Horror in the Margins

We talk to Lor Gislason and Shelley Lavigne, the delightfully weird, goopy, and wonderful duo behind The Flesh of the Sea, a historical adventure-horror novella filled to the brim with queer longing, pirates, and all the monstrous things that lurk in the ocean. We discuss their collaboration process and the deep respect and friendship they have for each other, found family, reinvigorating the trav...

We talk to Nicole Wolverton, Pushcart-nominated writer of speculative fiction and the author of the brand-new YA horror novel, A Misfortune of Lake Monsters. We discuss the resilience of young readers, the importance of YA horror, the beautiful interplay that can and should be humor, romance, and horror, all things cryptid, a whole lotta X-Files, and much, much more. Pod People, we had some gremli...

What better way to celebrate the lead-up to the Summer Olympics in Paris than by watching the Netflix fin-omenon Under Paris? We discuss the absolute smoke show of a man that is actor Nassim Lyes; the film's overt themes regarding global warming, environmental destruction, pollution, and capitalism; and we maybe sing a bit of a kid's ditty at one point. Kicking off the episode, we pay tr...

We talk to Jeff Schmidt, writer and visionary behind Ominous Thrill, an immersive audio anthology series; sound engineer extraordinaire; and pioneer in the creative use of Binaural 3D and Spatial Audio in podcasts. We discuss how sound creates atmosphere in the horror genre, getting out of your own way to tackle the projects you're really passionate about, Jeff's process for creating epi...

Pod People, we're giving you a double dose of film discussion this month, and next month, we'll have two creator interviews, because we are the honey badger of podcast, and we do what we want! In other words, scheduling. For our second dose of film goodness, we're discussing three short films by P. Patrick Hogan. We chat about Virtually and Killing Time, shorts that are available to...

Let's bend time, Pod People! This month, we discuss K-horror gem The Call, which centers around two women who can communicate through time via a cordless phone - similar to Frequency or Don't Let Go, but with some incredible twists we didn't see coming! We chat about manipulating the timeline, shifting alliances as the story unfolds, and THAT coda at the end of the film.  We also re...

We talk to award-winning writer, performance poet, teaching artist, and tabletop roleplaying game designer Brandon O'Brien about his poetry collection, Can You Sign My Tentacle? We discuss the strangely parasocial and fleeting nature of asking celebrities for an autograph, eldritch gods hanging out in our thoughts and anxieties, the lore of the Lagahoo of Trinidad and Tobago, how social danci...

Special guests Shelley Lavigne and Alexis DuBon join Tiffany to discuss Love Lies Bleeding, directed by Rose Glass and starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brian. We discuss genre-bending films, the question of who is the villain in Love Lies Bleeding, feminine and masculine spaces, skullets, survival, yoga mat merkins, and more.   We also discuss an audiobook friend-of-the-show L. Marie Wood...

We talk to award-winning author Sonora Taylor about her latest short story collection, Recreational Panic: Stories, published by Cemetery Gates Media. We discuss the insidiousness of influencer culture and white woman passive aggressiveness, the fine line between harmless fascination and full-blown idolatry of serial killers, food horror, deals with the devil, and the absolute horror show that is...

Let's go to a film festival, Pod People! This month, we discuss one of the films we had the opportunity to view online during the Sundance Film Festival—Veni Vidi Vici. Friends, this foreign film doesn't pull any punches. It explores the lack of accountability that comes with immense wealth, the idea that the rich are basically untouchable when it comes to the law, generational trauma, s...

We talk to award-winning author, screenwriter, and educator L. Marie Wood about her latest novella, 12 Hours, the second installment in the novella series friend-of-the-show RJ Joseph is editing for Raw Dog Screaming Press. We discuss the power of psychological/quiet horror, stream-of-consciousness narratives, the art of discovery while writing, and that ending (no spoilers here, but definitely so...

Happy Valentine's Day, Pod People! What better way to celebrate a day dedicated to L-O-V-E than to watch a deserted-island-survival-creature-feature with some gaslighting thrown in for good measure? That's right, today on the pod we're discussing the film Sweetheart, directed by J.D. Dillard and featuring a stellar performance by Kiersey Clemons. We discuss disaster horror, some tru...

We talk to Laura Picklesimer about her award-winning, bitingly satirical serial killer novel, Kill for Love. We discuss the glaring disparities between fraternities and sororities, the culture of Greek life on college campuses, the drive for something more when our protagonist, Tiffany, reaches peak perfection according to societal standards, awakenings and hunger, and of course, the enduring insp...

Happy New Year, Pod People! What better way to kick off 2024 than watching Suitable Flesh, a campy, Lifetime-esque adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's “The Thing on the Doorstep?” Did we mention it also stars Heather Graham and horror royalty Barbara Crampton? We quote some terrific one-liners from the film, discuss the complete disregard for medical ethics throughout this wild story, and maybe ge...

Merry Killmas, y'all. We talk to fiction writer, screenwriter, and film professor Brian McAuley about his holiday slasher Candy Cain Kills. We discuss how Brian's background in screenwriting informs his storytelling, the real-life terrors of Christo-facism, including a particularly terrifying Bible story, the experience of writing creative kills, and Brian's favorite slashers. Oh, a...

Happy Krampusknacht, Pod People. Tis the season to be scary, so we watched Rare Exports, a Finnish film heavy on Krampus and Joulupukki/Yule Goat lore. We discuss the darker side of Santa, the naughty or nice list, childhood innocence, and good old-fashioned Christmas capitalism. There's also a lot of discussion of holiday wang, because there is a whole lot of full frontal in this film.  Rare...

We talk to Elgin award-winning  L’nu’skw (Mi’kmaw) writer and poet Tiffany Morris about her debut novella Green Fuse Burning. We discuss the duality of nature - its ability to both give and take life - the importance of swampcore and ecohorror at a time of severe climate distress, Indigenous perspectives on identity, spirituality, and connection with land, the ways in which capitalism can delay he...

We get a little romantical discussing the genre-bending film Spring, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead. We discuss delicious monster body horror, risking it all for someone special, wanderlust and the beauty of the Italian countryside, found family, and a whole lot of philosophy and science and biology as it relates to the body, the evolution of monsters, and the physical process of fa...

We talk to writer and editor Nico Bell about her novelette Open House and her forthcoming novel Static Screams. We discuss the strange rituals that are real-life open houses, the terrifying nature of smart homes, why family dynamics are such ripe fodder for horror, writing villains who truly believe they are the hero of their own story, and more.  Pick up Open House -  Amazon - https://a.co/d/gQhD...

We discuss Gaspar Noe's Climax, a deeply unsettling film about the human condition, bad drug trips, and what happens when unspoken social contracts are burned to the ground.  We discuss the phenomenal cast, mostly composed of dancers without acting experience who improvised a large portion of this film, awe-inducing single/long shots in the film, and the real-life inspiration for the film. We...

We discuss Andrzej Żuławski's 1981 film Possession, which has recently seen a bit of a renaissance within the horror community despite being labeled a video nasty and banned/censored/edited when first released. We talk about the behind-the-scenes lore of the film, the absolute force that is Isabelle Adjani, the horror inherent in a marriage failing, and some good old-fashioned monster fucking...

We talk to Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson award-nominated author and horror academic RJ Joseph about her short story collection Hell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted. We discuss how her experience as a Black woman living in Texas influences her storytelling, the importance of giving voice to characters and people who rarely get the opportunity to have their stories told, tentacles, otherness,...

We discuss Huesera: The Bone Woman directed by Michelle Garza Cervera. We talk about Mexican folklore, the horrors of domesticity and pregnancy, the concept of rewilding, and a whole lotta spiders, broken bones, and brujas.  Content warnings for discussions of pregnancy, postpartum depression, and some pretty gnarly body horror.  Huesera: The Bone Woman is available to view on Shudder and AMC+ and...

We talk to poet, author, and sex worker Stephanie Parent about her novel, The Briars. We discuss what the media gets wrong about sex work, contemporary Gothic storytelling, the thin line between pleasure and pain, feminine rage, queer love, ghosts, and more.   You can purchase The Briars through:  Cemetery Gates Media - https://cemeterygatesmedia.com/2023/02/12/the-briars/ Amazon - https://a.co/d/...

We talk to independent filmmaker Greg Pritikin about his latest feature, The Mistress, which debuted in select theaters this week. We discuss Greg's Queen Anne Victorian home in Angelino Heights, which served as the location for The Mistress; the biological desire to believe in the supernatural; the influence of Alfred Hitchcock and Psycho on The Mistress; intentionality in filmmaking; unreli...