Iâm glad itâs finally done.
Enjoy!
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Whatâs your favourite Stephen King story? Everyone has one.
Hot off the back of the recent interview with the man himself, it seemed a neat idea to get a few friends on the show to talk about their own preferences from Kingâs huge back-catalogue of short fiction.
I am the architect of my own doom!
What was supposed to be a small side project grew, like Grey Matter, or unnatural mist, into FOUR HOURS of top-notch King chat, with some of the best and brightest constant readers. Iâm not telling you who they are⊠why spoil the surprise.
But in this first of a double-bill you can hear old and new friends of Talking Scared talk about the King short that lights their fire, freezes their marrow, or breaks their heart. Itâs a whole lotâŠand itâs only half.
Enjoy!
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Stephen King is back!
What other intro do you need?
Okay, fine. He talks to me about the stories behind the stories in his new collection, You Like it Darker. I had the audacity to ask him âwhere he got some of his ideas.â
He also updates us on the potential of a third Jack Sawyer book, to follow The Talisman and Black House. He hints at whatâs next from him, and Holly Gibney. He gives a perspective on his view from the top of the horror pyramid, and I finally get to ask him about a beloved-yet-underappreciated novel.
Is that enough for you, or do I need go on?
Thought notâŠ
Thanks for listening â and enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
Waiting for Winter (1966), by John Oâ HaraHorror Movie (2024), by Paul TremblayA Head Full of Ghosts (2015), by Paul TremblaySurvivor Song (2020), by Paul TremblayFever House (2023), by Keith RossonNestlings (2023), by Nat CassidyCome With Me (2021), by Ronald MalfiAmerican Rapture (2024), by C.J. LeedeSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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200 episodes! Madness. Who knew there could be so much to say about horror?
I knew. You knew. And here we are.
It turns out that the real cursed treasure was the friends we made along the way â and how better to celebrate the bicentennial, than by inviting some of the Talking Scared nearest and dearest, to tell us their scariest story?
I called, they answered â with tales of voyeuristic ghosts, horrifying roadside encounters, disappearing witches, whispering demons, damaged eyeballs, lost children and âŠ.Richard Simmons!!
Enjoy this. You deserve it. Thank you so very much for your ear, your attention and your support over these last four years.
Onward.
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My unpaid cohost returns. Josh Malerman ladies and gentlemen.
Josh has been on the show many times before, but never have I been so excited to speak to him. His latest novel, Incidents Around the House is about as good a horror book as Iâve ever covered on this show⊠or possibly read in my life. Itâs the story of a young girl, her family, and the entity pursuing them, but â as youâll hear â it goes a whole lot deeper (and unforgivingly darker) than that.
Josh tells us about the unique process of writing this book. We discuss the challenges of child narrators. I beg insight into the demons and half-glimpsed horrors of his story⊠and I assault him with odd comparisons.
Itâs all very freewheeling and fun. As the 199th episode should be, before we tip over the edge into a whole new century.
Enjoy â and read this damn book!
Other books mentioned:
The House of Last Resort (2024), Christopher Golden
Coraline (2002), by Neil Gaiman
The Exorcist (1971), by William Peter Blatty
Good Night Sleep Tight (2024), by Brian Evenson
Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), by Stephen King
From a Buick 8 (2002), by Stephen King
11/22/63 (2011), by Stephen King
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In the second Off Book episode we get out of our armchairs and go on a real adventure. Well, not really â but we talk to two people who do.
Danielle and Cassie are the hosts of National Park After Dark â a podcast catering to the âmorbid outdoor enthusiast.â They have skyrocketed to success, with well-researches stories of murder, maulings and mad incidents out in the worldâs national parks.
Iâve listened for years now and Iâm delighted to finally get the chance to ask them all the questions⊠what is their favourite flavour of outdoor macabre? Is there a particular unsolved mystery that burns a hole in their brain? Whatâs the scariest thing theyâve encountered out there⊠and should we reintroduce wolves to the UK? (Yes!)
You donât need to like the outdoors to enjoy this episode. Danielle and Cassie do the hard work for us.
Just enjoy!
Books mentioned:
Wolfish: Wolf, Self and the Stories we Tell About Fear, Ferocity and Freedom (2023), by Erica Berry
A Bolt From the Blue: The Epic True Story of Danger, Daring ad Heroism at 15,000 Feet (2012), by Jennifer Woodlief
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), by Stephen King
Where the Dead Wait (2023), by Ally Wilkes
Fire in the Sky: The Walton Experience (1997), by Travis Walton
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Paul Tremblay returns to Talking Scared on a long orbit, like that fabled Planet X thatâs going to kill us all.
Heâs back after two years for another discussion of horror aesthetics, introspective terrors and mixed-media nightmares â this time in Horror Movie, his meta-take on cursed cinema and lethal creativity.
Horror Movie is about young filmmakers and the shoot that marks them all, even unto death. Itâs also about the making of art, the machinery of fear and the cynicism of Hollywood. But beneath all that self-reflexive interrogation, itâs also just a damn creepy story. And Paul talks to me about all of it.
Note â there is jet lag aplenty in this episode. An arms race of confusion and forgetfulness. It makes for a good time. Bear with us.
Enjoy
Other books mentioned:
The Pallbearerâs Club (2022), by Paul TremblayA Head Full of Ghosts (2015), by Paul TremblayâWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been?â (1966), by Joyce Carol OatesGreasy Lake and Other Stories (1985), by T. C. BoyleThe Stand (1978/1990), by Stephen KingA Better World (2024), by Sarah LanganCurdle Creek (2024), by Yvonne Battle-FeltonSupport Talking Scared on Patreon
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