Guls, trauma, and the architecture of memory: Hache Pueyo redefines the monster within. In her latest work, Argentine-Brazilian author Hache Pueyo continues to redefine the boundaries of speculative fiction monsters. In this exclusive interview, we delve into Cabaret in Flames, a novella where the vampiric Guls are not undead but a species … Hache Pueyo, Monsters Who Love, and the Labyrinths of Trauma in the Powerful Cabaret in FlamesRead more
INTERVIEWS
The Hospital at the End of the World: Justin C. Key on AI Medicine, Human Healing, and the Mysteries of Consciousness
What happens to healing when machines replace human touch? In his electrifying debut novel, The Hospital at the End of the World, acclaimed speculative fiction writer and practising psychiatrist Justin C. Key delivers a gripping medical thriller that pits human intuition against artificial intelligence in a battle for the soul of … The Hospital at the End of the World: Justin C. Key on AI Medicine, Human Healing, and the Mysteries of ConsciousnessRead more
Unravelling the Monster Within: An Interview with Amber Dean on Her Debut Psychological Horror, Hysterical
She’s not the final girl. She’s the reason there isn’t one. It takes a truly unique voice to create something that feels both disturbingly fresh and deeply unsettling. Enter Amber Dean, whose debut novel, Hysterical, is doing just that by shattering the conventions of the serial killer thriller. This isn’t a story … Unravelling the Monster Within: An Interview with Amber Dean on Her Debut Psychological Horror, HystericalRead more
The Mortuary Assistant Director Jeremiah Kipp on Adapting a Viral Horror Game for Shudder
“The bodies are moving, and the demons are watching—Jeremiah Kipp takes us inside the night shift at River Fields Mortuary.” “It feels like just yesterday that gamers were huddled around their monitors, jumping at shadows and second-guessing every flickering light in Brian Clarke’s indie sensation, The Mortuary Assistant. Released in 2022, … The Mortuary Assistant Director Jeremiah Kipp on Adapting a Viral Horror Game for ShudderRead more
A Forest, Darkly, The Witch in the Woods Gets a Voice: A.G. Slatter on Menopause, Monsters, and A Feminist Gothic Fantasy
In a genre often obsessed with youth, A.G. Slatter’s latest novel, A Forest, Darkly, offers a refreshing and powerful shift. Set in her acclaimed, bewitching Gothic Sourdough universe, this dark fantasy introduces us to Mehrab, a blunt, grumpy, and deeply compelling witch in her fifties who has retreated from the world … A Forest, Darkly, The Witch in the Woods Gets a Voice: A.G. Slatter on Menopause, Monsters, and A Feminist Gothic FantasyRead more
Mark Berton on Writing Aroughcoune: Scientific Horror & Character
Most of us figure a horror author, especially a creature feature guy, spends his time pondering fangs and shadows. Then you meet Mark Berton. His mind works differently. It ping-pongs between rabies vector species and military experimentation protocols before it even glances at the monster in the woods. I just … Mark Berton on Writing Aroughcoune: Scientific Horror & Character Read more
Inside the Gulp: Alan Baxter on Australian Cosmic Horror, Swallowing Towns & The Rise
You know how some towns just feel… hungry? Like the very streets might quietly digest the unlucky or the unaware. That’s Gulpepper. “The Gulp,” as the locals call it. A fictional harbour town on the NSW south coast that seems to swallow people whole. Alan Baxter built it. And in … Inside the Gulp: Alan Baxter on Australian Cosmic Horror, Swallowing Towns & The RiseRead more
The Maria the Wanted Interview: V. Castro on Rage, Reclamation & Vampires
Most vampire stories begin in the fog-shrouded castles of Eastern Europe. This one starts in the dust and desperation of Juarez. Maria isn’t waiting for a count to summon her; she’s running from a cartel boss and an Aztec trafficker, her human life already stripped away before the first fang … The Maria the Wanted Interview: V. Castro on Rage, Reclamation & VampiresRead more
Inside the Traction Era: Philip Reeve on 25 Years of Mortal Engines & New Novel Bridge of Storms
Introduction Ever had that moment? The blank page. The blinking cursor. The sheer, weighty silence of a world that needs inventing from nothing. Where does a story even begin? For Philip Reeve, it wasn’t a grand plan. Wasn’t a map. It was a vibe. A single, glorious, ridiculous image that … Inside the Traction Era: Philip Reeve on 25 Years of Mortal Engines & New Novel Bridge of StormsRead more
Inside Jim Butcher’s Craft: Dresden Files, Character Grief, and the “Horrid” Cats of Cinder Spires
You know that story about the art teacher who told the kid he couldn’t draw? Jim Butcher’s origin is kind of like that, but with more wizardry and a decades-long grudge against a hat. It all started with a stubborn student and a bet against himself. See, a young Butcher … Inside Jim Butcher’s Craft: Dresden Files, Character Grief, and the “Horrid” Cats of Cinder SpiresRead more
Candy Corn Comics: From the Driver’s Seat to the Drawing Board: The Everyday Horrors and Hopeful Monsters of Mark Glover
From the Driver’s Seat to the Drawing Board: The Everyday Horrors and Hopeful Monsters of Candy Corn Comics Mark Glover Let’s start at the very beginning. For our readers, please introduce yourself. Beyond the author bio, tell us a little about who you are when you’re not writing, what you … Candy Corn Comics: From the Driver’s Seat to the Drawing Board: The Everyday Horrors and Hopeful Monsters of Mark GloverRead more
Grady Hendrix on Witchcraft, Wayward Girls, and the Real Horror of 1970
The Groovy, Grim Reality of 1970 We think we know 1970. Bell-bottoms, big hair, rock ‘n’ roll. Grady Hendrix found the other version. The one where, as he puts it, the country felt like it was “breaking apart” in a “generational war.” His new novel, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, is set … Grady Hendrix on Witchcraft, Wayward Girls, and the Real Horror of 1970Read more
Johnny Compton Gets Real About Midnight Somewhere: Fears, Favorites, and Unkillable Characters
Johnny Compton Gets Real About Midnight Somewhere: Fears, Favourites, and Unkillable Characters Johnny Compton a Stoker Award-nominated author, sure, a creator of profoundly unsettling tales like The Spite House. But get him talking ,and you quickly find the man behind the monsters is, well, wonderfully human. Loud, he admits, a little self-conscious. … Johnny Compton Gets Real About Midnight Somewhere: Fears, Favorites, and Unkillable CharactersRead more
Bark at the Moonsick, an interview with Tom O’Donnell
Zombies are overdone. Let’s be honest. They’re slow, they’re groany, and frankly, their pandemic etiquette is terrible. But werewolves? What if getting bitten by a werewolf wasn’t a ticket to a cool secret club, but just…a really bad Tuesday? Like, a contagious, really bad Tuesday. His book Moonsick asks the hard questions we all … Bark at the Moonsick, an interview with Tom O’DonnellRead more
He Will Have The World, David-Jack Fletcher on Queer Horror, Mental Health & Writing
The Horror in the Attic: On Spider Gods, Queer Stories, and the Monsters in Our Minds You’re staring up into the dark, dusty void of your attic and the image just… arrives. Fully formed. An ancient spider god lurking up there. It’s that simple, and that bizarre, for David-Jack Fletcher. … He Will Have The World, David-Jack Fletcher on Queer Horror, Mental Health & Writing Read more