The Scares That Shaped Us

Latest Episodes:

Episode 12: "The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles" with Grady Hendrix Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

For our first regular interview episode of 2025, the great Grady Hendrix is here to talk about one of his favorite formative horror stories, Margaret St. Clair's 1951 short weird tale "The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles." Along the way we talk about his new novel, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the importance of backstory in his fiction, the emotional content behind big concepts, and much more. Plus, stay tuned to the end for the reveal of our next guest!

SHOW NOTES:

- Pre-order Witchcraft for Wayward Girls!

- Head to Grady's website for all your Grady Hendrix needs!

- Follow the show on BlueSky, Twitter, and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 11: The Best of 2024 with Gabino Iglesias and Russell Falcon Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

Happy New Year! In this special double-sized episode of the show, Matthew is diving in to the best horror stories of 2024 with two very special guests. First, Gabino Iglesias joins us to talk the best horror books of the year, and then Russell Falcon stops by to talk about the best horror movies of 2024. So, if you're trying to catch up on the year in horror, this is a fantastic place to get the best of the page and the screen.

SHOW NOTES:

- Follow Gabino on BlueSky and Twitter!

- Follow Russell on BlueSky and Instagram!

- Follow the show on BlueSky, Twitter, and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 10: Black Christmas with Clay McLeod Chapman Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

Merry (Black) Christmas! The great Clay McLeod Chapman returns this week as our first-ever second-time to guess, to fulfill a promise he made in our very first episode and discuss the immortal Black Christmas on this, its 50th anniversary. We talk about Clay's new book Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, the film's very upsetting phone calls, Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, that ending, Halloween, and so much more. Plus, hear why Clay has pledged to be the last-ever guest this podcast has (a long, long time from now), and stick around to the end for a message from Matthew on what's coming in 2025!

SHOW NOTES:

- Wake Up and Open Your Eyes is out January 7! Pre-order it now!

- Follow Clay on BlueSky and Twitter, and visit his website!

- Follow the show on BlueSky, Twitter, and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 9: House on Haunted Hill (1999) with Sofia Ajram Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

Sofia Ajram joins the show this week to talk about her fantastic debut novella Coup de Grace, and to have a millennial blast with 1999's House on Haunted Hill. We cover everything from our love of tiny coffins to Geoffrey Rush's impossibly thin mustache to Sofia's first experience with the film as part of his school-age movie nights. It's a blast!

SHOW NOTES:

- Coup de Grace is available now!

- Follow Sofia on BlueSky and Twitter, and visit his website!

- Follow the show on BlueSky, Twitter, and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 8: Arthur Machen's "The White People" with Gemma Files Nov 20, 2024

Show notes

One of the finest horror writers alive, Gemma Files, is on the show this week! We talk about the inspirations for her short fiction, her latest collection Blood from the Air, and Arthur Machen's legendary story "The White People," an essential piece of weird fiction. It all comes together for a long chat about influences, inspiration, feeling like you're part of a secret world, and much more.

SHOW NOTES:

- Get Blood from the Air now!

- Follow Gemma on Twitter and BlueSky!

- Check out No Darkness But Ours!

- Follow the show on BlueSky, Twitter, and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 7: Twilight Zone: The Movie with Josh Malerman Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

It's a super-sized episode as Josh Malerman joins the show to talk about Incidents Around the House, 10 years of publishing horror, the unique way he promotes his books, and of course, Twilight Zone: The Movie. It's the first anthology we've covered on the show, and it's a hell of a chat about a fascinating project.

SHOW NOTES:

- Get Incidents Around the House now!

- Follow Josh on Twitter!

- Head to Josh's website for more cool stuff, including an entire free novel.

- Follow the show on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 6: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark with BJ Colangelo Oct 30, 2024

Show notes

Happy Halloween! It's a special Halloween edition of the show this week, as we're joined by writer/director/producer/critic/podcaster/awesome person BJ Colangelo to talk about a cornerstone of kid horror in the 1980s and 1990s: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about what these classic tales taught BJ about horror storytelling, the value of exposing kids to horror stories, and of course, our favorite Halloween memories, from trick-or-treating to the legendary costumes in our families.

SHOW NOTES:

- Order BJ and Harmony Colangelo's Sleepaway Camp book!

- Follow BJ on Twitter!

- Listen to This Ends At Prom!

- Matthew's recs: "Crouch End" by Stephen King; Young Frankenstein (RIP, Teri Garr)

- Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 5: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood with Stephen Graham Jones Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

Big episode this week! The great Stephen Graham Jones stopped by to do what you always hope you'll get to do with Stephen Graham Jones: Talk about slashers. We tackled Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, how it shaped Stephen's approach to slashers and horror storytelling in general, how he'd teach this movie in a writing class, and of course, snakes. Because we're country boys, and country boys talk about snakes.

SHOW NOTES:

- Several of Stephen's earlier works are out new thanks to a re-release from Open Road Media!

- You can pre-order The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, out in March, right now!

- Check out Stephen's website!

- Matthew's Recs: The Blob (1988), Eric LaRocca's upcoming At Dark, I Become Loathsome.

- Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 4: The Lost Boys with Hailey Piper Oct 09, 2024

Show notes

The great Hailey Piper joins The Scares That Shaped Us! We talked about her amazing new vampire novel, All The Hearts You Eat, writing about coastal towns, the influence of Twin Peaks, and more.

Then, we turn to Hailey's chosen story, Joel Schumacher's 1987 vampire classic The Lost Boys! What role does sincerity play in horror media? How do you figure out vampire rules in the '80s? Is Grandpa the best character in the whole movie? We find out together!

Plus, hear my recommendations for reading and watching here in the first half of October!

SHOW NOTES:

- All The Hearts You Eat is out October 15 from Titan!

- Check out Hailey's website for more on what she's up to lately!

- Matthew's Recs: After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones, It's What's Inside now streaming Netflix!

- Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin

Episode 3: Jaws with Rachel Harrison Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

It's Rachel Harrison week on The Scares That Shaped Us! The author behind novels like The Return, Cackle, Such Sharp Teeth, and Black Sheep joins the show to discuss her latest novel, So Thirsty, working through different horror subgenres, and balancing planning with spontaneity when working on a book.

After chatting about Rachel's current work, we pivot to a discussion of Steven Spielberg's immortal classic Jaws, Rachel's childhood (and adulthood) fear of the water, which member of the shark-hunting trio we most identify with, and much more. What's the scariest scene in Jaws? Could we survive shark attacks? Is it all Quint's fault?

Plus, I offer my early recommendations from the movies I've screened at Fantastic Fest here in Austin.

SHOW NOTES:

- So Thirsty is available now from Berkley!

- Check out Rachel's website for updates on her upcoming appearances.

- Matthew's Recs: Terrifier 3 (in theaters Oct. 11), V/H/S/Beyond (on Shudder Oct. 4), and Heretic (in theaters November)

- Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook!

- Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: scaresthatshapeduspodcast@gmail.com!

Hosted by Matthew Jackson

Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson

Logo and Web Design by Lyndsay Jackson

Music by Dmytro Kuvalin