Talking Scared

Send us a textBack from a too-short break, but ready to delve into the greatest haunted house of them all! Shirley Jackson’s Hill House. The place where the scary things walk alone. Thankfully, I am not alone. I’m joined by my own group of creepy ghost-hunters: Paul Tremblay (A Head Full of Ghosts, Cabin at the End of the World), Johnny Compton (The Spite House) and Catriona Ward (Last House on Needless Street, Looking Glass Sound). I can think of no better collective to explore the corridors of this book and house. We get INTO it. The crafted magic of that infamous opening paragraph, the long legacy of creepy houses in American fiction, the choice between the haunted void and hideous, mundane reality. Plus, a raft of film recommendations, and a few brief forays into our favourite real haunted places. This one was necessary. Hope you enjoy it. Other books mentioned: House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. DanielewskiCarrie (1974), by Stephen King‘Salem’s Lot (1975), by Stephen KingThe Shining (1977),  by Stephen KingThe Spite House (2023), by Johnny ComptonThe Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (1983), by John GardnerThe Letters of Shirley Jackson (2021), edited by Laurence Jackson HymanWhen Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021), ed. by Ellen Datlow“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (1904), by M.R. James Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textYes I put sex in the title to make you download it. Did it work? It shouldn’t be necessary, ‘cos this week’s guest is an absolute literary icon. Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, Haunted, Lullaby, Choke, and last year’s Not Forever, But For Now – a writer who helped shape the nihilism and extremity of 90s and noughties fiction. The man who makes people faint with his short stories.  He’s here, talking to us! In this conversation Chuck and I roam all over the blasted map of his fiction. We talk about transgression and provocation, about extremity in life and story, about bad reviews, toxic interviews and toxic masculinity. And yes, we talk about “Guts.” This was a privilege. I hope you are shocked and appalled. Enjoy! Other books mentioned:  Fight Club (1996) by Chuck Palahniuk Haunted (2005), by Chuck Palahniuk Lullaby (2002), by Chuck Palahniuk Diary (2003), by Chuck Palahniuk Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey (2005), by Chuck Palahniuk Adjustment Day (2018), by Chuck Palahniuk Cold Comfort Farm (1932), by Stella Gibbons Rosemary’s Baby (1967), by Ira Levin “The Lottery” (1948), by Shirley Jackson Interview with the Vampire (1976), by Anne Rice Geek Love (1989), by Katherine Dunn Most Delicious Poison: From Spice to Vices – The Story of Nature’s Toxins (2023), by Noah Whiteman Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (2021), by Eric LaRocca  Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Ally Wilkes discusses the haunting horrors and cannibalism in her novel 'Where the Dead Wait'. Topics include consuming human meat, queerness in historical horror, links to sci-fi classics, and a near-death experience in the Himalayas.

Send us a textThe first new book coverage of 2024 – and it starts us off on suitably horrific footing. Jenny Kiefer’s debut novel, This Wretched Valley, has been getting a huge amount of early buzz in horror circles. It’s the story of four unlucky adventurers, who head into the Kentucky woods and meet all manner of nasty sh*t.  It’s a tightly wound tale of misadventure, that takes at least some inspiration from the Dyatlov Pass mystery. And if you don’t know what that is… boy have you got a wiki hole to disappear down. Jenny and I talk about writing and selling a brutal debut, arthouse horror influences, the terror of climbing and research serendipity… plus, what she thinks happened to those poor Russian hikers over 60 years ago. Enjoy! Other books mentioned:  The Ruins (2006), by Scott Smith The Laws of the Skies (2019), by Grégoire Courtois Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013), by Donnie Eichar The Marigold (2023), by Andre F. Sullivan  Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textTo kick off a new year of Talking Scared, I’ve gone and hooked us a big guest, with a whopper of a story. John Langan is the author of The Fisherman. It’s one of the great works of supernatural fiction written this century, but its story doesn’t end at its back-cover. The strange mythology of The Fisherman extends beyond, swimming further downstream, to pop its monstrous head above the surface in John’s wider universe of short stories and novellas. In this special episode, we talk at length about The Fisherman – about the classic books, real-world legends and cultural beliefs that inspired it, and about the process of building a  whole new mythos. John is the poet-scholar of horror. This is the class you wish you’d taken in college.  Enjoy! Other books mentioned: House of Windows (2009), by John Langan“Mother of Stone”, in The Wide Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies (2013), by John Langan“Bor Urus”, in Sefira and Other Betrayals (2019), by John LanganOur Share of Night (2023), by Mariana EnriquezThe Croning (2012), by Laird BarronThe Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013), by Laird BarronPet Sematary (1983), by Stephen King“The Monkey’s Paw” (1902), by W. W. JacobsAbsolom, Absolom (1951), by William Faulkner“The Call of Cthulhu” (1928), by H.P. LovecraftThe Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony (1988), by Roberto Calasso“Development” (1889), by Robert BrowningIronweed (1983), by William KennedyCome Closer (2003), by Sara GranMotherless Child (2012), by Glen HirshbergScreams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous (2022), edited by Ellen Datlow (contains “Glen Hirshberg’s “Devil” and John Langan’s “Bludzuger”)Furnace (2016), by Livia Llewelyn Join the Laird Barron Readalong Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textAnother year done. We squeaked through without another plague or a nuclear apocalypse (don’t tempt fate Neil!!) and along the way, oh the stories we read!  The only thing left to do after mopping away the chalk pentagrams, is to run you through my very favourite books of the year. The so-called Best Horror Novels of 2023, as chosen by me. Ten of them to be precise, cos humans are obsessed with round numbers. Mwaha, in fact I talk about thirteen!! Thanks again for listening and supporting the show. You give my addled rants a semblance of purpose, and it’s appreciated. Onward into 2024 and its multitude of horrors!!! Enjoy. Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Authors Alan Baxter, Lauren Bolger, and John Langan dive deep into Peter Straub's 'Ghost Story', discussing its monsters, politics, and ghosts. They unravel the complexity of the narrative, explore character dynamics, and analyze themes of fear, wisdom, and hidden secrets within the classic horror novel.

Send us a textAnd so we come to the end of another year in horror. Time to look back at the best that 2023 has had to offer, as determined by three of the best in the business.My trusted horror chancellor, Emily Hughes joins me ­– alongside C.J. Leede, the author of this year’s gloriously transgressive Maeve Fly, and the maestro of the macabre himself, Victor Lavalle. Together we cover the year’s freshest nightmares in the macro and the micro, looking at wider trends and picking our own favourite horror fiction from this year’s epic crop. This is a blast. We laugh, we yell, and we declare that the nation is strong, and good, and frightening.  Enjoy! Books Picked: Our Share of Night (2023), by Mariana Enriquez Boys Weekend (2023), by Mattie Lubchansky Black Sheep (2023), by Rachel Harrison The Reformatory (2023), by Tananarive Due  Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (2023), ed. Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams Fever House (2023), by Keith Rosson Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (2023) ed. Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. Red Rabbit (2023), by Alex Grecian Whalefall (2023), by Daniel Kraus  Books Anticipated: Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch (2024), by Emily Hughes American Rapture (2024), by C.J. Leede Ghost Roots (2024), by Pemi Aguda A Mask of Flies (2024), by Matthew Lyons The Z Word (2024), by Lindsay King-Miller Your Shadow Half Remains (2024), by Sunny Moraine First Light (2024), by Liz Kerin Bury Your Gays (2024), by Chuck Tingle I Was a Teenage Slasher (2024), by Stephen Graham Jones The House of Last Resort (2024), by Christopher Golden The Book of Love (2024), by Kelly Link King Nyx (2024), by Kirsten Bakis Moon of the Turning Leaves (2024), by Waubgeshig Rice In the Valley of the Headless Men (2024), by L.P. Hernandez Island Witch (2024), by Amanda Jayatissa The Haunting of Velkwood (2024), Gwendolyne Kiste The Redemption of Morgan Bright (2024), by Chris Panatier Horror Movie (2024), by Paul Tremblay You Like It Darker (2024), by Stephen King  Support Talking Scared on PatreonVisit the Talking Scared siteCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textWe’re going up in the world this week – longitudinally and latitudinally, with the GOAT of endurance, adventure Gothic, Michelle Paver. Michelle joins me for a big conversation about her novels Dark Matter and Thin Air – two of the most effective ghost stories of the 21st century. One takes us to the Arctic, the other to a Himalayan peak, both places littered with the dead… who may still be around. We talk about how ghost stories work, their tradition and what perhaps differentiates them from horror. We consider the challenge of writing heroes with imperial perspectives, and Michelle relates her own, eerie, dangerous experiences out in the frozen wilds. This is perfect winter listening, even if we did record it in July.  Enjoy! Books mentioned: Wolf Brother (2004), by Michelle PaverThe Abominable (2013), by Dan Simmons30 Days of Night (2002), by Steve Niles and Ben TemplesmithThe Others of Edenwell (2023), by Verity Holloway“The Kit Bag” (1908), by Algernon Blackwood Cold Earth (2009), by Sarah MossNumber 90 and Other Ghost Stories (2000 rpt) B.M. CrokerA Beleaguered City (1871), by Margaret Oliphant The Long Tale (Tail) of Dogs in Fiction (Esquire) Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textLast time Gemma Amor came on the show we had a good ol’ chinwag about our haunted brains. This time around we get to some other ghosts, in her new novel, The Folly. It’s a sharp slice of coastal Gothic; Cornwall’s answer to The Shining if you will. The story follows Morgan and her aging father to the weird structure of the tital, where they find hauntings of many stripes, some uncannily familiar.  It wouldn’t be a Gemma Amor episode if things didn’t get personal – and we talk about anxieties of identity, father/daughter dynamics and the trauma of the Covid years. But it doesn’t get too real or heavy, cos we the nature of cursed buildings and twists on possession to deal with. Enjoy our rural Britishness. I think we hide our inner yokel well.  The Folly was published by Polis Books on in December 2023 (US) and January 2024 (UK) Books mentioned:  Full Immersion (2022), by Gemma Amor Six Rooms (2021), by Gemma Amor Rebecca (1938), by Daphne du Maurier My Cousin Rachel (1951), by Daphne du Maurier “The Birds,” (1952), by Daphne du Maurier Annihilation (2014), by Jeff VanderMeer The Lamplighters (2021), by Emma Stonex The Dark Between the Trees (2022), by Fiona Barnett  Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices