Meghan: Hey, Danger! Welcome welcome welcome!! What is your favorite part of Halloween?
Danger: Eating candy. Duh. I don’t have kids so I gotta buy all my own candy though. I’m an adult though so I suppose I could do that at any time. Hmm. Why haven’t I thought of that before. I could be eating candy for dinner every day!
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?
Danger: I have a black cat so I use it as a day to pay tribute to him. Usually by carving his face onto a pumpkin.
Meghan: If Halloween is your favorite holiday (or even second favorite holiday), why?
Danger: I mean, I’m into horror stuff all year round, so it’s cool that there’s a month/holiday for other people to get spooky with me.
Meghan: What are you superstitious about?
Danger: I have to brush my teeth before I go to bed. I don’t know if that’s a superstition or just basic hygiene, but if I don’t do it, then I feel real icky.
Meghan: What/who is your favorite horror monster or villain?
Danger: Frankenstein. HE’S JUST MISUNDERSTOOD. Unlike Dracula who is just a straight-up dick.
Meghan: Which unsolved murder fascinates you the most?
Danger: I don’t follow this kind of stuff too much, but I did watch this fascinating documentary called Casting JonBenet on Netflix that is less about the actual crime and more about how the people audition for a reenactment of the JonBenet story feel about the crime. It’s hard to explain, but it’s more about people’s fascination and interpretation of the truth than it is about the actual truth. Very interesting film.
Meghan: Which urban legend scares you the most?
Danger: Pop Rocks and Coke. My cousin’s best friend from grade school died that way.
Meghan: Who is your favorite serial killer and why?
Danger: None. Fuck those guys.
Meghan: How old were you when you saw your first horror movie? How old were you when you read your first horror book?
Danger: First horror movie I remember scaring me was the original Nightmare on Elm Street. I had a cousin who was obsessed with Freddy Krueger growing up. He even made his own knife glove.
My first horror books were Goosebumps, though I only got to read a few. My mom stopped buying them for me pretty quick, not because of the content, but because I was reading them too fast and she didn’t have the money. I was in like 3rd grade when she handed me a copy of Jurassic Park and was like, “There, that should keep you occupied for a while.”
Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?
Danger: I don’t get scared by books or movies, generally speaking. I usually have a difficult time removing myself from the edifice of it. Especially as a creator myself, I’m always thinking about the process that goes into a story (or a scene in a movie, or a performance, or any aspect of how these things are put together) so I rarely find myself so immersed that I actually am scared of what I’m reading/seeing.
Meghan: Which horror movie scarred you for life?
Danger: Same answer as above, though I will add a few movies that I did find actually scary were Melancholia – the Lars von Trier film – and Vivarium. These are more about existential horrors though. Movies that make me reflect back on my own life choices and experiences are the ones that hit hardest for me.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween costume?
Danger: Last year I put on my girlfriends kimono and a captain’s hat and was just a ‘good time party dude’ and it was comfortable as hell.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?
Danger: Halloween by the Misfits, of course.
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Danger: Kit Kats are the best. I’m trying to eat every flavor. Did you know there are over 300? Crazy!
Meghan: Thanks for stopping by, Danger. It is ALWAYS a pleasure. Before you go, what are your go-to Halloween movies?
Danger: You’re talking about movies that specifically take place on Halloween, right? In that case:
Donnie Darko
Halloween III
The Nightmare Before Christmas
House of 1000 Corpses
Tales of Halloween
Boo-graphy:
Danger Slater is the Wonderland Award-winning writer of I Will Rot Without You and several other books that haven’t won awards, but are okay still. He lives in Portland, OR with his cat and his girlfriend.
I Will Rot Without You —
Meet Ernie. His life is a mess. Gretchen’s gone, and the apartment they once shared is this grey, grim city is now overrun with intelligent mold and sinister bugs.
Then his neighbor Dee shows up, so smart and lovely. If he can just get past the fact that her jealous boyfriend could reach out of her blouse and punch him in the face at any moment, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Unfortunately for all involved, a Great Storm is coming and it will wash away everything we’ve ever known about the human heart.
Impossible James —
My father was dying. There was no hope. Then he took a screwdriver to the brain. Got pregnant. And found the cure for death.
Impossible? That’s my dad.
Impossible James
Meghan's House of Books 