231 – Stephen Graham Jones & Rewilding the Vampire

Talking Scared

#Society #Books #Arts #Neil McRobert

1:08

Join us each week as celebrity guests pitch an idea for a film based on one of the SUPER niche sub-genres on Netflix. From ‘Steamy Crime Movies from the 1970s’ to ‘Australian Dysfunctional Family Comedies Starring A Strong Female Lead’, our celebrity guests will pitch their wacky plot, their dream cast, the marketing stunts, and everything in between. By the end of every episode, Jimmy Carr, Comedian by night / “Netflix Executive” by day, will decide whether the pitch is greenlit or condemned to development hell! New episode every other Wednesday starting May 28th! Listen on all podcast platforms and watch on the Netflix is a Joke YouTube Channel . The Big Pitch is a co-production by Netflix and BBC Studios Audio.…

about a year ago 1:16:11

MP3•Episode home

It’s always great when Stephen Graham Jones comes to Talk Scared with us – but for once we aren’t talking about slashers!

No, this time, we’re talking vampires! Or are we?

Stephen’s new novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, is his best yet. Or at least the one that I love the most. It’s an epic and brutal saga of American history and shame, told through three very distinctive voices, speaking across the centuries. There are monsters with fangs AND with flags.

We talk about Stephen’s relationship with so-called Indian stories…about his use and misuse of animals in fiction, and the white-knuckle, red-hot writing style that leads to some truly crazy things.

Enjoy!

Other books mentioned:

Ledfeather (2008), by Stephen Graham Jones
The Only Good Indians (2020), by Stephen Graham Jones
The Babysitter Lives / Killer on the Road (2025), by Stephen Graham Jones
Ceremony (1977), by Leslie Marmon Silko
Riddley Walker (1980), by Russell Hoban
A Game of Thrones (1996), by George R. R. Martin
The Devils (2025), by Joe Abercrombie
I Am Legend (1954), by Richard Matheson
Dark Places (2009), by Gillian Flynn
Dubliners (1914), by James Joyce
Angel Down (2025), by Daniel Kraus
The Warm Hands of Ghosts (2024), by Katherine Arden
Victorian Psycho (2025), by Virginia Feito
Curse of the Reaper (2022), by Brian McCauley
Breathe in, Bleed Out (2025), by Brian McCauley

Support Talking Scared on Patreon

Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch

Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

259 episodes

Talking Scared

231 – Stephen Graham Jones & Rewilding the Vampire

Talking Scared

47 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

It’s always great when Stephen Graham Jones comes to Talk Scared with us – but for once we aren’t talking about slashers!

No, this time, we’re talking vampires! Or are we?

Enjoy!

Other books mentioned:

Ledfeather (2008), by Stephen Graham Jones
The Only Good Indians (2020), by Stephen Graham Jones
The Babysitter Lives / Killer on the Road (2025), by Stephen Graham Jones
Ceremony (1977), by Leslie Marmon Silko
Riddley Walker (1980), by Russell Hoban
A Game of Thrones (1996), by George R. R. Martin
The Devils (2025), by Joe Abercrombie
I Am Legend (1954), by Richard Matheson
Dark Places (2009), by Gillian Flynn
Dubliners (1914), by James Joyce
Angel Down (2025), by Daniel Kraus
The Warm Hands of Ghosts (2024), by Katherine Arden
Victorian Psycho (2025), by Virginia Feito
Curse of the Reaper (2022), by Brian McCauley
Breathe in, Bleed Out (2025), by Brian McCauley

Support Talking Scared on Patreon

Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch

Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

259 episodes

#Society #Books #Arts #Neil McRobert

All episodes

Talking Scared

1
240 – John Connolly & Detective Gothic: The Charlie Parker Deep Dive 1:33:28

21 hours ago1:33:28

1:33:28

John Connolly is, in my opinion, the greatest living writer working in the overlap of crime and horror. His long-running series of novels—focused on the Strange cases of his haunted detective, Charlie Parker—is now over twenty books strong. The latest, The Children of Eve is a pivotal instalment, so this seemed a good time to get John on the show, to grill him about this saga’s many mysteries, and hideous horrors. We talk about creating iconic villains, writing violence against the vulnerable, the monstrous feminine and the strange truth of Parker’s nature. There’s also some very exciting info on a possible TV adaptation! Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
239 – Sarah Pinborough & What Are Ghosts But Lies Persevering? 1:14:51

8 days ago1:14:51

1:14:51

It’s a week of sadness and hilarity on Talking Scared. The happy stuff comes courtesy of Sarah Pinborough, author of Weird domestic gothics, like Behind Her Eyes and the brand new ghost story (or is it?) We Live Here Now. We talk about confounding expectations, about the rules of the psychological thriller, about the British horror scene then and now, and about the dark truth that we all lie to each other. The sadness... well you’ll hear that in the outro if you want to stick around for it. If not, no worries at all. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: The Reckoning (2005), by Sarah Pinborough Breeding Ground (2006), by Sarah Pinborough Behind Her Eyes (2016), by Sarah Pinborough Every Dead Thing (1999), by John Connolly The Sleepwalkers (2024), by Scarlett Thomas The Woman in Black (1983), by Susan Hill The Shining (1977), by Stephen King The Haunting of Hill House (1959), by Shirley Jackson No One Gets Out Alive (2014), by Adam Nevill The Hamlet (2025), by Joanna Corrance Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
238 – The Frozen Frontier: Ally Wilkes and Michelle Paver, Live at the Oxford Literary Festival 1:05:13

15 days ago1:05:13

1:05:13

Talking Scared goes live! In April I was invited to chair a conversation between Michelle Paver and Ally Wilkes at the Oxford Literary Festival. I duly leapt on a train and bundled my way there – to ask the two survival horror queens about their stories of haunting and isolation in the coldest parts of the world. We talk about handling the Victorian attitudes of exploration horror, the unique properties of fear in the vast open, and how their law careers led them to write such wild stories. Also, we hear quite a lot of juicy info about their forthcoming jungle horror novels. Thanks to the Oxford Literary Festival for the invitation. Other books mentioned: The Worst Journey in the World (1922), by Apsley Cherry-Garrard Female Husbands: A Trans History (2020), by Jen Manion “The Man Whom The Trees Loved,” (1912), by Algernon Blackwood. Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
Off Book #9 – Eli Craig & Clown in a Cornfield 50:08

19 days ago50:08

50:08

Send in the clowns! In this Off Book episode I talk to Eli Craig, director of cult-classic Tucker and Dale vs Evil , and the man who put Clown in a Cornfield up on the big screen. After crowbarring my way into his press day, I asked him what drew him to the project, what else there is to ‘do’ with scary clowns and slashers in cinema, and what this movie has to say about Middle America right now. We go deeper than you’d expect for a movie about clowns chasing kids with chainsaws. Enjoy Clown in a Cornfield is in cinemas from May 9th. Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod , on Instagram , or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
237 – Joe Abercrombie & The International Brotherhood of the Blade 1:13:51

22 days ago1:13:51

1:13:51

Let’s get grim and dark with Lord Grimdark! Perhaps the greatest benefit of having a book podcast like mine is the opportunity to speak to my very favourite authors. I’ve been reading Joe Abercrombie’s violent, world-weary dark fantasy for TWENTY years! And now he’s on the show. Consider me excited. His new book may be called The Devils , and it may contain werewolves, vampires, necromancers and oceans of blood – but it’s quite a cheery affair for Joe. I have never laughed so much in preparation for an interview. We talk writing the most anti of antiheroes, gender-flipping the catholic church, and why you shouldn’t sleep with people who own swords. It’s a lot of fun. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: A Game of Thrones (1996), by George R. R. Martin Wizard of Earthsea (1968), by Usula K. Le Guin LA Confidential (1990) by James Ellroy Blood Meridian (1995), by Cormac McCarthy Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
236 – Brian Keene & Living in the Splatter 1:19:17

29 days ago1:19:17

1:19:17

Brian Keene has written so many damn books! …and I had never read any of them. This absolute horror faux-pas (and my embarrassment) is the reason that it’s taken so long to get Brian on the show. But I set a week aside and read as many Keene books as I could and here we are… on a leisurely stroll through Brian’s life and career,both of which he has devoted to stories of really nasty s*** happening to undeserving people. We talk abouthis bleak coming-of-age novel, Ghoul , his story of a homicidal nightfrom hell, The Complex , and his sombre study of mortality and writing inthe 21st century, The End of the Road. And between all that we cover hope and nihilism, we ask if horror could help shore up the failing centre, and Brian talks me through all the great writers I missed when I wasn’t paying enough attention to horror. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: The Rising (2003), by Brian Keene Entombed (2011), by Brian Keene Ghoul (2007), by Brian Keene End of the Road (2020), by Brian Keene The Cellar (1980), by Richard Laymon The Beast House (1986), by Richard Laymon The Island (1995), by Richard Laymon A Writer’s Tale (1998), by Richard Laymon The Girl Next Door (1989), by Jack Ketchum Survivor (2002), by J.F. Gonzalez A Choir of Ill Children (2007) by Tom Piccirilli “Sticks” (1974), by Karl Edward Wagner “West Of Matamoros, South of Hell” (2017), by Brian Hodge (in Best Horror of the Year, Volume 10 , edited by Ellen Datlow) The Day of the Door (2024), by Laurel Hightower The Better To Eat You With (2024), by Wesley Southard Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
235 – Nat Cassidy & Emotional Doomsday Prepping 1:34:12

5 weeks ago1:34:12

1:34:12

I’ve been looking forward to releasing this one… Nat Cassidy comes to Talk Scared about When the Wolf Comes Home , his new novel that I –and people like me – are already calling out as one of the Best Books of the Year™. It’s a shaggy, undisciplined, sprinting beast of a book that obeys no rules. You may think it’s a werewolf novel, and you may be right... but also very wrong. It’s a book about transformations of many kinds, about fatherhood and the very nature of fear itself. But it’s also funny, scary and sad as hell. You’ll love the damn thing, and this conversation. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: Mary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy Nestlings (2023), by Nat Cassidy Play Nice (forthcoming, 2025), by Rachel Harrison Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
Off Book #8 – Kyle McConaghy & Dead Mail 56:28

6 weeks ago56:28

56:28

Back to the 80s this week for one of the most singular horror movies of the year – now streaming on Shudder. Dead Mail is an ode to the era, but there are no neon fonts or leg warmers (or Olivia Newton Johns) here. Instead we’re in the drear of the decade, for a story about a synth-obsessed man who keeps his business partner captive in his flock-wallpapered bathroom. The poor victim’s only hope is the investigative ‘Dead Mail’ department of his local post office. If that sounds mad… well, it is. And I’m joined by Kyle McConaghy, one half of the writing/directing duo behind the movie. We talk about scripting the crazy, about the hands-on reality of low-budget filmmaking, replicating 80s aesthetics, and a big bucket full of rubber rats. Enjoy! Dead Mail is streaming on Shudder from Friday 18th April Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod , on Instagram , or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
234 – Katherine Arden & The Devil’s Train Timetable 1:19:54

6 weeks ago1:19:54

1:19:54

In the week that the world changed, we’re talking about the last time things got this crazy. Katherine Arden is the author of The Warm Hands of Ghosts — a novel set in the trenches of the First World War and on the borderline between horror and fantasy. It’s a Faustian pact made in No-Man’s Land, where our memories are the price we pay for keeping ourselves alive. In this episode we talk a lot about history, about inflection points and moments of no-return. We talk about how systems of power can seem so complex that they lead only to ruin – but we also talk devils and fairies and angels and brave, brave nurses with scarred hands. It’s a joy of a conversation, about the most hideous time to be alive. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: The Bear and the Nightingale (2017), by Katherine Arden The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (2025), by Stephen Graham Jones Wasteland: The Great War and the Origin of Modern Horror (2018), by W. Scott Pool Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004), by Susanna Clarke The Master and the Margarita (1940), by Mikhail Bulgakov Lud in the Mist (1926), by Hope Mirrlees Ghosts Have Warm Hands: A Memoir of the Great War (1968), by Will R. Bird Between Two Fires (2012), by Christopher Buehlman Ghost Eaters (2022), by Clay McLeod Chapman Wake Up and Open Your Eyes (2025), by Clay McLeod Chapman Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
233 – Tariq Ashkanani & Bloodstained Hands Across the Ocean 1:15:20

7 weeks ago1:15:20

1:15:20

This week we go from Edinburgh, Scotland to Nashville, Tennessee, in the company of crime author Tariq Ashkanani. Tariq’s The Midnight King is a tricky, quasi-metafictional murder mystery about cursed manuscripts, familial secrets and the most heinous murders. It’s also a love letter to the kind of occult-tinged American crime epics that both he and I grew up loving. We talk about the challenge of writing about serial killing without exploitation, about the unstable boundary between crime and horror fiction, about the allure of Hannibal Lecter and the pressure of a good twist. But mostly we just pay homage to the messy, bloodsoaked myth of America that inspired us so much over the years. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: Welcome to Cooper (2021), by Tariq Ashkanani Red Dragon (1981), by Thomas Harris Galveston (2010), by Nic Pizzolatto The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper (2019), by Hallie Rubenhold The Devil All the Time (2011), by Donald Ray Pollock Uzumaki (2000), by Junji Ito Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
232 – Punk Goes Horror, with William Sterling, Wendy Dalrymple & Brian McAauley 1:05:26

8 weeks ago1:05:26

1:05:26

Time to throw ourselves around. We’re covering Punk Goes Horror. The anthology of stories inspired by punk and alternative rock songs came out just a few weeks back. It brings together a mosh-pit full of authors, both new and established, to transmute their favourite songs into nasty little stories. I invited the anthology editor, William Sterling, and two of his contributors, Wendy Dalrymple and Brian McCauley, to talk about punk, and horror and the affinity between the two. We get into our favourite ever gig experiences, the creepy assumptions behind certain emo-songs, and why punk (and music generally) is such an important light in dark times. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk (2024), by Kathleen Hanna Victorian Psycho (2025), by Virginia Feito Blood on her Tongue (2025), by Johanna van Veen Credenza (2025), by Wendy Dalrymple Breathe in, Bleed Out (2025), by Brian McCauley Poisoned Soup for the Macabre, Depraved and Insane: An Anthology of Nostalgic Terrors (2025), edited by Wendy Dalrymple and Grace R. Reynolds Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
Let Us Palaver #2 — The Drawing of the Three Debrief 31:41

9 weeks ago31:41

31:41

The second Let Us Palaver minisode – in which Nat Cassidy dig into the things we couldn't say about The Drawing of the Three, and give MAJOR SPOILERS about whole Dark Tower series. We're really start to wonder if Chris is punking us. Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
The Dark Tower Deep Dive #2 – The Drawing of the Three 2:15:10

9 weeks ago2:15:10

2:15:10

The Ka-tet picks up exactly where we left off: on the beaches of Midworld, with Roland Deschain. (If none of that makes any sense to you, go listen to episode one of the Dark Tower Deep Dive immediately) Nat Cassidy, Chris Panatier and I gather for a long, philosophical, expletive-littered conversation about Book 2: The Drawing of the Three. We get further into the character of Roland and his quest, and spend some time with the gaggle of oddballs he meets along his scenic tour of the coast. The seafood is particularly tasty! It’s good to be talking Tower again. Enjoy. Nnedi Okorafor's article on Odetta/Detta Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
231 – Stephen Graham Jones & Rewilding the Vampire 1:16:11

10 weeks ago1:16:11

1:16:11

It’s always great when Stephen Graham Jones comes to Talk Scared with us – but for once we aren’t talking about slashers! No, this time, we’re talking vampires! Or are we? Stephen’s new novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter , is his best yet. Or at least the one that I love the most. It’s an epic and brutal saga of American history and shame, told through three very distinctive voices, speaking across the centuries. There are monsters with fangs AND with flags. We talk about Stephen’s relationship with so-called Indian stories…about his use and misuse of animals in fiction, and the white-knuckle, red-hot writing style that leads to some truly crazy things. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: Ledfeather (2008), by Stephen Graham Jones The Only Good Indians (2020), by Stephen Graham Jones The Babysitter Lives / Killer on the Road (2025), by Stephen Graham Jones Ceremony (1977), by Leslie Marmon Silko Riddley Walker (1980), by Russell Hoban A Game of Thrones (1996), by George R. R. Martin The Devils (2025), by Joe Abercrombie I Am Legend (1954), by Richard Matheson Dark Places (2009), by Gillian Flynn Dubliners (1914), by James Joyce Angel Down (2025), by Daniel Kraus The Warm Hands of Ghosts (2024), by Katherine Arden Victorian Psycho (2025), by Virginia Feito Curse of the Reaper (2022), by Brian McCauley Breathe in, Bleed Out (2025), by Brian McCauley Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram /Threads, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Talking Scared

1
230 – Alex Grecian & Weirdos in the West 1:09:40

11 weeks ago1:09:40