Talking Scared

Latest Episodes:

212 – Keith Rosson & Punk Rock Death Songs Sep 17, 2024

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Keith Rosson is our first guest to be personally recommended by Stephen King!

And the praise doesn’t stop there. Keith’s Fever House was one of the biggest hits of 2023, and now he’s 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 there’s a lot to talk about. And I hope you enjoy the following. Especially the part where I crowbar Stevie Nicks into the conversation, because I’ve developed the world’s most belated obsession with her.

Enjoy.

Other books mentioned:

Mercy of the Tide (2017), by Keith Rosson
Spiral (1995), by Koji Suzuki
The Stand (1990), by Stephen King
Knockemstiff (2008), by Donald Ray Pollock
The Low Desert: Gangster Stories (2021), by Tod Goldberg
Controlled Burn: Stories of Prison, Crime, and Men (2005), by Scott Wolven

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211 – Laird Barron & Cosmic Background Radiation Sep 09, 2024

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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 he’s back to writing and talking about writing. Not only am I lucky to be able to speak to him…

We also talked about DOGS!

Granted, a cybernetic, immortal monster hound called Rex – but a dog nonetheless. That’s just one of the crazy concepts that make up the stories in Laird’s 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 – 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 he’s currently working hard on.

Let’s all just be happy, Laird Barron is back. He’s writing. And he’s 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 Datlow
The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013), by Laird Barron
Blood Standard (2018), by Laird Barron
The Fisherman (2016), by John Langan
“On Skua Island” – in Mr Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (2009), by John Langan
The Children of Old Leech: A Tribute to the Carnivorous Cosmos of Laird Barron (2014), edited by Ross E. Lockhart and Jason Steele
The Delicate Prey, and Other Stories (1950), by Paul Bowles
The Sheltering Sky (1949), by Paul Bowles

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210 – Emily Hughes & The Lover’s Guide to Better Horror Sep 03, 2024

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Are you a Weenie? Don’t 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 that’s you, or if you know someone who suffers from Weenie-ism, then Emily Hughes is here!

Emily’s new book, Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You’re 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 Malerman
Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films (2022), by Nina Nesseth
Tampa (2013), by Alissa Nutting
Come Closer (2003), by Sara Gran
The Family Plot (2016) by Cherie Priest
Camp Damascus (2023), by Chuck Tingle
Cuckoo (2024), by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Manhunt (2022), by Gretchen Felker-Martin

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209 – Anna Bogutskaya & A Deep Fear of Things Sincere Aug 27, 2024

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Anna Bogutskaya is one of the UK’s 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) – 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 it’s 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 Slater
Penance (2023), by Eliza Clark
Danse Macabre (1981), by Stephen King
Red Dragon (1981), by Thomas Harris
Coup de Grace (2024), by Sofia Ajram

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208 – Adam Cesare & Making Scary Clowns Great Again Aug 20, 2024

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Send in the clowns. Tell them not to forget their crossbows and chainsaws.

This week our guest is Adam Cesare, who’s Clown in a Cornfield trilogy reaches a climax (I won’t 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 – think George Orwell’s 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 Jones
“The Lottery” (1948), by Shirley Jackson
Influencer (2024), by Adam Cesare
Rest Stop (2024), by Nat Cassidy

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207 – Lena Valencia & What Can Lurk Where There Are No Shadows? Aug 13, 2024

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Literary or genre fiction? Dumb question.

This week’s 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 – 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 establishment’s appetite for strange things, about women treating women poorly, and about how she writes stories that don’t need to “click.”

Enjoy.

The Shining (1977), by Stephen King
“Lamb to the Slaughter,” (1953), by Roald Dahl
The Garden (2024), by Claire Beams

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Off Book #3 – Trevor Henderson Aug 09, 2024

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This week’s guest on Talking Scared: Off Book scares children.

I mean… that’s not his main job or intent (I don’t think) but he does it anyway. Trevor Henderson is the internet’s 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 aren’t being terrified by climate change or the slide into global racism… it’s Trevor’s “Cartoon Dog” or “Long Horse” – or his iconic Sirenhead – 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 he’s even written a book. He’s horror’s renaissance man, and he joins me to talk about it – 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)

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206 – Gabino Iglesias & Doing Really Bad Things for All the Right Reasons Aug 06, 2024

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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 he’s here to talk about his brand new barrio-noir, House of Bone and Rain. It’s an amalgamation of brutal street violence and Lovecraftian otherness – 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 – the horror of it, the reality, the sheer awful immediacy, and how the real thing is nothing like the stuff on a movie screen.

It’s 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 Man’s Lane (2024), by Scott Carson

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205 – Jonathan Janz & The Bittersweet Magic of Sixteen Jul 30, 2024

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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 you’re 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 Nightflyer’s 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 Jonathan’s beautifully wholesome horror movie bond with his daughter – 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 Jonathan’s monsters originated.

Climb up to our treehouse. Bring snacks.

Enjoy.

Savage Species (2013), by Jonathan Janz
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962), by Ray Bradbury
Dandelion Wine (1957), by Ray Bradbury
The Body (1982), by Stephen King
The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012), by Stephen King
Boy’s Life (1991), by Robert R. McCammon
The Dark Valley (1998), by Joe Donnelly
The Deer Kings (2021), by Wendy Wagner
The Reformatory (2023), by Tananarive Due
Summer of Night (1991), by Dan Simmons
Ghoul (2007), by Brian Keene
The Beast House (1986), by Richard Laymon
The Girl Next Door (1989), by Jack Ketchum
Incidents Around the House (2024), by Josh Malerman

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204 – Adam Nevill & Watch For the Freak Wave Jul 23, 2024

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Why is Adam Nevill so scary?

I don’t know. Do you? He’s a nice guy – as you’ll 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. Wells
The Road (2006), by Cormac McCarthy
Nuclear War: A Scenario (2024), by Annie Jacobsen
Apartment 16 (2010), by Adam Nevill
Last Days (2012), by Adam Nevill
Banquet for the Damned (2004), by Adam Nevill
Invasion: The Inside Story of Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival (2022), by Luke Harding
The Turn of The Screw (1898), by Henry James
The Exorcist (1971), by William Peter Blatty