Send us a text I’ve rarely been more excited about an episode – for you to hear it or, indeed, about its very contents. We’re joined this week by Mike Flanagan. Yes, that Mike Flanagan. The genius loci of modern visual horror, the writer and director behind Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, The Midnight Club and Oculus. Our most literary horror director and a man who understand that horror is where the heart is. If you think my praise is too gushing then… we’ll just have to disagree. He may be a filmmaker, but he sure does love books. In this conversation we talk about Mike’s deep love for horror stories, how his childhood reading continues to influence his career, and what he’s still loving about the genre. We discuss his upcoming take on Fall of the House of Usher, his next Stephen King adaptation, and a certain tower that looms in the distance. Yes, Mike’s career – like all great things – follows the Beam. The Fall of the House of Usher is out on Netflix later this year. Other books mentioned in this episode include: The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973), by John Bellairs It (1986), by Stephen King Gerald’s Game (1992), by Stephen King “The Life of Chuck,” in If it Bleeds (2020), by Stephen King Echo (2022), by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Blackwater (1983), by Michael McDowell If You See Her (2019), by Ania Ahlborn This Appearing House (2022), by Ally Malinenko The Clackity (2022), by Lora Senf Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.