Horror from the High Desert

Scotty talks to director Thom Eberhardt about his long career in the movie industry, from his admittedly humble beginnings helming the cult thriller "Sole Survivor" (1984) to directing two of the Britain's greatest actors in the Sherlock Holmes comedy "Without a Clue" (1988). Of course, they also discuss Thom's classically bonkers apocalyptic teen horror comedy "Night of t...

Boston-bestie Mandy Connor returns to talk about two movies and a novel. She and Scotty begin with their disappointment in the 2023 Heather Graham vehicle "Suitable Flesh," a supposed "spiritual successor" to the classically bonkers 1980s Stuart Gordon films "Re-Animator" (1985) and "From Beyond" (1986). Things improve significantly with their discussion of...

Welcome to 2024! Scotty kicks off the new year by talking to horror and crime-fiction author Derik Cavignano. The two discuss Derik's upbringing in Boston, his early influences, and how the city's legendary history of organized crime impacted his writing. They touch on Derik's recent short story "Temple of the Righteous Harvest" (available in the 2023 "Monstorm" charity antholo...

Scotty closes out 2023 by talking to author Josh Schlossberg about his new novel "Charwood," his award-winning novella "Malinae," Jewish and folk horror, taking inspiration from Josh's interest in ecology and forest protection, writing flawed characters with empathy, and more. They also talk about the Denver Horror Collective and its track record of releasing superlative anthol...

Scotty and author Angela Sylvaine talk about her new YA horror novel "Frost Bite," misconceptions about YA and what it means to write YA in the current moment. They also talk about Angela's early days in the snowy reaches of North Dakota, and how the pressure to be "Midwestern nice" steered her toward horror. They discuss the inspiration that came from 1980s monster movies...an...

Scotty has a special crossover episode this week with his guest Amelia Ampuero. She's--of course---the cohost of his other podcast, The Weirdest Thing. Amelia is joining Horror from the High Desert to talk about the works of filmmaker Mike Flanagan--specifically his four acclaimed Netflix limited series: "The Haunting of Hill House" (2018), "The Haunting of Bly Manor" (2020), &...

This week Scotty talks to author Sam Rebelein about his short story "One Big Cry for Help" ("A Pile of Bodies, A Pile of Heads," Sinister Smile Press , 2021) and his debut novel "Edenville," which was just released in October from William Morrow . They also talk awkward high-school memories, early horror influences, balancing humor with fear, and the idea of writing w...

Scotty and author Michelle Renee Lane discuss her 2019 Stoker-nominated novel "Invisible Chains," as well as her short fiction and her more recent "The Courtship of Nora Fagan," which is the first of a five-part "erotic paranormal romance" series. They talk about their own personal definitions of horror, the sometimes tricky balance between horror and romance, the ide...

Scotty talks to author and editor Rebecca Rowland about her upcoming collection "White Trash and Recycled Nightmares," available Oct. 10 from Dead Sky Publishing . The conversation covers their mutual fear of flying, what makes a good audiobook narrator , how "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" is the best "Halloween" Film, and more. They also discuss the upcoming Cr...

Scotty and Boston-bestie Mandy Connor dive into two films: the 2015 mock-documentary horror movie "Hell House LLC," and the recent Slash-produced adaptation of Nick Cutter's novel "The Breach." They also set some time aside for some hardcore Nick Cutter appreciation (including Scotty's story about how his first experience with Cutter's writing literally almost killed him), and-...

Scotty talks to author Daniel Braum about the glories of "The Twilight Zone" (both the show and the magazine), writing "on the borderline" and the use of "night-time logic" in weird fiction, using generational trauma as a bridge to another culture in fiction, trusting your own vision vs. the market, and not being afraid of ambiguity. They also discuss Braum's short st...

Scotty talks to author N.J Gallegos about their overlapping experiences in Southern Colorado's the alien-infested San Luis Valley, N.J.'s experience as an emergency-room doctor and how that has informed her writing, the concept of "limits" in extreme horror, revenge in fiction, and they reminisce fondly about the unexpected Venn-diagram of horror fans and Swifties at this year's StokerCo...

Scotty talks to author Rae Wilde about the concept of "gaslighting"--both in the flawed but powerful 1944 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, as well as in Rae's discomfiting new novel "The Stradivarius" (Brigid's Gate Press). We also talk about her background as a social worker, therapist, and mental health advocate, and how that training has informed her writing....

Scotty talks to author Tamika Thompson about her upbringing in Detroit, her journey from broadcast journalism to writing horror, balancing the political with the psychological in her work, the importance of the revision to the creative process, and the impact of the 1995 classic anthology horror film "Tales from the Hood" on her artistic point of view. In the process, we discuss her mast...

Scotty talks to author Richard Beauchamp about his short fiction, their shared love of heavy metal, how to push past the anxieties of being a new writer, the value of working with good editors, Richard's recent sci-fi horror novella "AUTONOMOUS," and the implications of A.I. on the genre. They also spend a few minutes talking about the 1999 western horror film "Ravenous," and the "man vs. nature"...

Scotty and author Bridgett Nelson talk about extreme horror, trigger warnings, their shared experience at the 2022 Gross-out Contest at Austin's KillerCon, self vs. traditional publishing, and more. They also discuss Bridgett's debut, Splatterpunk award-nominated collection "A Bouquet of Viscera," as well as her new collections "What the Fuck Was That?" and "Sweet, Sour, & Spicy." If you want...

Scotty has two guests this week on Horror from the High Desert. First, he sits down with author Holly Rae Garcia to discuss her short fiction, her novels "Parachute" and "Come Join the Murder," their mutual love of "Sons of Anarchy," and the Korean horror movie "I Saw the Devil." They also talk about "Table for 3," the new charity collection that Holly edited, which features three horror novellas...

Scotty and author Douglas Ford have a wide-ranging conversation, covering everything from their writing's connection to the land, anyone's ability to buy a leech, and the films of Spanish actor/writer Paul Naschy. In the process they also talk about Ford's short fiction, his recent novellas "Babble" and "Little Lugosi," and his novel "The Beasts of Vissaria County." Find Douglas Ford on Goodreads:...

Welcome to the very first episode of Horror from the High Desert! This week Scotty has his good friend Mandy Connor on to help him sort through his complicated feelings about Shudder's experimental feature "Skinamarink" (2022). They also do a deep dive into the new Brandon Cronenberg film "Infinity Pool," wax poetic about their mutual love for Mia Goth, and touch briefly on the movies "X," "Pearl"...