Talking Scared

274 – Carter Keane & Working Ourselves to Death!!

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate culture is a nightmare, but getting out of the office brings its own problems in Carter Keane’s debut novella – Morsel.   It’s a s...

Let Us Palaver #8 – The Black House Debrief

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Nat and I stick around in the shadowed recesses of Black House for another half hour, to discuss all the things that Chris got right and wrong – and...

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #8 – Black House

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Time to whet our appetites for the Dark Tower again – this time with an extra serving of ass cheek! After three months away, we’re picking up wit...

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

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After seeing an early screener of Something Very Bad is Going to Happen I immediately thought it was going to be huge! So I leapt ahead of the curv...

Episode 273 – Tamika Thompson & The Shadow of the Gun

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Tamika Thompson talks me through the great American curseof the 21st Century on this week’s episode. No, not Tangerine Cthulhu … but the plague of...

272 – Annie Neugebauer & The Colour of a Terrible Thought

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Some stories just boggle your mind and boil your imagination.   Such are the ideas in Annie Neugebauer’s You Have to Let Them Bleed, and her logi...

271 – Avery Curran & The Naughtiest Ghosts in School

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Time for sex and seances this week on Talking Scared.   Our guest is Avery Curran and her debut novel Spoiled Milk. It’s a story of spiritualism ...

Off Book #15 – Dolly, with Rod Blackhurst

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This Off Book episode is a trip into the deep dark woods, for a very special playdate!   Our guest is Rod Blackhurst, director and co-writer of the...

270 – Christopher Buehlman & One Seriously Epic Road Trip

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’re sharpening our swords and checking our armpits for boils!   Christopher Buehlman is the guest, author the hugely-acclaimed 2012 m...

269 – Catriona Ward & The Art of the Epic Name Drop

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Clap your hands twice if you believe in Catriona Ward!   Cat is back on the show this week, to talk Nowhere Burning – a horror novel informed by ...

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

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When is a zombie not a zombie?   I don’t have a punchline to that joke. But something…something … revenant!   Brennan LaFaro’s The Deniz...

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

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This Valentine’s week, come for a walk up on t’moors with me and Agatha Andrews.   I’ve invited Agatha, my friend and sister-in-Gothic, host...

– Mama Came Callin, with Ezra Claytan Daniels & Camilla Sucre

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A bit of chaos on the show for the weekend. We start with one guest and end with two. And there’s a dude with an alligator’s head running amok!  ...

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

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We’re tiptoeing towards the sci-fi end of things this week, with Justin C. Key and The Hospital at the End of the World.   This is a techn-othril...

Let Us Palaver #7 – The Talisman Debrief

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After our loose, freeform chat about the high strangeness of The Talisman, Nat stuck around to Palaver a little more behind Chris’ innocent back.  ...

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #7 – The Talisman

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We’re on the road again with our Dark Tower journey, running through adjacent worlds, lighting out for the Territories.   Our latest side-quest t...

265 – Yah Yah Schofield & Pretty Words for Ugly Things

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We're Southbound for monster-loving this week on Talking Scared.  Georgia writer, Yah Yah Schofield comes to discuss her Southern Gothic debut, On S...

Episode 264 – Courtney Summers & Dead Is Not Better

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you’re back in high school – but worse! The shuffling idiots actually want to EAT you!   That’s the premise of Courtney Summers’ Th...

263 – Kristi DeMeester & The Purity of Anger

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The year may have started with more real-world horrors from old white dudes, but here on Talking Scared they get their comeuppance – in the form of ...

262 – The Best Horror Books of 2025

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No need for a big intro this week. You know what this is about.   The year is over, and it’s time to offer my thoughts on the best books that mad...

Let Us Palaver #6 – Wizard & Glass Debrief

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our sixth Let Us Palaver, Nat and I try to clean things up a bit after the dirty deep dive into Wizard & Glass.   We get spoilery, so this is fo...

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #6 – Wizard & Glass

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a summer of diversion and detour, we’re back with the main Ka-Tet for Christmas. What better time for a tale of heartbreak, lost love, and cab...

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

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It: Welcome to Derry has just reached its Season One conclusion and the theories are flying as to where the show will go next.   I have something l...

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

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the now sixth annual State of the Horror Nation.   This is the mega-episode, in which I gather a darkly-inclined supergroup of horror f...

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

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s all about memory this week.   Remember that time literary superstar Carmen Maria Machado came on the show? No? Well here’s your chance to...

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

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff VanderMeer and I did not fall out!!   This is a myth that has arisen since Jeff came on the show back in 2021, to discuss his eco-espionage cr...

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

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Revisiting a true highlight this week!   Will Dean’s The Last Thing to Burn is one of very few 10/10 books i've ever featured on this podcast. It...

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

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This flashback episode takes us to early 2021, when I was joined by Courtney Summers – the boundary-pushing author of dark YA fictions for a correct...

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

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time for a classic haunted house.   I’m on a short break from the show, to recoup, read without pressure and generally try not to implode. So we...

260 – Joe Hill & The One About the Dragon

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here be dragons!   I’m celebrating Halloween week on Talking Scared with the very cream of the bucket list. Joe Hill is finally on the show!   ...

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

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our fifth Let Us Palaver, Nat and I dally a little longer in ‘Salem’s Lot to hunt down a few more vamps and follow up some threads mentioned in...

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

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

‘Salem’s Lot is FIFTY years old this month. Hellfire, how did that happen? We’re gonna celebrate the bloodsucking and small town shenanigans for...

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

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Lansdale is here to give us all a smack upside the head.   We are talking about The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale – his brand new caree...

Off Book #12 – Ben Leonberg and Good Boy

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mine isn’t the only Good Boy released into the world this week. You may have heard of a little film that shares my books name.   I joke – Ben L...

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

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ah the arrogance of writers. Now I am one, officially, I thought I’d better do something fitting.   So I set up a whole episode of my podcast to ...

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

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Another day, another episode about the weird-arse end of nowhere!   We remain in the North of England for this second part of a weeklong celebratio...

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

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s grim up North.   But thankfully, it’s also weird. Deliciously, darkly, disturbingly weird!   This week we are celebrating the Northern...

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

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s even real anymore?   Some of the best horror writer’s ask that question. Some, like Michael Wehunt, live in the spaces in between.   ...

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

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week brings a bumper episode, cos Philip Fracassi never stops. Since he and I last spoke, in 2022, he’s published a wealth of amazing, terri...

253 – Keith Rosson & The Real V-Word

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you like your vampires slick and suave or rugged and raging? If it’s the latter, you’ll very much enjoy KeithRosson’s Coffin Moon. It’s a...

Off Book #11 – JT Mollner & The Long Walk

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s walk or die this week on Talking Scared, as we’re joined by the screenwriter of The Long Walk.   JT wrote and directed 2024’s cult-hit ...

252 – John Langan & Water, Water Everywhere

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

School is back in session. Professor Langan is here!   No-one gives good literary conversation like John Langan – and this week he returns to Tal...

251 – Kailee Pedersen and The Silence of the Foxes

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ready for some rough rural Gothic?   Kailee Pederson’s Sacrifical Animals was one of my top horror novels of 2024. I missed Kailee first time rou...

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

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

And so this infected Summer of the Stand comes to an end. With Part Two of The End of the World As We Know It – more conversations between contribut...

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

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No full treatment of The Stand would be complete without a look at Mick Garris’ landmark television adaptation. In 1994 he put together an adjacent ...

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

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Summer of The Stand continues!   We may have reached the final pages of the novel, but the power of its story expands ever outwards. Now we tur...

Let Us Palaver #4 – The Stand Debrief

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The fourth Let Us Palaver Nat is all about The Stand and Randall Flagg, and how it all connects to The Dark Tower – all the stuff that Chris (and yo...

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

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

So, the circle closes… for now.   Here is the second and final part of our deep dive into Stephen King’s The Stand – the first of many major ...

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

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time for a side quest.   Yes, this is the Dark Tower Readalong… you are not mistaken. But there are other worlds, and other books, and some of th...

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

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After we spent last week in the muck and mire, this episode takes us up where skies are blue.   Just watch for the mushroom clouds.   The guest ...

247 – Daniel Kraus and Sentenced to Death

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Kraus has never lacked for ambition in his fiction – but Angel Down may be the most audacious horror book of the year. It’s the story of br...

246 – Wendy Wagner & Scooby Doo On Mushrooms

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back on the trails for a mind-melting trip this week.   Wendy Wagner is in the hot-seat, playing shaman as we discuss The Girl in the Creek – her...

245 – Giano Cromley & Our Friends in the Forest

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’re talking about my Roman Empire. BIGFOOT!!   But this time I have good reason to get geeky – my guest is Giano Cromley, hairy-hom...

244 – Rose Keating & Rotting As We Go

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’m coming to you from the heatwave from hell – and I’ve never been more burdened by my body.  And that is exactly the topic that this week’...

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

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time to talk righteous violence!   S.A. Cosby is a writer on a meteoric rise. After the insane success of Razorblade Tears, and the Gothic horrors ...

242 – Caroline Fraser & Masculinity Most Toxic

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes monsters are real!   This week’s episode is a foray into non-fiction, but no less scary for it. I’m talking to Pulitzer-winning Carol...

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

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Vampirism is time travel.   It’s also tragedy and freedom and Queerness, and sex and death.   We talk about all of these thing with V.E. Schw...

Let Us Palaver #3 – The Waste Lands Debrief

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The third Let Us Palaver minisode (though this one is not so mini) – in which Nat and I reflect on The Waste Lands in full spoiler mode…and say RE...

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #3 – The Waste Lands

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re finally on the path of The Beam.   The Dark Tower Readalong reaches the land of wonder and ruination, in Book 3, The Waste Lands. Accompani...

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

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

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

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a week of sadness and hilarity on Talking Scared.   The happy stuff comes courtesy of Sarah Pinborough, author of Weird domestic gothics, li...

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

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Talking Scared goes live!   In April I was invited to chair a conversation between Michelle Paver and Ally Wilkes at the Oxford Literary Festival. ...

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

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

237 – Joe Abercrombie & The International Brotherhood of the Blade

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 v...

236 – Brian Keene & Living in the Splatter

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 rea...

235 – Nat Cassidy & Emotional Doomsday Prepping

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 p...

Off Book #8 – Kyle McConaghy & Dead Mail

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

234 – Katherine Arden & The Devil’s Train Timetable

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 G...

233 – Tariq Ashkanani & Bloodstained Hands Across the Ocean

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

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

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time to throw ourselves around. We’re covering Punk Goes Horror.   The anthology of stories inspired by punk and alternative rock songs came out ju...

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

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 SPOILE...

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

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

231 – Stephen Graham Jones & Rewilding the Vampire

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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’...

230 – Alex Grecian & Weirdos in the West

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Saddle up for a weird west week on Talking Scared. The start of a loose trilogy of sorts.   This first instalment features Alex Grecian, talking abou...

229 – Agustina Bazterrica & The Wicked Nuns of Oz

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No one is doing dystopia right now like Agustina Bazterrica.   After Tender is the Flesh made us all consider vegetarianism, now she’s back for a l...

Off Book #7 – Scott Derrickson

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The latest Off Book episode has me facing my demons. My guest is Scott Derrickson, one of the best horror movie makers to ever do it. He scared us wi...

228 – Sophie White & An Island of Formless Dread

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ready to hear a conversation about some devastatingly dark things?   Sophie White and I have got you covered!   In this expansive chat, we talk abou...

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

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The title speaks volumes this week. It’s a mission statement.   Kirsty Logan is the master of certain kind of edgy, on-the-margins fiction, Queer i...

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

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time to misbehave.   Virginia Feito’s new novel, Victorian Psycho, is all about good behaviour, positive standards and polite conduct…and what ha...

225 – Lucy Rose & The Cumbrian Chainsaw Massacre

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are you hungry?   Depending on your…erm… tastes, the next hour of conversation will do strange things to your appetite. Our guest is Lucy Rose, w...

Let Us Palaver #1 – The Gunslinger Debrief

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here is the first Let Us Palaver minisode – in which Nat Cassidy and I kick Chris off the call, and get to grips with the inner workings of The Dark...

The Dark Tower Deep Dive #1 – The Gunslinger

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the podcaster followed…”   Welcome to the start of what is sure to be an epic journey. Step by st...

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

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The latest Off Book episode takes you out to the American desert and leaves you there, cold, alone and confused. We’re speaking with Dutch Marich, ...

224 – Susan Barker & The Denial of Death

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tyranny is the key this week on Talking Scared this week. How fitting.   Susan Barker’s Old Soul is a globe-trotting, decade-spanning supernatural ...

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

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a collegial week on Talking Scared. ‘Cos I’m talking dark, occult academia with someone very local to me.   Kate van der Borgh’s debut, ...

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

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back and Happy New Year. 2025 looms ahead. Frightening. Uncertain. Crazy!!   Our first guest of the year has written the book that best captu...

221 – The Best Scary Books of 2024

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text How else to end 2024 than with an entirely subjective list of the best things I’ve read over the year?   How many of you will guess ...

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

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text It’s that time of year again. When I celebrate the winter solstice by getting some horror authors to come and talk in deep, emotional...

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

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text … and we’re back! Just in time for this seasonal tradition. The State of the Horror Nation 2024 – our expert-led review of the be...

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

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text This is the last way-back episode before the show returns with a scream next week.   But this is an episode worth remembering – my f...

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

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text A chance to revisit one of my favourite books and favourite ever conversations this week.   Zakiya Dalila Harris’s The Other Black G...

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

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text I’m feeling Gothic this week. Must be the weather.  In lieu of a new episode, I searched the vault and found this cracker from Janu...

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

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text This From the Vault episode is not quite so dusty. Gemma and I recorded this in 2022, but it’s more pertinent than ever. One because ...

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

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text Still on a break – still releasing episodes “From the Vault.”   But this week’s was carefully chosen. In a time of darkness an...

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

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text I’m on a break – but couldn’t resist releasing something.    Especially on today of all days, when lovers of democracy require ...

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

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text Halloween has finally arrived. I’m marking it in grim, macabre style.   For this Off Book Samhain Special, I’m joined by Kaelyn Mo...

218 – Rachel Harrison & Vampirism is What You Make It

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text Things are heating up as we approach Halloween.   I’m joined by a good friend of Talking Scared – Rachel Harrison – to talk abou...

217 – Del Sandeen & Giving Southern Gothic Ick!

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text As we gear up for Halloween, we get all gussied up in Gothic.   Del Sandeen joins me to talk about the curses, colorism, and all the m...

216 – CJ Leede & The Shame of the Human Animal

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text Things get disinhibited on Talking Scared this week, when CJ Leede joins us for a conversation about her new novel, American Rapture.  ...

215 – Sofia Ajram & The Architecture of Despair

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send us a text Hold hands, we need to stick together.   This week’s episode plunges us into the impossible and endless dark, with Sofia Ajram and h...