PodParley PodParley
PodParley
Talking Scared cover art

All Episodes

Talking Scared — 339 episodes

#
Title
1

287 – Megan Bontrager & The Cave of Cosmic Narcissism
2

286 – Chuck Tingle & Kill the Vegan Rockstars
3

285 – Paul Tremblay & Eternity at Bernie’s

E
4

Off Book #22 – Scaredy Boys & The Coward’s Guide to Horror Movies (Part 2)

E
5

284 – Tom Lin & Who Wants to Live Forever?

E
6

Off Book #21 – Scaredy Boys & The Coward’s Guide to Horror Movies (Part 1)

E
7

283 – Naomi Kritzer & It Could Happen Anywhere
8

282 – CJ Leede & Peeling Back the Skin of the World

E
9

281 – Melissa Albert & The Howling Strangeness

E
10

Off Book #20 – Petrified, with Peter Dunne

E
11

280 – Neena Viel & Go Heinous or Go Home

E
12

Let Us Palaver #9 – The Wind Through the Keyhole Debrief

E
13

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #9 – The Wind Through the Keyhole

E
14

279 – Sarah Langan & The Mask Eats the Face

E
15

Off Book #19 – Dark Documentaries, with Kaelyn from Heart Starts Pounding
16

278 – Daisy Pearce & Bog Witches of the World Unite!

E
17

Off Book #18 – Hokum, with Damian McCarthy

E
18

277 – Marcus Kliewer & Rules Help Control the Fun

E
19

276 – Kylie Lee Baker & Swords Make Everything Worse

E
20

275 – Caroline Bicks & The Stuff Too Dark for Even Stephen King
21

Off Book #17 – Undertone, with Ian Tuason and Nina Kiri
22

274 – Carter Keane & Working Ourselves to Death!!

E
23

Let Us Palaver #8 – The Black House Debrief

E
24

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #8 – Black House

E
25

Off Book #16 – Something Very Bad is Going to Happen, with Haley Z. Boston

E
26

Episode 273 – Tamika Thompson & The Shadow of the Gun
27

272 – Annie Neugebauer & The Colour of a Terrible Thought
28

271 – Avery Curran & The Naughtiest Ghosts in School

E
29

Off Book #15 – Dolly, with Rod Blackhurst

E
30

270 – Christopher Buehlman & One Seriously Epic Road Trip

E
31

269 – Catriona Ward & Where Children Fear to Tread

E
32

268 – Brennan LaFaro & The Darkness on the Edge of Town

E
33

267 – Wuthering Heights, with Agatha Andrews (from She Wore Black)

E
34

Off Book #14 – Mama Came Callin, with Ezra Claytan Daniels & Camilla Sucre
35

266 – Justin C. Key & Don’t Scroll Before Bed
36

Let Us Palaver #7 – The Talisman Debrief

E
37

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #7 – The Talisman

E
38

265 – Yah Yah Schofield & Pretty Words for Ugly Things
39

264 – Courtney Summers & Dead Is Not Better

E
40

263 – Kristi DeMeester & The Purity of Anger

E
41

262 – The Best Horror Books of 2025

E
42

Let Us Palaver #6 – Wizard & Glass Debrief

E
43

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #6 – Wizard & Glass

E
44

Off Book #13 – Welcome to Derry, with Andy & Barbara Muschietti
45

261 — The State of the Horror Nation 2025, with Emily Hughes, Anna Dupre & George Dunn

E
46

[From the Vault] Carmen Maria Machado & Passing Literary Kidney Stones
47

[From the Vault] Jeff VanderMeer and Our First On-Air Murder
48

[From the Vault] Will Dean & The Two Faces of Off-Grid Living
49

[From the Vault] Courtney Summers & The Master of the Bitch

E
50

[From the Vault] Tananarive Due & Black Girls Doing Magical Things
51

260 – Joe Hill & The One About the Dragon

E
52

Let Us Palaver #5 – ‘Salem’s Lot Debrief

E
53

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #5 – ‘Salem’s Lot

E
54

259 – Joe Lansdale & Our Desperate Need to Be Less Dumb

E
55

Off Book #12 – Ben Leonberg and Good Boy

E
56

258 – Neil McRobert & My Four-Legged Ode to Bravery & Joy

E
57

257 – Northern Weird (Part Two), with Matt Wesolowski, Jodie Robins & Stephen Howard

E
58

256 – Northern Weird (Part One), with Gemma Fairclough, Katherine Clements & Ariell Cacciola
59

255 – Michael Wehunt & What If A Horror Film Broke Into Your House?

E
60

254 – Philip Fracassi & The Fresh Young Heart of Old-School Horror

E
61

253 – Keith Rosson & The Real V-Word

E
62

Off Book #11 – JT Mollner & The Long Walk

E
63

252 – John Langan & Water, Water Everywhere

E
64

251 – Kailee Pedersen and The Silence of the Foxes
65

250 – The End of the World As We Know It: Further Tales of The Stand (Part Two)

E
66

Off Book #10 – Mick Garris and Adapting The Stand (1994)

E
67

249 – The End of the World As We Know It: Further Tales of The Stand (Part One)

E
68

Let Us Palaver #4 – The Stand Debrief

E
69

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #4 – The Stand (Part Two)

E
70

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #4 – The Stand (Part One)

E
71

248 – Scott Carson & The Anticipation of the Bang!!

E
72

247 – Daniel Kraus and Sentenced to Death
73

246 – Wendy Wagner & Scooby Doo On Mushrooms

E
74

245 – Giano Cromley & Our Friends in the Forest

E
75

244 – Rose Keating & Rotting As We Go

E
76

243 – S.A. Cosby & The Gospel of the Dispossessed

E
77

242 – Caroline Fraser & Masculinity Most Toxic

E
78

241 – V.E. Schwab & Women Just Taste Better

E
79

Let Us Palaver #3 – The Waste Lands Debrief

E
80

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #3 – The Waste Lands

E
81

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

E
82

239 – Sarah Pinborough & What Are Ghosts But Lies Persevering?

E
83

238 – The Frozen Frontier: Ally Wilkes and Michelle Paver, Live at the Oxford Literary Festival
84

Off Book #9 – Eli Craig & Clown in a Cornfield

E
85

237 – Joe Abercrombie & The International Brotherhood of the Blade

E
86

236 – Brian Keene & Living in the Splatter

E
87

235 – Nat Cassidy & Emotional Doomsday Prepping

E
88

Off Book #8 – Kyle McConaghy & Dead Mail

E
89

234 – Katherine Arden & The Devil’s Train Timetable

E
90

233 – Tariq Ashkanani & Bloodstained Hands Across the Ocean

E
91

232 – Punk Goes Horror, with William Sterling, Wendy Dalrymple & Brian McAauley

E
92

Let Us Palaver #2 — The Drawing of the Three Debrief

E
93

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #2 – The Drawing of the Three

E
94

231 – Stephen Graham Jones & Rewilding the Vampire

E
95

230 – Alex Grecian & Weirdos in the West

E
96

229 – Agustina Bazterrica & The Wicked Nuns of Oz

E
97

Off Book #7 – Scott Derrickson

E
98

228 – Sophie White & An Island of Formless Dread

E
99

227 – Kirsty Logan & Queer as in F**K You

E
100

226 – Virginia Feito & A Good Old-Fashioned Bad Girl

E
101

225 – Lucy Rose & The Cumbrian Chainsaw Massacre

E
102

Let Us Palaver #1 – The Gunslinger Debrief

E
103

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #1 – The Gunslinger

E
104

Off Book #6 – Dutch Marich & Horror in the High Desert

E
105

224 – Susan Barker & The Denial of Death
106

223 – Kate van der Borgh & A Different Class of Magic
107

222 – Clay McLeod Chapman & Oh My God, What Have I Done?

E
108

221 – The Best Scary Books of 2024

E
109

220 – Grief and Monsters: The From a Buick 8 Deep Dive

E
110

219 – State of the Horror Nation 2024, with Emily Hughes, Stephanie Gagnon & Anna Dupre

E
111

[From the Vault] Catriona Ward & The All-Consuming Spoiler Warning

E
112

[From the Vault] Zakiya Dalila Harris & The Fear of Not Being Black Enough
113

[From the Vault] Laura Purcell & The Art of Darkness
114

[From the Vault] Gemma Amor & The Start of a Horrific Friendship AKA The Mental Health in Horror Episode

E
115

[From the Vault] T. Kingfisher & A Bit of Laughter in the Dark

E
116

[From the Vault] – Michael Marshall Smith & Goodbye to a Bad Year
117

Off Book #5 – Halloween Special – Kaelyn Moore & Heart Starts Pounding

E
118

218 – Rachel Harrison & Vampirism is What You Make It

E
119

217 – Del Sandeen & Giving Southern Gothic Ick!
120

216 – CJ Leede & The Shame of the Human Animal

E
121

215 – Sofia Ajram & The Architecture of Despair

E
122

Off Book #4 – Kate Siegel
123

214 – Lora Senf & The Infinite, Child-Friendly Void

E
124

213 – Johnny Compton & Angels, Demons & Xenomorphs

E
125

212 – Keith Rosson & Punk Rock Death Songs

E
126

211 – Laird Barron & Cosmic Background Radiation
127

210 – Emily Hughes & The Lover’s Guide to Better Horror
128

209 – Anna Bogutskaya & A Deep Fear of Things Sincere

E
129

208 – Adam Cesare & Making Scary Clowns Great Again

E
130

207 – Lena Valencia & What Can Lurk Where There Are No Shadows?
131

Off Book #3 – Trevor Henderson

E
132

206 – Gabino Iglesias & Doing Really Bad Things for All the Right Reasons

E
133

205 – Jonathan Janz & The Bittersweet Magic of Sixteen

E
134

204 – Adam Nevill & Watch For the Freak Wave
135

203 – Constant Readers & Celebrating Stephen King’s Short Stories (Part Two)

E
136

202 – Constant Readers & Celebrating Stephen King’s Short Stories (Part One)

E
137

201 – Stephen King & Touching Other Worlds

E
138

200 – Every-Damn-One and Their Scariest Story

E
139

199 – Josh Malerman & The Most Frightening Love Story

E
140

Off Book #2 – National Park After Dark

E
141

198 – Paul Tremblay & The Book is Better

E
142

197 – Elle Nash & Insects in the Ozarks

E
143

196 – Todd Keisling & The Eras Tour: Horror Version

E
144

195 – Emil Ferris & The Patron Saints of our Imperfection

E
145

Off Book #1 – Phil Nobile Jr. & Fangoria

E
146

194 – Alan Baxter & The Flavour of Vintage Blood

E
147

193 – L.P. Hernandez & Kudos On the Cruelty

E
148

192 – Robert Ottone & Raising Kids in Langan Country

E
149

191 – Chris Panatier & The Goo of Human Nature

E
150

190 – Kaaron Warren & The Un-Cosy House

E
151

189 – The Black Girl Survives in This One, with Saraciea J. Fennell, Desiree S. Evans, Monica Brashears & Eden Royce
152

188 – Scarlett Thomas & Hot Gothic

E
153

187 – The Carrie 50th Anniversary Deep Dive, with Nat Cassidy & Ally Malinenko

E
154

186 – Stephen Graham Jones & The Last Stand of the Final Girls

E
155

185 – Cynthia Pelayo & A Mermaid in the Windy City
156

184 – Joshua Hull & It’s a Whole Hole Thing

E
157

183 – Gwendolyn Kiste & Working Through Your Ghosts

E
158

182 – Tim Lebbon & Running Towards What Scares You

E
159

181 – Haunting Hill House, with Catriona Ward, Johnny Compton & Paul Tremblay

E
160

180 – Chuck Palahniuk & What Kind of Sex Do You Want?

E
161

179 – Ally Wilkes & The Ethics of Eating Your Friends

E
162

178 – Jenny Kiefer & A Solid Foothold in Horror

E
163

177 – John Langan & Fishing For Mythologies

E
164

176 – The Best Horror Novels of 2023

E
165

175 – The Ghost Story Deep Dive, with Alan Baxter, Lauren Bolger & John Langan

E
166

174 – State of the Horror Nation 2023, with Emily Hughes, Victor Lavalle & C.J. Leede

E
167

173 – Michelle Paver & Long Nights of the Body & Soul
168

172 – Gemma Amor & The Haunted Penis-Replacement Structure

E
169

171 – C.S. Humble & Come For the Horror, Stay for the Horses

E
170

170 – Luke Dumas & The Ghosts That Time Forgot

E
171

169 – Tyler Jones & Journeys Without Maps

E
172

168 – Tananarive Due & Locked in With the Monsters

E
173

167 – Nat Cassidy & A New York State of Death

E
174

166 – Sam Rebelein & You Had Me At “Tongue-Monster!”

E
175

165 – Josh Malerman & Ronald Malfi & The Rock N Roll Rhythm of the Novella

E
176

164 – Out There Screaming Roundtable, with Nnedi Okorafor, Lesley Nneka Arimah & Maurice Broaddus

E
177

163 – Liz Hand & Visiting the Thing That Walks Alone

E
178

162 – Chuck Wendig & American as Evil Apple Pie

E
179

161 – Clay McLeod Chapman & The Chesapeake Softshell Shuffle

E
180

160 – Isabel Cañas & Many Types of Bloodsucker
181

159 – Alexander James & An Encounter in the Woods

E
182

158 – Catriona Ward & Rewriting the American Gothic (Like, Literally)

E
183

157 – Josh Winning & The World Through Blood-Tinted Glasses

E
184

156 – Sadie Hartmann & The Books of Our Horrid Hearts

E
185

155 – Stephen King & Writing From the Nerve Endings

E
186

154 – Alex Woodroe & The Sweet Science of Folk Horror

E
187

153 – Chuck Tingle & Riding the Lonesome Train

E
188

152 – Andrew Michael Hurley & Our Green, Unpleasant Land

E
189

151 – Verity Holloway & The Onion Skin of Trauma

E
190

150 – Danielle Trussoni & Puzzling All Over the World
191

149 – Clowns at Midnight – The Big IT Deep-Dive (Part Two), with Ally Malinenko & Nat Cassidy

E
192

148 – Feral Childhoods – The Big IT Deep-Dive (Part One), with Ally Malinenko & Nat Cassidy

E
193

147 – Mike Flanagan & Lighting Up the Darkness
194

146 – Paula. D. Ashe & A Bizarre & Bitter Reprieve

E
195

145 – Sarah Gailey & The Scariest Place in the House

E
196

144 – Nicholas Binge & the Spookiest of Entanglements

E
197

143 – Alice Slater & Bookish Murder Vibes

E
198

142 – Katrina Monroe & Birthing the Ultimate Body Horror

E
199

141 – Justin Cronin & Telling the Goat Joke
200

140 – Andrew F. Sullivan & The Cutest Mould in Fungus City

E
201

139 – Ai Jiang & Home is Where the Haunt Is
202

138 – Rachel Eve Moulton & The Bellybutton of the Beast

E
203

137 – Kelly Link & Once Upon a Time in a Ghost Story
204

136 – Max Booth III & Stories With Teeth
205

135 – Victor LaValle & The Weird, Weird West

E
206

134 – Margaret Atwood & Hope in the Dystopia
207

133 – Jacqueline Holland & At Last! Vampires!
208

132 – Matt Ruff & A Hostile Universe Here on Earth
209

131 – Johnny Compton & A Pyroclastic Flow of Negative Energy
210

130 – Mariana Enriquez & This Cruelty is Justified

E
211

129 – Stephen Graham Jones & Slashers Can Save the World

E
212

128 – C.J. Tudor & Locked Rooms at the End of the World

E
213

127 – Grady Hendrix and the Radical Puppet Collective
214

126 – Stephen Markley & A Guided Tour To Our Future Hell

E
215

125 – The Best Horror Books of 2022
216

124 – State of the Horror Nation 2022, with Emily Hughes & Janelle Janson

E
217

123 – Rachel Harrison, Josh Malerman & A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Self-Indulgence

E
218

122 – A History of Gothic Horror, with Professor Roger Luckhurst
219

121 – Craig Engler & What Makes a Shudder Movie?
220

120 – Philip Fracassi & A Screaming Inferno of Chaos and Emotion
221

119 – Charlotte Northedge & Houses Full of Haunted People
222

118 – Fiona Barnett & If You Go Down to the Woods Today
223

117 – Erika T. Wurth & Bigfoot in Your Dreams

E
224

116 – Brian McAuley & The Delights of Human Evisceration

E
225

115 – Andy Davidson & Ornate Maps of Hell

E
226

114 – Erin E. Adams & Monsters in the Rust Belt
227

113 – Rachel Harrison & Teeth, Needles & Gnomes
228

112 – Jamie Flanagan & Stories as Companions for Loneliness
229

111 – Alexis Henderson and Hot Marxist Bloodletting
230

110 – Clay McLeod Chapman and Unhealthy Obsession with Clear Plastic Tarps

E
231

109 – Gemma Amor and The Big Mental Health in Horror Bonanza

E
232

108 – Hailey Piper and Ambulatory Brain Monsters
233

107 – Zin E. Rocklyn and the Commonality of Pain

E
234

106 – Gwendolyn Kiste and the Madwomen Bite Back
235

105 – Agatha Andrews and Danger-Bangs in Haunted Houses
236

104 – Michael J. Seidlinger and Strange Footsteps at Midnight

E
237

103 – Giving Kids Swords: A Middle Grade Special w/ with Ally Malinenko, Dan Poblocki & Lora Senf
238

102 – Nina Nesseth and How the Gross-Out Can Save Your Life
239

101 – Nat Cassidy and Who Asked for a Body Anyway?
240

100 – Paul Tremblay and the First-Person Asshole Narrator
241

99 – T. Kingfisher and the Fungus-Punk Epidemic
242

98 – Tim McGregor and Blaming the Danish
243

97 – A Monstrous Roundtable, with Ellen Datlow, Nathan Ballingrud, Chikodili Emelumadu & Joe R. Lansdale
244

96 – Stephen Lloyd and Cutting the Treacle
245

95 – J.M. Miro and Throwing Your Arms Around the Monsters
246

94 – Scott Hawkins and a Dog-Eat-Lion World
247

93 – Kiersten White and Freedom from the Hope of Youth
248

92 – Anne Heltzel and a Big Pile of Dead Baby Dolls
249

91 – Jason Rekulak and Pencil Crayon Jump Scares
250

90 – Isabel Cañas and Running Barefoot Through Books

E
251

89 – Alma Katsu and the Hatred that Never Seems to Die
252

88 – V. L. Valentine and The Difficult Second Ghost Story
253

87 – Malcolm Devlin and the Brexit Zombie Story
254

86 – Alan Baxter and a Stranger in a Strange Town
255

85 – Emma Stonex and the Light That Never Goes Out
256

84 – Dark Stars Roundtable, with John F.D. Taff, Livia Llewellyn & Josh Malerman

E
257

83 – Simone St. James and Good Time, True Crime
258

82 – Mike Meginnis and Things You Should Do Before You Die
259

81 – Tyler Jones and Old Eyes in Young Faces
260

80 – Gretchen Felker-Martin and Bustin’ Everyone’s Balls

E
261

79 – Leon Craig and the Queerness at the Bottom of the Well
262

78 – Thomas Olde Heuvelt and the Mountains of (My) Madness
263

77 – S.A. Barnes and Every Direction is Down
264

76 – Ally Wilkes and Good Reasons to be Afraid of the Dark
265

75 – Kristi DeMeester and Misogynistic Little Paper Cuts
266

74 – John Connolly and the Many Faces of Metaphysical Mystery
267

73 – The Best Horror-ish Books of 2021
268

72 – State of the Horror Nation II, with Emily Hughes and Sadie Hartmann
269

71 – A.J. West and Paranormal Foreplay
270

70 – Ross Jeffery and Disturbing the Comfortable
271

69 – Wendy N. Wagner and Nasty Shenanigans
272

68 – Josh Malerman and Putting the Awe in Awful Things
273

67 – Richard Maclean Smith and the Ledge of Reason
274

66 – Ellen Datlow and What Does ‘Scared’ Mean Anyhow?
275

65 – Mark Stay and Cosy Pagan Dread
276

64 – Kim Newman and Truly Universal Monsters
277

63 – Mark Kermode and Angels, Demons and White Eyed Kids (AKA, the Hallowe’en Special)

E
278

62 – Catherynne M. Valente and the Homeowners Association from Hell
279

61 – Cassandra Khaw and Stories to Tell Death
280

60 – Caitlin Starling and Emotional Torture Porn
281

59 – James Han Mattson and the Fear Fetish Facepalm
282

58 – Lee Mandelo & Playing Out with the Boys
283

57 – Tina Baker and the Working-Class Chips on Our Shoulders
284

56 – Aliya Whiteley and Strange Growths
285

55 – Daniel Kraus and a Bag of Squishy Organs in an Elastic Hide
286

54 – Stephen Graham Jones and Dancing with the Slasher
287

53 – Zoje Stage and What if You're Not a Good Person?
288

52 – Richard Chizmar and the Truth Inside the Lie
289

51 – Brian Evenson and Little Potted Nightmares
290

50 - Sara Flannery Murphy and the Witches They Couldn't Burn
291

49 – Ronald Malfi and Can Death Do Us Part?
292

48 – Chuck Wendig and the Comforting Embrace of Horror

E
293

47 – Grady Hendrix and Final Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
294

46 – The State of the Horror Nation, with Sadie Hartmann and Emily Hughes

E
295

45 – Carmen Maria Machado and Literary Kidney Stones

E
296

44 – Eric LaRocca and Abominable Things You Probably Shouldn’t Be Reading
297

43 – Joe R. Lansdale and Writing Like Everyone You Know is Dead

E
298

42 - V. Castro and F**K Your Box

E
299

41 – Max Brooks and Harry Eats the Hendersons
300

40 – Zakiya Dalila Harris and the Fear of Not Being Black Enough
301

39 – Josh Malerman and a Local Town for Local People
302

38 – Tananarive Due and Black Girls Doing Magical Things
303

37 – A.J. Gnuse and the People Under Your Sink

E
304

36 - Jeff VanderMeer and Our First On-Air Murder
305

35 – Christina Henry and the Monsters of the Subconscious
306

34 - Danielle Trussoni and the Spectrum of Human Difference
307

33 - Jennifer McMahon and the Green Mountain State of Fear
308

32 - Clay McLeod Chapman and the Clenching Fist of Satan!
309

31 – V.L. Valentine and Graphic Descriptions of Medical Maladies
310

30 – Catriona Ward and the All-Consuming Spoiler Warning
311

29 – Angela Slatter and Kelpies not Selkies!!
312

28 – Bethany Clift and Judging an Apocalypse by its Cover

E
313

27 - Julia Fine and the Postmodern Postpartum
314

26 - Sarah Pearse and the Hills are Alive with the Sound of Murder
315

25 - Gemma Files and the Witch in Her True Ornaments
316

24 - Courtney Summers and Writing for Spite
317

23 - Laura Purcell and the Art of Darkness
318

22 – C.J. Tudor and the Lure of the Oddball Loners
319

21 - Will Dean & The Horror of the Fens
320

20 - The Big 2021 Horror Preview AKA Another Annus Horribilis
321

19 - Michael Marshall Smith and Goodbye to 2020
322

18 - Gabriel Bergmoser and It's Only a Joke Mate!
323

17 - Rachel Harrison and Knowing Who Your Friends Are
324

16 – Christopher Golden and Extreme Social Distancing
325

15 - Sam J. Miller and a Hometown Hot Mess
326

14 - Jonathan Sims and the Haunted High-Rise
327

13 - Craig DiLouie and the Cult of the Shredder
328

12 - Rumaan Alam and the Apocalyptic Rorschach Test
329

11 - Andrew Pyper and the Demon in the White House
330

10 - Colin Dickey and the Obligatory Halloween Special AKA Why We Believe in Monsters
331

09 - T. Kingfisher and Does the Dog Die in This One?
332

08 – Emily Danforth and “The Blair Witch X Lesbians”
333

07 - Kate Summerscale and the Shoplifting Poltergeist
334

06 - Stuart Turton and How To Plot a Very Clever Murder

E
335

05 – Jeremy Robert Johnson and Where Did That Octopus Come From?
336

04 - Jo Kaplan and What Makes a Great Haunted House?
337

03 - Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Mexican Gothic, NOT Romance
338

02 - John Langan and Writing Under "The Influence"
339

01 - Paul Tremblay and Why It's Not the End of the World