Carver and I have known each other for a long time, way before he became known as Carver, and it’s a huge pleasure to have him back on the blog.
Meghan: Hey Carver. Welcome (back) to the blog. What is your favorite part of Halloween?
Carver: The overall atmosphere. It’s the time of year for horror authors to shine. I love walking the aisles of stores and seeing all the fall colors, grinning jack-o-lanterns, and creepy costumes. Of course, I love the vast amount of horror movies on offer by all the different channels. Back in the day, this was the only time of year you could watch ALL the Halloween films back-to-back on cable TV.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?
Carver: I’m pretty basic, to be honest. I always make sure to watch Halloween (my favorites are the first one, Halloween 4, and H20). The 2018 Halloween was pretty cool too. Can’t wait for the next one.
Meghan: If Halloween is your favorite holiday (or even second favorite holiday), why?
Carver: I love taking the kids trick or treating in neighborhoods where homeowners really get into the holiday. I’ve heard there’s a guy down the street who stands in his window every year dressed as Jason and when kids come to his door, he chases them. That’s awesome! That, and it’s the only time of year where you’re sure to see horror-themed shit in all the stores.
Meghan: What are you superstitious about?
Carver: I don’t mess around with Ouija boards. Fuck that. Too many scary movies start out that way. When I was a kid, I didn’t worry about it. I used them with friends all the time. I remember ripping one in half and using one of the pieces to hold up my bedroom window. I was probably 12 or 13 at the time. That probably wasn’t a great idea.
Meghan: What/who is your favorite horror monster or villain?
Carver: Definitely Michael Myers. For the longest time, I had nightmares about Michael. I had plenty of other bad dreams too, but the nightmares with Michael chasing me always scared the shit out of me.
Meghan: Which unsolved murder fascinates you the most?
Carver: Off the top of my head, I’d probably have to go with the Zodiac Killer, mostly just because he toyed with the police the way he did and got away with it. I mean how do we let that happen? Jack the Ripper is another one that I find fascinating, but his murders took place so long ago and detective work wasn’t quite what it is today. We should have been able to track down and take out the Zodiac.
Meghan: Which urban legend scares you the most?
Carver: Bloody Mary is a pretty freaky one. There was another one similar to Bloody Mary that I was always afraid to play. I can’t remember what it’s called but you stand in front of a mirror, with the light off, and say his name however many times and then you’d see this creature or demon far away inside the mirror. It would sprint toward you and if you didn’t turn the light on before it reached the mirror, it would dive through and attack you. I wouldn’t dare play that game.
Meghan: Who is your favorite serial killer and why?
Carver: What a morbid question, Meghan. It seems wrong to have a favorite serial killer. I think the one that fascinates me most is Dahmer. I mean he was into some sick shit. Drilling holes into some of his victims’ heads to try and create zombies. Of course, there was that whole thing about eating them too lol. See? Even adding that “lol” in there seems wrong. There’s really nothing funny about it. Edward Kemper was interesting too. Did you watch Mindhunter? Great show. A lot of people don’t know that Kemper’s voice was the one narrating a lot of the old audiobooks. He recorded Flowers in the Attic and even Star Wars.
Meghan: How old were you when you saw your first horror movie?
Carver: Oh, man. Probably like three or four. I think the first one I remember watching was Friday the 13th. I used to love watching Commander USA on the USA channel. You know, the guy who’d dress up as a super hero and spoke to the face he’d drawn on his hand with cigar ash. He’d always play awesome horror movies… I think on Saturdays. I remember seeing a double feature of Friday the 13th V and April Fool’s Day at the drive-in.
Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?
Carver: To this day, and I read it after picking it up from a Goodwill when I was about 12, the horror that unsettled me most is The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle. That’s the book The Conjuring 3 was based on. For a long time it was impossible to find. After the movie came out, they republished it with the movie cover, so I was able to buy a copy. I haven’t read it yet, but I can’t wait to see if it still unnerves me like it did back in the day. Unlike the movie, the book focuses more on David, the little boy who ended up being possessed. The movie skipped all that and went straight to the murder case that followed. The boy’s story was a lot scarier.
Meghan: Which horror movie scarred you for life?
Carver: Probably The Exorcist. I was really young when I saw it and I remember my dad sneaking up behind me and scaring the shit out of me. Then he told me I needed to turn it off because I was too scared. Another movie that messed me up as a kid was Lamberto Bava’s Demons. That and the sequel are still two of my favorite horror movies.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween costume?
Carver: I can’t think of a favorite, but I can tell you my least favorite. When I was a young teenager, maybe 15, I dressed as a car crash victim. So I basically just wound gauze around myself. Around my entire body. And I did it so tight that I could barely walk. I looked like a mummy. My friend drove us around to a couple of Halloween parties that night and it sucked so bad. Everyone else was having a great time and I could barely move.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?
Carver: Well, Michael Jackson’s Thriller is definitely one of them. This is Halloween from A Nightmare Before Christmas is another great one. Oh, and Little Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. If we’re talking themes, I’d have to go with Halloween.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween candy or treat? What is your most disappointing?
Carver: Favorite: Butterfingers, Twizzlers, and candy corn. Most Disappointing: Apples or raisins (I like both but it’s a damn shame when people put them in kids’ candy bags)
Meghan: Before we go, what are your top 5 Halloween movies?
Carver: Trick ‘R Treat, Halloween 4, Night of the Demons, Hocus Pocus (if the kids are around), I’m a fan of the old made for TV movie The Midnight Hour (yes, the cheesy one starring Peter DeLuise and Levar Burton), and I’m going to cheat and add the 3 new Fear Street movies (1, 2, 3) as one. I don’t think they were necessarily Halloween movies, but they were fun and I think fit in well.
Boo-graphy:
My name is Carver Pike. Since as far back as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by everything horror. I’d sit cross-legged in front of the TV and watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre while devouring a bowl of Kaboom cereal. I always wished the ghost at the end of each episode of Scooby-Doo wouldn’t be just another man behind the mask. I wanted real ghastly ghouls, dastardly demons, and malevolent monsters.
At some point, I knew I couldn’t sit back and keep watching this horror world from the stands. I wanted to be in the game. So, now I wield this virtual pen and sling ink onto the page from my home in West Virginia where the people are friendly, the scenery is gorgeous, and horror story inspiration is in every nook, cranny, and holler.
I want to create those worlds you visit, feed that fear that keeps you up at night, and entertain you in ways only the greatest storytellers can.
Be advised, most of my books are very graphic in nature. Most are packed with violence, gore, sex, and more. I’m tastefully twisted at telling tasteless tales.
That’s enough about me. This is about you, the reader, enjoying the ride. Hopefully, we’ll form a great author-reader relationship and you’ll come to trust that Carver Pike will always keep you entertained.
The Maddening: Diablo Snuff 3 —
You don’t go looking for Diablo Snuff. It comes looking for you.
You should have heeded the warning. You should have gotten the message. Evil isn’t coming. It’s already here, and it’s wiping the world out in phases.
Step 1: Seep into the sexual underbelly – Through hotels, hostels, nightclubs, and pornography, they will steal the seed needed to create the bastard maniacs of the future: children created to dominate and destroy life as we know it.
Step 2: Rip through the world in the written form – Through novels of all genres, use the written word to drive readers violently mad.
Step 3: Destroy the rest by digital means – Through an app created by Diablo Snuff, convince the world’s wolves to slaughter the sheep. Highest paycheck goes to the most creative kills.
Step 4: Kill EVERYONE left.
Sooner or later we all go mad.
The Maddening is the final book in the Diablo Snuff series. This is where it all ends… or does it?
Be advised, all the other books in the Diablo Snuff world (A Foreign Evil, The Grindhouse, Passion & Pain, and Slaughter Box) can be read in any order. The Maddening, however, should be read after all the others. Thank you for reading.
Meghan's House of Books 